Quick update from Warsaw, MO. Beautiful here. Gardenerjoy is very lucky. I have had a great restful time. We hiked a bit and the tie did well. We will go finishing in Truman lake tonite. We’ll my friend and her guy will fish. They do tournaments. I had BBQ which was delish. Will see Amish country and shop thrift stores today. Food is fine. Right now enjoying cherries from CA but at a local roadside stand
Food is on plan and I was successful in cutting back just a little bit at each meal. The scale didn't seem to be aware of it . . . yet. I'm going to use my friends saying "the check is in the mail". I know if I keep it up, it will work. What won't work is to get discouraged and overeat thereby continuing my maintenance. I got out and hiked Sunrise again today. It is warm, but I've got to get used to it. There was a little breeze at the top. I can do the hike in an hour and 40 minutes so that's good enough for these hot days.
I went to the library yesterday to pick up a couple of books I had on hold including Gender Queer and The Choose You Now Diet. The latter is by a dietician I heard being interviewed on The Plant Strong You Tube. She is plant based and has lots of good recipes in the book. One of her tenets is, Don't Break the Seal. It is true for me that if I take one bite of something it can be all it takes for a downward spiral, so it's better not to take that bite most of the time.
I am probably going to get cleaned up and head for Costco. I could wait until tomorrow except that I'm getting my second booster this afternoon. I've felt fine with the other vaccines, but I plan on having a day with no plans tomorrow just in case.
Maryann I'm glad you're having a nice time.
MammaMeli I give you a ton of credit for being able to navigate a household with food choices for lots of people including desserts.
Curlyjax Being responsible for maintaining a house is a lot. I swear if anything happens to dh there will be a "For Sale" sign in the yard very soon. Of course I don't know where the heck I would live, and of course I don't have children who live here. Good job not eating much later in the day. I was watching something recently that told about studies showing more weight loss occurs with the same calories if they are eaten earlier in the day. I wish dh would go for a bigger lunch and smaller dinner, maybe once he retires.
Bill The garden party sounds very nice. I would have been tempted to pick the ham off the dates and just eat the dates. I finished Alive Until You're Dead, but I thought it was only okay. The author went to grade school in Cambridge and talks about walking in the Mount Auburn Cemetery. Is that where you take dgd?
Nationalparker You don't have a personality flaw. It's too bad dh won't defer to your organizing skill. I think my dh might be a bit like yours and it annoys me cause I think he is being so controlling. I agree with you, journalling might just be a good idea. I'm just trying to think what would help me if I were in your shoes.
Penny I listened to the link that Bill posted. The band sounds very good. I hope it was a great concert and you weren't totally exhausted by the time you got home.
GardenerJoy I hope you were able to get through your list. I also have the rule that there is no eating in the car. It saves me from some unhealthy food I'm sure.
I had a meeting at 8:30 this morning. Now, I'm having a hard time transitioning back into a normal day. I keep jumping onto websites that invite scrolling. I'm writing this post to make a stop to that behavior with a hope that will lead to something more useful.
Exercise +30, 300/1500 minutes for June
nationalparker: You give when you post your struggles and solutions -- that helps all of us!
This is a good reminder to me today. I sometimes need to take a "withdrawals" approach to food cravings, accepting that I might be really uncomfortable for a while but eventually the food won't have the same power.
In order to overcome the urge to eat off plan, I need to have a plan. I'm currently doing "mostly Mediterranean" and eat ovo-lacto-vegetarian for non-diet reasons. I do more dairy than is recommended, and I have dessert (ice cream) every night.
I'd like to pare down the ice cream situation. I'm thinking of switching to only home-made to start with. I think that extra barrier will be helpful, and it will eliminate the extra additives that are in store-bought ice cream. I am almost done with this carton and I just won't buy more. I like the idea of switching to sorbet, too, but that will take quite a bit of extra work. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.
A good day on my end. A friend and I went on a short trip down to an artist town and enjoyed browsing and having lunch at a mostly vegan restaurant that had such friendly staff. We decided we'll do this quick trip every summer and winter. I picked up a few balsamic vinegars to bring with us as part of a food-related host gift when we visit my brother in a few weeks. I also picked up my favorite flavored olive oil, garlic and chili infused olive oil, a spicy treat on a variety of things. And so flavorful, you don't need much.
