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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I’m glad you had a hot shower. I love a hot shower! Too bad about work. It’s good that you are working from home. 50 pounds is awesome! Hi, all. Today is a swim day. We have chicken for lunch today. Tonight is steak night.

its_cleo

@trooworld I’m glad the issue with the condo fixed. I bought my condo 4 years ago and so far it’s been ok. Although I did have to renovate the bathroom, but I kind of knew that going in. I would like to reno the kitchen but I don’t want to spend the money lol.

Congrats on the weight loss! Sorry work was a drag. It’s cool you work in a library though. I did when I was in university, and my intent was to keep working in libraries, but it didn’t work out.

@fabgeekmom enjoy the swim! I was going to have steak this weekend, but then there was lamb at the grocery store. I only have lamb in the spring, so I got that instead.

Super glad it’s Friday, and I have next week off. Not doing much, just puttering around. I need to pick up some new ankle weights bc my physio said I could increase the weight for some of the exercises I’m doing. I tried some this morning and yeah it was a tough workout lol. But I’m glad I can progress.

I’m going to see if I can walk a tiny bit more without pain the next week.

And I may buy a new yoga mat, in case I go the class again. I have an old mat that’s not very good.

Been rainy and yucky here. I wish the weather would improve.

Happy Friday!

fabgeekmom

@its_cleo I’m glad you’re progressing with your exercise. Enjoy the lamb and your week off. It’s raining here, too. I got used to warm weather and now it’s chilly. I’m fortunate in that I have indoor exercise available.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Me too! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the swim and the meals.

@its_cleo That's great that you've had no issues. Our condo, it was built in 1980 and since we've moved in, there have been 3 bathroom leaks from the upstairs neighbor, a leak in the window in the living room caused by a decrepid stairway above it, and a leak in the spare bedroom due to the guy above us's lack of care of his window. That one is ongoing and the HOA has to come out every 6 months to re-caulk the window because the guy refuses to do anything about it, basically. Maybe someday you'll get a windfall and want to reno the kitchen. Thank you, I am happy with the loss! That's cool you worked in a library. I love it. Sorry it didn't work out for you. That's great you have next week off, I hope you enjoy it. I hope the weather improves.

Hi all. I'm drinking some really good coffee this morning, it's part of our Atlas Coffee Club subscription that my SIL gifted us for Christmas. This coffee is from Honduras and I love it. Today, we are going up to the mountain town to pick up my wedding rings that were being restored. I hope to get a piece of sugar-free apple pie. Other than that, we are not doing much. I think we are going to Sam's Club. I'm going to make high-protein pizza hot pockets for dinner, it uses 2-ingredient dough for the dough. I'm looking forward to it.

Water yesterday: 48 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Coffee is definitely the nectar of the gods! I hope you got your piece of pie. The pizza hot pockets sound good. Hi, all. It’s cold and dreary here. I went to the recreation center and worked out on the recumbent elliptical. The center has new machines and I thought the elliptical was more comfortable to use. The machines have connections to apple and Galaxy watches. So all I have to do is tap my watch to the icon. I didn’t figure this out until I was finished but I’ll do it next time. DS has strep throat and is isolating from DH and me. In 24 hours he won’t be contagious. He’s taking antibiotics for it. He’s wearing a mask when he’s around us.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It is, I love it and drink too much of it lol. Thank you! Sorry about the weather. Good job with the recumbent elliptical. That's good they have new machines. Cool that you can tap your watch and have it connect. Strep throat is painful, I hope he recovers quickly.

Hi all. We went up to the mountain town and I got my sugar-free apple pie slice. It was really good. They still put sugar in it: they use apple cider for a sweetener, but I guess that's not as bad as putting granulated sugar in it. After that, we went to Sam's Club and came home for a bit and then we went to an acquaintance's bookstore that she just opened downtown. I didn't end up making the pizza pockets for dinner: I just had half of a sandwich I made. Today, we are going to a pug meetup. It should be fun. We are only bringing one dog, Daisy, as Violet is a little bit of a jerk in public. I bought Daisy the cutest pink pleather beret to wear to the event. I will put her pearls on her, too. I will try to remember to take a pic. I've been doing really well with tracking. I also have been doing better with water, except yesterday: I hardly drank any.

Water yesterday: 20 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I’m glad you got your pie. It sounds good. I bet the pug meet up will be fun. Hi, all. DS is feeling better. We have been isolating. Tomorrow he won’t be contagious so we can go back to normal. For dinner tonight I’m reheating some burgers I made last week and put in the freezer. Plus a salad and frozen fries prepared in the air fryer.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It was good, thanks! I'm glad DS is feeling better. I love when I put stuff in the freezer to have as leftovers the following week. It makes it so easy.

