Step it up September!

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Mihani
Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
Hi all, this title is mostly for me. I definitely need to step it up!!! I'm drowning in work and stress and my head is not in the right place at all. Working on that this month, including getting serious about exercise of some sort every single day. I know how much it helps my attitude.

Today was good...
B - ezekiel toast with a smidge of PB
L - salad and an apple
D - more salad, some baked tofu

Looking forward to another month on this journey with y'all. <3
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  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Happy September all! Great title. I think I've lost some focus, but now I'm sort of getting in the groove of Pandemic Times.

    My goals are these: Preplan meals, stick to an eating schedule, stay within my caloric range, work out with weight 20 minutes a day, do 10k steps daily.

    I'm going to start a Habit Tracker in my Hobonichi Techo (which is kind of this obscure planner which I love) to maintain my focus.

    On the social-emotional level, I'm going to be kind to myself!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Great plan Shred. I just looked up the Hobonichi Techo very cool. I have a Panda Planner which I used for a month or so then slacked off. I should dust it off and use it again. It did help me focus on positives and I loved that it was eco-friendly and vegan, plus the guy who developed it had an awesome story. I had fun with it too, using different color pen markers and stickers.

    I think we should all be focusing on being kind to ourselves and that's a good reminder. Covid seems to have everyone I know in a funk or angry. Including me!

    Today was not stellar, but not bad!

    B - oats with blueberries and almond milk yogurt
    L - Dr. McD soup and raw veggies
    D - will be a big ol' salad and some grapes
    S - yeah... got into the pretzels again and also had a square of dark chocolate
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Austin, hope to see you again soon! Guessing you are buried in projects.

    Miss you Magic <3
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    I'm a plan aholic...I think I probably try at least 3 new planners a year...and I end up distributing them to my family.

    I just find the mere act of writing something down very balancing..once it is down on paper, it doesn't rattle around in my brain like marbles in a tin can!

    Pretzels and chocolate sound very Continental...so if you're going to indulge, I say go with that!

    My b-day is coming up, and my Pastry Chef Son (aspiring) and Avid Home Baker Husband are promising me gluten free, sugar free blueberry tartlets.

    Ah, I remember the days when I insisted we all go to a bakery and each order a slice of chocolate cake and we would share...now though I love that shared family memory, I know that a couple of bites and I'd be in a sugar coma.

    Austin: Hope you're well!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    LOL Shred... I do the same. I love planners in theory but in practice I guess I need a planner to tell me to use my planner.

    Busy day as usual. I am working all this weekend to try to get on top of things. Should be quiet with the holiday weekend. Hope so anyway. We have several things blowing up that are sucking up too much of my time and other things are falling behind.

    Was a good day though...
    B - oats with blueberries and hemp hearts and almond milk yogurt
    L - big ol' salad
    D - will be a small salad, leftover baked tofu, sauteed greens over quinoa
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Happy Weekend! I haven't been feeling well (not COVID, but lots of shortness of breath and chills) so eating has been fairly self-indulgent...but not over my calories.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Hope you are feeling better, Shred. When is your birthday?

    I am heading to the office again today. Was in there yesterday and got through some things, but it barely made a dent.

    Plan for today...
    B - oats with blueberries and vanilla almond milk yogurt
    L - big ol' salad, apple
    D - not sure yet... maybe cheezy chickpeas with baby spinach

    Cheezy chickpeas are pretty good for something so simple. I add a little smoked paprika.

    https://plantstrong.com/plant-strong-recipes/top-engine-2-recipes-cheezy-chickpeas
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
    edited September 2020
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    Thank you for asking! I got some Primatene mist, which is helping to open up my air ways, so I'm able to breath better.

    September 12th! I must say while I wish I had that 30 year old metabolism (starve myself after 3 days of cake/jelly beans and donuts) and still weigh 130, I feel that I've gained so much more than I've lost.

