[gardenerjoy]

Yesterday went fine. I'll need to step it up a little to meet my exercise goal in March.

Exercise: +35, 1150/1300 minutes for March

maryann: I support your decision, if that helps.

[onebyone]

Hello Coaches

I'm happy to report a few more cleaning successes. The new bookcase is holding a bunch of books that were on my bedside table. Bookcase can take a few more books. Bedside table is clean and clear. My new air purifier arrived and DH isn't as congested in the mornings. This is good.

The kitchen! So with a bottom level of clean and clear it's a lot easier to bring the kitchen back into line when it gets away from me. I was despairing that the kitchen looked awful again yesterday. Then I got in there to clear away the dishes and there was so little other work that in minutes everything came together. Yay.

Yesterday I started clearing out my hallway storage area so it can receive the stuff cluttering up my dining room work space. This was my last solution arrived at last fall and abandoned as MIL's health collapsed. I see now that it is a plan worth following and that's what I'm doing. Today I'm going to clear my desk off, sort stuff and consolidate stuff, and then move it to this storage space. My goal is to re-create my productive work area and then get to work.

I'll be back for personals after I make some progress toward my goal.

maryanne I also support your decision. This is not the time to take an unnecessary risk.

Everyone stay well

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

I found some coconut yesterday and made a tasty treat with that, walnuts and craisons. The coconut is soon to go in the trash. Unfortunately I just can't seem to keep anything around right now that is sweet and tempting. I didn't get on the scale today because I knew I didn't want to see the number. I will get on the scale tomorrow and I WILL stay on my plan today. Church was on the live stream and then a friend and I went for a walk as we kept adequate space between ourselves and others. I know we don't have the same feelings about the virus, and I can't say I know what mine are with 100% certainty. I do know I appreciate that we are not on lock down and can go outside, but I do feel it's important to keep adequate space between folks. I guess we shall see what we shall see. I read that the President of Brazil is not going to do anything special, so it will be interesting to see how things go in that country.

Onebyone I'm glad you are having some cleaning/organizing success.
GardenerJoy I have no doubt that you will make your exercise goal.
Maryann I applaud you! Why in the world would someone want to take the risk of flying to the east coast right now? It's not only the virus, it's that airlines are cutting so many flights, who knows how the trip would go. Good for you!
Penny Be careful and I hope the PPE you are using is keeping you safe.
Curlyjax I am with you, no posting on FB for a bit. I often post my hikes and even though you can easily see there are no or few people on the trails I hike, I have had several comments about the fact that our state should be on lock down. Well, it isn't and I'm not stupid. But I guess I was stupid to post a photo of being outdoors when others can't be.
Bill The chives on your potato sound so good. I really haven't had chives in years, but I think I'll have to get some.

Take care everyone. Have you all seen "Pluto" on You Tube. If you'd like a little levity I highly recommend. It's a little dog that speaks. The first one I listened to was "Pluto breaks the internet". I think you would all enjoy it.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Took a socially-distanced two mile walk with our DS and DIL, CREDIT moi. It was raining, so two umbrellas easily enforced the six-foot distance. Surprisingly, two different runners acted like jerks yelling that we were taking too much of the path. It's a location where joggers, walkers, and dog walkers share space - with adult acceptance and avoidance. Maybe yesterday was a tough day for a couple of folks.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. DW produced a vegetable lasagna from the freezer. Was tasty; we'll have it again. Oddly, the pan declared that it contained 3.75 servings. They'd be smallish servings, to be sure. Obviously, this posed a dilemma: serve two "normal-sized" servings and leave about one lunch as leftover; or, as we did, cut the tray into four servings and leave two for another meal. It was enough food. Had to accept "satisfied" instead of "full."
​​​​​​

onebyone - Your cleaning is inspirational. Neat to have a goal to make a space to do productive work.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Was just noticing that your Avatar is about harvesting the bounty; love that thought right now.

maryann - Was confused about your comment about "flying to the East Coast" when I thought your DS was looking at Illinois schools. Then I remembered how far east Illinois looks from California. Smart to pack food to avoid having to stop.

