I have a meeting at 9am which seems both early in the morning and early in the year for my first meeting. Oh well. We're working on an event for January 14, which is also early in the year. The candidate filing deadline changed in Missouri so our organizing around school board elections changed to match. We'll have to see if this works, though. I'm a little worried that an election in April won't be on anyone's radar yet and that volunteers to talk to candidates just won't show up to our event.
I've had breakfast, because that made sense, but it's a little earlier than I wanted it. Here's my reminder that I don't need more food today just because I started early. Hunger is not an emergency. I already eat lunch on the early side, so I can wait until my normal time for that.
Love all the wisdom in quotes and phrases. I can use the concepts of make haste slowly, awareness of seeing things as I am not as they are, and let it go / just do it.
I got an "A" today for my goals. I remember Joy talking about losing most of her weight on non 100% days. I agree. I have given myself 35 mins to mess around on the computer, then I will so yoga, and then I am off to my meeting.
This semester's classes will be very interesting. My first 2 periods on pushin classes for Special Needs and Second Languages. They seem like sweet kids but a huge range. They are almost too small17 kids a piece. I'll take it over my 37 from last semester.
Wednesday-Anna of Brittany accuses allies of the king of France of lese-majesty(1490)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was a trip to the supermarket in a light rain where I expected to jostle for a parking space. Nope, found one right away. The store wasn't crowded. I was expecting the masses whose pantries had emptied over the long weekend. Included a trip to the library to return two books. With non-current books, our library system initially allots four weeks then renews twice after that - it's a generous chunk of time. When I return books early, I feel like a good citizen contributing to the system. Felt joy that I have one canvas bag with a zippered top that's just perfect for carrying books in the rain. My groceries, on the other hand, arrived home wet on top from their brief journey to and from the car. Still, I'm more happy to have rain than snow here in January.
Got reminded of how narrow my point of view is. When speaking to a native from Brazil, I offered my condolences for the loss of their great soccer player, Pelé. She, in turn, offered her condolences for the injury on Monday night to our soccer player Damar Hamlin. I was impressed that she knew about the injury of Damar Hamlin, but confused that she referred to him as a 'soccer' player. Then I remembered that I'd called Pelé a 'soccer' player instead of a 'football' player as would the rest of planet Earth. So she just imitated me in return. Note to self: It's called 'football.'
Pop quiz: You've just been accused of lese-majesty; what'd you do?
Answer: You insulted the monarch - equivalent to treason. Watch your head.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Don't ask for my (cynical) opinion whether the powers that be changed the registration deadline just so that it'd be hard for grass roots folks to organize.
maryann - Nice to have a countable number of kids in each class. I continue to admire those of you who stick to educating the kids despite the rise of high-vocal Karen's in the populace.
curlyjax - Neat that you can have an adult to adult discussion with your nurse-to-be DD about when it's safe to be around your COVID DS again. It's such fun to relate to our kids as adults.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
Create a Holiday Mindset While many people are busy preparing for and celebrating holidays, they begin to have sabotaging thoughts, such as: . . .
I don't have to plan what I'm going to eat because I'm just going to try to maintain my weight. I'll just be careful.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 155.
I only ate what I brought at work, and not even all of it since i wasn't that hungry, credit me. however at home I went to town on the leftover chocolate chips and a few cookies that are still here, ugh. I'm so behind in the dishes that I do a bunch, cook some more and then i'm fed up and there are more left. I made some fabulous chicken breasts in the air fryer which came out juicy. I haven't used it for awhile and forget how easy it is. I was a little depressed after work, I don't know why. If it isn't raining after work I should stop and walk on my way home; there's a pretty park, and that would get me to just do it. Wave to all.
The scale is already showing that I'm down a kilogram from the alarming high that I saw on January 2. That makes me happy to know that it wasn't some huge structural problem in the way that I'm eating. Just a weird blip.
Yesterday's meeting was a fun conversation and a great way to start the year! It also got me motivated to do some other things to prepare for our January 14 event. One of the things that I did was look back on last year's event. It was on January 15, and I was doing some of the organizing bits on January 11 -- so I'm not behind compared to last year and that worked reasonably well.