    I revel in being "that nice older woman" and while so many of my peers complain about being invisible, I feel that without the whole "am I pretty enough" dynamic removed from my life, there is just this freedom I didn't have before.

    I'm going to give cheesy chickpeas a try.

    My eating has not been the best, my throat is so sore and I have to spend a lot of time in bed...which keeps me out of the kitchen, so it has been a protein bar and pop corn kind of day.

    Austin: Hope you're well!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Hope you are continuing to improve, Shred, and will be ready to celebrate your birthday! The tartlets sound intriguing so I'll be looking forward to hearing about those.

    Had a rough day at the office. Have a few things to finish up yet tonight then I'm going to bed early. Storms last night had the old pup terrified and I ended up sleeping in my recliner because he wouldn't settle. If I get in the recliner he'll curl up in the corner behind the chair and leave me alone. I don't mind sleeping in the recliner, but I had my bed all made up with fresh sheets and was really looking forward to sleeping in it last night!

    B - ezekiel toast with a smidge of PB, plant protein powder mixed with water
    L - Amy's tofu scramble, apple
    D - big ol' salad topped with leftover cheezy chickpeas

    First time I have wilted baby spinach into my cheezy chickpeas and I liked that a lot. I think almost everything savory is better with some greens... my favorites for that are spinach, mustard, kale or chard. For heartier bean soups or stews I like collard greens. The first time I had collard greens I didn't like them at all, but now I crave them! It really is weird how tastes change.

  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    That was weird... had several days where I couldn't get to groups on MFP. Seems to be working again now.

    Has been a busy few days at work. Plan to work on the house today and get it all spiffy clean. Tomorrow will be working but at least from home not going to the office.

    Not sure what plans are for my menu today. I got a couple green tomatoes and will oven fry them with no oil today. Love fried green tomatoes!
  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,591 Member
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    Good morning afternoon (I got interrupted)!

    I can get in today, too!

    My menu has been vegan but kinda all over the place. I am finishing my coffee and sipping a broccoli, spinach & blueberry smoothie. Yay for easing back into the routine after the disruption of the Big Project.

    In super exciting news, this is day 13 since my husband's big bicycling accident. Hours in emergency medical clinic, orthopedist's office and being asked to wait in a lobby where people were waiting for COVID-related testing had me pretty worried, but so far, we seem to avoided the virus. We have had more trips to doctor's offices since then, but have continued to be vigilant.

    I am planning a pretty normal Austin menu today. Beans & greens for lunch, a salad for dinner! I'll go to the store and get some almond butter and fruit, and add some treat in there, too.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Hmmm... I posted a reply earlier today and it is gone! Austin, how is your husband doing now? So sorry to hear he was injured.

  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,591 Member
    edited September 2020
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    Mihani wrote: »
    Hmmm... I posted a reply earlier today and it is gone! Austin, how is your husband doing now? So sorry to hear he was injured.

    Hey Mihani,

    So glad it is not just me with the disappearing posts! I swear, I have had that happen, too!

    My husband is doing pretty well. He'll be in a sling with a strap to hold things in place for 4-5 weeks at least. Good news is that the substantial road rash is almost entirely healed, so it's just the clavicle now, really. Oh, and with all the straps and such in place, he is not hurting much at all. He's just one-handed, so if it takes 2 hands, I need to do it!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
    edited September 2020
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    Oh my Austin... so glad he's doing better. I used to kind of scoff about helmets, but I wear one now after a couple of friends were hurt in accidents. You just never know. There weren't helmets for bicycling when I was a kid though.

    I was worn out from my cleaning marathon yesterday. Ordered a pizza with artichokes and roasted red peppers and balsamic glaze for dinner last night. Boy was that good! I figure I earned those extra calories! Will eat the rest for lunch and dinner today.

    Washed multiple loads of sheets, towels and blankets yesterday that I had let pile up. Still have to do a load of clothes and the dog blankets today. It was such a nice day with a good breeze so I had all the windows open and got the house aired out nicely. Love waking up to a sparkling kitchen.

