Share Your Day
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But...it seems - especially of late - that I cannot find moderation when I'm tracking. I just go over the top and turn into a food fascist. I'm hoping stepping away for awhile will curb that behaviour. The high I get from tracking "successfully" brings on the crazy idea to just ramp it up a bit more and lose those 30 pounds in 2 months. Resisting that urge is as challenging as resisting a binge after too much restriction. In other words - I don't seem to have that kind of control any which way. Maybe some time away from tracking - then a return to tracking a more reasonable approach will lead to success?
(maybe I should just go out and pick up some summer clothes
to get rid of that pressure? ) 2 -
I'll admit I don't make the negative mental associations either (though I think they could be helpful for some folks)...but I definitely encourage in myself the formation of positive mental associations around certain healthy foods that wouldn't necessarily have been my go-to choices in the past. So now, if I think of an apple, I definitely imagine it being crisp, juicy, delicious and hitting the spot...and eating one makes me feel part of a stardust-sprinkled cadre of fit and healthy fruit-fanciers.
My diet continues to routinely include butter, whole milk, aged full-fat cheeses, fresh baked bread, homemade pasta, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, red wine...just in smaller quantities than before. No foods are off limits. If only pizza will hit the spot, I'll have the pizza...or the icecream...or the chips and dip....
But, more often than not, I gravitate towards healthier foods...mainly because I find the bright primary colours of fruits and veggies visually appealing. So that proclivity is 'natural' for me. But there's a learned/trained component too, which comes from me actively making the positive mental associations and reinforcing them through consistently using appealing adjectives. I love me some juicy berries, some crisp, sweet grapes, some sharp, tangy rhubarb, some bitter, peppery green olives......
Oooh, I'm making my mouth water!2 -
Sad statement about "food in 3 minutes or less" available "chez moi"... and the final option chosen as an "even faster" snack: white bread and laughing cow!!!
I mean there is some red and green... somewhere... but I need more Bella!
Oh! And I forgot the freezer...
Nothing like what I imagine some of your beautiful pre-prepared freezers and fridges look like!
Especially all the industrious ones of you who actually pre-plan and pre-cook and have delectable combos ready to go!!!
Still, I do get rescued by my apples with my yogurts too!
Bella: you made MY mouth water... but all I've got is the veggies in tomato sauce... which I'm saving either for later or for tomorrow!
The white bread is there because of the dog! I would truly rather eat bread full of seeds or a hearty rye! OK: and I also had a "salad" with 350g of the tomatoes, 120g of the fake crab, and some of the pickled onions you guys made me make last month!!!
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It may not be the most beautiful pantry or freezer PAV - but it gets the job done for you. You’re doing what you need to do within your time limits ⏰ and busy life.
Those of us who no longer need to go to work have more time to plan meals and organize our pantry. 🧘🏼♀️2 -
Nah... I could too.... if I didn't spend so much time on MFP! (mind you, MFP is not usually on the main screen, I admit)2
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Laurie not that summer clothes are not a good thing, and they sure are more functional than no clothes 😹🤣, but how would they help your🐹s?
So far yogurt with frozen cherries has won over burgers... because more convenient since the McDonald's 250-300m/yards down the street is renovating 🤣1 -
Picked up some nofat chocolate pudding to go with my yogurt night time mix
Come summer I won't have anything to wear - unless I lose those 30 pounds that found me since surgery. AND ... I'm off to ROME for 4 days in June. That brings on the crazy must lose 30 pounds now urge. Which is doable by the end of June. But I don't want to go in a tailspin again. So a closet full of too small clothes just puts more pressure on the hamsters so that they can't accept a "moderate" "slow" "reasonable" rate of weight loss.
At least 10 times a day I'm changing my plan.
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I will change your plan for you now and tell you that not now but after the weather warms up you have to go for shopping! 😎
Yeah not only will you lose some but you will lose substantially between now and June🤞🐹😎
But 10 lb a month is not just substantial. It is a step above substantial to everything being fully optimal.
And if you're trying for optimum perfection or failure and everything went bust, well... that's not a place of happiness, or equanimity or experimentation!1 -
Time to hit the thrift shops Laurie. You can get 4 days worth of Rome clothes that are nice, only gently worn and recycled. It takes some repeated shopping but doable. That will take some of the urgency from having to fit into existing clothes. Once you have backup travel wear, you can lose those pounds at a sensible rate. Because you know the faster you lose it the faster it returns!
