Weigh-in July 28-Aug 3, 2021

SarahMaxx

LW: 132.4
TW: 132.6

Happy hump day everyone. Not the loss I wanted, but I looked at my 2020 calendar book today, and I'm 9.4 pounds lighter than this time last year, so over the long term, I'm in a better spot. And this is actually my late morning weight. I forgot to weigh this morning because I was rushing to get to a dentist appointment about that crown that broke. The good news is that because it's so new, there will be no cost for the replacement. My dentist said that doing nothing for now is also an option since it's only a corner that broke (it feels much larger than it actually is) and it's not affecting the health of the tooth. But I think I'd rather get it replaced than chance having it break it even more at some inconvenient time.

Lois, we did have a great time at the ballgame on Sunday, although the Nats lost by one run. The seats, however, were phenomenal and we were under an overhang, so we were in the shade. That plus a nice breeze made a day game in late July bearable.

Monday night I did volunteer work, but last night I made it to the mall in time to meet walking buddy #2 for a 40 minute walk. I wish I could have gotten there earlier so I could have walked longer, but I had 3 meetings yesterday and was trying to actually get some work done before I signed out. One meeting was a special one about the Delta variant and information we're getting from the U.K. where that variant accounts for 98% of cases. We're fortunate they're willing to share their data.

Today, I have plans to meet my original walking buddy at 5:30. I hope nothing comes up for her. She walks so fast that I get a super workout when I'm with her. The new lady I'm walking with walks slower than I normally do. Although she's more than a decade younger than me, she's having some hip issues that slow her up a bit. My average steps for the week was about 9K, but I hope to get that up to 10K next week. I know some days I may have limited walking time, but I can always go a little longer on other days. I've decided to look at the average and not get stressed about a day when I just can't get much activity in. (Sorry if I've said this before and am repeating myself!) :

Intake has been okay, but not great. This past week I stayed within my calorie allowance most days, but the ballgame food on Sunday really did me in! My goal for next week is to focus more on intake. I still go under with protein and over with fat and sugar.

Lois, I hope your hubby does well with his competition and that your time alone with your MIL has not been too stressful. Sheesh, I hope you had a great time at the cabin and also got some time to rest. Kelly, I think about you with a job, two kids some of the time, two dogs all of the time, and of course, all the stress that is around us with COVID still lurking as school time approaches. I hope you feel the good energy I send your way.

Looking forward to hearing how everyone's week went. Now off to do some chores.

Lastchancelj

AVGLW - 232.6
AVGTW - 233.1

Well had some very sodium filled days - and yesterday's lunch was another. Hubby's gone for possibly the remainder of the week. He's only staying about 30-40 mins away, so I'm not sure how long he's going to be there. He may come home Thursday eve after his testing...but it's going to depend on what time he has to be back on Friday morning (he hadn't received all of his assignments as of last night). Night one with MIL was ok.

So one of our pool pumps died...ugh. And it's $800 for a new one with install. So ok. They install it. Now it leaks at the connection plate...so waiting for a price for that...probably another $100. UGH. I have it running now - even with the leak so that the pool doesn't turn green. It's really cloudy now and I can't see the bottom cap clearly. Love having a pool...HATE HATE HATE the repairs.

Anyhow, the humidity has gone down, and my headaches have eased up. Hoping to feel better at the end of the day today to get on the TM.

Work is super busy - as I'd mentioned we're opening four new communities - almost simultaneously, and UGH are we crazy busy. And we have a new COO who started with us several months ago and now we're working together on creating some new reports so along with my other stuff, his new reports are time consuming. It's interesting how everyone looks and absorbs info differently. I'm just super thankful he isn't asking me to modify my master report.

Sarah - After seeing my increase I hope you feel better with yours. Your mall walks sound fun and hopefully you'll be able to continue. So happy you enjoyed your ballgame - even with the loss. The experience sounds fun! I hope it's good news about the Delta variant. I WILL NOT get another two needles. So dag nab it - make it go away.

GaGasheesh

LW: 128.4
TW: 128.0

Well, that's okay. I had a cabin outing with a little more food and drink, and less activity. I'm happy that I was able to get right back on track on Monday instead of letting myself continue with slacking off.

Lois, maintaining our "fun stuff" can really get old, for sure, so I know your dilemma concerning your pool. Also, a pool in Arizona is high on the list, and not just for fun. Hope you can get it all repaired without too much grief or expense. Also, good luck to your hubby on his testing. I know that is a very difficult process. (My daughter went through it to get her black belt.) Good luck with MIL.

