NON WW & WW NEWBIES, OUR NEW LIFE, THE START OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL

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  • cbabie
    cbabie Posts: 1,655 Member
    Morning all, it's been raining not stop I swear since Thursday. I finally got DH to have wood burning fireplace going. We never get to use it because of "air quality", with the rain..we have been able to use it. I fought a horrible headache all day yesterday, so nutshell, no tracking and no walking. It's supposed to rain all day here today again, so no walking, but will track.

    @TeresaW1020 yea on the loss and no sugar. I think my headache was caused from dehydration and no sugar. LOL So glad your mom enjoyed her birthday. In these times, it's the little things that become the big things.

    @mswatson0777 So sorry you were sick, but glad you are better. I am sure you needed the break and glad you took it.

    @RetiredAndLovingIt what a great neighbor. LOL. you get snow, we get rain.

    @trooworld yea on the loss and you are so in. your groove.

    @gemwolf110 sorry about losing post..but glad you poked your head in anyway. LOL.

    cbabie
  • theslightedgeforever
    theslightedgeforever Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited January 2021
    @retiredandlovingit A friend of mine and I were discussing doing plant-based diets and she was having very black and white thinking on it. Either she does it or she doesn't like there wasn't any gray in between to work with. Are you more a "add a fruit and veggie per day to what you are already doing" person or are you the kind that is better with a meatless Monday or Tuesday or whatever. I'm trying to figure out which way is better for me. I don't think willpower is important as planning it out. For instance, if we are going to have a colonoscopy we are all very good about which foods we can eat or not eat. How much liquid intake we will have.

    @gemwolf110 I like typing on my laptop vs the phone. So much faster. What activities are you doing to make sure your health is the best this year?

    @trooworld Yaaay for you on your 100%. I don't really know what any of you can do to help me with my focus power. I think it's an internal thing. Just keep me accountable. Encouragement more than scolding. Woohoo on your spin bike. You are rocking January.

    @teresaw1020 I'm so glad that your scale is down. So keep doing what you are doing. It's working. If I were with you at TXRoadhouse, I'd move to a different table. :D Luckily I only go once a year. Well, now haven't even done that.

    @mswatson0777 So we are almost at the end of January, how is your energy levels? Are your clothes feeling any looser? Any good NSV to report? I think lots of us have done some kind of Mexican dish this week. I took 7 layer dip to a bday gathering. I did well on my distancing. But then I usually do. lol In one of my groups people were talking about us all taking a road trip and how they would have to pull me behind them in my own trailer. I posted them a better solution. qi1hcwzxpjv9.jpg

    @cbabie So back to tracking and walking today. Hey we had headaches on the same day. Aren't you glad you got rain instead of snow?

    January goals:

    Yellow-Went Over 180/164 gm :(
    Intentional Exercise-45 min walking o:)
    Water-50% :|
    Zone minutes 52 minus 4 due to inactivity 4/8 o:)
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @TeresaW1020 here is the recipe, it looks more complicated than it is (it's a lot of writing!):

    Green Chili with Pork
    1 (3½- to 4-pound) boneless pork butt roast trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces, trimmings reserved
    1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
    1 cup water
    1 1⁄2 pounds tomatillos husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried
    5 poblano chiles stemmed, halved, and seeded
    1 large onion cut into 8 wedges through root end
    5 garlic cloves unpeeled
    1 jalapeño chile stemmed and halved
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Pinch ground cloves
    2 bay leaves
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1 teaspoon pepper
    1⁄2 cup minced fresh cilantro plus extra for serving
    Lime wedges

    Toss pork pieces with 1 tablespoon salt in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, chop pork trimmings coarse. Transfer to Dutch oven. Add water and bring to simmer over high heat. Cook, adjusting heat to maintain vigorous simmer and stirring occasionally, until all liquid evaporates and trimmings begin to sizzle, about 12 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until dark fond forms on bottom of pot and trimmings have browned and crisped, about 6 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, discard trimmings. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat; set aside pot.

    Adjust 1 oven rack to lower-middle position and second rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatillos, poblanos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño on prepared sheet and drizzle with oil. Arrange chiles skin side up. Broil until chile skins are blackened and vegetables begin to soften, 10 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Transfer poblanos, jalapeño, and garlic to cutting board.

    Turn off broiler and heat oven to 325 degrees. Transfer tomatillos, onion, and any accumulated juices to food processor. When poblanos, jalapeño, and garlic are cool enough to handle, remove and discard skins (it's OK if some small bits of chile skin remain). Remove seeds from jalapeño and reserve. Add poblanos, jalapeño, and garlic to processor. Pulse until mixture is roughly pureed, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If spicier chili is desired, add reserved jalapeño seeds and pulse 3 times.

    Heat reserved fat in Dutch oven over medium heat until just shimmering. Add oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatillo mixture, bay leaves, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in pork and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until pork is tender, about 1½ hours, stirring halfway through cooking.

    Remove pot from oven and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Using heatproof rubber spatula, scrape browned bits from sides of pot. Stir in any fat that has risen to top of chili. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing lime wedges and extra cilantro separately.

