Daily Check In: Are You On Track Today?
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Shari, it is getting close to your trip to Mexico. Wishing you safe travels and lots of fun!!!
I had another really good day today. My eating was strongly on track and my hunger is completely under control. I made taco soup for supper using ground turkey and low sodium diced tomatoes, seasonings, and beans. It is easy to make, and we have enough to eat on Saturday. I love not having to cook on Saturday! The autumn leaves are beautiful here these days. We have a huge maple tree in our backyard outside of our kitchen windows. The colors this year are spectacular! It has been warm enough the past few days that we don't have to have our heat on.,,,yay saving a few dollars too.0 -
I am done the training that was required and now the work can really begin. I feel like there is a lot to learn, but having time in my day dedicated to really focus was super helpful. Two days to get the rest of the work done for this week and things set up well for next week. This break is well-timed for me.
I didn't do too bad yesterday. It's a win if I can eat well while at work, and I didn't eat while I was at work at all. It helped being able to have lunch at home before I went in. I went in for our youth event.
I have some lab tests to book before I leave- at least I hope I can get to that task.0 -
*I forgot to post what I wrote yesterday. But it was still waiting to be sent.
This will be my last post until next Sunday. I hope you all keep well.
I am so excited that there is only one sleep left and I get a break from my routine. It will be such a restful week and I am taking a pretty thick novel to read.1 -
Happy Vacation Shari!! Rest and enjoy!
I had another very good day today. I am varying my choices and keeping my focus on clean eating. My snack today was cucumbers and hummus. It really satisfied me. I am also having about 1/4 cup of walnuts every day as they help fill me up and have health benefits as well. After dinner I am having fresh fruit for dessert which so far has been working out well too. This is an ongoing process for me as I try to figure out how to eat healthy and stay satisfied enough to not cave to temptations.
I did a grocery pick up this afternoon but didn't really accomplish much else. A friend from church called and talked a long time today. I haven't seen her in person since Covid. She is back at church, but I am not. She is over 80 years old, looks 50, and is very energetic! She has been busy taking care of her 99 year old aunt. Great genes in that family I think. I have several octogenarian friends who look so youthful...quite amazing women all of them.
Here's to a great weekend.
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Hello! Paula, you are doing so well!! I need to follow your example! I have had sugar cravings that I’ve given in to instead of battling through them. If I get through 3 tough days, it gets better but so far I’ve only made it through one, caving on the 2nd. We have 3 guest dogs here until next Friday plus our 2. Our daughter and SIL went on a short vacation. That is keeping me busy and we haven’t found a good routine that meets the needs of all. Tomorrow I have a day trip to a dog show about 1 1/2 hours from here. I will meet friends there and my husband will stay. Home with the dogs. On Monday I have a follow up appointment with the orthopedic Dr. I am interested to hear what he has to say. Have a great weekend!!0
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DW, I bet your house is lots of fun with the extra dogs there. I cannot imagine trying to handle 5 at a time! I am guessing all 5 get along. I think it would be great fun to watch such interaction. My friend Kellie has 3 dogs (all rescues of different breeds and sizes) and they get along so beautifully it is a joy to see. I hope you enjoy your trip to the dog show and meeting up with your friends. That sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday.
I certainly understand sugar cravings. Having a few walnuts instead of a sweet has helped me with this. To my surprise I am able to handle the portion control of the walnuts without too much trouble. Also, I have been buying Skinny Dipped Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. I can get them at one of my supermarkets and also on Amazon. They are a bit pricey, but worth it to me because they are low in sugar and very satisfying. One peanut butter cup has only 70 calories, 6 carbs, and 2 grams of sugar and to me tastes delicious. Each peanut butter cup costs almost $1....so yes quite pricey but the price also helps me with portion control. I don't eat one every day, but on some days eating one is just enough sweet to keep me on track.
I am having a great day again today. I feel as if my weight is down, but of course I still haven't stepped on a scale. I will probably weigh myself within the next week or so.0 -
Hello! I hope you are doing well! I am surviving the guest dogs but they do take a lot of time! We are supposed to pick my daughter and SIL up tomorrow evening at the airport. Hopefully they will get back without too much delay! I ended up renting another storage unit… my sister is coming on 11/13 for two nights and we might have company over the holidays so I had to get things back out of the house because it’s stored in the extra bedrooms.