Hi all. The pug meetup was really fun. There were about 20 pugs there with their owners, which was quite a large number for the small space on the patio at the bar. I had a non-alcoholic aperol spritz which was wonderful. Aperol spritzes was one of my favorite drinks when I was drinking, so it was nice to have one non-alcoholic. Daisy's outfit was a hit, she had a lot of people taking her picture and saying how cute she was. When we came home, I read for a bit and then made some turkey chili for later in the week and then made myself dinner: Spaghetti with Crispy Zucchini using protein pasta. It was really delicious, if you want the recipe, here it is: https://pinchofyum.com/spaghetti-with-crispy-zucchini Here are some pics from the pug meetup: Daisy eating a pup cup, my non-alcoholic aperol spritz, some of the pups, and the brooch I made with a pic of Violet as a Renaissance baron!

Water yesterday: 20 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The pugs are adorable! I’m glad you enjoyed the meet up and the spritzer. That was a good idea to make the chili for next week. I saw that San Diego had an earthquake. Did you experience anything when it happened. I remember years ago when we lived in North Carolina I felt the house shake and found out that there had been an earthquake in Richmond, Virginia ( not a bad one but some buildings had minor damage). Hi, all. Today was a swim day. DS went back to work so I cooked. I marinated some chicken breasts and thighs in low-fat buttermilk, then sprinkled Ranch seasoning on them and grilled them. Plus we had salad and wild rice. I had calories left for some chocolate.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Aren't they? They were so sweet, too. I'm actually going to break into the chili for lunch today but I'll have plenty for next week, too. Yes, I was at work when the earthquake happened, and we definitely felt it. The jewelers that just restored my rings live in Julian, which was the epicenter of the earthquake, and I asked if they were okay...they said there was violent shaking and they heard things breaking. At work, it wasn't quite that bad, just shaking and it was weird and kind of scary. I've been in earthquakes before, but this was the worst I've been in. Wow, that's strange that happened in NC, I wouldn't think that they would be a place that had earthquakes, but I guess it can really happen anywhere. Good job with the swim! Dinner sounds good. Always good to have leftover calories for chocolate! :)

Hi all. As I said to @fabgeekmom above, we did have an earthquake yesterday. It was super weird. I've been in earthquakes before, but this was the worst I've been in. No damage where I was, though, thankfully. After the quake, I felt nauseous. I don't know if it is because I get motion sickness, or if it was just a coincidence that happened at the same time. Yesterday was a weird day overall. I'm glad it is over. Since I wasn't feeling very good, I didn't end up eating lunch. I ate my lunch (the spaghetti with crispy zucchini recipe) for dinner. We got a pineapple over the weekend (from Sam's Club) and it was sweet and juicy, I had some of that for dessert.

Water yesterday: 35 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

cbabie

Morning all, so sorry I am been MIA…my life just seems really complicated and busy. I don't get up as early as I used to and my routine is messed up. No one here is sick, no one has issues, just trying to get my health back and taking care of the 2 little ones. It's in the 90's here this week, we have our swamp cooler on and it's nice in the house. I got my taxes done and that is a weight off my shoulders. I am meeting up with a dear friend for lunch in about 1/2 hour and I can't wait to catch up. I am the heaviest I have been in years. I walked yesterday and worked out 3 times last week. I am trying to completely x out ice cream. LOL. I think it's my biggest issue.

@fabgeekmom I am so glad your DS is getting over strep and your life can go back to normal. Yeah on the elliptical…I never liked that machine, my feet always fell asleep. Someone told me it was because I was moving incorrectly. I like the bike much better. LOL.

@trooworld Oh my on the earthquake, I am glad you guys are ok.. LOL on the pups.. you know I am not an animal lover, but those pictures are adorable. Glad you had a good time. Yeah on the 50lbs.

