Changes

This Monday I was up 0.6 pounds from the weekend. (That makes it so scientific sounding - it's just that my scale does .2 pound increments.) I ate well and enjoyed what I ate, but I also tried to make (mostly) smart choices. The hotel had a pool, and we used both that and the fitness center. I got intentional exercise 6 out of 7 days last week - 3 kettlebell workouts, 3 elliptical sessions, swimming, and several walks. So go me!

I was reading Sean's posts from when I was out of town and one thing he talked about - and has talked about many times - is the fact that he considers what he eats to be a "food plan" versus "diet". It isn't something he intends to go off of at "the end" - rather it's the way he feeds his particular body for optimal health, with a side effect of weight loss. I love that attitude! And while I can't say that my mindset is quite there yet, something I have noticed about this time around is that I have made some pretty significant changes to how I eat, and have maintained them consistently.

The biggest example is that beer used to pop up regularly - not every day, but 1-2 beers (or glasses of wine) happened more often that not. That is no longer the case. That's a HUGE lifestyle change for me.

Another very significant change has been evening snacking. I used to snack every evening. It was such an ingrained habit that I built my calorie intake around having it, because I didn't think it was anything that I would (or could) ever change. I still have a snack most evenings, but these days it is less than 100 calories - generally around 80. And it isn't an automatic "given" that I will have a snack, it's an intentional choice.

I feel like I am making adjustments that will serve me better in the long run, and that feels good!

Take care.

Almost there

Down 1 pound this week - less than a pound until I hit the 30 pounds gone mark.

Okay, out of town for a couple of days. Take care!

We don't all have the same 24 hours

I was reading an article on MSN about this gal who works full time, is a fitness competitor, and has 3 kids that are preschool age. The title of the article was something like "you can have it all!" The gal shares her schedule, and there were 2 glaring things that got me thinking:

1. She typically goes to bed at 10 and gets up at 4:30. So best case she's getting 6.5 hours of sleep a night. I heard a very interesting interview with a sleep scientist on NPR and she said that people basically fall into 3 categories: those who can function normally on less than 7 hours of sleep, those who need 7-8 but can operate short term without too much issue, and the camp I'm in - those of us who really really need those 7-8 hours and are very irritable and our functioning degrades pretty quickly when we are sleep deprived. She also added that as a general rule, about a third of the population falls into each bucket. It isn't just a matter of "adapting" or "sucking it up" - you need what you need. It would be like telling a type 2 diabetic to "just' self regulate. Pretty ridiculous, right?

2. She added "If you can afford it, get a cleaning person."  Ah, now there's a can of worms. When you can afford to outsource chores, you are literally buying yourself additional leisure time!

So yes, we all have 24 hours. But between our need for sleep and our ability to offload responsibilities that would otherwise fall to us, we can "get back" a fair bit of time other people are forced to spend on things other than exercise/ painting/ learning Chinese/ making gourmet meals.

After days of on point eating, I am back to the weight I was last Friday. I hate the da^% scale.

Take care.

Ground hog week

Ah, the scale is a strange creature with mysterious ways. :-)

Friday night I elected to have cauliflower crust pizza and 2 beers for dinner. I knew the carbs would put me up, even though the calories did not put me over. Sure enough, the scale was up 1.6 pounds the next morning. I expected it and was not surprised.

What does surprise me is that that 1.6 pounds is still here! Okay, maybe salt was a bit high Saturday? Okay, Sunday dinner was a pastrami wrap on low carb wrap - again, high on salt for sure. Yesterday my eating was absolutely on point, with my only carb being 1/3 cup of quinoa at lunch (other than 1 slice of fresh mango and low carb veggies like salad).

So what gives?

The same thing happened last week. I was up over the weekend, due to higher carb/salt rather than calories, and it took several days to drift back down. Honestly I was pretty surprised to see the 2 pounds loss just because it was like Wednesday I think before I lost the weekend water bloat. I don't record the daily vagaries, choosing instead to only record every Friday. But it is a strange pattern.

It has me a bit anxious about this weekend because we are going to be out of town Friday and Saturday, including a banquet dinner (so no choice of what is put before me) Saturday night. Ugh. I am seriously considering packing protein shakes and using those to supplement, and eat ONLY those things I know are absolutely on point. I'd just like a weekend where I don't have to combat the sale swing - even if it isn't an "actual" gain. I'm just finding it frustrating.

No big plans for tomorrow. We filled up our hot tub this weekend, but are keeping the water cool. So other than maybe grilling a burger and hanging out in our "cool tub" - and some sewing - I think it will be a low key day.

Take care!

Friday

Just joking - kinda! I am on fire, and I'm good to keep on burning! :-)

This week was a 2 pound loss. Staying focused and glad to see my weight loss pick back up.  This process is slower than I thought it would be (isn't it always?), but I've continued to head in the right direction!!

Hope you have a good weekend!

Food!

Okay, yesterday's post was a little bit heavy. So, something a little more directly health focused today.

Yesterday's exercise:
20 minutes elliptical
20 minutes kettlebell swings (305 swings with the 18 lb kettlebell).

Yesterday's Food:
B: 1.5 cups coffee with 3 T half and half (I accidentally got fat free by mistake! GAH!)
     4 asian turkey meatballs
S:   2 deviled egg halves
L:  lasagna soup (no noodles, just veg and turkey sausage)
S: half an avocado sorta turned into guacamole and served on a sliced tomato
D: chicken tzatziki bowl
No evening snack because we ate dinner really late.

Today's food is basically the same except last night's dinner is today's lunch, I'm having some mango with lunch, and dinner is leftovers from 2 nights ago (we have a lot of leftovers in the fridge). I made a version of this: sticky chicken (I make mine in the crockpot instead of the oven). We served roasted sweet potato rounds and broccoli with it.

Our dinners have been really good lately - lighter things for summer but not short on flavor. Lots of chicken & seafood, and less beef.

I went for a good walk when I got to the office this morning, then T locked himself out of the house and I had to come back home! I will go to the gym later.

Today I am glad that I have a job where I can come back home, miss a meeting, work from here the rest of the day, and my boss is okay with it.

The blues

I am feeling down. There are a lot of reasons. Yesterday I read a Forbes article: Veterans Sustain Two Serious Defeats From Trump And The House To VA Health Care. It just leaves me so depressed. I mean, I certainly don't have a pension. I've saved for retirement, but we've both been divorced and raised kids, so we're hardly millionaires. Like most folks, we are depending on social security (which we've paid into since we were teenagers!) and medicare - both of which the government seems determined to gut. But the thing with the VA gets me steaming mad because so many in DC are so quick to wrap themselves in the flag and talk patriotism, but when it comes to actually keeping the promises they made to service members? As if. Ugh. OK, enough with current events.

