For all you gardeners out there, here is my annual attempt at the backyard. It was an unusually mild day - mid 80s with a cool breeze and I had to be outside waiting for my son's friend. So… I checked off one of my summer to do lists by pulling about two big garbage bags of a grassy weed that had been encroaching the back yard. I put the bags on the side walk for DH to take and smugly go in. DH comes in and says, "Who pulled out all of the ornamental grasses? "And that is why we have landscape maintenance.
Scale edged lower and I look toward Tuesday's weigh in as a mini goal. Food is planned. I was going to go out to dinner with the boys but I have decided to make them a quiche and I'll have a WW frozen dinner. This is not for a lifetime. This is just until I start seeing some real drops. I remember when I lost all my weight two years ago, I was making similar "radical" choices like bringing smoothies with me to have while others were eating dinner. It takes what it takes. In that vein, I have also decided to do what I did back them while traveling for summer. I will bring my scale with me since I won't have WW weight check in. I need to replicate what worked.
nationalparker: I hear you about resistance to meal planning. I have to remind myself "This isn't forever" it is just for today.
KarenRN: Our culture is so out of proportion. Credit for Diet Pepsi when all around you choose other things. Your happy hour choices were so moderate compared, I'm sure, with people around you and what you see on t.v. but a little hummus , pita and a few meatballs is really a meal in W.W.! If I don't recognize this I get stuck in maintenance for ever. But it is so hard to recognize when plates are huge and portions match them. Plus the loud, festive atmosphere tricks me into saying, "This is just a snack." I know when I backpack and I have portioned out food, I become more aware of exact what my body needs.
Ennay: The weight training with free weights is so interesting. I just use the Pilates reformer for right now. I am coming back from a year's worth of injuries and am afraid to do anything else.
BBE: Liked the "me first" mule in your snippet. There was a cute picture book I would read to DS with the title "Me, First". It was about a little pig who had to learn a hard lesson on sharing.
Off to spend the night on the ranch then visit my mom to help her with her monthly books. There we will go to the library, test out a baby grand player piano for DS, and go to mass.
Mary Ann Glad to learn you are going to visit your Mom. Sounds as if that is another good change in your life. What is a baby grand PLAYER piano? Mass I well know and will be there tomorrow when we have special Mass for DH's beloved sister who died last month.
\Loved your "weeding" experience. To prevent that, DH and I each have our areas that the other doesn't bother. I didn't like the extreem cut back of the red Maple, but recognize he was right as we can now walk past it without a struggle. He thought I was nuts at times for the experiements with plants I do, but some actually give pleasure.
Bill Extreem sympathy on the problem with your pipes! We had to do similar and actually finally called plumber. Wow, wish we made that much an hour whhen we worked.
Working with maryann to implement what works. What worked for me when I was losing was no snacks outside of the house with one very boxed-in exception -- one scoop of ice cream in a cup when I return milk bottles to the dairy, about twice a month. It doesn't work if I let that creep into other treats at other times and places. I implemented the "No snacks outside of the house" plan a few days ago and my eating has improved, overall. Doing what works, works!
Food and exercise on plan, no beer or sweets, credit. This morning I had a nice walk with my friend Cathi. We didn't walk until 7 a.m. and I could smell the humidity when I walked out the door. We were both sweating, but the visit was a nice distraction. I was so warm by the time I got home that I put my swimsuit on and got in the pool. I also am not feeling like going to the Y today, so I'm not. I should have gone, but I just plain decided not to. Dh is golfing this morning and we'll have some pool time this afternoon.
Ennay Thanks for the info on your program. I've got the New Rules of Lifting for Women, and Strong Curves and worked with a trainer in the past. I have multiple pages of workouts that I did with her. I think I will stick with my Group Power class for now and think about a program again in the Fall. I'm going to be gone off and on over the summer.
Nationalparker So sorry to hear about dh's aunt. I hope they take good care of her at hospice. Because I was a hospice nurse at one time, I always hope that it is a good as can be experience for the patient and family. Of course we all hope that.
I think we're kind of opposite in how we think about the food planning. I don't mind logging in MFP. Some of the difference I'm sure is the only thing I do on the computer is my personal stuff, not work. Each day I log my food and exercise, sync my Garmin Vivo and log my miles on a spreadsheet to be sure I'm keeping up with my 2000 mile challenge. I don't think everything combined takes more than 10 minutes. My goal is to not think about food too much either, but in a food is fuel sort of way. Enjoy your weekend off with dh.
