Phone check in.

nationalparker, my heart goes out you as you have received news of your brothers diagnosis. It has been harder on me with my sisters diagnosis and ongoing treatment than many other challenges I have faced. I am grateful to have found a good balance between being involved in her continuing treatment AND just "Being a Sister". I think that's what we both want more than anything. PM me if you ever want to.

BBE, get better real soon! PS loved the free ice cream saga, especially DW having only one portion...too rich. lol

Karen, I looked up your baby on FB last night. So many pictures and videos! Cute cute

MaryAnn, continue to admire your ability to work through personal/food issues. Kudos!

gardenerjoy, I'm enjoying your daily "Light and Healthy". Thx

Me, holding my course. Making the best decisions possible and still going full steam outside as weather holds. Yesterday I finished my 1st big garden bed in the front. It will be watered by the existing lawn hose and is plant/seed ready. Credit moi!
Today DH and I are going to work on the bed next to it where I will plant the potatoes. Yippee!
Weight still holding, too. I'm heading out!

What will I do today to eat light and healthy?

Plan, plan, plan. Suppers for the week, grocery shopping for the week, food for today. DONE. I have some tricky nights this week, but with planning, I can manage it with only one carry-out supper.

Weigh-in: NA kg
Exercise: +60, 200/1300 minutes for November
Food: 100% on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Refrained from eating in the car: yes

nationalparker: so sorry to hear about your brother. Take care of yourself at this difficult time.

Thank you, all, for your supportive thoughts. I'm still having such a hard time processing my brother's cancer. We never, ever take pics when together - just not something we do. The last visit I said, let's just take a couple - first time in YEARS. So I'm glad I did. I wish I had heard of a case of someone with pancreatic cancer stage 3 beating it. (Karen, have you?) He's always had a huge pain tolerance, like our dad, and is curled up on his side with the intense abdominal pain. Hoping it's from the poking around they did/biopsy, etc. I'll be heading down there as soon as we know a little more. I don't want to be in the way, but can certainly prep meals, pick up Rx, clean, lend a hand however and hope I can down and back a few times, depending on the prognosis. It hurts so much to hear the pain in his voice. It's bringing back the time with my father to him and me.

Since I'm not one of those people who loses their appetite much when stressed, I've still been eating on plan. Lunch was chicken & apple sausage with cinnamon apples and green beans. Dinner will be chili - it's on the stove simmering now - loaded with onions, peppers, diced tomatoes and beans. I was going to prep the mini lasagna for dinner tomorrow night, but I'm using that same pot for the chili, so ... nope. Scale was at 155.8 this morning, down 19 total on this plan so far. I will wait to see if DH wants to go walk the trail with me and the pooch - he's at a matinee of Dr. Strange.

Monday - Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses (1940, Washington State)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Nothing to report. I spent the day moaning about with a cold. Best guess is that I caught this from the DGD so it's unlikely that I'll give it back to her later this week. I didn't even make the salad for dinner as DW didn't want me touching anything that she'd eat.

The only good news is that feeling under the weather doesn't make me want to eat. It just makes me want to crawl under the covers. So I went to bed right after dinner - earlier than ever.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Such good advice, "Plan, plan, plan."

Debbie (Lexxiss) – Great that you're getting your gardening done before the big snows fall. Congrats for "Weight still holding, too."

nationalparker – Peggy Kessler continues (12 years) as a Stage IV pancreatic cancer survivor. When I googled, I found a bunch of stories like hers and links to support groups. Hope you're able to find a real-life support group for yourself as well as one for your brother and his family. Chili "loaded with onions" sounds good to me.

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for being able to buy the same thing many years later - that seems to rarely happen. [I take the decongestant Sudafed to mask the symptoms. It makes me feel better while the cold runs its normal course.]

Readers -

What will I do today to eat light and healthy?

Be prepared to be flexible. It's not entirely clear that I'll have a chance to eat either my afternoon snack or my supper. I have a plan if I need to grab a little something on the run. I also know that I could go for 8 to 10 hours this afternoon and evening without eating at all and be perfectly fine.

Keep plugging along. The day feels too full, but it also feels possible. I want to minimize my distractions and maximize putting my head down and getting on with things.

Aim for calm. In spite of all of that, there's no reason to attack this list with a frenzy. Calm and steady is likely to get better results for me.

Weigh-in: +0.65 kg
Exercise: +40, 240/1300 minutes for November
Food: 100% on-plan
Read my Advantages and Responses: yes
Refrained from eating in the car: yes

nationalparker: continued warm and healing thoughts headed your way and to your brother

BillBlueEyes: hope you're feeling better soon

Good morning, Coaches.

