I joked to DH this morning that we live on water front property. The slough behind the ranch office looks like a lake. It is quite pretty actually. The high water here is not as much of a threat as the rain pouring down this morning up north on our home. At least for today.
DH has woken up with a stomach ache from stress two days running. Water is in the orchard, a worker needs a hip replacement and is being given the run around, county regulations keep increasing (like you and your bank BBE). I wish I could do more. Rather than getting on myself or frustrated with him, I am going to focus on what I can do. I can live down here at the ranch until the threat is passed. I really just want to be home. But being here relieves his mind. So that is one thing I can do. I can take care of DS in terms of school and music. I can get some curtains sewn for his office. It is something small but he will feel the support.
In my quick trip home, I picked up my scale. I weighed myself and was pleased that in a week of chaos I hadn't gained a pound. Credit. I am still four pounds up from ticker. OK. I'll start there. I exercised at the gym while waiting for DS. Credit. I will visit the University town south of the ranch office ( about 25 minutes) and get a few things done. I will buy an exercise dvd for down here and commit to doing it. I will hit a noon AA meeting. I will do a little shopping for the office.
I will sauté the cabbage I rescued from home (thanks about the burning warning, nationalparker) "Just for today" I will do two things I don't want to do just for practice. I will do something nice for someone and not get found out. That should keep me busy.
Thanks all of you for your well wishes. It is so nice to have a place to write.
Hi coaches-quick check in.
About all the credits I can come up with are I ate salad yesterday and today. DH is charged with making a healthy light dinner tonight, perhaps something called Tunisian Stew, from one of the Moosewood cookbooks. I plan on exercising with workout video and making that a priority this afternoon. There has been too much sitting around.
Happy weekend all!
Food is on plan and I am planning on a loss this week. Otis and I took a one hour walk this morning and I'm meeting a friend right after lunch for hopefully another hours walk. I will run the tax info to the CPA while I am out at that time. Other things I've accomplished this week are took two paintings in to be framed and made a curtain for the bathroom door. I also ordered a pad (which has arrived) for the new area rug for the family room. We'll put that down tomorrow and then I'll buy some new throw pillows for the sectional.
I want to get some new cushions ordered for the kitchen chairs, but Otis chews on the ties. He is mostly ignoring them now, so once he really does I will order new ones. I noticed last night that he had lost a tooth. On closer inspection I see the middle two top teeth are his new bigger ones. Oh we relish the thought of him being finished with the teething time.
The kitchen design people are now scheduled and will come see what we have going on 3/31. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. I hope something we are excited about, so excited we don't mind spending the money.
Curlyjax Tunisian stew sounds tasty. I've been sitting here congratulating myself on not being hungry, but it's not lasting.
Maryann I hope the rain isn't too bad. We will be getting a bit too this weekend, but we can use it and don't have the problem of a dam in disrepair.
Bill Brussel sprouts are very popular on menus here. Mostly they are roasted, but they even have brussel sprouts leaves on some happy hour menus.
Nationalparker TGIF for you. I hope you can have some relaxation on the weekend.
Onebyone Heading the wrong way right after saying how well everything is going is something that happens to me too. I hope you are back on track and feeling positive again.
Hello Coaches,
Just a quick check in. I had a very busy day today. Weigh in was down today. I am happy because I weighed three days ago and the scale was up. I know I should only weigh on my weigh in day. Eating was good today. I made a crust less veggie quiche. It was very yummy. I still have to exercise, I knew I should have done it this morning. Hoping everyone has a great night.
Take Care
Ann
Scale at 152.2 today ... I am OK with that after the non-plan items we had this week. I know we're going to the pizza spot tomorrow evening, so will focus on that being the splurge and working to stick with program for the rest of the week. I've been really enjoying working at maintenance but don't want to weigh in at 153 next week - that's not maintaining ... that'd be gaining! Frustrated that I'm edging up, but I guess I've enjoyed a bit more treats here lately (birthday cake!)
DH was home several hours late - working overtime several days this week ... I'd made pan-fried Italian chicken thighs, roasted Brussels sprouts and spiced sweet potato cubes. I had no idea what to prep as we were out of most everything, so stopped and picked up the thighs. Off to clean up the kitchen so I don't wake up to a mess. Aiming to post a decent note tomorrow.