T slept through the night (I think for the second time) with his CPAP last night. So far he doesn't seem to be seeing any improvement. I'm trying to be patient. But all his big plans for the summer seem to be as absent as his current motivation. I'm trying to be supportive, but it's frustrating.

I can't say I feel very motivated right now, but that's ok. My determination remains high, and I continue to push through. Last night I had an evening snack: 1 oz. nuts and a glass of seltzer water. That's typical. I went from maybe drinking a 12 pack of beer over the course of a week to maybe having 1 once a week. Snacks are planned and tracked. Weekends are not an excuse to "fall off the wagon." I don't always feel like doing it, but I keep on. I saw another new (this time around) low today. Last time I had a recorded weight this low? March 20, 2015. Three years, 3 months. That feels really good.

For today's motivation:

Lol. Take care.

Yesterday

Well hello! Yesterday was another 100 miles an hour with my hair on fire kind of day at the office. I totally forgot to post!  I'm fine - 100%, but the event Saturday was very hot & humid so I'm glad I just stayed home. T went and was pretty wiped out Sunday, so we didn't do much Sunday. Mom came down for lunch to give T his birthday gifts, we had chicken hot dogs with home made turkey chili and slaw. I ate one on a bun and one without. Would you believe I was up 2 pounds the next morning!??! I was down that same 2 pounds today, so clearly hot dogs have A LOT of salt!!

Staying the course with my diet. The past couple of days my step count has been low, so I am making a concerted effort to do better on that today.

I hope you have a great day!

Weekend

Today is a very Monday kind of Friday at work - lots of crazy raining down. Weigh in was fine - up 0.2 pounds from yesterday (whatever).

Plan to stay home tomorrow and take it easy - stomach is still a bit dodgy.

Have a good weekend!

Never give up, never surrender!

Any geeks out there catch the "Galaxy Quest" reference in the title? :-)

As you know, I had been a bit frustrated the couple of weigh ins before leaving for vacation. One week I'd lost 0.6 pounds and the second (shortened to 5 days) week was again 0.6. I wasn't sure whether my body was doing a sort of mini plateau, regrouping after losing 20+ pounds, if it was a side effect of adding in weight training (muscle will retain water after workouts), or something else entirely.

Overall I'd say I did fairly well on vacation. Carbs and calories were a bit high, but I didn't go nutso on anything. I had half a piece of birthday cake and we split a piece of key lime pie. I watched carb sides, but enjoyed things I can't get here.

I got on the scale yesterday morning and I was up a pound from before I left (after eating nothing Tuesday and very little yesterday). I was frustrated, but determined to stay the course. Today it's paid off - down 2.6 pounds overnight - down 1.6 pounds from my last "official" Friday weigh in. I'll record tomorrow's weight but overall I am very pleased. Maybe the high calorie days helped shake things up? 

Anyway, I can now proudly say I've lost more than this:

Yep, more than 25 pounds! Woot!!

Take care.

Better, and vacation pictures

I was still feeling pretty rough when I went to bed last night, mainly due to dehydration. I knew I'd end up at the doctor today if I didn't get it turned around. I never threw up, so I did my level best to get myself hydrated. I went to bed with a cup of Gatorade, refilled at midnight with a cup of tea, and refilled again around 2 with more Gatorade. I managed at 2 to get 2 Tylenol down (I had a raging headache).

When I woke up this morning I felt a bit sore and wobbly, but much better. I had a light breakfast and a protein shake mid morning. I have no idea what hit me, but yuck!

Vacation!!

I wanted this to be special, and some was planned out (hotels, Thursday dinner), some time was free and he had options (which is how we ended up in key West), so it was a balance of organized plus a chance to explore and be spontaneous.

Before we left, I gave T envelopes (to be opened over the course of the trip).



Our first stop was Morimaki Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach.



Then it was on to Key Largo (after stopping in Sunrise at Sunrise Pita Grill for some of the best Israeli food ever).



Then we meandered down to Key West.




Ate lunch at a good place I knew.



Sunset at our hotel.



Saturday dinner at a German place I love.



It's across the street from the cemetery where my great grandparents are buried.



Our last night in Fort Lauderdale and we got a free upgrade on our room!







They even sent up birthday cake and wine!!



The sun was going down and I knew we'd have a long day Sunday.



After 13 hours in the car, we arrived home safely. I went to work Monday and then woke up sick as a dog yesterday. UGH.

Now, back to reality!! :-)

Sick :-(

I woke up this morning sick at my stomach, headache, diarrhea. I am working at home, but it's been a rough morning. T had gone for a his CPAP appointment and there wasn't anything here I could eat or drink. Thankfully I found a gatorade in the cupboard and I had some of that until he got home with saltines and ginger ale. I am feeling a bit better. Not sure if it was something I ate or a stomach bug or what.

So today I am thankful that I am able to work from home when I feel well enough to work but sick enough to go into the office.

We are back, our trip was great, and I think T had a memorable birthday. Pictures to follow!

Under contract

After being listed for 2 days, mom house is under contract for more than the list price.

I am a fantastic painter. ;-)

Take care. I'm not taking a computer, so I will check back in after we return.

Still here

Just a quick check-in. Getting ready for our trip. We're sad of course, but it isn't quite so raw.

Take care.

Our world is a bit sadder today

Smoke, the feral cat that took us in, died yesterday.

We made a place for her on the sun porch, but she loved sneaking out and getting to be outside. I don't think she ever truly became used to being a pet, although she loved us I'm sure.

Yesterday she got out and we believe was attacked by a dog. I heard Jordan barking, went out, and found her. It happened so fast, there wasn't time to get her to the emergency vet. She didn't suffer long at least.

Nevertheless, we are both heartbroken.

She was loved, and she will be missed.

Staying the course, even when it's.. weird

This week's scale results have me a bit befuddled. I am down 0.6 pounds. What have I done differently this week? Not much. I haven't eaten differently or more, I have exercised a bit more. I've been a wee bit constipated (TMI I guess).

I was up a pound after the weekend and it took a couple of days to drift off. I dunno. But it's one week, so even though it's the least weight I've lost since the week of Feb. 9, I'm leaning more toward "Odd. I guess it'll course correct." rather than "NOT FAIR!!!"

But still, my organized, planning mind which is always saying "I-10 by 10" like that's my personal mantra is frustrated.

I've walked every morning I've been at work, today is trip 3 to the gym for the elliptical, and tomorrow will be kettlebell workout 3. I continue to eat low carb, with a focus on vegetables. So my plan is to keep doing what's been working. If I see something similar again then I'll look to course correct.