Maryann Well aren't you the good gardener. That is so funny. When we go to happy hour, it is dinner. That's why I usually try to get some protein. Often we just split a burger.
Bill Good luck with the plumbing work today. I'm afraid my hairdresser is going to say the same thing to me as your barber said to you. I'm trying to time the hair dos so I will be at my best when we go to Washington and Connecticut, therefore not looking my best right now.
Loves2garden I have a friend in Washington who handles her yard similar to what you do. In the front she has an English garden and it is hers; in the back they have a northwest type landscaping and it's her husbands area.
GardenerJoy I'm all about what works too. Last year I did so well when I cut out the beer and sweets, so I'm giving it a whirl now too. I know I could fit the calories in if I were willing to cut back on food, but I'm not.
Okay well I'm off to the store now before it gets any hotter, but first I'll make a list. Have a great Saturday everyone.
Yesterday credits, weighed and logged, recorded all the food. Lifted.
maryann - it's a bit of both for me with all my injuries. I stay away from machines and isolating lifts in part because a lot of my injuries can get aggravated by muscle imbalances. I have a long standing injury to the tendon that attaches the long head of the bicep, and bicep work can trigger it, but the big pulls (deadlift, bent row) seem to stabilize my shoulder more evenly so things get stronger in concert. Free weights have the advantage in that all the stabilizers get strengthened along with the muscles, but for sure the downside in that if your form is wrong you can hurt things.
I only garden things I can eat. The front yard is a weed disaster. If it got more sun and/or had access to water, I would pull out the front beds and put in more veggies up there. I find it odd that there is no hose bib that can reach my front yard easily. It has sprinklers, but no hose access. I will plant some flowers in my veggies, but they are for pest control.
nationalparker I resisted the calorie logging for years while I was regaining. Because it does tend to make the portion of my life that I spend thinking about food higher. But every time I think "Oh, see, I have this, I know what & how to eat so I dont need to record it" I tend to go off the rails. I lost the 60 lbs initially recording every single day, especially the bad ones. I gained every time I stopped. I hate it, but it is the only thing that seems to keep me in control.
gardenerjoy I tend not to snack much outside the house, I do best if I avoid snacking all together. But in some cases I do the opposite, the treats can ONLY be purchased in a single serving size to be eaten at the restaurant/store. I rarely have dessert IN my home because I don't want leftovers.
Busy day here - but a relaxing evening set. The business was just our own choices, so at least not working the weekend away. Went to see "Eye in the Sky" at the matinee because we drove up to the IMAX just as ours was starting and no parking available, so changed gears. I was ehhh on this movie and ended up really being moved by it. The writing was tight and effective and the performances were compelling. Then a bit of shopping and found a two perfect summer glasses for the patio (glass) on clearance for $1.49 each and didn't know that until I checked out. Bonus! Because I have a fixation on setting a table that I stand back and smile at. Odd, I know. Ate early dinner around 4:30. Fighting staying on track apparently because I chose to have popcorn (minor credit for no butter) at the theatre ... a once in twice/year choice.
Stinking hot here so have been puttering around the house and trying to get my new work computer working the way I want it to.
I look and the progress made this year was while logging it all on MFP. Initial weight loss years ago was logging all in a notebook with ww points and fat/fiber before that. Hm. Why resist?
Maryann - Your ornamental grasses story had me laughing out loud! ACK!
Karen - After we had hospice for my dad, I thought I should change careers to be a hospice caregiver. I thought that I'd be an emotional wreck and just wrung out every night, though.
Bill - Thinking of you and your enjoyment of the good things in life, when I saw that my symphony is starting a summer $5 series on Thursdays at lunch downtown. I will try to work in as many as I can. $5!!
Sunday - England's New York City established (Dutch New Amsterdam, 1665)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Toilet got deferred by a busy day. We spent the day at a 'Fair' at a natural area we like. I learned more about storm water drainage than I ever expected to know.
