30lbs to lose... Started AGAIN yesterday (Darn Lockdown Snacking)

GabiV125

Barb - you are very brave to bake your favorites and not have any! And baking goods smell so delicious all through the house... It’s a wonderful gesture and I’m sure your husband’s coworkers loved them.
Katrina- sorry to hear about your dad getting exposed and your mom and grandma still fighting residual symptoms.
As a person that was always left to figure it out when tedious things came our way, I think your inventory help is amazing. Exceptional teamwork!
Broken glasses scores really high on the frustration scale. Both my girls wore glasses for years, and my husband and I need reading ones for almost a year now. One or the other is always looking for a misplaced pair in the house.
Catherine- did you get the 7h of sleep?
About a year now we had this discussion with our friends and apparently in (most) families one has trouble sleeping and one doesn’t. I’m it in mine, and talking to the others nobody understands the opposite group. There was this lady that said “just lay down “ , as if we messed that part for years.
We got about 3 inches of snow, then 5 hours of rain in 27F. I took the dog out this morning and the snow is frozen on top and kept cracking under him. We walked around and around in one area for 30 minutes, when usually it takes him 2.

I’ve been so cranky and moody lately and the scale is dancing every way. True, I realize at the end of the day what I messed up: water, exercise, food, sleep or a combination of these. So I plan for next day and I wake up again ready to swing.

clutterqueen

Gabi, don’t you just love it when friends give “helpful advice” like “just lay down” when you’re having trouble sleeping!?! I have to admit, pre-menopause I never had trouble sleeping ( except the night before the first day of school each year). As soon as my head hit the pillow, I’d be out within 60 seconds. Granted, I seldom had time to get more than 5- 6 1/2 hours of sleep all those years. Now I can’t function on so little sleep. Menopause really did a number on my sleeping. Getting to sleep has been a problem. STAYING asleep has been a problem. Falling BACK to sleep after going to bathroom has been a problem. Otherwise, I’m a champion sleeper!😉
I’m so envious you got snow, even if it’s frozen on top! I find it burns a lot more calories walking through the snow, compared to walking without snow.

I love your personification about the scale -“the scale is dancing every way”. It sure seems like it at times, doesn’t it? I stepped on the scale this morning out of curiosity. I am down just over a pound and a half. I haven’t entered my weight in mpf in a while, it still says 128. I’m always afraid it will jinx me! ( or to be honest, that I will self-sabotage like I often do when I hit a lower weight.)

thelastnightingale

Have you tried contacts before, Katrina? I don't often wear them, but I can pick up daily disposables off the shelf immediately versus a several-week wait for my prescription lenses to be cut. If your eyes are suitable, it can be a helpful option in a bind. I really cannot see without any specs/contacts!

My Garmin ran out of juice in the night, so I'm not sure how much sleep I did get in the end. Feeling very tired now - it was a draining day at work - so charging my Garmin up and will then get some shuteye. Sorry you're feeling out of sorts, Gabi - is it just balancing the sleep/food/movement equation, or is there anything resting on your mind?

Barb - I'm with Gabi on the baking! Whenever I bake, the chef (me!) always has to try one from each batch for quality control. It's why I don't do much baking at the moment.

I can't believe how close Christmas is... I have so much work stuff to get done first.

Have now survived 4 days in a row of sticking to a calorie allowance. Bed now, then day five. (Re)creating a habit is such a pain, but it needs to be done! I keep reminding myself that the first week is the hardest, and it will get easier again soon...

Too tired to say much more. Night!

clutterqueen

Catherine, you picked a tough time to start adhering to a strict calorie allowance. Good job for sticking it out when there are so many tempting treats this time of year!

Speaking of, I ate one of the chocolate cupcakes I made yesterday. Delicious, if I do say so myself. It’s the recipe my Mom used to make when I was growing up.

Hope everyone gets caught up on rest this weekend!

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kcd394

Catherine i do have contacts that are supposed to last 2 weeks. My eye dr wouldnt let me try the kind I asked for as they didn't carry them (was through the college) and thus these were the kind I could stand the most. They're not great. However I haven't been to another eye dr yet to try out something different. So I do have contacts but they're here at my apartment too where I wasn't. Also I'm not a very early riser and the extra 5 minutes to put them in most mornings doesn't happen and I just grab glasses. Especially since I can get by without unless I'm driving. If I found a set of contacts that were more comfortable I might make more effort.

