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

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! I wondered where you were, I figured you were just busy. I'm glad you had a good time. Good deal on the hoodie. Nice to reminisce with the candy.

Hi all. I went to the coffee shop while my husband was at the gym. I made a piece of art which I ended up being pretty happy with: it's based on an ancient mosaic of a dog, and I called it "Doggus Interruptus." When I got home, I made another piece for a friend for Christmas based on a photo she sent me. It's called "Pandamonium": she just got back from a trip to China, where she went to a giant panda sanctuary. Both pieces have a metallic sheen to the background, but it doesn't show up on the scans I made. I also did some food prep: I made air-fried baked potatoes, sloppy joes, and instant pot shredded chicken breast. After I did all of this, I found a group exhibit to submit two of my pieces to for December. There is no jury for the show, which means nobody picks out the art; you just pay a fee and sign up. So, I did that for two pieces. It was a very productive day.

Water intake yesterday: 24 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The art is really good! That was wise to do meal prep. What are you going to do with the shredded chicken? Hi, all. Today was a swim day. I had chicken salad for lunch today on salad greens. I made a potato soup with kale from a New York Times recipe. We had sandwiches with deli meat to increase the protein. Dessert was a maple cream cookie.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! With the shredded chicken, I mixed some with a bagged salad last night, I am making tacos with some, and BBQ chicken quesadillas with the rest. Good job with the swim! Sounds like you are fully back on the healthy meals track...the food sounds yummy with a nice sweet treat at the end.

Hi all. On Instagram, I sold the painting that I was supposed to drop off for a show this Sunday (it was the painting of the owl reading a book), so last night, I started working on a replacement painting: a giant panda dressed as the Godfather. We'll see how that one goes. I have been tracking now for 51 days in a row. My sleep has been poor lately; I'm sleeping lightly and waking up early. My water intake is still on the lower side. I am going to try to "trick" myself by adding zero-calorie water flavorings to my water.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Those are good uses of the chicken breast. That was good that you sold your art work and started another one. I hope the water flavorings help you get your water goal. Too bad about the sleep. I know how that feels. Hi, all. I went for a walk this morning and the weather was nice. I meal prepped for lunch tomorrow. I mixed some tuna, capers, red onions, olive oil and protein pasta. I’m working on my protein intake. So far I have come up short and don’t feel the need to eat more to get the protein. Dinner tonight is an adaptation of an America’s Test Kitchen recipe of orzo, broccolini and sausage. I’m using Italian ground turkey instead of the pork.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes , I thought so, too. Thank you! I'm glad the weather has been nice for you, it makes it more pleasant to walk. Good job with the meal prep. That's good to work on your protein intake.

Hi all. I did better with my water yesterday: 72 oz. The water flavoring helped. I didn't feel like cooking last night, so I had leftover sloppy joes from Sunday night. I'll have to cook tonight. I already have baked potatoes, I think I will cook some bacon and add some cheese and call it dinner. I feel like I slept better last night and my watch agrees with me: I got an EXCELLENT (89) score. I very rarely get those! In my morning protein smoothie, I switched from oat milk to FairLife 2% milk: it has a lot more protein than oat milk...oat milk: 4 oz has 0.9 g of protein. FairLife: 4 oz has 6.1 g of protein.

Water intake yesterday: 72 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Good job with the water. Potatoes, bacon and cheese sounds good. That’s good that you slept well. Dairy milk usually has more protein than plant milk. I drink unflavored almond milk in my coffee because it tastes good and also froths well. I tried some carb smart milk but it didn’t froth well. I have some nonfat Fairlife milk I bought for a recipe. I might try that and see how that works. Hi, all. Today was a swim day. I had tuna with protein pasta, olive oil, capers and red onions for lunch. I found that the protein pasta helps me achieve my protein goals. Tonight we are having salad and 2 ingredient pizza.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! The potatoes were good. I like unflavored almond milk. I drink sugar-free sweetened creamer in my coffee. I hope you like the Fairlife, mine is the 2%. Good job with the swim! That's good you are achieving your protein goals. Yummy food!

Hi all. I woke up at 3:30 am today, I am going to be tired. I usually get up at 4 am, so it's not that big of a deal, but I feel it. The baked potato was good last night, it hit the spot. I am glad I didn't have to do much cooking when I got home. I may eat the other half tonight for dinner, too, depending on how lazy I feel! Water intake was good yesterday: the dietician said the sweet spot for me is 72 oz (3 bottles of my water bottle), and I hit it yesterday and the day before.

