I don't know where the day got to! I'm just saying hi, my head isn't really here today, but I'm sure I'll find a routine soon. The adjustment to no work is always a big one.
A good day; my brother and I went to the national cemetery to visit my parents' graves after picking up flowers. Always sad, but so good to go with him.
We'll head out midmorning, and I'm hoping we have good beach weather and hotel is decent. A good deal on hotwire a while back. We'll take the scenic route on A1A, a fave drive of mine.
Another short check in... Food has surprisingly been good and in small portions. Bought grapes and bananas as well as wheat bread and PB for breakfast and lunches as needed.
Tuesday - Tomato is proven to be non-poisonous by eating one (1820 , New Jersey)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, included stopping for an errand at the drug store. Shopping on Monday is such a benefit of retired folks; I've dropped by on a weekend and waited in long lines. Walking was warm and dry. Had hardly arrived home when the rain started - I hadn't carried an umbrella or worn a jacket. We got over a half inch which makes the gardener happy.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. On plan meant dinner ordered as takeout from the same Chinese restaurant where I had lunch with some friends a week ago. We ordered Beef and Broccoli and Vegetarian Delight. DW quickly make a pot or white rice while I drove to get the order and I made a green salad. We've made this same order for years; it continues to make us happy. Good news is that there's enough left over for at least another full meal. I'm not fond of tipping for takeout since there was no service and I'm already paying sit-down prices for paper bag food, but I'm feeling bad for the restaurants trying to stay in business during COVID, so I gave a full 20% just because they need the money.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Super Kudos for dealing like an adult with your SIL's feelings that aren't your fault or under your control. As always, I appreciate your perspective, "This is my reminder that hunger is the only problem that food fixes."
maryann - Such fun places you're visiting. So good to hear that your DH is relaxing.
nationalparker – So good that your brother was able to go to the cemetery with you. I'm impressed that your Florida State Highway A1A has its own website. A beautiful corner of the world.
Karen (karenrn) - Yep, this is my image of Arizona, "The air was so beautifully clean and the skies are blue." Don't know how you get bluer skies than the rest of the country but it's nice to experience. Thanks for the perspective about my undesirable crab meat, "Maybe it should have just gone in the garbage before wasting the mayo." I hadn't thought about how many other ingredients I wasted trying to save the crab.
curlyjax - LOL at "then realized what I really wanted was the cheese." BTDT. Congrats for getting rid of some clutter.
MrsCalypso - Thanks for stopping by even though your head isn't really here.
MommaMeli - Kudos for "best I ever ate at the lake" especially since you set out to do just that. Sending supportive thoughts as you deal with your 2 yo DD's nose.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
challenging situation skills
Before the Event 1. Change your mindset.
Do you have the unhelpful deprivation mindset I described [earlier]? A typical sabotaging thought is, It's so unfair that I have to deprive myself.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 133.
Yesterday was a long slog. Left for the pediatrician at 8. He’s very relaxed about most things, but he made a pretty concerned face when he saw her swollen lymph node. He couldn’t find anything in her nose either, but agreed there was probably something up there, so he worked for an hour to get us into an ENT right away.
So, DD and I grocery shopped, and grabbed a quick lunch (where I did not overeat and was quite proud of myself) and then drove another hour to a bigger city where we found the pediatric ENT. It was right across the street from the hospital that did her heart surgery, so lots of memories and emotions to deal with.
We saw a lovely PA at the ENT, who then pulled in an ENT surgeon (and I am focusing all my energy on DD at this point to keep from panicking). The professionals finally agree that there is nothing up there. It is just a really bad sinus infection. This is so weird as DD hasn’t been complaining or acting sick, but she did have a very bad cold several weeks ago that could have triggered it.
DD was a trooper through it all. She’s getting comfortable around doctors- she does have more appointments than most kids. By what she said, I can tell she still remembers her last cardiology appointment that was more than 6 months ago. She is one smart and strong cookie. I’m very proud of her.
Left with a prescription for antibiotics and instructions for monitoring the swollen lymph node in her neck. Another appointment scheduled to follow up in the big city in 2 weeks. And traffic at 4 o’clock through construction was a nightmare.
Made it home a little after five and ate my feelings for dinner. Oh, well. This is something I know I still need to work on, and I’m hoping the book has some good tips coming up that focus on this problem.
Sorry this turned long. Hope everyone has a good Tuesday.
MrsCalypso “Thanks for being here.” I completely agree.
nationalparker Way to go eating small portions on the road. Not an easy task!