Great job on surviving calorie deficit. I'm right on track with you I think. Did ok during the day but evenings I've had to really fight snacking and overeating.

Barb good job not eating half the baked goods! So hard... bet everyone was glad to have treats.

Gabi "just lay down.." lol like we hadn't remembered that part...also the moody cranky bit makes it hard to keep all those things in check. If you were able to end the day and check at least one box its not a failure. Keep that resolve to do better tomorrow.

I've been chronically mentally fatigued. Getting charts done late again, and just no motivation or energy to do stuff after work. Definitely not been checking the steps boxes, but trying to stick with sleep and calories goals. So far the calories are working out but I've been slacking a bit on sleep. Hate that its dark long before I go home from work. Kind of affects my mood and energy.

Anyway yay that I've kept to calorie goals this week and the scale is still moving right direction finally!

GabiV125

Yesterday I had a long talk with a very close friend of mine, who knows me for 26y and she said that all I’m going through is peri menopause . I don’t like the idea, but it makes sense. I’ll be 49 next month, and although my ob tested my hormones and came good, it’s obvious that “something” fluctuates. I will need to do some extra reading on the subject this weekend, to bring myself to the point where I turn to that conclusion when the calm and composed hat doesn’t fit.
Catherine- 5 days under calories is quite an impressive achievement. Do you go just by the number MFP gives you, or add exercise, or a different one altogether? Then what’s next- do you prelog, log as you go, end of the day?
I was given 1200 and it was clear that I can’t ever hit it, so I went in my history and picked a number that seemed to keep me floating and chose 150 under it. I also eat about half my exercise, and log as I go. I’ll sabotage if I prelog, and miss a lot if I wait- did both in the past, when in a bind.
Barb- I know you figured those numbers a long time ago and are doing so good staying in the green zone, but my question is how do you stop when you start slipping ?

thelastnightingale

Gabi - for my reset, I just picked a number that would give me a small deficit, but that I knew from past experience would be achievable. That's not to say it's easy, just that it won't leave me hungry if I pace myself and don't try to eat my whole allowance by lunchtime. I've told MFP to use my magic number for now rather than the one it wanted to calculate!

I was able to happily eat at 1,200 earlier this year, but at the moment, I'm more able to eat at 2,500, which is way above my calorie burn (typically anywhere between 1,800 and 2,100). 1,600 is a lot higher than the number that helps me lose weight quickly (1,200), but it's also a lot higher than the number I want to binge at (2,500). There was quite a bit of negotiating with myself, but I think all parties are happy! You have to adapt your goals as you go along, sometimes you can be really good, at other phases, you can only muster mildly good, and that's still a step in the right direction.

I thought I might be going through perimenopause this time last year, but in hindsight, I think the changes I noticed were entirely down to stress. I track my cycle with an app now so I can note any irregularities.

I do remember feeling a bit funny at the time when I wasn't sure what was happening, so I understand not liking the idea. I did start writing a long reply but it sounded a bit patronising when I read it back, so let me simply say that whatever is knocking you off your game at the moment, I hope you find a coping strategy to deal with it. You might need to change your calorie goals to fit how you're feeling right now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Katrina - I know what you mean about the 5 minutes! To be fair, if I'm going out in a hurry I get frustrated too - I don't wear contacts often so 'forget' how to put them in and end up poking myself in the eye repeatedly. However, it's just nice to know I have them as a backup if my frames snap. I have managed to break so many sets of frames over the years in many inventive ways!

Well done on sticking to your calorie goals too this week. If you're still tired, I think focussing on sleep rather than steps is the way to go. Sleep is also really important, and sometimes we have to pick which important thing we can manage. It's definitely not a bad one.

Barb - I am still in awe of your self-control around your baking. I would definitely be snaffling more! Really impressed with how you're handling the maintenance phase. Something to aspire to when I meet you there at goal one day!

clutterqueen

Katrina, you are still doing so much!! Sleep definitely needs to be a priority. So much depends on that. I’m amazed you don’t completely blow it when you’re that tired. Being exhausted is definitely a trigger for me to overeat.

