Daily Check In: Are You On Track Today?

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  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    Safe travels Diane! Loose fitting pants will make the air travel so much more comfortable.

    My mom called me last night and we chatted. She said she is doing better but is very upset about having called me. I wish she would see that the call wasn't the issue. It was the state of affairs that were happening to make her call. She will check in with me here and there but won't see me. She said she won't see anyone over Christmas. There is time for her to reconsider.

    DW- the kennel club event sounds like it was a lot of fun and had an even better outcome. Such good charities to support. Tonight I have my work Christmas party. Spouses are invited so that's good. I didn't go last year because it was across town. Over an hour drive. This year it is half the distance. I am going to try and save all of my calories for dinner time. I am working harder to lose weight. If things don't happen on my own, I may have to join you all on WW.
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Just a quick update for now. The chihuahua went to the family who was ahead of us on the list. I will keep checking. It hasn't been a good day. I never go to our basement because of mobility concerns. Today I was going to venture down there but got half way down the steps and discovered water on the basement floor. I called a plumbing company and was told they couldn't get anyone here till Monday! (Even though they claim to provide emergency services.) So I called Craig who came over and found that there is a blockage which caused water and worse to back up into the basement through the basement toilet and shower. Craig has worked as a plumber (though not officially licensed) and had access to a commercial grade snake which he used to try to open up the blockage. He was here about 6 hours and still the blockage isn't opened up. For a while he thought it was working ok, but then he found that was not the case. He will come back tomorrow morning to try a few more approaches, and then I will have to try other plumbing services to see if they can come before Monday, if Craig cannot fix the problem. Always something.
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    😱 Good luck with the water/sewer backup issue Paula. I can only imagine how awful it must be for you to deal with….I hope it gets repaired soon!🙏🏻
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    Oh no Paula! That is awful. Praying you get the assistance you need!!!!
  • DW2022
    DW2022 Posts: 345 Member
    HI Everyone!! Paula, I hope your plumbing problems have been resolved!! Shari and Diane, I hope things are going well for you and your families!! Everything is going well here except that I continue to battle late night eating. I think I have my weekly WW weigh in either tomorrow or Tuesday. We mailed the Christmas boxes to Alaska on Saturday morning, so that is a relief! I've never had it ready to go so early but with all of the warnings to ship early, I focused on that first. I have one more package to mail but it is only to SC, so I have a little time....
    Tomorrow evening, I'm going to a retirement party for a former colleague. Once again, I am so excited to see my former coworkers and appreciate that they include me!! That's all the news from here. Have a good week!
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Thank you friends for your prayers and good wishes. After an exhausting 2 days, the blockage is finally open (I hope). Craig did the best he could, but the problem remained so I called a company I had never used before. The tech came at 9:30 pm on Saturday. He had it cleared by 11 pm, working outside in the dark and cold. He had been working all day and was exhausted. To my surprise, when he finished he came in and sat and chatted with us for a half hour. I think he was just too exhausted to move right away. I know I was exhausted, and I didn't do the work he did. I found the cost quite reasonable considering everything involved ($275 plus I gave him a tip). Craig is going to come tomorrow to check out the basement again and do any additional clean up that might be needed. I won't feel totally at ease with this until Craig inspects the basement. He was working at another job today (which he missed yesterday to help me), so I didn't want him to come here today to check.

    Today was a very nice day for me and John, such a contrast from the previous 2 days. Today we "attended" our online church service this morning and then a Christmas concert online performed in the afternoon by a choir from an Orthodox seminary here in PA. It was very beautiful and well done. After the concert we had another online church service for the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas. Tomorrow is St. Nicholas day (and we will have church tomorrow morning too). Our custom is for children to either get a stocking of goodies filled by St. Nick or for St. Nick to leave presents in the child's shoe. I was raised with the stocking custom so that is what I kept and still keep with John. I tell him he isn't too old for this as long as I am able to provide something.

    My eating has been very good. Yesterday John and I ate and drank almost nothing because we didn't want to have any bathroom issues till the problem was resolved. Talk about IF! After a while we weren't really hungry at all. Today was a normal healthy eating day. I stayed well within my WW points. I will be looking forward to my next weigh in...soon I think.
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    So glad you got the plumbing issue looked after Paula. Such a relief.

    I had a very good sabbath yesterday. I am learning how to rest and to "be" instead of always doing. I must say it is getting easier. Still learning things and working on myself as I age. I don't think I will arrive, but I won't quit trying to become a better version of me.

