[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Excitement was picking up the (7 yo) DGD after 2nd Grade. Our attempts to find out what she's doing in school failed. Totally. Because it was rainy and wet, we took her straight back to her house. She played a few rounds of the "Remember" game with DW - in this version you uncover a square on a board and try to guess a square with a matching figure. She won. Her little mind just remembers everything.

Got to play hero again in the evening. When it was time for DW to leave for her garden club meeting, the rain was intense. She parks about 100 meters away so she would have arrived a tad wet. She doesn't mind arriving home wet, but sitting for two hours feeling wet isn't pleasant. So I drove her there and later picked her up. My reward is that she came home with two HUGE commercially grown mushrooms. Their speaker was the owner of a small business that sells boxes of Red Oak sawdust inoculated with mushroom starting. In a few weeks one has a thick growth of edible fungus. Sauteed mushroom is in my near future for dinner - can't wait.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was the last dip into the batch of dahl with the last shared loaf of naan. Along with tomato salad, my green salad, and sauteed spinach. Debated at dinner whether its worth a few extra years of life by practicing a diet that leaves one always feeling hungry. One advocate who ate only one meal a day, breakfast, said that after two years one doesn't feel hunger any more. Felt that the super low calorie diet extended the healthy portion of his life. Unfortunately he died at 79 instead of 120. I'm enjoying learning about not-eating as a path to happiness but am not a believer yet. Watch this space.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Always encouraging to hear that you're making contact with your Dear Niece. I agree, "please go take these tests" does not convey much information.

Erika (eusebius) – Makes sense that you're wiped out after a loooong day. You can commiserate with Handel today since it's the day in 1741 when he finished his "Messiah" after working on it non-stop for 23 days. Those, too, must have been loooong days.

maryann – Had to google Craftsman House to see how it differed from American Victorian. Described as "cozy, homey, unpretentious, and warm" - what a great start to making it a home. 4000 square feet is one big house. Drooling at the thought of a summer in California watching the landscaping develop. I presume you'll not be doing the xeriscaping of your current house.

curlyjax - Neat idea to listen/watch YouTube videos about decluttering while decluttering. Like the idea of considering how much inventory we want to manage. I can use that for briefcases. Only one set of sheets per bed? - I agree, that's extreme.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Accepting Your Maintenance Weight

If you find your disappointment lingers and starts coloring your experience, you can write about it in a journal. Or some people find it helpful to talk to their Diet Buddy or a sympathetic friend or family member.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 184.

[curlyjax]

I resisted all the sweets yesterday except 2 mini peppermint patties, i'll take that as a win. The rest of eating was not great but not terrible. There was a nurse available at work and I asked her to check my lungs as I'm coughing a lot and feeling mildly off with breathing; she stated they sounded like there was irritation from the coughing but fine. I'll get some robitussin and I had some honey last night which is supposed to help.
Excitement was staying late last night to attend a presentation on retirement, which I am far from but wanted to know about. We receive a town pension if we work for 10 years, but that affects how much SS you get, as you can't double dip (although federal and i believe state employees can, but that's another story) Then I went home and did a lot of estimation math,and worked out that i'll get a small portion of the pension at least which would be a help -I'm can collect DH's SS which would be more than mine at any rate.
And then DD parked in a different garage and was worried about getting the car being locked in as she gets out of work at 11:30- which did happen one time-so I stayed up really late just in case and got very little sleep. Quite the day.
Maryann- It's so fun to hear about the house, I'm glad you can share the news here. Craftsman houses are adorable. I'll join the CA party and help with making food and be part of the labor force
Bill- Ironic about that guy. The idea does not appeal at all to be hungry all the time for two years.

[gardenerjoy]

I finally had a morning that was quiet enough to check my blood pressure and it's still lower than the 140/90 measurement that is when doctor's used to start to have the medication discussion. But it's not as low as the 130/80 threshold that was established a couple of years ago (Reading the new blood pressure guidelines - Harvard Health). When the news reports talked about that, I remember being convinced that if it took medication to get below 120/80 that was the way to go. I was also pretty clear, even then, that I was unlikely to make that happen on my own for my whole life.

I still have a few ideas for lifestyle tweaks and a month or two to explore them. So, I'll take that opportunity, but I'm really coming around to the notion that medication is a good tool for this purpose.