Gabi, the mood swings could definitely be peri menopause. It’s not a fun ride. Exercise is one of the best coping mechanisms for me. When I was younger, I had terrible menstrual cramps and I found running really helped a lot. I had PCOS ( even had a dr perform a laparotomy to have a look- just a mangled mess. He said I’d never get pregnant but I did, twice!). Had a majorly heavy flow, tried the pill to regulate ( for 3 months) but I felt nauseous all day long so that wasn’t an option. Increased my running to deal with it. Got tired of having accidents in public. Finally had an endometrial ablation at age 40- life changing! Estroven helped me with some of the roller coaster feelings. It’s over the counter.
If you get to the point of hot flashes one day, Pycogenol ( pine tree bark extract) works wonders. As long as you don’t have any autoimmune disorders. I had to discontinue.

Catherine, I think you’re really smart to set a higher calorie goal. Eating 1200 calories days on end sets me up for failure. It seems way too low.

Gabi, you asked how I stop when I start slipping. First, I have to say I’m still a work in progress. Presently, when I slip, I log everything anyway. It makes me regain a feeling of control. I try not to shame myself. I try not to view any foods as “bad”. I also plan ahead days when I plan to go over my calories by 300 or more calories. Being part of the Just Say No to the Late Night Snacking Challenge helps A LOT. You can choose your own time where you cut off all eating. I actually have a different time for Friday’s and saturdays in case I want to have popcorn or something with my husband.
But talk to me AFTER Christmas and see if I get right back on track after really indulging!
We will see!

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kcd394

Well I was definitely dragging this morning and all day. Super long day and was pretty busy. Some kind soul who's pet was in for a dental procedure bought us pizzas. So my lunch and dinner were pizza, but at least I stayed within calories... was there til 730 again finishing charts cause I was kinda sluggish today and had a hard time sitting down to catch up between appointments. I didn't come inside my apartment til 830 pm. Mentally pooped. Gonna get to bed early tonight and do some fish tank maintenance tomorrow morning so I can get over to Mat's place for the weekend. Have been getting to bed between 1030 and 11 most nights and I think I'm one of those people that really needs more sleep than most. 7 to 7.5 hours is pretty good, but by Friday I'm crashing. So maybe I need to try and aim for more. I've been historically best with 9 hours but our society doesn't really support that unless you work and sleep with nothing else. I have been waking after 8 hours if left to my own internal clock, but lately that's only Sunday's. So looking forward to Christmas for the extra naps and sleep... lol

I have been taking vitamins (for years now) and a vit d3 supplement (new) in hopes for boosted mood and energy but I dont think I was too low on it cause it didn't really make much difference.

Gabi in regards to slipping, i stave it off a bit when i plan some things ahead like the knock off thin mint girl scout cookies from the dollar store, but only allow 4 on any given day... or my intense orange dark chocolate, only allow up to 3 squares depending on the day. If i am feeling like im gonna want a treat or desert I'll try that much harder to stay under enough to allow it. I tend not to eat back my exercise calories as there's usually not that much there, but then if at days end I'm feeling like I'm caving or starving i will allow a modest amount of whatever it is to placate me which usually still doesn't go over the exercise calories i "earned". This way i feel in control over what i eat, but still can eat what i want.

I don't ever consistently log as i go but usually at days end I'll do it. Today pizza happened and i just logged it afterwards expecting it to go over. It did but my exercise calories more than covered it. However, no extra snacks or deserts were had today in order to minimize damages. Sometimes i flat slip and quit logging altogether for weeks. I just try to at least watch quantity and pay attention to how much i put on my plate. Before, I'd pile my plate up a second time at dinner. Now I'll modestly fill it up initially and if still hungry will go take a smaller second helping. Bigger helpings of veggies and smaller of breads etc. Nobody's perfect, we all slip up. Just keep coming back and trying again.

I picked my calories based on mfp suggestion which i put in moderate activity i think because the sedentary one said 1200 and i felt that was too low. The 1400 number has been working for me and on those weekends when i am too distracted to keep track and probably go over a bit it doesnt totally derail me (kinda winds up being maintenance calories).

