Finding your Happy Place šŸƒšŸ‚September-Decemberā„ļø

Itā€™s been a tough year, and I think we could all use a place to go to find some positivity and some happiness on our road to getting healthier. Today is September 1st and the holidays are just around the corner...although we donā€™t really know what that will look like yet...after all, itā€™s 2020.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to post. Introduce yourself and post things that give you joy.
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Replies

  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Hi, My name is Karen- I am 61. I've been married 39 years, I am the mother of 2 grown sons, 2 wonderful daughter-in-laws and a 22 month old granddaughter who is the light of my life.

    About 2 weeks into quarantine when I realized this wasn't changing soon I made a decision to get serious about my health and weight, I have been making small changes and have taken off about 10 pounds.

    I love the idea of posting things that bring us joy. There are so many challenges in the world right now - I think it is important to find joy in every day. What brings me joy today is decorating for fall. Though the weather is humid today we have had some fall like days and we know more are coming!

    Hi Karen!

    Welcome...weā€™re so glad youā€™re here! You have such a nice family. Congratulations on your 10 pound loss šŸ„³

    I love fall, too! Once we close the pool in mid September, itā€™s time to decorate. Do you love pumpkin spice coffee, too?
  • 1poundatax
    1poundatax Posts: 231 Member
    Wow Michelle, you have been through a lot. I am sorry about your dad. It is so tough to lose a parent. Good for you for stopping the weight gain early before it got out of hand.
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Michelle,
    Like Karen just said, itā€™s hard to lose a parent. Iā€™m so sorry.

    Weā€™re glad that youā€™ve only got 9 more pounds to lose, and weā€™re thankful that you found us. You also have a wonderful family. I hope you feel a little less isolated by joining this group.

    Jill šŸ„°
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Hi all! Great thread!
    I'm Elizabeth, 58, single but live with a roommate in Chicago. 19 years ago I was 260 lbs. It took several years but I maintained at 180 for almost 10 years. I was very active. The last few years I've seen the scale go up and down about 20 lbs. I was on a good streak last year and I'm back up to 195.

    Things that bring me joy.. my bicycle. I use it along with some public transportation for most of my day to day life. I even ride in the winter..as long as the sun is shining and there's no snow on the road. And this time of year it's wonderful! I think I'll go out today.

    Also bringing me joy is my cat Bug and my roommate's dog Abby.

  • 1poundatax
    1poundatax Posts: 231 Member
    Chicago is a place I would love to visit some day (but not in the winter!) Good for you for riding your bike in the winter. That is inspiring to me.
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Hi all! Great thread!
    I'm Elizabeth, 58, single but live with a roommate in Chicago. 19 years ago I was 260 lbs. It took several years but I maintained at 180 for almost 10 years. I was very active. The last few years I've seen the scale go up and down about 20 lbs. I was on a good streak last year and I'm back up to 195.

    Things that bring me joy.. my bicycle. I use it along with some public transportation for most of my day to day life. I even ride in the winter..as long as the sun is shining and there's no snow on the road. And this time of year it's wonderful! I think I'll go out today.

    Also bringing me joy is my cat Bug and my roommate's dog Abby.

    Welcome Elizabeth!

    You can get back down to 180... thatā€™s my goal too! Thatā€™s awesome that you love your bike. I just got mine and I love it!

    We of course need to see pictures of Bug and Abby.

    Jillā¤ļø
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    My name is Barb. Iā€™m 56 years old and live in TN with my husband of nearly 30 years( in Dec). Iā€™ve got 2 grown girls who live back in NC and a step son, daughter-in-law and sweetest almost 2 year old granddaughter in Orlando.
    My weight battle has been off and on for years. I gain weight whenever Iā€™m highly stressed, like moving. Why oh why canā€™t I be one of those people who canā€™t eat when theyā€™re stressed!?! No, Iā€™m a major stress eater and emotional eater. Eat to celebrate too. At any rate I was only 5 pounds from goal weight preCovid, then gained 6 1/2 pounds during quarantine. Itā€™s not from lack of exercise. I jog regularly and have an awesome spin bike I love. I also do strength/ weights to keep my bones strong. Iā€™ve lost 4 of those Covid pounds. So about 7 1/2 pounds from goal weight. I tend to self sabotage as I get closer to goal weight. Not sure why that is. Hopefully, I can break that cycle!
    @jm216 Jill Love that picture of Roxie! She looks so sweet! Iā€™m sure you get out the door regularly for a walk so you donā€™t disappoint her!