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @TeresaW1020 I did not let the rain or boredom stop me, I rode the bike again yesterday! :D That is so great that you could eat all of that and still be down, woo hoo! I'm glad your mom enjoyed her birthday.

    @mswatson0777 That was just for one night! LOL I have a lot of other things planned for the week...today I am making crockpot lasagna (WW version)! Your chicken taco skillet sounds delicious. I guess the snow is a blessing in disguise? I love salmon. I'm glad you had a break. Now, you are refreshed!

    @cbabie It's been raining here, too. I'm sorry about your headache, is it stress-related or weather-related or just random? Mine tend to be tied to the weather. I am in my groove!

    @theslightedgeforever Thanks, I got 100% again yesterday. You've got my support. I am rocking January! It feels great.

    Hi all. I had a great day again yesterday. I rode the bike again, stayed within my points, drank enough water, and between my breakfast (a piece of toast with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter on it + a bunch of fruit), lunch (leftover green chili with pork) and dinner (Sheet pan fried cauliflower rice with chicken), I ate about 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables. My weight has been going down all week, too as a reward ;). I'm feeling great. Below is a picture of my breakfast.

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS

    091xjmatw7kz.jpg
  • mswatson0777
    mswatson0777 Posts: 290 Member
    @cbabie I love that you and your SO are making the best of a rainy week and enjoying the fireplace. There's nothing quite as relaxing as a wood burning fireplace, I love using my Grandma's when I visit

    @trooworld thanks for sharing the recipe. You always do such an amazing job of searching out and trying new recipes! It sounds like your eating has been on pointe!

    @theslightedgeforever I got a good laugh out of your Beverly Hillbillies photo! I also do well at social distancing because I'm okay staying home from parties! My energy levels actually aren't too bad. I feel like the bloat from the holidays are gone. I wouldn't say I'm where I want to be, but I'm not in a bad place either! How are you doing with energy levels and your goals?

    Happy Tuesday! Last night was actually great. I got a good walk in, did a zoom yoga session with a friend, and my salmon turned out great! This morning I had to motivate myself to get a workout in, but I ended up doing MBF's leg day week 3. The single leg Russian deadlifts with a 20lb weight were KILLER!

    I also got some dissertation work in before work which felt good to get a jumpstart on. I'm at the less stressful part where I'm reviewing sections for grammar and clarity, which is easier than writing new content. Don't get me wrong, I have other sections I need to add content too, but it was nice to do an easier part this morning and feel like I was making progress.



  • cbabie
    cbabie Posts: 1,655 Member
    Morning all, we lost all power yesterday about 1:30pm and it came back about 11:30 pm...so I was so bored and stressed, I ate all the wrong things..dinner is still in the crock pot uncooked and spoiled..LOL. I did grab a book, but keeping baby to understand no electronics..NOT...I used my Hotspot and she had her shows. We used camping lanterns to stay warm and have some light. So we all stayed in one room. I couldn't even find cards to play..so will be getting a box together for another such a time as this. LOL. Do I didn't walk or track..but at it again today. May not walk, it depends on the weather and my treadmill is out in the rain. :(

    @mswatson0777 I love that you did a zoom yoga...I am thinking I need to do more fun stuff via zoom. I miss things outside my home, but don't want to leave. AZ is the worst ranked state in the nation.

    @theslightedgeforever maybe we give each other the headaches. LOL. jk. Yes back to tracking and moving..

    @trooworld I love you picture of food, so pretty and looks worth eating!! I think the headaches are from dehydration..I am not drinking enough I know..but it could be weather and stress. LOL

    cbabie
  • theslightedgeforever
    theslightedgeforever Posts: 2,333 Member
    @trooworld Thanks for sharing the recipe. I got 50% Your breakfast looked really good. I'm a visual person and I like all the fruit cut up versus just laying a banana, some whole strawberries, and a tangerine on the plate. You're doing great, keep it up.

    @mswatson0777 My energy levels and goals: so-so. I'm actually going to change one of my goals. See below. Your mental health sounds so much better now. You are making progress on each part of your life it seems which is a grand thing.

    @cbabie Sorry you had a brown-out. Can't be due to the heat. Did they figure out what caused it? I bet Pinterest would have some good ideas for a brown-out with kids. Glow sticks, even a walk outside with everyone would have been fun. If they don't want to go, just leave them at home. There are enough open spaces where you live to walk around without running into someone. What's the vaccine situation where you live? I read today where some people are being asked to double mask in places. Put on some music and dance. Lots of ways to burn calories.



    I was discussing plant based diet with @retiredandlovingit yesterday and it's something I too have been thinking about but it gets as far as I want to add more f&v to my diet. Which is not really a SMARTER goal. So I figured out today a way around it. I was listening to a podcast about Your Health First and it was talking about constipation. How people are ending up in the ER for this condition. young people. I also learned that diabetes destroys the nerves in the intestines. Didn't know that one. So it was talking about fiber and how we need to be getting 35-40 gms a day of fiber. He's a gastroenterologist/hepatic specialist. The book I'm reading is talking about how gut health is related to brain health. Brain health would determine if I will end up like my mil or not. Increasing fiber would be a win-win all around. So beginning on Thursday I want to try an experiment and track fiber instead of carbs. I will still use my carb cycling spreadsheet and the colors but just change my focus slightly. My current intake is averaging 12-14 gms per day. 35-40 is way too far out of reach right now. So I will babystep my way there. I will try to get 14 on my green days, 17 on my yellow days, and 21 on my red days. Then once I achieve that, I will slowly move up the goals so it all becomes a habit. I'm hoping to learn new recipes along the way.

