u/Difficult-Jackfruit

Hello!

I am doing OMAD to help loose weight.

I track calories, but sometimes it is hard.

This last week I made:

• a tray of sweet potatoes fingerlings in the oven
• chicken thighs, carrots, Brussel sprouts with seasoning, and oil

Tracking calories is hard when chicken thighs and sweet potatoes are roasted together on one tray.

Questions

• Do you eyeball?
• Listen to your body?
• Only really track when you eat out?

Hey!

I have been doing OMAD for about five days.

I have been doing the plate method, tracking my calories, and things are going great.

Today I broke my fast early because a friend invited me to breakfast. I made an effort to go to Ihop, read the menu, and made sure my selections were nutritionally dense, but kept me in a deficit.

I noticed something: my appetite was gone lol.

The food was good, but I got super full, super fast, and did not finish my food. I made sure to eat enough so I was above 1200 calories, but I was legit full.

Questions

• How long did it take for you to notice your appetite go down?
• Do you have days where you are more hungrier than others?

Hello!

I currently have two target date funds (IRA and TSP).

Both are set for 2055 (when I plan to retire) since I intend to stay in the Army (Reserves or AD) for 20 years, or move to another federal entity for the pension.

I am 35 and already have about three years on AD and I am working on my masters with the goal of commissioning in the future.

The only reason I was debating pushing it out is so it can grow a bit more before getting hit up with bonds. Target date funds stuck out to me because I want a “set it and forget it” strategy.

Question: should I push out for 2060 (or even further out)? Or am I overthinking this?

Hello!

I currently have two target date funds (IRA and TSP).

Both are set for 2055 (when I plan to retire) since I intend to stay in the Army (Reserves or AD) for 20 years, or move to another federal entity for the pension.

I am 35 and already have about three years on AD and I am working on my masters with the goal of commissioning in the future.

The only reason I was debating pushing it out is so it can grow a bit more before getting hit up with bonds.

Question: should I push out for 2060 (or even further out)? Or am I overthinking this?

Hello!

I am applying for 2027 admissions. I was denied last cycle due to a low undergraduate GPA, so I completed an MPP and earned a 3.8 and hopefully that strengthens my application this time!

I work triage at an outpatient clinic on a military base and I make sure veterans are not going to cancel themselves essentially.

Someone recently told me, “You’re great at this role because you’re so chill.” Part of that comes from the job itself: I’ve seen and heard things that are hard to put into words. But I think it also comes from being neurodivergent. I am on the spectrum where I “lock in” and I stay highly observant even in routine, high-stress situations.

Question: does anyone else find themselves in social work, but are more “chill” and “reserved”?

Hey all. First time posting something like this.

Quick background. I'm active duty Army right now, working as a behavioral health tech. I have about 1 to 2 years left before I hit a decision point in my career. One path is the Army fully paying for a Master's in Social Work if I stay in for another contract. No debt, keep my paycheck, keep my benefits. Essentially the army will literally pay me to get an MSW and fully licensed.

But SLP has caught my attention lately. I haven't shadowed anyone yet or taken any prereqs, so this is still in the exploring phase, not a done decision. If I went this route, I'd be leaving the guaranteed income behind and figuring out prereqs, a master's, and the Clinical Fellowship year mostly on my own, using GI Bill, savings, and part-time work.

I tried talking about this with a few slp's I know and I got the impression they were literally not able to process what I was saying and just told me fluff advise like "you have to decide what you are passionate about" and "money is not everything." I am not saying they are wrong, but I kinda have to make money.

So here's what I actually want to ask. If you didn't come from money, how did you make grad school work financially? How rough was the Clinical Fellowship year money-wise, honestly? For anyone who left a stable job to go back to school for this, do you regret it or was it worth it? And if you were once in the curious but not sure stage, how did you figure out if it was real interest or just liking the idea of it?

Not trying to talk myself into or out of anything. Just want to hear from people who didn't have a cushion and made it work anyway. Appreciate any honesty, good or bad.

Hello!

I know Dave Ramsey is not a big fan of target-date/life cycle funds, but right now I have all of my TSP in a Lifecycle fund (L 2055) and my IRA in a target-date fund (also 2055).

I know I could theoretically earn more with an index fund or by diversifying myself. I tested this with a simple analysis: I "invested" $1,000 in Excel and compared the expense ratio and 10-year performance of a target-date fund against an S&P 500 index fund. The difference was significant, but not enough to make me want to learn how to diversify and invest on my own.

I literally just want a "system" where I set it and forget it. I would rather trade a little bit of theoretical upside for something automatic and low-maintenance, so my mental energy can go to doing work I enjoy, and living my life towards my personal goals.

Question: Does anyone here use target-date funds?

Hello!

I used to weigh 400 lbs and dropped to 250 to join the Army. I am around 225 now.

I currently see my base dietitian and have a health coach. My dietitian recommended:

• Plate method (½ fruits/veggies, ¼ carbs, ¼ protein) three times a day
• Two snacks
• Plenty of water

Nothing wrong with the plan itself, but it triggers anxiety around when/what to eat, and any deviation sets off my OCD. Some days I'm genuinely not hungry, and eating anyway feels forced.