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Chipped away more ice, CREDIT moi. My sidewalk is now legally clean. If you walked down my street, you'd have to slip on the ice of the folks who live to my left or right, LOL. Outside chipping ice allowed me to meet a new neighbor and discuss the American Elm tree that's in bad shape in her yard. It's a local favorite but it's got a bunch of dead limbs that need trimming. It's not clear that it can be saved. Elms around here haven't done well over the last decade or so. The good news is that they've contacted an Arborist who's going to try.
Eating was OK. When shopping, I didn't buy any off-plan goodies despite, one more time, noting that the supermarket stacks them prominently at the end of the aisle.
maryann - Thanks for "I am going to focus on what I can do" - I need to be reminded of that. Hoping that wild rain gets under control.
nationalparker – Kudos for "focus on that being the splurge and working to stick with program for the rest of the week" - for seeing it as 'splurge' and not as an excuse to just keep sliding.
Karen (karenrn) - Congrats for getting your tax info to the CPA - you're ahead of me. Yep, puppy teething does end.
Ann (Newlifestyle) - Drooling over your crust less veggie quiche. Does anyone make Soufflé anymore?
curlyjax - Your DH's Tunisian Vegetable Stew looks really good. With coriander, turmeric, and grated feta cheese what's not to love.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 9 Psychological Traps
#2: The Self-Criticizer Trap
As long as you have the unhelpful and impossible rule, "I shouldn't ever make dieting mistakes," you'll continue to criticize yourself, feel terrible, and be at risk for giving up. But there's no need to! Just as Marisa had practiced and gotten better and better at getting the ball over the net, she could get better and better at dieting, as long as she kept "taking lessons" and practicing. And she needed to recognize that, without a doubt, she would make mistakes along the way, errors that she didn't deserve to criticize herself for.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 204
It is very cold outside. I know I should be used to it living in Canada. It happens every year but after Ground Hog Day I look forward to spring. The days are getting longer and that reminds me spring is around the corner. I thought I would post now because if I don’t do it first thing it is a struggle to find time for personals. I will go grocery shopping for fruits and veggies. I can’t believe how much easier my eating when I have a plan. I know I have said this before, I am trying to keep reminding myself of this.
Bill- The remark about the neighbor boys helping with ice chipping reminded me of my childhood and an older lady that lived down the street had beautiful gardens and sometimes she would let us help her. We would get bored after about 10 minutes and then run off and play. The gift she actually gave me was not the gardening but kindness and being kind to others. She always made so much time for us.
Onebyone- hugs to you. Thinking of you and praying as you go through emotions with everything going on in your life.
Maryann – Thinking of you and hoping the rain doesn’t cause more problems.
Nationalparker – how was the movie (Hidden Figures)? I think it looks like a movie, I would enjoy.
Karen- wow you sure get a lot of walking in. What type of shoes do you wear? The reason I am asking is the only shoes that I have been able to wear consistently is saucony running shoes. Any other shoes seem to hurt somewhere on my feet if I walk that much.
Morning Coaches!
I did my did my afternoon workout and really enjoyed it, credit for that. There is a segment with weights which I need to do more of, so that was helpful. My right leg still hurts me a lot, i wonder if i torn something at some point, its been a few months. Now I’m using one of those roller things for deep tissue massage, which hurts like heck while you do it but feels good afterwards. hmm, on the list to check out at some point.
My husband couldn’t find the recipe for Tunisian stew- thanks for the link Bill! We have many Moosewood cookbooks (I grew up in driving distance of Ithaca where the restaurant started and have been a fan since the early 80s- but I’m definitely not a vegetarian !)
He ended up making Armenian Lentil Soup (I don’t know how to link things) and it was quite good although the mint takes a little getting used to, for me anyhow. Newlifestyle- I am with you on the plan, I do much better when i have one and actually follow it! Karenrn- sounds like you are having fun spiffing up the place!
Weather is so beautiful here, sunny and in the high 40s!! Melt snow melt!
Oh, curlyjax, Armenian lentil soup is so good! That can go on next week's menu, definitely. Thanks for mentioning it (and Newlifestyle for asking) as I'd quite forgotten about it.
