[curlyjax]

Yesterday's drive went well and we had a nice brief visit, although I used some of it driving around to get DD some lunch It was nice to see her apt. She is already getting a place for next year, planning for a house with 3 other girls- hopefully it will all work out. I hit the grocery store on the way home so that is out of the way, and I think i'm set for thanksgiving. Eating was on the fly and pretty dreadful but today is back to normal. I'm hoping for an SD get together with 2 friends today and I need to get a walk in. I'm stalling getting out of bed since a huge pile of dishes awaits that I'm been neglecting
A friend of manfriend has just lost his wife to cancer and I really feel for him. I'm so glad I'm past the first few years of loss, and can be more cheerful for the holidays this year, even though its just the three of us. Not to mention I'm not in pain from my hip either. The pandemic is terrible, but the losses I have faced in the past few years have helped me get perspective, and knowing there are some vaccines and there is an end in sight is also very positive.
Bill- ooh, that flatbread sounds good, and just right portions with a salad. Yay for seeing family member on zoom.
Gardenerjoy- that's a good idea to do something while watching tv. Sometimes I've sorted and rolled coins during shows that I don't need to pay attention to.
Maryann- yay for your boy coming home! It will be interesting to hear about his adventures in person.
I hear the furnace kicking on, and am so grateful for light, heat, hot water and coffee! Onwards with the day.

[maryann]

Good Morning,

Just lost a big post. When will I learn to copy before I post?

Long and short - DS is safe and sound. It was thrilling to be waiting for him at the gate. It felt like Christmas use to feel as a kid. He had one small backpack which apparently is all an 18 year old needs.

This morning we are hosting a small 6 person bbq outside. I did all the shopping and cleaning yesterday so I get to enjoy a slow morning. There are many desserts in the house but none of them are for me. I feel good about that.

Wave.

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

I just lost a long post too and I'm afraid I'm not going to retype it all.

I hiked today with hiking Suzanne and heading to the grocer store soon. Food was on plan yesterday and a good plan is made for today. I will post later or tomorrow.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked, CREDIT moi, in the chill afternoon with DW, DS, and his SO around a public reservoir. All other walkers and bikers and joggers were masked and socially distanced. The conversation devolved into discussion of the long range impact of the court challenges to voting. My choice is to get away from that topic. DS expects to continue to work from home "at least" for the first six months of next year. His company is considering giving up their lease on one of their downtown Boston locations. This work from home trend might just set in to become permanent.

DS showed up with a 3 liter jug of Kirkland Olive Oil. He'd gotten into a debate with his mom about why she should be using Costco's Kirkland instead of the Filippo Berio olive oil she's been using for decades. "I love it, but have to buy two jugs; do you want one?" So, it comes to pass that I buy a 3 liter jug of olive oil from my DS. He hands me the jug; I hand him some cash. I look both ways to make sure we aren't seen. Felt like a drug deal.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Pork chops from the grill. Mine was just a tad too large so I saved half for next day's lunch. CREDIT moi for moderation instead of just chuckling that I'd beaten the system by getting more. Felt good; wish I did it more often.


maryann - Yep, Kudos for "many desserts in the house but none of them are for me." Glad that your DS made it home safely. Is he home now until January?

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for hiking with hiking Suzanne to keep you going fast.

curlyjax - Neat that you visit with your DD worked well. Kudos for remembering to be grateful for the simple things: "light, heat, hot water and coffee."

Readers -

chapter 3 Get Ready to Lose

Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:

task 8 Talk to Your Family

Most dieters don't want family members to mention their eating at all. They don't want to feel as if the "food police" are looking over their shoulders.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 41.

[curlyjax]

I had a nice conversation with my dad last night, who called to wish me happy birthday a few days early. I asked what prompted this; he stated "your brother reminded me" My mom was the one who handled the social things, as I expect is true in many families.I'm so glad he is safe in his apt. He is charming and funny (and a male, which is in short commodity at 89!) so people like him and he does well in his assisted living type place.
I also had a nice afternoon outside in the cold with 3 friends. We all bundled up with blankets, winter coats and hot chocolate. I ate too much cheese and crackers, but dinner last night was salmon, sweet potatoes and zucchini, and I did not eat any dessert, so hopefully it all balanced out. My nose was a bit snuffly last night and this morning, so i'm going to work at home as I would have trouble wearing a mask. I have heard fall allergies are bad, and I don't have any other symptoms so i'm not going to panic.
Maryann-I'm sure it was so exciting to meet your son at the airport, I'm glad he's back safe and sound with you.
Karen-On plan food day is always good. I was glad to get my shopping done before the crowds, although I think I may have to get a few more items for DD when she comes home.
Bill-too funny about the devious oil exchange. you are very lucky to have a DS and SO who save sunday for a walk with you.