    January goals:

    Yellow-Went Over 209/164 gm :(
    Intentional Exercise-36 min walking 39 min dancing o:)
    Water-50% :|
    Zone minutes 71 minus 3 due to inactivity 5/8 o:)
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    @theslightedgeforever All I know is if those rolls were in front of me my resolve to behave would have gone out the window. They really didn’t want them either so it was all good. I’m getting ready to start the Beck Diet Solution on my Fat2Fit group. I even have Trooworld joining in on the fun. We are going to start thinking like skinny people!! :grin:

    @trooworld That Green Chili with Pork looks great and really involved! Do I have to use real tomatillos, or can I just buy the jar stuff and use that instead? I have never worked with a tomatillo! :grin: Yayy for riding your bike. That picture of your fruit is sooo pretty!! Even though I personally find bananas nasty. But they look good! :D

    @mswatson0777 I agree that MBF’s leg day is NO joke! Yesterday, I did MBFA week 2 leg day and today my quads are crying. I did Barre Blend week 7 full-body today and some of the moves had to be modified because my legs are so tired. But it’s good! I sure wish I could find 20 lb. weights. :)

    @ebabie Uggghh loss of power is the worst!! :s I once four days in Florida after a hurricane and thought I would die of boredom. We are definitely attached to our technology, aren’t we? :)


    Hi everyone! It is unseasonably warm here today. DH and I ate lunch out on the screened porch. We talked about how it is almost pollen season so I went on Amazon and ordered some cheap furniture covers so we can cover up the furniture. I will still have to wash everything after pollen season but at least maybe it will be easier. Mom and I went to Walmart and this evening we have ladies Bible study starting back up. Mom decided to come this time and I’m hoping she can climb the stairs without any issues. I'm thinking I need a cup of coffee now. :)
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,394 Member
    edited January 2021
    Hi all from snow country! We got about 12” of the “lovely” white stuff! At least, dh is feeling a little better so he got out the big snowblower. I helped by shoveling the sidewalk from front door to driveway. At least a 2-3 ft drift there!

    @cbabie. That’s too bad, no power! Glad you could keep baby girl entertained tho. I seem to get headaches when weather changes. (Although not as much as I used to) Keep trying with the walking & logging.

    @TeresaW1020 you are killing the workouts! Great job! Listened to the GA governor on tv at noon. Sounds like they are vaccinating quite a bit, although not really enough. I Tried getting on county website, pharmacy websites, etc, since they said 65+ could do it now. Nothing!! Worst part was filling in all the info, only to be told there are no appointments!, Grr..they could have said that first! GA’s pollen is the worst! Good thing you got covers.

    @mswatson0777 Glad you got some work done on your dissertation, even if not the harder stuff. I actually like my gas fireplace instead a wood one. Flip a switch on & off & no mess, lol. We had a wood burning furnace for too long. Think we got your snow this time, lol. My niece in Mpls says we are beating them for snow this year. Wouldn’t have thought that.

    @trooworld. your fruit looks delicious!! Wish we had a little more in season. Good job with the bike & your water! Glad the scale is rewarding you!

    @theslightedgeforever My sister is like your friend...very black & white WFPBNO. If someplace can’t guarantee no oil, she just won’t eat. & she is so thin, she could do a little, but her dh has heart disease in family, so she avoids it with him. Good plan with the fiber. I was getting 25 or so grams, but am trying to up it to 35. Some days I make it, but more about 30-32. What book are you reading? I follow a lady who went plant based & lost over 150#, but the thing she is most grateful for is renewed health & mental clarity. I really “only” have 20-30# to lose, but my main focus is my asthma (?) cough. I am stopping the sweetened fizzy water I was drinking, and the next thing to go will be dairy. I am reading “Your Body in Balance” by Neal Barnard & also some of Dr. McDougalls books.

    Well, going to go clear the walk a little more, so it will melt. Then need to clean a little. Hope everyone has a good day.
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @mswatson0777 Thank you! My eating has been on point! :D It sounds like you had a good day yesterday, too! I'm glad you got a break with some easier sections.

    @cbabie Oh that's terrible! I'm sorry that happened. When the electricity goes off here, it is fun for us (as long as it isn't too long). We break out our camping lanterns and read and, depending on what time it is, have some sort of adult beverage. Getting a box together for the next time is an excellent idea. re: my breakfast...it was worth eating! It was so good. How's your head today? I have a terrible headache today. Mine is from the weather.

    @theslightedgeforever You doubled your water intake yesterday, yay! I got over 100%. I am the same way (a visual person). It looks much more appealing cut up. Thanks for your support. Your plan to increase fiber is a good one...that is so important.

