Good morning.

Yesterday was a little overbudget with a cocktail. I still ate good, which is usually a problem with alcohol.

Today's exercise classes involved a resistance band so I had to go buy one, and I'm still waiting on the yoga equipment. My room is going to house the whole gym soon.

Curly, yay for having all your work ducks in a row and getting out on time. Enjoy your Panera.

Karen, ugh bathing suits are so hard to shop for. Enjoy your hike!

Checking in late because I ran errands this morning and voted right after lunch. And, now, I'm exhausted. I think that much activity would have just felt normal a year ago.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll recover, probably in the next few minutes, after I've goofed off on the computer for a bit. I didn't forage any food while I was out and about. CREDIT!

Exercise +40, 185/1400 minutes for April

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Excitement was a boring trip to the supermarket with folks wearing masks honoring social distancing. A good kind of boring. A cereal that DW likes that wasn't in stock last week was in stock this week. How small life has become that that's an item to celebrate.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was salmon grilled on the patio along with spinach (the second veggie on the Nutrition Action Newsletter list of great veggies) and sweet potato. Alas, we forgot that we'd bought a fresh baguette! Hard to believe that life is so busy that one can forget a baguette. Evening snack included fresh pineapple. Life is good.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Kudos for avoiding foraging while out and about.

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats for facing the notion of buying a bathing suit.

curlyjax - Yep, it's neat to get positive feedback from the folks you've been helping.

Penny. - LOL at your gym-in-a-bedroom. Maybe you can invent a double stacking - like bunk beds.

Readers -

I had to stand for about 2 hours yesterday at work and my left hip was killing me. That's the "good" one; it's been hurting during stretching for awhile though and I have this bad feeling I may need another hip replacement at some point. Losing weight should help. I'm going to monitor it for a bit.
DD called me frantic since she scraped someone else's car in a parking lot. I talked her thru what to do and realized I need to review all that info with the kids (and myself) again. I was also feeling stressed and teary by my new upcoming job, getting work and home things done in the next few weeks, and the responsibilities of solo parenting weighing on me. DD gets very anxious and I can't be there to listen to her (for hours it feels like!) if 'm feeling stressed myself. I did some emotional overeating. Today I have cramps and I think there are hormonal things at play which makes me feel mentally better in a way. I'm going to lay everything out and make a plan. And I'm meeting a friend for wine outside after work which will be lovely. Thanks for letting me vent here.
Karen- I love Land's End for swimsuits even if they are pricey; Good quality and a lot of mix and match ideas. It was so helpful when they were in Sears stores and you could actually try them on too.
Penny- yay for a gym room. I love having stuff at home to work out with.
Gardenerjoy-there's definitely a change in activity from last year to this year.
Bill-sounds like you had a mellow day. Your dinner sounds great!

I have a meeting today and a long list besides. Yesterday was about taking care of some practicalities related to DH's surgery on the 21st. Today is about taking care of some other things so that I can let go of part of my usual life for a month or so (a week before his surgery and three weeks after). That feels like an important bit of self-care for me. But it's hard! I'm already saying 'no' to things that would ordinarily be an enthusiastic 'yes.'

Exercise +40, 225/1400 minutes for April

Good morning,

Yesterday was on plan.

The birds are so noisy in the mornings now, it must be spring. Have a great day, everyone.

Good morning coaches,

Yesterday was on plan, but I think it was a little higher sodium, weight is up a pound. Suzanne from Tucson is arriving today instead of yesterday. She is very unreliable so I try not to totally change my plans or I will be more unhappy with her. I will continue hiking every morning whether she is here or not. I hiked Tom's Thumb this morning and it was delightful. My other friends husband died yesterday. They had made the decision to go home with hospice once he had a nerve block for pain, but he didn't make it out of the hospital. I'm so glad he could make his own decisions. I feel so badly for her and it does make me think about how long my dh may work. I didn't eat over it although I felt like either eating, drinking or both.

