What's on your mind today?
Replies
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@juliemouse83 - some unsolicited advice - if not wanted, sorry. I’m an attorney. You may not want to file a formal complaint until you’ve talked to an employment attorney. Employers are laying off “problem employees” under cover of Covid. Find out your rights and what is currently happening. Things that were illegal or questionable a year ago no longer are.4
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@readyornot1234
Our first round of layoffs were those who were thought to be "problem employees" or those "who were performing enough not to get fired". And, to your point, told due to "Covid" slowing of business.
Some of the "problem employees" were good performers, but certain people on the management team felt they were too vocal and/or were not team players.
It's sad, but I know I am keeping myself under the radar and being very PC. I feel I am a valued employee. But that can change on a dime - all it takes is saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.
What a tangled web this whole situation has brought to light.2 -
@SuziQ113 - it is sad. My brother took a medical leave for a stroke at the end of last year. He was back at work in January. He was let go in the first round. Before this, letting him go would have been viewed as retaliatory. He’s a smart guy and good employee - I’m assuming they thought he was too much of a risk after the very mild stroke. Even more incredible, he worked for a state government. And if an employee crosses the wrong person (or God forbid has a child interrupt a zoom meeting), they will be gone. There are no rules right now.3
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17 Free ways to Practice Self Care (an MPF professional blog)
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/free-ways-to-practice-self-care/
for "coronavirus SITUATIONAL stress" (not just "how do I protect myself from the bug?" any more.
And for those of you who have recently lost someone.2 -
Personal Situational Update (originally on the Aug 20 report thread:
Background:
Original Rank / Vent:Aug 20 A second Pass day in a row - didn't log again - but stress-walked lots and didn't eat much and know from Aug 21 weigh-in that I was well under (again) on the intake.
Days goals met: 17
Pass days used: 3 (all unplanned)I am in an extremely stressed out work situation but almost feel like "I shouldn't really complain ... look at what some of you others here are going through .... look at what others in my Branch at work have been having to deal with even from BEFORE Canada reached the start of lock-down back in March .... "
It is a kind of public-wanting-information-demands (as is their right!) work that is coming in at an unprecedented level for our department. And this is on-top of the mandated work the operational units have to deliver re covid-response public health policy and stakeholder relations work
I am SUPPOSED to be 60% or more IM/Disposition, with some other "corner of the desk or cyclical" duties. I am NOT the kind of personality-type that should be spending 100% of my time doing solo SIngle-window coordinating of rolling case-file management. I know some of you could probably do this kind of thing at this level of intensity no problem ... and still do some other stuff on the side ....
I used to handle maybe one request in eight months (extra-low even for my Department).
And I don't have / didn't inherit ANY kind of tracking system .... send a desperate email to the drop-box of the corporate-level clearing house for this, asking to be put in direct conversation with some more experienced Community of Practice counter-part. Waiting to see how that works out.
I don't even know enough about "how to keep track of everything (and still actually DO the consolidation for approval-up / turn in responses to corporate clearing house) in a way that if I am ever off for a week (for some garden-variety reason like a common cold or vacation) and my back-up has a migrane or her back locks up for the same days in a row ... how is the back-up back-up going to have a CLUE about the state of everything that is active?!?!! As the one-and-only IM specialist in the branch, I have nightmares about that!
And given what our Department is mandated to do, and what people want to know .... this isn't going to change any time soon Far more likely to get worse first. OR become "something like the new normal level"
This is SOOOO NOOOOOT how I want to spend my last 3.5 years until retirement!
And come September, I am supposed to lose 3 hours of processing-time per week, to spend in French-Second-Language classes .... which I would WANT to do, and are NECESSARY for my post as I will have to renew my ranking once the retesting program finally opens up again .... but now am conflicted about whether I will just feel even MORE behind ..... which isn't precisely the most conducive mindset to absorbing a second language where's the hair pulling / banging head against wall emoji when you need it??
Acknowledgment of support and that at least my environment/corporate culture is actively positive (not actively toxic or even passively "that's how it is ... deal" )@BMcC9 @MadisonMolly2017 Sending you both support across the miles. A lot of things seem to be changing under our feet wherever we live, bringing stress and grief. Hope things get better for you.