The good news about food was that one booth gave away FREE bananas. I ate one and accepted the couple that they nearly forced me to put in my backpack. The bad news is that Dunkin' Donuts donated donuts and muffins. FREE blueberry muffins is a weak point. I could call it my morning snack, but a large muffin probably has the calories of a meal. I did, CREDIT moi, ignore the chocolate covered donuts despite their appeal. Afternoon snack was Sugar Snaps from our garden; I dream of these for a year.
Joy (gardenerjoy) – Neat idea, "no snacks outside of the house."
maryann - Congrats for continuing to help your mom. Ouch for those lost ornamental grasses - hope that more can be planted. (California is always ahead; our library doesn't check out baby grand pianos.)
nationalparker – Yep, Kudos for allowing yourself an occasional popcorn and Double Kudos for no butter. [Dynamite that you can attend a symphony concert for $5.]
Karen (karenrn) - Yay for lots of pool time when it's getting hot.
Sandy (love2garden) - My MIL and FIL spent hours together happily working their large garden together. It was years before I learned that they rigorously worked only in their own areas - like little kids doing parallel play.
ennay - I love the notion of veggies all around the house.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6 Family Traps
Escape the Me-First Mule Trap
Some of the following tips may apply in your situation: . . .
If necessary, start with a compromise - getting part of the change you need - and then over time introduce additional changes. For example, you might start by telling your meat-and-potatoes spouse that you want to eat a little lighter once a week. Then you could move up to two or three times a week. Small steps may be the way to go with me-first mules who are adamantly against changes they don't initiate, especially wholesale changes.
Practice your skills with a friend by role-playing a potential confrontation with your me-first mule. Ask your friend to act stubborn so you can practice being persistent. (If you get stuck, reverse roles and ask her what she would say.) Write down important points.
. . .
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. 120
I've been away from here for a few days. The days are going by fast. DH has a cold this week and now I have it so while the days on the whole pass by quickly, this cold is just *here*. Ugh. Unfortunately I can't get out of kiln-firing-duty late this morning. The kiln firing was set up so I could get a piece made, fired and ready for raku firing on Tuesday. Others also wanted to do raku this week but I never met my first goal: completing the sculpture. Never even started it. And then I started to feel sick.And in setting up a firing for a Sunday I knew I'd pretty much be the only one who'd do it but I thought "fair trade" as I had a piece in it-but I don't. So now I am thinking "woe is me" but that's cause I feel sick and I sure hope I can be on the ball enough to respond to the kiln as it goes through the firing cycle. We'll see.
I had a follow-up ultrasound appointment on Friday. I went alone, was feeling like everything is ok until I got scared by the word "radiologist". The radiologist has to look at my ultrasound results. I don't know why that caught me off guard so much but it did. I took a brief walk before driving home to get DH just to shake off the feelings. I am now waiting to see what happens next. My gut says I am ok. My brain says Hey! Smarten up! Get it together. Get yourself healthy NOW. You're getting signs that thing are not a-ok so do something about it. My food has been better. But I too need to have a written plan. There is a 30 day plan I am considering doing and I would need to write down my food for sure. I also need to inventory what food I have here before I start.
Anyway, that's where I am at. I'm slowly taking a hard look at things. Seems to be the thing for me to do.
Calories barely within plan yesterday. I was just feeling more hungry, so I ate most of my exercise calories. All very healthy food though, still no beer or sweets. This morning is the start of week 2 on my more stringent plan. I lost 3 pounds last week. They were 3 recently gained pounds, so they came off easier than the next 3 will I'm sure, but I am very happy with the loss. Today I'm taking the day off of exercise. I figure I just need to do that sometimes. No big plans other than a trip to REI to pick up a puff jacket I purchased online. My Patagonia down sweater was getting clumped up so there were placed where the down was non existent. Also, down is no good when it's wet so this is probably a safer jacket for the Sierras.
Onebyone I hope your cold is better soon. Try not to be worried about the word radiologist. They have to read the results of all X-rays CT scans, MRI's, Ultrasounds, etc. The tech does the procedure, but a doctor interprets the results.
Bill Sounds like a nice day for you yesterday. Heck anything is better than working on the plumbing I would imagine.
Nationalparker Have a wonderful weekend with dh; sounds like you are so far. And yes, why resist? Just do what works best for the results you want. I've logged all my food into MFP for the day and I'll only look back at it to remind myself what I'm having and in case I need to make a change.