    @TeresaW1020 You can buy canned tomatillos and if you can't find that, then you could probably improvise with green chili sauce. I will post a less complicated recipe that is similar that I got from a Mexican friend. I agree, that one is involved! Tomatillos are easy to work with: you just pull the outer papery skin off and rinse them well under water. How nice to eat on your screened porch!

    @RetiredAndLovingIt Wow, that's a lot of snow! Thanks, it was delicious. We are lucky to have access to fresh fruits and veggies all year round.

    Hi all. Yesterday was great. I did all the right things and the scale keeps going down. I decided to reward myself by signing up for a membership with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home program. It's only $4.99 a month and gives you access to more videos than the YouTube videos. Plus, they are harder than the YouTube videos. I did one after work last night. I went to bed last night with a slight headache and woke up to a pounding headache. I think it's from the weather. Unfortunately, I have to go into work today, I'm not working virtually.

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    This is a similar recipe to what I posted earlier but less complicated. It can be made with pork or chicken (or try steak!):

    Chicken with Green Chili Sauce (4 servings)

    1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
    black pepper
    seasoned salt
    garlic powder
    1 lime
    SAUCE:
    10 tomatillos
    1 tomato
    1 clove garlic
    2 whole jalapeno
    3 whole red chili peppers, dried
    salt to taste
    2 tablespoons olive oil

    Season chicken with pepper, salt, juice from the lime and garlic powder. Heat oil in skillet. Put seasoned chicken in skillet. Saute until browned.

    At the same time, make green sauce:

    Boil tomatillos, tomato, jalapenos, and red peppers until soft. Drain and place in a blender with garlic and salt. Blend until smooth.

    Combine sauce with meat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
  • mswatson0777
    mswatson0777 Posts: 290 Member
    @trooworld That's a great idea to reward yourself with a new fitness subscription. Non-food related treats are the best! Sorry to hear about your headache though, that makes for a long day.

    @RetiredandLovingIt Ideally I'd like both kinds, since I love my electric for day to day, but wood burning is just so much more soothing to me (in my dream house life lol). Iowa has ABSOLUTELY gotten more snow than Minnesota this year, it's weird.

    @TeresaW1020 You're so brave doing MBFA leg day and Barre back-to-back! I would have been modifying like crazy too! We also use cheap couch covers and I LOVE them!

    @theslightedgeforever I love that you're adding more fiber in, it makes SUCH a difference. That being said, drink more water with it or it will lead to more...problems lol. And I have been less stressed lately, which is nice. Work has been calmer which is making a huge difference on my mental health, and the 12 day break was a big refresh for me.

    @cbabie Losing power is the worst! It sounds like you made the most if it. I hate zoom meetings/hangouts but I don't mind zoom workouts. It feels good to have someone else there even though we're not talking. It's been a good way to connect with friends.

    I did a cardio pilates workout with 8lb weights this morning and I am SORE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrB4CjpC-F8 if anyone is curious.

    I've been doing night and day better mental health-wise lately. It makes sense that work being calmer has made all the difference, since 40 hours a week of stress is no joke. I also feel like I'm getting in a better place with my dissertation which also helps immensely. Doing just 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night on week days has made it much more manageable. Little blocks add up big time!





  • cbabie
    cbabie Posts: 1,655 Member
    Morning all, did not walk, it rained again all day, cold and dreary. Tracked and instead of ice cream I ate Vanilla light yogurt. Baby steps....

    @trooworld the less complicated recipe sounds delicious!! Sorry you have the headache. I started to get one late, but it went away. I think mine are stress related. I have noticed my belly is more bloated looking.

    @mswatson0777 I am so happy you are less stressed. I will get there some day. LOL. I will look at your video...at least something for a rainy day. LOL. Your right little blocks of time add up. I am trying to work on that for reading...I am trying to get away from all or nothing mindset.

    @TeresaW1020 yea, sounds like you and DH had a nice relaxing day. Yes we love our technology. I think I need to do less of that. LOL (another goal) Great job on the workouts

    @RetiredAndLovingIt Wow 12" of snow. NO thank you. I don't miss it at all. I haven't really looked into the vaccine yet. AZ is the worst as far as cases right now, so you would think I would. LOL. I have to just keep moving forward with health, it's not all about my weight.

    @theslightedgeforever I have no idea where I am fiber wise. I really should look at that, considering our family history. Also the power went out because we had a bad storm. I thought we were having a tornado. We had hail in some parts snow up north, but we had 2 power poles broke in half 1/2 block down the street. The North part of the city got the worst wind wise. The wind gust were terrible.