    @1poundatax Karen Good for you for getting serious about your health only 2 weeks into quarantine!! Then you didnā€™t have time to gain the extra weight some of the rest of us did!
    @NadiaMayl Michelle Thatā€™s amazing you lost 6 of the 15 in one month! You are almost 1/2 way there! Itā€™s definitely tough to lose a parent. Sometimes out of nowhere, it just hits you all over again like it just happened.
    Tough finding a way forward sometimes. But youā€™re doing great!

    @bebeisfit Elizabeth I am so impressed you ride your bike during a Chicago winter! I put mine away when the temp drops to 45! I cannot take the chill of going downhill then!

    What brings me joy? Going to my happy place, my spot in the shade by the lake where I like to read and let my mind wander for a while. It used to be a 34 mile long trail along the river where Iā€™d bike, jog or walk before we moved out of state. But I have to say, listening to some good praise music brings me joy as well!

  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    My name is Barb. Iā€™m 56 years old and live in TN with my husband of nearly 30 years( in Dec). Iā€™ve got 2 grown girls who live back in NC and a step son, daughter-in-law and sweetest almost 2 year old granddaughter in Orlando.
    My weight battle has been off and on for years. I gain weight whenever Iā€™m highly stressed, like moving. Why oh why canā€™t I be one of those people who canā€™t eat when theyā€™re stressed!?! No, Iā€™m a major stress eater and emotional eater. Eat to celebrate too. At any rate I was only 5 pounds from goal weight preCovid, then gained 6 1/2 pounds during quarantine. Itā€™s not from lack of exercise. I jog regularly and have an awesome spin bike I love. I also do strength/ weights to keep my bones strong. Iā€™ve lost 4 of those Covid pounds. So about 7 1/2 pounds from goal weight. I tend to self sabotage as I get closer to goal weight. Not sure why that is. Hopefully, I can break that cycle!
    @jm216 Jill Love that picture of Roxie! She looks so sweet! Iā€™m sure you get out the door regularly for a walk so you donā€™t disappoint her!

    @1poundatax Karen Good for you for getting serious about your health only 2 weeks into quarantine!! Then you didnā€™t have time to gain the extra weight some of the rest of us did!
    @NadiaMayl Michelle Thatā€™s amazing you lost 6 of the 15 in one month! You are almost 1/2 way there! Itā€™s definitely tough to lose a parent. Sometimes out of nowhere, it just hits you all over again like it just happened.
    Tough finding a way forward sometimes. But youā€™re doing great!

    @bebeisfit Elizabeth I am so impressed you ride your bike during a Chicago winter! I put mine away when the temp drops to 45! I cannot take the chill of going downhill then!

    What brings me joy? Going to my happy place, my spot in the shade by the lake where I like to read and let my mind wander for a while. It used to be a 34 mile long trail along the river where Iā€™d bike, jog or walk before we moved out of state. But I have to say, listening to some good praise music brings me joy as well!

    Hi Barb,

    Welcome to your Happy Place!
    You can do this! Youā€™re only 7 1/2 pounds from your goal... that is totally doable! Weā€™re all here for you!

    Jill
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Chicago is a place I would love to visit some day (but not in the winter!) Good for you for riding your bike in the winter. That is inspiring to me.

    It's truly a beautiful city. I've lived here or in the burbs my whole life. There is so much to do in the summer..well not this summer. It's really not all that bad in the winter, except for those days when it's sub zero. But spring, summer and fall are spectacular!
  • 1poundatax
    1poundatax Posts: 231 Member
    clutterqueen- sitting by a lake sounds wonderful. I also love listening to praise music and will sometimes play it loudly when I am having a tough day.
    jm216- great job on logging in for 145 days and the weight loss!
    Today what is bringing me joy are my flowers and garden. They look beautiful. Usually we go away in late August so my garden and deck containers were pretty much done by now since I wasn't around to water them. This year we couldn't go away so the upside is I am still enjoying my flowers.
  • clutterqueen
    clutterqueen Posts: 1,652 Member
    Jill, you look AMAZING!! Congrats on the weight loss!

