City walks today including central market where we can have lots of food tastings. Small bites will be my motto. I know I have gained weight here. I will continue to focus on portions and exercise, though. Right now, developing a healthier relationship which includes Beck tricks will help me when I restart Weight Watchers at home.
Quick wave. First day of work went well, especially considering how tired I was. It was nice to see some familiar folks. I started my new thing of bringing hot tea in a thermos instead of buying coffee, thereby saving money and avoiding temptations too. I did not eat any sugar duing the day, but did eat 2 cookies at home. Karen- I found an independent financial advisor and it has been very helpful. He told me I was a bit conservative with investments and is making a plan for a better investment strategy, while listening to my needs to have some cash on hand as well.
Thursday - Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone (2007)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (4 yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. New step forward was to travel by subway to the Boston Children's Museum without taking the umbrella stroller for backup for when she got tired. (Her choice!) She fed Cheerios to the pigeons at the subway stop. No child exercises more control than one dispensing Cheerios to a flock of fifty greedy vermin. They jumped when she waved. They came right up to her feet. It was over the top lovely - except that pigeons are a nuisance animal. Training them to depend on human handouts isn't a good idea. When we crossed the bridge over the Fort Point Channel separating Boston from its Seaport District, we spotted a lone, male, Red-breasted Merganser, which dived for 20 seconds to come up with a fish in its beak to juggle and swallow. What a site for the kid to see. Then added the treat when we were leaving to bump in our DS, her uncle, who works downtown Boston and was out for a quick walk. She jumped into his arms like a kid would and made his day. We were gobsmacked since we've never bumped into him downtown. Next great event was being approached by an armed guard of the Boston Federal Reserve asking why I was dawdling, staring at the building. Wow! I pointed to DW a few tens of meters behind me slowly walking the DGD along the top of the protection wall. He smiled and returned to his post. Lesson learned: If you have a Geek mentality and stare at the security gates of a building with tons of money in it, expect to make a new friend.
Eating was OK. Dinner was DW's homemade mac-and-cheese. I ate too much because DW had taken the main bowl to a potluck dinner at her garden club and I mindlessly ate the remainder while I read the 50 most amazing scientific discoveries of 2019 in Discover magazine.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL that you've also had to confront the question when you planned to move out. Thanks to the Opera Carmen Habanera aria for the answer:
Peut-ętre jamais, peut-ętre demain...
Mais pas aujourd'hui, c'est certain !
maryann - Small bites seems like a terrific strategy. Gotta enjoy Greece while you're there.
Karen (karenrn) - It's painful that our muscles weaken so much faster as we age. Thanks for the reminder that planning for aging is "scary thinking."
curlyjax - Hope you remembered how to do your job, LOL.
Penny. - Yep, "There is always an excuse." Events happen 365 days a year.
Readers -
Quote:
day 37Keep Up with Exercise
How You Can Change
If so, then do the following: . . .
Give yourself lots of credit. Every small step in the right direction deserves credit. Reward yourself for exercising - just not with unplanned food!
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 253.
I've got a semi-good plan for today. I'm bribing myself to do the grocery shopping, including Whole Foods today. That's a slippery slope, but I wrote down exactly what I intend to eat and that will be enough. I haven't been to Whole Foods in more than three weeks, even though that's where I buy our main protein (chicken and turkey). I'll see if I can plan, buy, and freeze enough to make that happen again. If it worked to get me through holidays, it can work to reduce trips and temptations at other times.
Exercise: +25, 300/1300 minutes for January
BillBlueEyes: Thanks for a bit of Habanera this morning. That was the one piano piece that I mastered as a child. I was not usually allowed to express refusal but no one stopped me from playing that over and over again and calling it "practice."
What a great day for you and DGD. My great-nephew spotted me unexpectedly in Target a few months ago. That was fun when he said "Aunt Joy!" and pointed at me, surprising his mom.
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 01-09-2020 at 09:51 AM.