[gardenerjoy]

I'm on track to finish NaNoWriMo tomorrow evening during our weekly virtual write-in. Yay! That's my goal. And, I've been feeling weirdly untethered to be so near the end of it. I spent part of yesterday making some plans for this week, especially, and starting to think about December.

I listened to a podcast yesterday about burnout and completing the stress cycle that was really helpful. Including this quote near the end:

"The good news is that stress is not the problem. The problem is that the strategies that deal with stressors have almost no relationship to the strategies that deal with the physiological reactions our bodies have to those stressors. To be well is not to live in a state of perpetual safety and calm but to move fluidly from a state of adversity, risk, adventure, or excitement back to safety and calm and out again. Stress is not bad for you. Being stuck is bad for you."
~Emily and Amelia Nagoski in Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

My untethered feeling, then, seems to be a sign that it's time to implement a fluid movement to safety and calm so that I can move back out to the next exciting project. The podcast goes into the strategies that help our body know that it's safe again -- things like breathing deeply, connecting with another person, and doing something creative.

Exercise +45, 1070/1400 minutes for November

BillBlueEyes: My brother's partner has already been told that working from home is permanent for her. Her company is large enough that it was a story in the newspaper when they didn't renew their lease.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

A successful faux T- Day. I did not eat any of the available desserts and that is possibly the first time in my life. Still, the scale does not reflect my triumph. Oh Well. I am now up to Truckee with Mom, my sister and BIL. I have had a good breakfast. Now we are debating whether and when to go hiking by the lake. I don't know. It looks a little frosty out there.

BBE: LOL about the pounds of olive oil. First world problems.
curleyjax: My Dad is pretty popular as well with the ladies - 90, hobbies, and a full head of hair.
Karen: Arizona sounds great as I look at the snow.

[karenrn]

Good evening coaches,

I meant to post earlier and things just got in the way. Food was on plan yesterday. Today I hiked up Tom's Thumb, down the other side and then back up and down. It was only a little over 6 miles but lots of good elevation gain. Weather was great with even a little cloud cover on the way back. Food has been on plan today. I didn't walk Otis until after lunch, but I think he likes that when it's cool enough. I had a couple of phone calls with friends which seems to be a large part of what I do these days. Some of them are out of state and some closer, but since we aren't really getting together with many. For me it is a high priority to stay in touch with people. Tomorrow I'm walking with another friend who lives here only part of the year. We are not in agreement about politics or Covid, so we'll see how it goes. She is a wonderful person, so I hope to find plenty of other things to talk about since the politics and covid aren't going to last a life time.

Maryann And snow sounds so fun to me. I even have snow shoes, but I will say they are for a weight lower than my current weight. Wow you are doing so well staying away from the sugar. Good for you!
GardenerJoy What a major accomplishment to be nearly finished with your writing.
Curlyjax I'm so glad you can still visit with your Dad. I miss my Dad a ton. He was quite an eccentric guy who we all just adored.
Bill That is quite a jug of olive oil. I use the Kirkland brand, but mine is probably a liter or less. I do need to tell you that Suzanne has become a country club golfing gal and I now lead her up the hill.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Short walk, CREDIT moi, in a new neighborhood. Found an odd inflated building like a Quonset hut in a backyard. Couldn't get close enough to inspect it; will have to make another trip. I rather like the notion of having an instant garage by blowing it up as easily as folks blow up giant Santa's on their lawns.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Evening snack of an apple had to be grabbed quickly so that I could host the Zoom session for a group of friends who've met for years. Met the most challenging non-computer-literate person ever. I tried to get her to unmute herself so we could hear her. (The host can MUTE a person; but can only request that they unmute themselves - a good limitation to prevent eavesdropping.) "Click the UNMUTE word in the upper right corner of your picture." We could see her move her finger to the screen. "You have to use the mouse to click the UNMUTE word." We could then see the bottom of her mouse as she tried to get it to click. One member called her on her cell phone but still couldn't explain moving the mouse on the mousepad and clicking the mouse button when the little white arrow on the screen was over UNMUTE. Got reminded how much we all assume that everyone knows.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love the tidbit, "Stress is not bad for you. Being stuck is bad for you."

maryann - Congrats for your successful faux T- Day. We're now thinking the unthinkable - how to limit Christmas. Have to little desire to be part of the very large group who thought the love of their family members would be enough to ward off the virus.

Karen (karenrn) - Will be great if you can talk to a friend and avoid both politics and COVID - I'm tired of talking about both.

curlyjax - Encouraging to hear that your dad is finding a way forward for himself in his assisted living place.

Readers -

chapter 3 Get Ready to Lose

Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:

task 8 Talk to Your Family

In fact, many dieters eat quite modestly in front of others because they don't want to be judged - but then they can end up eating hundreds (or even thousands) of calories more when they're alone.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 41.

