Dr. Joel it in June

Mihani

Good grief, here we are on June 3rd and I totally forgot we should be making a new thread. The months go by so fast! Lame thread title, sorry.

I am going to get back to regular exercise this month. NO EXCUSES! Even if it is just half an hour a day on the treadmill, I'll get it done. Diet-wise I'm cool with what I've been doing the past month or so. Kind of a hybrid E2/ETL thing. I enjoy the extra starchy carbs and it keeps me more satisfied, but I am limiting them somewhat, concentrating on the greens and beans. Also going to tighten it up on the weekends and give up alcohol for a bit. I don't drink during the week but I do indulge on weekends, going to give it up completely for the rest of the month.

whats_her_name

1 week of no starchy carbs! Well, except for the handful of cookies that I inhaled last night... Oops! But if I treat myself only once per week, I will still consider that a win...

I'm down just over 6 lbs today. Yay!!

My goal for this month is just to continue what I'm doing because it's working. I have some giant blisters on my feet from last week's walks, so I'm waiting for those to stop hurting before I can resume my walks.

So walks and no starchy carbs. My 2 goals for June. I'm hoping that will result in at least 15 lbs lost... I'm gonna DO this.

My 20 year wedding anniversary is this August.

Carla_wfpb

......and she figures it out! It's June now!

"Dr. Joel it in June" keeps making me laugh. I need to exercise too. I'm glad the hybrid plan is working so well for you! It appeals to me, but I really do have a starchy carb addiction so I think for something to work long term for me, I have to get them out of my system and treat myself as a carb-o-holic!

Nice loss, Karrie!

Lia, tell us more about the adorable Edie and the experience of being a new mama (if and when you can find the time).

the rest of my words are back in May hopefully tomorrow I remember to post in this one...

Carla_wfpb

I re-read my first statement and realized that you might think I was talking to you, Mihani. I was referring to myself. You noticed it was June on 3rd and it took me until today!

Mihani

lol Carla, I understood what you meant ... I think we do this (forgetting to start a new thread) at least twice a year. The months fly by! Your hens are laying a lot of eggs! Glad you have people who will take all the eggs off your hands.

Way to go Karrie! Awesome progress and great, reasonable goals. I hope your blisters heal quickly.

Today was an extra busy day. I got to the office at 7:30 and didn't leave until a little after 6:00, only took about 15 minutes to eat a little lunch. Came home and worked another hour and a half. I hope tomorrow will be a bit less crazy!

Meals were good. Oatmeal with chopped greens and a few walnuts for breakfast. Half a flat with homemade E2 hummus/spinach/romaine and a mandarin for lunch. Dinner was the other half of my lunch flat and some leftover baked sweet potato. I had several handfuls of quinoa chips though. I need to chop up my watermelon and take that to munch on at work instead of junk food. Best do that now while I'm thinking about it.

whats_her_name

Mihani you work TOO MUCH!!!! I hope you can take some time to enjoy the spring/summer!!!!

My foot doesn't hurt too much today, so I might be able to do a walk tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it; the zombie story is getting good!!

Down another .4 today. I love seeing progress every day. It keeps me motivated.

One thing I've noticed after a week of very little starchy carbs is that I don't get hungry much. My smoothie has been lasting me for breakfast and lunch. I snack on chickpeas and a mix of coconut/pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds/chia seeds (so tasty) and that's all I need all day. Then I eat a salad or stirfry for supper and I'm good. My tastebuds have changed; I tried a chip the other day and it tasted terrible. So that's a GOOD thing, because there are chips in my face all summer long; especially out at the cabin...

whats_her_name

Went a little nutso in the kitchen last night. Ate everything I saw. And I saw a lot.

No progress this morning. Oops! Back on track...

liapr

Hey you guys! Sorry I've been such a bad pal lately. The days go by so quick and I haven't been making it on here as much, but I do feel like my time management has been getting a bit better!

Edie is such a cutie but she is temperamental too lol. She's mostly pretty good but on Sunday night/Monday she was fussy like crazy. Maybe something I ate?! Or she just hates Mondays like everyone else. But I couldn't calm her down and I was totally losing my cool.... She smiled at me this morning though and that made everything better! She still hasn't figured out days and nights yet. But she's finally starting to "play" with her activity mat and kick/windmill lots! I never thought I would be so excited about silly milestones lol. I'm enjoying the days with her. I actually am surprised how much I like being a mama! I was so worried I wouldn't.