    Elizabeth, your fur babies are so cute!

    Karen, please post pics of your garden and flowers so we can all admire them!

    If itā€™s not too much trouble, letā€™s keep putting our names in our posts so we can learn each othersā€™ ( or maybe Iā€™m just slow!)

    Barb

    Have a great weekend Everyone!
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    Hi, I'm Carly and the -ber months are my favorite time of the year (two of my three children have -ber birthdays and my husband and I both have -ber birthdays + add in all the holidays)!

    I'm loving the positivity of this thread because I need more positivity in my life!!! Next month I turn 44. I ran my first Marathon this year (Austin Marathon). Running is my therapy; it started as a stress reliever from my job and I still use it for an attitude adjustment and anxiety reducer. My kids are 2, 13, and 17. I'm a stay at home mom since the birth of my little boy but planning to go back to work next school year. I'm learning how to garden, started in May after all this hit; I love gardening! I have tomatoes growing plus I have some jalapeno peppers and sweet potatoes and lavender and I'm going to try some new ones soon. I'm married 6 years but we've been together for almost 13. Love him but he's trying to stop smoking, not so successfully, and it's taxing on all of us. I see other Texans here. I'm not a native but I've been here for over 17 years. It's late and I'm going to bed but glad to be here and meet all of you.
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    āœļø Weekly Check in information

    Iā€™ve decided that Sundayā€™s are my check in day. You can check in on the day of your choice and use any format youā€™d like. Feel free to copy and paste!

    Weekly goals:
    ~Lose 1 pound
    ~Drink lots of water
    ~Log Dailyā€”keep streak!
    ~Walk Roxie daily
    ~30 minutes of Daily movement
    ~Family time

    Highest weight: 232.6 March 2019
    First/Final goal: Get under 200 pounds/Feel stronger and more energetic

    šŸSundays in September šŸŽ
    6th: 212.5
    13th:
    20th:
    27th:

    šŸ Sundays in OctoberšŸŽƒ
    4th:
    11th:
    18th:
    25th:

    šŸŒ» Sundays in NovemberšŸŒ½
    1st:
    8th:
    15th:
    22nd:
    29th:

    ā„ļøSundays in DecemberšŸŒ²
    6th:
    13th:
    20th:
    27th:

    Weight lost in this challenge:
    Just kicked off!

    Total weight lost so far:
    ā­ļø 20.1 pounds ā­ļø

    Jillā¤ļø
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Hi, I'm Carly and the -ber months are my favorite time of the year (two of my three children have -ber birthdays and my husband and I both have -ber birthdays + add in all the holidays)!

    I'm loving the positivity of this thread because I need more positivity in my life!!! Next month I turn 44. I ran my first Marathon this year (Austin Marathon). Running is my therapy; it started as a stress reliever from my job and I still use it for an attitude adjustment and anxiety reducer. My kids are 2, 13, and 17. I'm a stay at home mom since the birth of my little boy but planning to go back to work next school year. I'm learning how to garden, started in May after all this hit; I love gardening! I have tomatoes growing plus I have some jalapeno peppers and sweet potatoes and lavender and I'm going to try some new ones soon. I'm married 6 years but we've been together for almost 13. Love him but he's trying to stop smoking, not so successfully, and it's taxing on all of us. I see other Texans here. I'm not a native but I've been here for over 17 years. It's late and I'm going to bed but glad to be here and meet all of you.

    Welcome Carly!

    I love the ber months too!
    Weā€™re glad youā€™re here šŸ„°

    Jill
  • sweetdianachka
    sweetdianachka Posts: 318 Member
    edited September 2020
    Sunday is my weigh in day too. I actually went up 2 lbs this week. I had a huge cheat wknd last week and it spilled a bit over into this one.