    Cbabie
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    @RetiredAndLovingIt Wow 12” is a ton of snow! Are you all expecting more? Yeah, I don’t know how people are getting the vaccine here. I talked to women last night who work in health care who have gotten it. They say that the second shot will really knock you for a loop. Much like the Shingles shot it sounded like. I know you are anxious to get it so I hope it happens for you soon. :)

    @trooworld So proud of you for getting the Walk at Home program! Sorry about the headache and have to go into work. Bad timing! That Chicken green chili looks good too! I don’t have a blender but I assume a food processor would work? I did ask for an Immersion blender for my birthday. And a cast-iron skillet! :grin:

    @mswatson0777 That video looks as intense as what Elise does in Barre Blend. She loves her pulses and keeping legs bend until your quads are on fire! How much longer will it take to get your dissertation done? I know nothing about such things and find what you're doing very interesting. :)

    Good morning! Yesterday was warm and beautiful and today is cold and rainy. I’m ready for spring! My workout this morning was MBFA week two upper body and a 20 minute cardio walk on the treadmill. I even jogged again for a few seconds. :grin: Last night Bible study was great. We will be watching a weekly video from the teacher, Priscilla Shirer. She is an awesome speaker and I think I’m going to get a whole lot out of this study. That along with the Beck Diet Solution should have me fired up to make some serious changes. I’m ready for it!! B)
  • theslightedgeforever
    theslightedgeforever Posts: 2,333 Member
    @trooworld I got 50% Thanks for recipe

    @mswatson0777 I'm looking at that video thinking how much my knees would hurt and I haven't even pressed play yet. Thanks for posting it. We'll see how the fiber thing goes. My first thing to think about when eating is the protein so we'll see how this works. How much I'm going to have to tweak. I'm sure my son is go glad he moved away from Iowa this year to Houston. Are you in Northern MN or closer to Iowa? I actually don't mind zoom meet ups. As my dad always said, I could talk to a wall. I'm having a Jeopardy zoom meeting on Friday night.

    @cbabie Great job on making the ice cream substitution. We have everything in our family history. lol

    @teresaw1020 I love the Beck book. I still have my response/advantage cards from it. Plus all the notes I took from the book in my Penzu journal. I haven't heard yet how my kids are faring with their second dose of Covid vaccine. Hopefully good.
  • theslightedgeforever
    theslightedgeforever Posts: 2,333 Member
    @retiredandlovingit 12 inches of snow. Wow. I'm reading Reclaim Your Brain by Dr. Todd Strong. I don't think I'll ever give up dairy. I need my protein somehow. A good podcast is Dr. Joe Galati Your Health First. I always learn something from him each time I listen.

    @trooworld I hope you enjoy your Walk at Home Program. I do her for a while and then I get bored with her and switch to that Gina B or Kyra Pro. That's great that you found something you like.

  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @mswatson0777 Yes, I thought it was a good investment! :) Luckily, once I got to work, I took some medicine and the headache/migraine went away. It's sort of back today though. That workout looks great, good job! Keep up the work on your dissertation, you are making great strides. I'm glad it's helping to do 30 minutes twice a day. Yes, with exercise or anything else, little blocks do add up! :)

    @cbabie that's a great substitute for ice cream, well done! That less complicated recipe IS delicious and easy to make. My headache is gone, thankfully. It left after taking meds at work yesterday. Hopefully the walks help with the stress when you can do them?

    @TeresaW1020 Thank you! Yes, bad timing but I felt better by about 10:00 a.m. Yes, a food processor will do the job just fine. An immersion blender is very handy as is a cast-iron skillet. That sounds like a good workout. I'm glad you are getting a lot out of your bible study. I'm ready for the Beck Diet Solution, too!

    @theslightedgeforever I got about 80% of my new goal. Yes, I am enjoying it so far. If I get bored and want to switch, I'll just do something else for a bit, like you.

    Hello all. I worked onsite yesterday and when I got home, since my headache was gone, I decided to do a Walk at Home video that was 33 mins. That's the longest video I've done and I can't believe I did it after a busy day at work! At work, a well-meaning co-worker gave me a candy bar from India. I was curious about it, I should have just thrown it away, but I ate 1/3 of it. Later in the day, I also had a mini Toblerone. Although it's disappointing that I ate these things, it's a far cry from my behavior just a few weeks ago when I ate about 8 pieces of Toblerone! Change happens. :D

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • cbabie
    cbabie Posts: 1,655 Member
    Morning all, I tracked and walked yesterday. I got over 10K steps. Yea. I ate nothing after dinner, but it was late when I ate dinner. Life happens in my house. LOL. I made chicken and dumplings, it was a new recipe but it was good. She called for biscuits as her "dumplings". I used heart smart biscuick. Next time I will make reg dumplings..but either way it was good..

    @TeresaW1020 Yes I love Priscilla Shirer. I got to see her here a couple of years ago. I think I watched War Room 3 times at the theater. LOL. Sounds like you are on to "new" things.

    @theslightedgeforever Hopefully the vaccine doesn't effect them. Yes we have everything in our history, so lets make a new history for our children. LOL.

    @trooworld I think you are doing great. I think your attitude about all of it is great. Glad you got rid of the headache. I am fighting one today. Our weather here is so funky. Today sunny tomorrow RAIN.. I walked the neighborhood yesterday and was amazed at all the damage, but we only lost power thankfully.