Penny On plan is great.
GardenerJoy I hope dh's recovery is a pleasant surprise for you both.
Curlyjax I'll have to look at Land's End. I've been lucky enough to get some really good quality suits on sale here in years past, but I don't feel like shopping in many stores.
Bill It sounds like a great dinner. I think we're having Sea Bass tonight. My friend loves it and I like fish but my husband doesn't. He isn't home, so it's a perfect opportunity.

Well, I guess I'd better get cleaned up for the day. I'm meeting a couple of friends for lunch. Suzanne knows them and can go if she gets here in time. They are from MN and will be leaving AZ soon, so I want to see them before they leave.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (5.5 yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. We explored a different playground. It also had one of the expensive German climbing structures built with nylon ropes (actually, steel covered with nylon). She went up and down over and over - always carrying "Baby" the Cabbage Patch Doll that her mother had owned at that age. The doll withstood constant abuse; we don't own anything else that's almost 40-years old that's that resilient.

Eating was on plan with no unplanned daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was dahl with the baguette. It's a particularly good batch of dahl, but any food tastes better with a baguette. I had noticed a recipe in the Boston Globe for eggplant lasagna - with no tomato sauce and no pasta. Thought to look it up on the list of good veggies: eggplant is second from the bottom - only better than spaghetti squash. Ouch! "About as nutritious as a sponge for exactly the same usage," DW noted. No wonder I've always liked eggplant parmigiana - carbs and fats.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats to St. Louis for electing its first black, female mayor. What a challenging job. Kudos for seriously planning your time commitments around your DH's procedure.

Karen (karenrn) - Sending supportive thoughts for supporting your friend who lost her DH - even before she could get him to home hospice care. Good luck entertaining your guest. Sea Bass has never made it to our list of regular foods.

curlyjax - Makes sense to feel stressed with so many things on your plate. Hope you find some quiet time.

Penny. - Yay for noisy birds. Just wish there were more of them.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday. We didn't get to the store for the Sea Bass, so likely it will be today. Since we had lunch out we just had a turkey roll up at home for dinner. Wt was 150.2 even after some water and a cup of coffee, so I am hoping for under 150 tomorrow. I know a lot of that will depend upon how careful I am today. We had some pool time yesterday and I got in the water again. I have a blow up chair that keeps most of me out of the water. I'm meeting a friend at the TH at 6 to do a 90 minute moderate hike. That will get my day started off great and then I'll have more pool time today. I'm using sunscreen and just trying to even out a tan so I don't have a hiker tan.

Bill I remember buying Cabbage Patch dolls for a couple of nieces many years ago. They were so popular that I was lucky to get them. Interesting to learn about the nutritional value of the vegetables.

I met my friend at a local state park after work yesterday and we had a lovely glass of wine outside. We are both of the non-hovering parent mindset, both glad to have young adults and be done with high school drama etc. Our girls were in a playgroup together years ago and we lost touch for a bit but then reconnected, and i'm so glad. She is active and maintains her weight by not eating much; I really should follow her lead. I went home and had junk for dinner. Definitely having a hard time getting back in the saddle. I did go for a walk at lunchtime. Instead of energizing me I felt exhausted and took a nap. I don't know why I'm so tired these days, hopefully it will pass.
Gardenerjoy; good idea to get prepared and let the non essentials go.
Penny-the birds are delightful, but not so much when they wake me up too early. Small price for sleeping with the window open when its warmer out.
Karen-sounds like you're having fun with Suzanne. One reason manfriend is retiring early is just that; the fact that so many die in their fifties and sixties.
Bill-lasagna without tomato sauce, I don't know about that So fun that DGD gets to play with something of her moms.

Good morning from the Point Montara Lighthouse. We have a private beach usually shared by 50 youth hostel residents. Currently only our suite is open. SIL is in great shape and has really challenged me physically. Yesterday we biked 15 miles on the California Coastal trail along Half Moon Bay. Stunning. Today we will go into Pacifica and hike the Montara state Park Trail for 6.5 miles. California is built for Karen.

i have been pleased with my food. The preloading water is really working well. Yesterday I had fresh clam chowder in a sourdough bowl and ate every bit but it was the big meal of the day. No guilt. SIL also brings lots pf healthy food so we really don’t eat out much

wave to all.