@its_cleo So glad you are moving your body.. I think you have figured out your why for moving. :). Keep up the great work. Your body will thank you when it's my age. LOL

cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I’m glad there were no damages from the earthquake. I’ve been to California 3 times and luckily never experienced an earthquake. The East Coast doesn’t often have earthquakes but it happens occasionally. I remember that the Washington Monument was damaged during the earthquake I mentioned. It took several years to repair it. @cbabie Welcome back! It’s good that you are exercising. Yes, get rid of the ice cream! Hi, all. It was warm again this morning so I went for a walk. It’s nice seeing everyone’s trees and flowers blossoming. Tonight DS is making tacos, the meal he was going to prepare on Saturday. I’m eating mine on romaine lettuce so I can have some chips.

trooworld

@cbabie I'm glad nobody is sick. I've been thinking of you and @theslightedgeforever hoping you'd pop back in. I hope you had a good time with your friend. Good job with the walk and the workouts! Yeah that earthquake was a bit scary. lol yes, I know you aren't an animal lover but I appreciate you thought those pics were cute! :D

@fabgeekmom Thanks. Earthquakes are very rare, I think I've experienced only 4-6 minor ones since I've been here (I came out here in 1994). Interesting about the Washington Monument. Good job with the walk. I love this time of year. I hope you enjoyed the tacos.

Hi all. Today is the world heritage potluck at work. I am making Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, which is a salad I really like. I have a tiny bit of Italian in me so that counts as my heritage lol. There's going to be a lot of food at this potluck so I will have to be very selective in what I choose to eat as I can't eat much. It should be fun to interact with people from different departments.

Water yesterday: 25 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

cbabie

Morning all, I just got back from taking baby girl to school and thought I should stop here first before I get crazy. LOL. I went back to yucky eating last night..boredom I think. So back to day with the baby steps I have been making. Good thing is I didn't eat ice cream..I also forgot to take my pills yesterday..I went to take my nighttime one and realized I took no pills yesterday. So I took them EARLY this morning.LOL.

@fabgeekmom I don't do well on tacos, I get heartburn, but babygirl recently decided she loves them..so guess what we have more often. LOL. I hope you enjoyed them. I love walking and seeing others yards, when they are done…because I live where water is precious, a lot of people have rock front yards and very little greenery. So I love it when I see it.

@trooworld I love your reasoning for your dish. LOL You know I think my most favorite time in Home Ec in school was the semester we made a dish from different cultures/countries. We made cooked tongue, which was my least favorite..(we all had to take a bite of everything we made). My most favorite was the chocolate mousse I still have my Mimeographed recipes which are fast fading ..LOL Enjoy your heritage day!! I so much enjoyed seeing my friend!!

cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The pot luck sounds like fun. Hopefully you were able to eat some of the food. I find those kinds of meals a bit tempting, like going to a buffet. @cbabie It looks like you are trying to eat better. Find a routine that works for you. Hi, all. Today was a swim day. We had leftovers from last night for dinner. Did any of you see that Weight Watchers is filing for bankruptcy? More like a chapter 11, a reorganization. It seems that they owe a lot of money and the value of stock is way down. Not sure what happens next.

trooworld

@cbabie That's great you didn't eat ice cream. It's easy to eat out of boredom. Are you doing any crafts? I find if I am busy doing something, I don't turn to food. Wow, you had an adventurous home ec class...we just made chocolate chip cookies lol. I would have HATED making that lol, I go to the international grocery store and they have that for sale in the meat case and I can't even look at it. I love chocolate mousse. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing your friend!

@fabgeekmom You are exactly right about it being tempting. You want to try everything but know you shouldn't. Good job with the swim! I didn't see that! Interesting. I wonder what will happen.

Hi all. The potluck was kind of a bust: my manager and I went to it, and the food didn't look too good so I took a small portion of my salad along with some other salads and appetizers. All the sit-down tables were taken, so we just took our food back to our offices. I didn't eat all my food, it wasn't very good except for this elote salad, which was good. I enjoyed my salad. Others must have too, as after the potluck, there was only a little bit left. I'm actually glad the potluck turned out that way: I didn't need to overeat or be too tempted.

Water yesterday: 25 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

fabgeekmom

@trooworld That was good that you didn’t see food you liked. Also that shows that you are discriminating in what you eat. Hi, all. I rode the bike today. DS was off today and went grocery shopping with me. He has made Caesar dressing for our salads. I have baby potatoes in the air fryer and he’s grilling some salmon.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes. Makes it less tempting! lol Good job with the bike. Yum, I love Caesar salads. I make a Cajun Chicken Caesar salad that I really like.

Hi all. I lost 1.2 lbs this week, not a huge amount but I am losing and that's what counts. I've got a two-hour webinar this morning about paying taxes on my art and then and appointment this afternoon. I am getting off early today at 3 pm and going to the coffee shop with my husband. I think I'll make a roasted broccoli salad for dinner tonight, it has bacon on it and the recipe looks easy to make. Have a good day!

Water yesterday: 35 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

its_cleo

Hey all, I've been MIA…..I decided to take this week off work, which is nice, but haven't been doing great with tracking calories or anything like that unfortunately.