Have a great weekend!

Stay the course

Random observation: When I work from home I get in fewer steps. It's because I have a colleague I walk with regularly, so having that extra accountability ensures it happens!

Today I did well: I ate my planned lunch even though I was invited to go out. And I drove myself to the meeting across town so I could go by the gym on the way back. That's a biggie because I go to that meeting with my boss and not only do I like my boss and the car time is pleasant conversation, but he drives a Porsche Boxster. ;-)

We have our big annual trip to PA for the world's largest medieval battle recreation on the horizon, and you know what that means: time to make & repair costuming. As I have been involved with this hobby for many years and I thoroughly enjoy sewing, I have more costumes than I need, and some things don't fit well for a variety of reasons. So I am beginning to sort through - I will likely sell what I no longer want, and donate the remainder. So more decluttering! I started this past weekend by pulling everything together in one place and organizing it by what it is. Next step try everything on!

While I continue to lose weight steadily, T seems to be in a holding pattern until he is out of school. I don't think that's a good idea, but I am holding my tongue. Also, he picks up the stuff for his sleep study tonight! Yay!! So I am hopeful that will make a difference. Fingers crossed!

We are having an antipasto salad with baked chicken (for extra protein) for dinner tonight. Yum!

Take care.

Free x 2

How I feel about losing weight:

It's not just the head space that gets occupied by wanting to lose weight, it's the feeling that there are things I can't do that I want to, or can't do very well. Like when we camp - our car is pretty far away and it's mostly uphill. I remember how exhausted I was having to walk to the car last year. It sucked. Even though it looks like this week I'm on track to have the smallest loss in several weeks, at least I continue to make progress.

Also, this:

The photographer comes tomorrow at 10 AM to take pictures for the realtor to gets mom's house listed. Today the only thing we have left is to get her back patio cleared off & organized, and to run to the farmer's market and look for some flowers. Then I can start working on my stuff! LOL

Take care!

Just one book

If you could recommend just one book on diet, nutrition, exercise, losing weight, etc. to a friend, do you have one? I mean, a book that's your "go to" for advice on getting healthier?

Long before I had "that book", I had the website. If there were one blog and one book I could recommend to a friend, I have one of each - they're from the same gal: Tracy Reifkind.

Tracy started writing on her blog Living my physical potential back in 2007. She described the diet & exercise combo that helped her lose over 120 pounds. Near the end of 2008 she moved to a new blog Food and thought where she continued to chronicle her food & exercise program through 2015.  After that she didn't really continue blogging (at least publicly), although she still teaches at the gym she & her husband own.

She published her book in 2013, and really it's just a better organized documenting of the food & exercise program she developed and follows.

Tracy really created and perfected the technique of using the kettlebell swing to get an awesome HIIT workout with weight training benefit. Her diet advice is common sense. Her straightforward approach might not appeal to everyone, but she's very matter of fact about what she accomplished and what anyone else can as well. She has also created several training and workout videos also.

I keep coming back to kettlebells as a quick, efficient, convenient way to get my weight training in while getting a terrific cardio workout at the same time. Tracy's recipes inspire me to strive to get more vegetables in my diet.

I hope you have a great day!

Lovely weekend

We went down to my son's at Carolina Beach this weekend. He replaced the window motor on the driver door in my car (hurray!), we went out in Frankie's boat (a family friend), I cooked up a turkey he had in the deep freeze, and we walked on the beach several times - including once with the dogs. I never get tired of walking on the beach.

Ex MIL dog sat and things went better this time. :-)

Today I walked early, did the elliptical at lunch, and took a shorter walk after lunch. It's sunny and 84 - so not as hot as it's been, but still warm. Thankfully we'll be home this weekend, so we have some down time before the big getaway for T's birthday next week.

As soon as we got home, I went to the store and picked up what we needed (we'd planned the meals and made a shopping list before we left), so we were able to eat at home last night. We did eat breakfast out Saturday - so not worth it! So we're back to eating at home until our next trip.

Take care!

What happened to yesterday?

Sorry about skipping yesterday - work was super busy!

I'm doing fine - a loss of 2.2 pounds this week. So I am holding pretty consistent with 2 pounds per week - that's perfectly fine with me. Could I maybe lose a bit more than that per week at my current weight? Maybe. But I am comfortable with my eating - long term I want to continue to strive for a higher vegetable intake, but I'm doing well with balancing my protein (not too much red meat) and limiting my carbs. What I am doing right now feels very doable for the long haul.

I was able to recover from that one bad evening and move on.

Even though it was a holiday week, I got in 2 kettlebell workouts and 2 elliptical workouts, plus several walks. So my exercise is coming along well.

I have 2 out of town trips this month - this weekend to my son's house at Carolina Beach and T's birthday trip to the Florida Keys. My plan is pretty straightforward - eat basically the same thing, limit portions, don't go nuts. Pretty easy this weekend - the Keys will be tougher because I know we are going to 2 restaurants that are special treats - food I can't get up here. My plan is to order a meal, eat half, and save half for lunch the next day. We are taking a cooler, our hotels all have fridge & microwave, and I have tupperware on my packing list, :-) So I've planned and tried to make success easy.

Have a great weekend!

You know what poor planning gets you?

Today is one of those days where your first mistake is getting out of bed, and then it all goes downhill from there!! Lol Ugh!

Last night I came home to a very stressed out husband (it was weird, I don't even know why he was stressed and I don't think he did either). I caved and did some emotional eating (ugh). This morning I forgot my breakfast - I was able to stop and get a pretty decent choice on the way in. Then my lunch plans fell through - I ended up going to the grocery store for a tv dinner. A bit high on carbs but okay on calories.

I did do a good kettlebell workout this morning.

So overall, not a great day. Oh well. It happens. Not quitting, giving up, or going nuts because I made a mistake.

Some days.....

Take care.

A bit of a disappointment

At 23 pounds lost, my husband took another set of pictures of me. I could barely see a difference. I can feel a difference in my clothes (although I am still wearing the same clothes) and the scale is lower, but so far those are the only real changes I am noticing.  It's frustrating to have come what feels like so far, but looks like barely a step one of a thousand mile journey.

Having said that, what can I do but continue the course and know that the difference will become noticeable at some point in the next 23 pounds? Le sigh.

Having worked like house elves over at mom's for 2 days, yesterday we worked like house elves around our house. It's looking much more organized. We also made time to go see "Deadpool 2', which we both really enjoyed.

Take care.