    Ate more than I wanted to this weekend, and I didn't track. Back to it today!
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Hi everyone!
    So glad your plumbing issues are resolved Paula! Yes, not having a working bathroom can cause issues for certain! Makes me even more appreciative of all my years now having “flush toilets”, lol….we had none of those when I was growing up on the farm. 👍

    DW….I surely can identify with late night eating! I had NO willpower over it until starting my IF eating schedule. Now I have been able to not eat after 7:00 since September 3. Why is that? I ask myself that question but don’t have the answer. Certainly a mind over matter because nothing else has changed. 🤔

    Shari….it’s good to hear you are finding ways to let yourself relax at least on Sundays…it’s good to have that stress break. I really put myself through a lot of angst over the years trying to do too much, trying “to do everything”, part of being a perfectionist. Did not serve me well sometimes and I am happier now relaxing those standards and allowing myself some (previously I viewed as lazy), “me times”.

    Golf yesterday and then invited our playing partners over for drinks and snacks. I had water as I have just not had the urge to have wine lately and others all wanted beer which I have not had since I was maybe 16? Just do not care for it. Good news this morning I am down again in weight. I am now a total of 10.2 lbs lost on my IF program. I have quit recording every food I eat. I am so into eating same things over and over that I know I am in the groove calorie wise. But I am sticking to IF and weighing each day!😍
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Shari, Glad you had such a good Sunday! You are right that taking care of yourself in such a way does get easier and is a good thing to do.

    Diane, I was about 6 years old when my maternal grandparents got their first indoor toilet. I still remember the excitement surrounding this achievement. I would love a glass of wine now and then but just don't make the effort to have it, so maybe I don't want it as much as I think I do. I used to enjoy beer, especially with pizza, when I was in my 20s, but somehow totally lost my taste for beer and now I can't stand it. I don't even like beer batter dipped shrimp or anything similar! Congrats on your very impressive weight loss....no wonder those pants are now loose on you.

    I am finding that doing IF is becoming more natural for me these days. It seems that my hunger is far better controlled. I still track all of my food because of the WW plan. I am enjoying having a much greater variety of foods to choose from, which I think helps keep me motivated and on track. Our plumbing issues seem fine now. Craig was here for over 4 hours yesterday, cleaning up more of the basement. He also helped me get our artificial Christmas tree set up. It is an all-in-one tree (prelit and decorated). Eventually I will probably post a photo. He also helped me with a few other little Christmas decorations. We will do more when he comes back on Thursday.
  • DW2022
    DW2022 Posts: 345 Member
    Hi Everybody! Diane, congrats on the weight loss!! Paula, so glad that your plumbing problems are fixed!! Shari, I'm glad that you are giving yourself some relaxation time!! Well, I had a huge surprise today-both packages were delivered to my son's home today-shockingly FAST!! For the past two days I've been going through storage totes of old photos, photo, albums, etc. My cousin's daughter reached out to me looking for photos of her mom, aunt and grandmother for a Christmas surprise. In many ways it was good-I pulled a ton of photos to send to my son and give to my daughter and I ran into some family tree information to pass on, but it was also sad because most of the people in the photos are gone now. I did come across some photos for my relative's project and am very happy about that! Many of them, I will be able to give her ( vs having her make copies) and be happy to have passed them on!! I am mentally and emotionally exhausted from the project so I will close..have a lovely evening!!
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    DW- It can be quite heartwarming to go through photos. I know when I do, it brings back so many memories that would otherwise be forgotten. I would like to take more photos. I don't do it often enough and now that it's so easy, there isn't any excuse to do so.
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Good morning everyone! We arrived in MN late yesterday. Snow on the ground and,of course, it’s cold! MN in December so normal.

    The afternoon before we flew out we learned of a death in the family. He was our daughter’s ex-husband, Jack, and father to our 3 grandchildren. He died in Florida. Our grandson (living in AZ) managed to get a seat on the same flight back with us and everyone has gathered now with their mom. Our grandson was his dad’s only “next of kin” so was notified of his death by the hospital. He was totally unprepared for getting that call. It is a sad time and much to be decided and many unknowns as to handling everything long distance in Florida. Quite complicated, including autopsy required and then getting his remains back to MN. Sadly, their father (age 55) had addiction issues since his teens, including pain pills and alcohol, and his death was from liver and heart failure. He was found unresponsive in his apartment and they were unable to save him at hospital. I am continuing to pray for his soul, that he may now Rest In Peace with God and his mother and father who have passed before him. And, I am praying for his children for strength and guidance and peace during the days ahead.🙏🏻
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    So sorry to hear about the loss for the family. Those are very hard circumstances in which to say goodbye. Praying for the children as they work through grief and work through all of the logistics. Definitely for peace and guidance.
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Diane, So sorry for your and your family's loss. I will add Jack to my prayers for the departed for the next 40 days as is our custom. How comforting and what a blessing that your grandson was able to fly on the same plane. I am sure you are a comfort and wonderful support to him. Glad you are safely in MN, despite the snow and cold. Hugs to you and your family.

