Hahaha! When we were in San Diego there were Stones posters up everywhere..they were playing a couple of days after we left, and at the stadium we could almost see into from our room...we COULD see into it from the hotel's rooftop bar! It was tempting to try to stay, but they were well sold out anyway, but I just think it would've been an experience to be in the neighborhood, lol!

I worked Friday and Saturday and had yesterday off, got SOOOOO much done, but it doesn't seem like the list is shorter, lol. I always come up with more.
I hope Lia's party went well and that she is not still hungover, hahaha!

I felt pretty bingey in May. Not binge eater, sit down and eat 40,000 calories at a sitting, but enough. Too many treats. But usually for me that goes along with fatigue, so my goal for June is to clean up my sleep habits, and work on getting rested. We continue to work on getting my hypothyroid meds adjusted, and did just increase them again, so I have labs at the end of June. It is hard to fight that fatigue, but I think I can at least do better with better sleep habits.

Happy 1st day of June!

Hi guys! I'm late to the party but Happy June!! Thanks for starting the thread with a fun title, Mihani.

I had my shower and mini bachelorette on Saturday and they were both so much fun! I didn't sleep on Thursday or Friday though. I was so overwhelmed having everyone there that I definitely cried a few times (happy cries!) at the shower. Not sure if I mentioned but it was a wine shower! We don't need much for household stuff and we didn't want people to break their banks, so now I have 42 bottles of wine and some gorgeous wine glasses and wine charms! hehe. Saturday night we went out and definitely had a few too many drinks, but I felt pretty good on Sunday. Again, only 4-5 hours of sleep though so I was carb binge-ing all over the place on Sunday, mostly from the sleep I think. I'm starting a strict ETL regime today though! I'm actually sick of sugar for once.

Karrie, congrats on finishing that beastly run!! Wow, you are our hero. That is a very long distance and a huge amount of running. Hope you are feeling super proud of yourself! Hills are so awful....

Mihani, happy to hear you saw someone about your hands. When do you start wiht the braces? I do hate that though - when you're with a health professional and you don't think they really "get" you or hear you properly. I hope the braces are sufficient for awhile though!

Sabine, great goals! I'm with you on less snacking!!

Jean, binges were my major problem in May too. Mostly stress related. I have never eaten in the patterns that I did in May before! I am hoping strict ETL will help me at least get through my reliance on crappy foods to make me feel better. Hope you can get some more sleep!

Laura, awesome weekend! Glad you got some legitimate down time and some productive days as well. I hope that really started your week off well

Okay - meals for the day:
B - banana (maybe smoothie if I feel hungrier)
L - Swiss chard, tomatoes, black beans, onions, spices; orange and nectarine
D - greek salad, homemade!

Hi everyone,
I have been MIA for a bit due to continuously dealing with my dad who is in Hospice for those that don't know. My mom doesn't drive as of last fall due to macular degeneration so I am chauffeur, errand runner, caregiver, etc... along with taking care of my own brood. Lots of work and immense stress.

I also love the new thread name and it inspires me to do this jumping jack challenge for the month:

I am also adding daily stairs at home and gearing up to try Super Shred along with a couple of friends. I can modify it to fit my diabetes and it will be easy since it is all whole, real food that I already eat and have in the house.
We got our new garage refrigerator delivered Sunday so now I finally have a home for the overflow of produce in my kitchen. It is going to be such a great help and is something we have been meaning to do for years. I got caught out in a tornado warning the other day and had to leave all of my lovely produce sitting on the conveyer belt at the grocery store so I will get that back on my normal shopping schedule this week. I still have plenty but just not as much variety.

NewMe- sounds like you had a great weekend and you could always make "snack packages" with snack ziplocs at first until the kids get used to the new rules. Sometimes just packaging things in a fun way helps with acceptance. Mine are at home college kids and I get more resistance from them than I would have if they were younger. For them it is the ages old trap of "convenience" and then they tell me that we have nothing to eat (read, no junk food). Well, they are adults and have to make their own choices and they are well informed of familial health history and what to do about it. I can lead the horse to water...It is great that your DH is now on board; that made a tremendous difference in my life when mine followed me. It took him 6 months but now he is 100% on board and loves it. He will always remain Flexitarian which is just fine. I am now working on getting him to reduce the animal portions and fill up on the veggies first. It will come. I have to remember that he is always behind me on this journey. I too have to keep searching and experimenting with recipes but what I run into is that the kids think that if one recipe is "bad" then they are all summarily dismissed. That is frustrating and I continue to remind them that the old family favorites took decades to amass. It is yet another excuse on their part not to participate and I see that. I just keep plugging away because what I have to do will never change. I will get them in the end *rubs hands*. Best of luck on your job opportunity!

Utah-ah, the old thyroid medication tweaking. I am finally where I need to be I think after more than a year with my latest number being a .95. I feel best around 1.0 and so does my DH. I tried Synthroid and switched off to natural WP Thyroid which I like much better. My mom is trying that now and I think DH is going to do it, too. I have also been reading up about iodine supplementation- veeery interesting stuff. I hope you feel back to a normal energetic self very soon!

WHN/Karrie-grats on the half-marathon! I have never done one...