BillBlueEyes I find myself tipping more these days too for the same reason.
maryann Clicked your paddle boarding link. I had never heard of it before. It looks like a kayak with stabilizers. I can’t wait to hear more about it. (The river looks beautiful!)
karenrn Love the lead up to a big trip. So much fun to think about what you're going to do while you pack. Pretty jealous of a packing staging area. How easy that would make things!
curlyjax Yay for decluttering clothes you know you’ll never wear again!
gardnerjoy “This is my reminder that hunger is the only problem that food fixes.” Powerful words. I’m writing this down.
Weight has soared higher into the wrong decade. I had a great first hike with my friend on Sunday and today I will do the same hike with my 11yo. I'm feeling a little stiff and sore but hoping the one day of rest yesterday is enough.
I want to put my foot down and stick to lower calories today but hiking starts up the mental chatter about needing more. Or is it "deserving" more? Probably. Reminder to myself, I need a lot fewer calories than I think I do.
Great days. Walked through the Botanical garden today and it was breathtaking. https://www.gardenbythesea.org/. Yesterday DH was very patient as we combed through the thrift stores and I used my new loupe to study stones. So I far I have purchased a beautiful multi strand peridot necklace, sterling silver amethyst earrings for $7 dollars, Taxco Mexico silver black opal earrings and Brooch set, a silver and turquoise ring, a Uno de 50 knock off for about 10% of the price all for under $200. I have saved that much money eating in our hotel and the hotel it self was free with points. That is well over $1000 dollars savings. Fun. I also talked to a bench jeweler, small shop owner to get tips on cracking into the biz. I have learned so much already.
This is the first day warm enough to take out my new paddleboard.
Food is good. Again I will stay away from dessert and mass manufactured sweets.
Because of the slow loading speed I have only seen the log on's for the last page:
Penny; I put my foot down yesterday with no dessert candy. I still ate a big popcorn at the movie (Jurassic Park - horrible) but I feel I kept a promise to myself which then sets me up for a better food day today. Mama Meli: So stressful when your kid is sick. Best thoughts. BBE: Thought your DW would have loved the gardens.
Food has been on plan and I continue working on portion sizes. I had a great hike this morning and started listening to Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang. It is a memoir from a Chinese girl whose undocumented family came from China in 1994. Listening to her story I can't believe it was 1994, sounds more like 1894. After that I came home and got cleaned up for the annual doc visit. I'm doing well. She checked a few labs which were all fine and wrote for a mammogram. Caught the tail end of the hearings. Brave young aide, I hope she is protected.
Maryann It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. My friend and I spent a weekend in Taxco when we were in Mexico for a month learning the language (which we didn't). It's a beautiful very hilly town and I did buy a few silver things there. Now I can't remember which things I purchased there and which things I purchased in Chiang Mai.
Penny Stiff and sore probably includes some water retention too you know. It's always a bummer to me when I increase the exercise significantly and then see the weight go up at first from the muscle soreness.
GardenerJoy Nice that you got out for a walk with a friend to start the day. Glad you were able to keep food on plan.
MommaMeli What a long day you had, but I'm so glad your little one didn't have anything up her nose and hopefully the sinus infection clears up quickly. You will have a packing staging area too one day when children aren't filling the bedrooms.
Bill It's so nice that you were able to get out from your walk and home again before the rain came. Also so nice that the rain came. I love being retired and being able to do my errands on less busy days. It's certainly one of the many benefits.
Nationalparker You are probably where you were going next, but I'm not sure where that is. It's wonderful that you've done so well on food. You have been working so hard physically that I'm sure that and the stress of that house cleaning job contributed to more food. I hope you get home with a weight loss. That would be so motivational.
Hello coaches! We traveled through a torrential downpour and I was thankful that traffic had slowed down considerably. Drive along the coast was enjoyable, looking at the mega millions mansions right on top (nearly) of the small homes along the beach that have been passed down in families and are dwarfed.
Small breakfast, no lunch except for some grapes and we went to a Thai place for dinner. Closed. Off to fin another one... Success. It was good and not huge portions. I did splurge with dh for a pint of dairy free ice cream and we ate the whole thing on our balcony watching the ocean. We've never done that before but it won't be a habit. 400 cal each! I took credit for eating half but don't think I did. 😉
We are happy with our unit which has full kitchen. And washer and dryer! Nice surprise.
