Wednesday - Women's Equality Day (since 1971 by Bella Abzug and US Congress)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Voted! We have a state election on September 1st; I did early voting for that. Easy Peasy. Ample parking at the nearby early voting location. No lines. Efficient staff. By happenstance, it was a short ballot, so didn't take long. Voted; done; out of there. Alas, they don't give early voters a neat "I Voted" sticker. I like wearing one of those all day.

Trip to the supermarket was ho-hum standard. Folks wore masks and distanced. The Ivory liquid dish soap that's been out of stock was available. I started to grab two since they'd been out of stock for so long. Then took only one when I realized that I didn't care what brand we used. A few months ago DW got on a tear and pulled out three partially used bottles of liquid dish soap from under the sink. "Make these go away." So, we used them up over the next months. Neither of us cared. I don't remember the brands, but they were three different colors.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was slightly larger than normal because the remainder of the baguette needed to be consumed. It was added to grilled salmon, kale salad, corn-on-the-cob, grilled asparagus, and green salad. Seems that sometimes our meal just grows. The kale salad was leftover that needed to be consumed.

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onebyone - Super Congrats for getting the blood pressure down enough to avoid needing the bp clinic. And Congrats again for designing a Velcro attachment for the cuff that the doctor's office should have had. (Maybe you can sell him one for his office. Then start a new business, LOL.)

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Tracking the hurricane all day long is just like tracking the COVID-19 numbers all day long. We all need a break from internet connection.

Karen (karenrn) - Waving toward Washington State. Or somewhere.

curlyjax - Kudos for "totally onplan yesterday." Yay for a good day back at work. Folks do seem to treat masks as if by moral standards: It's OK to remove to smoke; to eat; to scratch; if it's uncomfortable.

Penny. - Glad that you're about to be supplied with PPE - about time.

VertOlive - Kudos for finding a way to log your input that feels right for you - the key thing. Is there a story that goes with your avatar of the world's most alert looking dog?

Readers -

Yesterday's food was fairly OP although like onebyone I ate too much of it, specially cereal. I'm doing a good job with pushing off breakfast; I guess its not a true fast since I'm having my coffee with milk in the morning which is a non negotiable-but i'm waiting until at least 10 to make sure i'm truly hungry. It will be a bit harder at work but i'm changing my breakfast to be more portable and include yogurt which I want to start consuming.
Today I have what I call my boob-ogram appt and then into work after. It will be interesting to see how they change the process with COVID.

Gardenerjoy-hope your friend is doing okay, hurricanes are so scary.
Penny-haven’t heard of yoga with Adrian, now i’m intrigued.
VertOlive- welcome!
Onebyone- yay for a good doc appt!
Bill- how are you getting the bold to work? I can't figure it out still.

VertOlive: Welcome. There is peace to be found with food. I learned so many good habits with Beck. Also, somedays the only thing I do 100% is post and that keeps me moving forward.

Back late last night from the East Coast. I am looking forward to weighing and measuring to get back on track. Credit for avoiding sugar when the pain of leaving DS at college was stronger than I would have imagined. This morning I am up early to view the damage of having left online learning to fend for itself for four days. The students had a virtual sub.

My friend in Texas evacuated to a town north of the coast. Before she even got checked into her hotel, that town was also put under mandatory evacuation, so she had to evacuate further. She seems to be safely ensconced in Paris, TX, now where she has some friends and is less than three hours from family in Oklahoma. The new predictions have Laura as an even stronger hurricane. All during a pandemic. So, I'm sending lots of good thoughts that way (I was going to say "warm" but I think what they need are "dry" thoughts because dry air breaks hurricanes apart).

Still not going to eat over this. Or spend my whole day tracking it. I have plenty to be getting on with.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, mostly as a way to support a new librarian friend who is getting my local public library involved. Today will be about inventing characters. That should be a good distraction.

Exercise +40, 1210/1400 minutes for August

VertOlive: I agree that a shorter list of substantial reasons may be the best approach. It's definitely worked for me in the past. I'm sure that everyone who has lost weight for a wedding can substantiate that you only need one motivating reason to lose weight, if it's a good one. As I've been getting older, the health-related reasons work better because they are longer term. I know from experience that I can have nearly all pain-free days when my weight is under 200 pounds and that I will have pain nearly every day when I'm over 220.