Thank you.At least the whole VPO level of my branch has recently switched to new people who are much more "Seize the moment to re-invent ourselves" and we are a Surge-IN business line. So my stress is more about 'we never had a process (even a poorly performing one) because we never had the need" Now we have surged in this area too - but also have the opportunity to invent-from-scratch as there is nothing to "replace" and we can look to alternatives to email as the main (internal to the branch) conduit, now that MSTeams is up and running across the whole department.
and now that MSTeams is working ... it might actually be easier to set up a "sourced inside the Department but outside the Branch" facilitator for initiating the remap process. At least, I am going to propose that.
I can now articulate a clear-and-concise meeting request so that I can brief-up on:- I am better than 85% sure that my new approaches and related (minor office-supply) requirements will take care of MY end of the stressors
- the email my manager wanted me to draft so she could send out "to resolve the issue(s)" would be totally useless.
- the root process-turnaround problems / training needs rest with the operational SMEs / Operational Directors
- the ATI Single Window (me) has to meet directly with the Chief of Staff (only my manager would normally deal directly with him - but a very approachable guy) to clarify to him (a) the identified bottleneck issues; (b) that improvement in this process is 100% OUTSIDE BisOp and ATI Single Window ability to affect; (c) there are options that can only be granted from Branch Senior Management Table that could potentially relieve a great deal of the case management burden / bottleneck from the already overstretched operational SMEs; (d) this is only going to stay the same or get worse - so the "visioning of the Reinvented Branch" and related org-chart staff-up had better be taking this into account (my manager is integral in the Finance / HR advise & make-it-happen aspect of this, but not at the decision-making level - and I have ZERO clue if this factor is on ANYONE's radar as it is an enterprise-reporting requirement that has gone through the roof, but not a "mandated Branch operational 'real work' item"
I need to get my manager to agree to go TOGETHER with me to meet directly with the Chief of Staff (not just forward to him ) and let me take him up on his late-June reach-out for direct contact with the ATIP Single Window Hub (me) on how the ATIP process should work in the branch. The part through her-him for VP approval is fantastic. I don't know what it is / how it works. Can what they came up with between themselves be applied / adapted to the other 6 individual divisional nodes that all run through me before going to them?3 -
As encouragement to those of you who have a ways to go yet .... I thought I might mention that 3 years ago, (May 2017) I was just over 180 pounds (5 ft 3 / 5 ft 2) BMI obese for my age and height.
141.2 or so is the borderline between BMI overweight and BMI normal for me. Being over 60 and not "super-active default lifestyle" (even before work-from-home became my norm) aiming for the dead-center of normal BMI (124) was not even CONSIDERED as a target. You youngsters who are getting smart about getting healthy at a much younger age may well choose a closer-to-cent re point within your own BMI normal range.
Short Summary of the past three years, that might encourage you to see ... or you can skip over.It took two years of slow&steady, but I made it to 135. (didn't discover UAC until maybe halfway through - but it was a HUGE element to my eventual success)
In April 2019, I declared myself at maintenance (the first time) - headed off on my own in May or June 2019 (too-loose tracking though the summer and fall, but still weighing in everyday) and all stayed nicely within target range until the Holly Daze season (Christmas / New Years 2019 / 2020) when I started staying a bit too high above what I had chosen as the top end of my maintenance range, and flirting toooo close with that borderline back out of normal into overweight.
So I came back here in March 2020 (two weeks before Canada Shut Down) which REQUIRED tightening up on tracking and therefore higher self-awareness / reality checks and by mid-April I could declare "working to stabilize again" (added the difference between shedding-calorie intake and maintenance-calorie intake in small increments over a 6 week period instead of all at once) and I am still sitting nicely within an average daily weight variant of lower-to-upper 133.X
The days that are over into 134.X or even low 135s are the day-afters where I had eaten within calorie goal, but had a heavier or higher salt meal, like stew-on-toast or a national-brand oven-ready pot-pie or ..