Karen (karenrn) - Will add Pluto Breaks the Internet to my watch list. Saw some NASA films about Pluto, also; might try them. Walnuts and craisons would be a temptation for me.

curlyjax - Yay for a fellow knee-replacement friend to share the experience.

Penny. - Glad that you're working on your PPE routine. I just got reminded that I properly wore gloves to the supermarket. Then took them off and just put them back on the glove shelf - no isolation for the outside might have been exposed to the virus. You need to teach an online course to us non medical professionals about using whatever PPE that we use.

Readers -

chapter 11 When to Stop Losing and Start Maintaining

But I Want to Be Thinner!
You can do a number of things if you're unhappy with your Lowest Maintainable Weight: . . .

Act "as if." Imagine how you'd think, feel, and act if you were currently at your ideal weight. As you go through the day, pretend you are at that weight. If you do, chances are that you'll stand a little taller, be less self conscious, and project greater self-confidence. If you continually act "as if," you'll eventually stop pretending and gradually become more satisfied.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 276.

[Penny.]

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight bumped up a pound, which is not unusual after working. Whew! My work weekend is over.

Karen, there are a lot of people not taking it seriously, I noticed while out in the community this weekend. Watching the covid 19 stats is the new sports.

Maryann, good for you, taking a stand on the travel. It's just too risky right now. Credit for staying on your program.

Bill, mmmm lasagna. That takes some strength to portion it even smaller than a suggested serving. As for the gloves, I think the mask and the gloves are wonderful for keeping us from touching our face. Just making sure we wash our hands good after is probably good. Maybe a washable pair of gloves? My husband sewed us a pair of cloth masks for shopping. We'll be throwing it in the wash when we get home. My N95 masks will only be used for patient care.

Joy, yay for a good day! Good luck getting your exercise minutes in. You always do.

Onebyone, your cleaning spree is inspirational! I love it when that energy hits.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Today is an official "work day." We have been charged with getting online by April 20. Next week was our real spring break. I am happy to take the bull by the horns. I don't have much faith that there will be much use to all of it but it is time to start trying. To keep structured I have made a schedule that includes both personal and work to dos.

Thanks for the support about my decision to stop the boys. DH is a big time conservative and thinks what is happening now is a liberal plot (whatever that means.). It was great that he respects me enough to accept my decision and not make me the bad guy in front of DS. Credit me for not eating sugar through this process. 13 days abstinent today.

I do agree with people about staying off too much media. Around here people characterized the fleeing to the mountains as an evacuation of epic proportions. We got up to Tahoe and found that places were calm and sparsely populated with the supermarkets well stocked. There is a lot of drama I need to avoid. If I get into drama, I get very hungry. I am taking my cues from the CDC ( which was my basis for cancelling the boys trip.)

BBE: LOL about Illinois not being on the East Coast.You're right. Anything past Karen is East Coast.
Onebyone; Credit for continuing your decluttering journey. You have come so far with this.

Wave to all.

[gardenerjoy]

Yesterday was a reminder that I'm happier when I keep my days a little more structured. Losing an hour while scrolling Facebook keeps me busy but doesn't make me happy. I want just enough structure to my day that I don't fall into that trap.

We planned to grill yesterday, but the wind was blowing 15mph at supper time, so we reheated leftovers instead. It looks like today will be a good day for it.

I posted a bear on our mail box for families "going on a bear hunt." I made a second bear on a card this morning to send to Dear Great Nephew. His mom appreciated my offer to engage in some pen pal activities.

Exercise: +80, 1230/1300 minutes for March

[karenrn]

Good afternoon coaches,

I had a great 12 mile hike today with my backpacking buddy and food has been on plan and it was yesterday also. Our governor has now said shelter in place will begin tomorrow at the end of the business day, but we are still encouraged to get outdoors as long as there is social distancing. So, I guess if I choose trails that are less populated and go early I can continue to hike. So many snowbirds have left early that there are many fewer folks out and about. Even Costco's lot was only half full yesterday when I went to their carwash.