My eating has been good during the day and terrible at night. I hope to get back on a better routine on Saturday when life gets back to “normal “. Have a great Friday!0 -
Well DW, you have canine house guests and I have a human house guest. On Monday my 74 year old first cousin was transferred from a hospital "up home" (the area where I grew up) to a hospital 5 miles from where I live now because she needed specialized procedures not performed in the smaller hospital. Her only child, her 54 year old son, had been staying here with us to be closer to his mom while she is in this hospital. Her medical situation is more complicated because she has dementia and has been a quite difficult patient as a result (pulling out medical tubes, etc.). She has an abscess wrapped all around a kidney and an enormous kidney stone. She has been losing weight unintentionally over the past year or so related to the dementia and her not eating, etc. Her dementia has progressed significantly over the past 4 months to the extent that she weighs less than 90 pounds now. It has been a joy to be able to help out her son by having him stay here. He is an easy house guest and John loves talking sports etc. with him. He is single and recently quit his job to move back home with his mother in order to take care of her full time, quite an amazing son.
Having a house guest this week has changed our eating habits, meal schedules, etc. My eating has not been good all week. I could have done much better but just lost some motivation and have been extra tired I think related to our schedule changes. I need to get back on track. I hope to do so by Saturday or Sunday at the latest.
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Hello! I hope your cousin’s procedures went well! I’m sure that it is such a blessing for her son to be able to stay with you and have the support of you and John! My houseguests went home this morning . We picked up my daughter and SIL last night but they were exhausted so we kept the dogs one more night. I restarted 17dd/cycle 1 today-weighed in and am fighting sugar cravings. I plan to eat “on plan” snacks if I really feel the need to eat. This coming week I will have my last 2 PT appointments. I’ve been doing the exercises faithfully so I hope I can keep it up. Have a blessed Sunday!0
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DW, Congrats on restarting the 17DD. I know it can work as I did so well on it in the past. I had an up and down day today with my eating. I made some healthy choices and some not-so-healthy ones but the latter were only "small slips." However, too many small slips can add up and work against weight loss. This is sometimes another problem I face. Ugh!
My cousin was discharged from the hospital and is now at home with her son. All of us (her son, her sister, John, and I) are quite concerned about how she will do at home. The combination of her medical situation (the tube draining the abscess is still in her) and her dementia is of great concern to us. I guess insurance rules. There will be some home health care workers coming in maybe 3 times a week. Those details have yet to be entirely worked out. We understand that she will be more at ease in the familiar environment of her home, but have our doubts about how well things will work.0 -
Hello! How is your cousin doing? I can't imagine doing her care in the home setting but that seems to be way things go now days... I hope it is going well!!
After three good days, I had a terrible day yesterday because I was working the polls from 5:30am-8:30pm and ate whatever was available. Oddly, my weight wasn't up today-it stayed the same. Today I even did the lemon water first thing in the morning and have been on track so far. I have a Bible study tonight at church. It is the first night for it and I am hoping that it will be good. Other than that, I've been playing "catch up" on the housework and trying to get ready for my sister to visit this coming Sunday-Tuesday. This year, instead of our annual sisters' get away, she is coming here and we will start Christmas shopping based from my house. Nothing else is new here. I hope you are doing well! Have a good Thursday!0 -
DW, congrats on working at the polls. It makes sense to me that you had few food choices. Woo hoo for the scale not going up! And woo hoo too for the lemon water. I still like lemon water in the morning even though I am not following the plan at this time. I have read several times that lemon water in the morning is a healthy way to start the day. I hope your Bible study is enriching and uplifting! I truly appreciate the online classes John and I have been doing. We joined into a 5 week Zoom class with my old church, all 5 Tuesdays in November. We missed the first week because my cousin was staying here but were able to "catch up" by watching the video of the first class online. We are still doing our Monday evening Zoom Bible study led by my cousin who is a retired priest in Florida and right after that class we Zoom again, with our beloved church in Ohio where we are doing a book discussion. I feel so blessed to have these opportunities and John just thrives on these opportunities.