Highlight of my evening was my brother calling and extending an invitation for us to visit again in a few months when his wife heads out of town for a week. It's good that he has someone there with him when she heads out and this allows my SIL to leave without worrying about him. On rare occasions he rapidly develops a very high fever along with a few other issues and it's good that he's not alone for days at a time. We hopped right online and booked two tickets at good prices. It will definitely make it easier to leave in June knowing I'll be back in a few months. I STILL cry when I leave him.
Tomorrow is DH's last day at work and he seems lighter already. They had a nice gathering for him today, and he was appreciative to see they included many vegan options, which they NEVER do at their food events. Someone said it was the most vegetables in the building ever. He was able to bring much of the unused stuff home (veg chili, baked potatoes, raw veg) and we'll get several more meals out of it. I will go to Target, of all places, and get a package of vegan chocolate cupcakes for tomorrow. It's a four-pack and surprisingly good. Not lo-cal at 230 calories per cupcake, but good enough to where I'm not compelled to bake something.
Karen - I'm sorry I missed sending anniversary congrats yesterday! That is an accomplishment for sure. I think I'm seeing myself as being more compliant/passive in this forum when I talk about DH's estate stuff he has to handle, than I actually thought I was. Good to know. I did talk to DH a bit today about trying to get a few things rolling at the same time, and he said "feel free to call who you want". I got off that call quickly. But when he got home, he'd made the arrangements for the girls and his brother to divvy up the stuff they needed to select, and said he thought i was right about the mowing (to pay from the estate for someone to do it regularly as we'll need that when we're out of town anyway). So, two things moving forward. ... Please let us know your thoughts on The Choose You Now Diet. ... Also, not to write you a letter here, but I'm going to be pushing for a larger lunch, lighter dinner and have floated that to DH and I think he'll be on board when he's not coming home from work hungry.
Bill - Your garden party sounded wonderful. You are the type of guest I love - appreciative and enjoys what's offered (despite not being the hero who takes the extras off the host's hands...)
MommaMeli - The easiest way for me to do bold wording is to write what I want and then highlight the word by clicking twice on it and select the capital B in the toolbar at the top of the reply box. But I know that all of our windows look different with each device, so that might not be the best way. One suggestion to maybe trigger the thought to eat slower is to not put your fork at your place until RIGHT before you sit down. if someone else is setting the table, just remove it and bring it to the table when you go to sit and eat. That change in routine might be enough to have it come to mind then...??? I was trying to think of what trick might help. I have a hard time going slowly when it's a food that is eaten with my hands that falls apart, like a crunchy taco.
The concert last night was at a venue I have not been to and it was a nightmare getting into and then again when leaving. One small exit and very slow going.
The music was great and it was very nice sitting in the back in our lawn chairs, away from people. The kids wanted sweatshirts priced ridiculously high, and only then did I notice the album and tour is called "who cares?" So now they have sweatshirts that say Who Cares on the front. Trying not to judge their rude sweatshirts. lol
Bill, the garden party sounds wonderful! Thanks for posting the link to the music. They put on a pretty good show.
Karen, happy anniversary! I definitely broke the seal and am paying for it now, struggling to get back on plan.
Maryann, the traveling sounds great. Have fun!
Nationalparker, that's great you have your trip to see your brother booked. I know you have been wanted to do that for a while. Your curry recipe is prob better than mine. It turned out so bland.
Curly, ugh home repairs. Its so much, too much. We just do some things and ignore others. I'd be living with that stuck door for a while too.
MrsCalypso, I need to power through the withdrawals too.
Mammameli, fellow introvert for sure. I did so well when I hibernated at home and didn't socialize with anyone over the winter but now that I'm trying to do more- nibble nibble nibble. I'm enjoying your (and MrsCalypso's) travels through the steps.
Joy, I wasted a lot of time scrolling today too. I hope you were able to redirect better than I was.
Thursday - Author Charles Dickens dies at age 58 (1870)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was picking up the (6 yo) DGD from Kindergarten. Got informed that next week is her last day so her mom will get her then. Yikes - that means that that was our last day picking up a kindergarten kid. Nostalgia even as we cheer her growth. Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi. Snacked on grapes, as planned, on the drive home after the DGD visit. Dinner on the patio of grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, corn on the cob, and yet another salad using our lettuce. Our lettuce includes some volunteer Arugula - it just appeared - with an especially biting taste that we both love. I suspect that supermarket lettuce doesn't dare sell a package that tastes that sharp.