I'm finally also getting around to thinking about healthy eating too. I've been having lots of salads still but also lots of chocolate covered almonds. I have to be careful because it's so easy to spend a lot of time on the couch eating while I'm home!

Mihani, you do work too much! We should have an online intervention lol (How about it, Karrie and Carla?!). Or we should kidnap you until your boss hires another person and THEN we will let you go back lol. Also, I signed up for the Engine 7-day rescue too! Also, great thread title, lol, it's perfect.

Karrie, awesome re taste buds! I always wish that change was immediate lol. But it's good to keep in mind now that I'm re-starting..

Carla, how is your June going? How are all your fur/feather babies?! Any photos??

liapr

Carla, just went back and read. AND saw the amazing photo of little teeny, tiny Reba in all her glory!! Haha so adorable. Also, any bowl ideas to share? Also, a dozen eggs a day?!?! OMG I can't imagine either lol.

Mihani

I am happy to announce that I will be taking a day off within the next month or so. Of course, the reason is that I finally made it to the endodontist and I have to have root canal. Ugh. Never had that done before and it wasn’t exactly on my list of things I really want to do someday! But since you are all saying I need some time off, there ya go. I will be taking a day off soon lol.

Karrie, you are doing so well, I’m thinking sometimes we just lose our minds and go all cookie monster throwing food in our faces. I do find that if I am craving the starchy carby goodness, some baked white or sweet potato really hits the spot. I have been baking up a bunch at a time a couple times a week and I even like leftover cold baked potatoes sliced thin and dipped in BBQ sauce. Maybe it’s not totally ETL but it’s better than chips. How are you faring with the zombies?

Hi Lia! Edie is so cute and I knew in my heart that you would be a great mom once she arrived, but I totally understand how nervous you were up to then! That’s cool you joined the E2 group, I don’t post on it much but I like the stuff that shows up on my newsfeed and there are such great ideas for bowls and things you can just throw together. My life is definitely easier now not thinking about recipes or “meals” per se, just batch cooking a couple times a week and throwing some grains, greens, beans in a bowl, and adding a little oil free sauce or dressing. I really enjoy that sort of thing more than a meal and it’s so much easier.

How are things going Carla? Did you finish putting your sewing room together?

Mihani

I was feeling super lazy and bummed tonight, but I managed to haul myself into the kitchen... cleaned and steamed big baskets full of kale and broccoli, dry stir-fried fresh corn cut off the cob and seasoned with pepper and chili powder in a cast iron skillet, baked several potatoes. Lettuce and other greens are already prepped. So glad I did this. I'm set for several days. Sometimes it is just a matter of starting. It only took an hour really, to do it all. And I don't feel so bummed now, I'm ready to keep doing this because I'm prepped!

Carla_wfpb

Karrie, hope your feet are back to normal and that you're enjoying your zombie runs!

That's too bad about the root canal, Mihani. A double whammy of no fun and expensive. And I don't think that's really what any of us were thinking of when we said you needed a day off! :P

Lia! I'm glad you are managing everything okay and that you are enjoying being a mama. I think all of the little milestones are awesome You should do a scrapbook or diary of all the little things (you know, with all of that extra time you have haha). I've been super lazy with the bowls, so no new inspiration on that front, sorry. I will post any combos that turn out well.

The rest of my house is upside down, but my sewing/craft room is looking good! I still need to buy a dresser to store my fabric and I have some floating shelves that need to be put up and then I'll be done. My new armoire holds all of my yarns and weaving supplies, and now the walk-in closet can once again be walked in! After the dresser, shelves and a good vacuum, I'll post pics.

I just ran across a recipe for vegan queso that doesn't use nuts as the base! https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-less-vegan-queso/ I will be so happy if this turns out yummy. I really need a good sauce that isn't nut based or sweet. Just did a grocery shop, so I probably won't get around to making it for another week or so, but I'll let you know how it turns out.

whats_her_name

I haven't walked yet; the blister has still been tender to stand on. But I think I'm going to go for it tomorrow (FINALLY!)

I gained after inhaling my kitchen cupboard the other night, but I'm back down again today *nearly* to where I was the day before my slip-up. So tomorrow I should be back in the game.