Have a good weekend guys. I'm off to bed.

applespearsncakes

Gosh I just started reading some of your posts. You are so motivated and having small kids around is TOUGH! Mine are a bit older so can do more for themselves and we aren't in lockdown here in Australia. I'm trying to stop the cravings/boredom eating at night when everyone else has a sweet. I'm in my 40's too and SO SICK of looking pregnant. This COVID weight has piled on and I hate it! x

thelastnightingale

I have now survived 6 days at a strict 1,600 cut-off and dropped 4.3lb. Obviously part of that is water weight, but I don't really care, I feel much happier that I've dropped back down below 170lb. For me, psychologically, the first two digits always mean a big deal.

I did want to eat mindlessly yesterday - London was put back into lockdown with only a few hours' notice (with effect from this morning) and everyone was fleeing the city to beat the official deadline for not breaking the law. I was never planning to travel, but I did feel a bit weighed down by the general sadness. Some people are now staying put on their own who haven't spent the last few months psyching themselves up for this, and I do really feel for them.

Anyway, I didn't succumb to the sadness/boredom and I'm really pleased with the scales. I feel lighter today, per the scales, physically and mentally. Inspired by Barb, I have also just had a grocery delivery of things to make soup with!

@kcooper20202020 If you want to come join us in shifting the Covid pounds, you would be very welcome. What are your goals?

Katrina, I know I'm into dangerous ground when I quit logging. My brain can't seem to work out a reasonable amount of food without me calculating it in MFP - I think anyone who can manage to roughly eat at a normal allowance without a calculator is some kind of genius. Thanks for the reminder - I've now started back on the Vitamin D too. Should help with all the dark days and nights.

Barb - the lower goal did honestly work for me for a few months in the summer, but for whatever reason, my body wants more calories now (even though it's lighter and needs fewer calories now than it did back then). I've come to appreciate that weight loss is part science and part magic, so rely a lot on what my body is telling me. I use the science to an extent, but I also keep an eye on the scales, my hunger levels, and how I generally feel in myself. And try not to lie to myself to manipulate the answer I want!

I agree with you about logging. I think for me, if I don't log, I don't know how badly I've fallen off, and I find it hard to then understand how I can recover. If I 'know what the damage is', I feel like it's something I can overcome. If I don't know how much I've overeaten, I feel a bit more hopeless. Different things work for different people, but with me, I like to have some numbers to work with.

If I go off the rails, my body gets used to it, so I have to impose some additional rules for at least a week to retrain my appetite. I get really mindful of the timing (spacing my food out to avoid hunger pangs - I don't know how anyone on One Meal A Day gets by!), I pre-log/pre-portion, I set a number and hold myself accountable to it. I relax things a bit more and go back to a more normal routine once I get through that reset week and my body relearns that it's only getting a normal allowance each day, and not to expect a giant binge.

I suppose it would also be helpful to be more aware of macros and focus on getting more protein than normal if trying to sort out hunger spikes during the day - that's another thing that can work for me. Binging on sugary things is a double threat because it messes with my appetite and my energy levels, and when I'm tired, I lose control of understanding when I need to eat and when I don't.

There are lots of things to try, anyway. Recognising that you're slipping, Gabi, is the first step to stopping slipping.

GabiV125

Gave in today and made a call I’ve been avoiding and oh boy, did it go bad. After that I knew that normally I’d dive in the fridge, so I made the decision to drop the vegan approach for the day and keep the flood at bay. I had to bike some to earn both glasses of wine, but I’ll finish the day in green!
Here’s to you, and to the shoulder you lend every day!

clutterqueen

Catherine, congrats on adhering to your 1600 calorie limit for six days and losing several pounds! I’m so sorry to hear about the strict lockdown you all are facing in London. I’m sure it has to be demoralizing for so many people! At least you get to start it with a nice weight loss! I’m excited to hear you’ll be making some nice homemade soup. That always soothes my soul!
I’m like you in that I have to log my food- I can’t seem to eat the right amount of food without logging. I tend to be way over or way under.

Gabi, you have me intrigued by that phone call! But don’t feel compelled to share! You did a great job getting enough exercise to indulge in the wine! Well done!

Welcome @kcooper20202020! This is a really supportive group of women!

I don’t think I posted yesterday but I did log and did okay. Ate too much sugar but not over on calories. Seems to be a trend this month. Will definitely need to address...starting January! Don’t want to make myself feel deprived over the next week, with homemade Christmas treats.