Glad to hear that bespoke is proving a useful word .... I must use it more often that I do.
A special hug for maryann, dealing so well with your terrible weather. Thinking of you as I read that more is on its way.
I am trying to get back to the useful habit of planning and writing down what I'm going to eat. When I get going it's so easy; in fact, it's so easy that I think I don't have to do it. That's not helpful.
Phone check in
Yesterday did not go as planned. I went to the AA meeting and found my sister, mother, BIL, sponsor and old college professor were there. All that turned into a sushi lunch. Then there were big time traffic problems so I made a quick stop for a few items and headed for the ranch.
No exercise and some stress( always accompanying family visits.)
Credit for dinner on the table and a plan today for exercise. I bought a ticket for an early Pilates mat session at the University town where my alumni choir rehearsal is held this afternoon. Credit for getting into action. I'll do my "to do" list on the way back to the ranch.
This afternoon I will sit in the same seat I sat when I was 20 years old and 200 pounds. I am forty pounds lighter and light years happier. This return is a successful one
Sunday - First "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" (1968, PBS)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – We had an extra DGD day so that DD could finish some painting at her place. Our trip to the park with a sled was a total failure. DGD would have nothing to do with the sled - neither on the flat ground or the tiny mound. We later learned that she'd been out with her parents and seen her father crash at the end of a run. Despite both her parents laughing about it, she just freaked. Her father learned that an adult riding a kid's sled pays the price of a broken sled, LOL.
Eating was on plan including no snacks, CREDIT moi. As noted before, being fully busy prevents snacking. Dinner was potluck with friends where I had one plate (vegetarian) and did have the dessert served by the hostess. The cookie (note singular) was declared 'healthy' by its maker as indeed it was. It required a serious chewing and left only the faintest taste of sweet. If every cookie was like that, I'd have never gained weight.
silverbirch – The Catch-22 of all times, "it's so easy that I think I don't have to do it. That's not helpful."
maryann - Neat thought to go back 20 years and 40 pounds ago. Still watching the news carefully about your devastating rains.
Ann (Newlifestyle) - Yep, "The days are getting longer." I fear, however, that your notion that spring is just around the corner is seriously optimistic.
To help her hold on to this idea, Marisa made a reminder card:
Learning to diet is like learning to play tennis. I'll
make mistakes, but that's part of the learning
process. As long as I keep my expectations
reasonable and keep practicing, I'll get better and
better at it. Beating myself up just gets in the way
every time.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Deborah Beck Busis, The Diet Trap Solution, Train Your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep It Off for Good (Blue book), pg. 204
Good news here! I've just had a very good workout and I've recorded that + breakfast and post workout snack in my little black book. I still have to plan lunch and tea but the book's out on the counter with a sharp pencil. I'll do it when I get out of the shower.
Bill, Catch-22 indeed. It's so much better to give credit for doing easy and effective things, isn't it? I wonder whether I should re-read that book.
That little DGD of yours is being rational and sensible, I think. She needs one or two more datapoints about sleds before she risks it. Good girl.
maryann, much credit for handling your AA meeting's collateral business. And for observing 20 years and 40lbs ago. I think noticing and thinking about things is so important.
Yesterday I really started feeling the stress of not being home. I pitched a fit. There is no nice way of saying it. I apologized to DH and DS. They encouraged me to continue my plan of a Pilates class at an unknown gym and then rehearsal of Brahms Requiem - both of which were very nice. The Pilates class was mat and it was amazing how such small movements, well controlled could provide such great exercise. I bought a pack of three lessons at a newcomer rate. I can make a class at the same time I take DS to music lessons. I plan in March to take three private lessons required for equipment classes. If all goes well, I will have a commitment to exercise at least one day every week which is very much needed. I splurged and bought a six dvd set of Zumba for our ranch office where I am staying. I'll dive into that today. When DS was a baby, we use to stay here often trying to maximize family time. Most everything here is 15 years old. A silver lining to this exile is organizing and restocking necessities.
