Hello to all,

Quick check in (because I was starting to slack on frequency). Food was OP. And I exercised - a brisk walk outside for about 25 minutes and then 10 minutes of fast(er) running. Fit, sweaty, and satisfying. I had intended to do another 5K but I realized that I am still recovering from the last 5K the day before yesterday. I think, when I push myself, I will need two days for recovering, instead of every other day, at least until I get in better shape. My inner athlete, the one I was when I was in my teens and twenties, is gobsmacked by my 44 year old limitations.

I had a nice drop in the scale during my unexpected few days away. And I've been acceptably on plan. My routines that keep my day well-ordered fell away and that meant not posting. But I'm getting that back today.

WI: NC in kg, Exercise: +40 1230/1500 minutes for March, Food: 90%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes

maryann: I finally "saw" 6crowsgold avatar. Tilt your head a little to the right and look for an eye. You'll be mirroring the crow.

GosfordGirl: popcorn is the one after-dinner snack I allow myself on a fairly regular basis. It's satisfying without adding too many calories to the day.

Hello, all! I didn't end up reporting back in yesterday, but I DID do well. Credit for a long, work-filled day until 7 when I arrived home and whipped up a decently light, quick, but salty dinner. No post-dinner snacking, probably because there was no time, but ... at least no munching. Snowed briefly this morning, enough to cover my car and the side roads ... Enough of this winter!

News from my father's oncology appt is that he'll get the shunt implanted this week and start traditional chemo for 4-6 weeks. My brother is handling everything now (LOTS of driving them to appts with mom's dialysis, dr. appts. and dad's, too) ... and then my sister arrives in early April and I go there mid-April. We're all able to help out, so that is good. My sister and I often do not see things the same way (often, heck, almost never) ... and I hope things go smoothly when she's there. She is more dramatic and I'm more low-key, so I think for our folks when I come in after her it's a MAJOR difference and they note it a great deal, which is probably not fair...

I had two days off plan. Two measley days. And I'm up 2.4 pounds. How in the heck does that work? I certainly didn't total more than an extra 500 calories those days.

Bill - I started a note yesterday and didn't post it, but I hope the joyful event of your DS's visit wasn't because he was alone! ha ha Side question - I've always called nuts "nuts" ... including peanuts, cashews, pistachios, almonds, etc. Do tree nuts exclude peanuts (others?) and is it for a reason - less healthy/less nutritious?

Aiming for personals tonight if I can... along with a healthy dinner that is so not planned at all yet. Might be a rotisserie chicken for starters...

Hello Coaches.

Today I am hungry! Probably a result of eating less than a net 1200 cal w/ exercise yesterday. So far I'm ignoring it and drinking a big glass of unsweetened iced tea. I will have an early snack and see if that helps. Pup is driving me crazy today barking at the garbage trucks, glad that is only once a week! I'm trying to train him to not bark...we'll see if that works.

shcirerf Have a lovely walk!

Cheryl/GosfordGirl Oh my, your evenings are full.

BillBlueEyes This is what we use to protect our homeschool books - http://www.vernonlibrarysupplies.com...ver-rolls.html w/ a "bone folder" to apply. It is awesome your librarian was so helpful. Our batch of oranges this time is really hard to peel, so I know the end of season is here...bummer, the oranges have been great!

6crowsgold So glad that you had a great Monday! Happy "Fast" day

flnu Kudos for OP food and a walk. Wishing I had an inner athlete, but I've never been athletic! Can not imagine ever running!!

gardenerjoy Congrats on your "nice drop!"

nationalparker Kudos for a good Monday. So glad things are finally moving for your dad and that he has helping hands nearby.

Hello everyone,

So I weighed myself today. I lost 7 pounds in 10 days. Some of that of course was water weight. Such an interesting process to get on the scale after 10 days. My first thought was "yay 7 pounds gone- this is working!" Then some sabotaging thoughts crept in: "too bad it was not more" and "if it was 1 more pound I would be in the 280's again" and "this is going to take forever" and "today I could have a reward." I thought about these thoughts driving to work this morning. There is no way I will be losing 7 pounds every 10 days- I need to be satisfied with 1 or 2 pounds because that is realistic. This is going to take a long, long time. I will be in the 280's next time I weigh myself in 10 more days and no way am I overeating today in some sort of twisted celebration!

Happy to report that I was on plan today. Starting 10 more days, so day 1 is done again. So happy. Am working incredibly hard in keeping my work life in order- not working so many hours, not working at home, and not working on the weekends. I know I have time to do everything I need to do to make weight loss possible only if I keep my work under control and do as many nice things for me as I can. Otherwise things get very tough.

Take care and thanks for reading!