    Other than laundry I'm going to work on my office which is, as usual, a disaster. I don't know how the paper piles up so quickly! I will spend a couple hours organizing and prioritizing, then work the rest of the day. Will take time to treadmill at some point.

    I am going to start the strict Eat to Live 6 week plan tomorrow. I need to get back to nutrient dense and stop the indulgences in pretzels and wine for a bit so I can knock off a few pounds. Covid has not been kind to my waistline. Stress and emotional eating and there's nothing better than Dr. F's 6 week plan to get my habits back on track.
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Long absence, but now that I've found Mucinex and Primatene, I'm able to sit up and breathe (this isn't COVID,just a combination of allergies/cold).

    I just rejoined Weight Watchers. The program has become far more customizable and each individual is assessed and given one of three programs based upon their responses to a series of questions. I just find that I'm drifting...a little more here, a touch extra there, and now that I'm officially "old" (I like it!), those little bites add up at warp speed.

    I also admit that I miss people! WW is doing Zoom meetings now, so that will give me some human contact, albeit over a screen.

    Austin: I don't know if you mentioned this,but was this a motorcycle accident or regular bike accident? How did it happen? I'm so sorry to learn of his injuries...and wish him all the best.

    I may not be doing MFP tracking, since WW requires it, but I'll be checking in here daily..cause you are my Team and Tribe!

    Today: Green smoothie for breakfast, lunch is russet potato/broccoli/cauliflower, dinner will be the same with salad, and snacks of mixed berries.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Hi Shred... I think she said it was a bicycling accident. That's awesome you are doing WW. I did that years ago. I liked the online group for a while but it got a bit snippy and weird so I quit. I also tried in person meetings and while I enjoyed some of it the leader wasn't very good and I stopped going. But, everything I've done over the years has helped in one way or another. More knowledge.

    Glad you are feeling better!

    I actually had a pretty good day at work. Stressful as usual but nothing that made me break out in a sweat or heart race. LOL

    Breakfast was cooked veggies. Lunch was a Dr. McD soup and a couple wasa crackers, snack was oats with almond milk yogurt and blueberries. Dinner will be a big ol' salad with chickpeas and ginger miso dressing. Yum!
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Yep, WW can be somewhat weird both on-line and in-person. I think people tend to get too involved and it all goes off the rails pretty quickly once a toxic personality or two gets engaged. The new WW uses more of a reward system, and right now, I have a childlike need for some external validation!

    Your plan sounds yum!
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Shred, I signed up for the free month of WW after you mentioned it. I will see how I like it. I just did the digital thing no coaching or meetings. I recall the last time I did it that it was nearly impossible as a vegan because they pretty much wanted you to eat chicken breasts and fish every day and you got dinged big time for beans and whole grains. They have plans geared to WFPB now which is very cool, making beans and lentils and tofu free, in addition to the former free fruit and non-starchy veggies.

    Tracking on MFP annoys me for some reason so I gave it up a long time ago. I think because there are so many crap entries in the database. They have made a lot of improvements which I appreciate, and it's free which is awesome, but the WW app seems a lot easier.

    Today was good... oats with blueberries for breakfast, big ol' salad for lunch, a Dr. McD soup for dinner with some cooked veggies and brown rice.
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Cool! I feel like I was born with a WW tracker in my hands...so I've seen every permutation of the program. This one seems like the most vegan friendly. The new formulae seem to be more geared towards rewarding eating produce which is where my veganism seems to hit a major glitch. I'm fine with vegan, but way too light on veggies (though I have developed a true love of berries.)

    I just find that 1,200 calorie limit on MFP unlivable. I'm tracking again just to see how my macros fall out, and just through habit.
  • ShredWeek1
    ShredWeek1 Posts: 188 Member
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    Happy Wed. Plant Team! I just signed up for a produce delivery from one of the imperfect produce companies. I'm getting fairly bored with potatoes/cauliflower/broccoli and time to add some variety!