Food within calories and good exercise the last couple of days, credit. Our backpacking trip was a success. The two gals who wanted to go for a shake down for the Grand Canyon did fine although they both realized hiking with a backpack is much more difficult than without the weight on their backs. The weather was perfect and we found a nice place to camp with a creek for water nearby. We did a shorter hike than I thought we were going to do because one gal is having some problem with bursitis in her hip. On day one after setting up camp we hiked another 3 miles to find Dripping Springs, which we didn't find last time we were out there. Anyway, I always love getting out there and luckily the more I have the backpack on the easier it gets. This morning I'm heading out for a quick one with Hiking Suzanne who will be leaving town soon to be with her daughter who is having a baby.
Bill You certainly are not the only person who hasn't read Eco, heck I haven't even heard of Eco or probably most of the books you talk about. What can I say?
Onebyone If you can't get out of lunch with your neighbor, how about a different restaurant. I haven't ever been to an all you can eat restaurant that had any good food.
FutureFitChick Most hospitals have long halls. I hope you find it easy to get your exercise while you're helping your friend.
GardenerJoy I'm still enjoying the book Paris. I didn't listen while backpacking as that would have been rude, but I certainly enjoyed it for a few hours while awake in my tent. Yay for audiobooks.
Lexxis I hope you're feeling better soon.
Curlyjax Oh I used to hate those self-evaluations. I'm with Bill, set some goals that are easily met. Glad you're enjoying yoga. Any exercise a person enjoys is great. I think they say, "what is the best exercise?" "The one you'll do."
Nationalparker If I didn't say it already, I'm glad your Camino presentation was good. I don't know if you're on FB, but there is a great group called something like American Pilgrims on the Camino which is very informative. Almost any questions I've had has been answered by people on this group.
Maryann Glad your Fitbit has been inspirational. I feel like any little thing that helps is a good thing.
Well my alarm is saying I have one hour until I need to meet Suzanne. I'd better have a quick breakfast and get some clothes on. Have a great Friday everyone.
I was frustrated at more hunger yesterday than expected, especially since the scale hasn't cooperated as much as I expected this week. But, a drop this morning and all is forgiven.
Both today and tomorrow will have challenges. I'm planning a 90% day today. Tomorrow is more of a mystery -- I'll be leaving at 7:10am for an all-day conference that includes breakfast and lunch. I intend to follow this Response card:
Quote:
On special event days, I enjoy eating very lightly. Special events provide a great distraction from food, so they are a terrific opportunity to get ahead on my weight loss.
I just put cereal on my packing list since that gives me a back-up if none of the food offerings are appropriate at breakfast. That worked last week. I probably won't check in tomorrow, so have a great Friday and Saturday, everyone!
WI: -0.7 kg, Exercise: +40, 1035/1200 minutes for January, Food: 100% op, Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
BillBlueEyes: I was intimidated by Eco. I'll be interested to know what you think -- maybe, I'll give The Name of the Rose a try.
Yay Grand Canyon and Grand Tetons! Two of my favorite National Parks! Thx BBE, for always providing us a timeline!
Food was good yesterday. Weight is within normal fluxuation. Credit. I had decided to have the last of the King Salmon for lunch. I plopped the accompanying sauteed onions on the plate and noticed lots of buttery substance. Reevaluated and pitched that part. Nothing much interesting .didn't go anywhere didn't have to be anywhere no one called with any type of crises. Yay! Worked around the house and progressed with sudoku skills.
BBE, the Glenwood Canyon has only been open from 4pm-9am and one direction at a time. Evening travelers found 3+ hour backups for a 15 mile drive. Mornings seemed much better. Now road is open both directions one lane only. It will be awhile before 4 lane traffic is resumed. Yay for outside grilling! That will change but hopefully not by 9 ft.
Karenrn, I've been enjoying reading of your hikes. Camino has a special place in my heart. Hubbys Grand Canyon prof and wife trekked 2 years ago and their son participated in a very good documentary.
Onebyone, kudos for not eating over anything in your world!