I know from experience (and am easily reminded as required by a graph of 3 years of accumulated daily weigh-in data on my Wii Fit Plus) that simply resuming "normal eating / activity" the next meal or day WILL result in auto-self-correction within just a few days.
Keep in mind ... this isn't a race. Faster (unless under direct medical supervision for some specific reason / life-threatening condition) is NOT the best long or even short-term strategy.
It WILL happen. You WILL get there. Just stick to the "Just For Today" perspective of the UAC program as long as it takes as you discover/uncover/practice/ reinforce whatever YOUR personal best-fit sustainable life-style definitions of "normal going forward" (or as 'normal' as the world around you is gonna permit just now) turn out to be.
Just reaching this point @BMcC9 and it’s great to know that I will keep losing weight slowly because new eating and exercise regimes have become habits ! I am just 2 lbs off my healthy BMI weight and my initial goal of 163 lbs ( losing 25 lbs ). What ever I lose thereafter is a bonus.
Posting on UAC helps keep me focused 😁4 -
readyornot1234 wrote: »@juliemouse83 - some unsolicited advice - if not wanted, sorry. I’m an attorney. You may not want to file a formal complaint until you’ve talked to an employment attorney. Employers are laying off “problem employees” under cover of Covid. Find out your rights and what is currently happening. Things that were illegal or questionable a year ago no longer are.
I’m going to speak to an attorney prior to taking any action, for sure. I’ve got 17 years worth of five star performance evals in my possession. Even my current boss gave me a stellar eval last year. It all went to *kitten* when I was expected to produce 40 hours of administrative excellence in 8 hours a week. Something changed and it sure as hell wasn't my work ethic! If it had, I wouldn’t be lapping veteran transporters, doing 18-20/day to their 10-12.3 -
juliemouse83 wrote: »
Still religiously working on my diamond painting each night, but gel like I’m getting nowhere fast, lol. I’m hoping to finish it within the week.
Diamond painting isn't about "getting somewhere fast" ... it's about mindfulness / almost zen repetitive "pick up and place / pickup and place ... " block out the rest of the world for a time ... and when you step back, you see how the glittery image has been gradually revealing itself, almost like magic.
Lol! I’m learning that! I had a good three hour session this afternoon, while listening to my favorite YouTube-res’ WIP N’Chats. It sure didn’t feel like three hours and now I’m almost done!1 -
Just read some random Forum posts on MFP. Isn't it sad that healthy, delicious food has become, for so many people, part of what they 'have' to do, while constantly craving 'fun' junk food? Since when is an apple, or a peach, or a handful of cherries less delicious than a stodgy, sugary donut? Have we all become victims of incredibly successful PR? I get the lure of pizza: the cheese, tomato and pastry are a winning combination, but only if the crust is not soggy and the tomato sauce is properly seasoned and the cheese is not rubbery... A slice of good quality, fresh bread, with or without some nice, salted or unsalted butter, some great cheese, enormous choice of varieties, and a fresh sliced tomato with a bit of salt a, a drizzle of olive oil and some basil, even an olive or two...
As for burgers.... Unless they are prepared by Gordon Ramsay, who seems to really like burgers, no one could possibly want to class those as delicious? Chicken nuggets, food for kids? Icecream, yes, like it, but how much can I eat unless I am properly depressed?
Why have so many people fallen for the 'delicious' junk food idea?
Can anyone tell me what is so appealing about fast food, junk food? I get the convenience of ready meals, eating them at the moment as it's too hot to cook, but eating a shop bought tagliatelle with salmon cannot compete with one I made myself - easy, quick and far fewer calories...
Maybe we should share more simple, easy, quick and healthy recipes here? I'll start tomorrow! It'll help me get back into 'cooking ',or at least preparing, putting together 'fun' healthy food. Appealing to my MFP friends: @heffalump2014 , @SuziQ113, @BMcC2019, @cjane, @Hulya_79 and even @alligatorob, whose fresh, picked of the tree products have helped him lose half of his old self!
My problem is comfort food, but it's not junk food. Help me sort out my confusion!4 -
@Chinkiri
I do not look at food as good or bad. But do look at it on a scale as being calorie light or dense and nutritionally light or dense.