The (former?) food pusher

Home from my mom's, The master bath still needs a second coat of paint - it was too wet to do when we left. So that's for Friday. We are wrapping up the painting, we moved a couple of pieces of furniture exMIL wants over to her place, and emptied out our storage unit. (Yay saving money!). Tomorrow we get to work around our house! :-O

Friday at work was interesting. I have a co-worker who has always been a big food pusher. He organizes the potlucks, decides the themes, etc. He's had some MAJOR health issues and ended up having most of his colon removed, which has radically changed the way he can eat. It was interesting that when we had a big going away thing for our intern on Friday, A only had a small plate which had mostly healthy stuff. Not his usual M.O. OTOH, a week or so ago he brought in store bought muffins and walked them from office to office offering folks one. Thankfully he didn't make an issue of it when I refused.

Friday I had 3 crackers, 5 cheese cubes, and 2 strawberries over the course of the day. I skipped the cake and chips and all that junk. It wasn't too obvious since everyone was grazing. Luckily no one pushes the food too hard, but I'll be interested to see whether A starts back up the monthly potlucks - which usually feature the kind of food normally seen at a 5 year old's birthday party. My plan is usually to pack a healthy salad which I can supplement based on what people bring - and I try to bring a healthy option.

OK, enjoy your weekend!

Two milestones and one broken streak

As I thought I might, I crossed 2 milestones today: I've now lost just over 10% of my body weight - a number doctors say is significant, and I weighed less than 200 pounds for the first time since June of 2015.

That is hard to write. I'm a person who maintained a healthy weight all the way up to pregnancy, gained more than I should have, but turned around and took it off - and kept it off for several years. It wasn't until I started dating my ex husband that I really ballooned up. And yet I lost all but 10 pounds of it - and kept it off for quite some time! But of course work & relationship stress took their toll, and I ended up gaining.... 70 pounds. God that's hard to admit.

Today I've lost just over 22 of that 70, so I still have a long weigh to go. But I am trying hard to address emotional issues and stress without food and use less harmful coping mechanisms.

The streak we broke was that we caved and bought take out from Boston Market. By the time we left mom's from painting we were exhausted and neither of us were up to cooking. Calories and salt were higher than if we'd eaten at home, but we both ate on plan.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.

Take care.

A little more

In October 2001, I started an Excel spreadsheet to track my weight. I weighed every Friday. I still have that same spreadsheet. There are weeks (and months) with no data, but it's a pretty good picture of my weight over the past 17 years (good gravy!). There are times that spreadsheet has left me down - realizing I'd regained a lot of weight.

Today I looked back - I weigh less than I have in over three years and it was 2013 when I went on our annual vacation to Pennsylvania weighing less than I do now. I find that encouraging. Going primitive camping overweight and out of shape is HARD. I am confident this year is going to be so much better than the recent past!

I was down 2.4 pounds this week. I have two significant milestones I may very well hit over the weekend.

T has a sleep study Monday night - he met with a sleep specialist and she is pretty sure he has sleep apnea. He was really nervous about that and didn't want to have to use a C-Pap, but I told him about Sean being able to quit using the machine (as have others we know) once they've lost weight - and the doctor said the same thing. So now instead of discouraged, he is hopeful that he can start getting the rest he needs so much and that better rest will translate to a better performing body, which will translate to more energy and weight loss. Sleep affects SO MANY aspects of our life - it's amazing.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday morning I had a dental appointment. Since the office is near my mom's, I packed up and worked from her home yesterday. I used my lunch break to roll all of her interior doors - and we got them done!

Saturday we have to paint her bedroom and the 2 bathrooms, and a bit more more in the utility room. She needs to finish up the trim - and the painting will be done! Sunday is moving some stuff and beginning to get things prepped for the realtor to take photos. I am thinking the end is nearly in sight for her. Yes, she is selling my childhood home. But overall I am so excited for her to be finally making her dream of living near the beach a reality.

Work is uber busy today, so no lunch time gym today. Food remains good and the scale is moving in the right direction. Like I told my husband last night in the car "I'm not always motivated, but I remain determined."

Why is this time different (mentally)? I wish I could answer for sure. I just know that I feel ready to be done with this. It's been an albatross around my neck too long. I think for me many things have come together which add up to that readiness, but I think it boils down to two main things: 1) I no longer feel the need to use food to escape from the issues of my marriage and job and 2) I have a spouse who supports, rather than undermines, my efforts.

Those are changes that a part of me wishes I'd made years ago. OTOH, maybe I wasn't ready to learn those lessons then. I can't change the past, but I'm thankful I found the courage to make the changes I needed to in order for me to be where I am now.

Have a good day.

Weight is weird

Saturday I saw a new low. That evening I had a larger than normal snack (but nothing remotely like a binge - I'm talking 500 calories). I was up 0.6 pounds the next morning and didn't think too much of it - hey I ate a large, salty snack. No worries. Except it hung around - it even picked up 0.2 pounds .. even though I was eating on plan. This morning half that 0.8 was gone - leaving me still up 0.4 over Saturday even though my eating this week has been really good.

Sometimes the vagaries of the scale are a mystery to me.

In any case, I continue to eat on plan, knowing that I will see the results. My morning snack has been 12 raw, unsalted almonds. I'm getting tired of them, so I plan to change that up next week. My afternoon snack has been a string cheese. Lunches have been dinner leftovers. Today's was wonton meatballs (from the author of the Nom Nom Paleo website) and stir fry veg. Tonight's dinner is Mediterranean chicken and sauteed green beans courtesy of the crock pot.

The month of no dining out continues to go well, but my husband is tired of dirty dishes. As am I. :-) But I am certainly seeing the payoff on the scale.

Take care!

Reflections

Today was my 12th and final class of my 16 week "Move It!" class at the VA. (Class is 3 weeks on, 1 week off). I've lost just over 20 pounds, starting slowly and picking up speed. Looking back over the time, I've spent some time this morning trying to pinpoint what has changed and how I can continue to be successful.

• I don't feel like "I've got this." I hope I never feel that way. I've learned I can maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle for years, and still regain all the weight and more. I will need to be vigilant always. In some ways that sounds a tad depressing, but it also means always searching for new things and new ways to challenge myself - which doesn't sound depressing.

• I have finally been able to change my evening snacking habit. I have tried various strategies over the years, but I have always felt like I "deserved" something special in the evening. 

• I've tried to stop using food as a reward.
• I've noticed the correlation between the snack and the scale results, and I don't like it.
• I'm trying to pay attention to my "belly hunger" cues, and differentiating between belly hunger and head hunger. Allowing myself to be physically hungry is new to me.
• I'm okay with my snacking level for now, but if I feel I want to cut back more, I will use the "extinguish" behavioral change method.
• My spouse doesn't try to sabotage my weight loss efforts.

• I'm going to the gym regularly.

• I'm walking more at work.