    Today is quite a lazy day for me, after a relatively busy day yesterday. I just don't have much energy today, so I am doing what I must do and not stressing over what isn't getting done. It is somewhat unseasonably cold here today, but a nice warm up is expected over the next 2 days. My eating was off course a bit yesterday. I was running some errands and wanted a break from cooking, so John and I decided to do a Taco Bell drive thru, something I haven't done in a very long time. I knew I could use my WW points by tracking the Taco Bell food. Well, it wasn't meant to be. I ordered "without onions" and got onions anyway. I just couldn't eat anything. I cannot tolerate even the slightest taste of onion. John doesn't care for onions either, but he isn't as bad as I am about it. So he ate a little bit, but we ended up eating a mixture of leftovers we had on hand instead. Lesson learned!!!! Today I am back on track and wrote a bad review on the Taco Bell survey from the receipt.
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It’s cold and more snow predicted. Dreary day which matched my mood and my feeling of mourning. I am sad especially for his grieving kids and sad for all he missed in their lives due to his addictions. I hope and pray he now is at peace.

    We came home to no hot water. Electricity not working at the breaker and an electrician was to come today but never showed and did not call. We will call in the morning to see what we learn. We were told we would be a “work in” by 5:00. I hope they can be here tomorrow!

    Paula…that’s a bummer about the Taco Bell….I am sure you were looking forward to the treat! The new/old place my DH now likes to go drive through is Arbys. We had not gone in a few years but then they added a new Buffalo chicken sandwich he really likes! Goes to show the menu can make a big difference. I always get the old standby French dip!
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    I hope you get your hot water Diane! Glad you have access to water even if it has to be cold. I couldn't shower in cold water.

    Grieving is so hard and exhausting. I pray that the family can work through it and be at peace.

    We don't eat out that often, so when we do and it doesn't taste good, it's hard to not feel disappointment over the unenjoyable calories. I haven't been to Arby's in a very long time and I do love a good chicken sandwich. I will have to give it a try when I have better numbers on the scale.
  • DW2022
    DW2022 Posts: 345 Member
    Hi Everybody! Diane, I am so sorry for the loss in your family! I will be keeping you all in my prayers! I hope that you have hot water!
    Paula, how disappointing about your Taco Bell order! Shari, you are right about the photos bringing back good memories- while I was sorting photos for my cousin's daughter, I also pulled many to give to my children and those were good memories!
    We are expecting weird weather tonight and tomorrow-warming temperatures and chances of severe thunder storms. Then the temps will drop through the day tomorrow and Sunday will be calm but cooler-it's all relative-I think the 40s(tomorrow's cooler temperature) are pretty warm for December!
    Today I packed up my final gift package that needs to go in the mail and hope to get it sent tomorrow morning. I hope you all have a peaceful weekend!!
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Hello to all and again thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
    We have temporary hot water for the weekend. Will not detail it but is a bit of an issue that will need to be permanently fixed but not before next week. Electrician did a work around yesterday afternoon to get power to water heater. Shower felt good today!!!
    We got 16” of snow yesterday afternoon and overnight….and we are not plowed out yet. Hoping to be plowed overnight tonight. I had gone to store and gotten groceries so we are fine “stuck” at home. We lost tv last evening as the snow buried our satellite dish but it has now melted or blown off enough from the roof so tonight tv should be an option again.
    Wishing everyone well, I am grateful for our blessings at this season of the year and taking everything one step at a time.
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Diane, I feel for you in all that snow, but I imagine you are quite accustomed to such weather. Believe it or not we had record high temps here today, in the low to mid 60s but with lots of rain and wind. Glad you have hot water!!

    DW, What a great feeling to have your packages for mailing all taken care of. I will be wrapping this week for some of our relatives. I had decided that we will not go to visit them on Christmas day, so they have plans to come here on Dec. 17. That means I have to have the gifts wrapped and ready by then. I am glad I won't have to mail the packages.