Sarah, I'm glad you're getting in your walking, and now have two friends to be companions. Also, I absolutely hate having dental work, so I feel ya. But, at least it won't be another charge for the replacement.

It sounds like you're both so busy at work these days. I hope you can continue to carve out some time for yourselves. I've found it difficult also, even with no outside employment. It's interesting how things just move in to take our time without our even being aware of it. It's hard to keep our "appointments" with ourselves. I think it's a symptom of our tendency of putting other things ahead of ourselves. Not sure what the answer to that is. . probably is different for everyone.

Sarah, I've been thinking about you with the new changes to CDC guidelines on Covid, and how that's affecting your work. Learning that fully vaccinated people are contracting the Delta variant is concerning, even though they would likely have a less severe illness. But what concerned me was that it's possible for them to then spread it to others . . . I'm mostly thinking about my grandchildren. How awful would that be?! I don't mind needles, so I'm thinking I want the booster shot when it's available. Utah is so stupid with laws against mandatory masking, anti-vaxxers, etc. . . I just don't know what to do at times. Hubby and I have tickets to an indoor arena Friday night for a concert, and we're concerned. It's a big space and we would mask up even though we're vaccinated, but how much good would that do in the presence of unvaccinated, unmasked idiots? I'm beyond frustrated at this point in time.

wiredkell

LW: 155.7
TW: 154.5

Yay! But I'm actually shocked as I weighed quickly yesterday and I was 156 something. Thursdays are definitely better for me than Wednesdays.

Sarah - Thank you for the kind comments and good energy you're sending my way! It honestly really helped me this morning when I read that. I have been feeling overwhelmed lately and my anxiety has been getting bad. I know it's triggered by the fact that my husband is going on a 10 day trip to Alberta for the National Ball Hockey tournament. While I'm happy he gets to go on a road trip with his buddies and gets a getaway, the thought of me staying home that long alone with 2 kids (part of the time) and 2 dogs, plus I may be back to work full time in the office by then, gets me worked up a bit in my mind. I was supposed to go camping with Jodi (the kid's Mom) at the end of that week but I finally told her I just couldn't make it work. Telling her I can't go made me feel bad and disappointed, but helped relieve some of the anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. I know I'll be fine during that time, but anxiety doesn't work that way. It's dumb lol

Lois - Ugh.. the pool. I feel ya! We have a cheaper above ground, take down in winter style pool from Costco that we've had for 4 years and this year it was such a pain in the butt. Actually last year it started being a pain as our yard is sloped and not level, so it required a lot of work to get it set up and then this year our pump stopped working and stuff started leaking. Parts are always hard to find for it too. We always say how nice it is to have it, but the work and time it takes (and $) is a bit ridiculous. Our summers aren't usually long enough to justify having an inground pool, but we said if we ever won $, that we would just bite the bullet and get one.

Sheesh - I resonated with your comment about how hard it is to keep our "appointments" with ourselves. I agree that for me, it's definitely a symptom of my tendency of putting others and other things ahead of myself. It's sometimes hard to remember that when I do things for me 1st sometimes, I'm a happier and less resentful person. I get resentful when I put someone else 1st and it goes unnoticed or unappreciated. I have been trying to make a more conscious effort to do more things for me!

GaGasheesh

Congratulations Kelly! You're doing so great! I know it's so difficult with kids, job, dogs, house, husband, yard . . . the lives of women are so complex. I'm much older than you and I STILL have to remind myself almost daily that my health is my #1 priority. Every new year it's right there first on the list of "resolutions". I sometimes think "what's the deal? why can't I get this through my head and into my schedule better than I do?" And then I realize I'm only beating myself up more with that thought. We all know the answer isn't simple . . it's hard. But, I'm always telling my girls and myself "you do hard things all the time. . you can do it. . you'll figure it out." I think the first step is to believe we can do it, and to keep reminding ourselves that we can and that's it's not selfishness. We're programmed that we should put others first, but if we always put other people and things first, we know what happens to us, and then we have less to GIVE physically and emotionally. I also have quite a lot of anxiety, and I've had therapy over the years. Anxiety is fear based . . looking forward. Depression is regret based . . looking backward. When I'm anxious I have to figure out what I'm afraid of, and then if I'm even telling myself a true story in a rational way. Usually I'm not, lol. And then, I have to get myself into the PRESENT moment. You probably don't realize what an incredible job you do in all your roles. And nobody is going to tell you that enough. But, I hope you can feel the appreciation and positive energy coming your way from me, Lois, and Sarah.