FutureFitChick, it's a great habit not ordering all the extras w/Chinese food! Credit.
Gardenerjoy, good for you jumping right back to your existing plan after the power outage!
to all
Today I have a plan for breakfast/lunch and have a potluck tonight. It's an occasion where I try to use good judgement, have a treat and not overeat. I bring my own small plate instead of using paper.
Pic of my little rescue guy, Kirby, at his first Natl Park....loving the Grand Tetons!
In a struggle right now...trying to come to a decision to rejoin WW for three months for a "push" or not. Pluses: I got started with WW (and then kept it up on my own years ago) ... accountability of weighing in once/week worked for awhile but would be doing the online program since getting to the meetings is iffy ... joining sale is on for the weekend. Minuses: I get so frustrated at the crap artificial ingredients/preservatives in their products, but won't buy them anyway, but feel that if they think that is OK, then I'm support that with my money to join ... I SHOULD be able to do this without paying a multibillion dollar company ... I suspect it'll be a no but needed to get this out of my mind and jotted down a bit. Some days=100 % on plan. Other days = all but one part of one meal, and then seems to send me over the edge.
DH and I visited our granddaughter who had serious surgery on Tuesday. Her huge smile and enthusiastic talking about life now that pain is almost gone. She was having the same pain of labor, but 24 hours a da and 7 days a week. The surgeons didn't want to remove a womb full of endromesis and insisted she wait till she was 25. She has put up with it already over a dozen years! Now she can get back to living, finally.
Sure enjoyed spending time with her and our daughter-in-law, too.
Today was OK. A bit off of routine since I had to be up early and ended up taking a nap that lasted through lunch. But, I did nap instead of trying to keep going via extra calories, so credit for that. The scale did not appreciate my Chinese meal last night, but I am hoping that is from sodium and will improve tomorrow.
I moved my no exercise day from Sunday to today, as the hospital was not one with nice long accessible halls, or a walking path like I had hoped. Tomorrow I will be back to the grind with work. My friend that I took to the hospital gave me a subscription box from Hello Fresh. It has three ready-to-make meals (these are vegetarian). So, that will be a big help for food prep this week.
Bill Blue Eyes, great job dealing with Wednesday's dinner interruption. Boston in my mind at this time of year is covered in 8 inches of snow, so the thought of grilling made me smile! It sparked a fond memory of my dad from when he would grill outside in the snow in shorts.
Curly Jax, the lightning storms sound weird/interesting/amazing/scary!
Gardener Joy, awesome job for getting back on plan after the power outage disrupted you. I really like your Response card, and added it to my own stack. I hope the conference goes well!
Karen, RN, as always, amazing job at the miles you are putting in on the trails!
Lexxiss, I hope you are feeling better! I am glad you got a quiet day to further recuperate. Kirby is super cute!
National Parker, good luck with your WW decision. I've used their program a few times, without success. I haven't tried their online programs, but I find this group to be excellent for accountability. We all get to say what we need when we need, not limited to meeting times. Good luck!
Love 2 Garden, I am so glad to read about your granddaughter's successful outcome with surgery.
One by One, I'm glad you were able to get "a grip" as you put it! Way to go for not eating "over anything in [your] world".
Last edited by FutureFitChick; 02-27-2016 at 10:53 PM.
Quick check in. Scale read 270.2 again today so I upped the exercise to "sweat" level with a WATP ( walk away the pounds - Leslie Sansone YouTube version) workout. I held off on cheese, upped the water, and ate good veggies. I continue to "go for it".
But. I am feeling a bit anxious to get away from the 270 mark. I really want some distance. Lurking ahead is an invitation to a new friend's house for dinner with DH next Saturday. Then a trip next week to my old friend's place to help her pack and move. Going to my home town. Rare. The day after the move I want to visit the archives and museums. So time away and then the week after that another five days for a printmaking session and poetry festival in Ottawa.I need to really be vigilant. It's already worrying me that I will go off plan and go right back up the scale.
But, for now, everything is fabulous.
Have a good night.
