[gardenerjoy]

I had a nice birthday. As my brother pointed out when he called, it wasn't all that distinguishable from a birthday any other year. How do you tell if an introvert is in quarantine? Some years, we would manage a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden on my birthday. They aren't open and, even if they were, the weather was cloudy and cool yesterday so we probably wouldn't have gone.

Weigh-in: N/A kgs Exercise: +40, 575/1400 minutes for May

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food has been on plan and I'm feeling great, but weight was up a smidge today in spite of it. It was down yesterday though, but I didn't post so I couldn't tell you that. I actually didn't hike yesterday. I took Otis for a walk and did some paperwork things and talked at length to a couple of friends, which I love to do when I can't see them and they live in Washington and Canada. It is cooler here today so my backpacking buddy suggested we do a 10 mile loop at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve this morning. She met me at 5:10 when the gate opened and off we went. It was perfect. It's in the shade to Bell Pass and then there was a little breeze the rest of the way. We finished at 9 ish and it was only 73 degrees. Then I came home and walked Otis who was very stubborn today. I'm sure some of the neighbors think he's lame and I'm forcing him to walk.
I may need a nap later cause I woke up at 2:15, yuck.

GardenerJoy Happy Belated Birthday! Many things are opening here in Arizona but my husband and I won't be going. We both know that we are more at risk everywhere now though if a lot of others are going to restaurants etc.
Maryann I'm glad to hear you had a better day. Your dh sounds like a rock like mine is. I'm so proud of you with your streak of no sugar.
Curlyjax I really go up and down with this too. Some days it can be pretty discouraging. As far as the cookies go, when the day comes that you are home without the kids I think you will find it will be much easier. Luckily dh doesn't really want anything in the house that I don't want.
Bill I'm a nurse, but I sure wouldn't have made it in the OR either. I realize that as I try to be mindful of any germs I'm bringing in the house. My sil had a good article on her FB this morning written by Professor Erin Bromage who is a Comparative Immunologist and Professor of Biology at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth titled The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them. Have you seen it? I thought it was very good.
Ariadnestar Congrats on seeing the scale go down. The scale going down and too many good things in the house is sometimes not so good, but sometimes "No Choice" works. I write a food plan each morning and for the most part don't stray for it . . . except sometimes of course.
My friend has the Peloton and loves it. She says she loves the programs where she rides thru the countryside in European countries and also the classes which are challenging.

Well time to hit the shower before dh gets home for lunch. You all have a great day!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked, CREDIT moi, to the drugstore for an errand. Just felt so good to get out of the house. There was no wait at the pharmacy as there usually is on the weekend. The pharmacy assistant told me that the next day's shipment might include finger oxygen sensors. Maybe. I've lost confidence that the one that I ordered from China is now going to arrive. The reviews for these little things vary greatly. Could be that there are a few bad ones or could be that they are all mediocre and many reviewers don't notice. The only way I have to calibrate a unit while in semi-isolation is to use it on both DW and myself. That should unveil a bias since there is low probability that we both are off in the same direction.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Excitement was, once again, working the Votes for Women jigsaw puzzle for EXACTLY ten minutes with DW after dinner. I put together Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) - happy to work a name that I already knew. I did learn that many of these women went from the abolitionist movement to women's rights. Seems that there was a cadre of folks, mostly women, who put this country onto a democratic path.

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Joy (gardenerjoy) - Takes a brother to deflate a birthday as just the same. Ouch for being shut out of your Missouri Botanical Garden.

maryann - LOL at "Sounds like a war not baby shower." Hope it all comes together.

Karen (karenrn) - Checked out that article, Dr Erin Bromage: "The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them". Good stuff there. Thanks for calling that to my attention. UMass Dartmouth is just an hour south of here. It was useful to be reminded that the apparent leveling of the US cases is due to the downslope of the New York cases - the rest of the country is increasing. Data is always tough to interpret. Hope you got your nap.

curlyjax - Thanks for the reminder to feel grateful for what I have. Yep, that's a challenge to remember to do that.