Hard to say bye to my brother. I had already been aggravated by SIL. Yesterday my DH noticed something had fallen off some artsy paper machier piece. A wing. He showed my brother and he said don't worry about it, it was just laying on the side table. So this morning my SIL says what happened??? I said I'm not sure, dh noticed it yesterday and pointed out to DB. She said well it didn't Fly off! I had been walking down the hall and stopped and said in a very flat, what I hoped was a patient voice, no, x, I am very sure that it did not fly off. But what I am not sure of is what exactly happened to it.
I'm glad to be away from her negativity. And I feel she thinks I'm the poor sister from the country. I don't care but she asks me if we're joining a gym now that not working. Nope! I said we'll be walking and doing more bike riding in and out, etc. Oh well my sister joined a nice gym and my brother said yes and pays out the nose for it!
Speaking of noses...MommaMeli, many many credits to you for not overeating for your day yesterday. How stressful from start to finish. Fingers crossed all continues to go as hoped with the meds and no issues arise.
I didn't realize how much faster I am on posts on my laptop! Easier to do replies in another screen.
Wednesday - Vigdís Finnbogadóttir is 1st elected female President (1988, Iceland)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Saw a huge 4-door SUV parked at the curb outside my front door. Just HUGE. HONKING HUGE. Did I think, That's bad for the environment? How much does it cost to fill its gas tanks? How can something that big be comfortably parked in Boston? Do they have eight children to fill it? No, I did not. When I saw its name, I thought, Neat, YUKON is a terrific Quordl word to watch for. (I am not. I can quit at any time. I never take my first Quordl before 5 am.)
Felt called to eat cookies after watching the Select Committee Hearings about January 6th. Just needed something to make it all go away. It helped to remember what Joy (gardenerjoy) might write, "Food only cures hunger, not Select Committee hearings." So I had the baby carrots that I'd skipped at lunch to make it an on plan day with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. We do have a stack of sixteen cookies made by our friend - oatmeal raisin cookies, no less. I've been allocated exactly eight which have been put into a separate container. I've planned to have two per day as part of my evening snack. Fortunately, they're small - like olden-day cookies. Small is just the right size. Unfortunately, they contain the same ratio of butter that makes all cookies so desirable.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Kudos for leaving the stress of the prior day behind you.
maryann - Oh yes indeed, your Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens would definitely grab DW. Such fun to enjoy shopping for used jewelry and able to call it part of your training.
nationalparker – So neat that your place is a gem - with an ocean view! Congrats for working to put the tension with your SIL behind you. That phenomenon of mega-mansions right next to old family cabins happens around here, also. In one place, the old family cabin has the very best point on the beach with the most land and they fill it with all the third-generation kids and their friends. Not rowdy, but many. I kinda like seeing it like it would make the grandparents proud.
Karen (karenrn) - Good news that your doctor finds that you're doing well. I share your thoughts, "Brave young aide, I hope she is protected."
Penny. - That's impressive that you're willing to do the hike again with your 11 yo DD. Hope the body agrees.
MommaMeli - What a day with your 2 yo DD. And what a trooper she sounds like she was. It boggles my mind that a 2 yo can remember events from six months ago but that they will all vanish when she crosses the seven yo boundary.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
challenging situation skills
Before the Event 1. Change your mindset.
If you think you might have that thought, make sure you continue to read the Response Cards that you made [previously]. And create this new one, too:
Quote:
I'm going to be deprived, no matter what. Either I'm
going to be deprived of eating whatever I want at this
special occasion OR I'm going to be deprived of being
thinner, being healthier, feeling better about myself,
being less self-conscious, being proud of myself,
having more energy, and feeling good when the event
is over!
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 133.
Good Morning Coaches
Day 19: Stop Fooling Yourself
Interesting read this morning, especially in light of my unchanged weight after my first week of dieting. Am I eating things that aren't on plan? Yes.
There are times when this is completely necessary, like when the kids had wiped out all the leftovers I had planned to eat for lunch. And times when it is unnecessary- yesterday evening when I licked the ice cream spoon after serving the last cone (did not eat a cone, did still taste the ice cream).
My rational brain can easily tell the difference between these 2 scenarios. I'm not going to skip lunch just because the food I'd planned to eat vanished. But I certainly don't have to try a taste of everything just because it's there. But my all or nothing brain doesn't want any part of this.