Excellent day
 

Coaches

I had a great day. I was at my printmaking group's studio to take a free workshop on moku hanga. I'm already a Western woodblock printer so it was interesting to experience the Japanese approach to printing from the block. I will be doing more of this. It's perfect for working with at home.

The best part was being out and doing something new and thinking about new things. What a joy. It was great not to be within eyesight of my clutter and my dishes. Bonus!

Today the scale said 276.7, what it said yesterday. Tomorrow is 3 months exactly since my restart May 27 at 296 lbs. I hope to see 276 or less to mark the anniversary.

I have tightened up my food. This was day 3 of a 30 day.challenge.between my sister and I to keep carbs at or below 20 per day. I am on plan. So is she. This is good!

I unoazed the glaze kiln which was full of my soap dishes. I was super happy with how they turned out. Very happy. A couple of experiments succeeded! I'm dropping off the completed dishes to my client in the morning. Then order isn't isn't done yet. I have 26 more to do. Soon though! Next glaze kiln and they will be done.

So yes, a good day.

And now that it's night my thoughts are with the people in the path of the hurricane. I hope everyone finds a way to stay safe until it passes. What an ordeal.

Bye for now.

Thursday- Krakatoa volcano erupts at 1,300 megatons (1883, west of Java in Indonesia)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (4.5 yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. A trip to a playground with a 20-foot high nylon rope climbing structure was a glorious success. She climbed up; took the tube slide down; up; down; up down - countless times. A few other kids were also climbing - just enough to make it fun. All wearing masks with the adults socially distancing. After lunch at home, the afternoon exploration of Mt. Auburn Cemetery was also a success. She knew to find our 'secret' bench and 'secret' path. She climbed a newly installed hill of large boulders nearly scaring us to death but being both agile and safe. Two Red-tailed hawks delighted DW and I while barely being noticed by the DGD. She was an eagle; spent the entire day collecting twigs to make an eagle's nest. DD had that mother's grimace when we delivered the DGD along with a plastic container of twigs for her to deal with.

Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Lunch included a huge bowl of lettuce instead of raw baby carrots because we're long on lettuce and it doesn't last. I enjoy the noble clean up role. Afternoon snack was eating the uneaten, slightly browning, getting mushy, cut up apple on the drive home after dropping off the DGD. I do this every week; DW cuts up an apple for a snack; DGD ignores it; it's fed to me on the drive home. I call it planned. Dinner on the patio had to end promptly so I could participate in my 7:30 pm Zoom meeting.


onebyone - Kudos for joining with your sister for a joint 30-day eating plan. Yay for a super success in a glazing run. I, however, need help with "I unoazed the glaze kiln." Typo or special glazing term?

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Double Ouch for your friend's double evacuation. Hurricane Laura is sounding pretty ferocious. Kudos for, "Still not going to eat over this."

maryann - Sending supportive thoughts for the pain at leaving your DS on the "East Coast" in far-away Michigan. Super Kudos to your and your DH for having the courage to let him choose to go there.

curlyjax - Congrats for keeping to your plan to skip/delay breakfast. Yep, coffee needs milk or cream. I had been using HTML to get bold, e.g. [ B]curlyjax[ /B] without the two spaces for curlyjax. This morning bold is working for me although I also changed editors at the admin's suggestion. Let me know if yours isn't working yet.

Readers -

Good Morning,

Traveling weight fell off unbelievably quickly. I am one pound above ticker. I realized I have no idea how to shop without DS here. We sorely need some things but I am hesitant to go. There are so many firsts of living without him. I feel better when I think of him on his own making friends and finding his life.

Yesterday was a 12 hour workday and today will be as well. We have a virtual back to school night. Today we are having a debate if Andrew Jackson should be on the $20.00 bill. It is part of their “Propose a monument project.”

Wave to all.

I just set Simple Blocker on for seven hours to keep me off Facebook and Google News. Watching things happen minute-by-minute isn't helping anyone, least of all me.

