Hit the snooze button three times this morning.Feeling lazy. Current gratitude list:

I have a job to which to go ( no shut down here.)
Weight down.
Back is better as I continue to do stretches.
Hot coffee on a slow start.
Exercise planned.
three day weekend coming up

A second day in a row with a question mark next to supper, since I have a book club gathering tonight. Yesterday, supper turned out to be leftovers, so that was good.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

Cycling class was done and felt good.

Beth, credit for another day on plan.

Maryann, kudos for checking in after work instead of eating!

Bill, credit for on plan eating. We love the 13 bean soup too.

Joy, good luck figuring out dinner.

Good afternoon coaches,

Kind of a quick post here so that I am sure I do it. Food is on plan. Yesterday I did the Bell pass hike, 7 1/2 miles with a good hill, right after lunch. That worked well. Today I walked Otis and then hiked with a group of three gals who I like very much, but they were so slow. I am just horrible hiking with a group because I just want to go my own speed. They are all slim and trim, but I think I see the hike as training and they see it as social, like going out to lunch would be. I like to get my heart rate up there. I know this about myself and I try to slow down and have patience, but I'm not there yet.

Tomorrow is mandatory house work (company coming Saturday) and then another Mahjong lesson mid morning.

Karen

Hi everyone!

OP food day! YAY! OP water day, although I had to spend concentrated time getting my water in before I let myself have lunch. And--I walked tonight. My toe is no longer bothering me at all. The park department has a gym at the middle school that has an indoor track. It was my first time there. I went in the wrong door the first time and had to leave and go around the back of the school, but now that I know where it is and where to go, it'll be easy. I'm a cold weather wimp in some ways and we're expecting cold and snowy weather this weekend--I'd much rather walk inside when it's cold out! I actually didn't want to go out at all but told myself "no choice"--and am really glad I went. Walked for 30 minutes listening to 80s rock tunes.

At class this Tuesday, I set two goals for myself (SMART goals, of course):

1. Five products a day, every day, through the end of January
2. Walk 30 minutes 3 times a week (starting next week since i wasn't sure about my toe) for two weeks

I'm doing great with #1. I've had some temptations but reminded myself that I chose this. I'm seeing results, I feel great, and I can keep doing this.
For #2, it doesn't really start until Monday, but I'm sure I can go at least once this weekend. (II count weeks as being Monday to Sunday) I know that once I get started walking 3-4-5 times per week, I'll miss it when I don't walk. I want to get back to 40 minutes at a time, 4-5 times per week, but I'm starting at 30, 3 times a week because I know I need to just get started. It'll get easier from there.

karenrn: Your long hikes amaze me! It doesn't sound as if social hiking is your thing :-). That is okay, if you don't want to hike that way at all or very often, then don't. :-)

Penny: Credit for going to cycling class! And credit for another good food day!

Joy: Hope your post-book club dinner turned out to be good choices! When I start eating again, I'm sure I'll plan on leftovers for evenings where I need to be out and about.

maryann: Thanks for the reminder of how important gratitude is. I'm jealous of your 3 day weekend--I don't get one. However, I get a "floating" holiday, so I'm taking Friday off for a Mensa activity--and am really looking forward to it!

BillBlueEyes: I'm sorry your body isn't keeping up with your mental image of yourself! I get such vicarious joy out of what you share about your DGD!!!

--Beth

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walk, CREDIT moi, included the library where I had to return These Truths: A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore, unread. I hate not reading a book that I'm really interested in, but I just didn't have time to get to do it in its two week window. Maybe this summer. The librarian and I exchanged concerns about the New England Patriots football team in Kansas City this Sunday. She gave me the predictions of her best football-smart customer who had been in earlier. Then I picked up two books for the (3 yo) DGD. It's a full service library. Another house on the way under construction needed my attention. It had caused my street to be blocked off while it dug another hole in the street. They'd dug a hole in the street a year ago - this is getting expensive.

Eating was OK, CREDIT moi. Actually good until an evening lecture by a bird-banding biologist. Field biologists are the most dedicated folks in the working world. He showed a map of where the birds that they had banded were later spotted/found. One was in western Canada and two in South America. I love being reminded that little Passerines travel a long distance.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Hope your book club went well. I've still got a bunch of reading to get done before next Wednesday for mine.

maryann - Thanks for the reminder to be grateful for the things that we usually take for granted.