Ennay How long have you been lifting? I too have a few trouble spots, basically my shoulders. I can't put the bar on my back to do squats. It just kills my left shoulder, like maybe an impingement, although it was my right upper arm/shoulder that I broke last year. I just accommodate in other ways.
Such a terrible tragedy in Florida this morning. There are so many good people in the world, but oh the horrible sadness just a few can cause. Praying for the families and friends of the victims and injured.
onebyone - that is standard procedure. Ultrasound techs only take the pictures, they are not allowed to make any interpretation at all. A radiologist has to view all films. Or you know, exactly what karenrn said!
nationalparker - not odd! I wish I had the eye to set a pretty table.
BBE - everyday can't be work!
karenrn I have lifted on and off for years - but never very consistent. I was always lifting even when my main focus was running, but I didn't lift as heavy then. I did a solid stretch last school year (2014/15)and that is when I discovered 5x5. But I took 2 weeks off at the end of last school year because I didn't have childcare for the youngest and that ended up being almost a year off for no good reason. I came back a bit in the fall to start again but then my son's school closed unexpectedly and that somehow was an excuse to stop again. So I just restarted a couple weeks ago? This will be very different as the last time i did 5x5 I was fueling for the lift, this time I am focusing on weight loss and lifting will just be what it is.
I don't know if it will work for you but when I first did squats I had to have my hands so wide because of shoulder stiffness that I had to rerack one side at a time to keep from pinching my hands. Obviously not something you would want to do with heavy weight. But the very act of holding the bar and 3 times a week doing that, slowly returned shoulder flexibility. I also have to work really hard to build the trapezoid shelf so the bar does not rest on my spine.
about florida. So sad and senseless.
Yesterday - credits weighed and logged, recorded my food. Went for my walk/run and then later I really really wanted ice cream so we walked to the ice cream place. Food ended up a little high for the day, but not too high. But there have been too many "just a little over" this week. Although technically this was Saturday and should have had some bonus, but dh was too sick to go out, so I didnt budget extra.
Phone check in. Meals planned. Off to see Mom. I have to commit to exercise this evening when the boys stay at the ranch to work the next couple of days.
Another day busy up until now. Laundry is cycling through and have plenty left. Not normal for me to let it pile up at all. Typically I'm trying to find one more thing to put in there.
We went to the Imax today, finally, to see A Beautiful Planet. Excellent. Debated staying for the next one, on National Parks, but we decided the need for a new bed overrode that today. So after DH had done his Consumer Reports research this week, we went to the store where we got our living room set and splurged. I went in saying, "I'm NOT getting talked into more than we want." But then DH REALLY liked the idea of the adjustable bed and his back/hips have been bothering him lately, so bam. Years ago he was hit by a drunk driver and sustained severe injuries (he had to learn to walk again, etc.). So he knew issues would arise as he aged, and things do pop up. It arrives on Friday so have until then to get everything that we're storing under THIS bed out (gift wrap, baseball cards, guitar case, and probably 20 kitty toys!). Then marketing and I spent too much money - planning to do a few meals for his folks since folks are going to be there a lot this month with her sister not well, so will get started on some things tonight. I keep thinking, this is not just my regular food bill...
We again did a lunner, which is saving calories by skipping a meal and then just having a light snack later. I like this on the HOT days when we go, go, go and then need a recuperation break.
OneByOne - I'll chime in on the radiologist, too ... I had asked an x-ray tech a question on my mammogram one time bc they called me back in for another scan and she said she wasn't permitted to tell me anything. I was frustrated, but understood, too.
Karen - GREAT JOB on the three pounds down. If/when you go looking for them, you might find them here on me. At least part of it. I'm committing to writing down tomorrow. Loved it when I just had a tiny notebook, but it's too easy to keep on adding to it, at least for me.
Just wanted to drop by and say hi I'm Anya, I'm an avid lover of the Dr. Beck method and have fallen of the rails. I used to hang around these forums a bit but dropped off due to dress. No I'm ready to lose weight again. My last attempt I lost 8 pounds in a month and then gained it back in two weeks so... I'm not feeling very good about myself atm.
"And that is why we have landscape maintenance.
Sunday - England's New York City established (Dutch New Amsterdam, 1665)
Hello
about florida. So sad and senseless. 
sigh, lots of us have fallen of the rails, good for you for getting back on!