• We are eating out less.

I will miss the class, but not the chunk of time out of my day or the drive - especially with gas prices going up!

Take care!

Milestone

This weekend I crossed over 20 pounds lost. I am still wearing the same clothes, but they are fitting MUCH better - even a little loose. And I am wearing a few more tops I hadn't been able to wear in a while.

Painting went well, T's concert went well, and we finally went to see the new Avengers movie. So it was a busy but good weekend!

No news on the Lucky front - I'm not sure if they are going to have a biopsy done to better know what type of cancer and how long he might have, or just make him comfortable.

Take care.

What an end to the week

My son's girlfriend's dog has cancer. :-( It's extra sad because he was her granddad's dog, so it's like losing a part of him all over again. And he reminds me & mom of my (deceased) uncle's dog Jojo (Both Jojo and my uncle Jerry are gone - Jerry passed away far too young). And Lucky is a great little dog.

I went to the gym yesterday but this morning it is POURING. Yuck.

I'm down 2 pounds this week.

Feeling down, so that's it for today.

Take care.

Weather and plans

It looks like the rain has settled in for next several days. :-( It was pouring at lunch, so I opted to postpone the gym until tomorrow. We did get a break in the weather and my colleague and I went out for a quick walk.

Our road trip this past weekend has given me some much needed confidence in the "travel and stay on my diet plan" goal. T and I have a fair bit of travel planned in the upcoming months:

• A weekend getaway to Carolina Beach to visit my son
• A surprise long weekend birthday adventure for T's 50th. He doesn't know it but we're going to the Keys for snorkeling and other adventures!
• A trip up to the mountains (Boone) for his band camp reunion.
• Our big annual trip up to PA for Pennsic. 

All of these things will need to be accomplished to maximize fun but stay within budget and dietary constraints. After this past weekend, I think I have come up with a formula for success.

Strategies include:

• We are staying in Hilton properties (when in a hotel). They have a free breakfast which is good (but not amazing) and has plenty of protein options.
• Cooking (at my son's, while camping) our own food.
• Packing a cooler/ lunchbox.
• In general, keeping the dining out to a minimum. And when we do (like a trip to Sunrise Pita Grill), it will be planned and enjoyed!
• And of course - staying active!

I'm still on a "high" from our class yesterday. Overall, I am feeling like this is something I can navigate and that I can successfully lose weight. For the first time in a LONG time, I believe I can control my weight. That feels terrific.

Have a great day!

Really good class today!

So, today was #11 (of 12) of my MoveIt! classes at the VA. There are 3 types of classes (so 4 each): physical activity, nutrition, psychology of weight gain & loss. Today was led by a behavioral psychologist and was "Cues and Triggers".

He discussed the importance of identifying what foods, situations, etc. are behavioral cues for you to overeat and ways to overcome them. Some are easy: if you can't stop with the Pringles, don't bring them in the house. Duh, right? But then he talked about the "extinction" method of changing bad habits. An example would be eating on the sofa. If you eat meals at the table but snack on the sofa, then when you have that urge you could: stop, drink a glass of water. Do a check- are you head or stomach hungry? If you are genuinely hungry, pause your show (or wait until it's over) and then get a healthy snack, but eat it at the table and NOT the sofa. I'd never thought of it that way!

I've been doing better by choosing better snacks, but the reality is that the act of sitting on the sofa is a trigger! Why settle of reducing the snack when I can eliminate the habit unless I'm truly hungry? It was a real light bulb moment for me!

Anyway, this guy was probably the best speaker we've had - he did a terrific job! That's one cool thing - these training/discussions are led by experts.  Anyway, it's been a busy but good day so far. I went to class, went home and waited for the cable guy to come & figure out why the internet keeps crapping out, then came over to mom's so she could run some errands in my car (hers is in the shop).

Last night the internet was down AND the cable kept dropping channels - I've been hating on Spectrum for a while - we'll see if replacing hardware today fixes the issues.

Take care!

Busy weekend

Welcome back to the work week! Lol

I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was fine - mom and I drove down to Georgia to visit my great aunt. This time she was feeling pretty good and felt like going out to lunch with us. We went to the country buffet she really likes and she thoroughly enjoyed her food and ate every bite! Her energy isn't really good any more, so after that we took her back to the assisted living place to rest, but we keep popping back in for visits throughout the weekend.

We hit multiple stores to pick up several items she needed (shampoo, soap, lotion, etc.) and to look for some comfortable footie socks for her to wear around - she has a problem now with her feet swelling, so finding something comfortable can be tough.

I bought myself a makeup mirror and mom bought a summer purse - our Mother's day gifts to ourselves I guess! :-)

My plan of taking food to supplement and pairing that with good choices paid off - despite being on the road all weekend, I was down 0.8 pounds this morning from Friday, that feels like a huge victory.

I got my mom a really cool gift:

It's a guided journal that you use to record stuff about your life! T liked the idea so much he had me order one for him to give to his mom as well (which she loved). I wish I'd had these to give to my grandmothers.

Mother's Day was .. okay. I didn't get to see my son and we spent the day in the car headed back home. By the time I got home I was tired and grubby and a little sad. It's hard to see someone you love when their body continues after their spirit is done. But she still has moments of pleasure and joy - although they are few and far between. We do what we can.

In any case, it was a fine day and a fine weekend, and as always, I am so glad we went.

I hope you have a terrific week. Take care!

Determination, not motivation

Good morning and happy Friday!

First of all, thanks Laura and Nixie for the comments. No matter the age, you always want the best for your kids!!

I'm down 2 pounds this week. I had an evening where I really oversnacked (Sunday or Monday) and I bounced up 0.6 pounds, but overall still a decent loss.

I'm leaving straight from work to mom's to pick her up, then we are headed to Georgia to visit with my great aunt for the weekend. I made some chicken salad and packed that, some wraps, apples, tomatoes, and some raw almonds so hopefully I can use that to fill out good choices and won't see a gain from the dining out. And a couple of protein shakes. When I'm trying to lose weight, travel can create a lot of anxiety with food for me, so I'd rather be over prepared.

I am not always motivated, but I remain determined to make the the LAST time I lose a significant amount of weight. Third time's a charm! Lol

I hope you have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Deep thoughts

I'm fine. T seems committed to losing weight, so I am glad. We're doing fine. I'm feeling bummed today - my son had a big fight with his girlfriend and I know how much that sucks. I feel badly for him. I just love him and want him to be happy. Relationships are hard, I think things do get easier with age though. He's heading into his final year of college, so he's an adult but not completely independent, but I think she expects him to be, which isn't really fair because she wasn't when she was in college. Whatever.

Anyway, blah.