Exercise: 85, 750/1500 minutes for September

eusebius and maryann: I love the vision of listening to a Steinway while planning a garden with BillBlueEye's DW (who is way more qualified than me, but I'm not going to allow that to limit my beliefs about my ability to contribute).

BillBlueEyes: I've found the very low-calorie diet material unconvincing and unpleasant, but I'll keep an open mind to what you discover.

curlyjax: I'm also grateful for DH's SS, if a little annoyed that my choice to switch from computer science to librarianship meant that I never made more than he did, even though I worked more years. Especially since it was similar work and in circumstances that were much more welcoming to women workers. So many layers to the ways that our society keeps women earning less.

Waving to silverbirch during your travels!

[silverbirch]

The DD didn’t pass the driving test this morning and this is going to cause some complications. Meltdown and “kerfuffles” ensued for some time on the nearby riverbank. Many thanks to curlyjax and gardenerjoy and eusebius, the other members of our dealing/living with young women sub-group. To maryann, for her oft-repeated phrase “just for today”. To Bill, parent and grandparent of a handful of females. You all helped me navigate through the anger, distress and the damp tissues. I administered herbal tea, coffee and cake from the nearby cafe. I put together our watchword that “just for today we’ll just go through the motions. No need to work on options.” Eventually we (just me behind the wheel this time) drove for a number of hours through mist and murk, stopping for fish & chips and quiche & salad. We’ve collected the key to the DD’s new house and she likes it a lot. I walked round the nearby nature reserve for quite a long time. We’ve now retired to our hotel, have decided not to go out for food and are resting after an eventful day. My goodness. Tomorrow is another day and the focus will be “being kind to ourselves”. This is going to be about nice food, walks and things to look at. We may manage to look at some options but really it’s a day to pull ourselves together before moving the furniture into the house on Saturday.

I’m going to have a bath now and then get into bed.

maryann, thank you for thinking I’m polite! 1932 is most definitely history. No longer hearing the stories and beliefs of members of the family who aren’t with us any more has certainly taught me that. How interesting that the Craftsman Style is related to the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, which I think is beautiful. Older buildings and gardens are fascinating and it’s great that you’re going to look after these.

[maryann]

Good afternoon, Coaches.

It is decided, if the deal go through it is a summer landscape party and all are invited to share their talents.

In regards what is there now, there ia already a series of small terraces leading up tot he house. each mini terrace has plants that are still living and kind of a mish -mash of steps, bricks and gravel. My idea is to keep it as close to a xeriscape as possible in order to keep maintenance minimal. Pros a few thriving but way over grown trees ( one being a pomegranate in bloom) and bushes on various levels, roses over grown, cactus ( what?), some trellises and vining roses that are a little broken down and a bottle brush hedge up against a rod iron metal fence. M<y first step if the deal go through is to use my iphone to identify all the plants and look up when and how to prune. I am sending pictures to all of you . I also want to make more decorative paths that look purposeful but don't add maintenance. This pinterest page is what I am thinkg:

Pinterest (Pins)

. I would love to be retired and learn how to cobblestone.

Eusebius: I have a model M Steinway 2010. We bought it from a showroom, used at a convention. It is fabulous.

Thinking of all you who are dealing with younger women. It takes a village to launch. This is my favorite poem about it by Khalil Gilbran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

[onebyone]

Hello Coaches. TGIF.

Long time no see but so happy to see you all again. I've spent a few hours catching up with all your posts. Declutter fever has hit this forum! I wish I could say I conquered my clutter. Alas I am still swimming in it. I managed to rid myself of a tiny storage locker *credit* but still have my larger and increasingly too expensive locker. I am determined that I just paid my final monthly fee for it and I will be vacated by October 18... even if the contents go into a bin. It's a must do.

This is not the ideal time for me to be doing this work. I have to say I feel like a failure re: weightloss and decluttering. Have I made any progress since joining here I think over a decade ago? When I first joined I was terrified I would be 250lbs. Last Christmas Day I saw 300 exactly on the scale. I had held it around 270 for a few years and then I got covid in November and then I just ate. Gifted at weight gain, I was easily up 10 then 20 but I worked for that last 10 and then earlier this year, another 15 which has since fallen to a hovering weight around 306-310. Closest I have come to getting under 300 is 302. I need to be here.