    Shari, My friend Kay says that there is a lot of ice in the area where she lives. Are you experiencing the same? I believe she is more "in the city" than you are.

    Yesterday was another lazy day for me, which forced me to realize I was having a mini flare. So I rested quite a bit again yesterday and feel much better today. My eating was off yesterday for sure. I used a lot of my extra WW points, but am back in the groove today, thank goodness. I hope to write Christmas cards tomorrow and mail them on Monday. I am usually very late mailing my cards, for no good reason. I am determine to get the cards mailed early this coming week.

    A blessed Sunday to all!!
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    I am checking in today with a little good news. I weighed in this morning and am down another pound. It is actually a pound and a few ounces, but I decided to keep focused on whole numbers for a while. So for me, I am down a consistent 5 pounds through the combination of WW and IF. I guess my recent blips didn't do the damage I anticipated. So much more to go, but no complaints with my results so far. I feel pretty good and am enjoying mostly a restful day today.
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    We do have have the same type of icy conditions at the farm. Everything is coated in ice and it's very slippery. I am thankful that the highway is clear, so driving into the city is just fine.

    Congrats on the weight loss Paula. I had a very restful morning, and just got home from picking up a few gifts for Christmas. It was nice to get out and do a bit of shopping. Now to relax the rest of the evening.
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Paula…congrats on the weight loss! 5 lbs is awesome! Looks like IF with WW is a switch your body likes! Glad you are seeing such good results.

    Shari…sounds like winter in Canada too…brrr. Hate to deal with ice…I am worried about falling! Be careful!

    DW….you sound very organized for Christmas…I am definitely not! Feel lucky just to have hot water right now🙂

    We are helping by transporting our son to medical appointments today thru Wednesday. The weather warmed some today and hope it continues while he is going through these procedures. He has a brain MRI tomorrow and I am praying for good news. Life has been extremely complicated of late.🙏🏻
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    Diane, I hope the MRI appointment goes well and that you don't have to wait too long for results. Praying for good news!
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Diane, Thinking of you and praying for good news for your son. So much stress for you lately!!

    My day today was ok but not as solid as other recent good days. I did get a lot done again today but now feel quite tired. I am concerned that Craig has Covid. He called to tell me he is ill with symptoms such as a severe headache and his eyes hurting a great deal. Those symptoms are similar to the symptoms one of my relatives experienced when she had Covid. Craig had not had a Covid test when he called. Not sure if he is going to get tested. He hasn't been here since Dec. 6, so I feel fairly safe. But I will try to check in with him in the next few days. I am also concerned because he has asthma and smokes.....such a dangerous combination no matter what he has.

    I have another busy day ahead of me tomorrow so I am going to rest now and head to bed early.
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    Let's pray that Craig is okay. A bit worrisome having been around him, but it is good that he hasn't been around for over a week.

    My weight is not budging and it looks like I am starting 2022 at the same weight I started 2021. I am thankful I am not heavier. I am not giving up. I am not waiting for the New Year to get started. I have to do that today. I have made so many changes, but it looks like I have more to make. I can do this!
  • atgoal135
    atgoal135 Posts: 149 Member
    Paula so sorry Craig is ill and it might be Covid. I hope he gets tested so he knows, people he may have exposed know, and also for a timeline for quarantine if he does have it. You should be OK because he likely did not have Covid when you saw him but they say you can’t be out of woods for two weeks past possible exposure? All these time frames are hard to keep straight. Saying my prayers all will be ok for him and for you and John.🙏🏻

    Answered prayers for our son. Very thankful! He does not have a pituitary tumor! His hormone levels are way off indicating a pituitary issue which is not uncommon with TBI…but they can not treat him until they ruled that tumor possibility out. He has retaken extensive blood work and is awaiting results and then he will get opinion of his endocrinologist.

    Shari….good for you that you are not waiting until the New Year to keep on track! Me too! With the strange early mornings schedule we have been on and uncertain meal times I have had two days off IF…but managed not to eat after dinner at all and restarted fasting until 11:00 today. So I feel I can now get back on track and remain on track.🤞👍.

    Wishing everyone good weather, good times with family during this Christmas season!❤️
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Diane, So happy that your son's results are good. Hoping that the endocrinologist provides what he needs.

    I called Craig and suggested he get a Covid test. He said he would do so. I haven't followed up yet to see if he got the test. I will give it a few more days before I call him again.