Readers -

chapter 1 Begin a New Way of Life

On the Beck Diet for Life Program . . .

You will maintain your weight loss. I always tell dieters, "No wonder you always gained back weight in the past. You never learned the skills to keep it off." On this plan, you will learn how to motivate yourself every day, get back on track when you falter, and recover quickly for a relapse.


Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 15.

[curlyjax]

I had an episode of emotional eating last night. I hope my body doesn't explode from all the fat and sugar I've ingested. I have got to get a grip. I called one of my friends who lives a few states away and felt better afterwards. This social isolation thing is so huge.
My job is planning for a soft re entrance to the agency, depending on what our governor says on Monday, with the goal of 50% people back at the agency. i can't help feeling like they just want bodies back there, in part to keep an eye on people. So I will be going back once a week, which is okay, even though it's my lightest day and i'll have to try to look busy. I can't wait until I can actually see my elders in person and get back to what I used to do, but that won't be for a long time probably.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

I broke into the 60s today. It is very exciting. Abstinent from sugar for 58 days. Cravings are down. Walking is up. It is a good feeling to change my stats.

Looking back into my progress in MFP (which has manually entered data going back twenty years) I can see this is the lowest I have been since the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I can also see that staying on this side of the sixties border is precarious until I get to 166. Then I seem to hit a plateau. So no food revelry. I will stick to my plan and exercise. I will celebrate with a few new workout itunes.

Karen: Read the article. It does give me a lot of pause.
Curleyjax: I agree. I can't wait until I see my kids in person.
gardenerjoy: My good friends who are retired said they don't feel much difference between quarantine and non-quarantine.
BBE: Iron Jawed Angels is the movie I show in US history. It is a fairly good reenactment of the suffrage movement. A few too many scenes of Hilary Swank in the bathtub

[gardenerjoy]

Yesterday was a low energy day, probably due to allergies. I'm going to see if I can structure today in ways that boost energy. Or, at least, make the day work better even if I don't summon a lot of energy.

Missouri loosened restrictions a week or two ago, but St. Louis City and County didn't. That happens on Monday, even though the local epidemiologists predict that will cause a second, and higher, peak of ICU usage in July. We're not changing anything in our practices, yet.

Weigh-in: N/A kgs Exercise: +20, 595/1400 minutes for May

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food is on plan, but it doesn't seem to be helping the scale just now. I will just keep at it. This morning I walked Otis (who walked like a champ) and then did a 6 mile walk with a friend and can I just say here that it will be easier for me that she is leaving on Saturday, but I will not eat over it today. The difficulty with the friend is that I really like her, but we just don't see eye to eye on politics or COVID and there doesn't seem like there is enough to talk about anymore. I didn't get my food plan for the day until just now, but at least it is done. No big plans for the rest of the day, but I will think of something I'm sure. I had a good nights sleep thankfully, so I won't need a nap. Our weather is cooler and for the most part next week looks like it will be great too. Such a nice reprieve to have a little cooler weather before it is horribly hot all summer.

GardenerJoy Things have really loosened in our state, but we aren't changing what we are doing either.
Maryann I'm glad things are good on many fronts. Good job!
Curlyjax I'm sorry it is such a tough time. Phone calls are my saving grace right now. I'm glad it helped you to visit with your friend.
Bill The pulse oximeter I ordered from Amazon is supposed to arrive today. Fingers crossed it does.

Hang in there all of you. I can't wait for the day when we can look back and say "remember that horrible time of the pandemic".

[Penny.]

Good morning!

This week has been maintenance eating and weight is holding.

Trying to hang on.

Happy birthday, Joy!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was held on the patio in pleasant weather. Our local Robin was not happy that we were out there in sight of its nest. Through the slats of the front fence we can see folks walking on the street. More were out than two weeks ago; all wore masks. DW's gardens are doing Spring well.