Its always amazing how we can become enlightened and for me this happened a few days ago as I face the real life consequences of being morbidly obese. This is something I had never contemplated. I had a bump pop up on my scalp seemingly overnight in March. It didn't hurt so I didn't bother with it except I kept bonking it. I especially bonked it on the truck lid of my car and sometimes getting in and out of the car and when I bonked it it would bleed. After bleeding it would heal over and I figured one day it would heal and go away. But instead eventually I went to the Dr in May and then the dermatologist saw me in June and then the plastic surgeon agreed to take it off in August and I had minor surgery on my scalp Sept 1st. 6 to 8 weeks for healing I was told. 10 days for the stitches to come out. Day 2 after surgery, my ex-emergency room nurse friend said to go to the emerg asap cause it didn't look right. Emerg Dr saw a tiny area that wasn't closed. He said closing could cause infection just keep it clean and let it heal. Ok. Then I got an infection and antibiotics cleared that up. They run out tomorrow. DH has been my wound nurse through all of this as I cant see my scalp (a blessing probably -- DH is a blessing for sure) and today he had questions for the plastic surgeon as the wound is like a depression and is that right? So we got clarification of that and other things. The pathology of the original lump just showed up today. I expect a doctor to call me tomorrow about the results. So what do we do these days when something happens we don't understand? We google it. Every google concerning wound healing or wounds opening up or stitches failing lists possible causes and obesity, written just like that, obesity is a cause.

SIGH

I have that. I'm obese.

My plastic surgeon chalked it up to "bad luck" promising me it would heal just much more slowly as my body "takes over" to heal from the bottom up vs top down=stitches.

I've always known that fat on the body is not neutral. It isn't just there doing nothing. Mine is interfering with my healing. I'm older and my awesome powerful genetics can't cope as much so I need to help myself and so I am here among all of you who take your health seriously whilst living and enjoying your life.

Much more to say but I will stop here. Thanks for reading.

maryann Happy to see you here. Retiring to a country home. Sounds amazing and great fodder for the imagination. An arts and crafts style home with furniture with meaning is so appealing. That cobblestone path is enchanting. If you need a mosaic somewhere, like perhaps a ceramic birdbath in an arts and crafts style or maybe some custom ceramic tiles I volunteer!

curlyjax Sorry to hear you got covid. For me it lasted a long time. I was pretty surprised we caught it but it went away too. I wish you rest and recovery asap.

BillBlueEyes

One advocate who ate only one meal a day, breakfast, said that after two years one doesn't feel hunger any more.

I can vouch that this is true. I am in fact heading back to intermittent fasting. Though my weight doesnt reflect the success I have had with that WOE, my self sabotage is always what puts the weight back on, intermittent fasting feels exactly right to me. Recently I found a group called Eat Like a Bear, another one to two meal a day advocates incorporating a really big salad or a really big skillet meal as your one or two meals. For me, for weightloss, this is what I am going for. For you I dont think that's the draw. Optimal health is, right? So many paths out there as varied as there are people. One of the reasons Beck is always good. We have always choices but need commitment to have success.

gardenerjoy Blood pressure measurements. I have a dr who doesnt have a blood pressure cuff that fits me. Almost no one has one. Once I was sent for a stress test at a hospital and they didnt have a cuff for me. A hospital! so I ran the treadmill and had the electrodes monitor my heart but no one knew what the blood pressure was. Useless. When I was in the 270's I crafted velcro "bridges" to go from one side of the xl cuff to the other so my dr could get my numbers. It worked. The cuff held. At that time I was losing weight and dropping by the office to measure my weight every week so then the cuff started to fit but now I'm way way too big again. So, for the first time, I got sent to a cardiologist who had a cuff that *gasp* fit. BP 145/89. Given how stressed I am, someone said I have BP PTSD, that was a good reading showing my current meds are working which is what my dr wanted to know. phew. Just another reason/reminder to move on down the scale. You've done so well looking after your health. You'll figure this issue out to.

silverbirch Sorry your DD didn't pass her driver's test. That's frustrating.You really do sound like you negotiated a very highly emotional day. That's a lot on you and your DD's plate--a driving rest and moving house. Moving is super stressful too. So glad tomorrow is a kindness to self day. Excellent. i wish you great weather and copious amounts of joy.

Good night all.