Here's a picture in case you need any encouragement today.

Take care.

The first step is the hardest

I find that getting started is always the hardest part of anything, and I can be an expert procrastinator! I have a presentation due at the end of the day, and I can't get a handle on how to start! Ugh! When I get this way, I find the easiest thing is to just jump in somewhere, swim around, and then the task will begin to flow.

I decided I was determined to lose weight this time, even if I wasn't always motivated! Instead of doing everything perfectly, I decided to focus on the one most important thing: my food. The gym is still hit or miss, but I'm doing a good job of getting in my steps and sticking to the food plan. Making the decision to not dine out this month has made for some meals that were scrounging in the fridge, but were healthier (and cheaper!) than anything I would have gotten in a restaurant.

One thing I didn't consider was our trip to Georgia to see my great aunt. We will be eating on the road. My plan is to make the smartest choices I can and call it good. I'll keep you posted.

Okay, I better get back to work! Take care!

Tuesday

So my son (who is a mechanic) thinks it may be the computer on mom's car - which is pricey. :-( They haven't called her to tell her anything yet. Luckily she was able to borrow a car from a friend. Fingers crossed!

I had a class at the VA this morning - "Finesse your Food". We talked about building a healthy plate and snacking. It was pretty good. Only 2 more classes! I have enjoyed doing this, but I'm looking forward to moving on as well.

My project at home is finishing the curtains for our bedroom. This has been on the back burner forever! Yesterday I hemmed a pair of pants to take to my great aunt when we go to Georgia this weekend, and since I had the sewing stuff out I decided to tackle the thing I wanted done the most! Behind this I have a couple of minor mending projects, and then I can start on some medieval costume projects for this summer. This is going to take some time - there are curtains (like where the sheers would be) and then there are decorative curtains that flank the window, but don't cover it completely. One window is now totally done. The other one I need to hem the flanking curtains and finish making the regular ones. It felt good to make progress on that.

Take care!

Monday not so funday

No sooner than my mom got her car back from having a new starter put in at her regular place, than she ran an errand and not only would it not start, but the horn wouldn't stop going off! So it looks like they did a repair she didn't need and they told her she needed to take it to the dealer. :-( I picked her up - how frustrating!!

What else? Painting went fine this weekend - faster than I thought it would but also oh so much harder!! We were bone tired Saturday night and came hoe and took a nap Sunday!  But we got the 2 bedrooms and hallway done that I was hoping, so at least we're on track.

I hope you have a terrific week!

Another milestone

Today I hit 15 pounds gone.My clothes feel better, I feel less bloated, but honestly I can't tell a huge difference yet. In 5 more pounds I am going to have T take another set of photos - maybe I can see the difference in the photos even if I can't see it in the mirror.

Last night I helped my ex MIL get her bills all set up online and paid for the month. Except cable - she is going to call them today and see if they will negotiate if she threatens to cancel. Mom and T went and bought paint.  Tomorrow we are headed to her place to get started. Wish us luck!

I don't have too much to say. I can't see the changes yet (although I definitely feel better), so I am using the scale. I wish I'd taken measurements. Maybe we will do that this weekend.

I hope your weekend is a good one!

Change of plans

T told me he wanted to take a break from the gym. In addition to cutting his carbs, he has virtually eliminated sodas and caffeine. He's tired and feeling sluggish - add to that the hectic schedule with painting my mom's house this month and we agreed it was better to wait and start lifting weights next month.

Having said that, I am ready! So I plan to set up a dumbbell routine for myself to use until he is ready. That way I will still be lifting weights, but I need a spotter for the barbell routine. I will most likely start doing a short weight training routine prior to cardio when I go at lunchtime Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Last night I was feeling very restless. I think part of it is that we are watching "Lawrence of Arabia" - it's one of T's favorite movies and I've never seen it, so we rented it from Netflix. It's not bad, but it won't be a favorite and it's not really drawing me in. I wanted to eat (although I wasn't hungry). I limited myself to half an ounce of pork rinds. It's funny - when I was a kid we thought of those as a kind of "trashy", unhealthy snack!! Now they are commonly listed on low carb diets as a replacement for chips! LOL. Times have changed!

Anyway, things are going fine.

Take care.

Better

Yesterday went better. Breakfast worked fine, we ate our lunch and snacks (T actually brought home his Babybel cheeses), followed the diet, and ended the day by each having a half a gin and (diet) tonic! Lol. Yes, one shot of gin or vodka or one ultra light beer is permitted.

At lunch I went with my MIL to set her up for online banking, so I can help her pay her bills. She's been paying them by the "what are they threatening to turn off this month?" method. No bueno. So we got that taken care of.

We did round 1 of Lowe's with my mom, but are going back tomorrow. Tonight and Friday are weight training in the evening and cardio at lunch. We both have been pretty sore - we've made some significant increases on the weights we are lifting, so we are adding a few minutes in the hot tub, sauna, or steam room onto the end of our weight workout.

The teacher T works with is retiring at the end of the year - it was a surprise. So he's not sure if he wants to stay on there or look for another position somewhere else. Oh, and his job for the summer may have fallen through. :-(  Life!

In any case, things are going pretty well in our little corner of the world.

Take care.

Lessons learned

Here's a good one for today:

So yesterday.....  First off, on the list of foods (and let me tell you, this isn't the easiest to understand format she has) there is a category that says "extras (You may choose one of these foods with 2 meals).  That category contains the complex carbs (black beans, brown rice, whole grain wrap). Okay, this is a low carb diet - makes sense! And this isn't wacky or outrageous or anything.

So for breakfast T has a protein shake with yogurt and some fruit. not bad. I had a yogurt bowl with a VERY little bit of fruit (my frozen fruit was freezer burned and full of ice - yuck!). His breakfast was a little small but OK, mine was small. Then I only packed him 1 protein snack instead of 2. The upshot was we were both pretty miserable all day and hangry by dinner.  He stopped for a rotisserie chicken - we were so tired that's all we ate. So day 1 wasn't exactly a success.

Today I followed the guidelines of 2 protein servings (which meant 2 eggs, 1 slice of bacon, 1 ounce of cheese) in a low carb whole grain wrap. I'm working at home today, but I made sure to  pack a good lunch and 2 protein snacks plus a fruit in T's lunchbox.

Today is a rest day from the gym because we are going to mom's to help her buy the painting supplies for painting her house, so hopefully today will be a better day. We're still figuring this thing out, I figure we'll get into a groove and it'll be a lot easier.

Have a great day!

Time flies when the weather is great!

I hope you had a great weekend! Mine was really, really awesome! It was a good mix of accomplishing a lot around the house, and spending time with the family. T and I even took a nap together for half an hour yesterday!! It was lovely.