Twice excited: the pair of Sperry boat shoes that I ordered from Macy's at a HUGE discount arrived. Exactly as ordered; exactly the same as the pair that are splitting apart so badly that they can't even be donated. These I can wear outside without the embarrassment of my socks showing through the split sides. I tried to call the old ones 'sandals' to explain the split, but got reminded that wearing socks with sandals is even more embarrassing around here. The other excitement happened when I walked, CREDIT moi, back to CVS drugstore because they "might" get a shipment that included oxygen sensors. What the heck, I wanted the walk. Voila! They had them for $50. My membership card contained a coupon for 40% off and another for $10 off. Much to my delight, they combined them so that I paid only $20. My kind of bargain. (I read 98% this morning, so I'm not dying at the moment. DW read 100% yesterday. "We're not in competition," she reminded me. Easy for her to say since she's ahead.)

On the Votes for Women jigsaw puzzle I put together Angelina Grimke and Sarah Grimke. Another pair I now have to go learn about.

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Joy (gardenerjoy) - We note that it's a major privilege for us that we can continue to self-isolate as the openings begin. I'm so grateful that I don't need to get back to work. Congrats to Saint Louis for charting its own course.

maryann - Thanks for the pointer to Iron Jawed Angels - put it on my list. Neat plan, "I will celebrate with a few new workout itunes."

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for a good night's sleep. Yep, it's hard to be in the presence of someone of strong beliefs who thinks that spouting them constantly is the same as conversation. Also looking forward to "remember that horrible time of the pandemic".

curlyjax - Kudos for calling a friend to help with emotions. So many folks really, really want to get back to doing their jobs.

Penny. - Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on.

Readers -

chapter 1 Begin a New Way of Life

On the Beck Diet for Life Program . . .

The Beck Diet for LIfe Program includes a plan for healthy eating. You already know that certain foods - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes - are much healthier selections that others, such as sweets, chips, and fried foods. The problems that beset most dieters: How to continually choose foods from the first category and limit (but not eliminate) foods from the second? How to get to the point where self-imposed restrictions feel good?

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 16.

[curlyjax]

They are predicting a thunderstorm tonight with "damaging winds" which always gets me nervous. A house around here had trees crashing down on the sides of it but not on it fortunately, during hurricane Sandy, and I worry a lot about that, or something coming crashing thru a window. Snow is much less dramatic. Also worried about the loss of power which would really be bad during the pandemic.
Anyhow- I'm not going to eat over it. I'm thankful my kids are older and can drive if there ever was a problem. I'm going to stop thinking about it now. Today i'm doing a webinar on coping during the pandemic and i'm really looking forward to it.
Karen- the pandemic does seem to be all folks talk about. I've started talking about food with my elders, and asking them about their past jobs or something, to get onto a different topic.That article makes me think twice about going into work. Maybe i'll spend some time outside when i'm there.
Penny- great job hanging on, maintenance is fabulous!
Gardenerjoy-allergy season does seem to be here with a vengeance.
Maryann-yay for the 160s, great job!!
Bill-yay for new shoes and O2 sensors!

[maryann]

Weight held in the 60s which is a good sign. Yoga yesterday. I joined some teachers to hold congrat signs as seniors drove through to pick up gowns and yard signs that proclaimed class of 2020. I wore a mask although some did not. It was nice to see the kids.

My feelings on protocol for the pandemic do seem to change with the day. I am facing going back to crowded conditions in August. There will be no vaccine. I guess my major concern is my mom. I can be careful around her certainly but as for me I don’t see a way around exposure. My answer always comes back to one day at a time. We will certainly know something we didn’t know today. I have certainly had some silver linings despite my concern for those suffering. Prayer and meditation are my best options.

On the tech front I learned how to do a flipgrid. I video a question and the kids video back responses. Neat!

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food is on plan and weight is up and down the slightest bit. I guess I should be satisfied with pretty much maintaining. The Preserve now opens at 4:57 a.m., so I met my friend at 5 to do a 5 mile hike and then came home and walked Otis. I can hike without breakfast no problem when it's that short and that early. No real plans for the day, but I'm sure I'll find something to do. Otis follows me around the house most of the day and is asleep behind a comfortable chair in the office now. It sounds like he's having a good sleep.