I think much of food obsession started with many who starved during the big wars and the depression. After certain points in time being overweight was a sign of prosperity and wealth.
Fast food used to be a "treat". But as both parents work longer and longer hours and some working two to three jobs there is a pull of making things easier. There is nothing quicker than driving through, placing an order, picking it up and there is dinner/lunch/breakfast.
I would love to see some new recipes/ideas! And, will share too. I do need to get back on track by better meal planning and preparation.
Hope everyone has a great day!2 -
Recipe for salads nicoise Basic Salade Nicoise and additions
The essential ingredients of a salade nicoise are:
1) Lettuce – any. Romaine is good, but any other and a mixture of leaves works too. The only
one to avoid is horrible, floppy, Dutch Webb lettuce. You can buy lettuce ready-washed and
cut in a bag in the supermarket. Just check the state of the lettuce, they rot quickly in a bag
like that, but you can just cut off the brown bits and give them a good rinse. We throw away
far too many edible foods!
2) Tuna - canned / tinned, in brine, not oil, unless you’re following a ketogenic diet! Drain the
tuna, check the drained weight. 100 g = 100 = 110kcal
3) Green beans / haricot beans, frozen or fresh. Boil / steam until cooked but not soggy! 30 kcal
100g
4) Hard or medium boiled eggs, 70 kcal per egg. I like my yolk still runny, but only just!
Anything else is up to you. Often added:
A) Boiled potato , 70 kcal. Cut into cubes, boil, cool, add; you can peel them or keep the
skin on (more vitamins). Most potato types will do, but a waxy potato is best. New
potatoes are superb. Just halve those.
You can add any old ‘normally’ – sized tomatoes, sliced, quartered, or baby
tomatoes, halved. If you can find local tomatoes or grow your own, wow!
C) Cucumber is easy to add. Almost no calories. With skin or without. I take the skin off,
as I think it’s slightly bitter. Gordon Ramsay takes the seeds out!
D) If you think you won’t feel full, add half an avocado. Calorific, so check!
E) Radishes, no calories to speak of.
F) Anchovies, salty, not very calorific
G) Walnuts: watch out, lots of calories! Look nice, add little in terms of taste or flavour.
Crunch, yes! Same goes for pine nuts.
H) Spring onions, scallions? not many calories. You can keep them out of the salad and
nibble them separately.
I) Beetroot, possible, not very authentic, turns the whole salad and your urine red. I
will post a proper beetroot salad recipe soon.
J) Same goes for apple, but nothing turns red.
K) Olives: Love them or hate them, you can add some or not. Watch for calories.
Dressing: Vinaigrette
Classic French dressing is vinaigrette, which is nothing more than vinegar and olive oil and some salt
and pepper. 1 spoon of acid, vinegar, to two of oil, give it a shake. That’s it. You don’t need to do
more than just this.
You can be a lot more classy than that:
Dry ingredients first: pinches of salt and pepper. Add dried herbs if you like, mixed herbs, herbes de
Provence. Add some mustard if you want a bit of heat. If you have a sweet tooth, add some liquidy
honey. Add squashed garlic if you like this. Mix.
Add acid: any kind of vinegar or lemon juice. Add balsamic vinegar if you like it sweeter. Mix. Taste –
too sour? Add olive oil. Keep mixing, keep tasting. When you like it, put it in a little bottle and it’ll last
for weeks! When you use it, you can add some fresh herbs. If you like your dressing creamy, you can
add a teaspoonful of cream, sour cream, yogurt or mayonnaise....2 -
Just read some random Forum posts on MFP. Isn't it sad that healthy, delicious food has become, for so many people, part of what they 'have' to do, while constantly craving 'fun' junk food? Since when is an apple, or a peach, or a handful of cherries less delicious than a stodgy, sugary donut? Have we all become victims of incredibly successful PR? I get the lure of pizza: the cheese, tomato and pastry are a winning combination, but only if the crust is not soggy and the tomato sauce is properly seasoned and the cheese is not rubbery... A slice of good quality, fresh bread, with or without some nice, salted or unsalted butter, some great cheese, enormous choice of varieties, and a fresh sliced tomato with a bit of salt a, a drizzle of olive oil and some basil, even an olive or two...