The weather was fantastic so we opened up the house to air it out. Unfortunately, T's allergies are in full swing so he is kinda miserable right now. :-( 

Dinner with his family was really nice - I made good choices (salmon, salad, spinach) and we had a great time. It's prom season so it was fun to see the outfits!

Yesterday we went to the gym and lifted weights - I gotta tell you, we're getting to the point that it is getting challenging for sure! I only lifted weights once last week, but I did HIIT 3 times - so a definite improvement!

I lost weight over the weekend - a nice reward for staying mindful.

Take care!

Creating inefficiencies

Happy Friday!!

Down 1.6 pounds from last week, now back to moving solidly in the right direction!

T and I had already committed to really tightening back down on our food, this morning we set a goal for May: no eating out. Yes, that's a challenge!! But not only will it save us calories and help us stay on track, it will also help us save money for our vacation at the end of summer.

Why the title? Now that I have a Fitbit, I try to be inefficient as I move around, creating more steps for myself rather than fewer!

I wanted to share this post on emotional eating as it really resonated with me: Cravings and Deprivation

We are getting together (and going out to eat) with my in-laws Saturday to celebrate my MIL's birthday. I have some mending to do, T may do some yard work, but I am hoping for a quiet weekend at home with my love and my fur babies.

Have a great weekend!

What happened to yesterday???

Yesterday was a busy day at work. I lost track of time and realized this morning that I never posted! Things are/were fine. I think spring may actually be here and I am so grateful. I am looking forward to evening walks with my husband and dogs.

We've been doing ... okay ... with our eating. My loss has slowed and T's has stalled. We aren't satisfied with that so we are sitting down this weekend and creating an even lower carb meal plan. They've been creeping back in, like weeds in a garden.

Other than dinner with his family Saturday night to celebrate my MIL's birthday, our plan for the weekend is to run the last of the guest room stuff to Goodwill. I have some mending to do, and T may do some yard work. May is dedicated to getting mom's house painted to get it on the market, so it's going to be busy!

Take care!

Interesting POV

I had another class at the VA today - this one was "Fitness for Life". He talked about 3 aspects of physical activity: cardio, resistance training, and lifestyle. I hadn't thought of it that way! Anyway, the instructor talked about the importance of creating a physically active lifestyle and that, even without "exercise", an active lifestyle will carry you a long way toward weight loss and being healthy.

I do things like walk with a colleague, or walk the dogs - I don't count those as "intentional exercise", but today was a good reminder that those habits contribute to our overall health!

Even though the loss feels SO SLOW, it's still happening!

Take care.

Home again, home again

I had a nice weekend. Uneventful trip home, although Mother Nature did gift me with my period and a fever blister (gee, thanks! NOT).

I am home, we celebrated my birthday. T gave me a FitBit, so that's cool! I lost a pound in Vegas and didn't gain over the weekend, so that's pretty good.

Onward and downward!

"I needed a reminder from a friend not too long ago that whenever I think I'm not good enough, I need to tell that voice to shut up and keep moving forward. Whatever it is that is holding you back from greatness- anxiety, depression, self doubt, jealousy, laziness, etc....make it your goal to work to overcome them. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Find the right people to support you, and you can do great things. ~Tony"

Take care.

Not a bad day

This morning after breakfast I figured out the car (with my son's help) - you had to have your foot on the brake to start the car. I drove up the strip, found the car rental return, gassed up car (it held $3) and got a diet pepsi for the morning. I hung out & read by the pool, managed a short nap, and we headed out at 11 for out meeting.

So our meeting (3 hours) went well. I was back in the hotel by 2:30. Right now I'm watching "Swamp People" and trying to decide whether I a calling room service or going down to eat. I plan to take a bath, pack, and go to bed early.

Once I figured out the car I was feeling better - honestly I was feeling sorry for myself, and feeling dumb (which I hate). This trip hasn't been great - it certainly would have been a lot more fun with company, but it hasn't been and and going to the meeting was very useful for me, and I think I was able to make some good contributions. I was the only person from the IT department there, and there were certain items they really needed someone with some knowledge to address.

Have a good evening.

Early morning pity party

I'm in Vegas, on my birthday, on business.

• Dinner was mediocre - I didn't even finish it.
• I can't figure out how to start my rental car. Seriously - they gave it to me running. I read the owners manual. Mystery.
• Missed getting to the Neon Museum (see points 1 and 2).
• Shower was tepid.
• A hot shower is especially nice when you wake up at 3 AM.

Meeting is today at 11:30 - lunch and then meet for ???? an unknown period of time. My plan is to order room service and go to bed early!

Thanks for letting me grump. I love to travel - I just prefer it be for vacation and not business! Luckily I don't travel much for business.

Let's make it a good day!

So far so good

Great idea on the oatmeal Beth! I had breakfast at home, a snack in the car, bought a salad & water to carry on the plane for lunch, and had nuts for afternoon snack. Now my problem is we have 6:45 dinner reservations - which is 9:45 EST and I am really really hungry. I think I need to grab a snack.

Take care.

You can have it all, just not all the time!

Hey there!  I am nervous about my trip. I feel ridiculous even saying that, but I am nervous about food. 

There are 2 issues:

• Airport food. I am arriving at the airport tomorrow around 9:30 and my flight leaves at 11:30. My best bet is to buy something to carry onto the plane - I don't want to depend on airline food! I am hopeful that I can buy a salad and a bottle of water - otherwise a sandwich and remove half the bread. I bought some 100 calorie packs on raw nuts and I plan to have a couple in my purse.

• Vegas food. Is the company team eating together Wednesday? Lunch Thursday is a business deal. My flight leaves at 6:30 AM Friday - I'll need a eat a little something before I leave the hotel and then hope I can find something.

There is plenty of food available - my concerns are around limited choices/ an overabundance and making poor choices. I need to remind myself that no one controls what I put in my mouth ... except ME!

Coffee????

I am feeling a little blurry this morning.

I woke up at 4:30, and caved and got up at 5. I went to bed early so I think I had had enough sleep! I am a little groggy though - getting off to a slow start today.

It was a nice weekend, but too busy! (Don't I always say that????).

Have a good day!

Done, for now. And the not so feral kitty!

I am proclaiming the guest room "done" - for now. There are still a few things that need to be gone through, but the progress is HUGE!

I don't think that cat was ever feral. She seems to be healing well, has discovered how to go out the dog door, and seems to have come to an accord with the dogs. She isn't so hissy and they aren't running, so I think a meeting of the minds happened while we were out & about yesterday.

Have a good rest of the weekend!

