Good afternoon coaches,

I'm just checking in very briefly to say I had a really busy day and now I need to leave to pick up my db and sil. I'll get a note written tomorrow. Curlyjax I was thinking you might have had to go see your Dad. Glad you checked in or I may have worried the new date man absconded with you.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Faced a rug needing a decision. A much loved wool rug gathered from our trip to Tibet, had been attacked by moths when a box sat on it for a very long time. Did damage to the wool. We put the rug in a bag with moth balls in the basement - trying not to make the decision that it might have to go. Yesterday, I took it out; spread it on the driveway and thoroughly vacuumed it. Reminded myself how much I like it. Trying to convince myself that the eaten spot is small and just a sign that it's a real wool rug. It's now laying on the vinyl kitchen floor where I'm trying to convince my skeptical DW that it has a future. Will give it a second, and more serious, pass with our indoor vacuum cleaner. I did get her to admit that she loves the pattern.

Eating at meals was on plan, CREDIT moi; snacking happened during the day. It's as if Halloween was permission to trick-or-treat each day thereafter. Dinner was a frozen Trader Joe's meatless lasagna. Kinda good. Particularly since prep was simply putting it in the oven for so many degrees for so many minutes. Minor design flaw: one is to thaw it then follow the cooking instructions tightly glued to the bottom of the pan. After thawing, it's not going to be turned over. DW saw this coming and took a picture of the instructions before she thawed it. It's humbling to be married to someone with that much foresight.



Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love the image of you dancing your word count forward.

Karen (karenrn) - Yay for a busy day. What I need is to have days so busy that I don't have time to read the news.

curlyjax - Ouch for the setback with your dad's care giver. Congrats for taking action to find the next solution. Glad that you have your brother to consult with.

Penny. - Do like the notion of a parenting class. Wish I'd been offered one but, alas, our younger one just turned 40 so that horse is out of the barn. My Congrats to your youngest for being willing to take that course.

Readers -

Good morning coaches,

Food was off plan yesterday and the weather took a turn for the worse so my planned hike was cancelled. The plan was to meet some gals who are back after their summer in cooler states and then go to lunch. We only did the go to lunch part. There were no good plant based options so I choose pumpkin pancakes. It's kind of like I go off the plan for sweets.

I drove about 45 minutes to meet my niece to pick up my db and Sil right before dinner. I made veggie pizza for dinner. They had mozzarella on theirs with the veggies and we had the cashew/nutritional yeast blend. They had been at dn's for a week up at Castle Hot Springs. I love hearing about my niece's children. They are both super athletic and have no fear. Db and Sil will be with us for just two days, but that will be great. The temps are lower than usual and I'm thinking a movie will be a good thing to do this afternoon. I'm interested in the Banshees of Inisherin.

I feel like we're in a funny place post? Covid where we will be having a little more company and doing more social things and still wanting to be diligent with our food plan and weight. Planning will be the key and perhaps allowing some treats whether it be alcohol or sweets and then get back to super on plan in between.

Bill Can the rug be repaired? I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, but it is probably a valuable rug. I don't know if Halloween has anything to do with my off plan eating, but I do need to tighten the reins a bit too. The cart looks like a really good idea. I know my friends and I talk about making the accommodations necessary to keep doing what we want to do and not hurt ourselves.

Curlyjax Being really busy does sometimes force us to be organized. I bet you are glad it's Friday and will have the weekend hopefully at home this weekend.

GardenerJoy I do admire your ability to stay focused and do your writing. I know I need to getting focused on doing something other than be distracted.

Penny I'm sure the divorce and upcoming move are stressful but also exciting to begin the next chapter. Good luck as you negotiate life.

Maryann Holy moly it would have been so much easier to be a teacher before cell phones. What you deal with just boggles the mind. Have a great spa weekend with your friends.

It took until just now (6pm, my time) to finish my word count goal for today. A morning meeting and an afternoon trip to the grocery store through me for a loop. But I got there in the end. Now for my Yoga With Adriene and I can stop for supper and a relaxing evening.