Uber surprise was a 9:30 pm phone call from DW's second cousin whom we haven't seen in ten years, calling ME to wish me a happy birthday. He was just perusing his data base that said that it was my birthday and gave us a call. Actually, it wasn't, neither month nor date, but I never got a chance to intervene in the conversation to tell him. At 84, he's full of life and mischief running his gentleman farm, growing enough soy beans to make a tiny profit that satisfies their state's requirement to remain taxed at the lower rate assigned to producing farm land. Out with his backhoe digging trenches. Felling trees. Burning brush using his official, renewed each year, farmer's license to burn "anything grown on that land." Fun to hear someone who is charging forward in his years ignoring all the aches and pains. "I'm officially a drug addict since the fused disks in the back sometime need Oxycontin." Kept me up until 11pm just listening. Was grateful to finally get DW on the phone so the two of them could swap stories.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - I hate that websites draw me in as if that was my number one priority for the day. I keep reading reasons why I should be on Reddit, but so far have resisted. Might be just another bottomless pit.
maryann - Love the thought of visiting thrift stores in another state far away. LOL at local roadside stand cherries from CA. Since you're in Missouri, I have no idea if that is Canada or California.
nationalparker – Happy final work day to your DH. Having his parent's house to deal with may help with the transition. So glad that you'll get a second visit with your brother. Love the idea of buying a few balsamic vinegars - but might have a hard time giving them away.
Karen (karenrn) - Yes, you gotta believe "the check is in the mail". Yes, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge is where we take the DGD. I just picked up Alive Until You're Dead from the library; I'll let you know. I think I'm more in need of strategies to deal with the ageing body and she might be more into the ageing mind.
curlyjax - Yep, these old houses call for constant maintenance. Kudos for going "to bed hungryish again."
Penny. - Ouch for sending your kids out into the world sporting shirts with Who Cares. Super Congrats to you for buying concert-priced sweatshirts when that was what was needed to made the occasion memorable to your kids.
MrsCalypso - Kudos for recognizing that you need a plan. I've waddled about in ice cream; I'm not good at controlling serving size.
MommaMeli - Congrats for solving the /B not \B problem on your own - that one isn't easy to see. LOL at "You'd think when I'm eating I'd remember I'm trying to lose weight." Seems like it's the opposite.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
The Special Event Calories Decision
Another disadvantage is that it is sometimes difficult to stay within your Special Event Calories limit. A glass of wine can loosen your inhibitions, and you may start to eat extra food spontaneously.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 12.
I took a sleeping pill last night to see if I can get a full nights sleep and stop the not sleeping well cycle. A friend told me she uses CBD oil occasionally for it getting to sleep. I’m thinking of trying it sometime just to see what its like. I took a nap and was still tired yesterday which was annoying because I want to use my free time well. Maybe Im depressed again, everything just seems like too much work. I’m starting to think about -what do I want my life ongoing to be like, how do I want to spend my time, what is important to me etc. 55 seems like a good time to examine this stuff. If anyone knows of some good midlife podcasts, please let me know. Food wasn’t so good yesterday and I ended up getting into some sweet things, but onwards. I have been persuaded to buy an airfryer as it sounds like a good alternative to heating up the kitchen, and since I don’t have an outdoor grill it will be useful. Penny- that is awesome you bought the sweatshirts, that is my attitude somedays, and its not like some super icky things you see these days. Nationalparker- i love your long notes, keep em coming! Mrs. Calypso- ice cream is a tough one indeed. Some folks use frozen bananas or grapes as a sweet treat at night, I don’t know if that would do it for you.
Good morning, coaches
Yesterday's plan didn't go so well. When I got the cake out I realized there wasn't enough for the kids. So I ate it myself. That was a fail. I think next time I'll try portioning the leftovers out for the kids as I'm putting the dessert away. A few more dishes, but it has worked in the past.
Credit for remembering to put my fork down several times during dinner last night.
Day 8: Create time & energy This is a little overwhelming for me. My days are so varied during the summer with the garden, the weather, and the various kids' activities. The school year is much more stable for the mom who loves routine. I feel confident in the cooking and meal planning, since I do that pretty easily by force of habit. Writing down what I eat could be accomplished by getting up 5 minutes earlier, so that is a no brainer.
But exercising, that is really tough. Some days I'm in the garden chopping, weeding, and picking for hours. I easy get my steps in those days. Other days I feel like I just have to stay in and clean and cook most of the day, and those days I don't get very far. I love to walk, but I live on a busy farm-to-market road that has too many tractors and trucks barreling down it to be safe for walking. I have a stationary bike in my room that I did last school year. I could do that, but I'm struggling to make it a priority. It all boils down to 2 things: time and wanting to look pretty. I hate to give up my 20-30 minute rest time (where I usually am scrolling on my phone). And on the days I manage to wear something cute and fix my hair nicely, I don't want to get sweaty in the middle of the day.