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GabiV125

Catherine- so happy for you for bringing back the scale where you left off and being so meticulous in avoiding mindless eating. You and Barb are doing good with this, Katrina can estimate correctly, I still carry the abacus.

We were never closed the way it is in London, for instance now bars close at 10, and I can’t be out midnight to 5AM - as if I ever needed to go anywhere in that window.
My parents go through a strict lockdown, and the other day when I called ( my dreaded phone call) my mom kept saying many creative ways in which she’s misbehaving. One example: she’s going to funerals of people she didn’t know, but knew a coworker, neighbor, relatives of the deceased, so there is chance to get caught up with gossip. My sister is amused by all this, but I am NOT.
Kept my mouth (almost) shut and now hope for the best.
On a merrier note, the scale bump I had last week is flattening 😉

clutterqueen

Gabi, I know what you mean about the dreaded phone call! My mom misbehaves as well. She lives in assisted living and they’ve had cases in her building so they’re supposed to stay in their apartments. Meals are delivered to them 3 times a day. She finds every excuse to take off down the hall, just to see what’s going on. She says she wears a mask, but she lies. I keep telling her she has no reason to leave her apt and if she gets Covid, none of us kids can visit her in the hospital. She’s one of those who just won’t be told what to do. Maddening!
I live in TN now and we have the worst Covid stats in the country right now. In fact, Knox co has more cases than 5 or 6 states do. I refuse to go anywhere without my N95, yes the one that fits tight on my face and is not comfortable. Otherwise, I get too angry when someone invades my space and is ignoring the mask mandate. Our county has a mask mandate but not the entire state. I’m so tired of politics playing a role in this battle. Let’s get this done already!

Catherine, how are you coping with the strict lockdown? I’ve been thinking about you quite a bit. I’m praying things look up really soon!

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thelastnightingale

The scales claim I'm back to the lowest point I was before, but I generally look for a consistent result for a few days in a row before taking the victory. In any case, if I'm not at -35lb, I'm back in at around that ballpark, which is a good place to be this close to Christmas. Very happy that the strict approach has helped me get back on track!

As I'm doing Christmas on my own, everything I'm eating this year can be logged. I might go over, but at least I'll know by how much, and it's knowing the numbers that really works for me.

Gabi - so pleased to hear that the scales are also being kind to you. Keep going, you'll get back to where you were too, and it will feel so worth it, trust me.

I keep my mouth shut too, most of the time. If people are going to break the rules creatively, I figure they're not going to listen to me, so why get into a fight neither of us will win? I'm just doing my best to keep myself safe; it's really all I can do.

Barb - I'm OK, promise. If I hadn't already planned to be on my own, the strict lockdown would have been difficult, but I'm all sorted. Work is manically busy (it won't calm down until 1 January), but I'm going to take at least Christmas Day and eat some lovely food, safe in the knowledge that the scales are on my side for once, and one day can't derail things.

Do all mothers refuse to behave? I still can't persuade mine to shop online fully; she must go to the shops in person. I mean, she remembers to wear a mask which is something, but she has no need to go to the shops. She has plenty of food, and one supermarket gives her priority online booking because of my dad's ill health. I love her, but she does my head in sometimes with her risk approach!

I understand the frustration with politics. I look at the way we've handled things in the UK and I just think that if we'd taken a hard line from the start and made some politically unpopular decisions (such as making mask-wearing compulsory, temporarily closing schools etc), we could be in a much better position now. It's how we've ended up with a sudden, strict lockdown this close to Christmas - no one wanted to make a difficult call early, and now we're forced here.

Still, vaccinations are starting to be rolled out around the world, so maybe 2021 will be a better year for us all. I hope so! Imagine that - Covid under control, and the scales conquered. We could all be out living our best lives. Something to look forward to/dream of!:)

It's been a weird year, and I'm always busy with work in December, but has everyone else wound down for Christmas? All prepped and ready for it?

clutterqueen

Catherine, I love your positive attitude! It’s contagious! I believe 2021 will be a better year, at least by summer time. It definitely is something to look forward to! You’ve done an amazing job with your weight loss! When lockdown is over, you can really be proud of your trim body!