Lastchancelj

Kelly -CONGRATULATIONS!!! THAT IS QUITE THE COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF AND WHAT A FANTASTIC REWARD FOR YOUR HARD WORK!! Yes, I meant that in all caps because I am so excited for your success!! And reading Sheesh's post above - SHE IS RIGHT ON POINT and I also need to heed her words of wisdom! We're here for you if you ever need to release frustration but we all need to be sure we make time for ourselves. Stay focused you're on the right path.

Though I don't feel as "productive" when I'm in the office (45 min drive each direction is lost work time but ok), I do enjoy how I feel being around my co-workers...well there are a couple of numbnuts that I could do without, but it has really helped me. I'm hoping that being in the office can give you some of that relief as well.

Goal again starting tomorrow is to get on the TM after I'm done working.

Hubby was at his tournament yesterday morning and the local news was there and he was "caught on camera" not doing anything except listening to the instruction, but he was noticed by my neighbors. Haha. He had his testing this morning (he may still be in process) and I'm hoping he does well.

Back to work. Stay focused everyone!

wiredkell

Thank you for the kind comments ladies! I know that every one of you probably goes through the exact same things I go through, so it's helpful to read what you have to say.

Yay for Friday! Tonight I have plans to have supper at a restaurant on a patio with 3 of my girlfriends!! I'm super excited as this is the 1st time I've been to a restaurant with friends since the pandemic started. So crazy to think that. Tomorrow we're putting our pup in daycare for his 1st time assessment. This will become helpful when I go back to work full time and need somewhere to take him for the day. Our old Lab doesn't mind if I just come home at lunch to let him out and then leave again, but our pup would probably have pretty bad separation anxiety. It's a breed thing too I think. Plus, having this assessment out of the way, means we could potentially leave him there overnight if Shawn and I decide to go on a getaway or golfing all day when he comes back from Alberta.

So while I have been doing amazing with my eating, I haven't been doing amazing with the exercise. I manage to get my Move and Stand goals on my Apple Watch no problem, but when I don't dedicate time to working out, then some days I don't get my 30 minute exercise goal. My goal for the next while, is to start getting all 3 rings completed, on a daily basis. So whatever I have to do in order to get my 30 minutes of exercise, I'm going to have to do. There are currently 129 forest fires in our province, which is insane, so the smoke outside has been horrendous lately, which makes it difficult to get walks in outside. There is another special weather statement for us today for the smoke, and today it's even coming into the office buildings because of the air handling systems I guess. Just have to get on the treadmill.
My 2nd goal is to start getting more water intake again. I used to at least try to drink 64 oz (2 of my water bottles) a day, but for some reason lately, that's been difficult for me. Maybe if I up my exercise, that'll help. I drink lots throughout the day, but it's coffee or gatorade zero or the odd coke zero, but I really want to get there with the water. Also, I hate peeing so much (I have a small bladder), so when I'm busy and don't feel like I have time to even go to the bathroom.. it's difficult to drink water lol Back to taking care of myself and putting myself first, even when it comes to peeing

Anywho.. Happy Friday all! I hope you're all well and healthy and happy!

SarahMaxx

Kelly you are doing great, and like I said last week, it sounds like you're finding good changes that are sustainable. I have to watch out for doing things that I can't keep up over the long run. That is why I'm setting 7 day average goals. I cannot always sustain something every single day and then I beat myself up.

And anxiety!!! Oh my, I deal with it. Sometimes it's just a vague feeling in the pit of my stomach, but other times it more acute. Yesterday, I dealt with acute. We're in information overload at work. Things are changing fast. And some things changed on Wednesday when I was off and I didn't notice a request to hold on responding to some questions because that notice was in the subject line of an email and I read the email, but only glanced at the subject line. So I experienced a little more of the "not as nice" side of my team lead. She is so subtle about it that it hard to describe, but she has a way. And I think I'm beginning to figure out why there has been so much turnaround on my team. I think it really all boils down to my lead takes on too much herself and won't let go of things, so she's not really there for us as much as she should be. She always says if we need to check something to just ask. But then sometimes 3 days goes by without an answer. And she's never let me help with things that I'm perfectly capable of doing--did them for 20 years. But then I found out not long ago that she has never even seen my resume. So I guess she doesn't know. Anyway, forgive me for going on and on. I'm having to screw up my courage this morning to log in on my day off to see if one correction I did panned out okay and if the lead responded to me about a few other things. I should not sweat it so. I have one more week and one day, i.e., four work days, and then I'm unemployed/retired/whatever.

I agree with Sheesh that the key to handling my anxiety often is making myself stay in the "right now." I spend way too much time dithering around in the past and the future. I do feel good that last night, after a tough day that included hubby having a very bad bout of IBS that left him drained and then news that many of my beloved Nats are being traded, leaving us with a very weak team for 2022, I just looked at hubby and said, "This was a tough day, but hopefully tomorrow will be better."