As for burgers.... Unless they are prepared by Gordon Ramsay, who seems to really like burgers, no one could possibly want to class those as delicious? Chicken nuggets, food for kids? Icecream, yes, like it, but how much can I eat unless I am properly depressed?
Why have so many people fallen for the 'delicious' junk food idea?
Can anyone tell me what is so appealing about fast food, junk food? I get the convenience of ready meals, eating them at the moment as it's too hot to cook, but eating a shop bought tagliatelle with salmon cannot compete with one I made myself - easy, quick and far fewer calories...
Maybe we should share more simple, easy, quick and healthy recipes here? I'll start tomorrow! It'll help me get back into 'cooking ',or at least preparing, putting together 'fun' healthy food. Appealing to my MFP friends: @heffalump2014 , @SuziQ113, @BMcC2019, @cjane, @Hulya_79 and even @alligatorob, whose fresh, picked of the tree products have helped him lose half of his old self!
My problem is comfort food, but it's not junk food. Help me sort out my confusion!
So true @Chinkiri !! There is nothing appealing about Fast food - most of it is greasy and makes you faintly nauseous after eating. And it is nothing but advertising that has given those foods popularity. Mindless eating is the problem.
I like cooking and savouring my own productions and would love to add some recipes to a collection of easy to make, healthy and tasty foods . By the way Salade Nicoise is a family favourite and in the menu at least once in ten days😁2 -
@Chinkiri
I like to eat outside when I want some meals that is hard to make them at home. I don’t crave for fast foods except “döner-gyro”. I find it better according to ham-burgers or other greasy fast foods.
Cooking and planning ahead is a critical thing when you want to live healthy life style. It is easy to cook and find various recipes in Turkish Cuisine. We use green bean, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and all kind of dried beans to cook a main dish. Formula is mostly same; oil or olive oil + chopped onion + some tomato paste + some pepper paste + 1or 2 glass hot water + X ( you can put any kind of veggie for the x) . First, cook the onion until it gets yellow, then add the pastes and your favorite spices, cook it for like 3 minutes, then add the chopped veggies and the hot water. Cook the meal in very low heat for 45-60 minutes (time changes depending the amount or type of the veggie. You can add some ground beef or chicken breast before adding onions too.
As a working mom, I cook for at least 3 days on Sundays.
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I prefer to make coffee at home, but from time-to-time I do enjoy a Dark Cold Brew company from the popular coffee shops around the office. It’s a treat for me. Early on in our shelter in place and full-time remote employment I started craving a cold brew. I searched the web and found a various recipes some with many steps and using both cheesecloth and coffee filters (both with one batch). Over time I simplified the process and thought I should share it.
#1
In a large pitcher add 4 cups of cold water. You will be tempted to use a smaller container. Please note once the coffee is added you will need to stir the mixture and there is a tendency for a little splash up.
#2
Add one cup of coffee and gently stir in to the water. The coffee will float – that’s OK. You just want to be sure the coffee is fully wet.
#3
Place pitcher in refrigerator. If you use a very finely ground coffee, like espresso, complete the next step in 24 hours. If you use a regular ground coffee complete the next step in 36 to 48 hours.
#4
Remove the pitcher from your refrigerator and using a funnel lined with a coffee filter gently pour the coffee/water mixture through the filtered coffee filter into another pourable container. It takes a little time for the coffee/water mixture to run through the filter. Add a little more of the mixture as the cold brew seeps through.
#5
You are now ready to enjoy a cold brew coffee. Other recipes will say add 50% of the cold brew to 50% water or milk. Since I use very strong coffee I find it best to fill a glass up with ice, add water until the glass is filled with about 75% water and top off with the cold brew coffee. Store the cold brew concentrate in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for two weeks, if it lasts that long!
The pictures below show a 24 oz Tervis cup and my preferred mixture.