Exercise +40, 150/1700 minutes for November
Wordcount +2198, 8133/50,000 words for November

Good Evening, Coaches.

I am super excited tonite. I have been meditating , praying, and "sitting in the question"Why, with all my desire, knowledge, and health habits already in place can I not get back into the 160s?" I refused to feel shame about it. The first critical step has been the beginning of abstinence from Bliss Point foods. That was 16 days ago. Now, on the way up to Tahoe, I have begun listening to a health plan that I think I can really get behind. I haven't felt something resonate so much with me since I first read the Beck diet solution 13 years ago. Finding this book was much like finding that book - completely accidental. I have three more days of my audible free trial. I was searching for more inspiration with food. This had the most hits and was free. The book is called Target 100. The introduction ( written by Jennifer Hudson) and the first two chapters of the authors' experience were completely demoralizing and I almost turned it off. She was high up in Weight Watchers. That was nothing I wanted top hear about. Then she began talking about how she starte with her clients - the science of habits. The next chapter moved into environment. Nothing she said was unfamiliar but immediately with her presentation I wrote down 5 tweaks that would easily continue my journey to my goal. As with Beck, she does not start with a food plan. Although there is a few food recommendations, her basic program can be and should be tailored to individuals.

So enough for now. I did my first two habit tweaks immediately when I made it to the cabin. Yoga before tv or computer. Done. It totally counts that I started with Adrienne's Nov. 1 ten minute meditation. My goal is to double up some days and do all of November in November. It should be easy since many of the days are short meditation.

The second tweak was 100 ounces of water. I had a liter bottle in the car and will refill my caffeine tea cup twice. I am going to hop on to Amazon and shop for a couple of refillable liter bottles to stash at school. I recognize two of the reasons I don't drink my water at school: 1 my Nalgene refillable are wide mouths. I will buy narrow mouth. I will also have multiple becuase I have no water in my classroom and the only way to fill is in the bathroom. A quick search of refillable water stations showed 0 in my town. I will work on work on solutions Monday.

OK. I feel so positive. I have so many structures in place and this post is one of them. Thank you all for being here.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Amusement was DW going to her ear doctor who is the same guy who has recently become my ear doctor. "My husband, Bill Lastname, is one of your new patients." "Oh, I remember him," with the tone of voice like I-have-a-zillion-patients-all-with-ears. "You found a head-hair in his ear." "Yes, yes, I remember Bill, don't get head-hairs often. Interesting guy." So I've learned that I'm interesting because my last hair cut not only sent hairs down my shirt, undershirt, and trousers, but one in an ear. Maybe I'll be the topic of a medical journal article. ETA: Good Grief! Google just pointed me to an article by a Dr. Gan Eng Cern explaining exactly this situation is more detail than anyone would want. With pictures. Uses the words "cut hair" which is more intuitive than "head hair." Have to give credit to search engines on the Web for making info so readily available.

Eating was on plan at meals, CREDIT moi, with continued daytime snacks. Hoping that I just get tired of doing this. Dinner was the second dip into the homemade chicken soup without noodles along with more baguette. Tasted divine. I'm not a chicken soup fan but the broth of this batch is the best ever. And it's a concoction from the pantry - not a chicken broth made from chicken bones.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Neat that the word count just keeps marching forth. Hope you can take a moment to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day - even if just a few fireworks shot out from your office window.

maryann - Your book, Target 100 by Liz Josefsberg and Jennifer Hudson looks interesting. Love your enthusiasm for it.

Karen (karenrn) - Like your phrase, "post? Covid." Very few people are wearing masks lately and yet I just learned that our next-door neighbor has COVID. Don't know how he's coping since he's a single father of an 8-yo active boy. Have a happy visit with your brother and DSIL.