[curlyjax]

I was congested for a bit yesterday and felt so tired in the afternoon, even after I took a nap. There has been another covid exposure at one of my housing sites, so I'm going to get tested today.It's probably fine- I took a sleeping pill the night before and sometimes that affects you the day after- but I want to doublecheck. I'm also going to ask to work totally from home thru the holidays. Many people aren't taking this seriously, or are getting covid weary, and I'm starting to get worried about more exposure. I really prefer to be at work and away from the house, and I don't have a good work set up, but I'm putting my health first.
I'm looking forward to our little thanksgiving at home as long as I'm feeling okay.
Gardenerjoy-you come up with such interesting things like the stress cycle. Another thing for me to look at some time.
Maryann- yeah for successful day with no desserts, i'm so impressed!
Karen- Good for you for keeping in touch with people, and with your friend with different political views. I have a buddy that I know feels differently from me but we are long time friends from work years ago, and she is such a fun, caring person.
Bill-that is too funny about the computer illiterate participant. There are some funny youtube videos out there about this. Each platform is different, and some are more challenging than others!

[gardenerjoy]

I'm still on track to "win" NaNoWriMo today. I want to write some during the day today, so it won't be so much pressure to get words written tonight during the virtual write-in.

Food and exercise are planned. CREDIT!

Exercise +40, 1110/1400 minutes for November

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday. I did a two hour walk with my friend today and it went just fine. I haven't seen her since they went back to MN last May, so there was plenty to talk about and we stayed on the topics that are neutral. No big plans for the rest of the day, just things around the house and I've already been to the grocery store. Food plan is made for the day too.

GardenerJoy It sounds like an all around positive day for you.
Curlyjax I hope you are okay. I do hear you about people being less careful.
Bill We have a person in my group of former co-workers who is challenged with the technology too. We also have a group text which seems difficult for her. I am glad I can figure things out well enough.
Maryann I hope you're having a great day!

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi, despite the corn bread being baked in the kitchen. It's for the sausage-cornbread stuffing that will be part of our contribution to our distributed potluck Thanksgiving dinner. DW had put aside a tiny square of it that we shared with dinner. And, she had baked a small bowl of the pumpkin pie filling that we both tasted. I restrained myself to one single dip of a spoon. It isn't overly sweet - but it is a sweet dessert dish. Methinks I'll plan to have a slim slice tomorrow. If I try to avoid it altogether, I'll probably end up eating more.

Excitement was the arrival by UPS of a new quilted inner coat to wear with my large winter coat. The one I've been using is rather thin; I'm in need of being warm out there. Felt odd to buy it online; coats are bought in stores. Also got a replacement electric leaf mulcher for DW. Ours had lasted about twenty years of heavy duty usage. It reduces leaves by a factor of 11 so they take less space in the mulch pile and compost more quickly.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love tracking your NaNoWriMo progress. Do hope you "win."

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats for having a good conversation without falling into one of the obvious holes.

curlyjax - Kudos for "I'm putting my health first" - wise move. Hope you're feeling better.

Readers -

chapter 3 Get Ready to Lose

Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:

task 8 Talk to Your Family

It's important to let close family members know that you will be changing your eating habits and are enlisting their support. You don't have to use the word diet. You can just tell them that you have decided to eat in a healthier way.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 41.

[curlyjax]

I'm negative for covid fortunately.I had to wait about an hour to be seen, but then I got my results in 15 minutes while I was there, so that was great. I talked to my sup about working from home for awhile and she was okay with it, so I'm glad about that. I will need to find a better work set up. DS came home last night; she still has a lot of homework to do so we'll have thanksgiving early in the afternoon. I made one of the pies last night (and started eating it) and will do the other two today while working from home. I'm not getting much exercise in these days but I did do my weights last night any how. I think i'm going to try dry brining the turkey overnight. Maybe I'll get the squash done too.
Karen- glad you had a nice time with your friend.
Bill-that leaf mulcher does look cool. Good job staying away from the cornbread.
Gardenerjoy-have fun with your write in!

[karenrn]

Good morning coaches,

Food was actually under plan yesterday and my weight is down, miracle of miracles. Today is housework day. No matter how much I say I will do a bunch after several hours of exercise, I just don't do it. It isn't that I don't have the energy, but I use it as an excuse. It won't take that long, but I do need to do all the floors, two of the bathrooms and some dusting. I've got a YouTube Christmas music thing on the tv. On the picture it shows a home with a Christmas tree and fire in the fireplace and then two hours of Christmas music.

Curlyjax I'm so glad you are negative and that you can work from home. It is just crazy lately with the numbers jumping up and up.
Bill That leaf muncher is a great thing. As far as buying on-line, aren't we so fortunate to have that option these days?
GardenerJoy Were you the "winner"?

Well, I guess I'll get to it. You all have a great day and Thanksgiving too if I'm not back on here. I am hiking in the morning and then our simple meal.