Things are going as well as can be expected with my cousin. She had to spend 2 nights sleeping on her not-so-comfy couch until they got a hospital bed for her to use in the living room. She managed ok but it was tough. Her son has really taken on quite a bit, but really he didn't have a lot of choices. For now she has a "potty chair" in the kitchen because she cannot navigate the steps to go upstairs to the one and only bathroom in the house. Yikes! She has a doctor appointment late next week so I guess we will know more then. She is eating a little better than in the past which is good.
I did very well yesterday and today but struggled a bit over the weekend. So glad to have 2 good days under my belt again. Now to keep this streak going!!0 -
Hello! I have caught up on all of the posts. I actually did that yesterday and gave a short update myself, but I didn't successfully post the reply. I should back into the routine of things once again.
I had a great trip and enjoyed the sunshine and ocean. I didn't realize how much stress I was carrying and this trip was a much needed recovery. I was hoping I wouldn't jump right back into it once I got home, but life was waiting for me.
My biggest stress is my in-laws. DH spoke to them as they noticed something is wrong with me. That is true, but when he tried to explain they were quite defensive. I don't want to see them, but it looks like I will tonight for a family dinner. His brother is visiting from Phoenix. I am going to be very uncomfortable. I booked a counselling appointment and then I will be okay to meet with them if they agree to a mediator. I don't feel that we will get anywhere unless we have someone on the outside help direct us. That is wearing on me, but I am trying to be joyful apart from that.
With Remembrance tomorrow, I will need to get two days of work done in one. I am thankful for a day off though. We haven't made much progress on our family room. Just the carpet is out. I am hoping we can spray the ceiling back to white. It is a darker color and I don't like it as it contributes to making the room feel so dark.0 -
Welcome back Shari! So good that your getaway was refreshing. So sorry though that you have so much to deal with concerning your in-laws. I think you are wise to have a counseling appointment. The idea of a mediator sounds more than reasonable. I hope and pray your in-laws cooperate.
Today was an errand day for me....Buster to the spa, grocery pick up etc., and I did pretty well. I was well on track too, being careful to not let myself get too hungry. We are expecting the remnants of Hurricane Nicole here tomorrow, mostly just heavy rain and some winds. It will be a good day for me to stay in and take care of so many "to do" list items indoors.0 -
I had a very full day of work yesterday and then dinner out. Not much else happened. I am very thankful for an extra day off to get some extra things done around here. With any luck we will be able to paint the family ceiling white. I am so excited to get that done. I think that alone will brighten up the space.
It's pretty cold here and I don't want to be outdoors at all. Tomorrow should be so much better and I hope to go for an outdoor walk.
I haven't been near any news. I will need to look up Hurricane Nicole, I missed that one somehow.0 -
Shari, Ceiling painting is a tough job as I remember. Many years ago when John was little, a friend and I painted John's room and I found aching muscles I never knew I had! But you are right....brightening up a room makes a huge difference. Today's rain wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. It was good in that we had a few short breaks when the rain was light or stopped completely. Buster is not a fan of rain!!
I did ok today with my food choices. Some days John and I are on different "hunger schedules" in that he isn't hungry when I am, but I always try for us to eat together. He can go a lot longer before becoming hungry compared to me. And sometimes that leads me to getting too hungry and then overeating when I finally do eat with him. Today I decided to eat dinner when I was hungry, and I ate without him. Much later when he was finally hungry I made his dinner and just sat with him while he ate. It worked ok today because we were eating different things. This approach doesn't work as well when we are eating the same foods a few hours apart. Sometimes his food sits too long and gets dried out, and I try to not have to cook twice, even if it is the same food. But I have decided that it is important for me to eat when I am hungry in order to address portion control concerns.0 -
I totally agree with not waiting to eat until you are too hungry. That always leads to overeating and sometimes grabbing something you had no intention to eat in the first place.
The ceiling looks so much better and I am very happy with how it turned out. Now we are starting to paint the brown bricks. We have decided to whitewash them. That will allow the light to bounce back into the room rather than create such a dark space. That is a painfully slow process, but I am excited to see the results.0 -
Congrats on getting that ceiling done. I love the idea of white washing your bricks. I bet that is a lot of work!