I worked so hard today getting things ready for my daughter and her boyfriend to come for a visit. They are very careful, and have both been working from home for months.
I made a lasagna that I can just put in the oven on Christmas Day. It makes things easier.
It’s funny, after I finished logging, I was 357 calories under, but MFP didn’t say I was under calories. Hmmm.

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clutterqueen

Today is my wedding anniversary. 30 years.
Ate Carrabba’s. Didn’t even track it.
Hope to be back on track tomorrow and then back off track for Christmas Day.

GabiV125

Catherine-down 35lb is excellent work and keeping the down trend in the winter? Wonderful.
I never needed big audiences to over-serve myself, so lack of parties this year, might not be a big help, unfortunately.
I will cook some options, at request, stick to ice cream or anything homemade as desert, and done. No extra planing, just got some presents and a pretty stark decor.
One good thing at current work is that the fiscal year ends in the summer, so now it’s just a regular month end. I do remember other places where we were having people taking vacation, shorter weeks due to holidays, employees on different time zones and to deal with year end on top of all that.
Barb- having your daughter and her boyfriend over for Christmas sounds very nice. I like your prepare and freeze the lasagna, idea- I never knew how to boil pasta so it won’t be too much when reheated/cooked.
I keep planning to do that with stuffed cabbage, because it’s so much work, but so far I didn’t .
I’m going to try to catch up with sleep, that’s my plan for now.

GabiV125

Happy Anniversary Barb!

clutterqueen

Thank you Gabi! I didn’t freeze the lasagna. If you prepare the lasagna a day or two ahead, you don’t have to boil the noodles. So that’s what I always do. (I got tired of the noodles falling apart after I boiled them!). If it’s only a day or two early, no reason to freeze the lasagna. Just take out of the frig about 30 mins before you want to bake it and bake as usual. Easy peasy!

kcd394

Had a rough week and didnt really log everything, and pretty sure i overdid calories a couple days but wasnt a huge blowout i dont think. I got sad news tuesday morning that my uncle passed away. Between work stress and that, its been a long week. We got a blizzard yesterday with super high winds so we shut down at 3 and i left at 445 with 4 charts unwritten in but i finished them today. Worked half day and then we drove 3.5 hours north to mats parent's. Here for the weekend. Sounds like dad and his girlfriend survived their covid quarantine fine. Wishing i could be home for my dad right now as he's lost a brother, but he's got his girlfriend and she's very good for him. Hope you all have a merry Christmas!

clutterqueen

Katrina, I’m so sorry to hear that your uncle passed away! I know you are missing your Dad and wishing you could be with him. It is so hard to lose a family member. Losing a family member at Christmas is like an extra punch in the gut! I hope you can relax and enjoy some time at Mat’s parents’ house. I know it’ll be tough.

clutterqueen

Merry Christmas, everyone! I know it’s very different this year but I love the slow pace of it!

GabiV125

Katrina I’m sorry to hear you are coming off a long and hard week, but most of all I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. Glad you are not alone these days and spending time with Matt and his parents.
Barb- yes , slow pace is good . Wait. Does it mean you ran less?
Catherine- how’s your plan going?
Yesterday I cooked part of the day, and today we spent hours on calls with the family away, or eating, playing games with the ones here. Loved it.

clutterqueen

Gabi, it snowed a few inches last night and was 22 degrees most of the day with a feels like temp of 11! I actually got up and biked around midnight because I couldn’t sleep. Got y workout in REAL early!
Didn’t log today as planned. Tomorrow will be TOUGH as there are still tons of homemade yummy treats lying around and NO room in the freezer! Will try to send some treats with one daughter who is leaving tomorrow!
Thinking of you, Katrina. And you, Catherine, hope your day was okay. This has been a tough year but it’s almost over!!
Let’s figure out something we can all do to “toast” the New Year, or at least this year being OVER!! Ideas?

kcd394

So far a good weekend. We went for a ride on our various 4 wheelers 6 wheeler and a snowmobile today. Annual tradition is to go for a ride, park in the middle of the woods and make a fire, and roast sausages for lunch before heading back. New this year, the machine I was riding threw the chain so mat had to tow me out with the 6 wheeler... it was fun though and it's been a no-frills easy going Christmas. I haven't logged anything but tried to eat less than my eyes thought I wanted to today. So far a welcomed break from the craziness of work. Finished crocheting mat's mom a matching cable hat and scarf. Found out my friend back in Idaho is having a boy, so I gotta get busy on his blanket. Made her daughter one, but it wasn't done til she was 2... hoping I'll be a bit quicker on this one. Hope you're all enjoying the holidays!