Good Evening, Coaches.

Tracked everything - even the chocolate foraging at school and so ended the day OP. Watched Blue Jasmine and went on a rather embarrassing hunt to buy her faux pearl necklace. Discovered it was from the Chanel 2005 season. Normally, I am not a designer buff but. . . I loved it. What do they call it " a wardrobe staple?" All DH says is "Why would you buy it if it is fake?" MEN.

Found on fb today:

Hi Coaches

I am home and have done the chores and fed the dogs and got my dinner organised

Credits

• Ate on plan today - 100%
• Planned food for tomorrow - yes. Have prepped vegetables and cooked components
• I logged food as I ate it - yes
• Weighed in and logged weight - yes up 2.4 pounds!!??!
• I did planned exercises - no formal exercise - 9850 steps so far and more to go
• I didn't eat standing up - 100% (just made it to my desk chair with a morsel from dinner)
• I checked in with my diet coaches - Yes
• Listened to motivation recording - yes x 2
• Scheduled time for diet and exercise - yes - Gym with PT tomorrow

BillBE - I had to look matzah up - looks like a good thing to have with vegetable soup. There is a gratitude exercise which requires one to think about an object (a chair for example) and to think about all the components and all the hands that it has passed through in its creation. It is very powerful and your post about navel oranges reminded me of that

6crowsgold - I am thinking about trying the 5:2 diet and using smoothies and salads on the fast day. Does it work for you to have shakes?

flnu - it is humbling to see and accept that things change as you get older. Credit for not letting that hold you back

Gardenerjoy - good to see you back - and yes - I am about to become a fan of popcorn!

Nationalparker - commiserations for 2 days off plan but you seem to have regrouped. Chemo is not too bad - and he has support so that will be great

Tricia - hungry days are hard so Credit for resisting it and finding strategies. I think hungry days mean that I must be about to lose! Good luck with training pooch and thanks for the affirmation

maryann - hope you find the necklace - sounds like you deserve it

Ceejay - it was really useful to read your post - it was like a formula for the appropriate thinking steps when one gets in a funk. I can't seem to contain my work to work days at the moment but I am working on it

Diet Coaches/Buddies – The to-do list is my current nemesis. There'll be some out of town folks here this summer and there's a bunch of items left to make this place look like home. I took on a task that bugs DW a bunch, that's easy to complete and thus hardest to procrastinate about. Off to Home Depot to buy a new timer switch for the bathroom vent fan; the current one doesn't shut off. No joy. They had one close to what I need, but not right. Thanks to Amazon Prime, the exact one I need will be here Thursday. CREDIT moi for choosing to order the one that cost twice as much but didn't have those nagging negative reviews about installation issues that will bug the fastidious.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including snacks. After eating fresh cut pineapple for evening snack I had the thought that an orange would be nice and it's only 100 calories. Then had the thought that my resistance muscle was more important than the calories. My brain is getting tired of this living by a plan. It doesn't really want an orange - it wants unbounded snacking. I know where that leads.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Always Congrats when your scale also votes that you've been "acceptably on plan."

CeeJay - Kudos for waiting the ten days to weigh yourself per your plan. And Kudos again for having a realistic attitude about a reasonable rate of losing. Love the use of "no way."

Cheryl (GosfordGirl) – Yay for "planned in advance and better timing." A successful Monday bodes well for the week. When I wore a pedometer, "9850 steps so far" would drive me crazy enough to walk down the street 75 steps and back, LOL.

maryann - Kudos for tracking. Quietly letting the whole necklace thing pass as if I understood anything.

nationalparker – Continuing to send supportive thoughts for your father's treatment. It's a bit surprising how strongly one "salty dinner" can show up on the scale. [It is interesting; we dearly enjoy DS's GF but the conversation is different when he's alone. No big reason I use 'tree nuts' - perhaps because in my life peanuts are eaten separately.]

Tricia (AZtricia) - Love the optimism that you'll just train your pup not to bark at garbage trucks. Kudos for countering hunger with a big glass of unsweetened iced tea. [Thanks for the link to library supplies. I didn't know that civilians were allowed to buy all that stuff.]

flnu - Smiling at "gobsmacked" - it's on my Bucket List to use that word with a straight face. It's on that short list of words with high impact by their sound. Wish we were face-to-face so I could hear you say it. And Kudos for being thoughtful about your exercising limits.

Readers -

Good Morning!

Yesterday's fast went well, completely OP. Like I said, it's easy to do compared to regular days.

I'm writing this while stepping at my snazzy Elliptical Tech Desk. I came in early this morning to assemble it. Surprised I can type and step at the same time...