Sabotaging thought: If I can't follow this perfectly, then there is no reason to worry about it at all. I don't remember how to respond to sabotaging thoughts, but I'm sure that is coming soon. I'm just going to stay the course and keep doing what I'm doing for now. But I have a feeling that I'm going to have to make some more changes if I want to actually lose weight. (sigh)
Credit for stay on plan yesterday (minus that ice cream taste). Credit for skipping the cone. Credit for making a really tasty dinner from garden odds and ends.
Today my oldest DD turns 8. Wow. My world is changing all the time. Hamburgers poolside this evening at the in laws. I'm going to only eat half my bun. I get to eat dessert tonight- and she picked cheesecake. I'm going to have to make sure and do the serving or my food pusher MIL will give me a huge piece. And we're having my mom over for lunch, and I'm skipping dessert then. I will plan ahead not to lick the spoon this time.
Bill I'd enjoy your thoughts on "Stop fooling yourself." You seem to eat on plan most of the time. nationalparker Washer and dryer is a vacation must!
DD's awake. I'm going to start her b-day. Wave to all
I ran out of time to post yesterday. Today I have a call scheduled with the case manager who will help my dad-i’ll be on speaker phone-so i’m home and will go into work after. I’m doing well with waiting until i’m really hungry to eat in the am. DS being here is pushing me to eat healthier which is good. I’m focusing on food first and then getting back to the gym next week. I made a lovely turkey meatloaf with spinach and onions that we ate for two days, and sweet potato cubes in the air fryer that came out really well. Tonight I will experiment with tofu cubes, and make an easy bean/grain dish with veggies. Geez cooking takes a lot of time, but I should have leftovers anyhow. Still feeling a little blue; summer does that to me sometimes, but I don’t feel like pushing myself to get out and interact with new people yet, even though i'd like to work on having new friends. Decluttering continues-I put on a movie I have seen a million times and did some picking up the tv room which is such a huge mess its hard to know where to start. I found a chocolate stick amongst DD’s things-off program but an unexpected treat, like finding an Easter egg months later Mommameli- ooh, that sounds very hard on you and your kiddo, I would have eaten my feelings too. Glad you have a great medical team to figure things out. Bill- too funny about the Quordl word!
Credit for meeting (and surpassing) my June exercise goal with days to spare. We had a perfect summer day, so I walked with a friend in the morning and DH in the afternoon. Plus, some stretching to keep improving the back pain situation.
I had a couple off plan things yesterday including some of the "ice cream" I made from ingredients we eat. I did add a couple of packets of sweetener which really helped the taste. Dh had some too so there isn't much left. Yesterday was also a little higher sodium so weight jumped up a pound. I'll focus on lower sodium and lots of water today. I skipped the hike today but have walked Otis. The sun was up when we went and it felt pretty darned warm. I'm glad I mostly hike in the shade this time of year.
I'm heading out in 90 minutes to take my friend to the doctor. She lives 30 minutes out and then we come back into town and then back to her house etc, so it will take the morning which is fine. Her back issue has really been bad. I'm sure it doesn't help that she had no core strength to start with and now it's hard to gain any with the back issues going on. Note to self, keep exercising.
I started the day with a Heather Cox Richardson You Tube from yesterday. Being an historian she sometimes makes me feel a little better about what is going on but not this time. It's a good thing dh isn't adventurous or I'd be getting rid of everything and moving to who knows where. As it is I can watch the YouTube videos and dream about it and know it isn't going to happen.
GardnerJoy That's great that you surpassed your exercise goal. I'm going to find some video to do in the house today to work on flexibility and a potential piriformis syndrome. I'm sure there are many.
Curlyjax You know how it is with cooking, new recipes take a lot of time, but once you are very familiar it isn't so bad. Can you make enough so you can alternate for a few nights but not have to cook every day? That's what I do. Of course I don't have a young man who can eat thousands of calories each day.
MommaMeli Happy birthday to dd. Sounds like you'll have a fun day. I hear you about not losing weight after dieting all week. Sometimes it seems it doesn't take much to go from losing weight to maintaining. For years I would say I was either losing or gaining. At least now instead of gaining very often I am maintaining.
Bill Your stack of cookies sounds divine. I think oatmeal raison and molasses cookies are my favorites. It's so nice that they aren't huge. Years ago my husband had a Yukon, but it wasn't the really big one.
Nationalparker I'm glad your place is really nice and that you're away from Sil. It would be so annoying to have one that is so judgmental and vocal. Enjoy your time at the beach.
Waving to the others . . . I'd better get cleaned up and ready to be seen in public.
Tuesday - Tomato is proven to be non-poisonous by eating one (1820 , New Jersey)
