Best Of
Re: Drop a word ....Add a word.
And you'll have to eat your lunch all by yourself
Long gone

Re: LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
I’m not seeing how to snip bits out of someone’s quote in this latest format, so I’m quoting your question like this, @itladyee .
For those of you who have read books that have helped, please share your choices.
I went through and read most of the suggested books that are kindly mentioned at the beginning of these LA threads, and even read a few of the memoirs out there after that and, overall, the three books that stood out to me were,
Alcohol Explained by William Porter. For straight to the point science. I found it useful in the way it helps explain what alcohol is and what it isn’t, and the misplaced credit we give it.
Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck. Because, IIRC, a wine connoisseur, respected and called on by the people around him for his choices and thoughts on wine, reading how ingrained into his identity it had become and how he broke free made me sit up and take notice. If this person could separate this drug from their ego, I could maybe stand a chance.
Kick the Drink...Easily by Jason Vale. By the time I had gotten to this book, I had a few days away from alcohol at this point but was still behind the moderation merry go-round fence. Towards the middle of the book I found myself thinking and actually exploring the question “What if I don’t actually have to do all this mental acrobatics anymore? This boring dance, I don’t have to do it anymore…” Cogs were turning in my head and the seeds were being planted. This book and the others also do good with explaining, with their science-y background, the knowledge of there genuinely being nothing to miss and go back for.
Something a wise past LA friend once said, an individual is the only one who can decide when they are ready to change their relationship with alcohol - no one else has the power to do anything about it but them.
Very true, @Michieb125 . It was a readiness that I felt within. The well meaning nags and desperate guilt trips from loved ones unfortunately never seemed to really sink in on any serious level.
Thank you for keeping the thread going, @itladyee and everyone. :)

Re: LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time
A big congrats to you Carole! I can hear your well earned enthusiasm 👏🏼!
@Womona you are doing great!!
AF last night with my new mocktail! Worth the 50 calories compared to 300 on a wine night.
Something a wise past LA friend once said, an individual is the only one who can decide when they are ready to change their relationship with alcohol - no one else has the power to do anything about it but them.
Re: WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JULY 2025
😀 I just finished dealing with another thing that Jake had scheduled for auto renewal that I didn't know about. Since this was something that was mailed to the house, I just called and paid for it and made sure that it didn't come again next year. The other one was an online service that surprised me with a charge of almost $100. I asked the credit card to dispute it and I went to the website to cancel it with the message that the recipient was deceased. I don't know yet whether I'll have to pay for this year. Who knows what will show up next.
❤️ Annie, how sad that your dad said he wanted to go back to his former home. The confusion between long term and short term memory is a tough part of dementia. Sending hugs to you. Please remember that it is about the illness, not about you.
😁 Ginny, glad you are safe. House repairs will be a chore. Sorry you have to deal with that.
😀 Heather, I have watched your grands grow up through your photos and stories. They grow so fast. When I talked to my daughter this week she talked about her elder son beginning his last year in high school and I said, I still think about the photo of him in the baby sweater I knit for him when he was born.
😀 Ange, welcome to our friendly community. I have found walking my dogs a significant part of my exercise program. I walk them first thing in the morning, again after breakfast, then again after our evening meal. I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I walk and always have an ebook on my phone to read if I have trouble sleeping.
😀 My dog walking friend cared for her husband with Alzheimer's for a long time. She said that often he called her "The Queen" or commented that she should probably go home because his wife would be returning soon. She said that she often set aside some time to cry so she could return to him in a helpful manner.
😀 One of my happiness commandments is "Don't take things personally". Another is "Don't expect praise or recognition".
🎵 Barbie in chilly foggy NW WA
Re: What Keeps You Going
You're doing great! Amazing progress, especially on the fitness and ability level!
It may help to think of plateaus as "rest times" for your body. Just like to take rest days from working out, after you lose weight, your body needs time to catch-up and regroup. Just thought viewing them as positive forward steps instead of annoyances might help. Either way, keep it up! Very impressive.
Re: Whey protein intake
This is too freakin' obscure, but:
Whey is a complete protein. It has a limiting amino acid(s), i.e. an essential amino acid(s) that is less present than would be an utterly perfectly balanced complete protein source.
Here's the catch: Pretty much every "complete" protein source - literally every one as far as I know, but I don't know everything in the whole universe 😉😆 - has one or more limiting amino acids. Beef has limiting amino acids, fish has limiting amino acids, etc. Whole milk comes close, maybe eggs, too, IMU, but even those can vary depending on things like what the cows/chickens ate. It's complicated.
It's also not a big deal in this context. "Complete protein" sources are those that come pretty close to the "perfect" essential amino acid balance. They have all of the essential amino acids, and the limiting amino acid(s) are not profoundly low compared to the others.
Varying protein sources across the day can potentially help balance essential amino acids more fully ("protein complementarity"). Maybe that's useful for everyone, dunno, but it can be important for people who get more of their protein from less EAA-complete, less EAA-balanced sources.
I wouldn't consider whey protein to be meaningfully incomplete or unbalanced. Perfect? No. But very little if anything is perfect.

