Of refeeds and diet breaks
Replies
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Still stalking cat with food. He's had a little bit of sardine now...5
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My spidey senses are on point today
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On topic, I have been eating around maintenance calories for about 3 weeks now, and guess-logged Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, NYE, and NY Day. And this morning I hit my lowest weight in probably my adult life, 3 lbs down from the beginning of December. Now it has been very cold and dry here and I have been struggling to stay hydrated as evidenced by my ashy skin and chapped lips, so it could def be water weight, but it's been cold and dry before and I can't remember ever seeing this number (123.5 lbs!). I am ready to get on the scale tomorrow morning and see 126 back again, but for one shining day, my world is full of possibility lol.
I got power block weights from Santa, so I'm no longer limited by my puny collection of free weights! I want all the muscles
Edited to erase my dirty footprints6 -
My spidey senses are on point today.
On topic, I have been eating around maintenance calories for about 3 weeks now, and guess-logged Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, NYE, and NY Day. And this morning I hit my lowest weight in probably my adult life, 3 lbs down from the beginning of December. Now it has been very cold and dry here and I have been struggling to stay hydrated as evidenced by my ashy skin and chapped lips, so it could def be water weight, but it's been cold and dry before and I can't remember ever seeing this number (123.5 lbs!). I am ready to get on the scale tomorrow morning and see 126 back again, but for one shining day, my world is full of possibility lol.
I got power block weights from Santa, so I'm no longer limited by my puny collection of free weights! I want all the muscles
Edited to erase my dirty footprints
For your dry skin, pat dry after showering, moisturise immediately to lock that damp in. Twice (or more!) a day if necessary.
Yay for new low!! Any dehydration is not going to account for 2.5 lbs
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »My spidey senses are on point today.
On topic, I have been eating around maintenance calories for about 3 weeks now, and guess-logged Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, NYE, and NY Day. And this morning I hit my lowest weight in probably my adult life, 3 lbs down from the beginning of December. Now it has been very cold and dry here and I have been struggling to stay hydrated as evidenced by my ashy skin and chapped lips, so it could def be water weight, but it's been cold and dry before and I can't remember ever seeing this number (123.5 lbs!). I am ready to get on the scale tomorrow morning and see 126 back again, but for one shining day, my world is full of possibility lol.
I got power block weights from Santa, so I'm no longer limited by my puny collection of free weights! I want all the muscles
Edited to erase my dirty footprints
For your dry skin, pat dry after showering, moisturise immediately to lock that damp in. Twice (or more!) a day if necessary.
Yay for new low!! Any dehydration is not going to account for 2.5 lbs
Nice to see the end of the roller coaster ride when you come around that last corner! Here's to a less stressful 2018 :drinker:
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My spidey senses are on point today.
On topic, I have been eating around maintenance calories for about 3 weeks now, and guess-logged Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, NYE, and NY Day. And this morning I hit my lowest weight in probably my adult life, 3 lbs down from the beginning of December. Now it has been very cold and dry here and I have been struggling to stay hydrated as evidenced by my ashy skin and chapped lips, so it could def be water weight, but it's been cold and dry before and I can't remember ever seeing this number (123.5 lbs!). I am ready to get on the scale tomorrow morning and see 126 back again, but for one shining day, my world is full of possibility lol.
I got power block weights from Santa, so I'm no longer limited by my puny collection of free weights! I want all the muscles
Edited to erase my dirty footprints
I love my Powerblocks. They're an older model so I can add in the add on sets to up them so will have my eye on a whole new set eventually. I could probably do some things, when training as regularly as I should, beyond the heaviest but I'm fine with pretending I don't need heavier for now!
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Yep, I asked around and read a lot of reviews and they were the winners in my mind for adjustables. I don't have a dedicated workout room, so my collection of multicolored dumbbells was becoming difficult to corral!0
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Mine live under a cat bed in the lounge!1
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Thanks for all the well wishes folks. I think life stomps on and it is the first time I have actually seen a pet go. I am feeling a bit better this evening, but appetite is not great, so forcing those cals down the hatch to keep strength up.