I have smoothies for the next 3 days ready to go in my freezer. I just need to remember to move them to the fridge the day before I need them. And I've made a chinese stirfry for myself a few times in the last couple of weeks, and I'm loving them! I use bok choy, mushrooms, celery, onion, and alfalfa (sp?) sprouts, topped with sesame seeds and green onion. I had it last night, and I'm making it again tonight. I can't get enough!!

I plan to walk every day all weekend too; we're not going to the cabin this weekend because of a ball hockey tournament for my DS, so I'm going to make a point of getting up in the mornings and get out of the house before anyone notices I'm gone...

Mihani

I am home early. I have a guy coming tomorrow to look at my A/C which hasn't been working since middle of last summer and I just haven't got around to getting someone here. I had it scheduled 3 times this year already and had to keep cancelling as things cropped up at the office. Committed to getting it done tomorrow, but I need to do some sweeping/mopping/dusting. I'll be too embarrassed to let the guy in if I don't! The pet hair is such a never ending battle. So I took half a day off today to clean. Maybe I should invite some friends over this weekend since my house will be momentarily clean lol.

Congrats on getting your sewing room nearly done Carla. Can't wait to see the pics. I think I had looked at that queso recipe once but forgot about it. Looking forward to your review.

Sorry your blister is still so painful Karrie. Hope all goes well walking tomorrow. Your stir-fry sounds great.

Best get busy here!

Mihani

I decided not to go to the office today. Secretary is off Mon - Wed so I'm going to be putting in some long days covering for her while trying to do my own work, so I thought I'd better get laundry and food prep and all that done today. I'll put in a full day at the office tomorrow. I'm finding prepping lots of things separately then just throwing together a plate or bowl of whatever sounds good is so easy to keep up, and I can mix up the sauces or dressings to change up the flavors. On the agenda for today's batch cooking: steamed asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, kale or collards. Baked sweet and white potatoes. Double batch of E2 hummus. Maybe a pot of lentil soup. Made quinoa and chopped up romaine last night. Think I'll get some arugula and baby spinach for my salad greens.

Carla_wfpb

I'm with you, Mihani, I really am liking the separate bits of stuff and combining them in different ways. In the past, I've always made up big vats of one meal and then Joe and I eat the same thing for half the week! It doesn't take more effort, in fact it feels like less, to make the items separately. And then you get the option of having the same flavor the next day, or totally switching things up. And because it is spontaneous, it is easier to fit in whatever needs to be used up from the fridge or garden. You covering for the secretary bring back some bad memories! I am really not a good candidate for social interactions and I have a phobia about answering phones. I was working at the time in the drafting department of a company, and none of the girls downstairs in the main office area wanted to cover for our receptionist. So every year when her vacation came up, there was bickering and they would try to rope me into it every so often. So it reminds me of the tense feeling I had in the weeks leading up to her vacation! I hope you get some quiet periods where you can get lots of your own work done.

Our peas are doing really well in the garden. I've been eating them in the pod, right off the vine, but haven't gotten around to collecting any for a meal. Half of our little seedling plants in the greenhouse were eaten overnight. We suspect there are mice. We store the chicken feed in the other half of the greenhouse/shed, and although it is in an airtight container, we still spill a bit when we take some out.

Mihani

Bad mice, Carla, eating your plants! You'd think they would be satisfied with the bits of chicken feed and leave your plants alone. And yay for bowls for sure! Today's lunch salad was romaine, baby spinach, steamed broccoli and kale, grilled sweet corn cut off the cob, red onion, and balsamic. It was delicious! And yeah, I hate answering the phone at the office.

I came home from the office a little earlier than anticipated since I didn't get my cooking done. Need to get it done today. I got a good sized watermelon yesterday, and then my boss got me one from the farm market (he knows I love watermelon in the summer so he brings me one quite often when he visits the farm market). So I am going to be eating a lot of watermelon this week lol.

Also got some strawberries and they are so good, but they often seem to get all icky and mushy within a day or two. I had read a tip a while back so I am trying it. Soak berries for about 10 minutes in 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water, gently spin dry then blot with paper towels, store in a single layer in an uncovered container lined with a paper towel. We'll see if they last better this way. Supposedly the vinegar kills off all the little microbes.

Carla_wfpb

Let me know how the vinegar water works for you! I find after strawberries are washed they tend to get icky faster, so I just wash them as I need them.

Your boss bringing you watermelon is how you ended up swimming in it last year! We had watermelon yesterday and it was a really good one. Yum. Might be my breakfast too.