Oh super credit earned: met my daily exercise minutes today! Moved everyday but that part of my challenge isn't over until March 1. I'm earning bonus minutes now though!
Saturday - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born (Portland, Maine, 1807)
Diet Coaches/Buddies DW caught me reading both 1984 and 1491 and wouldn't stop laughing. I'm hoping for a quick read of 1984 just to remember; it becomes depressing within the first pages. 1491 continues to remind me that the natives weren't living lightly within the forest but had created large towns everywhere. The book suggests that it was a hepatitis virus (like Hepatitis A that spreads through food, not sexual contact) that killed 90% of the natives in the early 1600's.
Only minor walking as I got caught up on stuff in my office. At the supermarket, I did note that Easter candy is abundant even though we have most of Lent remaining before Easter Sunday.
onebyone Yep, Super Kudos for "met my daily exercise minutes today!" I do enjoy reading how you plan ahead to visit museums everywhere you go.
Joy (gardenerjoy) Yay for a happy scale reading. In three weeks I'm headed to one of those dawn-to-dusk conferences with meals served; think I'll steal your Response Card.
Debbie (Lexxiss) Yay for Kirby looking at the Grand Tetons. In my only climb there we gained 5000+ feet in elevation - a spectacular adventure. [Thanks for the explanation of Glenwood Canyon travel; sounds like a mess.]
FutureFitChick Napping through lunch is a grand strategy to limit calories. That subscription box from Hello Fresh sounds fun.
nationalparker Kudos for thinking through your eating plan options. I do like your sarcastic emphasis of "SHOULD."
Karen (karenrn) - This is encouraging, "the more I have the backpack on the easier it gets" - like lots of Beck strategies.
Sandy (love2garden) - Glad to hear that your DGD can now move forward in life.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 4 Emotional Eating Traps
Consider the following sample escape plan as you brainstorm and craft your own. . . .
Escape Plan: Emotional Eating Trap Situation #1: Feeling lonely at night. I'm sad that my husband and I have grown apart. Sometimes it seems like food is my best friend.
Sabotaging Thoughts: Ice cream is the only thing that makes me feel better.
Reminders: It's not true that ice cream is the only thing that makes me feel better. I'd also feel better if I called my friends and connected with them.
Strategies: Go to the movies by myself. Save errands for nighttime. Call Ruthie! Call Maureen! Connect with Lois and Barbara through e-mail.
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. 81
hi coaches!
DH is still following his wheat free diet and is experiencing headaches which I guess is related to it- at least i hope it is and isn't something else! I do admire his ability to stick to it while the rest of us are eating wheat items. Years ago he quite smoking cold turkey, so he definitely has stores of will power! Then again, he isn't the one doing most of the planning, cooking and doling out treats to the kiddies Or maybe that's just a convenient excuse for me!
I went to a workshop on hoarding this week which was really interesting; emphasizing compassionate approaches to helping folks. It does make me grateful I have been able to let go of some physical things and keep the clutter down somewhat. It's amazing how many people who hoard are indeed average middle class folks who often have had a lot of losses. love2garden: glad your GGD is okay, that is major surgery! Nationalparker-I found WW useful for ideas about portion control etc, a good jumping off point, 13 years ago after my second kid. I was freaking out then because I had never weighed so much. Sadly, now I am 6 pounds away from that number, I should be really freaking out now!! I think we do get used to seeing a certain number on the scale, and then adjust to it being the norm somehow, and it keeps going higher, at least that is what I have done. Lexiss- wow, so interesting to read about the travel issues in your area, near the Canyons etc. Makes me remember what a big varied country we live in. I do hope to get out there some day!
Short hike yesterday and then happy hour out with friends. Didn't eat all the much, but I'm sure the beer put me over on the calories. This morning dh and I got up and out early to hike Bell Pass. I think it's the longest hike he's done and he seemed to do well. His left hip continues to be a problem, but he'll just power through on our trip.
Curlyjax Geez I get nervous just watching Hoarders on TV. It makes me want to get a dumpster and empty the house and we don't need to. I get that same anxiety when I go to my cousin's to visit where she has too much stuff. I'm sure it would be interesting to learn the reasons behind the behavior.