I need to catch up on the rest of the thread that I missed out on before Christmas.
Will be back with replies. Sorry for barging in with the melancholy so soon after New Year.
My bulk is going okay, am up to 173lbs this morning. A bit heavier than I intended but cortisol and lack of appetite and cramming the foods in...bound to make one puffy...not worried in the slightest, just have a bit more water weight to lose come Jan. end.
Pics of baby bear Shadow:
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What a beautiful cat! I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing pets is the worst
First day back on deficit since the 22nd, when I broke my diet with a very yummy burger and chips and still made it in on maintenance! I've been crunching the numbers, since I was pretty good about logging each day, even if the 9 course Michelin star tasting menu came in at lol 4000 (300 calories a plate plus booze)
. I was decently over parental Christmas visit day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (aforementioned meal), the 28th and 31st, but lots of walking at least mitigated this before the flu kicked in.
Summing up at the end of diet break I ate approx 9255 calories over 1900 TDEE in total, or 6304 if you take fitbit and other logged exercise into account - this should be 2.64 lbs or 1.8 lbs fat gain so this looks mostly on track - I logged 1 lb more than my start point on the 22nd today (I was 4 lb more the day I left for holiday on the 26th). That seems surprisingly close given I had a stinking aeroplane flu / cold thing for most of the holiday in Madeira which might have burned more calories (any nerdy resources for how much being ill consumes out there?), also I guess hydration has been an issue due to an accompanying tummy upset (although I've drank lots of water to counteract that), and of course there's the dehydration of the flight home but pretty pleased so far. I've ordered an Aria to celebrate since Sainsbury's had them in their sale (stuff turning up with the shop, yes please I'll take that).
Logging was great for helping me eat more mindfully on holiday too, even as my husband was attempting to eat his bodyweight in custard tarts and honey cake. I am also fairly sure I am feeling less cold. I could go for longer since I have a lot of weight to lose but next time I think I will do 8 weeks and then break - pushing things out to the 10 weeks to pre Christmas just made me cold and cranky.
I thanked past me for saving some of the jugged hare for dinner last night, made a fine flop in from flight meal. I've been snacking on leftover goose and goose jus today frozen for my return (also makes a fine convalescent food). I'll think about veggies tomorrow / when I find my appetite! 4 -
Condolences to you @nexangelus .. he's a handsome little guy.
Just for some smiles, I'll bestow the result of a quick insanity banter with Lyle.. ultimately, this is where we end up with our respective research habits.
Every.
Damn.
Time.
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It's 29 goddam degrees C. This is not helpful with a long-haired cat who already doesn't want to eat.4
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nexangelus wrote: »Thanks for all the well wishes folks. I think life stomps on and it is the first time I have actually seen a pet go. I am feeling a bit better this evening, but appetite is not great, so forcing those cals down the hatch to keep strength up.
I need to catch up on the rest of the thread that I missed out on before Christmas.
Will be back with replies. Sorry for barging in with the melancholy so soon after New Year.
My bulk is going okay, am up to 173lbs this morning. A bit heavier than I intended but cortisol and lack of appetite and cramming the foods in...bound to make one puffy...not worried in the slightest, just have a bit more water weight to lose come Jan. end.
Pics of baby bear Shadow:
Don't apologise!
I have a panther too, beautiful mog.0 -
nexangelus wrote: »Thanks for all the well wishes folks. I think life stomps on and it is the first time I have actually seen a pet go. I am feeling a bit better this evening, but appetite is not great, so forcing those cals down the hatch to keep strength up.
I need to catch up on the rest of the thread that I missed out on before Christmas.
Will be back with replies. Sorry for barging in with the melancholy so soon after New Year.
My bulk is going okay, am up to 173lbs this morning. A bit heavier than I intended but cortisol and lack of appetite and cramming the foods in...bound to make one puffy...not worried in the slightest, just have a bit more water weight to lose come Jan. end.