I'm transitioning to OMAD instead:

• Coffee in the morning after my workout
• Dinner (still following the plate method)

This feels fine and the OCD spiral is gone. I raised it with my therapist and health coach; both said it's okay for now but to watch for this becoming a gateway to disordered eating. I'm planning to discuss it with my dietitian in two weeks.

Question: Did anyone start OMAD and notice their anxiety around food went down? A lot

Hello!

I am active duty Army, and this is where I’m at financially:

- No debt except my student loan, which will be paid off later this year

- I plan on following the rest of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps after that is done.

- 5% into my TSP (it’s in a 2055 L Fund)

- I have $15K~ in an employee retirement fund from when I had a tech job pre-army. I will probably roll this over or cash out.

- Right now I increase my TSP by 1% every year I am in.

- I throw a couple extra bucks into my Roth IRA (FDEWX) every check. I plan on maxing this out once my student loan debt is gone and I have 3-6 months of expenses saved.

- I plan on staying in the Army for at least another contract to get my MSW paid for and do my hours.

- I do want to do a doctorate in the future, but the army will pay for it so I am not worried about student loan debt.

- My ultimate goal is to do the 20 in the military, or at another federal entity (like the VA) for the pension.

- I do not have any property at this time. I do plan on using the VA loan in the future to just get a small place for me.

I do not need much. I just want to set things on autopilot while I do the work I enjoy.

Question: Is there anything else I should consider for a set-it-and-forget-it strategy?

Hello!

I am active duty Army, and this is where I’m at financially:

- No debt except my student loan, which will be paid off later this year

- I plan on following the rest of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps

- 5% into my TSP (it’s in a 2055 L Fund)

- I throw a couple extra bucks into my Roth IRA. It’s in a target date fund. I plan on maxing this out once I build out my savings, my student loan debt is gone, and I have 3-6 months of expenses saved.

- I plan on staying in the Army for at least another contract to get my MSW paid for and finish my hours.

- My ultimate goal is to do the 20 in the military, or at another federal entity (like the VA) for the pension.

- I do not have any property at this time. I do plan on using the VA loan in the future to just get a small place for me.

I want a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. I genuinely enjoy social work and plan to do it as long as I can. I don’t need to be wealthy, just comfortable.

Question: Is there anything else I should consider for a set-it-and-forget-it strategy?

Hello!

I have seen SPC Kerns on IG and be mentioned on here a few times, but who is he and what did he say/do?

I tried piecing it together myself, but all I see is VA fraud mixed with clips of him working out.

Thanks

Hello!

I am ad army, but I do my best to separate my work from my personal life. I do not post anything on social media and I switch out of my uniform asap after work.

In my free time I am usually in workout clothes or going to the gym (judo, BJJ, regular gym) or finding random places to eat.

To that extent: people are usually surprised I am in the army and even more surprised I am going into social work.

Besides having borderline addiction to energy drinks (just kidding, maybe!) and waking up at three am to go the gym I do not consider myself a soldier.

Furthermore, I guess I don’t have the “look” of a social worker.

It got me thinking about my own biases and how I view a “social worker.” Growing up the only social worker I knew was a nice old white lady at my school.

Question: are people ever surprised you are going into social work? Do you feel like people have a “view” of social workers?

Hey!

Let me explain lol!

I was talking with a friend recently, and he told me that “owning a house is a scam” and that “retiring is impractical.” I just listened, and when I asked why he felt that way, he said, “Bro, just do the math. I have to spend money on this and that, and my job only pays me X.” He then told me he is going to invest his money into magic the gathering cards because someone on TikTok said it was a good idea.

I understood where he was coming from and at the same time, I know I’m in a fortunate position.

The Army is paying for my education (an mpp and msw) I have very little debt, and I’ve had great mentors who taught me to think long term about money, and my choices. My sergeant even had me meet with the financial advisor on base, who showed me how investing in my TSP and an IRA over time could set me up to not only retire one day, but put me in a position where I can actually do the work I enjoy. That alone was a game changer.

I have also seen the other side. My mom told me the other day that she doesn’t think she’ll ever retire and will probably work until the day she dies. She just took her fifth vacation this year and then took a bunch of pics of her at a resort. When I asked her how her trip was she said “oh, I didn’t get off the resort.”

All of this got me thinking. Does anyone else feel like social media, and even our culture, makes financial success seem impossible?

I’m not saying things aren’t harder today because they are. But I also wonder if social media makes people feel so hopeless that they stop believing they can build wealth in the first place.

Question: Has anyone else noticed this, or am I just seeing a biased sample?

Hey!

I am 35 and a trend I am noticing is that more and more of social group is becoming religious.

Nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy, but it is just a trend I’ve noticed. What makes it interesting is how performative it seems. People post “saved by grace” on social media, or talk about a missions trip where they snap a bunch of photos, then head to a resort and post about being “blessed.”

I am in the U.S. and I grew up in a “normal” religious background. We went to church growing up, but that’s it.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Do you think this is the result of a lack of third space/community?