I did my first goal !!! I can do a kip up !!! (I’ll possibly put a gif or something later but like !!! Guys!!! It happened!!!
(sorry not sorry for exclamation points, im just, super excited)
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That’s awesome! Those are super hard, and I’m proud of you for landing it!
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Ooh I’ve started using this, just over a week now.
Finding the smart wake up is much better than my traditional 10+ alarms. I don’t know when it’ll wake me in a half hour window, but I am more alive and functional first thing.
It picks up when my partner comes to bed anywhere between 2 and 5 hours after me. Not sure how it tells the difference between us, or if it just averages us.
Either way I’m happy with the free offering.
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Swimming update…
I’m still going and I somehow convinced my colleague/friend to join me.
He’s joined me as physio to recover from 6months with a broken leg. He doesn’t seem to struggle as much as me, but he is very encouraging. Between his encouragement and my stubbornness were doing well.
Today his target was for us to do 34 lengths.
We got there and 40 seemed so close, so I kept going.
Got to 40 and my inner geek insisted on making it to the answer of life the universe and everything.
So today I(we) swam 42 lengths (1050m) in 65 min.
I’m trying to alternate my focus on breathing and an element of a given stroke as a starting point for improving my speed.
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Happy dance. 
7 weeks ahead of target I did 40 lengths swimming in 40 minutes this evening.
My friend has promised me tea and cake as a reward.
Guess I’m going to need a new target too 
How is everyone else getting along?
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I’m doing well. I’ve found that setting the intention in my journal every day and logging what I eat very helpful. I usually skip journaling on weekends, so they tend to be “looser” than the work week. I still try to log food though 
I started signing up for Noom, a food and exercise plan, but didn’t feel like paying the money after I read mixed things about it out there. Anyone have any experience with it? Is it worth it?
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I keep seeing ads for Noom and have been keeping an eye out for info, but I haven’t tried it myself yet.
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I wouldn’t even know where to start with journaling, so it’s epic that you are keeping it up!
Is it helping you to spot behaviours/trends with what you’re eating?
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Every podcast that I listen to advertises Noom! I didn’t look too much into it, but their chart that maps out food in terms of color was interesting for someone who didn’t realize how much of their daily intake was some form of a bread product 
Partially because of that, I’ve been working really hard to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet and less bread! It’s definitely more expensive than buying a bunch of frozen food that lasts forever, but I’ve been really good about eating it all before it goes bad which is something I’ve struggled with in the past, and that justifies the cost for me!
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Yes? I intuitively know when I’m overeating/have overeaten, but it helps frame it and make me accountable to myself.
Because I’m apparently a sucker for anything I see for sale on social media (I’m only here because of a Facebook add I saw in 2017, ha!) I started using MindJournal in October. It’s pretty neat, and it includes a “daily check in” of how you’re feeling, intentions/achievements for the day, daily gratitude for the day, and your “happy hour” for the day (something you’re going to do just for yourself) laid out on one page, followed by three pages of free-writing space. I set out one block of the free-writing space every day for logging what I eat. It’s pretty simple, and that part doesn’t require the fancy branded journal to do it.
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So, I pulled the trigger and signed up for the 14 day free trial for Noom. (actually, I closed the window just before I entered my payment information, and like 2 minutes later, they sent me a promo code for half off of the rest of the plan 
) It’s still expensive, but we’ll see how it goes.
The food colors are based on calorie-density and water content of foods. You are indeed correct, veggies are “better” than bread, in terms of these ratios. Logging in two places is plain redundant, so I’m going to use the app for a little bit instead of making space in my journal, and see if it’s worth the cost.
I’ll report back after a couple of weeks!
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Guys were two months in and we’re doin’ awesome!
Food journaling seems really hard so I commented all of you that are doing it :0
As for me, I’m back up in the air with silks, and I’m excited to fly again ;u;
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Okay. Noom update.
It’s working, but I’m probably going to cancel my account and delete the app. I know these sound contrary to one another, but let me explain. The app itself is fine. It mixes calorie budgets and logging with psychology based daily tips, tricks and quizzes to help understand the principles of behaviors of eating. You’re paired with a coach that checks in a couple times a week. There’s also a built in geolocation-based pedometer. It says I should be able to, but I couldn’t link it to my daily step count on my smartwatch.
