First weigh-in of 2026 and I haven't lost or gained. That's OK. I'm adjusting to not having a big helping of sugar either with tea or in the evening. I'm going to do a drastic calorie cut this coming week since DH will be away. My life pattern will totally change for 7 days. :

Dagmar

Interesting how a change in routine can affect eating . My Sunday went differently than most of my days and I craved food at times different to the usual ones. I did eat some of the junk food still around from the holidays but I ate a lot less. And then I threw away the rest. I don't usually get to do this - my DH is very insistent we eat ALL the food - but he is away this week so I can do whatever I want.

Better day today!

Dagmar

! Got a good look at myself in the bathroom mirror door. I was fully clothed and could definitely see the "front rear end" phenomenon happening with my stomach.

I think this is my "aha" wakeup moment. I've been able to ignore all the rest of the weight gain things but this one is just too much.

DH gets home tonite after being away for a week. I bought a cake to mark his return and will be having my last piece of cake after dinner.

Calorie cuts starting tomorrow.

Dagmar

Dagmar, good luck and stay focused! I've been eating less this year so far, but still have not weighed. I'm pleased that my appetite seems to be decreasing a bit.

Dagmar

Finally have a goal I can work toward. Hubby and I are planning our first vacation away together since 1999. We're going to Quebec City. Probably in September of this year. So My goal is to weigh 10 - 12 lbs. less than I do now. I won't be down to where I want to be but I'll be closer.

My final goal will be to weigh in the 133-135 range in 2027 when I turn 70. I will celebrate that by going to Toronto for a full week - mostly alone. Hubby is not a fan of my hometown so will probably join me for a few days.

Dagmar

Quebec City is one great place to visit. Speaking a little bit of French helps; I wish I had. At the B&B where we stayed, I got an earful of what it's like to be French in Canada. They definitely feel like the underdogs.

Winter is loosening its grip on us - a bit. Natalie is sitting on the deck right now and she managed to run around the house from her cat window at the front. There are still several feet of snow everywhere but I have kept a pathway beside the house open for her. This is the first time since the fall she's used it.

I am again taking a stab at weight loss. Last week I just lost all hope and sat in the TV room eating almost every night. I really do not like living here and never will. But sometimes my tolerance is better than other times. I'm hoping Holly and will finally get a booking arranged this week for therapy dog visits. And I finally have an appointment (next week) for possible help with my SI joint diagnosis.

Hubby also has a consult today for his hernia surgery. His retirement is 2 weeks away.

So starting to hope for change. This winter has been the worst one in my memory. Just the bleakest time in my life. So some change is due.

Dagmar ???

Dagmar, I'm sorry to hear about your life feeling so bleak. If you get some therapy assignments with Holly, maybe being busy with that will help change your mood. I totally get not being happy living in a place. I sometimes feel the same but don't see a way to change it (animals, money, etc) so I try to find rewarding things to fill my days.

My weight hasn't gone down. It seems a lot harder to keep my motivation going than it used to be. Finally I found a reason from one of the dog behavior groups I belong to. In animal behavior it is called "trigger stacking". We may be able to overcome one disappointment or negative event and still keep on track, but when a lot of them stack up it's finally just too much. At night, I'm tired, usually in some sort of nagging pain due to being old, fretting about various things, and then on top of it all, I realize I'm hungry. So I eat. It remains to be seen if I can coach myself out of this pattern.

Hope the change you need is on its way!!!

Sending you a hug Alice. I know what you mean about the evening "trigger stacking". Can you access a "coach" online for motivation to break your pattern?

I'm finding for me volunteer work is slowly changing my life. January and February are so bleak because nothing is happening really re the work I've chosen. New opportunities are coming so I just have to hang on and wait. Which I hate.

Today I am going to go and decorate cupcakes for "Cupcake Week" to benefit the Humane Society here. It means changing my scheduled events for today but hey! I'm retired now and I CAN do that.

Dagmar

Sending Hugs and Supportive Thoughts to Alice and Dagmar.

"Trigger stacking" is a new notion for me, although I suspect I've felt it as a sort of "overwhelmed" when everything is going wrong. I have found that making a success, however small, is a good pin prick into the overwhelm balloon.

Dagmar, I wish you well in finding ways to establish a life where you now live. Big change from the big city.

Alice, I do know about feeling the nagging pain of feeling old. I find myself watching a sport such as American Football and feeling envy for how easily the players get up from the ground.

Down to just below 150 lbs. Will keep at it and am hoping to stay below 150 next weigh in March 6.

Dagmar :

That's terrific, Dagmar! I've been eating a little less and working outside more. Down 1.5 lbs, but hard to know if it's water fluctuation or real until I weigh a few more times. Let's keep plugging!

Dagmar

Down a fraction of a pound to 149. I'll take it. Nice birthday gift.

I had dental surgery on Wed. so there will be no birthday dinner. Scrambled eggs for me and I don't know what DH will eat. I have a plan to go to a nearby Mexican restaurant to have a flan for dessert. They have a live blues band there too so it will be a bit of an evening out. The surgery had a much bigger effect on me than I thought it would so I have little energy. But I will try.

My big gift was Natalie venturing down into the snow paths in the yard this morning with Holly and myself. She hasn't been in the open yard since last fall. So glad to see her interest in life rekindling. She may inspire me.

Dagmar