Water intake yesterday: 72 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Good job on the water. A baked potato is always good. I tried the milk today. It frothed well. I still prefer the almond milk, I guess, because I’m used to it. I’ll use the milk when I don’t eat much protein for breakfast. Hi, all. I went grocery shopping this morning so I didn’t exercise until after lunch. I decided to ride my bike as it was a bit windy and I felt like I needed a low impact workout. Dinner tonight was salmon, rice and delicata squash. I made the mistake of eating a protein bar a few hours before dinner so I was not very hungry. I think I need to rethink my lunch of a sandwich and protein chips. I’m always more satisfied if I eat a lunch with more real protein. Tomorrow I have salmon for lunch and I may make a pasta salad like I did yesterday.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! That's good you tried the milk and will use it when you need to boost your protein. Good job listening to your body, and for the bike workout! Yum, I haven't had salmon for a while.

Hi all. I gained 2.2 lbs this week. I have no idea how that happened, maybe I've been having too many carbs (I had another baked potato last night for dinner). I'm just going to chalk it up to a fluke on the scale and move on. Today is my work-from-home day, and then we are going to the gym. After the gym, we are going to a pro-wrestling match, which should be entertaining.

Water intake yesterday: 72 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld It’s frustrating to gain weight and not know why. You have the right attitude. I hope you enjoyed your night out. Hi, all. Today was a swim day.For lunch I ate leftover salmon on protein pasta with low fat mayonnaise, red onions and capers. I was much more satisfied and didn’t eat anything until dinner. Dinner was steak, potato and salad. I ate half of my steak and potato and will eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. I didn’t quite make my protein goal but I don’t feel bad about it as I felt satisfied all day.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Indeed , it is! Thank you. Good job with the swim. That's good you were satisfied with your high-protein lunch. I'm glad you were satisfied all day, that's great.

Hi all. The gym was a bit annoying, it was busy, and I had to change up my routine several times because people were on the machines. I should have put quotes around "pro" for the "pro" wrestling as it was a local act with luncha libre masks on (Mexican-style wrestling); it was so much fun and very entertaining! Today is going to be very busy: I am going walking with my old boss, looking at murals in this one neighborhood, and then we are having coffee. Then, I will go meet a coworker and a former coworker for coffee in North County. After that, also in North County, I will stop by a gallery that I am exhibiting some art in to see if it would be a good fit for me to join (they have a membership with good benefits including discounts on entering shows...for every art show in almost every gallery, you have to pay money to even be considered for the show. Usually, it's around $35 a show. There are other benefits to membership with this gallery but I won't get into it). At some point, I need to get groceries, too.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Too bad about the gym. You really have a busy day. I hope you did what you needed to do. That’s interesting about the art exhibits. Hi, all. I went for a walk this morning and it was nice. Chilly but sunny and for a change, no wind. Fall is definitely here! I have been doing well with my protein at meals and can tell a difference in my satiety levels. Tonight I am preparing pork piccata from the new Skinnytaste cookbook. I’m serving it over bucatini pasta. I’m also making kale in the instant pot with onions, broth, and bacon.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes , it's like that somedays and I just have to accept it. I did have a really busy day, the day flew by. I got everything done. Yeah, I don't think most people know that the artists have to pay a fee to enter their works, and if a piece sells, we pay a commission to the gallery, anywhere from 30-60% (it's usually 40%)...the cost of doing business! I'm glad you had a nice walk, good job! That's good about the protein. Your dinner sounds really yummy.

Hi all. My busy day went well. I did NOT go to the gym yesterday morning, I just had too much to do and slept in a bit, which I needed. I had fun with my friends and the gallery visit was interesting: in my head, I would have this great conversation with the person working and get to ask my questions and it would go perfectly. In reality, I got there, and there was a trick-or-treating event going on in the whole shopping area and so droves of children kept coming in and out trick-or-treating. There was only one person working the gallery when I got there so I had to talk to her in between the kids. Eventually, some other ladies came in and so the person I was talking to walked me around the gallery and answered my questions. I was very happy with the visit. I am going to enter a few more shows there before I decide to join. I found some other calls to entry at other galleries that I plan on entering. Today, I am going to the gym this morning, and then I have to drop off my piece at the coffee shop for the show that starts next weekend. I am also going to be hanging out at the coffee shop making some art. Should be a fun day!

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld That makes sense that the gallery would get some money for selling your art. I hope the gym went well. Hi, all. I went grocery shopping and then came home and worked out on my bike. My daughter came over to do some meal prep and we watched part of Wicked. Dinner was burgers, air fried sweet potatoes and salad. Now we’re sitting at the dinner table, just talking.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! Good job with your bike workout. That was good to do meal prep and watch part of Wicked, I still need to see that.