Readers -

Work was really busy friday. It was so good to be back and see everyone.I am able to use sick time for when I visited my dad which is great. Last night I went to bring DD home for the weekend and got into a huge fight with her again. This was my fault, I really lost it, but again it was triggered by something ridiculous she wanted me to do. I am not at my best after and during 3 hours of dealing with Boston traffic, attempting to park and waiting for DD to pack. There will be a lot to talk about at my next counseling session. I went to manfriend's place after we got home and that calmed me down a bit.Today I am going for a walk with a friend as it will be in the 70s so that will be nice. I need groceries and to get back on track with eating.
Karen- I told Date I cannot deal with a new person now, I need to focus on my dad, and he took it well. He's a nice guy but I'm stepping back from that, I need the comfort of my familiar friends now.

I met my word count goal early today, which is good. I can use a bit of a break from the intensity of this project. Also, I'm hoping to catch up on some other things today.

Exercise +60, 210/1700 minutes for November
Wordcount +1870, 10003/50,000 words for November

BillBlueEyes: Remember, Remember the fifth of November.

karenrn: My main accomplice in my activist group tested positive for COVID yesterday after avoiding it all this time. The sewer shed numbers in our region went up last week, so we seem to be done with our summer trough, which never got all that deep.

maryann: I added Target 100 to my TBR list. It might be really helpful after NaNoWriMo and before the January resolution season.

curlyjax: You've had a lot to deal with lately. Some grace is definitely called for.

Happy Saturday, Coaches.

Woke up this morning and did my first Target 100 goals. I am going to figure out 3 habits that are most affecting my life right now in a negative way and then identify the "target" for that habit and the "reward" I am getting from that habit. Then I will brainstorm three new small habits that I repeat often enough to create a new habit. It takes an average of 66 repeats of a new habit to make it engrained.

Jumping right out at me is my sitting down to watch murder mysteries after school until DH came home. when I was comfortably in the 160s I never did that. I was training for Machu Pichu . I was trying to get 5,000 steps in on my phone. Also right now I literally have no idea what dinner will be for me. I will have a plan for DH's dinner but mine is some kind of "Oh I just won't eat" idea. Then I get up every 15 minutes from tv and snack. Wow!!! when did this happen? Sometime over the last last nine months. I have never had a problem snacking in front of the tv before.

OK 3 fixes. I am not going to look at the food yet. That is next week. So;
1. I must exercise for at least 15 mins before I sit down to the tv. I can walk around the block, yoga, do a full on climb at the gym but no tv before 15 mins of motion.
2. In order to get this motion in It has to be after 3:45 before I go outside. I am still technically on the clock at school and can't be seen galavanting around. ( I have an unwritten agreement with my admin that I do my work in the morning) So I can do one of the following that will help my fit goal until 3;45
A. do my inside yoga
B. Fill my new 10 1 liter bottles and tidy the house until 3:30 ( a future target in 100 ounce of water) I have no water in my classroom. DH and I decided that filling 5 reusable bottles and stashing them at school on Monday is the best idea. I already get 1 L. in my decaf tea. 1 liter for moving in the afternoon and I will be set.)
C. Grocery shop or food prep until 3:30.
D. On Tuesday, I chair a meeting, I will work until 3:30 then walk the track after school.

Even If i just move for 15 mins, I will have enough time to watch a full mystery show but hopefully I will not feel like veggie- ing out and maybe start getting some other things done.

BBE: I have a collapsible "red Ryder" wagon. It reminded me of your DW's. I will use it to carry my water and other supplies onto campus once a week.

OK good. I will start to research my refillable bottles online.

Curleyjax: It is nice to have the option of postponing dating. I am sure it feels better than having no choices on dating.
Joy: The second habit I am identifying is your "never eat in the car alone." That seems to be an easy extinguish for me.

Good afternoon coaches,

Food was pretty much on plan yesterday and so far today perfectly on plan. I know I had a couple of not so good days and have decided not to get on the scale until Monday morning and meanwhile I'm doing a reboot. Db, Sil and I hiked a nice hike this morning. My db has lost nearly 25 pounds since I saw him last. He was always super athletic and then kind of quit doing all of that for a number of years. He was a training fool when married to his previous wife who died in 2004. He trained and she showed dogs. He married current dsil 15 months later and has been happy as a clam and she is an excellent cook. Anyway his newer e-bike that he uses for mountain biking has allowed him to get back to it (even when he was a bit heavier) and now with the increase in exercise and decrease in beer he's hit on the winning combination. He wants to lost about 15 more pounds and I'm sure he will. I'm so happy because at our age we really need to do what we can for our health. He will be 65 next month.