Exercise +35, 1245/1400 minutes for August

Good morning!

I'm still eating too much for weight loss but getting in lots of hiking and weight is holding.

The fridge is well stocked with all my usual healthy foods, bread is made, and the kids have food made. A friend canceled the hike I had planned for today so I think I'll have a low key day at home-reading and maybe tv. I still haven’t tried the yoga with Adrienne but maybe today will be the day. I have my monthly female excuse giving me all the reasons to be lazy today. Ha!

Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning coaches,

Just a quick check in. I flew to Portland and it seemed just fine. My brother picked me up and we drove to his house and then walked around Lake Sacajawea which is always a pleasant thing to do in Longview and it felt good to get out for a walk in the nice cool temps. I drove to Aberdeen early yesterday morning and got here by 8. We have decided so far we're going to go back and forth between mil's and bil's homes. We go to mil's during the day and have lunch there, shower there for her and she has a nap there and I go for a walk. Then back to bil's for dinner, news, other tv and bed. Our bedrooms are near one another with a jack and jill bathroom. She is actually getting around with her walker quite well for her. Her memory is less good for sure, even from a six weeks ago. I'll likely be staying in WA for a month and during that time we'll decide what to do. Okay gotta run. Food is on plan although there isn't much of a plan. I am eating healthy food and not too much of it.

Waving to all.

Hey there. My "smart" phone kept making me change my password here until I gave up. Now on a desktop to bypass that.
Yesterday I practiced the first 5 skills successfully and also logged all calories/foods.
Today I didn't do one of the skills, having downed a cup of coffee before getting on the scale--I only weigh in first thing in the morning before any intake so I blew that.
Today going to read more of the book and see which skill to add next.

Work was stressful. I work in a regional blood bank laboratory and we're flooded with donors who are giving post-Covid plasma. This doubles our work load plus the air conditioning went out all day. This is Corpus Christi and it really matters to have air conditioning, especially while wearing labcoat, gloves, and mask. Then the sweat caused my mask to slide down and a co-worker reported me to HR. Sheesh. Really wanted to stop for an order of fried rice to drown my anger, but remembered my Advantages and made it home to frozen blueberries and coconut greek yogurt. Win!

But I tried to remember how bad they have it in Louisiana right now. We dealt with little Hurricane Hanna here on my birthday (!) and that was bad enough! I should be more grateful.

Bill: the picture is of my Scottish Terrier puppy at 11 weeks; it's the "portrait" the breeder sent before I picked him up. He's here with me now and is 15 weeks old. One of the brightest stars in my sky!

All the best to everyone here.

Hungry Day
 

Hi Coaches

Today.I dropped 74 of 100.soap dishes to my client. She loved them. That was a good feeling. I still have 26 to complete the order. And then I just need to keep making them cause she'll need them as we go into the holiday season. I've worked out how to construct them faster so I think I'll just aim to keep making 10 to 20 at a time and set them aside for when she wants them. This must seem obvious but Ive spent my life making 1 or 1-3 of things. It ain't natural for me.but it is sort of mindless yet satisfying so there's that...

Food wise. One of those milestone days. I have seen over a few months how the milestone days are often not so great. Like they are good, but other days are better. Today was my 3.month anniversary of being on plan. I moved my ticker down 2 lbs. My inner saboteur want to say
My higher self wants to say
This pretty much sums up me and my thinking all these months. The difference this time.round is the more positive outlook is winning. I am not willing to give up or give in because it seems slow or not good enough. I have a chart with my weights in it and its a crazy up down back and forth kind of thing but its working. And more importantly I'm not doing anything I can't maintain. The way I am losing weight I can sustain forever I think. And thats good cause getting to my goal of a statistically normal.BMI is a long way away.

Anyway today was a hungry day. I felt like I ate a lot but all of it low carb. My structure was lax. I cant do that. I need time between meals so I have to get to focusing on that. Since my sister.and I are committing to 20carbs or less a day I've been more focused on what food to eat and the when of eating has been in the background. I need to bring it back upfront. This is for me only as my sister isn't focused there.

Anyway that's it for me.for today.