And Kelly, how wonderful that you can be friends with Jodi. That makes things so much easier for the kids, I bet. And I'm glad you're doing what you know is best for you regarding camping. I'm going to do some of that today, too. I want to get to the bookstore to get another "pool book" and I may even get to the pool if the afternoon storms allow it.

And Lois, my weight bounces around all the time. Since we know this, we should probably set ourselves small "range goals." Glad to hear that you're enjoying being in the office some days and that you MIL have survived your time alone!

Sheesh, wear an N95 if you have one for the concert and have a good time. You know, I do agree with your fears and frustration, though.

Lastchancelj

Kelly your update is pretty exciting. Dinner with your friends - at a restaurant!! Yay!!!! I love the idea of a doggy day care. I know a lot of my colleagues use them. I did chuckle at the thought of having to pee so much. I find that I don't have to go quite as often when I keep up with my water - but when I drink extra soda, tea, coffee (beyond my initial morning consumption) - whew...it's almost every 5 mins once I start. So bizarre. As Sarah mentioned I love hearing that you and Jodi have a good relationship. My parents were divorced and the tension between my parents and my step brother's parents was horrid for a number of years. Sadly it didn't get better until just before they all passed. So I love to hear you all are doing things together.

Sarah - stay focused and enjoy your pool time if you have time. I'm not sure what genre of books you enjoy, I seem to be on these WWII historical fiction connections. Just finished Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Almost put it down a couple of times, but I did enjoy it. At my daughters suggestion I'm listening to Shantaram. It's a super long audio book, just started, but I like the narrator's voice Haven't even researched what it is about haha.

Hubby came home from his testing last night. He's unsure how he did, but he's home. He'll go back to help tomorrow to help with regular judging competitions, but will be sleeping at home. He was sleeping when I got home last night.

I had some meatloaf and potatoes in the freezer...defrosted them and heated them up for dinner last night. YUCK! I don't know why, but it was yucky! So i did the most horrible of choices, I was hungry, so Door Dashed McDonalds (it was the quickest of delivery times). My tummy's paying for it this morning.

SarahMaxx

I did not see Kelly's post above mine when I posted. I think we were online at the around the same time and I would probably have had to hit refresh to see it. But dinner on a patio with friends sounds divine. So have fun! We went to a restaurant for the first time since the pandemic struck for my birthday and it was sooo nice. Take out cannot compare.

And I laughed about the extra water, too. Men do not put off going to the bathroom like women do. We'll have a bursting bladder but say, "first I need to . . ." I did that a lot when I was working in the office because the bathrooms were in the central part of each floor and I was in an outside office. The perk was a window, but the downside was trying to convince my bladder that "no we are not there yet" when the ladies room was finally in sight.

I did log into work today, right after I posted, and my team lead had not responded to any of my emails and had not reviewed a draft doc that was sent her on Tuesday. So I said the heck with it and went out to Home Goods and Trader Joe's. I did not make it to the bookstore though. Maybe tomorrow morning.

There's a festival of some sort at the mall this afternoon, so I'm not going there to walk. That means that if it doesn't cool off a good bit, I'll be in the basement on the good old TM. I do wish that the humidity would break so that walking outside would be feasible. I tried a couple of evenings ago, but even though the sun was down, I felt queasy within a mile.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

SarahMaxx

I was able to walk the very hilly route after all on Friday evening, as the temps and humidity went down a bit after sundown. Got my 10K. Yesterday, I only got 8K steps, but also did some swimming. Intake was okay both days. So imagine my frustration when I weighed this morning and saw 133.8! Weight is fickle. It was actually down a bit yesterday (131.8).

Talked to two gals last night who are much younger than me who are both in a running group. One is a longtime runner who runs half marathons. The other is someone who used to run, but has not done so in years, so she is starting out with a subgroup that walks, jogs, runs--whatever it takes to get you there. I am thinking about checking into this, as I need to do something when the mall closes. But so much of what we can do in coming months depend on what happens with this Delta variant. I also got a chance to meet someone who I've known online through a volunteer group. People look very different in person than they do on camera. She is much shorter than I imagined, but just a spunky as I had imagined. Her first comment to me was, "The camera just doesn't do you justice!" I guess in a way that's good, but it makes me less happy about zooming! LOL

Well, I wanted to share that awful weigh-in to help keep me focused today. It is raining here in the Nation's capital, so my activity will be indoors. But I do like a rainy day every now and then. Happy Sunday, all.