Surely some basics with size stretch leeway will get you through the summer. Our local Goodwill has half price on various colored tags each week. Most of my clothes are from thrift shops and many were never worn. When I need more I turn in what I no longer need.
Honestly my thrift shop clothes are better quality than the shoddier clothes I bought at my highest weight when I felt I didn’t deserve to spend money on “good” clothes for myself. And no, I am not a designer label chaser or name brand fan. I just want nice, well made functional clothes that fit my chubby body.2 -
Thrift and second hand stores are a most excellent idea.
In fact most second hand stores are extremely selective as to what they're willing to sell (as I know from having tried to "dispose" of brand new (or extremely lightly used clothes) belonging to mom, and you would have a reasonable chance that the items there have been pre-screened for (current store target audience) relevance and time of year. Thrift stores would end up with a "wider" selection. if shipping costs weren't so extreme.... but they are.2 -
Many churches have thrifts, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Jr. Leagues. Not sure what’s available in Canada though.
Lots of people spent covid lockdown time cleaning closets. Also there should be some yard sales popping up now that it’s Spring.
And it’s an environmentally responsible thing to do!1 -
Awww, you guys are so sweet and supportive 🥰
I always shop at thrift stores, I know I can get everything I need there, but it's just the mental leap. A step backward that feels so much like failure 😐 even though I know it is the best chance for long-term success.3 -
No looking back Laurie! ❤️ Can’t change that or fix it now. Move forward to brighter, more successful days.3
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I'm trying, Yooly, trying. Though today (this particular moment) I'm back on the "lose them quick" train, because I'm tormented (lol) anyway, so I may as well be tormented and lose weight quick. lol.
Anywhich way I'm tracking today. For whatever reason the demons in my head (they live there now after kicking out the hamsters) didn't complain too loudly (maybe they slept in even later than I did?)1 -
If I could go to Rome for 4 days, I’d go buck nekkid and carrying my extra 25 pounds with me.3
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Yooly - I'm really lucky. A book project I'm working on involves a group of people, scattered across the globe, collaborating on one chapter. They are meeting in Rome and I've been invited to join them - all expenses paid, my time paid, the opportunity to see artwork not generally available to the public - and the fellows I'm working for (author/editors) are wonderful wonderful humans. Somekind of extraordinary divine intervention happening - so I'm a bit leery about buck nekkid - they might rescind the offer really really quick! Otherwise I'm game 2
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Oh Laurie, Rome is my favourite, favourite city! I know is soooo much better than London and miss it sooo much! Do you know where you're staying yet? Will you have much time for soaking up the atmosphere and seeing any of the sights? If you have time for only one tourist attraction you MUST make it the Pantheon (where else can you wander around unsupervised inside a fully intact 2000 year old amazingly-constructed building without having to pay for the privilege) then do the Colosseum next!
Also there are I think nine (I'd need to check) Caravaggios to see for free inside churches within 15 minutes walk of Piazza Navona, including the Madonna Dei Pellegrini which is my favourite one...
If you go to only one shop in Rome you MUST make it this one - it's like steppng back 100 years...
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d14802913-Reviews-Drogheria_Innocenzi-Rome_Lazio.html3 -
That looks simply amazing.
I have no idea about anything yet. lol. So weird to not be involved in the planning. (not that I'm complaining ) 2 -
Lucky Laurie!….so excited for you….my advice is get yourself some comfortable clothes!…if you thrift shop you haven’t got that much money invested and you can get rid of them later when they are too big….there are lots of sites online to suggest packing for short trips….you probably need less than you think to take….I can’t pack light and always take too much stuff everywhere I go…2
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Rome in June is HOT...30 degrees or above and often nudging 40 degrees by mid-afternoon...I suggest crease-free linen-blend trousers and light tops. Just casual chic and you'll fit in brilliantly! I very much doubt you'd need a sweater or jacket, though you have to expect amazing thunderstorms (which is fine because the street vendors switch from selling fake-designer handbags to umbrellas in an INSTANT!) Most important is comfy shoes because you'll be walking MILES and Roman roads are predominantly cobbled especially in the city centre. There are drinking fountains everywhere and the water is cold, safe and delicious, so tote a water bottle around with you everywhere and fill up regularly. I have a list of all Rome's public toilets (of which there are VERY FEW!) if you need it! 4
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Bella: I am signing up for the Bella Trip Advisor!!! 2
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When it’s hot here in Texas the best clothes are gauzy and floaty - and therefore cover a range of sizes. You’re tall and can carry off loose midi dresses and skirts.