Hi all. The gym was super annoying yesterday: just because of one guy...he puts his duffle bag down by the hip abduction machine and just walks around talking to people and using other machines. I put off using that machine because I figured he would eventually use it, but I was at the end of my workout and needed to finish up. I went over to him and asked politely if he was using that machine, and he looked at me like I was being rude and said yes, he was. I just left. I get there before him, so the next time, I will do that machine first and not have to deal with him. So rude of him. I had a good day yesterday, other than that. I made high-protein instant pot spaghetti and it came out well...it is "high-protein" because you add blended cottage cheese to it when it is done.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld It really sucks when people are rude. It’s so easy ( at least for me) to be nice. The high protein pasta sounds interesting. I’m not sure my family would like it. There’s a Skinnytaste lasagna recipe with cottage cheese that looks good. It has ground beef in it so my family will approve. Hi, all. I had my mammogram done today and already got the results that all is well. I rode the bike and did 1 Halloween workouts. Dinner was creamy Dijon mustard chicken from the new Skinnytaste cookbook. It was good and I served it with couscous cooked with homemade chicken broth.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes , it does! I agree. You can't even tell the cottage cheese is in there since it is blended. I bet the lasagna is good. There's ground beef in the spaghetti, too. I'm glad you got your mammogram done and it came out well. Great job with the workout! Dinner sounds good.

Hi all. Work was busy yesterday, I felt like I was running around all day! My husband bought us pizza on the condition that I would pick it up on the way home. I hadn't had "real" pizza (just had things like lavash bread pizza, 2-ingredient dough pizza etc) since my surgery. I picked up a medium and enjoyed 1 1/2 slices...a far cry from the 4 I used to eat!

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Good job on portion control with the pizza! Hi, all. It was cold and rainy here today and I felt cold and tired all day. But I did go swimming. Dinner was pork chops, potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Nothing fancy, not a recipe. We had a few pieces of chocolate from England for dessert. It was really good and I limited myself to 3 small squares. There were 3 squares left and I thought about eating them but didn’t. I knew how I would feel afterwards.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! That's good that even though you were cold and tired, you went swimming. I bet you didn't really want to go, so good job for pushing through. And way to go, stopping at 3 pieces of chocolate!

Hi all. Work was busy again yesterday. I've been wearing my Halloween jewelry, which everyone has been enjoying. Yesterday, I wore a huge black crystal spider brooch with hanging black crystal spider earrings. Today, I will wear something else. Today is like my Thursday as I am off on Friday...my BFF is coming from out of state to hang out for Halloween. I had leftover protein spaghetti for dinner.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I’m glad you’re enjoying wearing stuff for Halloween. It’s a fun time of year. Hi, all. It was cold and rainy again so I stayed home and worked out on the bike. Yesterday my son made a copycat recipe for Trader’s Joe’s balsamic marinades chicken breast. I ate some for lunch today with leftover Brussels sprouts and sweet potato. Eating protein satisfied me until dinner. For dinner I made Skinnytaste one pan lasagna. It was very good and filling. I didn’t eat all of my serving.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes , it is! Good job with the bike. Your food sounds good. Good job with portion control.

Hi all. Today is like my Friday as I am off tomorrow. I have a lot to do today at home to get ready for my friend's visit (she's arriving tomorrow morning), and hopefully I can get it all done. I also have to enter a piece in an art show. I don't think it will be accepted, but you never know. We had to take Daisy, our oldest pug, to the vet yesterday: she's been having a hard time walking...her hind legs have been dragging a bit. They did an X-ray and she has IVDD, which is a problem with her spine and the cushioning between vertebrae. She is now on a once-a-month shot for that; hopefully, it helps. Otherwise, it may be surgery. We stopped and picked up Panda Express for dinner. I got a combo with string bean chicken, eggplant tofu, and half fried rice, half super greens. I have leftovers for 2 more meals.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Good luck with the art exhibit. I hope Daisy is better. That was good to get so many servings from takeout. Hi, all. The rain has stopped and we have sunny weather for the next few days. Today was a swim day. I made Skinnytaste short cut minestrone soup from the new cookbook. I had leftovers so I gave my daughter a serving to have for lunch tomorrow. I’ll have it, also.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! I only actually got a total of two servings but that's still better than I used to get out of Panda Express: it used to be one! That's good you have sunny weather, I bet that feels nice. Good job with the swim. That recipe sounds good.