[curlyjax]

I did very little yesterday; I was cranky after work so I took a nap and then watched tv for hours. I enjoyed "Why didn't they ask Evans" which is on BBC, an Agatha Christie remake. Food was off again but at least I ate my salad and healthy oatmeal breakfast. Today after work I'm going to go back to the RMV to turn in the official insurance sheet and get the registration set. Hopefully that won't take forever- I get out early on fridays so should have some time before they close.
Exciting plans for the weekend include the usual dump run, food planning, groceries etc. BFF and I are hopefully going to spend one hour and her house and then one at mine to help each other declutter. And I have got to get going on my PT exercises as I'm going back next week and have been woefully slacking.
Silverbirch-Oh geez, I'm sorry she didn't pass the test. It's much harder to not have a car in many places other than the city, where its a liability. Good idea for a be kind to yourself day. At least you have the new place sorted out. Thankfully my DD passed her test on the first try but my DS did not-it would have been much harder on everyone the other way around.
Maryann- that pathway is beautiful, a great inspiration. My DH was able to re -do our short brick walkway while he was in between cancer remission and its a lovely reminder of him. It's not elaborate like that, but i'm sure you will be able to do anything you put your mind to.
Onebyone- so great to see you! I have also gained weight since I joined this group, a good 35 pounds probably which is a lot on my short frame. I hear you about the fat not being neutral-its a little scary to think about. Great that fasting works for you.
Gardenerjoy- yes, it is very frustrating that women continue to make less than men. Good to have made peace with idea of possible medication.

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. As I'd said, the Oyster mushrooms were sauteed with garlic and butter. The commercial grower who had given the talk had said that even with all her experience, she'd never pick a wild mushroom. "Too many that look just like the poisonous ones." We fretted about what to serve with them. Not a problem. They're just divine all by themselves. As one might observe, almost anything is divine with enough butter and garlic.

Walking, CREDIT moi, was the minor amount getting to my class about "Lyfe" - the coined word for "Life as we don't know it" with a nod to Star Trek. Our first day of class was the same day that NASA published its long-awaited report on UAP - Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. [Spoiler: Most are explained by natural phenomena; a handful haven't been explained yet - but NASA is disinclined to believe it's Little Green Men.] The crazy part of speculation is frequently in the news. The intriguing part is how scientists speculate what are the essential components that would support a life form. Had a fun chemistry reminder of how Oxygen lusts to bond with something, how Carbon looking to fill its outer ring with four electrons is a stalwart partner, and that Helium, however abundant, is just happy all by itself. Debated at dinner just how early kids should be exposed to the Periodic Table so that they can follow the news. DW suggested it should be on the wall from the First Grade on so that kids would grow to think of it as friendly.


onebyone - Wish you well with the healing of your scalp - with its painful reminder that extra weight affects us all over. Good to be reminded of the many folks who find Intermittent Fasting a good eating plan. Please do join the encouragement to declutter that this thread has meandered into. So glad to hear that you're alive and well.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - Thanks to the link to blood pressure guidelines. In response to my last BP measurement, the doctor was mostly concerned with the Diastolic reading being under 80. Don't know why that was deemed more important than the Systolic reading.

Erika (eusebius) – It does seem odd that eating more leads to weight loss - but I've never been terribly successful predicting what the body does. So interesting the ways that “limiting beliefs” messes with our thinking.

Silverbirch - So happy to hear that your DD likes her new digs. Ouch for the painful miss on passing the driver's license test. Super Kudos to you both for openly dealing with that pain and loss. Sending best wishes to finding a way to retake the test.

maryann – Amazing to me that the gardens of the house have so much care. That cobblestone walk is a gas. Enjoyed reading Kahlil Gibran's "It takes a village" to remind myself how many influences my granddaughters have.

curlyjax - Good news that your cough isn't an indication of another problem. Smart of you to keep your calculations for retirement up to date.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Accepting Your Maintenance Weight

Tell him/her you don't want help in problem solving, though. You just want to be able to express your disappointment aloud and get emotional support.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 184.

[eusebius]

Hi folks,

Oh man yesterday was long. I am wiped but at least I had the opportunity to sleep in. I know I’m supposed to get up and go to bed at the same time every day to reset my circadian rhythms but ugh. Maybe this will get easier. This semester I gave myself the best gift ever - Fridays off! This feels amazing.