I'm struggling today with low energy and motivation. If I could do anything I wanted today, I'd alternate between novel research and painting flowers. Neither are remotely close to what I want done today.

Here's a reminder that the best solution for procrastination is doing the thing, not food. And a reminder that food only helps with my energy level when I am, in fact, hungry.

Exercise +40, 265/1400 minutes for April

karenrn and curlyjax: I second Lands End for swimsuits. I like trying them on in the privacy of my own home and easy returns of what doesn't work. I usually try to buy them on sale and I wash them infrequently and gently since that seems to help them last longer.

BillBlueEyes: I don't get to vote for St. Louis mayor but I have friends who worked hard for that result and I think it's good news for the region. I did successfully contribute to a bond issue passing in my school district and to getting my favorite school board member re-elected. In fact, everything I voted for won. That's unusual for me.

Good morning.

Yesterday was on plan. I haven't mentioned weight because nothing is really happening with it. I'm still adding back exercise calories but it's keeping me on plan and not so hungry I lose it completely.

My covid testing duties have come to an end. Apparently vaccinated staff no longer have to be tested, and unvaccinated staff have to be tested monthly. Either way, my Wednesdays are free again.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was pre-grilled salmon, sauteed spinach, and Ora-Ida Tater Tots. The Tater Tots were my excursion into frozen products that might be fun. They were kinda fun. Didn't have the pizzazz that I remember from my college dining hall. Just enough oil and salt on shredded potatoes to be filling. And to call for more to be consumed. We've got maybe four servings left in the bag I bought. Will consume all of them. Unlikely to go back for more. DW, not a believer, helpfully pointed out that they take 20 minutes in the oven while a cut potato boils up in 8 minutes. Speed isn't their advantage.

Day was consumed with two online Zoom classes, an errand to be run in the afternoon, and a Zoom meeting in the evening. A bit loaded by my standards. In one of my classes, we continue to dig through Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! Continue to be amazed at the convoluted way that he presents the story. And I continue to suffer from the notion that I might finish the book and not be sure of some of the events. A bit like real life, LOL.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats on the success of the elections that you worked on. Yep, it's a bit unusual to have only voted for winners.

maryann - You certainly do find special places, Point Montara Lighthouse. Just amazing that you occupy the only open suite. Neat that pre-loading water is working for you.

Karen (karenrn) - LOL at the thought of "hiker tan" - I've seen that on folks and didn't have a phrase for it. "Trucker tan" is the lopsided version of that.

curlyjax - It's annoying to be reminded, "maintains her weight by not eating much." Seems to be what it takes.

Penny. - Good strategy, "and not so hungry I lose it completely." I wish that the end of your COVID testing gig meant that we were winning.

Readers -

Yesterday's excitement was the window cleaner called with a cancellation and came that afternoon, He was very odd;seemed almost mad I went to the door with a mask on. "I've had my shots, you don't need that. Don't listen to Dr. Fauci" Ummm, no. And he swore loudly quite a few times, I guess when something took more effort? I'm very glad I had him work from the outside and not come in the house. He was described as professional. I wrote a note in my checkbook to never use him again. Hopefully he did a good job and didn't cause any harm Today the exterminator is coming- I've had him before and he IS professional- and a potential handyman messaged me back about potentially moving the cabinets for the frig. The handyman lives in town so hopefully he turns out to be normal I'm trying to get things done while I'm still working from home.
Off program again food wise. Hopefully I'm maintaining at least. Credit for getting my weights done at least.
Maryann- your trip sounds very fun!
Gardenerjoy- I have low energy and motivation too. hopefully the good weather will get me moving in the right direction.
Penny-good that you have Weds free again.
Bill-so interesting, we can have such clear food memories from years ago. I remember how good McDonalds french fries tasted before they changed the recipe to make them "healthier".

I just read Prince Philip died at 99. Goodness, the end of an era!