GardenerJoy I just received the Kindle book How to Break Up with Your Phone, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that just now. It would probably be a good thing and maybe I should at least read it. You had a big exercise day, we all know you will make it.
Maryann My husband is more conservative than I am, but far less than a few of our friends. It's difficult at times to keep my mouth shut. Anyway, I am also glad your husband respects you enough to go along with your decision without a fuss. There have been many posts on different FB groups I'm on about not going to the small towns in California near the hiking trails. We are even realizing we may not be able to do our backpacking trip in August unless things really turn around, such as parks being open etc.
Penny I haven't really been far from home except the grocery store and hiking trails and I have found people have been taking the social distancing and hand sanitizing very seriously. I just hope it continues.
Bill I'm glad you got out for a nice family walk in the rain. Good job on the continued on plan days.

One more thing I wanted to let you all know. The baby, Barrett, was able to go home from the hospital one year ago yesterday and he is now walking. Just steps, but we have a video to prove it. We are so happy that he is doing so well, but of course not half as thrilled as his parents. He's just a darling little guy.

[onebyone]

Coaches

The apartment continues to improve. Today I cleared the living room floor, the top of the coffee table, the futon and the chaise. I really *really* wanted to go to Walmart for some clear storage bins but DH reminded me I talked him out of going out yesterday so he was talking me out of going today. I was feeling mopey and then I found a pile of flattened banker's boxes with lids so my problem was solved. I kept reminding myself that I did not have to do this clean up perfectly. I just had to do it. Progress not perfection as they say. Also: Perfect is the enemy of good.

I did my first zoom meeting online with five other pottery guild members. Seeing them made me feel sad. Hearing them was worse because all of us together are one loud energetic chattering bunch. I pretty much spend the day in silence. I miss that. We're going to meet every monday at noon and do a show and tell of what ceramic thing we are working on. This is good motivation for me to keep going with the clean up. Probably by Thursday I will be back to making things in clay.

Foodwise, really not doing well. I am really really food focused and using food for comfort and for distraction/excuses to avoid cleaning. I will keep trying to get in a groove. It will happen.

Bye for now.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Had another class using Zoom. At least I'm getting used to the technology. But still not liking it. I secretly check my email thinking that the other Zoomers can't tell. I may have to ask someone. I did see one participant slightly doze off - kinda funny.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Dinner was chili made with dark turkey meat. That worked well. We've made it with white turkey meat before. Dark had more flavor. Evening snack was half a California Navel Orange. I'm so grateful that fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other groceries continue to be available. Hope this lasts.

​​​​​​
onebyone - Thanks for the Voltaire quote; it's easy to get caught up in trying to make something better. Keep going for that grove.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Neat picture of a bear. We have three teddy bears looking out of our living room window right on the street. Don't notice many kids walking by.

maryann - That's a challenge to get an online course prepared quickly. Maybe your tech-smart DS would take helping you design that as a worthy challenge while he's forced to be home.

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for baby Barrett making it through. We're also being encouraged to get outdoors despite many outdoor places being shut down.

Penny. - Welcome to the non-work portion of your week. I just got reminded by a doctor friend of mine that an N95 mask is only as good as its fit. And that fitting one over a beard is never a real air-tight fit.

Readers -

chapter 11 When to Stop Losing and Start Maintaining

But I Want to Be Thinner!
You can do a number of things if you're unhappy with your Lowest Maintainable Weight: . . .

Act "as if." ... You might instantly be able to accept your Lowest Maintainable Weight without struggle. Or you might have to do the tasks above to increase your acceptance over time. Work at it. Discuss it with your friends and diet coach. What a shame if you can't fully enjoy your new body and you continue to go through life feeling dissatisfied. How wonderful it will be when you stop struggling and feel really good about where you are.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Beck Diet Solution (Pink book), Pg 276.

[curlyjax]

Quick wave to all. I did do my stretching and used the exercise bike yesterday so credit for that. I did also eat wayy too much chocolate again, boo. There are wrapped up chocolates at work and I got into them. I really need to think about the fact that people are touching the wrappers, that should stop me. i am posting it here- no chocolate at work today!
I have this bad habit of biting my nails which i've done for like 40 years, so i'm having a really hard time with not touching my face, its just so automatic. I am going to be very conscious today of what I touch at my agency.
The good news is I finally have clearance to access the agency network, which means i can help with more calls etc, and hopefully work at home more too. I will broach that topic either today or thursday with my supervisor, since i am able to be home tomorrow. I do have the exterminator coming again tomorrow, which may be a bit of a risk, but i need to have those mice gone, and they always wear gloves anyhow at least.