Well I finally have my laptop back so now I can post here again. I have been without it since Saturday as it was having issues with a Windows update. I used John's laptop while I didn't have mine, and I don't like his nearly as much as mine. My computer guy told me I should start shopping for a new laptop. I planned to do so anyway a I suspected my is on its way out. My computer guy is a true blessing, and he lives close to my neighborhood.
I had a nice weekend, even without my laptop! My friend from South Dakota and her friend who lives in NJ came to visit. My SD friend and I started out as pen pals in the 1960s when we were 9 years old, back in the days of letter writing. After all those years we met in person for the first time when she traveled east to visit her NJ friend about 15 years ago. Her visit on Sunday was only the 2nd time we were together in person. Our friendship is maintained through phone calls, texts, etc. but seeing her in person again was really great. She is my age. Her NJ friend is 89. I say she is 89 going on 35! What an incredible woman. We all had such a fabulous visit. I ordered delivery...cheesesteaks for all of us....I skipped the fries, so I consider that a success.
I am off to a good start today. I have already tackled some of my to do list items and am enjoying a reasonable amount of energy. Cold weather has arrived here, with some areas near us expecting a little snow. I hope it misses us.
Hope the week is going well for everyone!
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Hello Paula! Welcome back Shari! I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with my communications! After the election, I went into frantic cleaning mode interspersed with medical appointments. My sister arrived Sunday afternoon and we started shopping immediately. By Sunday evening we had several things crossed off the shopping lists. On Monday we went to a large mall in MI and got back in the evening. It was a 2 hour drive each way. This morning we wrapped all the books we'd purchased for each others' grandchildren and she headed home. It was a nice and productive visit! My eating hasn't been the best but I hope to regroup! Tomorrow I have to go back to the dentist who did a crown for me last week. The crown is loose and will need some attention. I had bloodwork drawn on Saturday morning and had some high numbers in the results so I called the Dr yesterday and heard back from them today. Apparently it is nothing to worry about.
Have either of you heard of the MIND Diet? It is a combination of the Mediterrean Diet and the DASH Diet. I've ordered the book. The diet is supposed to be good for your brain!. I have a dog show within driving distance this weekend but a couple of hours away. Have a great weekend!!0 -
Nice to hear from everyone!
DW so glad you were to get Christmas shopping accomplished. I still need to get started and hope to do so this weekend. I don't usually start it this late!
I haven't heard of the MIND diet. I hope it works well for you if you give it a try. I have doing research on healing metabolism. I read a book by Kate Deering and listen to podcasts by NuStrength. I am trying to eat nutrient dense foods, but I know that I am still stressed and have a long ways to go to recover. Stress and menopause are not a good combination when trying to lose weight.
Paula- that is pretty incredible to have had a pen pal for so long!
Long day for me today but I plan to get things done while trying to be full of joy. I have heard of too many people not well and many seem to be passing away at our church. It is very sobering and has made me reflect on how I spend my days.0 -
I have put a small dent in my Christmas shopping, just a few things I purchased online for John. I, of course, will do all of my shopping online. I need to get some updated sizes for John's Godson and his little brother.
I am not familiar with the MIND diet but plan to look into it. It sounds quite healthy as a combo of Mediterranean Diet and DASH diet. Those diets I am familiar with. Nutrient dense foods are a strong component in weight loss as I recall. I know I had a book about that some time ago. Again, a diet that makes sense. I recall from that book that carbs like rice and potatoes were limited to about a half a cup per serving.
Shari, so sorry for the illnesses and losses at your church. It is difficult to deal with such losses especially when several occur close in time together. You are wise to be mindful of joy!
I am fine now, but had a rough RA day. I would consider it a mini flare I guess. My pain level was really high, even though I took extra meds. I had a nail appointment and a grocery pick up which were challenging but I did ok. Usually this is when I have staying on track, but not today. I wasn't very hungry at all. After I took care of the groceries and nail appointment and attended an online church service, I rested and slept most of the evening. Now I feel well rested and with much less pain, so I think what I really needed was extra sleep. And so it goes with RA I guess.0 -
No progress with my weight loss efforts. I think I will try and fast today and see if that will help at all. I get to work from home and that should help reduce the temptations that always seem to be available at work. The scale is heading in the wrong direction for me.