Pics of baby bear Shadow:
Such a beautiful cat!0 -
Shadow was indeed a beauty.2
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I finally got around to taking new progress pics today... is anyone still willing to take a look and give me a body fat % estimate? Caliper test put me at 21% this morning but that just can't be right.1
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nexangelus wrote: »Thanks for all the well wishes folks. I think life stomps on and it is the first time I have actually seen a pet go. I am feeling a bit better this evening, but appetite is not great, so forcing those cals down the hatch to keep strength up.
I need to catch up on the rest of the thread that I missed out on before Christmas.
Will be back with replies. Sorry for barging in with the melancholy so soon after New Year.
My bulk is going okay, am up to 173lbs this morning. A bit heavier than I intended but cortisol and lack of appetite and cramming the foods in...bound to make one puffy...not worried in the slightest, just have a bit more water weight to lose come Jan. end.
Pics of baby bear Shadow:
Whew, finally caught back up! First, I’m so sorry about your cat, @nexangelus. I lost one of mine to a car back in September and even though the universe saw fit to toss an adorable kitten my way not long after, I still miss my boy. I’ve lost three now as an adult and it never gets easier.
I’m afraid that my diet break included quite a bit more drinking than strictly healthy, but between finishing the first week and a half of a Fitness Blender program and some ongoing physical activity doing work around the house, I’m only up a couple of pounds and I’m feeling tentatively good going back to a deficit. I took this week off of work in addition to the standard holidays, which might not have been entirely financially prudent but I really needed the break. Plus, it gave me the motivation to finally address the inch of ice that had built up on the sidewalk since the landlords didn’t bother to shovel the last couple of snow falls. I’m sure my neighbors think I’m a moron cracking ice when the outside temp is below 0F (lowest was around -15 last weekend) but it needed to get done.0 -
@nexangelus - My condolences regarding Shadow. Never easy losing a pet.
Been on a diet break for fifteen days. Ending it tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who provided advice and insights into this process.
Started at 203.5 - spiked up to 216 - settled in at 214 +/- 2. Calorie target was 2050. Got at least 100 grams of carbs most days. Was nice to eat more carbs for a few days.
Should I reset to my former calorie target (1550) ? Or a little higher? Any other tips for restarting a weight loss strategy?0 -
nexangelus wrote: »Just popped by to let you know I am grieving my furbaby cat Shadow. I said goodbye to him last night, he was badly injured (crushing injury by car or something - back legs, back end and tail rendered useless, broken ribs, fluid on lungs) and decided it best to put an end to his pain. I will miss him so much. He was so brave! Will post pics later, cannot do it on my phone. My heart feels broken,,,
I’m so truly sorry. 
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alteredstates175 wrote: »@nexangelus - My condolences regarding Shadow. Never easy losing a pet.
Been on a diet break for fifteen days. Ending it tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who provided advice and insights into this process.
Started at 203.5 - spiked up to 216 - settled in at 214 +/- 2. Calorie target was 2050. Got at least 100 grams of carbs most days. Was nice to eat more carbs for a few days.
Should I reset to my former calorie target (1550) ? Or a little higher? Any other tips for restarting a weight loss strategy?
How much weight do you still have to lose? If enough to support a 500 cal deficit, then it's fine to go back to that. Equally, if you think you'd feel better on a bit more, that's fine too. Dropping straight back to 500 can feel like a bit of a shock to the system, so you could always ease back down over several days, dropping another 100 cals each day until you're there. I think I went straight back, but my deficit was variable depending on how much exercise I'd done each day, with a minimum deficit of 350 (on days where I basically didn't move).
You could also go by the deficit of 15-20% of TDEE thing. So 20% would be around a 400 cal deficit for you.1 -
VintageFeline wrote: »VintageFeline wrote: »I wish I had more lovely places to walk right outside my door but I'm pretty limited. Even my large local park with taking creative routes is lucky to get me 10k.