Sil and I did see the Banshees of Inisherin movie but I can't say I would really recommend it. The acting was excellent, but it was pretty dark. It was a feel bad movie rather than a feel good movie.

Maryann I was able to borrow the Target 100 ebook from the library, so I have just started it. I love having new motivation so thank you for that.

GardenerJoy Yes, many people I know have been diagnosed with covid recently too. However most of us are getting out a lot more and so we realize it can happen. I would say as long as I'm vaccinated and won't likely be a drain on the medical system I will keep doing what I'm doing. Being careful, but doing things so I don't lose my mind.

Curlyjax I'm glad you can use sick leave when you go see your Dad. Did you do FMLA paperwork? I'm glad you're seeing your counselor. Your plate is full and I'm sure it's good to have someone to help sort things out.

Bill That's funny about a paper written about post hair cut ear problems. My ex-husband always coughed when he put a q-tip in his ear. The friends we met the other night got covid in Europe. First he came down with it on a river boat cruise in France. She finally tested positive, but never had a symptom at all.

Waving to Nationalparker and Penny!

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked, CREDIT moi, to run errands. Observed a half-dozen neighbors outside wearing only Polo shirts because they, apparently, notice the weather before getting dressed in the morning. I wore a long-sleeved shirt because I didn't. Little kids are the best; they're always in shorts if the weather is warmish for a day. Observed Christmas merchandise out in several stores. I'm so not ready. Talked to a neighbor just to tell her how shocked I was at Halloween to observe that her DD is a young lady now at 13 years old. Tall as her mom. "And full of adult opinions freely spouted at every opportunity," the mom said. A challenging age to live with a teen. She's allowed a phone but NO social media. "Just not letting her go down that rabbit hole." Don't know how that's enforced. So glad I'm done with that stage of my kids' lives.

Eating was on plan at meals, CREDIT moi, with continued snacking. I tried to justify it because we were doing some minor maintenance work outside in the warm weather. We again used a sturdy aluminum folding step stool. It's a joy to use with its high bar for holding on. For years we used a little two-step wooden step ladder that was rickety and had nothing to grasp while standing on it. I have no idea why I never fell and busted my head.

Got triggered by Joy (gardenerjoy) to remember that some of you might have grown up with happy, uplifting ditties like "Ring-a-ring-a-rosies," instead of this one so I'll print it in full:
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Thanks for sending me off to get the full "Remember, remember ..." Do the current celebrations tone down the anti-Catholic aspect of Guy Fawkes Day?

maryann - Congrats for having such a thorough plan for your ten new 1-liter water bottles. Interesting, "It takes an average of 66 repeats of a new habit to make it engrained."

Karen (karenrn) - Great report that your brother lost 25 pounds to get back in shape. An encouraging tidbit. More exercise and less beer sounds like a winning combination.

curlyjax - Ouch for the tension of dealing with three hours of Boston traffic. Congrats for being a diligent mom and picking up your DD so she can have a weekend at home. Hope her studies are going well.

Readers -

DD went off to some friends for the weekend thankfully for both her and me. I had a nice long walk and catch up with a friend I haven't seen in awhile, then got some groceries since my house has no fresh food. Eating is a bit chaotic but I will get back to it. Minor incident with my dad in yesterday am with confusion etc (calls from him and where he lives), and a pep talk from my big brother who is a wonderful support. I have checked in with my dad today and he is not confused at this moment I need to make a list of what really needs to be done today, and ongoing for the week, long term etc. I will finally have to become more organized as i'll be taking over some paperwork for my dad.
So nice to have another hour today, even though it means the days will start being shorter.
Bill- I did not grow up with that Guy Fawkes ditty very interesting!
Karen- so nice you could see your brother and he is doing well. I don't have to fill out paperwork since its just sporadic, a few days here and there.
Maryann- I like your fixes and your plans. What murder mysteries can you watch in that time period, are they one hour ones?
Gardenerjoy-that project does sound intense, good to take a break.