I'm back at work on Tuesday, and so I was trying to also set that as the date to start my goals again. In Jan I set monthly goals, did weekly weigh ins, and that worked better for me, so I am working on that. I did a weigh-in on Wed to start.

Other than that, I went back to the yoga class again and it was better the second time, no pain. I tried to walk a bit more this week- but still caused some pain, but not as bad as before. So very slowly getting better. I'm optimistic.

Taking it easy this weekend, tomorrow I'm going to a little fruit shop and bakery to pick some things up. Not sure what else I'm up too! Today I will go for a bike ride.

cbabie

Morning all, Yesterday was a food bust day..went to the movies with baby girl for the first time in many years..ate too much candy. But I did get on my bike and work out yesterday. so all is not lost. LOL

@trooworld Yeah on the weight lost. So glad you weren't tempted on your pot luck lunch. I would say you are doing great!!

@fabgeekmom Oh you baby potatoes sound delicious, do you put any seasoning on them? I didn't hear that about WW, it's sad as they have been a stationary in the weight loss world for years. They did help me to learn how to eat better.

@its_cleo I think your plan sounds good. You know what motivates you. Enjoy your weekend.

cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Good job on the weight loss. Slow and steady is good and also sustainable. Enjoy the coffee shop and the broccoli salad. @its_cleo That’s good about the yoga and walking. If you do something often it gets easier. Good luck on your plan. @cbabie I just sprayed the potatoes with cooking spray and added salt. 15 minutes at 400. Too bad about the candy, but you enjoyed it so move on. I don’t think WW is completely going away. I think it’s mostly a reorganization. I wonder if low profit meetings will close. That’s what happened the last time they did that. Hi, all. Today’s a swim day. We are eating at my cousin’s house tonight. She’s having a special Passover meal with all the ethnic foods we like. I’ll try to eat in moderation.

trooworld

@its_cleo Nice to "see" you! That's good you will be working on goals. What types of goals are you going to do? I'm glad yoga was better the second time around. Yay for progress! I hope you've had a good week off.

@cbabie What movie did you ladies see? Good job with the bike! Thank you!

@fabgeekmom Thank you! I hope you enjoyed your swim and Passover dinner.

Hi all. Yesterday's visit to the coffee shop was nice. We sat and read and drank coffee. My husband ended up making us dinner, he made chickpea pasta + a meat sauce with veggies in it. I didn't eat much of it, but it was good. Today, I am going to a cultural event with my photography club. It's a celebration of a Mexican neighborhood's park, there will be lowrider cars there, Aztec dancers, lots of people...it should be fun. I'm just worried I'm going to get accidentally separated from the group and get lost. I don't know the area well. I have a lot of anxiety about it. Tonight, we are going to see a play with my SIL and having dinner beforehand. It should be a fun day.

Water yesterday: 20 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Your day sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy the cultural event and don’t get lost. It’s good that you only ate a little bit of the dish your husband made. You are really good at limiting portions. Hi, all. I enjoyed the meal and family time. I did eat more that I should have even though I did limit portions. All was okay as orcas a holiday meal. It’s warm today so I will go for a walk. I need to go to the grocery store to get some fruit. Tonight we are going to an Italian restaurant. I like it as it is locally owned and not a chain.

cbabie

Morning all, I didn't get anything done yesterday. My oldest daughter came over and cleaned my kitchen cabinets for me. That was nice. Otherwise not much going on. Today, wanting to get on the bike again, (It turned cooler and windy here). Then coloring eggs with the kids and we will see what else they want to do.

@fabgeekmom I like supporting the local food places. I hope you enjoy! I need to go get milk..LOL the kids drink it a lot.

@trooworld I hope you enjoy all the fun things you have planned fo today! We went to King of Kings. She liked it. L

cbabie

fabgeekmom

@cbabie That was nice of your daughter to clean your cabinets. I love it when our children do things for us! Have fun doing stuff with the kids.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It was a lot of fun! I did get lost but that' okay, more below. It's easy to limit my portions when my stomach can only handle a little bit, but I've heard I will be able to eat more at about the year mark, which is also when people start gaining a bit. I hope I don't gain too much back. I hope you enjoyed your walk. I love locally owned restaurants, we hardly ever go to chains because there are so many independent restaurants here.

@cbabie Please tell your oldest daughter to come to my house and clean my cabinets, too lol! That was really nice of her. I miss coloring eggs, that was so fun when we did it. I did have a great day! And I'm glad she liked the movie.