Starting on 12/31/2019, I was 245 lbs. This was a high for me in recent years. I started food journaling, and pretty easily got back to my usual 235 lb weight. I plateaued there, so I started Noom 9 days ago, and I"m already down to 225 lbs. It’s primarily because Noom has me on a 1400 - 1500 calorie/day budget, and I’ve been able to (largely) stick to that budget for the past 9 days. So, one would think: “Aha, it works! Look, 10 lbs in a week!” however, much of that weight is actually muscle mass, especially when lost that rapidly with such a stringent calorie restriction. And, I can see it, too, in my chest and arms. I look a little… deflated. Certainly the loss of poundage shows around my middle, which is great. I think what it means, though, is that the numbers I’m seeing with this program are misleading me into thinking it’s more successful than it actually is. I would have gotten there eventually, albeit more slowly, with being conscientious about eating and food logging either in my journal, or on a comparable free app, like MyFitnessPal or Lose It!
I also don’t agree with some of their food categories. They categorize craft beer (empty calories) as “yellow” because of the high water content, but boiled quinoa (a whole grain, which they say is a great choice during some of the daily lessons) as a red food to be limited.
I would definitely recommend it for someone who needs to know more about psychology (thought distortions, positive/negative punishments/rewards) and would like the personalized support from an online coach. I’m fairly fluent in those anyway from undergraduate/graduate coursework and professional training, and in terms of functionality, I personally will probably switch back to analog food journaling or a free calorie tracking app.
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Thanks for the follow-up, that was really helpful! I use the fitbit app (though it’s been a little glitchy as of late) and it sounds like that’s the route I’m going to stick with.
I’ve been doing a better job recently of bringing my water bottle with me, so the “drink more water” goal is coming along. The sleep goal however…not great. Some nights I’m not getting tired until…closer to a normal person’s “getting up” time than “going to sleep” time, so I feel guilty trying to go to bed earlier because “I’m not tired! I could get more stuff done!” (spoiler: I usually cannot, which adds to the stress). Other nights I’m exhausted much earlier but have that “one last thing to finish” and I fall asleep at my desk or in my living room in the process of doing it.
I’m going to try structuring my personal to-dos better so they’re less overwhelming in the evenings, and also pushing my evening routine earlier to trick my brain into wanting to go to sleep. I might also try the light therapy at the student wellness center, since I don’t get a lot of sun between the eternally grey skies of winter and the fact that my grad student office is half underground…
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Using light therapy (specifically 10,000 lux or greater) in the mornings will help with sleep initiation in the evenings and sleep consolidation throughout the night.
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If you can afford it, I was able to get a cheap little light therapy lamp on Amazon for about $30 or so. I haven’t been using it as much as I probably should be but if you don’t want to have to always go to an external location, it can be nice. I usually do my little sessions while I watch some YouTube or Netflix, or do some reading. It’s a really pleasant way to start the day!
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I’m sorry to break in and be less than incredibly positive (which I usually am actually!) but I’m typically pretty suspicious about any weight loss program that has you tracking calories really closely, and that gives food such obvious value markers (like green and red etc.). I had a really bad experience with them in high school that led to what essentially became an eating disorder, and only last year was I able to look at nutrition labels without really significant anxiety. The issue is that a lot of these methods these apps use can become problematic depending on your specific personality and tendencies, and can fairly easily become markers of disordered eating and not “healthy” eating. Not to say they’re universally bad, but I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful and mindful and take care of themselves!! You guys know yourselves best, so if something is making you feel bad on a consistent basis, it’s probably not for you! Sorry for the less positive tone!
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That perspective is definitely appreciated, and I’m glad you said something. In terms of rote numbers, I think the goal they set for me is a little harsh, and I’ve done just fine with intuitive eating in the past. This was more of a “hey, this is free for a couple of weeks let’s see what this is all about.”
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Regarding light therapy… is this like a sun lamp kinda thing? Or a heat lamp? (or super ideally, both lol)
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