I do laps around my apartment complex. It's 1000 steps around for me. I don't have a TV, so my "rule" is I'm only allowed to watch new stuff if I'm walking. (Just finished watching "Psych: The Movie." My neighbors think I'm quite amusing, especially when watching "The Walking Dead." On more than one occasion I've yelled and turned away from the phone and asked someone nearby if they'll tell me what happened. ("WHO DIED??!?!) So far, they've not called the people in the white coats to haul me off.
90% of the battle is getting my anxious *kitten* out the door in the first place to be honest. I have to walk past loads of shops and homes and people regardless when I leave my flat. Sometimes I can do it, others, not today. I find it harder to get out somewhere people might recognise me than not. Such a weirdo.
And i don't really watch telly either, actually have nothing hooked up to Sky/cable/normal TV. Older TV in the lounge only has a DVD player (would like to upgrade to a smart) and smart TV in the bedroom which I actually don't put on much either. I honestly don't know where my days go!
I get my TV from iTunes and amazon Prime. When I had cable, I was a total couch potato. I love crime dramas and there’s always a CSI or a Law and Order on. So, I ditched it and now have my new “rule.”1 -
Hello! We dropped to page 2 again so I just thought i'd casually drop by to first of all inform you of more whoosh of some Christmas water and that I got my Christmas presents from the BFF today.............
I'M GOING TO SEE HAMILTON. I can't contain myself. I literally squealed and bounced about when I opened it (it was the soundtrack with a note). 3 weeks and counting. SO EXCITED.18 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Hello! We dropped to page 2 again so I just thought i'd casually drop by to first of all inform you of more whoosh of some Christmas water and that I got my Christmas presents from the BFF today.............
I'M GOING TO SEE HAMILTON. I can't contain myself. I literally squealed and bounced about when I opened it (it was the soundtrack with a note). 3 weeks and counting. SO EXCITED.
AH! YAY!
You're going to *love* it. It was AMAZING.
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Awesome! 0
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So my new low of 123.5 popped back up to 125.0 today lol. Still happy because I went off the rails a little more than intended but it seems my activity and eating kind of evened out over the month. And 125 is still on the low side of my normal range.
@Psychgrrl Cable tv is my enabler too! I know people who complain that they have 200 channels and there's never anything on and I'm like, how picky are you? I could do nothing but watch for days, I'm so lazy. But I could do just as much damage with Netflix, so it's my Fitbit that saves me. It buzzes if I don't get 250 steps by 10 to the hour, thank goodness.
It has been ridiculously cold here and I haven't been able to chase the chill out of my bones for weeks. I wonder if that increased my metabolism a little and helped nudge the scale number 0 -
Yay for Hamilton!
Boo for cold. I'm with you, kimny. I cannot get warm to save my life. I am drinking so much tea and getting ridiculous step counts because I am desperately trying to keep warm. And it will be even colder this weekend. I can't bear to think about it. I know I'm in a warm house, but it still seeps in.1 -
Please take my heat.
Actually, Mother Nature is set to do that herself, for a couple of days at least. Started raining around dinner time yesterday, temp dropped a little but not much, so warm and sticky. We'll get to mid 20s C by lunch, then the southerly hits, bringing heavy rain by late afternoon. Fourteen ml of rain yesterday (compared to December's total fall of 15 ml, most of it on Xmas and Boxing Day), with a projected 35 today. Will be windy as hell by tomorrow, and much cooler, wind is crap for my hay fever, but the cooler weather is much better for my inappetent cat. I can just knock back antihistamines every few hours.
Yay, Hamilton!!!!!0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Yay for Hamilton!
Boo for cold. I'm with you, kimny. I cannot get warm to save my life. I am drinking so much tea and getting ridiculous step counts because I am desperately trying to keep warm. And it will be even colder this weekend. I can't bear to think about it. I know I'm in a warm house, but it still seeps in.
I moved from NY to VA last year, so of course we are having one of the coldest winters anyone can remember down here. Single digits every night. I actually ran out and bought some herbal tea because I usually drink regular tea and I think all the caffeine was starting to get to me. Just trying to keep my electric bill from bankrupting me at this point. At least I'm not in the blizzard. My hometown is in the process of getting a foot of snow with 40mph winds, grateful I'm missing that!