I had a very indulgent weekend, and spent most of it reading. I went through 8 books in a series. Which sounds impressive (maybe), but they were easy reads. Jana DeLeon in the "Miss Fortune" series. Not realistic, but entertaining and funny! The first one, "Louisiana Longshot" is free on amazon for the kindle if you want to check it out. (for anyone i think, not just kindle unlimited subscribers)

whats_her_name

I had watermelon over the weekend too, but mine wasn't as tasty as I had hoped and I ended up throwing it out after just one bowl. (I only buy small quarters of watermelon, so it wasn't a lot of waste, at least...)

Mihani

It's sad when watermelon isn't as good as you hope Karrie. The one from the grocery is delicious. We'll see how the one from the farm market is after I finish off this one.

I will have to check out the books Carla. I'm still working through the Mirrowen series by Jeff Wheeler. I just downloaded the 3rd/last book of this series. The second book was better than the first. He seems to run that way, maybe because the first book of each series is so involved in introducing characters and setting up the plot and back story.

Today was good. Oatmeal made with water and chopped baby spinach, added a splash of oat milk and a few walnuts. Had some watermelon for a snack today. Lunch was a bowl with quinoa, power greens, sliced strawberries, a touch of balsamic. Dinner will be a flat with homemade oil-free hummus and steamed asparagus.

Awful headache today, going to bed early. It's so hot and my A/C is a goner and I don't want to spend the money this year to replace the entire unit so I'm just going to get a portable for my bedroom so at least i can sleep. I don't sleep well when I'm too hot, and it got SO hot and humid the past couple days ugh. Wish I had got the portable this past weekend. It does make spending lots of hours in the office more appealing lol.

Mihani

The strawberry experiment didn't work. They didn't get moldy at all but they got mushy. Maybe I didn't dry them enough. I am just going to have to make up my mind that if I buy strawberries I have to eat them within a couple days.

Breakfast shredded wheat with chopped spinach and a little oat milk, a few walnuts. Lunch was soooo good. Had a bowl with leftover quinoa, steamed collards, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes and salsa. New combo for me and going to be a favorite. That was the last of my quinoa though, I'll have to make some brown rice tonight. Dinner will be another flat with homemade E2 hummus, steamed asparagus, and power greens, some watermelon.

At least it cooled down a bit today, whew!

Carla_wfpb

Too bad about the strawberry experiment. Ours get mushy fast once they are in our fruit salad. I like it much better on day 1, but the prep every day is too big of a hassle. Nice to hear it cooled off a bit for you! I hate the heat and have so much trouble sleeping if its hot. Is your headache gone?

I am going to check out a Jeff Wheeler book, Mihani. I got the first in the first in the Kingfountain series through Kindle Unlimited. Is your Unlimited membership how you came across this author?

I am very picky about watermelon. The one we bought was full sized, but I think next time I might try one of those little ones they sell.

Mihani

Carla, I did discover Jeff Wheeler through Kindle Unlimited. I think after I finish Mirrowen I am going back to crime novels for a bit. I may have OD'd on magic and fantasy for a while lol.

Carla_wfpb

I know what you mean about OD'ing on a genre, especially fantasy.

Our broccoli in the garden was looking like it was about to flower, so I harvested it. Hopefully it still tastes okay even though the buds aren't as tight as they should be. I'll throw that in a stir fry with some of the fresh peas from the garden and tofu. The peas are doing great. They grow really well in this climate and are among the first things to be ready.

With the warmer weather headed this way, I think I'll also blend up some banana 'ice cream' to go with our fruit salads.

Mihani

Yay for fresh broccoli Carla! I actually went to return the last Mirrowen book and there is a 4th Kingfountain just released so I got it. I love kindle unlimited!

Going to bake some potatoes, steam broccoli, cauliflower and collards, and make some more E2 hummus. That should get me through 4 or 5 days on track. Took the day off to do some cleaning, catch up laundry, got the portable A/C hooked up in my room. Can't wait to get a good night's sleep. I was thinking I might just hang out in my room and read for a while this evening. I also found my long lost Fitbit One!! I moved a big cedar chest to get at the dog hair behind and under it, and there it was. I must have dropped it and then the cats played with it until it disappeared under the chest. I've used the vacuum attachments to clean under it but hadn't actually moved it out for a long time, obviously lol.

