Diet Coaches/Buddies – The anti-coughing pills worked well enough for me to spend the whole day surrounded by people. Yay for antihistamines, or for the natural ending of whatever is causing my cough - whichever happened. I attended a graduation ceremony where PhD's were hooded in a ceremony with costumes that are so amazingly medieval. My new goal in life is to get a crushed velvet square hat with gold bling. I haven't looked up the rules, but they seem to only be worn by senior faculty. It was deeply moving to hear newly minted medical doctors reciting the Hippocratic Oath. All medical doctors in the audience stood and recited it with them.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi, without snacks. However lunch was, as planned, assembled from appetizers served at my house. Dinner was assembled from the leftovers. It was all healthy food eaten sitting down. It was also, however, eaten over a period of time with only faint control over volume. I did choose to NOT eat a portion of flavored pita bread with my dinner that I'd already served myself - a separate CREDIT moi for that one.


silverbirch – Waving back toward Wales.

maryann - Yay for exercise and family bike ride.

Karen (karenrn) - Kudos for having a next generation adult lined up for the trust. I just love it that your 85 degrees is "unseasonably cool."

curlyjax - Sending supportive thoughts as you proceed through this with your DH. I, too, have discovered how few people are available in a crunch - mostly I believe because their lives are already committed to the brim. I hope you are able to set up a support group.

lizardnumbers - Kudos for " Planning to be more proactive this week about my health & happiness." Yay for The Diet Trap audio.

ennay - Yep, "It adds up so fast when you aren't looking." Kudos for keeping accurate count.

Readers -

Good Morning,

Super fun bike ride yesterday. Did PT exercises which is good since I see both PTs today. Spent another twenty minutes lecturing to my son about balance. He is praying 45 mins a night, reading the bible, writing a gratitude list and has stopped recreational reading. He ends up going to be at 11:00 pm. Is this his 14 yo rebellion? I know parents say, "I wish I had those problems with my son." But he has a strong streak of perfectionism in him and is starting to isolate himself by his Puritanical behavior. Maybe I see my compulsive self in him - My food compulsions/ his religious compulsions. or maybe he is just reacting to my reacting blah… blah...

Or maybe I am making a big deal out of a phase. Hmmmmm.

In any case, this kind of stuff makes me hungry and is a great excuse for my brain to tell me to reduce food vigilance today. So. . . I have read my advantage cards, eaten my new breakfast of choice "pumpkin oatmeal", planned a smoothie and will make time to go grocery shopping for some healthy foods. Just like a good "Beck"ie.

Coaches

The weather forecast has me moving and making decisions. Time to clean the apartment bigtime for the landlord visit. The temperatures look like they will be up and staying up so that means the upstairs neighbours will start asking for the air conditioning to be turned on. Sad. If this was my house I wouldn't have it on much, but it's not. Another "tragedy of the commons" as DH says from time to time about our shared resources here in this 1970's single family home converted into 3 apartment units.

Anyway I have made some progress by clearing the front hallway. This time in my cleaning I am ready to BE RID OF STUFF. I am tired of seeing things spilling out beyond their borders, housed in boxes and bags and plastic things. I want them out of sight and then out of mind. This means I am making the tough choices. I just bagged up about 6 ceramic things that I made but aren't great and can be seen by me as practice pieces. Whatever. the benefit for me was in the making, not the keeping every single thing I construct. This, I know, will be the bulk of what I have to do. Throw my work away. I have no other choice and can no longer wait to figure it out. I need a clear clam space now more than I need a bunch of things I made that have no space to be in.

Foodwise I made a plan and it is simple and clear. Back to basics and what worked before. No starchy foods-keep it low carb. Drink 6 glasses of water and green tea today. Stay away from sugar. Don't snack but have a real meal 3x or less if not feeling hungry. Don't eat until stuffed full. No seconds. Eat some green things or make a green juice. Get 15-30min of planned exercise today.

I did weigh myself and inexplicably saw a drop. 266.3 this morning. 3.3lbs above my lowest weight of the year. I believe I can make it back to there by the 31st if I follow my plan that works for me. I would be happy to have a 0lbs lost/gained for the month of May after such a yo-yo month. That would be a success.

Enjoy your day everyone. Happy Victoria Day to the Canadians!

curlyjax: I am glad to see you posted. Come here anytime. Also good to read your DH is finally about to receive treatment. I have encountered many really really great medical professionals who care for my mother and who are caring for my MIL. They are real frontline support when you are in crisis and just trying to keep it together. I do hope you can find one other good friend or family member to come with you to some of the appointments if even to help assimilate all the information that will be thrown at you. It is a lot. Lean on people or find the support groups that are exactly for what you are going through. They will be there when you need them. And we are always here too.

BBE: As a member of the makerspace I can go anytime I want and use all the machines. Some I need to be trained on but after that anytime with those as well. 9am-11pm weekly which is what would work best for me. I am planning on a visit tomorrow morning. I hope to create more earrings for the market this weekend. I may try the acrylic sheet as well, see what that's like.