Bill It does feel good to get things caught up in the office, doesn't it. Sometimes I do take a day off and do just that. I've seen the Easter candy too. Luckily, most of the stuff in the grocery store doesn't look good to me. Now if I had a See's candy nearer, that might be a problem.
Onebyone Sounds like you're going to be busy. And not much centers around food, so hopefully you'll be too busy to think about it.
FutureFitChick I was at Dripping Springs in the Superstitions, so not where your link suggested. The place I went is so small it isn't on many maps. If you want to look at a great hike I do, look at YouTube for the Flatiron Hike in the Superstitions. We're going to do that on Tuesday and it is probably my favorite at least in this area. I'll be interested in your Hello Fresh meals. I've not heard of anyone getting those around here.
Sandy So glad to hear your granddaughter was feeling so much better already. How horrible to live with constant pain.
Nationalparker Good luck in making the best decision to have you heading in the right direction. Do you use My Fitness Pal by any chance? I find it very helpful and it's free. It can be used on the computer or the smart phone. It takes a while in the beginning to input the food choices, but once you've put some of them in your lists are there to choose from.
Lexxis Very cute picture of Kirby. I love Grand Tetons too. Heck, I don't think I've met a national park that I haven't just loved.
GardenerJoy I hope you are enjoying your seminar and that the food provided is good. Yes, I find if I'm busy and distracted I'm not nearly as hungry as when I am home and a little bored.
My plan for this afternoon is to start getting things together for our Peru trip. We have one spare room that is seldom used that has twin beds in it. One for dh to place his things for the trip and one for me. I'll feel better when I'm sure we have everything we need.
I must say I am glad a busy week is over. The goal this morning is to let myself enjoy the quiet of the house with my feet up, my food planned and the gas fire going. As I adjust to this medication that promises less compulsion and more peace, I know I must mentally practice letting things go emotionally. This week I spent all my time promoting, teaching, supporting reading at my school which is a place I consider a new Ellis Island. Friday was especially challenging as our sewer broke and a school of 700 was given port a potties as a solution for all water and toilet needs. The kids were already jacked up for my reading celebration and then huge trucks were dropping large toilets onto the campus during school hours. Hopeless.
I spent all day policing squads of roaming, screaming 13 year old boys while trying to make the celebration positive for the many well behaved students. I don't know how much longer I can do this job. It has been 25 years. Although the day was a success, I feel overwhelmed and despairing at the sheer desperateness of the situation for these kids. I feel like the little dutch boy with a finger in the dike. Noble, someone would think. But I woke up feeling "not enough." And I focused too much on a scale that refuses to drop despite maintaining an all time record of no sweets at work, over 14,000 steps in one day alone and the choice of a very healthy salmon salad over chinese food that was calling to me.
Here are my credits:
How much more difficult would this week have been if I was still going to my AA home group. Credit for making that change.
Credit for knowing I can change my job situation at any time. I could easily move to the wealthiest school in the district or even take a leave of absence. I am willing to be patient as more is revealed. Small changes for now.
Credit for keeping first things first today - my only job today is to visit to the gym for weight training and to attend to a few puttering things that will help me relax.
Credit for posting.
Credit for buying a fairly flattering skinny black jean for my Ireland trip in a size larger than the one two years ago. The pants ( a staple) will make me feel good for right now moving through the trip and spring.
gardenerjoy and onebyone: I love the advantage card that says a special event is a wonderful opportunity to get ahead on my weight plan. I have so many "special events" that they must be considered the norm now.
KarenRn: i have spent many days under the stars backpacking. That life seems so long ago. Since I had my son I have only packed a few times. I have been regulated to car camping which is great for the kids but Blick! for me. Either I want to sleep out where there is nobody or be in a soft bed. My hope is to get back out there now that my son can outpace me
Lexxiss: Yeah for a day filled with no drama.