And so jealous of Hamilton, I haven't seen a good musical/play in ages0 -
alteredstates175 wrote: »@nexangelus - My condolences regarding Shadow. Never easy losing a pet.
Been on a diet break for fifteen days. Ending it tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who provided advice and insights into this process.
Started at 203.5 - spiked up to 216 - settled in at 214 +/- 2. Calorie target was 2050. Got at least 100 grams of carbs most days. Was nice to eat more carbs for a few days.
Should I reset to my former calorie target (1550) ? Or a little higher? Any other tips for restarting a weight loss strategy?
Probably a good time to insert the new reminder for 2018...
Use your new settled weight as your baseline calculation for creating the deficit. Rough rmr baseline is going to be current bw x 10. Maintenance is around a multiplier of 14-15.
If you are active at all, the multiplier is anywhere between 11-13 to create your deficit.
If you are sedentary to the point of barely getting any extra movement, you can actually go down to an 8-9 multiplier, which is already considered aggressive, but if you're ~214, this translates to 1712kcal at the lowest (using 8 as a multiplier). Not sustainable long term.
The ideal is to eat as many calories as you can that allows for weight loss
The more aggressive the cut, the shorter the dieting period becomes. And the leaner you are, it becomes exponentially shorter. Protein becomes your absolute priority macro and should be more than you think. There's an inverse relationship with total energy and protein. More deficit = more protein needed.
If you're still way above a target bf%, say >25% for men, >30% bf for women, then your dieting period of anywhere between 6-12 weeks should include a couple of days at or around maintenance; eg: deficit day > deficit day > maintenance day > deficit > deficit > maintenance day > deficit day ... or however you choose to intersperse it. No refeeds necessary since you have more than enough stored energy to support a consistent deficit.
The less aggressive the cut (the ideal), the longer the dieting period can be done, with some going well into 16-24 weeks for severely overweight individuals, but no matter what, there's going to be a diet break happening at the end of the diet period just to give your body some time to adjust to its new lower body weight. If you need to do another stint of dieting, you choose your new deficit based on your new lower body weight.
-REMINDER INSERT-
I don't think I can stress enough that maintenance, deficits, and surpluses are going to be determined at the body weight you are currently at the time of planning, meaning it's never a static number. Refer to the revised opening post.
Choose a dieting strategy that works for you and stick to it for the duration of the dieting period. If at any time during the dieting period you feel like you are dragging *kitten* through a pile of *kitten*, then end the diet and take the break and reassess what went wrong then readjust for the next round of dieting. Fat loss is a LONG game. And permanent fat loss is LOOONG.. like life long, so unless you're planning to die in the next few years, don't rush it and don't white knuckle your way through extreme methods.
The caveat is there will always be a period of suck when dieting; i.e. some hunger, some reduced energy status, etc. but that is completely normal. It's when the period of suck becomes a period of "wtf am I even doing I hate everyone's unborn children" is when it's too far.
Your job is to mitigate as much suck as possible by creating an average long term deficit, so if including some maintenance days every so often helps you achieve a weekly deficit, you're good.
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And I'll supplement this with a timely email I just received from my international spirit manimal, Aadam Ali:
A lot of this has to do with a thing called the set point theory.
The set point theory of bodyweight regulation says that we all come with an inherent 'set point'. And when we get too far away from our personal set point –whether this be through weight loss or weight gain – the body will do everything it can to get us back to normal. You see the set point theory in action when people lose huge amounts of fat and gain it back shortly after. But, it isn't all doom and gloom because...
There's this other thing called the settling point.
The settling point is a counter-theory to the set point theory and says that you can change your set point if you change your behaviours and environment. And it's something I've seen in clients and even experienced myself. It's also the reason why I'm now able to maintain above-average levels of body fat year 'round without suffering.
And no, this isn't where I cut off the post and say, "FIND OUT MY LIFE-LONG EFFORTLESS SIX PACK SECRETS FOR 6 MONTHLY INSTALMENTS OF JUST 666 CASH MONIES!" There isn't a secret – surprise. And if there were it most definitely would not be effortless. And it would also require years of consistency and patience.