    Cbabie
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    @cbabie Yum on the chicken and dumplings! I’ve seen a Keto recipe for them but I just don’t know if somethings can, or should, be duplicated. Ya know? :grin: Good job on getting your 10k steps in! I haven’t seen War Room but I think I need to now that I’m in the Priscilla Shirer fan club. ;)

    @trooworld OK, you ate some candy but like you said it was better than last time. And next time might be better than this time. Progress is a step by step event and sometimes we miss a step. Great job on walking after you got home from work. :)

    @theslightedgeforever That is a great idea to use Penzu for journaling! I forget that I have an account there. I hope your kids second dose of the vaccine goes well. Have you been able to get the vaccine yet or find out when you will be able to?


    Hi All! Today was a usual Thursday. I had my staff meeting this morning and then came home and helped DH file a workman’s comp report for our pastor. When he fell, he had surgery to repair his broken left wrist, which is still hurting him a lot and slowly healing. Come to find out he had also ripped his tendon on his right thumb and tomorrow morning he has to go have surgery to try to repair it. He really doesn’t want to do this surgery and almost backed out, but in the end, he listened to everyone and will have it done. Our associate pastor is scheduled to preach, and we are all hoping that his new baby boy will decide to wait a few extra days to be born. :grin: My diet is going well and I’m 28 days sugar-free!! :)
  • mswatson0777
    mswatson0777 Posts: 290 Member
    Y'all I've been trying to write this for 7 hours and keep getting pulled away, it's been A DAY!

    @cbabie I could read for fun all day since it sooths my soul. What kind of stuff do you like to read?

    @trooworld Don't beat yourself up too much! Only eating a third is awesome. Also, how was it?? I've never had candy from India before!

    @TeresaW1020 Oh my goodness, it sounds like you have a lot of work stuff to coordinate! I hope your pastor heals quickly from his second surgery. I'm hoping to graduate from my program fall 2021 or spring 2022, depending on how quickly I can get my data set ready to run my analyses on and how quickly I can write the last two chapters. I'll be done with classes after spring so I can just focus on that (and my 40+ hour a week job and a semblance of a social life...) so we shall see! And the video totally reminded me of Barre Blend, Elise is TOUGH!

    @theslightedgeforever Your son definitely picked a good time to move away from Iowa! This winter has actually been fairly mild for us, which thank goodness cause I could not take a polar vortex winter on top of covid. I'm glad zoom hangouts are still working well for you and that you're able to connect well with folks.

    I am so glad it's almost the end of the day, I'm burned out and excited to take a LONG dog walk aftter work. I woke up early today and got a lot of dissertation edits in so I'm feeling better about where I am and meeting my personal goal of getting it off to my advisor this weekend so I don't have to worry about it for my cabin weekend/birthday weekend.

  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @cbabie Great job with the tracking and walking! That's too bad that you didn't eat dinner, what you made sounds delicious. Our weather is funky, too: same thing...sunny and nice yesterday but rain today.

    @TeresaW1020 Thanks! Your poor pastor...that sounds painful! Yay for 28 days sugar-free!!!

    @mswatson0777 That candy bar wasn't worth it, it tasted kind of like peanut brittle but not as good lol. It's a good thing it wasn't good because if it were, I would have eaten the whole thing! When is your birthday??? I'm glad you are sticking with your dissertation schedule!

    Hi all. Yesterday morning, I did a 33-minute workout video to start off my day. I had a good day eating-wise, I stayed under my points and even got 4 rollover points that go into my weekly points! According to my Fitbit, I sleep better when I do a workout at about 5 pm so I decided to do another workout after work. Twice in one day! Who am I? LOL

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    Good morning all. My hard work has paid off and I was rewarded at the scale with a 3.2 lb loss for the week! I feel great and couldn't be happier with the way the week went. Have a good Saturday.

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    @trooworld Wahhoooo!! Congrats on all your hard work that you have done this week. You have been working so hard and adopting habits that are really working. I know you did the happy dance when you stepped on that scale! :grin:

    @mswatson0777 Is it your birthday this week? If so, Happy Birthday to you!! I hope you have an awesome weekend. <3


    Good morning! I’m happy to report that my pastor came out of his surgery better than we had expected. I’m not sure what kind of pain he is in, but we are all praying for a quick recovery. I’m taking him a big pan of Ziti tomorrow. :) DH and I are leaving in a little while to go pick up that chair that I had ordered back in October. I can’t wait to see it and really hope it looks as good as I imagined when I ordered it. DH is taking me to Panera for lunch and I plan to behave and keep it low carb. I lost 4.8 lbs this month, which is huge for me. But I need to kick it up again because I’ve been bouncing up and down for over a week with the same pound. Time to move it down! :)
  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @TeresaW1020 Thank you! I did do the happy dance. :) I'm glad your pastor did well in surgery. A big pan of ziti sounds like a welcomed get well gift! I hope you like your new chair and enjoy lunch. That sounds like a nice treat. Congrats on 4.8 lbs down in January, well done!

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS
  • theslightedgeforever
    theslightedgeforever Posts: 2,333 Member
    I hope my life slows down this week to do some personals. But for now this will be all about me.