I am off to the dentist for a cleaning this morning. In the evening I hope to finish my part of painting the bricks in the family room. That will feel so good.0 -
Shari, hope all went well with your dental appointment and your painting. Being able to work from home certainly has advantages.
Today was an excellent day for me. It was an at home day so not a lot of demands, but I got a lot of chores taken care of in the morning. In the afternoon the "cable guy" came to disconnect our cable tv. John and I decided to go with streaming instead. We started with YouTube tv today and love it. It is considerably less expensive than our cable service, and we actually get more choices of what to watch than we had with our "minimal" cable package. I stayed on track again today. My hunger monster has been under control, and thank goodness my energy level returned to just about normal today.
Let's welcome the weekend with success!0 -
I got my part of the brick painting done. DH will take over from here. It already looks so much better and brighter. I just had a cleaning at my dental appt and all did go well.
We don't have cable at the moment and do quite well. I watch a lot of YouTube videos but I don't have YouTube TV. I should look into that. We still have Netflix and find lots to watch on that platform.
I hope to see some success this weekend and join you in welcoming it here.0 -
What a good feeling to have more painting done Shari! And to be able to enjoy a brighter room.
Craig was here today and helped me with some minor chores. I am so grateful for his help. He is having some serious medical issues, and I am concerned for him. He is scheduled for a series of medical tests, including a stress test, ultra sounds of his legs to address potential circulation problems, colonoscopy (just because he has never had one), etc. He has high blood pressure and an aneurysm in his aorta which was discovered a few years ago, and Craig says he wasn't told about it till recently. How could he not be told about this? I wonder if he just thought if he ignored it, it would go away. His cardiologist doesn't seem concerned (yet) because it hasn't gotten much bigger since it was initially discovered, but his doctor has restricted him to what he can lift, etc. He has always had asthma and is still a smoker (ugh!), but he says is has cut way back on smoking in his attempt to quit completely.
I am on track again today. So happy to have the hunger monster under control. I am doing IF on some days too, and I think that helps. I have a few things to do tomorrow but expect to have a pretty relaxing weekend.0 -
Here are some photos of our family room's brick wall.
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Today we plan to paint the walls and then onto doing the flooring installation. Still a ways to go, but we are getting there.
Craig has a lot to take care of physically. Praying he can take all things seriously and find a pathway to get healthier. Change doesn't come easy.
My weight remains stuck at my highest. I had hoped to see the scale budge a little bit. Maybe it will for Monday if I can be consistent with my meal plans and movement.0 -
Wow Shari, I love seeing your pictures. I so admire the work you and your DH are doing. I know it is hard work. Thank you for your prayers for Craig.
I sort of took a day off from dieting today. I didn't go overboard, and I wasn't extremely hungry, but I did have more carbs than usual, including some chocolate. I got my to do list taken care of pretty early in the day and enjoyed the rest of the day watching some tv with John and gabbing with his God mother in western PA. I aim to be back on plan tomorrow, to attend a morning and evening online service, and to take care of myself with relaxation too.
A blessed Sunday to all!0 -
We go the first coat of paint on the walls and will do the second coat Monday night. The room is looking better and better. Feels a lot less like MIL's and more like our space.
DH brought my treadmill in from the garage so I can walk during the winter. I don't feel safe walking out doors in the dark in the country. I had to give up the treadmill because the sun room isn't heated so that wasn't working for me either. I hope that a daily walk will help me move along with some weight loss. Many books encourage a daily walk.
We plan to enjoy a day of rest, hope you all have a great day as well.0 -
Shari, Great that your hard work is making your home YOUR home! I love seeing that. I agree with you about the importance of walking. It is highly recommended just about all the time in the context of weight loss and overall wellness!
I enjoyed today very much and got back on track. Happy that yesterday didn't derail me or cause me to have another off plan day. I enjoyed relaxing with John and cooked a little but nothing too taxing or too fancy, but on track so that pleased me. I have some chores planned for tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be a very demanding day for me.0