Anyway I’m feeling a bit relieved because people are starting to pay me again. Yay!

Still hitting my calorie, exercise, and water goals somehow.

BillBlueEyes - mushrooms!! YUM I love them. Those oyster mushrooms must have been divine. How the heck did Handel write Messiah in 23 days?? Somebody else was cooking for him I’ll bet 😅 Your class on Lyfe sounds so fascinating. Pretty sure this is the only weight loss discussion group where I learn about UAP as well as UPF!

curlyjax - I am glad your lungs are ok! Retirement numbers sound workable which is great. Quite a day indeed! Good that yesterday was calmer.

gardenerjoy - interesting about the blood pressure medications and different target numbers. This group is so educational! I can see why you are thinking about medication.

silverbirch - I am sorry that DD didn’t pass the test. If it helps, tell her it took me 3 tries to pass. She will eventually. Your kindness and presence are absolutely the best salve for this wound.

maryann - I love how we have all invited ourselves to your house (at least the non-gardeners) 😆 Absolutely love your landscaping ideas and that gorgeous path. Your model M Steinway sounds just divine. It’s newer than mine! I have a 1986 B. Perfect poem by Gibran for these situations with our kids.

onebyone - what a delightful surprise to see your post this morning! Sending hugs — your recent experience with the wound on your scalp sounds so stressful and difficult. Kudos for taking the step of posting here and investing in your health!

Waving to all! Happy Friday!

[gardenerjoy]

My day began with a walk with a friend and then shopping for groceries. I was well over my current goal of 7000 steps per day before lunch!

We're in the "it's time to replace Joy's computer" phase. I always put it off as long as possible, but my computer randomly turns itself off occasionally, which of course is accompanied by the terror that it won't turn back on. So far, it has. But it's doing it more and more often. Time for a newer system with more memory. We did all the research today, but we're going to sleep on it and maybe order it tomorrow.

Exercise: 65, 815/1500 minutes for September

silverbirch: I failed my driving test the first time. Every time that I confess that in a group of any size, there's always at least one other person who had the same experience. Since no one talks about it, we haven't normalized that it takes more than once for many of us.

onebyone: I missed you! I'm glad to see you back.

[silverbirch]

Not a bad day today, focusing on being kind to ourselves. We left the car at the house and walked into town, dealing with those things that were top of the DD’s mind. These included joining the library, buying some socks, having a drink in a pub and checking out a zero waste shop. All very pleasant in the sunshine. Gorgeous weather on the cusp of autumn. A small cat called at the house to see what was happening. Food hasn’t been terrific but I managed to cram in a banana, a pile of salad and some herbal tea. And 10,000+ steps. The SO will supervise the loading of the van tomorrow and we’ll be there for unloading, three hours or so later.

Thank you, everyone, for telling me about not passing the driving test first time round.

maryann, lovely from Khalil Gilbran. Thank you.

onebyone, it’s so nice to see you again. I’ve missed you. I’m glad that bump on your scalp has prompted you to find your way back here.

curlyjax, it always makes me smile when I hear you’ve been watching BBC programmes!

Bill, I think I’d go along with your DW’s suggestion about the periodic table on the wall from the early years “so they think of it as friendly”.

eusebius, so good that people are starting to pay you again!

gardenerjoy, very good point that having to take the driving test more than once has not been normalised. (For information, despite what people say, it’s perfectly OK for British English to use -ize. It’s in the OED - Oxford English Dictionary - and was the standard when I was at primary school. I don’t know at all how it is that things have changed.)

[onebyone]

Hello Coaches

Thank you for the warm welcome back. Still happy to be here.

I woke up this morning from a horrible dream. I was just screaming at DH in my dream for leavng our cat on the side of the road. Screaming! I think it must have been influenced by the family upstairs who seem to scream a lot in a language other than english. I think it was about the 3yr old resisting going wherever they were going cause I woke up and heard the front door close. That was the worst of the night but I popped awake twice and stayed up for an hour plus after waking. Im sleeping on the tumbledown loveseat cause the wound-that-is-healing is just a smidge low on the crown of my head and it bothers me to lay on it. I have a swollen lymph node on my right cheek so can't turn onto the right side very much either right now. That hurts. Thats actually a bit scary but I have a requisition for an ultrasound which I may do on Monday to see what it is. I want it to be a swollen lymph node reacting to the infection that has now cleared up on my noggin'.