    Thursday I took my son out for his bday and had some rolls and then they brought my steak and mashed potatoes. Well, the food got stuck in my lower esophagus. Occasionally I have this problem. My father had it extremely bad. I found out it's called a Shatzki ring. I guess kind of like scar tissue that narrows the esophagus. It took me 3 hours to clear it. I went to the bathroom twice and then had to go home. I'm just glad I didn't end up in the ER with them having to remove it. I only got 3 bites of my steak down. Left the rest and then later ate the mashed potatoes at home. So guess no rolls and steak for me for a long time. I scared my hubby. lol

    Then the first day of the fiber option plan I realized that this did not help me automatically choose fruits and veggies. I still got my total needed with whole wheat bread for a sandwich and some popcorn plus a banana I think. So I think I figured out what I need to do. Do something similar to the WW blue plan but I will track it on itrackbites app. They have different plans, but I chose the carb conscious one. Plus you can do manual setting for points so I found a WW calculator and am using that as a guideline. I'm still going to keep my green/yellow/red days because that works with me socially to stay on plan.

    So I'm going to experiment for February.
    Red Days-16 points
    Yellow Days-23 points
    Green Days-30 points

    Plus I get 35 weekly (which the green days will have to come out of) I haven't decided if I will roll over 4 points on Red days like they do on WW. My actual number of points allotted is 23 per day.

    Yesterday was a yellow day and I got 22 points.

    I might double track a couple a days a week to see how it compares to cals/carbs/fiber.
  • cbabie
    cbabie Posts: 1,655 Member
    Morning all, it's been a crazy last couple of days. My grand daughters birthday on Thursday..yes we have double birthdays in this family. (quite a bit actually). So I did okay by tracking, but was over LOTS of points. Then yesterday, I didn't track.. UGH...I am going to try the Itrack (sugar one) and this site for a few days to see what I do. I really did lose weight tracking points and not calories. I have worship practice today and hopefully my sister in law who is here visiting will be singing with me tomorrow. We haven't sung together as a duet since 75 or so..LOL

    @trooworld Yea on the loss..great job. Sounds like you are BACK!!!!

    @TeresaW1020 So happy your pastor did well. Will keep him in prayer. So Yea to you too on the loss this month. I will see the outcome tomorrow.. I have my start weight..LOL

    @theslightedgeforever Please be careful. I watched Dad too long with that thing. He didn't lose weight from it. LOL

    @mswatson0777 I read for growth, but I LOVE mystery books..I really read Christian authors. I don't like weird stuff. Sounds like you are getting your school stuff done! YEA and work is in a good place. Those things matter!!

    Cbabie
  • mswatson0777
    mswatson0777 Posts: 290 Member
    I thought I posted yesterday, but I don't see it so I guess it disappeared! Oh well. Happy Saturday all!

    @trooworld Sorry to hear the candy bar wasn't worth it. I love trying candy and food from different countries. Also, congrats on the loss, it sounds like you're hitting all your goals!

    @TeresaW1020 Almost 5lbs in a month is absolutely fantastic, congrats!! And I bet your pastor will love the ziti, that's a perfect thing to drop over so that he and his family don't have to worry about a meal. I hope the chair fits well in the space.

    @cbabie I hope you have fun singing with your sister in law again! And I hope you enjoyed the birthday celebrations, a double birthday is a great reason to celebrate!

    @theslightedgeforever How scary! I'm so glad you're okay and that you didn't have to go to the ER. I hope the new plan helps you increase your fruits and vegetables intake

    Hi All! We stayed out pretty late last night hanging out at the quaranteam's house. I had all three dogs in or around my lap for most of the night, it was great. Tonight they're all coming over for a DnD campaign. I've got to get my dissertation draft out so I'll be working while they're here, but I'll join in for a glass of wine or two.

    This morning I went on a bit of a shopping spree and got some new leggings and slippers for the cabin. Nothing major, but it's fun to get some little things once and awhile. Some of the leggings I still wear I've had for almost 13 years(!). They were good quality and held up well, but I think it's time for me to start replacing some things.

  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,394 Member
    edited January 2021
    Hi all..having a lazy Saturday. Not the best weather today, but not as bad as eastern Iowa.

    @trooworld Wow, congrats on the loss! You have really figured out what works for you!

    @mswatson0777 Yup, we need a shopping spree once in awhile. Sounds like you have been having fun with the quaranteam and still getting your school work done. When you responded about my dd probably feeling like she was "rolling in money", it wasn't quite that great. The kids are bigger, so it was only after school care that she saved on, but that was still enough. She called Thurs & gson is in quarantine from exposure at school on Tues. Guess he will be staying at Daddy's for awhile longer, lol.

    @TeresaW1020 Glad your pastor came out of his surgery good. That is so nice taking them baked ziti. Congrats on the monthly loss, too. Hope your enjoy your new chair. Dh wants to get a new one, so we will have to go looking some time.

    @theslightedgeforever Wow, that would be so scary!! Was it the rolls that did it? Glad you are OK. Good luck with your fiber plan.

    @cbabie Have fun singing with your sister in law and enjoy the company.