Better go. Back to the clean up.

Good morning coaches,

Just a quick check in before I get a few things done this morning. Credit for hiking Bell Pass with 22 pounds in my backpack this morning. Trying to make a plan for food and be a tad more serious than I seem to have been. I need to be more diligent with weighing, measuring and basic portion control. Heck I need more than that, but it would be a good start.

I've got a few errands to run this morning as soon as I get showered and dressed, then dh home for lunch and then a movie "Dark Horse" with a friend this afternoon. That should keep me busy enough not to graze.

More tomorrow.

Billblueeyes - I am like you in that I have never really had allergies, but perhaps maybe now do. Or maybe I am sick. Who can tell? I don't get any of the traditional symptoms. No eye, nose, respiratory stuff, just flu-like symptoms. Extreme fatigue, muscle aches, mild fever, mild sore throat. Only thing is the last few years I am noticing it tends to happen when everyone else is complaining of pollen. Anyway, earlier today I thought I was getting sick, but pollen counts are high so now I am deciding it is allergies. Not quite sure that is better? I've never found an antihistamine that didn't put me to sleep, and fatigue is my biggest complaint anyway.

this is nothing about weight loss. But I am in a rage. RAGE. My son is 9. He plays baseball. His team lost tonight, but he played very well. A coach. A COACH on the winning team called my son an idiot (for?) or perhaps he merely called some other kid (on his own team? )an idiot which makes me equally livid.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – I spent the entire day on the web researching cars so that I can actually go out and buy one. I haven't narrowed my search to a specific car yet. Since it will be our second car, I'd like to get an all-electric, like the Nissan Leaf (as my Tesla substitute). Since we have a driveway but no garage, I need to find out what the constraints are for plugging it in during the rain and snow. Our house may not have sufficient electric service to glibly add a 30 amp circuit. And I'd like to get a Subaru with station wagon-like space for occasional hauling. I won't get anywhere until I focus.

Food was on plan, CREDIT moi. Afternoon snack was cherries which, since they're fruit, I declare to have no calories. But I still ate a reasonable snack-sized portion.


onebyone – Now I want to find a MakerSpace to go place with the neat technology. Super Kudos for considering getting rid of the ceramics that you don't want to sell.

maryann - I wish you well finding the path between worrying too much and too little about your DS's behavior. Whatever in the world is "pumpkin oatmeal?"

Karen (karenrn) - Yep, portion control is a must - when you learn the magic formula for it, let me know.

ennay - Name calling isn't an effective teaching technique for kids or adults. Hope you can find a way to get the message to that coach who called a kid an idiot.

Readers -

Hi Coaches!

Got back from my Vegas trip. It was nice being with family, especially my sis. Found out I don't ever need to go back there. Too crazy, too expensive and I'm not a gambler. Food was reasonable, and mostly picked by others. Highlights were morning smoothies with sis who just purchased a "traveling" vita mix, a spectacular sushi place (recommended by a customer at work) and two organic Cali oranges from WhFoods. Overall, I was pleased. Back to my routine, thank goodness, which includes daily weighing. Scale and I are doing ok.

Curlyjax, thanks for checking in with us. Agree with others, very few friends can be extremely helpful. With my sis, mom and hubbys medical stuff I count on a few when I need to reach out. One is a friend who cant do anything physically but we check in daily by text. I can tell her whats really going on since she doesn't have any family connection and she prays. Take care. ((hugs))

Must keep moving! Work awaits.

Quick check in since I've been MIA. Two more days of this event. I'm weary and ready to be home. Miss DH and pets and the normalcy. Almost feel like I cannot tell if on/off plan. We'll see. Clothes still fit so I'm thankful.

So...processing out loud...or quietly at my keyboard, I guess.

Tonight I have a situation where I have some "food obligation". Forecasting the best I can it is going to take a chunk of calories, even if I make the best choices available,so I did some extra walking today to give me room for it.

I was pondering the wisdom in that from the standpoint of my previous weight loss and maintenance were very exercise dependent and when I could no longer exercise, I couldn't manage. I don't want to put myself in that situation again. Plus there was some adrenal fatigue or over training or whatever possibly in the mix.

But today right at about 1hr 10 I felt it. There is a specific feeling and I don't think it is good for me to get there. So for the most part, I think I am going to try and max out my workouts at 1 hr. At least on a regular basis. I've had a few nice walks this week at about 1:20 so there may be room occasionally for that, but in my normal pinwheel where I am never too far from home. Today I had gone for longer so when I realized I was done, I was still 2 + miles from home by the shortest route.

Does this mean never doing extra to allow for a special occasion. I haven't decided that yet. I'm not sure I think it is entirely helpful because when that feeling hits, both hunger and fatigue kick in. So I probably would have done better with about 1/2 the workout as I prepare now to nap off the excess fatigue. Part of the reason I "preloaded" today is I don't forsee this weekend being an easy ride so I didnt want to start out in the hole. It does mean my musings this morning that for summer I would walk to the gym to lift and walk home is probably out.