    I had a busy few days. Yesterday my energy level was high and my pain was not too bad, so I was able to accomplish quite a bit around the house. By bedtime I was exhausted but pleased with all I did. Today we had a late morning visit from our priest. He has been our pastor since August 2020 and is a very nice man and seems to be a good pastor. John and I appreciated his visit, about the 3rd time he's been here since coming to our church. I see that he has grown and improved over the past 16 months or so, which is great. Tomorrow our family is coming to visit. These are the relatives with whom we usually spend Christmas and Easter. They are coming here tomorrow primarily because we decided not to visit them on Christmas, mostly because of the all the steps we would have to navigate in their bi level home. We will get take out or delivery when they come. The 2-year-old and 4-year-old (John's Godson) are at the fussy eating stage so I will go along with whatever is easy for the kids. I have all their presents wrapped and am looking forward to seeing them. It will be 3 or 4 adults plus the 2 boys and me and John. I think we might wear masks but will see how it goes. Since we will be eating together, wearing masks seems somewhat impractical.

    My eating was good yesterday and today. Not sure what I will eat tomorrow, but I am ok with whatever we decide to do.
  • DW2022
    DW2022 Posts: 345 Member
    HI Everybody! I was just catching up on all the communications I have missed. So far, I've nodded off while wrapping gifts each night this week. I have to wait until my husband goes to bed because I have the card table set up in the family room where he watches TV. Once he goes to bed, I start wrapping while watching TV shows that I enjoy-and then doze off. Last night I woke up around midnight with my head resting on my arms on the card table. Tonight I finished most of the wrapping and plan to take the card table down tomorrow and then start cleaning. Paula, I hope you have a wonderful visit with your family tomorrow! Shari, I am also struggling with my weight being up 3+ pounds since I started weight watchers. I think I need to combine, 17 DD, WW, and IF, and there are too many sweets and treats around right now to do that. Diane, prayers for your son!! Have a great Friday!!
  • shariletts
    shariletts Posts: 968 Member
    DW- I can just picture you falling asleep at the table since you describe the scene so well.
    I need to start doing some cleaning. I haven't been doing well emotionally and just exhausted. I keep distracted watching TV.

    I will make sure to spend time tonight and tomorrow cleaning. Love that there will be no pressure on Sunday now that I keep the sabbath.

    We are going to disappoint Jim's parents this weekend. We always seem to have contention with them. But they invited (for Christmas dinner on boxing day), his brother and family, his sister and family (great grandkids too) but less one son since he is not vaccinated. Jim and I, but not our children. I am hurt and brings back a lot of past hurt for me. So we will choose not to go. But in the past we would come up with some lame excuse and she would still be hurt that we don't go. This time we are going to say no, but add the real reason. She will still most likely take on being the one who is hurt, but I will not take responsibility for her reaction this time. No guilt. Counselling has helped me. I still don't always get there right away, but I am improved.
  • Paulawilldo
    Paulawilldo Posts: 1,127 Member
    Shari, I find it very difficult to clean when I am tired. I hope you gain some energy to make the cleaning go so much more smoothly. I am glad you are keeping the sabbath. For me doing so has a positive impact spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I am so sorry you are hurt by Jim's parents. I understand how painful their action can be. Good that your counseling is giving you strength and support!

    DW, I am free from having to do a lot of wrapping anymore for Christmas. I tend to use gift bags as much as possible, but there are always those gifts that are not well suited for gift bags. When John was little I used to procrastinate till Christmas eve to wrap most of his gifts. It was a strain on me for sure. I hear you about the sweets all around us now. Oh my! It is a struggle now for sure. When our family visited yesterday among other things, they brought us chocolate covered pretzels made by a church "back home." And of course anything from "back home" is the best, and I caved yesterday with the pretzels.

    We had a fabulous visit with our family yesterday. The boys were so much fun and very high energy. John was in his glory with the boys here. It warms my heart to see them together. They are at really fun ages and are relatively well behaved, all things considered. We got food from Panera Bread. I had the tomato soup and the tomato basil cucumber salad (all pretty healthy and very tasty). But then I indulged in the chocolate covered pretzels, so there went my attempt to stay on track. Ugh! Today the youth group from church came to sing Christmas carols, and they brought us a beautiful poinsettia. There were about 25 people ranging in age from 1 year old to a youth advisor who is in her 70s. It was so sweet and beautiful, but it really made us miss church and the beautiful people there even more. However, with all the surges again in Covid cases and my mobility issues, I am sure it will still be a while till we are back to church. I checked with Greg today, and he did go for the Covid test but hasn't gotten the results yet.