    Our county health dept opened the Covid shots up for 65+ starting next week. So they were having a sign up for the allotted doses. The pharmacy that I use is in our grocery store. Anyway, the county could not tell you what day the pharmacy would open the slots. I knew the next county over said they would start at noon on Fri. So I kept trying for an opening off & on all week. Nothing. So on the chance that the pharmacy was starting noon Fri, I decided to try then. Logged in & sat refreshing my screen for an hour & still nothing. So figured we missed it, but logged into the county page again & people were saying the website crashed but was going again. So I logged back in & dh got an appt for last night & I was slower & got one for noon today! Yay!! So excited...we have each had our first dose!! I was worried they would kick us out, since we didn't really qualify until Monday, even tho the log in had said it was for 2-1 to 2-5. But there were a lot of seniors getting it when I did. Dd (the teacher) tried getting in at noon, too, so gave up. I texted her that they had openings, but by the time she got to try it, they were gone. Kind of feel guilty we got in & she didn't, but I think we just really lucked out, because county said they only had 500 doses to distribute for the week. This pharmacy had been given 100 of them. I hope her school is able to get a vaccination clinic open for the staff.

    So we got some take out broasted chicken from Pizza Ranch for lunch to celebrate. Haven't had it for over a year, so it was a welcome treat, but not the best for calories. So now, I am just taking it easy. I did get on the treadmill for about 35 minutes this morning tho. Not so great on the fiber tho.

    Have a great weekend!!
  • TeresaW1020
    TeresaW1020 Posts: 3,231 Member
    @theslightedgeforever Wow, that would be terribly scary to have food caught in your esophagus like that! Did it hurt? I’m glad that you cleared it out without going to the hospital. Is the fiber plan that you are starting for weight loss or health? What do you do for fiber on your low carb days? I’ve been taking those sugar-free fiber gummies in case I need fiber but many of the Keto docs I follow don’t think fiber is necessary at all. They point out that infants don’t eat fiber and have no problem filling a diaper. :D

    @cbabie Interesting that you lost better by tracking points than calories. Why do you think that is? When I double-tracked with WW and calories it was eye-opening how the same number of points could have a 200 to 400 calorie fluctuation. It was a reminder that those 0 point foods have calories. I hope your weight will be good for you this week. :)

    @mswatson0777 It’s great that you have friends to hang out with. My ex-husband was into D&D and I just never could get into it. The group finally kicked me out. :D Shopping sprees are the best no matter what you are buying! I went to a couple of stores yesterday looking for some new tops but everything was so ugly that I ended up with nothing. I really don’t NEED anything. I just wanted something new. :grin:

    @RetiredAndLovingIt That is great that you and DH were able to get your shots! Do you have to get the second shot? If so did they give you an appointment for that? I hope you don’t have any side-effects and will be able to get out and enjoy life again. :)


    Good morning! Yesterday was a fun day as DH and I went and picked up our new chair, did a little shopping, and had lunch at Panera. Lunch was interesting. I got the Green Goddess salad with chicken and no side. DH got a bowl of soup and a Bear Claw pastry. My reaction to him sitting in front of me eating one of my favorite pastries was interesting because I really had zero desire for it. NOT even a bite!! Not breaking the no sugar challenge played into me not wanting it but to not even have the desire or feel resentful that he was eating it was fascinating to me. :) And speaking of not eating sugar. Today is day 31 and I’m feeling super proud of myself for going a whole month with no sugar or alcohol. I lost 5.2 lbs in 31 days, which for me is amazing! I’m excited to see what February brings and a little nervous since I will be away from home for three days and down in Florida. But I'm also determined to not come home with a big gain. *fingers crossed*

    Here is my cute chair with Maggie checking it out.

    3e24zbp2our8.jpg


    NO SUGAR!!! B)

    dc3966lmfqq9.jpg

  • trooworld
    trooworld Posts: 6,678 Member
    @theslightedgeforever Gosh, that must have been very scary! I'm glad you are okay. I wish you luck on your new plan. It sounds good.

    @cbabie That's good that you tracked it all, well done! I am back!!!

    @mswatson0777 Happy Sunday (now)! Eh, it's better that the candy bar wasn't good, if it were good, I would have eaten the whole thing! I am hitting all of my goals, doing well, thanks. I love DnD, that would be right up my alley. I hope you were able to join them. Congrats on the new leggings!

    @RetiredAndLovingIt Thanks, yes! Congrats on getting your first dose. I'm going to get it as soon as I qualify and can get an appointment.

    @TeresaW1020 Wow, that is very interesting that you didn't have any cravings for the bear claw. You are soooo going strong! You had a great January, keep it up! I love the new chair, do you like it? Maggie is soooooo cute. <3

    Hello all. I had a very good day yesterday. I ate a healthy breakfast and then around 11:30, DH asked if I wanted to go for a walk? I said sure and so we drove to our old neighborhood which is more walkable and walked for over an hour. I earned 17 Fitpoints yesterday! Then I prepped the veggies for the week's meals. For dinner, we had pan-fried tilapia and air fryer jicama fries. It was really delicious and the jicama fries didn't taste like jicama--- it tasted a little like potato french fries.

    Reflecting on my January, I did very well. I changed my mindset about exercise, I tracked everything, drank over 128 oz of water each day, and I lost 6.4 lbs for the month. Most of it I lost in the last half of the month. I hope to repeat it this month.

    My phrase for the year: CHANGE HAPPENS