The bad news about the weather is there are a series of storms over the next two days that do not look good. There is water everywhere already. Our house, the ranch and various pieces we farm lie along the Sacramento AND the Feather rivers. So there are a lot of ways to fail. A few small towns have flooded already along with several roads. DH says we need to make it until Thursday when skies are clear for 7 days. I am starting to panic about returning to school on Tuesday and being separated from DS. If an evacuation is called, my duty will be to my students and I won't be able to reach DS at the high school across town. I need to live in the moment and know I can choose what to do on Monday night when we have more information. I can even choose again Tuesday morning.
So, I am giving myself some grace with food. I have managed to keep away from wheat, corn, soy and dairy. I have managed to exercise. I brought a scale for accountability. That is pretty good for living in an evacuation situation. Again, we are so lucky to have a place to go. I think about the people who are living under this same threat with no place to go. I must keep them in my prayers.
Really the Beck program as I understand it now is "Life on Life's terms". Life will give me a problem to manage. If I eat over it, than I have two problems to manage.
This is note number two because I left the first one long enough that my computer disconnected. Oh well, thank goodness I have plenty of time today.
Food has been on plan and I lost 1.6 pounds this week at my WW weigh in. One of the things I really like about the WW ap is that I can track my food and then if I change my mind before I eat it and want, say a beer, I can do some rearranging to make room for it. That's what I did last night. I know you can do that with any of the tracking aps, but it seems pretty easy on this one. Exercise has been negligible yesterday and today. I did some shopping yesterday and bought new cushions for the couch that tie in with the new area rug that we put in place yesterday. Today I took the dog for a walk, but it is pretty threatening out there and has been raining a lot, so it was a pretty short walk.
Maryann It's no wonder you have a bit of a short fuse with all the stress you are under. How are the fellas holding up? I think you're doing terrific under the stressful evacuation conditions.
Silverbirch Good to hear from you.
Bill Cookies are the most difficult thing for me to leave. It's funny that the cookie you were offered wasn't even good enough to tempt you to have another. I guess maybe all cookies should be "healthy".
Curlyjax Good for you for getting your exercise, especially the strengthening. I have been horrible about that. Yes, I am enjoying the little bit of spiffing up. I have a number of friends who redecorate on a regular basis, but it hasn't ever been much of a priority with me, partly due to the expense. We have several sets of company coming in the next few months, so that helps my motivation.
Ann I wear several different shoes, including Ahnu, Sportiva and mostly Brooks trail runners. Last year I hiked or walked almost 2300 miles because I signed up for a challenge, so this year doesn't feel like much in comparison. How cold is it where you live? We had a day or two of 85 degrees a week or so ago and today it is 55 and rainy, so it feels cold to me.
I'm going to try to up my strenuous hikes this week and at least get a couple of them in. Camelback is a short hike, but strenuous, so I think I might try to get that one in at least once a week. It's good for the legs. I'm just saying this for accountabilities sake. Our niece and nephew are coming back in early May and I want to be able to hike it easily with them.
Okay, that's it from me. Hope you have all enjoyed the weekend.
I began a note yesterday to check in and then sidetracked myself, and forgot to finish and post it. A gorgeous weather weekend. I didn't get on the trail yesterday but just returned with DH and a freshly shaved/bathed pooch from a good walk today. Everyone is out taking advantage of the warm weather! And sunshine, no less! This weather in February is nutty, but I'll take it for now, since it's nothing dangerous like Maryann's. The birds have shown up en masse today. Asked DH if we're maybe to the point of having weather to walk in the evenings, but he said with the overtime he's having to work, he's getting home, eating dinner, showering and going to bed. Where does he fit that in? Oh well ... maybe I get home, get changed and get out with our dog if I can finish alone before dark.
Have spent hours in the kitchen and now deciding if, instead of the soup I'd planned, DH grills out. If so, then we need chicken for me Also more limes. I use a lot of them, and cut myself short today ... they went in the homemade black bean soup, the guac, and the cilantro lime brown rice ... we're down to only one left from a whole pile of them yesterday, it seems.
Several hours of office work to tackle tonight. Will see if DH wants to get started again with the new season of Sherlock. I do.
Saturday - Pluto discovered (1930, Flagstaff, AZ)
Also more limes. I use a lot of them, and cut myself short today ... they went in the homemade black bean soup, the guac, and the cilantro lime brown rice ... we're down to only one left from a whole pile of them yesterday, it seems. 