I went on a chip spree the past few days. There are these organic quinoa chips that I bought on a whim and they are so good. I realize they are not my food, and I shouldn't be eating them, even though I justify it with well they are healthier than some other types of junk food, but they have oil and too much salt. Not going to buy any more of them. I really want to get the weight I've gained back off and then continue to my goal. I'm blowing it on weekends with alcohol and too much junky stuff like the chips.

Mihani

Spent about 7 hours in the office today then stopped to visit a friend. Stopped and grabbed two containers of baby spinach. Made a pot of oatmeal this morning with chopped power greens, enough for breakfast tomorrow too. Topped with a few walnuts and chopped mandarin orange. Lunch was a bowl with lots of power greens, wild rice blend, black beans, steamed broccoli and cauliflower and collards, big dollop of salsa. So good. Dinner sweet potato with more black beans and collards.

I figure I have enough cooked and prepped for 4 more days, then I'll have to do more prep work. I didn't end up making the E2 hummus, would rather rely on potatoes (white and sweet), rice and oatmeal this week, less bread. I plan a full on E2 week. I'm down 11 pounds though. I really want to push through and make this work, until I'm back down to 150. I feel "okay" at 150, although obviously I would much rather be 130's for both health and appearance.

hoffman2300

Hi everyone, I just joined and was concerned that MFP wasn't going to be ETL-friendly and was relieved to find this group. I'm not as strict a nutritarian as I'd like to be but I do what I can do....

Mihani

Hi hoffman, welcome! We've all been at this a long time and most of us aren't that strict anymore. I think the 6 week plan is pretty rough for a lot of people, but it sure works. I strive for 80% on the life plan, although right now I'm doing the Engine 2 - 7 day rescue just to shake things up and it has really helped me with the emphasis on simple preparation and throwing together bowls and flats. I am planning to do another round of the 6 week plan before too long. How long have you been following ETL?

Carla_wfpb

Hi hoffman! Happy to have you join.

Mihani, congrats on your 11 lb loss! Mandarin orange in your oatmeal sounds good.

Back to regression testing at work for me this week. Boring, but I get in some extra hours which will help make up for my purchase of a spinning wheel! I am hoping that the wheel arrives by the end of the week. I am STILL working on my beet tapestry. I remember showing you guys some of the yarn I'd purchased, but I don't remember if I mentioned what it was for. At this rate, I won't have 3 tapestries done in time to submit for the next local art show. This is the first one though, so I am pretty sure they'll go faster after this.

I'm going to prep mixed grain rice and some pinto beans for our meals over the next few days. I'm not feeling inspired at the moment, but beans & rice is pretty versatile for a bowl, so I'm sure we can work with that. We still have lots of peas in the garden, but that's about all that is ready right now aside from the lettuce.

Carla_wfpb

Nope! Changed my mind. I'm not going to make beans and rice! I know it was only a few minutes ago that I posted that, but I'm sick of half-assing it and getting nowhere.

I just messaged Joe and he is on board. We're going to do the 2 week plan, strict style. I'm even going to give up coffee again which I haven't attempted in a long time. Normally it is the massive migraines from withdrawal that break me, so I'll drink green tea to wean myself off.

We are starting tomorrow or the next day, depending on what all I can get done today. Wish us luck! We definitely need it!

Mihani

Woohoo Carla! Are you doing the 6 week plan for 2 weeks you mean? I didn't have any coffee Saturday or Sunday and only 1 cup today, so I'm doing better. It's hard not to have it when the boss has it all ready for me when I walk in and will even go get me a cup if I don't go fill it myself lol. Your energy and the number of projects you have going all at once wears me out just to read about! Love seeing all your artistic creations. Congrats on your spinning wheel! That actually always looked really fun to me. I remember my great grandmother had one.

Today was good food-wise. Leftover oatmeal with power greens and a few walnuts this morning, but I wasn't too hungry so I still have some left for tomorrow's breakfast. Lunch was an awesome bowl. Arugula, steamed collards, broccoli and cauliflower, black beans, sweet potato, wild rice blend, roasted corn, salsa. I couldn't even finish it all at lunch so I brought the leftovers home and heated it up in a corn tortilla. Worked really late and still a couple things to do tonight so I best get at it. Oh, and half a mandarin with lunch. These are some huge mutant mandarins not sure what they are actually called, but they are so sweet and good.