OK: Girl's trip a success. I mended fences with one of the "Canadian Trip" gals. Glad I did. We are very compatible in many ways. Credit for breakfast this morning was a Target 100 choice despite the homemade pumpkin bread available. I ask my friend if I could have some peanut butter with a banana laid out for us. Of course she was happy to oblige and didn't take offense. Credit for asking what I need. I will keep to the "m,ove before mystery" rule. I came home to the cabin and had a cup of Ben and Jerry's guilt free. I am building the breakfast habit and don't have to worry about anything else this week. I did put everything in MFP. I am becoming "aware of carbs" for week 3 Target 100 grams of carbs. I still have plenty left for dinner.

I will hop buy a Goodwill on my way home. Everything is good.

Curly: My current murder mysteries are 11/2 hours. I watched Endeavour on Masterpiece theatre which is the precursor to Inspector Morse which I am watching now. Prior to that I finished Shetland ( which I loved). I finished Miss Scarlett and the Duke and prior to that did the New Prof. T which I loved. The next season of those two are coming around in the fall. I watch Death in Paradise but those are becoming more like Murder She Wrote - the writing is terrible and the same plot again and again. Prior to all of those I bot the dvd box set of Elementary.

Karen: Glad you bought the book. Remember the first two chapters were crap. Skip to the habits chapter.

The time change always seems to throw me for a loop, even when it's the good one where we gain an hour. My brain couldn't wrap around the notion that it was light at 6:30am when I got up and I've been feeling off ever since.

I'm indulging an obsession with Manifest, a soapy paranormal drama on Netflix. I remember compulsively watching the first two seasons. I somehow missed Season 3, but I'm devouring it now since Season 4 was just released. Sometimes, it's helpful to indulge in a non-food obsession. I'm hoping this is one of those times, where I watch the show in order to avoid solving my discombobulation with food.

It took me way longer than usual to get my word count completed today, but I did and now I can be relaxed about getting some other things done, particularly (like curlyjax) a plan for the week.

Exercise +35, 245/1700 minutes for November
Wordcount +2196, 12199/50,000 words for November

BillBlueEyes: My understanding is that the British mostly call it Bonfire Night and no longer burn effigies of Guy Fawkes, pretty much divorcing it all from history. My brother and I both have memories of my dad quoting that poem on the fifth of November every year at breakfast. Unfortunately, it never occurred to us to ask why he knew it and it's too late now.

Good afternoon coaches,

Food has been on plan and I'll get on the scale tomorrow morning. We were both tired yesterday and went to bed early which then made for waking up too early. I borrowed both the E-book and the audiobook for Target 100. I read some of the book on my Kindle last evening and then early this morning and then listened on my hike. I did a 10 mile hike and my friend only hiked the first 2 1/2 or so with me and turned around. With travel time in the car I'm almost finished with the book.

Like most things I will take those tidbits that are helpful and leave what is not. The areas I will work on are ensuring I'm getting 100 ounces of water, destressing and a better sleep schedule. My food plan is extremely healthy now and I think if I work on those areas perhaps it will help those times when I have snacks when I'm not really hungry.

GardenerJoy Finding a show to watch to distract from food is exactly what I need. I think I'll study the PBS offerings and find a couple. I think I'd be at the computer all week to get the word counts that you are doing in a day. Congratulations to you.

Maryann I'm glad the girls trip was a success with mended fences included. There haven't been many times in my life a fence couldn't be mended but sometimes a little time in between helps.

Curlyjax I'm so glad dd had an outing for the weekend. Hopefully she had a good time and will come home in good spirits. I'm sure the break will be good for you.

Bill That stool sounds like one similar to what we have. It's nice to have something to hold on to. I do try to remember to be safe when I'm having to get up higher to do something. Falls are the worst. About db, I was just thrilled to see him with his weight loss. I know he is very pleased with himself, but like so many men had not mentioned it on the phone.

Waving to Penny, Nationalparker and OnebyOne.