Back from conference in San Diego. There were many good food choices; some less helpful food choices; and a great deal of walking. Ticker is up two pounds which is normal post- airplane ride. My bet is I will be back down by the end of the week (following the same pattern as the basketball game last Saturday.) If weekends were routine, would I make more progress?

I took an extra day in Coronado, a little peninsula/island thing on the very tip of San Diego. It has beautiful, broad beaches. The weather was 75, sunny with a perfect little breeze. I could easily live there except for the pressing crowds - even in November. The conference was to teach me to teach an Advanced Placement course for Language and Composition. I felt very lost - sinking in whiz bang rhetoric terms and arguments. Then the teacher got down to real lesson plans and I realized I had done 60 papers on rhetorical analysis while getting my MFA from Goddard. Who knew?

I planned for a personal day. I will vote, grocery shop, and do a hundred other little errands. For many years, I would never get a substitute. In fact, I would ruthlessly judge teachers who took personal days. But now I just do it. I am 26 years in. The alternative to not talking personal days is to quit entirely and that would be worse for the kids. Funny how my judgment and perfectionism are fading away with my age and experience. I think maybe that is a good thing.

nationalparker: My heart goes with you. DH has had a very difficult time walking through the liver cancer diagnosis of his farm manager/second father. I am sure it feels like the rest of the world should stop spinning with such news.

Good morning coaches,

Food remains on plan, credit. Amazing how easy it is to forego the beer when I just set my mind to it. This morning I hiked Sunrise hill for 90 minutes for exercise, credit. Both Suzanne and I have doc apps today, so it was a shorter one. I'll get out Wednesday for a longer one. I did go to Zumba yesterday, still fun but hope I get the moves down some day. I also finished the last of the pup blankets as planned.

After my hike this morning I stopped at the grocery store with my diet plan cookbook and purchased things to make a few of the recipes this week. So far, dh likes the food just fine.

Maryann Glad you ended up enjoying the conference. Southern California beaches are so beautiful. It was so nice you got an extra day in Coronado and what a good plan to take a personal day today. I do think getting a little older has it's advantages as in learning what is best to take care of ourselves.

GardnerJoy Sounds like you've got a very busy day going.

Bill Climbing under the covers and getting lots of sleep sounds like just the right thing to do with a cold.

Nationalparker I also found lots of resources online for support and information. Probably wouldn't hurt to get a little more information from the doctor before diving in. I do know a guy who is a friend of a friend who has had pancreatic cancer for a number of years now. There are new treatments and clinical trials all the time. Like Bill, I'm glad his wife is a nurse who can be a good advocate and also help him find his way through the medical system to where he needs to be. So sad that we have to advocate for ourselves so much anymore, but it is true.

Lexxis I'm glad you saw Otis. He is a little doll and we can't wait to get him.

My plan is to get a few things done around the house today. My doctor's appointment isn't until after lunch and shouldn't take long.

Have a great start to the week everybody.

Tried to stay on plan with lunch out with a coworker today ... I ordered arroz con pollo and left the rice/cheese mixture and ate the chicken, pico/lettuce. One chip. Didn't get in enough water, though, as I typically do.

Heard from SIL following the appointment and we'll have more info soon on type of tumor, growth rate, etc. It's hard to not see the better outcomes and really hope that his is very treatable, he responds to treatment, it's operable, etc. SIL asked me to bake a recipe of biscotti, so will do that and mail that off to him. That really surprised me!

Bill - Hope you're able to get some respite from your cold. We joke that how come when we catch kids' colds, they hit us so much harder/longer!

Tuesday - U. S. General Election Day
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Geeze . . . another dead day due to this cold. I made it to my two classes - isolated by elephant sized doses of drugs - without abusing the others present. And lasted through a half-hour meeting. But did little else.

Eating was only OKish. I snacked because I didn't have time for a proper lunch since I was in a meeting during my normal lunch hour. I just never found a good solution, possibly because I don't feel that good.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Thanks for "Calm and steady is likely to get better results."

maryann - I found rhetorical analysis under Rhetorical criticism on Wiki. I am no wiser, tripped up by words about words, but thanks for sending me on the chase. Congrats for taking care of yourself on Coronado Island.

nationalparker – Yay for baking biscotti to have a specific, immediate task to support your brother. Kudos for selecting a sane portion from your served lunch.