I ate an early lunch because I'm off to see the dentist shortly. It is obvious that the onlay/inlay won't stay glued to my tooth. It has come off twice now when flossing. I'm hoping maybe a crown will work. I do not want an implant, or should I say I don't want the expense of an implant. We'll see what the dentist recommends. Food was off plan yesterday. I knew it wouldn't fix tired and I was right, but I tried.
Penny Here's hoping that you'll have a not hungry day to go with a lower calorie day. It's so much easier that way. Joy I hope your bribe works well for the shopping. I go so frequently, but luckily not to the stores that are as tempting as whole foods. Bill That's funny about the guard at the Federal Reserve. I guess he thought you were casing the joint. Curlyjax Maybe I'll ask our CPA for a recommendation for a financial advisor. My problem is I'm afraid he/she will say we are not conservative enough. I'm not trading commodities or options, just more stock and mutual fund heavy than would be recommended at our ages. I try to leave a good amount of money market/cash to balance it out at least a little bit. Also they always push for long term care insurance which I won't purchase. I'm biased since so many of my hospice patients paid for it for years and died quickly enough not to need it. I figure we'll self insure. It's hard to want to make changes to the retirement accounts when things are doing so well, but we all know it doesn't last forever. Luckily we live in a one story house and not far from medical, stores and whatever. Even if we can't drive Uber, and delivery services will work until we don't have brains working. What a thought. Maryann I'm hoping the scale will be a pleasant surprise when you get home. I've usually done pretty well on European vacations if I did enough walking.
Well, I'd better get ready for the dentist. Wish me luck!
It took some time but we found a rehearsal room for DS here in Athens. He is auditioning to play Gershwin’s Concerto in a local community concert. The audition is the day he gets back. From the piano we can walk to the National Archeological Museum. The grandad of all the others.
I am feeling like I want to be home. I usually have a ten day limit and today is ten days so right in track. More walking today and a commitment to order a Greek salad. Yesterday was a yummy street vendor’s chicken gyro at the Acropolis. Sorely lacking in veggies but delish.
I know I am being paranoid but flying right now feels a little spooky. Still it has been a great trip. DS has been in heaven.
Friday-Julius Caesar defies Roman Senate; crosses the Rubicon (49 BC, River in Italy)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Major excitement was participating in a phone call where four of us planned an upcoming meeting. Exciting because I hadn't known how easy it is to reserve a common dial-in number. Still don't know how it was paid for or how to do it. Will have to ask. It is a tad difficult controlling who talks next; we rely on watching faces to know that someone is about to speak. In a real-life meeting, folks hardly ever speak at the same time. In this call we did. And had difficulty hearing that it was happening if one of the speakers. A learning experience.
Eating was OKish, CREDIT moi. Dinner was a lentil soup so I had a vegetarian day to clear my system.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Three weeks without Whole Foods is a bunch. Love your DGN "Aunt Joy" story at Target.
maryann - Finding a rehearsal piano in Athens is a travel story winner. I share your notion of liking a bounded vacation.
Karen (karenrn) - Yep, food doesn't fix tired. It surprises me that dental implants appear in my advertisement stream lately. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg knows something about my mouth that I don't.
Penny. - Have a happy low calorie day.
Readers -
Quote:
day 37Keep Up with Exercise
How You Can Change
If so, then do the following: . . .
Focus on your progress. Can you walk a minute longer than you used to? Can you exercise more vigorously than before? Remind yourself during every session that you're getting stronger and more physically fit.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 253.
I continued on plan eating yesterday during work, yay! And I did not get into any cookies last night. I'm still eating too much at dinner to make sure I don't get hungry before my 8:00 window of not eating. I also forced myself to go for a little walk in the cold to stretch out my leg.
I got into a big blowup with DD late evening which I feel slightly guilty about; I've held some things in too long and then it explodes. Then I dreamed about DH which I haven't done for a long time; he was being told he should go on hospice. Clearly I am missing my co-parent.