I was running errands yesterday and listening to the radio when we hit our high temperature of 71 degrees! The low over night was 34, so that's the end of that unseasonable weather. CREDIT for taking a longer walk just because of the weather. There's no real wintery stuff in the 10-day forecast, so I'll just be grateful for that.
Exercise +60, 180/1700 minutes for December
BillBlueEyes: Thanks for the lesson on lese-majesty -- that's new to me.
curlyjax: I hope that you're able to get that walk in -- such a mood-booster.
maryann: Are you following Yoga with Adriene's "Center" program this month? I'm enjoying it so far.
Yesterday I had a couple extra afternoon snacks. I did get to the gym and walked Otis and did some errands. One of my errands was stopping at the car repair place. I've taken my car to this garage for years. I visited with the owner and decided to take my car in while I'm in Thailand with a limit to how much I want to spend. He thinks my car is still really good and has many miles left on it. I'll sort it out over the next month or so. This morning I hiked 9 1/2 miles since the weather is okay and trails are mostly dry. I forgot to carry my gps, so I know the mileage but not the elevation gain. I guess I'll just record the hike and I'll do it again before too long. I'm wanting to keep a record of them this year. I only saw a handful of people for the first 8 miles, but then quite a few once I was getting back to the trailhead. It felt good to go for a long one. It's still kind of cloudy here and in the low 60's but there is no rain in the forecast. I know we always need the rain, but I've become accustomed to the blue skies and too many gray days in a row are depressing.
My niece was due to have the baby on 1/1, but still no baby. If she hasn't had him by 1/9 they will schedule a c-section for 1/10 since it might end up that way anyway. Dh is still doing well with no sciatica just his regular back pain which is enough.
GardenerJoy That seems like a pretty warm temperature for you. We aren't going to see low 70's until late next week. Glad the blip up in weight blipped down.
Curlyjax I need to get my air fryer out and use it. I get in the habit of making certain foods and forget all about the instant pot and the air fryer. A good walk outside just about cures depression I think.
Bill Your library book bag does sound about perfect. I have a canvas bag that I use for the gym, but it doesn't have a zipper which would be really nice.
Maryann Good job on your goals. I kind of have some in mind, but really haven't made a list. I guess journalling my food and water on MFP is good for a start.
My new schedule and kids are settling in nicely. There might be a few snakes in the boots but so far all is well. My special ed/ english language class is a challenge: Such a huge range - brilliant kids with little English, struggling academics, and one Emotionally Disturbed ( ED) that hasn't shown yet. The ED kid I am a little worried about. It is a pilot program mainstreaming these very often violent or erratic cases that cannot mix with general population. I already have very vulnerable kids including one who has episodic hallucinations and psychosis. She is a sweet heart but I don't know if I am equipped to handle all of these extreme needs in one big melting pot. I have stuck to my usual first weeks program. I teach them how their brain works by teaching them games like uno and indoor volleyball. This allows me to teach class rules in a very positive, successful way. Everybody knows everybody knows everybody's name and I get to cheer for them as our first interactions rather than start as a a disciplinarian. My two pushin classes are desperate to have social skills and my Juniors are thrilled for a new approach. I will say though that I try to inist on rigor. By the end of the week the juniors will have memorized and placed on a map the fifty states, memorized the Bill of Rights and the Preamble to the constitution. The Freshman will make hand drawn maps from memory of continents, oceans and major geo features. So some very academic stuff along with the fun. So basically, as always I am a lion tamer disguised as a cheerleader.
Good news in on Target and weight down. Bad news, I ave a cold. Bleh!!!!
Curley: Can you send me the instructions for the chicken breasts in the air fryer.
Joy: Thank you for reminding me. I did her head and shoulders last night but I will hop onto this month's.
BBE; Did I tell you the story of my narrow point of view? Dr. Gantz teaches math at school. He is Ukrainian. I told him I taught the Col war and explain the Russian point of view of wanting a large eastern border because they lost 20 million in WWII. He said Russian lost nine million, Ukrainians, polish, Belarus, etc. . lost the rest. I was embarrassed to imply he was willing a part of Russia.
Karen: Water, water, water. I am repeating it to myself because in the cold weather I don't want to drink it.