Quiet evening

So this happened last night. Susie was all happy, and the cat jumped up and tried to thug her into getting off the sofa. I swear that cat could get a job as a mob enforcer.

T went to Toastmasters, so I made supper, cleaned the kitchen, and hung out with the animals. Other than having too many baked chicken nuggets for my after dinner snack (apparently I am five years old), it was an uneventful evening. I was a bit on the tired side so skipped any effort to do more organizing in the guest room. Sometimes you just need an evening to veg.

My son is in town to help my mom move some of her stuff, so we are headed to her place tonight for supper. Today has been a good day.

Take care.

Can you relate? And - our triumphant return!! :-)

I was reading an article on MSN and at the bottom they had one of their slideshows - this one about some of the gals in the upcoming People magazine "half their size" edition. Here's a brief quote about one lady (Megan): "she was drinking five or more cans of soda a day, eating large quantities of food, and stopping at the drive-thru daily."

I can't even relate to that. I mean, being overweight yes, but those habits? I'm not judging this person or their lifestyle. AT ALL. And I know a lot of people find these stories inspirational - in a way I do too. Obviously I eat too much or I wouldn't be overweight, but I've never been a soda addict or eaten fast food on even a regular basis. I view these stories the way I see the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" - extreme examples. And good on them for losing the weight, but I think it also feeds into a false narrative that somehow this is what all or most overweight people are doing, when I think that's not true. I think a lot of us make a handful of poor choices consistently, and that's enough to add up. But I could be totally off base!

Last night we lifted weights for the first time in FOREVER. The good news is that neither of us decreased on any of our weights for the exercises, and we were able to complete the scheduled workout! My back was stiff at the end and T was sore this morning, but we did it! And at lunch today I went to Anytime for a cardio workout (I went Monday as well).

One thing I've been slacking on is my veggie consumption. I knew I wanted to do something about that so I bought several cans of these:

I chose low cal varieties (squash, okra and tomatoes (no corn) etc). I'm adding a half can into my lunch box. Yes they have salt added, but they are an easy way to get back into the habit of eating vegetables. I've been in a rut and this is giving me a break while I look for new vegetable ideas. I haven't met many vegetables I don't like (except fennel. And arugula.), so I have a good variety to choose from, I'd just gotten in the habit of buying the same ones and preparing them in the same old way. So I have some homework.

Also, I hate to jinx it, but spring may actually be here! (shhh).

Take care.

Back in the saddle (gym) again

Back from vacation, back to routine. This week is what we call a transition week: we are getting back to our gym routine. And while our eating isn't bad, it's a little bit hodge podge in that we are using up leftovers and stuff from the freezer since our planning, shopping, and prepping last week weren't extensive.

For a number of reasons I'm not prepared to open up about here, we both have been stressed and unfocused. But we have a course of action for dealing with what we can and letting the rest roll off our backs. We're ok, our pets are ok, our families are ok.

After being off last week, I was also back at my class at the VA. This week was about eating out. Nothing earth shattering - just some good reminders. Given that next week I have 2 days of flying and a day and a half in Las Vegas it was certainly a timely class!

Take care.

embrace the grind

It's been a tough week or so, not gonna lie. Leaving these things here to help keep me focused.

"What I'm getting is more valuable than what I'm giving up."

Off to the beach

Catch you on the flip side!

Quick update

Made some progress in the guest room today - still stuff to sort through, put away, and donate, but SO much better you guys!

Have a nice Easter if that is a holiday you celebrate!

Kitty update

Our county has no services for catching/ fixing feral cats. The waiting list if Guilford county is 2 months long. I called "Planned Pethood". We got her fixed, rabies shot, pain meds for $100. So not as cheap as the low cost places, but cheaper than the vet.

She is out of surgery and on her way home now. She seems to be doing fine.

I've been here before

Down 10 pounds. Life is getting busy. My anxiety level is increasing. This has been a formula for diving back into the food in the past. I am not motivated, but I am determined.

I am going to do some self care, set some small but manageable goals for the evening, and not let my mind talk myself out of continued success.

Sometimes I seem to sabotage myself for no reason - not today, brain, not today.

Take care.

Back in the gym again

I went to the gym yesterday for a HIIT session.

Today was my 6th class (of 12) at the VA. I appreciate the support. Our new mattress was delivered today - yay! We now have a bed in our guest room!!

The roofer is coming tonight - wish us luck.

Take care.

Ka-ching kind of weekend

Got home Friday, Susie had destroyed the dog door. Not just the flap, but the frame as well. Since it was supposed to SNOW Friday night, we opted to close the storm door so air wouldn't come in the gaping hole in the door. Apparently in the middle of the night Susie needing to go out but could not, and instead left a crop circle of diarrhea on the den rug.

So,

• New dog door plus fill dirt for the holes in the yard she regularly creates - $100
• Steam cleaner rental plus dog enzyme de-stank solution $60
• Dog medicine from vet $100
• Lunch at Costco food court because I was starving and exhausted - $3
• Going to see "Black Panther" because I deserved it, plus 2 sodas and a small popcorn - $18

Do you see the theme here? Pets are expensive, especially when they misbehave! Lol

It was not a great weekend. I put too much on myself, creating a lot of (self created) anxiety, which led to poor choices. Thankfully my poor choices these days are not nearly as bad as my poor choices of yesteryear. Up a half pound and the end of the weekend from Friday's weigh in.

I think it was the leaky porch roof that pushed me over the edge. I know it pushed T over the edge. Le sigh.

• New porch roof - $???

Glacial pace, but in the right direction

Well, I lost a little over a pound this week! I'm not winning any speed records, OTOH I don't feel deprived or anxious about what I am eating.

Another busy weekend getting the guest room up to snuff. I will be so glad to have that room looking nice and organized!

So, there is this feral cat in our neighborhood.

(So wild.)

My husband is crazy about her and she is a real sweetie. We want to get her fixed, but there is a pretty long waiting list. Our vet will do it but of course she'll need vaccinations etc., so it'll be like $350. Not sure what to do - there are some clinics around but since the wait is long we're afraid she will end up pregnant. :-( Not sure what to do.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Take care.

An actual recap

Yes, we had snow yesterday. We took advantage of being home to go to the Industries for the Blind (IFB) mattress store and order a new mattress & box springs.

Progress in the guest room continues. I have 2 rubbermaids of clothes to be donated as well as a few things simply pitched. We are setting up the bed frame this weekend, so it is beginning to look like a real room and not just a storage facility! Lol

I am going to be out of town on a business trip for my birthday, so we are definitely planning to head to the beach during T's spring break for a long weekend to celebrate early. Not optimal, but it's pretty important that I go along to visit this client.

Our weather is crazy.

Take care.