Some notes. If you like sweetened cold brew it’s suggested to add the sweetener to the filtered cold brew. When you are ready to use it’s already sweetened. Yes, you’re thinking a cup of coffee! That’s expensive. I get 6-7 rather large servings from one batch. When I calculate how much I am saving (6 cold brews at $5 = $30 versus one cup of coffee and a filter) it’s a no brainer. 😊
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Thanks @Hulya_79 - what goes into the pepper paste? @SuziQ113 I'm spending a fortune on little Starbucks cold lattes at the moment, I'll try out your recipe!
Here is my basic stir fry recipe which I use all the time, as it's so flexible!Stir fry with meat or tofu
This is one of my go to meals. Doesn’t take long to make, lots of variations possible.
Start off with a little olive oil (or coconut oil, or any vegetable oil) in a hot wok, or a large frying pan.
Cut up onions, red or yellow, or shallots, and, depending on your taste, add some chopped garlic and / or ginger and / or a fresh red or green chilli, with or without seeds. Seeds make it spicier. Start frying.
Add some sliced beef, pork or chicken, or tofu in cubes. Tofu tastes better if it’s been marinaded (soaked for at least half an hour) in some soy sauce and / or balsamic vinegar, for half an hour or longer. Brown it all.
Add any vegetables: green bell pepper, mushrooms, beansprouts, green beans, carrots, diced, broccoli. You can even make it a bit fruity, with peaches, dried or fresh, or apricots.
Put a lid on the pot and cook for 15 or so minutes on a low heat. Check to make sure it doesn’t boil dry. In that case, add a little bit of water and / or some soya sauce. When the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked but not soggy, add some fresh coriander (cilantro). You can have it with some rice, but I just have it on its own in a bowl...
Basic recipe with beef: around 350 calories, with tofu 250.
This is a recipe to experiment with!3 -
@Chinkiri
My stir fry is almost exactly like yours. I typically do the meat first and then pull out of pan and then throw meat/tofu back in after vegetables are just at that point. Have you tried Chinese 5 Spice? I do not use it all of the time - just for a change. I also like things a little spicy so I add red pepper flakes too!
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Thanks @Hulya_79 - what goes into the pepper paste? @SuziQ113 I'm spending a fortune on little Starbucks cold lattes at the moment, I'll try out your recipe!
Here is my basic stir fry recipe which I use all the time, as it's so flexible!Stir fry with meat or tofu
This is one of my go to meals. Doesn’t take long to make, lots of variations possible.
Start off with a little olive oil (or coconut oil, or any vegetable oil) in a hot wok, or a large frying pan.
Cut up onions, red or yellow, or shallots, and, depending on your taste, add some chopped garlic and / or ginger and / or a fresh red or green chilli, with or without seeds. Seeds make it spicier. Start frying.
Add some sliced beef, pork or chicken, or tofu in cubes. Tofu tastes better if it’s been marinaded (soaked for at least half an hour) in some soy sauce and / or balsamic vinegar, for half an hour or longer. Brown it all.
Add any vegetables: green bell pepper, mushrooms, beansprouts, green beans, carrots, diced, broccoli. You can even make it a bit fruity, with peaches, dried or fresh, or apricots.
Put a lid on the pot and cook for 15 or so minutes on a low heat. Check to make sure it doesn’t boil dry. In that case, add a little bit of water and / or some soya sauce. When the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked but not soggy, add some fresh coriander (cilantro). You can have it with some rice, but I just have it on its own in a bowl...
Basic recipe with beef: around 350 calories, with tofu 250.
This is a recipe to experiment with!
@Chinkiri the pepper paste is same as tomato paste but it is made of red pepper (similar to florina pepper, but hot). especially east part of Turkey using mostly pepper paste instead of tomato paste.1 -
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I can give you my theory, but with the warning that I have no expertise beyond my own experience and a bit of reading. I think its natural, instinctive even, for us to crave the quickest easiest calories we can find. And then to eat all we can. I think that trait served humans well for the first million years or so of our existence. The easily available junk food we have today is something very new to the human existence, and we are not well adapted to it. Just my thoughts.Can anyone tell me what is so appealing about fast food, junk food?
Learning to live with that junk food in our lives is hard for some of us. Harder for some than others. For me it has been very hard, I just can't eat any of it, once I start its real hard to stop.
Hey, thanks for the salads nicoise, no junk there!
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