Yesterday at work I had 2 unpleasant things that really stressed me out, and I did NOT eat over them, yay. I'm giving myself a star for everyday I don't eat sugar at work, and will buy myself something when i get to 20. At home is another matter as there is still sugary treats around and I got into them, but I also went to bed a little hungry so credit for that. I didn't get the walk in as I stayed late at work and it was kind of dark and unpleasant out by the time I got home. DD and I had a nice chat which turned sour. She has some serious health issues that I won't get into plus a lot of anxiety and was talking about living at home after this semester, for at least a year (!). I cannot live the way we are now for a year, so some things would really have to change. I love my kids so much but I need my own space, time and privacy at this point in my life.
Maryann: I used something like this https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/ai...ontainer-12558
I didn't flip the chicken breast, I probably should have, and next time i'll make sure its more uniform thickness.
Thursday - Beckett's "En Attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot)" premieres (1953, Paris)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Wednesday excitement was picking up the (7 yo) DGD from her 1st grade to bring her to her home. It was warm enough and dry enough that a handful of her friends stomped around the playground and climbing structure. It was two girls, and two brothers with interactions worthy of middle-school. There's intensity; there's sides; there are whispers. Finally, there was a punch in the gut when the younger brother wasn't getting his way. I'm taking notes because I'm convinced that I'll be making a toast at the wedding of my DGD and the older brother in some 20 years. Their love-hate bond continues.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with a larger evening snack. Dinner was second (of three) dips into the pot of homemade chili. Goes down so easily. I'm glad that DW serves my portion and there isn't a container on the table for seconds. I got stuck tracking the voting in U S Congress for Speaker of the House. Don't know why I expect some miraculous break through, or some unpredicted event. I was prepared to stay up late to watch the seventh vote but they voted to go home by 216-214. I just read who switched sides to vote to go home. My second feeling of middle-school in the same day.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Good news that a blip was just a blip. Walking in 71 degrees F in January sounds so unseasonably fun.
maryann - Neat correction of perspective that Russia lost 9 million in WWII; the other 11 million were lost by Ukrainians, Polish, Belarus, etc. Hadn't heard it said that way before. Love that you set up the first sessions with your kids as their cheerleader rather than disciplinarian.
Karen (karenrn) - Such courage to leave your car with your mechanic while you're a zillion miles away in Thailand. I wish your niece well waiting for her baby to decide.
curlyjax - Always Kudos for eating on plan. Neat to be reminded that an air-fryer can make juicy chicken without the fat of deep fried. (Shouldn't have written that; now I want a bucket of KFC.)
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
Create a Holiday Mindset While many people are busy preparing for and celebrating holidays, they begin to have sabotaging thoughts, such as: . . .
I'm going to skip my daily weigh-ins until after the holiday.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 155.
Yesterday, I read Chapter 11 of Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown, Places We Go When Life Is Good. Two things stood out for me.
One was this quote, "We need happy moments and happiness in our lives; however, I'm growing more convinced that the pursuit of happiness may get in the way of deeper, more meaningful experiences like joy and gratitude."
That feels so relevant in this space where I learned that pursuing happiness in a donut was successful for about five minutes but made it harder to achieve the deep contentment that I have in my body when it's lighter and stronger and less prone to fatigue from ordinary activities like bringing in the groceries.
The second was the importance of a gratitude practice. Gratitude underlies and magnifies happiness, joy, and contentment. It's helping me refocus on the Marie Kondo process that I got a good start on in 2022 but didn't finish. In 2023, I want to have fewer things that I appreciate more. I've experienced that with my wardrobe for almost a year, now, and I like it!
To facilitate a gratitude practice, I'm listing five things that I'm grateful for every evening at 5pm. That's worked for me in the past, so I'm confident that it will help in 2023, too.
It's been a busy day. Food on plan. I did a huge Costco run, went to smart and final to buy hamburger basket liners for ds and then to the regular grocery store for a few items. I went to a friends to get some grapefruit that they have growing in their yard and had a nice visit. Dh continues to do better, no sciatica.