Hi all. Happy Easter! I had a spectacular day yesterday. I did get lost from the group, and I knew I would so I asked this other lady if she wanted to hang out together. It worked out really well, we got along great, and I made a new friend (something rare for me!). We are going to go shoot more photos some other day. I will share some of my favorite photos from yesterday. I took the wrong lens so I'm not totally happy with my photos but these are my favorites. After Chicano Park Day celebration, I came home and had lunch and my husband and I went to the art opening of the group show I have a piece in. We didn't stay long as we were going to dinner in Little Italy with my SIL. We went to this Italian restaurant, sat outside and it was FREEZING! There was a heater right by us but it wasn't enough because it was windy. I had a grilled octopus on a bed of arugula appetizer. It had a light bit of dressing on it. It was really good and just perfect for what I wanted. We went to the play and enjoyed it. Today, I am not doing much, I don't think. We didn't buy stuff for Easter dinner.

Water yesterday: 20 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

Traditional Aztec dancer

This young man was so proud of his lowrider. You could just feel the love he had for this car.

Cute traditional dancer.

Old Jaguar from…the 40s? 30s?

Dia de Los Muertos bride in front of a pretty lowrider.

This car had mirrors UNDERNEATH the hood! It was super glittery and I loved it.

This is the young lady that served me my watermelon and chia seed agua fresca (fruit water).

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Nice pictures! It was good that you made a new friend. The octopus salad sounds good. No one in my family would eat it so that’s the kind of food I would order at a restaurant. Hi, all. My cousin and her husband, my daughter, her husband and daughter are eating Easter dinner with us. DS has already made a strawberry cake based on a recipe in ATK. I tasted the frosting last night and it was delicious. DD is bringing potato salad and my cousin is bringing salad. DS will make ranch dressing from ATK and grill some chicken. I made a homemade barbecue sauce with catsup, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and molasses. It is really good and not as sweet as store bought.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you! I was happy to make a new friend as I so rarely do. The salad was good. I understand about some people not eating octopus, it's kind of a weird thing lol. If you can get past the look of it, it's good. Your Easter dinner sounds yummy. I hope you enjoyed the day.

Hi all. I said I wasn't doing much yesterday but after we did a little cleaning, my husband and I decided to go on an adventure. We parked in our favorite neighborhood and then took the bus to another neighborhood for a farmer's market (the parking there is terrible). We walked around a bit and then took the bus downtown to Little Italy. We walked around there a bit and then walked down to the embarcadero area by the bay. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy, but sunny so it felt nice. We walked around there and then walked further downtown to catch the bus back to our parking spot. All in all, I got 11,725 steps for the day. It was fun. I remember just a few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to go on an adventure like today's because my knee would have been killing me. But, because I've lost weight and also because I got the cortisone shot, I am able to do so.

Water yesterday: 20 oz

My phrase for the year: “A new era of me.”

its_cleo

Hey all- ok back to work tomorrow but trying to get back into routine today. It feels a little rough, bc I’ve been pretty lazy lol.

@trooworld my goals are:

-track calories at least 6/7 days; stick to my calorie limits (and if I go over, then limit how much I go over); do my physio exercises 3x a week; weigh in every Wed

Those are the main ones. I’m working on other things but those are the ones I’m trying to really track and stick to.

Those pictures look great! Looks like a fun day. With your knee- I’m sure it’s nice to see some real progress and change.

@cbabie colouring eggs sound fun. There are a lot of Ukrainians in my neighbourhood and they make nice Easter eggs, I think I saw some for sale.

@fabgeekmom sounds like a great dinner, I hope you enjoyed the time with your family.

I have to figure out some meals to make today, but I’m not sure what lol.

cbabie

Morning all, Easter was okay. It just didn't feel like Easter to me. I cooked ham (which I don't eat). Just played with the kids and watched TV the last 2 hours of the night. Kind of a lazy day for me. I was going to exercise this morning , but DH has a massive headache so he can't watch the baby for me So waiting for that to turn around. LOL

@fabgeekmom Your dinner sounds yummy! So glad you had a nice Easter.

@trooworld Wow you had a very adventurous day! I am so proud of you that you can walk without pain now. How different your life is. Yes that was wonderful of my daughter. LOL Then the baby who is honorary had goo on his fingers and wiped right across my cabinet. He is non verbal, so all I could do was say no we don't do that, get a towel please…and clean the cabinet. again. LOL

@its_cleo your plans sound good and doable. I bet those eggs are beautiful. Enjoy your day and hopefully your first day back to work went smooth and non stressful.

cbabie