Hi all. There was a lot of excitement at work: staff and students getting ready for Halloween, the students have a big project, I'm getting ready for my friend. The day went by quickly (thankfully!). I have to get the car washed this morning before I get my friend, the interior is covered in dog hair lol, and the outside (since it is white) shows so much dirt. I'm not sure what we will do once she arrives, probably go to breakfast. I'm sure it will be a fun day.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I hope you have a good time with your friend and enjoy Halloween. Hi, all. I went for a walk this morning and it was a bit chilly but sunny. I hag minestrone for lunch and was satisfied until dinner. We had our steak meal tonight. I haven’t given out candy for Halloween since we moved here as the first year I bought loads of candy and very few children showed up. Tonight my son told me I could turn on the porch light as everything was over. But a few minutes later two boys rang our bell. Luckily I always have candy on the counter so I gave them some and then turned off the light.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom I did have a good time ! Good job with the walk. That's good you were satisfied until dinner. We don't get trick-or-treaters here, either. That's too bad the kids rang the bell, but good you had candy.

Hi all. I had a great time yesterday. My friend and I went to breakfast at the beach: my plate was huge, but I only ate about 1/8-1/4 of that plate (my plate is on the left in this picture). We also walked on the pier for a bit. We went for pistachio lattes and then went to two malls. At night, we had a great time going out and about. It took me two hours to get ready! Today, who knows what we will get into.

Water intake yesterday: 48 oz

Panoramic pic of the view for breakfast (Kono's Cafe, Pacific Beach, San Diego):

Breakfast (mine on left):

Pistachio latte:

Me and my husband (he was a voodoo doll):

fabgeekmom

@trooworld You look awesome in your picture! That plate had a lot of food. Good job on eating until satisfied. The beach scene looks nice. Hi, all. Today is a swim day. My son is making tacos tonight. Otherwise, not much is happening.

theslightedgeforever

hello all. I can’t seem to find a routine to get in here. It’s not that hard

@trooworld love the pics. Your cheekbones are shining. Mine are still buried under layers of fat. I had nice cheekbones once upon a time My daughter and son loves iced pistachio lattes

@fabgeekmom I read this year Halloween participation was down. Too many trunk and treat events I just don’t think it’s the same thing It’s too cold here for me to walk outside So yesterday I did 45 min on treadmill Done nothing all day today though

@its_cleo
I imagine you are sitting in front of your TV right now Go Blue Jays I hope they win

My daughter is currently in Mexico with coworkers enjoying day of the dead events so I’ll be alone til Monday night. @trooworld My daughter went to a lucha libre event last night I’m shocked her coworkers talked her into it She wouldn’t have went if I suggested it 🫤

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you ! Yes, they load the food on those plates lol. I've never been able to finish a plate there, and even less so since my surgery! Good job with the swim. I'm having tacos later this week.

@theslightedgeforever I miss you ! Thank you, I appreciate it. That's an awful thing to say about yourself! You still have those cheekbones, you just need to keep working to let them shine through. That pistachio latte was sooo good. It was from an Arabic coffee shop, the coffee is from overseas and is excellent. Good job with the treadmill. Oh I am so jealous of your daughter! I hear it's a must to go to Lucha Libre down there. I will definitely go, when I eventually go to Mexico City.

Hi all. I had a very busy day yesterday. We started off going to breakfast at one of my favorite places. Again, I barely ate any of the food (that's a good thing). We then went for coffee and after that, we went to a gem show. I got a pair of peacock feather earrings that are huge but I love them! After that, we went to Old Town for the Day of the Dead festival. We got there before the crowds and walked around in the shops and then had another coffee from this vegan chocolate place with great coffee. It started to get crowded so we left. I dropped my friend off at her Airbnb and went home to rest. I picked her up later and we went to Little Italy and had aperol spritzes, my favorite Italian alcoholic beverage. We went to dinner down there after that, at our favorite restaurant. I ordered the lasagna and it was fabulous! We stopped for a drink after that, but the bar we went to (a fancy pants bar) was a disappointment: it was $15 for one drink and the drink was small and it was almost completely just ice! The service was bad, too.

Water intake yesterday: 24 oz

Aperol spritz:

Lasagna:

fabgeekmom

@theslightedgeforever I agree with @trooworld Stop with the negative self talk. I’m glad to see you back. I agree it’s too cold to do much outside but when it gets warmer this morning or afternoon I’ll go for a walk. @trooworld You have such an exciting life. The Day of the Dead sounds like fun. I loved the pictures. The coffee also sounds good. I do love my coffee. I remember Little Italy fondly. I love lasagna. Hi, all. DH and I are up early because of the time change, so we will go to Sam’s Club. DS is making ribs tonight in the oven. My daughter is coming over this afternoon and we are going to finish watching Wicked.

theslightedgeforever

@trooworld Such cute day of the dead pics. You do have a lot of fun outings.

@fabgeekmom Did you get in your walk? Normally I don’t exercise on Sundays but since I missed yesterday I went to the gym and 30 min on treadmill. Got into Zone 3 for 8 minutes. Mission accomplished. I’m excited for Wicked 2 to come out.

let’s have another healthy week