    What brings me joy? Well aside from eating chocolate covered raisins in my pantry... ā˜ŗļø

    Seeing my daughters smile and learn new things. My youngest just started asking me the question ā€œmom, why you happy?ā€ when I smile at her and I say ā€œbecause I am looking at you!ā€ Also reading together at the end of the day is one of my favorite times. We all snuggle on my king size bed with a blanket.

    Also pool weather brings me joy lately, especially since I bought my first bikini (high waisted but still) of my adult life. I seriously hadnā€™t worn a bikini probably since I was 6 years old. Thankfully we have a good friend with a backyard pool and will be spending our Labor Day relaxing poolside with burgers and hot dogs (no worries since Iā€™m bringing a chicken burger for me)

    Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.

    šŸ’–Diana
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Today's joy was picking up some litter. I went on a short walk today and realized how much joy and happiness I get when I pick up the trash around the neighborhood. Wishing you all a great day..Elizabeth

    Below are obligatory pictures of Bug (cat) and Abby (dog).


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    Elizabeth,

    Bug and Abby are beautiful! My daughter and I volunteer at a local shelter- Adopt a Pet
    And we love to help socialize the cats and dogs by playing with them. ā¤ļøā¤ļø

    Jill
  • jm216
    jm216 Posts: 3,968 Member
    Sunday is my weigh in day too. I actually went up 2 lbs this week. I had a huge cheat wknd last week and it spilled a bit over into this one.

    What brings me joy? Well aside from eating chocolate covered raisins in my pantry... ā˜ŗļø

    Seeing my daughters smile and learn new things. My youngest just started asking me the question ā€œmom, why you happy?ā€ when I smile at her and I say ā€œbecause I am looking at you!ā€ Also reading together at the end of the day is one of my favorite times. We all snuggle on my king size bed with a blanket.

    Also pool weather brings me joy lately, especially since I bought my first bikini (high waisted but still) of my adult life. I seriously hadnā€™t worn a bikini probably since I was 6 years old. Thankfully we have a good friend with a backyard pool and will be spending our Labor Day relaxing poolside with burgers and hot dogs (no worries since Iā€™m bringing a chicken burger for me)

    Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.

    šŸ’–Diana

    Congrats on wearing a bikini! Thatā€™s awesome!šŸ‘ We love our pool, too. That was one of the main reasons we bought our house.

    Itā€™s so nice that youā€™re close to your daughters. I, too, am so thankful for my family.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    @sweetdianachka That's so sweet... Before you know it they are all grown up and preparing to leave off to college... So we need to make all the good memories we can now... Have fun at the pool today.

    @jm216 I love that you volunteer at the animal shelter. Our dog, an only pet, is a pound puppy and she's been with us since she was 8 weeks old; She will be 9 years old in April. I'm so against breeders... don't get me started on puppy mills...
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    Yesterday evening, the lake has brought us much joy this summer. My little boy gets so excited just to know he's going swimming. He won't get in his floaty or wear his water wings, just clings to one of us and splashes. I love it!
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  • silentwolf7
    silentwolf7 Posts: 4 Member
    My name is Bonny
    Iā€™m 56, have been happily married for almost 30 years. I have 28 and 25 year old sons, and a 27 year old daughter and a wonderful daughter-in-law. I have been on my fitness pal on and off for the past 5 to 7 years and Iā€™m starting over again. My starting weight is 202 and Iā€™m now at 196 after less than a month. Itā€™s been a struggle and have a lot of stress going on these past few years. Dealing with some health issues but finally found a doctor who is giving me some help, so losing weight can be a struggle but I feel I am going to do this. My mini goal weight is 160, My goal weight is 140. I live in Phoenix and of course Iā€™m sure most people have heard itā€™s been a horrible, hot year. So going outside is very tough. I feel sorry for my walking buddy Koda. It keeps us from being able to walk on the trails, I make sure that I do at least 6000 steps a day and my job in healthcare helps me do that. I look forward to talking with everyone and helping with the support needed. I have included pictures of my walking support Koda and my love support Chewey and Moo.