BBE: As a music major at UC Davis, my early music professor required us all to read Name of the Rose. He said it was very hisotrically accurate. I enjoyed it tremendously.
nationalparker: You might be surprised at the changes in WW. My mom says sugar is now the enemy. I am a champion of every temporary boost.
Love2garden So glad that your GD has found a new lease on life.
FutureFitChick: Let us know what you think about "Hello fresh."
curlyjax: i agree a number I once shunned becomes the new norm. I am at the weight i was when i married 15 years ago. But two years ago I was ten pounds lighter. I am drawing the line in the sand and only moving downward no matter what my rationalizing mind says.
How I look forward to reading your posts when I have time. Today, it's been a busy day and anticipated sitting down to catch up. I ended up deciding to give MFP another whirl as several of you consistently track there (thanks for the reminders!) and thinking that would probably be similar to paying for WW online. As FutureFitChick says, this group is great support and meeting attendance would be iffy from the schedule times. So, took a bit of time to log back in there and Google conveniently remembered my password because I certainly don't. Have logged breakfast and lunch and found myself reaching for an apple instead of something else. Maybe this will be the assist I am searching for. Not sure why I caved, but took the last chocolate in a russell stover heart from MIL - I'd opened it and DH ate most of them, but I thought, I must discard this and get it out of here. So cut it into four pieces and savored it but in all honesty, it wasn't worth 75 calories.
Have had a super productive day and finally taking the time to sit down and just "be" ... will pull out my kindle and enjoy a mystery for a while ... with some smooth jazz on pandora. DH came home, ate, showered and is asleep already - he got no sleep last night thinking about his job situation. Finally he understands why I cannot turn off my mind sometimes.
A coworker came by to pick up a coffee table to go with the other two side tables I passed on to him yesterday. Good to see them continue to be used. He said his wife was so pleased with how they went with what they had. Bonus!
Day = 95% on plan with exception of the pc of chocolate. Well, I say ON PLAN but I didn't make one today, just trying to make solid choices.
Bill - I, too, am laughing at your book selections! Hold off on adding "1776" in there. Hope you get a glimpse of this warm weather we're to get tomorrow.
Karen - I kept forgetting that you have Machu Picchu coming up before the Camino. We're all vicariously enjoying these hikes. I showed DH some pics from the Italian pilgrimage route going into Roma and my heart was so full just looking at the scenes there. I especially liked this photographer's take on it. I HAD to have lived there in a former life. I mean not just when I lived there as a kid/preteen.
Sandy - Good news about your DGD - hard to hear that they didn't want to handle it earlier to avoid years of pain for her. She is lucky to have you able to visit, too.
Maryann - I had to laugh at the line about the kids' attention to the portapotties being dropped off. It drives me bonkers how in the reading class, just a kid taking off a shoe to fix a sock draws all the kids' attention! Admirable credits you posted - good thinking went into them.
CurlyJax - I'm with you, as well, on HOW did this number become my norm? What happened to the 130s, 140s, 150s, 160s? Low 170s? I'm embarrassed to write that. But I'm holding onto hope of what Maryann said a few days ago, imagine if we'd NOT paid any attention at all.
FutureFitChick - I'm glad you, too, like Cafe Literato! I would love to do a return up there in nice weather to hike around and enjoy a nice dinner there. When we were there earlier, it was to look for DH's daughter's dogs who'd gotten out and it was a day that topped 100 degrees. That's all I remember about West Lafayette. That my water was in the car and DH had the keys and we were searching separately ha ha.
OneByOne - The way you phrase that you're anxious to get away from the 270 mark intrigued me. I feel that with some numbers and want a buffer, and then more of a buffer. Keep "going for it" - you're making great choices left and right!
Off to finish the kitchen and keep laundry moving along. That is one chore I don't mind usually. A few years ago a neighbor was a new mom and I went over one day with a huge bag and our basket and asked for all her laundry, had bought the same baby detergent she used, laundered it all including their sheets , and returned it all stacked and folded along with a hot dinner for that night and she thought that was the greatest. Sometimes it's the little things that just make us all feel a little more "caught up in life." ... They moved away after two kids, our homes are smaller in this neighborhood. Meandering mind.