Now, looking at what I wrote, I could scroll on my phone while on the stationary bike. I could also bump the AC down a few degrees for the 20 minute ride to cut down on the sweat factor. The challenges are not insurmountable.
I know the day is coming up to pick an exercise plan. I'm trying to figure out a reasonable goal. How many days a week do you recommend starting to exercise? I struggle with all or nothing thinking. If I don't plan to do it every weekday, I'm worried I won't do it at all. It is easier for things to be non-negotiable in my life that to have to make a daily decision.
nationalparker I like the suggestion to bring my own fork to the table. Now is a good time to try that as my 2 year old has been setting the table, so many of us have to bring our own forks anyway. You never know what you are going to get!
I eventually found a project that suited my mood and energy, yesterday, and I'm going to stick with it today. It's not my most important project, but that doesn't seem to want to happen, at the moment, so I'll go for something that frees up time later this month and summer for other things.
Today's adventure is a hair appointment. I did one hair appointment in the spring without a mask, but we'll go back to using them today since St. Louis County is in the red zone.
Exercise +55, 410/1500 minutes for June
MrsCalypso: I had success with the "only homemade" rule for ice cream, for a couple of summers. My current ice cream rule is "only from ice cream shops and I order one scoop in a cup." That seems to keep me down to about two times a month, in the warmer months, and none at all in the cooler months.
BillBlueEyes: Happy non-birthday! That sounds like a delightful phone call.
maryann: My visit to the Farmers Market this week netted zero local produce. I could have had hothouse tomatoes grown in southern Illinois, if I was in the market. I was there to buy another box of flavorful local strawberries, but they were done. I ended up with Georgia peaches, instead.
MommaMeli: A problem I have with time management advice (especially when it's written by men) is that it doesn't take into account the need for wardrobe changes. Priorities aren't that useful, if they mean that I have to change clothes three times in a day to accommodate them. I need to cluster things like yardwork and exercise, because I won't do them, at all, once I've put on nicer clothes.
I exercise every day because it was just an easier habit to develop than anything else. As you can see, I track my minutes by the month. I started with something like 500 minutes a month (averaging a bit over 15 minutes a day). That way if I only managed 10 minutes on one day, I could make it up on a later day. I like the routine of daily exercise, but not the rigidity of a set goal for each day.
I also count yardwork as exercise. When it feels like it was exercise, but not as intense as my usual, I'll count half the time. I'll count the full 30 minutes for a half-hour of picking up sticks before the lawn is mowed (and make sure that I'm using well-formed squats and lunges). If I'm weeding for a half-hour and using a stool for support, but still manage a fair number of squats and lunges, I might count it as ten minutes of exercise.
I started writing a plan a few days back. I send it to my 12 step sponsor. I think participating here has helped me be willing to do that. I'm not mad about it, in fact, it really helps me. We'll see if I keep it up.
Joy, I considered that as well. I love ice cream and don't want to give it up entirely.
MamaMeli, I aim to go for a 30 minute walk every day. I do end up skipping a day or two here and there when my schedule changes, but I really just try to make it a daily thing. I don't do it for my body as much as I do it for my mind. curlyjax, the CBD would be worth a try. Good job looking at your mental health, that's good awareness. I'm not ready to move to frozen fruit yet, but someday I might be.
Bill, I do ok with portions, I use a small custard dish that keeps me sane, but I get into an every night habit.
Waving to nationalparker and Penny, karen and maryann.
Good Morning Coaches from little Springfield Airport, MO. We had a terrific day yesterday. We went to Amish country and then went out on my friend’s 2021 SERIOUS bass boat. Unbelievable the tech to catch a two foot fish and release. It was beautiful though and I ended my trips success. Now waiting for a Peru trip gal to share a car to the Shell Knob Lake. Our hostess has really planned the weekend including hikes, yoga and kayaking. I am so grateful that I took the leap to Peru by myself. It did exactly as intended. Hooked me up with like minded exercisers.
so for Mama Meli- I was once over 200 pounds as a teen. I fell in love with fun moving- hiking, volleyball, gym step classes, skiing, etc… the group aspect was critical. Then I loved exercise for the alone time. I know that is tough with five kids. But as Joy said, I would sometimes do 10 mins of stairs three times a day and give myself credit. Now I don’t care who sees me do what. I do a weight routine standing in a long line, at the airport or waiting in a dr’s office. I will do tricep lift off the chair, leaning push ups against a wall, Hindi squats in a corner somewhere. None of these make me sweat and even if it is just 10 mins I feel successful. I also pack walking shoes in the car for when I was waiting around for a kid’s music lesson. This helped me break out of perfectionism.