I ended up using delivery from Whole Foods yesterday. I could add a generous tip and still spend less than I would have on my bribe to get myself there. And, it kept me safely off that slippery slope of bribing myself with food.
Today is going to be a rainy day. Instead of calling it gloomy, I'm going to aim for cozy with relaxing jazz in my headphones and warm, wholesome foods on my plan.
Diet Coaches/Buddies - My assignment was to find bamboo toilet paper at the supermarket. I diligently searched the mile-long aisle in great awe at how many variants were being sold. Scott controlled the most shelf space. ("Don't go near Scott, it's the worst," DW had warned me in advance.) Alas, my supermarket didn't carry any; it's a place that attracts the most diverse crowd around - diverse in culture, race, and income. Bamboo isn't the prime concern of folks who buy rice in 25 pound bags and Ramen Noodle packages by the case.
Lunch was with friends at an upscale restaurant that we walked to from their house in a town west of here. Love that other folks live close enough to a restaurant that they don't have to drive. The specialty of the house was flatbread - which I don't know how to differentiate from pizza. The prosciutto and mushroom was great. The single-person serving was more generous than I'd have chosen although, unfortunately, I didn't stop at half and ask for a bag.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at "cozy" instead of "gloomy" - that's Beck like thinking.
curlyjax - Ouch for the challenge of single parenting. With Kudos for avoiding cookies.
Penny. - Yep, it goes up faster than it comes down.
Readers -
Quote:
day 37Keep Up with Exercise
How You Can Change
If so, then do the following: . . .
End your session with something positive. If you like a particular piece of equipment or exercise, plan to do it last. If you dislike a part of your exercise routine, do it in the middle. This way, you'll leave feeling better about your exercise session and you'll be more likely to follow through and do it next time.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 253.
Good news at the dentist was that he was able to glue the onlay again. He did agree with my husband that I shouldn't floss behind that tooth, which is the last one at the back of my mouth. He says only to floss between teeth. He also says if it won't hold the next step is a crown, not an implant. Yay for that! Other good news is that my energy is back. I did a six mile hike yesterday and felt good from start to finish and after. I even came home and did housework and didn't feel like I needed a rest. Food has been on plan and weight slowly trending down again. Today we're having friends over to watch football, which isn't my thing so much, but friends are. People will bring things, so I don't have to do it all. I've decided to make a charcuterie board which seems kind of fun. I also figure most everything on it can be put back in the fridge and eaten later, which is better than some other ideas I had.
Bill So did you find the bamboo toilet paper? If so, is it soft? Penny Good job on reeling it in. As far as I'm concerned the biggest thing is for us to never give up. GardenerJoy Wow, having Whole Foods deliver sounds like the perfect plan. Curlyjax I'm glad your leg/hip are doing better and that getting back to work was okay. I'm sorry you miss your husband in so many ways and of course you do. Maryann I'm not sure if you're home yet or not, but hopefully you are and had a safe flight.
Well onward with the day. I think I'll need to start with breakfast since I've been awake over two hours and woke up hungry. I hope you all have a good weekend. Who is going to have crazy weather?
We'll have some sloppy weather today. I'm going to be out a bit, but I'll bundle up and skip lunch out with my group so that I can get home before the driveway gets slippery. That also makes food planning easier and more likely to be healthy foods in healthy amounts.
Today's challenge is another meetup at a vegan restaurant. I added up the damage for one of the menu options, and plan on making it more about the people than the food.
Maryann, very cool that your son found a piano to practice on, while on vacation. Good luck to him!
Joy, food delivery is such a treat!
Bill, we have converted to cloth napkins and cloth tp. It sounds icky but now we are too spoiled to ever go back to paper. lol
Curly, yay for a good day back at work. I'm sorry you had an argument with your dd.
Karen, yay for your energy returning! That illness took a lot out of you.
Thursday - Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone (2007)
. I also forced myself to go for a little walk in the cold to stretch out my leg.