Last edited by nationalparker; 02-27-2016 at 08:59 PM.
Quick check-in. Weighed 270.2 once more. Credit for weighing. Ate on plan and exercised. Credit. Cleaned my studio again and it's now finally done. There will be some refining of the space but I have made it a usable space once more. Big credit.
It was overall an OK day. I was not as productive as I planned or needed to be, but I was productive and repeatedly talked myself out of deadline panic (major credit for this). This has been an issue for years for me, so if you have any great advice, I'd love it. I decided today to cancel the party we were going to have in 2 weeks because of being behind. I am really disappointed to have to do so, but it is the prudent things to do.
Anyhow, food was on plan. I substituted a different dinner at the last minute because I hadn't counted on the duration it was going to take the original "Hello Fresh" menu plan. I was still under my calorie goal for the day, so credit to me for that. I did my exercise today as planned. The scale was kind to me this morning, allowing a recovery plus bonus pound loss from yesterday.
Bill Blue Eyes, interesting hypothesis about hepatitis spreading through food. I will have to read that sometime. Good job getting in a walk to the supermarket.
Curly Jax, good job sticking to the work of planning and meal prep!
Karen, RN, that looks like a neat hike that you will be going on next week. I did watch a YouTube video of it. Great job getting your miles in with your husband.
Mary Ann, sorry to read about the sewer main issues. How frustrating! You are wonderful to shoulder so much of the burden for such a challenging school. Hang in there about the scale. I hope the day was indeed as relaxing as you planned!
National Parker, great job making "solid choices". I am using MFP as well. I really like it. I use it on my iPhone and really appreciate the integration with data from fitness apps.
One by One, great job going for it! What is your plan for these events coming up and meals? Good job for sticking to the plan on Saturday too!
Sunday - Watson and Crick announce structure of DNA (1953)
Diet Coaches/Buddies Walked, CREDIT moi, to buy bags of Dark Roast coffee from Dunkin' Donuts - my favorite. Some things are so important that I never run out of them. Stopped by the sports store and, much to my surprise, found a pair of blue jeans on sale for only $10. And they happened to fit and I happened to need them - not usual requirements for me to bring home a sale item, LOL.
After dinner I brushed my teeth to reduce the appeal of snacking; CREDIT moi for using a strategy instead of just hoping to white-knuckle it through the evening as the panty called. DW abandoned me for the weekend so I've eaten rotisserie chicken and lettuce salad for two nights running. Fortunately, I like rotisserie chicken because when she returns tonight, she'll note that there's some left and suggest we have it for dinner.
onebyone Yep, Big Kudos for making your studio space usable again.
FutureFitChick Yep, Kudos, indeed, for "talked myself out of deadline panic." We do have the ability to make difficult times even more so.
maryann - Kudos for seeking your own peace of mind within desperateness and confusion at school. And Double Kudos for buying jeans that fit, now.
nationalparker Congrats for moving furniture items from your life. [LOL at adding "1776" to my reading list.]
Karen (karenrn) - Neat to start laying out your stuff for your Peru trip. I'm impressed how many times I've reached for something to put in my suitcase and it wasn't in its 'normal' place.
curlyjax - Congrats to your DH for demonstrating sticking to the plan. Interesting thought about hoarders.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 4 Emotional Eating Traps
Consider the following sample escape plan as you brainstorm and craft your own. . . .
Escape Plan: Emotional Eating Trap Situation #1: Feeling lonely at night. I'm sad that my husband and I have grown apart. Sometimes it seems like food is my best friend.
Sabotaging Thoughts: It's not fair that I can't comfort myself with food.
Reminders: What would be even more unfair is if I let a sense of unfairness stand in my way of losing weight, which is really important to me.
Strategies: Ask Phyllis to take a walk with me after dinner on weekdays. Look into taking a Spanish course. Enlist my friends to help me figure out what else to do to make my life better.
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. 81
to all
Saturday - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born (Portland, Maine, 1807)
Or maybe that's just a convenient excuse for me!