Today I was supposed to be setting up at a 2 day outdoor art show. I cancelled it and got a refund easily. A wait-listed painter has my spot. It's a good spot too! I cancelled next weekend Artwalk outdoor event as well. Still healing. Dont want any trouble so I'm being ultra cautious. I've made a decision to no longer attend outdoor art shows. I feel I've met and maybe surpassed my quota of sun on the skin for hours and days. I'm not sad to choose this. Changes are afoot for me as they are for so many of us here in this forum.

I have a scheduled Diabetes clothes/furniture pickup happening on Sept 24th. I have two garbage bags of clothing items that I'll sort tomorrow and I am faced with what to do with clothes that don't fit. I'm looking for advice on that Coaches. I'd like to radically cull my clothes. If you have done that tell me if it was a good move. Most of what I wear I wear solely because that is what I could find that fit. Very little choice at this size. Lots of clothes maybe 3 sizes down. That's a while away. I just feel like donating everything that doesn't fit except for a very few special items. I think I will be radical and just get a move on. I'll report back on how well I did with that tomorrow.

I made two other health-supporting decisions today: 1. walk outside daily 15 to 30min
2. use the juicer and make a green juice daily

I'm close to feeling able to implement some boundaries around my food but decluttering, walking and drinking my kale are enough health supports for today.

BillBlueEyes Credit for no snacks. I was watching a series about UAP. It was kind of goofy but I learned there could be underwater aliens living in the trench (forget the name) between Catalina Island and the mainland. Apparently they zoom into the sky, catch our attention and then gone! Into the ocean! My really good friend has always believed in them. I like to hear the stories sometimes but not always. Happy to read you're still going to school! Excellent.

curlyjax I was excited to read you are going on a dump run. My imagination fired up picturing me going on a dump run too. I can't do that here but my Studio Landlord said he'd get me my own garbage bin and it would only cost $50 and then I could fill it and the garbage man would take it to the dump. Dump-run-by-proxy I guess. I dream of the day.

eusebius I slept a lot this afternoon which I don't like doing. People would say "you must have needed it' which is what I'll say to you sleeping in. I'm glad you're getting paid. I get paid erratically as well at one of my regular things too.

gardenerjoy There is a computer here that I use a lot as it's really the TV for the household. It also has a bunch of stuff that I save to it when I come across stuff online during the course of the day or when I am moved to search for something. Sometimes it won't power up. I've moved most of the important stuff off of it (can't tell you where that is right now) so I guess it could give up the ghost at anytime and I should be fine but it niggles at me that maybe I will lose something... I hope you get a new one soon.

silverbirch It sounds like you had a great day today. I was amused that your DD had it on her list to join the library! How wonderful! I'm always afraid society will write off libraries as unneccessary. Google knows all... except it doesn't. This made me think of our province and their announcement of re-introducing cursive writing AND phonics (!!) back into the curriculum. Google can't do it all.

Have a good night everyone

[BillBlueEyes]

Diet Coaches/Buddies – Excitement included a visit to my eye doctor. I remain grateful that I have access to quality eye care. And remain a big fan of the fancy optical equipment with zillions of high quality lenses that are flipped in front of my eyes. The doctor had concerns about driving to Cape Cod for a family Rosh Hashanah event with Hurricane Lee coming up the East Coast. We had little impact from Hurricane Lee last night; seems that we were spared.

Other excitement was attending a play, The Half-God of Rainfall. Somewhat an odd duck. That link is to a review of the New York production; our production didn't have a satisfactory synopsis. The show was interrupted by a medical emergency: an audience member apparently had a seizure and had to be forcefully carried away. Forcefully because he seemed oblivious to the constant loud screaming that he was doing and didn't want to leave. Only time that's happened to me at a performance. I hope he's OK. The Stage Manager called for the actors to return backstage while the removal happened. They had continued performing during the screaming as if it weren't happening.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner of omelettes was woofed down before leaving for the theater.


onebyone - Thanks for one of the more extreme Little Green Men theories: living in the Farallon Trench near Catalina Island. Since I'm not a believer, I find them all a tad extreme. Congrats for cancelling some outdoor art shows. I admire any changes in our lives that represent moving forward. I do hope you find a solution to your health issues.