Coaches

I wrote stuff before but somehow never sent it so this is a brief recap.
I did a lot of work freeing space in the kitchen. Three bags of garbage are out on the curb. Another in the works. More boxes decommissioned.

Weight was a bit lower just into 265 or 66. Don't remember now.

Tomorrow I have the 5 hr all day medical clinic appt. I'm battling the beginning of a cold so I hope it's gone by morning and by the time I get to the place downtown. This place gives you your results the same day so we'll see where I am at.

Exhausted. Must get to bed.

Bye for now.

credits, weighed and logged, made a plan, exercised. 'Skipped dessert after eating too much dinner.

Felt a little out of control tonight. Ate more than necessary

One more day. The time has passed. We've had issues, schedules turned upside down creating havoc and confusion and we worked through it. I have received several compliments on my work and "vibe" here; that I've put together a positive working environment for others who are here. Questions I did not have answers for were solved. Life went on. Tomorrow I have the early morning off, which is nice because today started at 5 a.m. and I've been awake way too long.

We had pizza tonight for everyone and I took a slice and chomped it down without savoring it. I do love good pizza. Then took two small slices - one regular that was cut in two. I felt so guilty on my drive home - then realized I ate basically two slices and that was it for the past 10 hours and that's okay.

Ennay -I hear you on not wanting to get into the "i ate this, i need to exercise for x" i want to be active to be healthy. I want to savor my food and enjoy it and not stress about some social eating. I feel like sometimes I take the enjoyment out of good times with good food by adding guilt. what does that do for me? Does it make me choose better next time? Or just make me feel worse about myself. I want to get home with a different mindset when I get back home late Thursday night.

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Walk, CREDIT moi, included a stretch along a street that was completely dug up as part of a new sewer system. It felt like a third world venture. I spent the walk carefully looking at each parked car visualizing whether I'd like that to be my next car. I only saw one all-electric car - a Chevy Volt - but that might be because electric car owners don't park on the street. I dropped by a library to return Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction - a powerful book for which I have a mixed review. It's a powerful idea to categorize all addiction as a developmental learning disorder - it removes all moral shaming and criminal status. It seems less useful to scorn all those who helped her recover from heroin addiction as inadequate because they didn't use the supportive therapy that she favors.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, including avoiding all snacks except the half-mango after dinner. I do love mango season. I'm eating enough blueberries with breakfast to make me very happy.


onebyone – Good luck at your all day medical clinic today - that's a long time to spend with the folks in white coats. Kudos for that cleaning up work in your kitchen.

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Yay for having a sister who travels with a vita mix.

nationalparker – Being grateful is so healthy, "Clothes still fit so I'm thankful." Kudos for staying sane in your long work trip. And Double Kudos for accepting the compliments about your work.

ennay - Kudos for working the issue of how much exercise is helpful and how much is too much. Good to skip dessert now and then.

Readers -

Coaches

On the train now heading to the medical clinic for my yearly checkup. Today I saw 264.6 so I am at least 10lbs lighter than last check up, maybe a bit more? Not sure. Wondering what effect, if any, such a beginner's portion of weight loss could make.

I am happy with the final count of garbage bags to the curb today. 4 contractor garbage bags. Plus one recycle bin of cardboard boxes broken down. Those boxes all held stuff. Yay me. The juicer and both crockpots, my overflowing spices and large variety of tea have all been given permanent homes neatly tucked away. Grimy work awaits though. Appliance faces, horrible edge of the kitchen floor where it meets the wall. Yuck. But it must be done. Depending how I'm feeling later when I get home I might start that. It is satisfying. Something has changed as I never felt that way about cleaning up before.
OK I'm going to just look out the window now.
Wish me luck with my results...

Bye.

Update: Down 14lbs from last time I was there and weighed in the afternoon so this is good news. Doc was very pleased, pleased with everything. Important for me-I was Vitamin D deficient but am now up to par. Vit D deficiency has been linked to alzheimer's and also weight loss issues (metabolizing fat I think?)this is a huge relief to get that monkey off my back. good cholesterol up. Heart good. Even the thing I was worried about she says is probably nothing to worry about and then explained why but I will get an ultrasound just to be sure. I am no longer worried though. Worst of things that I have will be greatly helped by.... guess... you know the answer: weightloss. Best part: good for another year. Excellent. I have nothing that is irreversible which is what I am always afraid of. May this result repeat itself over and over and over for the foreseeable future for me and for all of us trying to maintain/regain/refine our health.

One more unbelievable note to add: landlord said he's going to slip the key to the lock box over the thermostat under the door tomorrow so we can lower the temperature ourselves. Then I return the key to him in the mailbox. He's not coming in the apartment, so, technically, the place doesn't have to look normal for that but it does for me so we press on. But wow.