Billblueeyes that was indeed a typo and not a.ceramocs specific phrase. I meant to say unloading. I tried to correct it but I can't seem to go back and edit my messages like I used to. I can open it and change it but the site won't save it so I leave it. I was envious of tour jaunt to the cemetery!

Friday - Ten suffragists arrested as they picket the White House (1917, Wash DC)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - An odd day. DW had lunch with a friend at our kitchen table - each at a long end to be correctly spaced. They were eating inside because it was too rainy and chilly to eat out on the patio. I had to go into the kitchen while they were there to make my own lunch to bring up to my office. "That's a mighty healthy lunch you have there," she offered. Alas, when your relationship with a person goes back 40+ years because you met in birthing class when the discussion was dilation of the cervix centimeter-by-centimeter, nothing is ever too personal to blurt out. My lunch including attacking the abundance of lettuce. Had a BIG bowl of lettuce. I looked like a rabbit. CREDIT moi for eating on plan with no daytime snacks for the day.

Convolution was helping DW try to schedule an appointment to renew here Mass Driver's License that will be REAL ID-compliant to allow it to be used to board an airplane. Should be simple. Alas, nothing to do with the Mass Department of Motor Vehicles is simple. The good news is that appointments may now be possible. Her first attempt was offered an appointment on September 11. Doing the whole thing at an AAA office is also a possibility. She's gathered up her passport, cell phone bill, a utility bill, current driver's license, and, rather weakly, her social security card. She's fully armed. Just doesn't want to spend the nominal several hours waiting in line as is the norm around here.


onebyone - Congrats for delivering those soap dishes. Love your business person mind working out how to make a production line. And Kudos for your 3 month anniversary on plan. [The admins have fixed some of the editing problems; try again to edit your post and let me know if it worked.]

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Seven hours without the news!!! Did you miss anything?

maryann - Congrats for focusing on the joy of your DS making new friends at school instead of your loss. Love that you have your kids debating if Andrew Jackson should be on the $20.00 bill.

Karen (karenrn) - Lake Sacajawea looks like a neat place to walk. Had to Google jack and jill bathroom - new name for me. Congrats for a good start to attending your MIL.

Penny. - A low key day is good for the soul. Kudos for lots of hiking.

VertOlive - Neat that the picture of your Scottish Terrier puppy is on a Scottish Tartan blanket. Kudos for practicing the first five skills successfully.

Readers -

Quick wave. I slept horribly and am running late. I could not get to sleep until late which was wierd because I was really tired around 7, I guess I got my enery back.I'll have to watch it to not over eat today as some days when I'm tired i'm much more hungry. It's also one of my quieter days so I won't be as distracted. Tonight is frozen pizza night unless we decide to order out, we'll see.
DS applied for a job wrangling carts at a large supermarket, and they turned him down because he was honest that he might not be there the whole year if he's able to go on campus in January. So unfortunately he learned he needs to fudge the truth; and depending on the virus there's a good change he might be stuck here for the whole year anyhow. He'd like to do something like move packages around at UPS (but not drive!!!) So we'll see what happens.
The bold works again :) and the writing block is bigger, thanks for getting it fixed Bill!

Today's adventure is shopping. I've got myself slightly off my schedule. I'll be at the supermarket today and Whole Foods on Monday, rather than the week apart that I intend. But, that means I've managed to avoid Whole Foods for nearly a month so, I'm happy with that. I'll transition back to alternating trips a week apart from Monday.

We had scary hospitalization numbers a couple of days ago -- 71 people admitted to area hospitals with COVID earlier this week, a record. But, the number was below 40 again yesterday. So, hopefully, that was a blip. Our hospitals say they can handle us if we can keep that number below 40. At least until flu season strikes.

Exercise +60, 1405/1400 minutes for August

BillBlueEyes: We got DH a RealID in the spring and it took a lot, with the desire for an appointment rather than a line providing one of the complications. We'd heard horror stories of it taking six trips to get all the documents required. DW's list looks complete to me. Some women need their marriage license, but I think that's when they use a birth certificate instead of a passport.
No news for seven hours was bliss and it was all waiting for me when I returned.