Joy (gardenerjoy) - That's a bunch of walking before lunch. Have fun making your computer decision; may you be satisfied with your choice. After much careful shopping, I brought my new computer home before I noticed that it didn't have a CD-ROM drive. None of them did. I still miss it.

Erika (eusebius) – Fridays off is a great plan for the year. LOL that Handel had someone cooking for him to be able to compose the "Messiah" in just 23 days. Yep, income is a good thing.

Silverbirch - Neat that you had a good day with your DD exploring her new town. Love that a library card was high on her list.

curlyjax - Hope you survive your adventure into the depths of the DMV. I do admire how easy they make it after everything is in order. After a few clicks on my home computer a week ago, my Registration Sticker arrived in the mail yesterday. Knowing that rain was coming, I immediately marched out to stick it on my license plate. Done! Not my usual put it in a stack knowing that I had a few weeks before it absolutely had to be done. Oatmeal for breakfast is a great start for the day.

Readers -

Chapter 7 Stage 4 - The Think Thin Lifetime Eating Plan

Staying Within a 5-pound Weight Range

Once you reach your maintenance weight, start graphing your weight differently. No one stays at one set number every day. Most maintainers fluctuate by a few pounds from day to day.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 184.

[curlyjax]

Work was busy yesterday. I did eat the lunch which was an Indian type of chicken recipe and fabulous, and then I indulged in dessert. Afterwards I went to the DMV which was much less busy than Monday morning and I zipped right through, and the helper was quite pleasant which was nice too. I went to a Whole Foods for a few specialty items that don't need refrigeration, and then went to a nearby chocolate store I haven't visited in eons- I used to go to it all the time at my old job which fortunately its not close to my house. Clearly I need to recalibrate my thinking! Then off to Savers.We're doing a spirit week at work so I was looking for some specialty shirts, some of which I found, and I also splurged on a Halloween costume for a work party. Then home to eat salad, listen to DD for a little, and indulge in my chocolates while watching- wait for it- Peace by Chocolate on Amazon. A lovely movie based on a true story of Syrian refugees relocating to Antigonish-Nova Scotia-Canada. It will make you crave chocolate for sure.
This morning i'm back on track and supposed to do some clearing out with my BFF which will be exercise for the day.I'm going to have a healthy hearty breakfast and figure out my eating later.
Bill-your class sounds quite interesting as usual. Anything indeed tastes great with butter and garlic!
Eusebius-I'm a big believer in sleeping in when you can! Great idea to give yourself Fridays off.
Gardenerjoy- I have switched to Chromebooks which are relatively cheap and simple. i don't need the fancy Mac stuff or Windows either, so it works for me.
Silverbirch- So exciting for moving day to arrive! I wish you an uneventful day. British murder mysteries are the best.
Onebyone-ugh, I hope that lymph node clears up quickly. Sounds like a good decision to avoid the bright sun for hours. I do love access to the dump; its open 4 days a week, and there's a recycle part and a swap shop as well. It's only a problem if you can't drive or lift things like when I had my hip surgery. Thoughts on clothing-one train of thought is focus on the present. What fits you today, not what used to or will when you lose weight. That way you have an easier time getting dressed, and no clothes to remind you of any bad feelings. It's also helpful for getting rid of other stuff in the thinking of, what am I using now-not this might come in handy, etc.

[maryann]

Good Morning, Coaches.

Yesterday was a marathon. I had planned an industrial line simulation which is always high energy. Half the students are craftsmen making snowflakes. Only four get selected to eat the rest starve. The other half of the class cuts on small part of a snowflake. They are exposed to factory noise, a mean supervisor who can fire and replace them (also who can spray them with water.) They are, however guaranteed a bag of chips if they meet their quota. Big impact but lots of energy. Then I raced off to meet DH to get to the Tim McGraw concert in Sparks, Reno 2.5 ours away. Great job eating at the chophouse. DH and I split a a filet mignon and a seafood risotto. 1 small piece of bread.

The concert was not great. McGraw was out of tune or losing his voice. Something was up. The songs which I had enjoyed seemed simple and repetitive. Anyway we left early. no problem I was tired. The good part is it brought DH and I up here to Truckee for the weekend.

Day was OP planned exercise is a hike and paddle board.

personals tomorrow.