My uncle was struggling with his health. Had kidney issues, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and heart disease. Plus he had always been overweight and had really bad hips, but they wouldnt replace them due to weight and his young age (40 when he found out he needed hip replacement) then it was weight and disease later. I think he was only early 60s. He struggled a bit with depression a couple weeks ago but i think he was back to his happy self prior to passing away. Its hard to be unhealthy and unable to do what you like and then the pandemic on top of it all really sucked. Hate that we have to say goodbye so soon, but glad he doesn't have to spend the next who knows how many years a prisoner of his own body. Yet another personal motivator for me to work hard at trying to be healthy so I don't end up feeling like a prisoner of my own body. He had a different father than my dad but my dad is also overweight and borderline diabetic. We have history of cancer, heart disease, weight control issues etc. I want to control what I can while I'm still able to prevent at least some of the things if I'm able to.

We can toast our persistent effort at becoming our healthier selves and commitment to continued efforts!

clutterqueen

Wasn’t easy getting back on track today after being totally off yesterday. I somehow got thru it without going over.
I tried to send as many treats as possible with my daughters. Cut and froze most of the peanut butter fudge. Out of sight= out of mind.

How is everyone? Catherine, are you hanging in there? I know it had to be a very different Christmas for you this year.

Like Gabi, we played a number of game together and had lots of fun and laughs. My husband drove my one daughter back to NC today. My other daughter was going with her boyfriend to visit his parents in Charlotte for a couple of days. ( I was glad they visited us before visiting them because I’m not sure how careful the parents have been).
I was packed to go with my husband over night but then the cat started throwing up over and over. I didn’t feel like we should leave her. So naturally, once they left the cat didn’t throw up again once. I think she was anxious about us leaving.
I enjoyed some quiet time cleaning and doing laundry. Now I’m just relaxing watching Virgin River on Netflix. Not a bad way to spend an evening!

Exercise: ✅
( was 15 degrees this morning so cycle again)
Tracked: ✅
Under: ✅

clutterqueen

Katrina, I missed your post before posting mine! Sounds like you had a fun outdoor adventure! I’m assuming it was pretty cold if a snow mobile was involved!
Look at you with your crocheting talent! That’s great! Plus it gives you something to do in the evenings that doesn’t involve mindless eating!
I’m sorry your uncle suffered so many health problems. I think at a certain point, it’s easy to feel powerless to make any change with weight or exercise. I’m so glad you are allowing this to motivate you to be the healthiest you can be. I know we can’t prevent every health issue but being at a healthy weight, eating healthy and getting regular exercise certainly help.
I like your idea of what we should toast on New Years Eve!

GabiV125

So Sunday officially should count as after the holiday, even though we all still have some leftovers but not the scary ones , and partially practiced getting back on schedule for 2 days. I for one did nothing earth shattering these days, ate at maintenance and walked just enough so I don’t feel completely stationary.
Barb- my cat does that too usually if she either ate something dumb (chunks of plants for instance), or if it’s the hair b. A bit of Vaseline helps with the second.
Hurray for a quiet and relaxing afternoon by yourself! I remember first year of marriage when my husband needed to go away for work, I’d bring over my sister or my sil , 10y later with little kids I was by myself only in the bathroom .
We are in sync since yesterday I watched almost the entire Queen’s Gambit on Netflix 😄.
Katrina- I’ve never been on a 4-6 wheeler but it sounds so much fun, and a picnic in the woods in the winter, must be great.
I used to knit and crochet as a teenager (I could only do so much on very snowy winter breaks in the country with no other kids in the house ), but didn’t in many years. Very nice of you to make a baby blanket for your friend’s baby.
Years ago my doctor told me that genetics count for 1/3 of our health, we can influence another 1/3 and the last is environmental. Probably the percentages are different for all of us, but that’s the idea. You are right, if we pay attention and put a little effort when young, we may seriously improve the later years , or at least avoid multiple major issues. Or that’s the plan, anyway.
I’ll toast to better health, too.
Catherine, you there? Blink once for yes😉