Maryann My feeling change a bit day to day also. Having an elderly parent definitely adds to the test.
Curlyjax Talking about food and jobs with your elders sounds like a good idea.
Bill My dh used to wear Sperry Topsiders most of the time until the plantar fascitis didn't allow it. He wears Hoka Ona Ona's now and Berkinstocks for sandals. We received our pulse oximeter from Amazon yesterday. Our competition is resting heart rate. Mine is 49 and dh's is 74. I knew I would win that one though. Our oxygen saturation is 98%.
Penny Yes, hang on. Maintenance is a good goal too during this time.
Waving to Joy and Ariadnestar!

[gardenerjoy]

Checking in late today for no particularly good reason. I just seem to be doing everything slow and late today! Fortunately, my mood and energy level are fine, so I'm not going to fret about the slowness. I still have time for some exercise and maybe a little something off the to-do list of what I intended to do today.

Weigh-in: N/A kgs Exercise: +55, 650/1400 minutes for May

BillBlueEyes: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is a popular novel with a very fictionalized version of the Grimke sisters' story. I also liked the middle-grade biography Sisters Against Slavery by Stephanie McPherson.

[millie56]

Checking in - need to get on here more than once a week. Still CREDIT - me - first week back on track and lost a little more than 1 lb. Went out to dinner for the first time last night since a month before our lock down as my husband had pneumonia for Valentine's Day. The county next to us (about 1 mile away) is now open for dine-in at restaurants. We were the only ones there. So nice I had an omelet so didn't indulge in off plan eating. Have cut way back on snacking between meals. Have started having sugar free chewing gum in my desk so using that instead during the day.

A chair broke on me yesterday while I was eating breakfast so have a sore hip and didn't walk or do my exercise bike yesterday or today. Need to start with exercise even if it is just a little bit. Rode my bicycle outdoors on Mother's Day and that was fun. Replanted a bunch of overgrown plants in new containers last weekend. Want to finish that project this weekend and stay with OP food choices.

Thanks for the book reader snippets. I really enjoy them. Goal for 5/16 - 5/22 post more frequently and start to listen to Beck's Diet Trap which I just got on Audible.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, included a nearby park where student athletes were working out together. Don't know why that was allowed by their school. Every single person on the paths and streets wore a mask. Impressive. I got to inspect a pair of rather tiny houses erected on the site of a previous small bungalow. The bungalow had been one of four tightly spaced on a short dead-end street. The remaining three are well tended - looked loved and lived in, like the old working-class families who moved here for the early factory jobs. I suspect that some well-healed yuppies will buy these two new places. Maybe advertised as, "Larger than your dorm room."

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was homemade hot tamales on the patio. Lots of birds. One HUGE Bumblebee hung around. He could hover stark still, looking dangerous although, of course, he wasn't. The Robin continues to be unhappy with us sitting outside.

Completed the Votes for Women jigsaw puzzle - the last of its 500 pieces. Last face constructed was Naomi Anderson (1843-?) pictured with a large, stern dark face. Naturally, I've got to go learn my history.

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Joy (gardenerjoy) - Thanks for the tips for The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd and Sisters Against Slavery by Stephanie McPherson. So many ways to learn history. "Slow and late" is still forward.

maryann - Had to look up that Flipgrid. Impressive tool for teaching online. Didn't have that when I was in high school, LOL. Neat that you worked to help the seniors feel that someone notices them.

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats to you and your DH for your healthy oxygen saturation. Love the image of Otis following your around the house all day.

millie56 - Kudos for making sane eating choices during your first visit to a sit-down restaurant in ages. Must have felt a tad odd being the only folks there.

curlyjax - Yep, we got that thunderstorm here. Some heavy rain it was. Looks clear out there right now. Superb thinking, "Anyhow- I'm not going to eat over it."

Readers -

chapter 1 Begin a New Way of Life

On the Beck Diet for Life Program . . .

That is where Cognitive Therapy (sometimes called Cognitive Behavior Therapy) comes in. It is the most highly researched and effective form of talk therapy in the world. You will learn a powerful set of psychological tools that will enable you to stick to your healthy eating plan, no matter what.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 16.