Cold and cough are diminishing, Food Targets Solid. I went grocery shopping and did not open one of the snack boxes in the car and eat ( Following Joy's rule). I put one piece on a place with an extra serving of legumes ( hummus) cukes, and a little piece of cheese. So simple and so successful. I told myself that I need to prepare to be hungry. So many of the good habits I have lots over these months were sacrificed because i didn't want to feel hungry. Made a big greek salad that will last days and give me the extra veggies I need. Did Day 1 of yoga "Center." I did not eat sweets at work. I am also getting off one of my meds. It has helped me sleep since my health crisis three years ago but it also has a tendency toward weight gain. I need to sleep less then 12 hours. My new target is 9 hours. Recovering three more hours a day will be life changing.
Curleyjax: Thanks for the recipe. I typed it in the 4 x 6 format and is now in the box filed under airfryer. Yeah! the system works.
Wave to all. i have rationed myself to a half an hour of Chess.com tonite.
Another gold star at work yesterday, yay. I had coffee with sugar but don't count that. The morning was juggling researching something for DD, and being the in between person for my dad who needed to get a covid test before he went to his pcp, and then virtually attending the pcp appt. Good news was we'll be able to get a little more companion care in the evenings with one of his current people, so that's great.I did a little stationary bicycling while watching tv. I'm discovering in the past two days I eat less if I don't prepare a meal, but scrounge around a bit when i'm a a little hungry. I did get into the chocolate chips again but did limit it. So, baby steps.
Gardenerjoy- I like that Brene Brown quote too.
I attempted to fix upper back pain with an extra snack yesterday. It didn't work.
That's picking up an old pattern of using food to take a break. I want a break from pain, so I eat something.
Here are some things that actually do provide temporary relief -- the tennis ball treatment recommended by PTs Bob & Brad on YouTube, laying on an ice pack, a couple of yoga routines. I'm grateful to have that many options. I'll use those instead of snacks today, if needed.
I've had things going on in my trapezius muscle for about three weeks now. I have lots of experience with problems in my traps. It's one of the largest muscles in the human body. So, a problem in one area cascades into other areas. The pain moves around like a ghost. I can't predict from one day to the next where it might hurt, how intense, or how much of the day. The other thing I know is that it will get better -- usually in about six to eight weeks. And it will get better pretty much no matter what I do or don't do.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Went out last evening to a brick-and-mortar movie theater to see Avatar: The Way of Water. Three hours fifteen minutes sitting in the same seat. Time passes more slowly when you're struggling to find the spiritual depth that characters keep referencing. It's worth the effort to meet "Payakan, a Tulkun—an intelligent and pacifistic cetacean species whom the Metkayina consider their spiritual family." (wiki) The Tukun are humongous whale-like creatures easy to love. The underwater photography is stunning. The blue people, the Na'vi, are as endearing as their first movie. And as blue. The plot won't feel strange to those who have seen Moby Dick, Star Wars, John Wayne in Cowboys and Indians, and Romeo and Juliette. DW tells me to stop complaining; there are only so many plots so they have to be recycled. Call me Ishmael.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with no evening snack because the evening was spoken for. I spent my day watching the US Congress attempt to elect its Speaker of the House. In my decades as a US Citizen, I've never thought of this step in the administration of our country before. It just happened. Maybe I noticed in the papers that it had happened.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - I, too, continue to read Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown. Really like that it makes sense to read it in small chunks. Thanks for the reminder to think gratitude. Neat to have a list of physical things to do to address pain other than eat.
maryann - Yeah, indeed, for a recipe system that works. Congrats for moving forward away from a med with side affects.
Karen (karenrn) - Do enjoy the image of picking grapefruit from a friend's yard.
curlyjax - Super Kudos for "2 unpleasant things that really stressed me out, and I did NOT eat over." Love being reminded that eating doesn't solve unpleasant. Hope you and your DD can figure out a living arrangement for her first year of working. Perhaps if she accepts a high-power job at Mass General Hospital in downtown Boston she'll need to live close to that. Good news that you'll have more companionship care for your dad.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
Create a Holiday Mindset
Left unchecked, these thoughts can cause serious damage. To follow your plan during holidays, accept the reality that you can't eat the way you used to if you want to get and stay thinner.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 155.
Last edited by BillBlueEyes; 01-06-2023 at 03:20 PM.
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Wednesday-Anna of Brittany accuses allies of the king of France of lese-majesty(1490)