[gardenerjoy]

I set up April's threads in the Chicks Up For a Challenge section of 3FC. CREDIT! Participation was dwindling before this crisis and those threads have gone almost silent now. If anyone wants to track a habit in April, come make our threads a little more lively!

• April Weight Loss Challenge
• April Exercise Challenge

I met my goal for exercise minutes in March! If I can manage to do my muscle-building yoga routine today, I'll meet my strength-training goal, too.

I also met my weight loss challenge goal, slipping (just barely) into Onederland, again. This time, I want to stay here for good!

Exercise: +70, 1300/1300 minutes for March

[CJZee]

Hello coaches -
Since I normally work from home, I’ve learned (somewhat) to deal with being around food at home. My basic plan has been to stick to my 8-hour (or less) eating window. I have been doing great with that until yesterday when I snacked on a banana and some nuts in the evening. Back on track today. Weight is just ooching down very very slowly, but I’ll take it.

My hip/leg problem is missing the gym. And the massage therapist. I’ve been doing the old PT exercises at home, but only partially. So today I commit to doing the full course of them.

Yesterday we went grocery shopping for the first time in a couple of weeks. Wore our gloves and masks (I had purchased the masks during the an Avian Flu outbreak many years ago. Avian Flu has a 60% death rate and I got scared.) I was shocked at how many people seemed oblivious of the virus, had their kids running around, etc. About 30% of the people were wearing masks of some type. The grocery was well stocked with food, but no paper products.

Bill - re the Zoom thing. Every time I try to download the app it wants me to type my password. No other app has ever wanted me to type my password, so I keep cancelling it.

Wave to all, stay safe.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Today marks two weeks abstinent from sugar. I am so grateful that I am not fighting the obsession. The hardest day was the one we travelled to Tahoe because my brain immediately declared "Holiday" and was giving me permission to let the demon loose. I have to remember what I learned in The Hungry Brain. My body is physiologically different when it comes to sugar. A diabetic doesn't get to have a holiday with sugar without dire consequences. I can't either. I might not have to take insulin but my brain will begin to send signals to multiple systems to stop all weight loss. It will erase the progress I have made with all the whole foods I have been eating.

Credit a 3 mile walk. Today I have yoga scheduled in. Food is planned.

KarenRN: All of the state parks up in Tahoe were closed. I didn't see anybody entering around the barricades.
CJZEE: Yes the walking and the exercises are really helping my hip and back. This sheltering in place makes me sit too long. I have rigged a standing desk as well to alternate with.
BBE: If I am going to fidget in Zoom, I just turn the video off. Don't know if that is considered rude. I am sure etiquette lessons will come out eventually.
Curleyjax: Glad your clearance came through. I am sure your days will go faster now
Gardenerjoy: Thxs for sharing about Facebook. It reinforces my decision to not have signed up.

[Penny.]

Good morning!

Yesterday went way off the rails with homemade pizza. Weight is up another pound. I'll get back to it today.

A bit of a stressful start to online community college for the 16yo. He communicated his anxieties surprisingly well for him and we decided to drop the writing class and just start with one math class. This was just supposed to be a transitional time to get ready for the program next fall anyway.

The 18yo is doing fine and seems excited about the psychology class, likes the teacher, etc. Yay!

My work sent out a ppe update and still recommends not even a regular mask for asymptomatic patients. I think they will regret that decision.

Bill, the Zoom class bloopers have been trending online. I think I'd be opting to turn off the camera just in case.

Onebyone, one thing at a time. Maybe the food will be easier to manage when your home feels organized. These are certainly unusual times.

Joy, congrats on hitting onderland again! and meeting your exercise goals. I love the bear art. You have the skills!

CJzee, those PT exercises take a lot of dicipline, don't they? You got this!

Curly, yay for being able to remote access your work. I'm sorry you are still dealing with the mice. Ugh!

Maryann, two weeks abstinent feels like an eternity to me right now. Your words are very helpful, thank you for sharing your inner motivational dialogue.

Karen, my neighbor is one of those snowbirds and I wonder if he is coming home. I'm glad people are sheltering good in your area.