Because the body you want is a long game.
I speak to people all the time about their goals and the one recurring theme is people wanting to lose fat and maintain a lean physique year 'round, forever. And while it's an ardent belief of mine that most people can achieve this goal – it's not going to happen as quickly as people want it to. Meaning: it's probably going to take years.
For a few reasons.
1. Muscle growth takes time: The more muscle you have on your frame, the better you're going to look, but also, the leaner you will look at the same body fat %. This means you won't have to diet as hard and eventually you may not need to diet at all.
2. Habits take time: In the opening sequence of the Netflix series, Ozark, the protagonist says: "Money is, at its essence, that measure of a man's choices." And it's no different for your physique – you don't have the body you want right now because your choices aren't in alignment with your goal. And, over time, these choices have become ingrained as bad habits.
People who have lost weight and managed to keep it off exhibit certain habits –amongst these, consistent exercise; calorie-control and tracking; and setting up their environment for success.
Changing your habits takes time, and the only way to change them is to start changing the choices you make.
3. Slow and steady fat loss: While strategic 'crash diets' can work, they won't work for most people because they don't allow for you to learn and ingrain the habits you need to maintain the loss in the long run.
Now, this is anecdote (and I'd argue experience having worked with hundreds of different people, and by extension, hundreds of different bodies), but a 'phasic' approach to dieting seems to work excellently for helping people acclimate to a new level of body fat. I've written about the approach in detail here, but here's a TL;DR:
- Lose a certain amount of fat and then stop dieting and maintain your new lower weight and body fat % for a certain period of time. Once you're comfortable, resume dieting to lose more fat. Repeat this process as many times as needed until you hit your goal.
People don't want to hear talk of 'slow and steady' because we're living in a culture of instant gratification and "I want it now". But your body doesn't care about what you want and the more you try to rush fat loss, the harder it will become.
4. Because life: Chances are that if you're reading this you're not a bodybuilder, meaning – you can't, or don't want to, make this fitness thing you're life.
Which means that life will happen. You'll fall off track here and there, you may not go to the gym for a few weeks, your diet will go out the window as life stress increases. This is absolutely fine and to be expected. But what it also means is that your goal is going to take just that longer to achieve.
5. Consistency, consistency, consistency > intensity: I'm going to end on this point because I believe it to be the most important.
I've been training for more than a decade and in that time frame I can count the numbers of days I've taken off on one hand (not including injuries or sickness). Has every training session been perfect? No. Has my diet been spot on every day? No. But the biggest differentiator, despite things not being perfect, was that I kept going – day after day; week after week; month after month; and year after year.
Everything counts. And everything adds up. Aim for consistency over intensity (or perfection).
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Again, we need the awesome button...8
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Yay for Hamilton!
Boo for cold. I'm with you, kimny. I cannot get warm to save my life. I am drinking so much tea and getting ridiculous step counts because I am desperately trying to keep warm. And it will be even colder this weekend. I can't bear to think about it. I know I'm in a warm house, but it still seeps in.
I moved from NY to VA last year, so of course we are having one of the coldest winters anyone can remember down here. Single digits every night. I actually ran out and bought some herbal tea because I usually drink regular tea and I think all the caffeine was starting to get to me. Just trying to keep my electric bill from bankrupting me at this point. At least I'm not in the blizzard. My hometown is in the process of getting a foot of snow with 40mph winds, grateful I'm missing that!
And so jealous of Hamilton, I haven't seen a good musical/play in ages
I'm in Maryland, near the north-east border of DC, and I hear ya on the cold weather--and it's to even get colder for Friday & Saturday nights! I like the cold weather but this is even too cold for me! I've also been enjoying decaf tea at night lately, probably due to the cold and that I found one I really like (Salada decaffeinated Green Tea Chamomile Mint) that's also in K-cups for easy making in my single cup coffee maker & quite relaxing to sip on before bed.0
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