Wave to all.
Food was on plan and the check arrived although it wasn't huge. Down is down though. I was 135 a month ago and then jumped up a pound or two and just hung there. I finally got back to 135 and hoping to get closer to 125 or at least under 130 by the time I go to Washington at the end of July. I did have a couple of extra dates today. I went to a grocery store that is a about 15 miles away because they have such a large bulk food area and picked up about a dozen things including a few dates. I filled a lot of my glass jars so we are set for awhile. I'm starting to think about what I will make for dh when I'm gone for 3 1/2 weeks. It used to be Macaroni and cheese, chicken and cheese enchilada casserole and maybe lasagna. I'm making some marinated baked tofu today and I'm going to see how it freezes. That is something he would eat frequently. I can also freeze cooked beans and rice that he'll eat in a soft taco/burrito kind of thing.
Today is a day off from exercise and I'm feeling pretty fine from the vaccine booster that I had yesterday. The early morning temps are over 80 so I'm not looking forward to hiking in that, but I usually get used to it. I did finish reading Gender Queer and it was an eye opener for me, but that is a good thing. My next audiobook is Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks. I saw him on a Rich Roll You Tube recently and then on CNBC this morning. Since my hiking friend is in NYC for the next week, I'll get some books listened to. Ringo was playing 2 blocks from her hotel yesterday, so she bought a ticket and attended. What fun.
Maryann It sounds like you're having a delightful time. Way to get summer started.
Mrs Calypso That sounds great to have an individual accountability partner to share your plan with.
MommaMeli. I can see why it is hard to plan your day and get scheduled exercise, but I bet you get quite a lot of exercise anyway. Maybe you just need to note what you are already doing. I have all the time in the world so my hinderance to exercise is just hot weather. I typically hike about 5 days a week from a minimum of 90 minutes to a max of 5 hours or so. (but no long ones when I'm home in the summer) Since May 2nd I've added an arm and shoulder exercise You Tube and a plank. I give myself one day off a week for that.
Curlyjax Maybe you're depressed or maybe you're just exhausted. I hope you can get caught up on sleep. I googled midlife podcasts and there seem to be many. Maybe just try out a few unless someone has a recommendation.
Bill That's funny that dh's second cousin called at that time to wish you happy birthday. Especially since it wasn't your birthday. Maybe he was just a bit lonely and wanted to visit. Sounds like it worked for him. Will you have dgd in the summer? I think you're right about the book.
Penny The concert sounds fun but I do hate the getting there and leaving associated with a large venue. I guess that's one of the reasons I rarely go anymore. I hope the dates I ate today didn't break the seal for me. The good news is I only purchased a few. How are you feeling?
Nationalparker I love your long notes and I know I ramble on at times too. I'm glad you got a couple of things handled on the property including the mowing. That sounds like a very reasonable thing to do. If you can get The Choose You Now Diet book at the library I think it's worth looking over. Or if you're feeling lazy and have the time watch the You Tube video. It's on Plantstrong by Engine 2, Julieanna Hever - Lose Weight for the Last Time dated June 2, 2022. The one thing that really stuck out to me is that she said to choose an ideal weight and then determine your time line and allocate about two days per pound to estimate when you might be done. Unless someone is very heavy I can't imagine losing that quickly on a long term healthy plan.
Waving to GardenerJoy. I give you credit for changing your plan to do something even if it wasn't the planned thing. I hope you like your haircut.
But when he got home, he'd made the arrangements for the girls and his brother to divvy up the stuff they needed to select, and said he thought i was right about the mowing (to pay from the estate for someone to do it regularly as we'll need that when we're out of town anyway). So, two things moving forward. ... Please let us know your thoughts on The Choose You Now Diet. ... Also, not to write you a letter here, but I'm going to be pushing for a larger lunch, lighter dinner and have floated that to DH and I think he'll be on board when he's not coming home from work hungry. 
Thursday - Author Charles Dickens dies at age 58 (1870)