Karen (karenrn) - When you learn how to "slow down and have patience," send me the recipe.

Beth (bethturnaround) - Congrats for establishing an indoor place for winter walks.

Penny. - Yay for one more cycling class.

Readers -

My supper was leftovers again -- I'm pleased we seem to be in a phase where it's easier and tastier to make supper from our fridge and pantry than to do carry-out or delivery. May this phase last.

We're expecting another weekend of snow doom. It looks like it's going to start as rain overnight so maybe that will wash away the rest of the current snow before the next snow starts tomorrow morning and through the day. The forecasters are having trouble predicting this one. It all depends on whether we get the "heavy band" or it stays north of us and they just don't know.

So, my day will include groceries, gas, and prescriptions so that we're ready for whatever comes.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding. Actually it's up because I am up early for my three day work weekend and it always goes up, but I don't worry about it.

Karen, you found my people on that hike! Haha! That meetup cycling group that sped up and left me in their dust made me realize that I don't even want to ride that fast. I'm sure there are other hiking groups that do want to go faster.

Beth, the indoor track and 80s tunes sounds like a great combo. You're doing great! I'm glad the toe is better.

Bill, good luck getting your books read for book club. I'm in a reading slump with a Hitchens book at the moment but not giving up yet.

Joy, credit for eating home cooked meals.

I continue to struggle with evenings. Rather than get on myself, I am looking at the progress. Last night when I changed dinner I didn’t hate myself so much that I kept on eating. I got out the door, went to an A.A. meeting then came back for a little healthy snack and went to bed. Progress not perfection. I am calling first week back to school a success.

Personals on Saturday. Wave.

Good morning coaches,

Food is on plan, but again I think I may need to dial down the portions just a little. I may need to have a little smaller portions at meals with a planned snack, if needed. I've walked Otis and gotten the vacuuming done so far this morning. I'll get the dusting done this afternoon and the bathrooms too. I don't have a plan for exercise today except housework. I'll get a long hike in tomorrow morning before my company arrives in the afternoon.

Maryann I'm glad the first week back to school has been successful.
Penny I wasn't hiking with a hiking group yesterday. They are my friends. One of them could go faster I'm sure, but they just don't have the same mind set. It isn't that I don't like visiting, but I want to keep moving.
GardenerJoy We eat leftovers so often. I'm so thankful that my husband is fine with whatever we have as long as he doesn't have to fix it. I hope the snow isn't too bad.
Bill I was thinking about this related to your post yesterday. Have you heard of the Sit-Down-Stand-Up test that predicts longevity. It was devised by a team of Brazilian researchers and written up in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Take a look at it. I can easily get down, but I do have to use a knee to get up. I thought it was interesting anyway.
Beth You're sounding very upbeat and that's great. You're right, I don't enjoy the social hikes much and I don't sign up for any with a group unless they are moving it, but I do want to see my friends . . . so I'm trying to learn to be patient once in awhile.

Well, I guess I had better get moving. Need to get cleaned up and dressed and out the door in 30 minutes.

A quick check-in while I reheat soup for lunch. I am back on track today, after a mostly on-plan day Wednesday, then a deeply off-plan day yesterday. A good reminder that the day after the 12-hour MTWs is a day I feel down and unfocused, and therefore would benefit from a plan/moving around early in the day, rather than letting the blahs take hold of me.

Upcoming goals:
* watch portions at date-night dinner tonight
* get ALL teaching prep done for the week by Sunday, so that I have time to yoga/exercise on a couple of those on-campus days
* plan ALL meals for the week by Sunday night, too
* enjoy the snow! (by making sure we hit the grocery tonight)

You're all amazing! xoxx

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Magnificent trip to the library where I returned eight books from the stack for the (3 yo) DGD. The stack for her in our dining room had become too large and she tires of books. Like suddenly tires. All done. One was a Hansel and Gretel where the witch killed the two kids because they were naughty. Two librarians were aghast when I showed them. One is taking it home to compare it to her childhood version. My favorite librarian was wearing her Tom Brady (12) jersey. Hard to believe that that much fun happens with no cost. Amazon can't compete with human interaction. Back-to-back trips to the library is a new one for me; I usually like being efficient about such things.