Best part is when the weight is lost, they’re still good for the two or three hot days up there in eastern Canada 🇨🇦. 🥰 Having lived in northern Maine a few miles from the New Brunswick border, my sweaters got a workout all year long.3 -
Because of our proximity to the Great Lakes - we get quite a bit of humidity. Though the temperatures are not as intense a Texas - once you throw the humidity into the mix there are some stinking hot days! And - you just reminded me!!! - I do have a gauzy/crinkly looking skirt/top outfit that I couldn't bear to send off (I wore it to my son's wedding), it will be a bit loose now - but okay! That will be perfect! woohoo. One outfit down! 3
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Oh Laurie- we have not only the intense heat but plenty of humidity from the Gulf of Mexico too. Our temperatures are already in the mid to upper 80s and April isn’t here yet. Soon it will be 90-95 by day and 75 at night until nearly November. Not counting the stretches of 100+ days.
I grew up in Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie. Haven’t lived there in over 40 years although visit often to see family. I recall a some humid hot days but summer began at the end of May and went through September at most.
Glad you remembered the wedding outfit. Maybe some extra tops to go with the skirt? Or another skirt and top that goes with the first outfit. Mix/match for four days?3 -
I hate to break the news to you hot weather types but such heat sounds far from something to desire.... Not sure if it's any better than minus 30 Celsius3
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Half a working paw is back in the car!!!
What's with appliances anyway? The stove (13 years old) went and blew the thermal fuse which is NOT in a user serviceable area!
The fridge is blowing COOL air OUTSIDE (sides and bottom) and only slightly cold inside!
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The rule is all appliances breakdowns happen in threes! So first the washer, now stove and refrigerator. Perfect threesome.
And they are never reparable cause they’re old, no longer make those parts or labor costs more than the thing is worth. And fix an old appliance is just waiting for the next piece of it to break. Just trying to find a repairman is impossible anyway.
Sad but true.2 -
Very sad to lose an old appliance and to have to replace it with something that will probably not last 1/4 as long ....2
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That's the thing that is driving me nuts. OK. The washing machine? That was a good washing machine. It was a frigidaire gallery I bought from Liquidation world just about exactly 20 years ago and it lasted through three, count them THREE new dryers.
But the stove? STOVE. Like stoves have no moving parts! I am using the stove that came with the house and was already old. Sure. I've replaced every burner and both the top and bottom element in the past. But it is still fine.
The Hotpoint stove downstairs went in because the previous yellow thing broke. But the yellow thing was a half size and at the time a single mom with three kids was moving in. So I got a new one for her. Admittedly it is older than I remembered because the serial number says 2009. But. STOVE. By the looks of it a wire arked/shorted during the bottom element meltdown because it probably moved during cleanup. OK thermal-fuse went. I wasn't expecting that to be death of stove. And for the stove at least I am about to gamble and get used for $300 vs $944+tax > $1K for new of similar quality.
The fridge is what is killing me because that fridge is 2014 and bought new. By the way it started blowing a bit cold outside last week. Stopped being able to cool yesterday. And stopped 100% cooling as of today. Sounds like a leak of all the gas. Definitely not worth fixing. BUT. this is a rock and hard place because I would rather get a new fridge... but there are no (relatively reasonable priced items that I have found so far) deliveries till late next week.
So gamble #2. There is a westinghouse gold fridge that I've now seen in three used appliance places... and which I have too having bought one used five years ago.
Mine has (and the one appliance guy I chatted up admitted) a "known" issue where the freezer drain plugs up and the water starts running into the fridge. <-- I've been trying to figure out something better than a yogurt container water collector as a solution for the past five years... and I think I found one! It involves putting a copper wire through the drain and connecting the wire to the heater so as to prevent the ice from plugging it up.
So gamble is... I know that my fridge is otherwise perfect. That the model has this common defect. Therefore there exists a good explanation as to why the model ends up in the used stores.... so.... $300 and it is plugged in by the end of day and working with a potentially fixable defect.... vs waiting till late next week for a $1K fridge... hmmm.... this is tempting.2 -
Ideologically I would plump for refurbished. Better for the planet AND your wallet.2