Re: Whey protein intake
Via Google AI:
Yes, whey protein contains all nine essential amino acids (EAAs). These EAAs are crucial because the human body cannot produce them on its own and must obtain them through diet. Whey protein is considered a complete protein due to its inclusion of all essential amino acids, making it a popular choice for muscle building and recovery.
Re: JULY 2025 Monthly Running Challenge
Morning all.
Got in 4.36M at 10'40.
@ContraryMaryMary some great running there! Glad you dodged the sickness bugs!
@Mari33a really fun atmosphere! Lucky we got decent seats. Not sure boxing lends itself to such huge stadiums. I wonder what view the people with the £50 seats had. Just be watching on the big screens I imagine.
Btw. How's your son doing now?
@chris_in_cal Usyk is such a talent. Best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis and one of the best P4P fighters of the modern era. Privilege to see him live!
By the way. You have a HUGE one near you in September. Canelo v Crawford in Vegas.
I would LOVE to go see that one!
Should see as many of these as humanly possible. Most big fights now being done in Saudi Arabia where all the money is, as they use oil money to try and promote themselves as a new Dubai type venue.
Re: JULY 2025 Monthly Running Challenge
Cool. Please keep giving your observations on the Oura ring.
FYI: I started Garmin again about two weeks ago and in learning about it some of their metrics take up to three weeks before it gets enough data to make suggestions or calculate patterns. One example is mine reports heart rate variability (HRV) but they say it will need 21-days of readings before it can report any meaningful changes.
There are one time bits that are interesting, but some of it might come from doing comparisons with long term trends….the readings you see might become more meaningful with regular use for awhile.
Re: Just for Today.... ONE DAY AT A TIME... Daily commitment for 2025
Hi there, my JFTers! Apparently my phone is so old I'm having all kinds of trouble with posting updates, and I haven't been spending much time on my computer in recent days.
@angf0679 Beautiful embroidery! I'm sure your "belated" wedding gift will be very much treasured.
@HappyDonkey75 Enjoy time with your sister, brother and parents! As for sleep, might I suggest the Calm app for relaxation. There's all kinds of choices for bedtime to calm racing thoughts. I used the app extensively when I was working, to keep me from losing my mind with certain people. I would sit in my office doing a 10-minute mindfulness break, and it was wonderful. Of course, there are other similar apps, but that's the one I'm familiar with.
JFT 7/14 M ~ Hot & humid today but 3-day air quality alert (from Canadian wildfires) has ended with change in wind direction. I actually woke up 15 min. before early alarm (so unlike me) and dog & I got in a walk before too unbearable. Stuck to neighborhood again, since more shade & can subtract or add cul-de-sacs depending.
- Walked dog 2.28 mi 😁 happy dog & happy me / OT exercises
- Pan-fried perch, potato salad & steamed veg for supper / 80 oz. water / limit snacks & sweets / log all food / net calories zero
- Busy day already, not going to list all my stuff, except to say I finally decluttered the coffee table in the family room. And talked on phone with Dad, who usually always lets Mom answer. ❤️ TA-DA! 😁
WOTY 2025: Judicious ~ I just like the way the word sounds, and the meaning is right for me: having or showing reason and good judgement in making decisions. I can apply this word in so many ways!