Eating was OK with more snacks than I wanted. At the supermarket I had to buy extra fixings to bring a large green salad to an event this evening. I've now got a fridge full of lettuce and an evening event whose existence depends on the snow not arriving this evening. The weather maps are only ambiguous about how many inches and how much is snow, sleet, and rain - not about the arrival of a polar vortex. I suspect we're getting whatever didn't fall in Saint Louis a few days ago. All weather discussion here is about the Kansas City weather for the Patriots-Chiefs game on Sunday. Forecasts have improved to be be warmer - up to 20 degrees F now, LOL.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Alas, there can only be so many days of leftovers. Enjoy them while you can.

Mary (MaryContrary) – Love your goal to enjoy the snow. I might try that instead of my current dread.

maryann - Always buoyed by your "Progress not perfection."

Karen (karenrn) - I recall reading about that Sit-Down-Stand-Up test a bunch of years ago - will have to go check it out now. Has Otis made his peace with your vacuuming?

Penny. - Neat to keep your perspective on scale readings.

Readers -

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and weight is holding.

Not much to report other than getting work done. Dh and I are watching the new Star Trek.

Karen, ahh it was your friends and not a hiking group. I can see why they might not be as focussed. Enjoy your hike today and company.

Maryann, kudos for progress! and I'm glad your week at school went well.

Bill, fingers crossed the event is not cancelled and you are forced to eat all of that salad yourself!

Marycontrary, credit for getting right back on plan.

Our snow prediction was overblown. We might get an inch about mid-day which means the event that I thought would be cancelled isn't, and I need to go get ready for it.

I didn't manage a salad yesterday and that's not good. I'll eat at least one today.

Hi all!

We did get the expected snow--most of it overnight--maybe about 7-8". I was still able to get my car out this morning to go walk--except that the parks department was having a snow closure. I went and ran errands instead. Food and water OP for today, although I keep thinking about real food--I'm concerned/worried about transitioning back--but I plan on doing 1 meal most days starting in February.

I intend to get up and walk tomorrow--but will definitely check for closures before I go! DH injured himself doing the snow (the snow thrower backfired when he was starting it). The x-ray didn't show any bone damage, but we didn't expect it to. He's in a lot of pain and I suspect I'll be waiting on him for the next few days (sorta like and DD had to do when I couldn't walk for a few days) I hope that's all it takes for him to get back to normal. If not, we'll have to see what an orthopedist says.

My scale showed quite a bit down today. I'll update my ticker tomorrow night, probably, if the scale is consistent for tomorrow. It's hard to update it when it shows up but easy when it shows down :-). It does look like I met my "get back to where I was" goal--and I feel good about that.

My son's best friend is getting married in TX the first weekend of February. I'm looking forward to seeing her--and I haven't met the guy yet :-). She asked me to bake one of my specialty cookies--and I said yes since I couldn't imagine telling her no. They're a bar cookie, so at least they don't come out one tray at a time. DD said she'd cut and package them up to take with us, so at least I won't have that temptation. I'm torn between the "it won't hurt me to have one--or a few" and keeping in mind that I'm not any good at just having one--or just "a little" dough--and I'm way better off not having any and going in with that strong decision/determination already made. The second one is obviously the right choice so that's what I'm going to do--just have to get my head totally around it. (Yeah, these raspberry shortbread bars are that good--they're almost everyone's favorite) I know I can't handle my sweets--I just don't want to accept giving them up forever. (sounds addicted, to me)

joy: I hope you had fun at the event you expected to be cancelled.

penny: Congrats on another OP food day--you're being so consistent!

BillBlueEyes: There are books that have totally rewritten traditional fairy tales. I don't care for them, but I know kids and families who have really enjoyed them. Your DGD is so lucky to be surrounded by books! Good reminder in today's quote--I can't eat the way other people do.

maryann: Major credit for stopping eating rather than keeping going--and for recognizing that you deserve that credit. You followed it up with a healthy snack even--good choices!

G'night all!

--Beth