Karen (karenrn) - Kudos for setting your mind to forgo that beer. Sounds like you have a good day planned.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

Food on plan, but I know I am eating back too many of my exercise calories, credit for realizing what I need to do. Today's exercise will be Zumba followed by strength training at the Y, early credit cause I know I'm going.

When I said my doctor's appointment shouldn't take long, that was an understatement. I have had a different gyn doc almost each year I've gone to this clinic. New doc again yesterday and I don't think she was in the room with me more than 5 minutes. I'm seeing a new female family practice/sports medicine doc on 12/20. If she does annual exams I will definitely be switching over to her.

This afternoon's plan is to get out everything I need to prepare to pack for the Grand Canyon backpacking trip. I also need to do the meal planning and be sure I have what I need to eat. I'm looking forward to the trip although I have not had the backpack on since last month. We are only going a short distance each day, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

Bill Sorry about your continued cold. It's lousy to feel lousy. The only good news is that you don't have to go to work; you can stay home and take care of yourself.

Nationalparker I'm glad your brother is wanting some of your biscotti. That will give you something to do for him right where you are.

Phone check in. Weight slipped down one pound even if I was very unplanned. I didn't like the feeling. My meals are planned for today as is voting and doing my best for the students. I feel I am dancing with my blues which I do not enjoy. I have started hormone therapy finally. A new dr ( agree with everything Karen said) who finally gave me the news that women who have a history of mood swings often have significant problems in menopause. Wow. Nice if one of my many Drs in the last year might have dropped that on me. Still I am grateful for the ability to advocate for myself and for the medicine available to me. I do not take that lightly.
DS made sectionals in Cross Country. So proud.

I found little willingness to eat light and healthy, today. So, I'm posting now to

a) pledge that I will eat a salad with the pizza that DH requested for our at-home watch party

b) ask myself "What will I do tomorrow to eat light and healthy?"

Plan. My day starts early tomorrow with a 9:15 meeting. Playing with Google Maps, it looks like staying off the highways will get me there in half an hour with less chance of a morning rush traffic jam.

Go to the grocery store. It's hard to make salad without lettuce.

Follow my food plan. I know it can be hard to get back on board if I give myself time away. So, I want this to be a temporary glitch, not a slide. I've got a good plan for tomorrow and I'm determined to follow it.

Waiting for more info - brother in hospital after ER visit. SIL will call when things are settled. Irritated that I have to have yet another meeting with employee not handling her work and essentially not concerned. Tomorrow's meeting will be forthright - this is not acceptable.

On plan today - dinner was homemade burrito bowls with cilantro lime brown rice, seasoned turkey and cuban beans with lettuce and pico de gallo. Kitchen all cleaned and most of tomorrow's set. Rotisserie chicken for dinner so I have time to bake the biscotti. Will be a surprise for him, but SIL thought he'd appreciate. I texted her to ask if I should come down (want to take her knowledge as an RN as helpful) and she said she didn't think he'd be in long, but I said if she could use a hand, please let me know. I'm willing.

Scale at ticker- but my ticker is supposed to be at 156 - not 155. It can't fit it in there. I wanted to actually REACH a goal before resetting to 150! Busy day today and another busy one tomorrow. Sleeping with Benadryl :)

Wednesday - Kristallnacht (1938, Germany)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Cold continues. Not a happy camper here.

Joined friends to watch the beginning of the election returns last night. Just woke up to the news. Difficult days ahead for all Americans had been predicted for either winner with healing predicted to be a challenge. Let it begin.


Joy (gardenerjoy) – Kudos for looking for "a temporary glitch, not a slide." Last night Google Maps suggested a convoluted route to avoid traffic; DW and I opted to stay on the road that we knew with the justification that a small delay was less of a problem than getting lost in an unfamiliar city.

maryann - Kudos for advocating for yourself with your doctors. And my Hearty Congrats to your DS for his Cross Country achievements.

nationalparker – Ouch for having to deal with an employee when you've got other stuff on your mind. I love that cilantro appears in your posts frequently - I love that stuff.

Karen (karenrn) - Your Grand Canyon backpacking trip is such a happy thought.

Readers -

Phone checkin
I've thought long and hard about my message to the students today. I have kept my political views silent these months. I will say "last night proves every vote counts. " At one point New Hampshire had a difference of 96 votes. I will talk about a new world of politics. I will tell them to get in there and make it something good and solid. I will also note how lucky we are to have dramatic political changes without tanks in the streets and the threat of violence. Historically speaking that is a victory. For me, I will get up and do the best I can at my job. Food plan was successful. Back down to ticker. I have same plan for today.