Gosford Girl I watched this video from Dr Michael Mosley who wrote "The Fast Diet" and have been trying it for the reputed health benefits. Here is a link to the very entertaining video:

vimeo.com/54089463

I almost always have a soy protein shake for breakfast whether I'm fasting or not, it's easier for me since breakfast is hard to get down.

Today I have a meal plan and my low tech recording device. Hoping for a good day and wishing everyone here has success throughout the day!

Steppin'!

Tell your husband Jackie O never wore real pearls ... all she had were faux.

I tried to fix allergy malaise with food. It actually works while I'm eating. But the malaise comes right back, which tells me it's just the distraction not the food. I have zero-calorie distractions that work just as well. I'll be focusing on those instead.

WI: NA kg, Exercise: +50 1280/1500 minutes for March, Food: 70%op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no

Hello on this windy Wednesday coaches!

Pizza day here again. I'm planning on one slice since I don't have any leftovers to pack. Will take veggies to go with it. Lost another pound today, hurray! Sometimes it seems so slow, but then I remind myself that all the changes I'm making I can live with long term, so they are more likely to last.

Exercise today: walk pup 3X, DVD, treadmill while boys swim
Food, OP about 1800 cal.

CeeJay Hurray for 7 pounds gone and even better for resisting the sabotaging thoughts!

maryann LOL about your dh! Had to look up the necklace, beautiful! Great job tracking your food even when it wasn't fun.

Cheryl/gosfordgirl Kudos for food OP and prep for tomorrow. 9850 is a lot of steps!

BillBlueEyes Oh my, to-do lists always get me! I love our vent fan timer, since now I no longer have to follow the boys around to the bathrooms turning them off all day! Awesome resistance muscle. You can find just about anything imaginable to buy online with the right search terms. Library quality book protection is necessary when trying to have books last through 3 boys.

6crowsgold Kudos for OP fast. Hope today is great for you as well.

gardenerjoy Allergies are horrid here. We are all suffering and meds barely help. I'm just realizing it is also probably why I feel so tired. The wind today is NOT helping!

Hello, all! I did well on plan for breakfast and lunch and then stopped at the market on the way home for a quick run through that wasn't so quick and was pricey. Came home HUNGRY despite buying a drink, too - a splurge of a diet fountain soda that I'm sure is no health splurge, but ... still... so I came home and "taste tested" about 220 calories of stuff I bought. ARGH ... I switched up the meal, too, since I didn't have time to cook the turkey meatballs and get everything done without running late, so thanks to Tricia's pizza night, I'm having pizza night with the personal shells. This will be a day at the top end of my 1300-1500 range that seems to be the spot I lose weight if I'm basically inactive.

I need to reread Beck and find things on self-sabotage. I find it interesting that as I was going from one thing to the next here, I was wondering if my dad's procedure was painful - called my brother but didn't catch him, and then grabbed my ultimate comfort food - a small hunk of a baguette and a thin slice of cheese. I think I need to adopt the "food will not fix anything and it'll break me" welll, maybe not BREAK, but ... Boss was literally yelling so loudly today people in other departments walked by to see the issue. Frustrating. OH I FORGOT - I picked up a snack that was 140 calories today after being proud I didn't snack at work - a rarity now (snacking there) ... but right after the blowup I went to the snack machines and got a chex mix baggie. Phooey. I'm starting to suspect that I, too, am a stress eater as well as a boredom eater. Or I just want the "unbounded snacking" as well and look where it's leading me, Bill ... Scale is definitely not budging at all to see that 167 again.

Have tickets to a nice downtown theatre for "Other Desert Cities". I've not seen that performance before, so we'll enjoy a nice treat again this weekend - finally redeeming a voucher from an auction.

Sorry for what ended up as a near-journal entry here.

Good Evening, Coaches.

So many good reminders in the posts today. Food was messy. I keep thinking "Slouching toward Bethlehem" with Bethlehem being bed. Kitchen is closed at 6:00. No reason to enter it again.

6crowsgold: I am a fan of protein shakes as well. I use pea protein. I tolerate it better. It is nice to not have to think about one meal.

ladynredd: Great info

AZtricia: Thank you for the reminder that the changes I am making here will last forever. I have changed so much.A good example is struggling to remain present while hovering two pounds from maintenance instead of waiting for a ten pound gain and facing the exact the same situation.

BBE: Good reminder that my resistance muscle is more important than the bite of food I want.

nationaparker: Superdrag to have a boss that screams. Boy, that would do me in. I grew up with a father that screamed. I don't need to have to listen to it as an adult. (Although I am guilty of a occasional scream at my family. Unacceptable. It is a good reminder to myself that innocent people are on the receiving end.)