Mihani- My mom and I both have small wrists and carpal tunnel. She is now 86 1/2 and wears braces nightly but still has issues. Everyone is unique, however. I had open method bilateral surgery for carpal tunnel myself about 12 years ago after years of wearing braces. Endoscopic was not widely available then yet I have small scars since I had mine done by a plastic surgeon who was mindful of appearances while getting the job done. My CT finally started to go up my arms with pain and the braces just stopped being enough. Surgery was such a great decision for me and my mom says she regrets not doing it but at her age now it doesn't matter much. Zero pain and numbness were my results . I learned years ago that carpal tunnel also has a distinct connection to pregnancy, diabetes and hypothyroidism. I have done all of those. My surgery took about 15-20 minutes per hand. She did one hand, recovery, other hand. The only thing is to work on regaining your grip strength after the surgery.
Mine was this type:

This is my 3/4" long scar on my left hand which she blended into my hand creases on purpose:

One thing that I found helped me a lot during the day was a pair of these neoprene supports which come in many styles. They kept my wrist supported and warm while I could still do 90% of whatever I needed to do. I wore those at night many times, too. They are inexpensive and more flexible to wear than traditional braces with metal support bars but it all depends on the amount of support you need, too.



Liapr- your wine shower sounds like a lot of fun! I think I need one of those just because...lol.

Hi all. Popping through. Busy day at work today as we are in the midst of the last month of our fiscal year. Translation for non finance people = total craziness as people run around like they are wild zombies looking for any and every way to spend every dime they have in their budget (if they still have any left). Pretty much going to be several weeks of being the bad guy, telling people no and jumping from one fire to the next. This is my 7th year doing this stuff and I just spend most days shaking my head. Hence the need to start looking for other opportunities. When I start to feel this burnt out it is time for something else. Hopefully I will know something about the other job next week and all your wishes of good luck work wonders!

I have been contemplating some serious changes in my career - even beyond my current pursuit of a new job in my current company. My true passion is teaching. I LOVE training people at work, love teaching people new things. I have always wanted to be a teacher and just figured that opportunity had long since past. I was talking to a friend a while back and was having a similar conversation and her response was "well, why don't you teach then?" It stuck with me and I found out recently that you don't necessarily have to have a Bachelors in teaching in order to teach. Anyhow, long story short - I think the door to this dream opened the other day. Not sure if I can figure out how to make it pan out or not, but worth a try.

Karrie - loved reading about your run. Congratulations! I bet you just beam with happiness knowing you came, you saw and you kicked its butt! (couldn't avoid that quote from Ghostbusters!) Quite an accomplishment to tackle that and finish what you started. One day I would love to do the Tough Mudder. Looks like a lot of fun! I have a ways to go before I get there, but, definitely on my bucket list.

Liapr - what a great idea for a shower! I have never heard of that, but, would be great for folks that aren't just starting out. I think I am going to tuck that one into my pocket and save it for later use. Sounds like you had a great time.

Zoot - I was cracking up when you talked about "getting them in the end" haha. It really feels that way. Like we have to have some sort of evil plan to convert everyone to eating healthier. My husband made it one whole day. I find this abundantly frustrating. Yesterday I came home and thought about starting dinner, however, had no idea how long he was going to be at the dentist with the two youngest kiddos. So, instead I opted for a walk. I didn't finish until everyone was home and that put us at around 6:30 with a very hungry husband focused on Chinese. Sigh...I rattled off a million quick and easy things only knowing it would be a battle. And frankly, it gets exhausting. So, we wound up with Chinese - I ordered steamed vegetables as my main dish, which was great, but, all those other things that get ordered always do me in - steamed dumplings, egg rolls and crab ragoons. I ate fewer of those things, but, felt disappointed at not fully sticking to my plan. This is wayyyyy better than what I used to eat, but, I know if I don't stick to this things aren't going to change. I just need to find the resolve to dig in my heels and continue to push myself to make better choices. It is immensely frustrating to me that I didn't just listen to my gut and start dinner right away. Learning for next time I suppose.

Mihani - my hair can easily get that way too. I have fine straight hair. It makes it real easy to let it go and not notice when it gets long. I tend to always have some kind of hair style that fluctuates between the "just above the shoulders" to several inches below my shoulders. Glad you were able to find some time for you. I love getting my hair done. Hope the wrist braces go ok for you!

Gotta get back to work! Have great days!

Karrie, a stiff ankle sounds like a miracle!! I feel like my body would have been in a body cast after a half, haha. Great job Did you get a souvenir medal? I love getting those!

Mihani, yay for a haircut! I desperately need one. Going next Tuesday. I feel like as soon as the wedding is over, I want to chop my hair off! It's way down my back and I feel like shoulder length sounds pretty free-ing.

Laura, argh about the Chinese. I hear you, I hate those moments because I find I can hardly enjoy the food, I'm too busy kicking myself. Sounds like you made good choices though! Plus a healthy long walk

Zooty, love the jumping jack challenge! I feel like that's something I could actually do. You can really do jumping jacks anywhere! Sounds like you are being superwoman at home.

I had my first good day in a long while, yay! And I woke up feeling good. I miss that feeling of feeling great with lots of veggies and healthy stuff. I got in lots of walking too actually.
B - green smoothie, navel orange
L - swiss chard, tomatoes, black beans, onions, spices; strawberries + yogurt
D - another salad I am thinking!

Zooty, love the comic! That is funny, I didn't think about Kaley Cuoco. I guess there's something freeing about making it through the wedding and planning! Haha. Keep us up to date on the Super Shred too!

Laura, I forgot to mention, I think it's never too late to teach either, especially if you've found something you liked! I dated a man once who had become a mechanic right out of high school and hated it. He had two kids and found he loved both kids and teaching them so he actually went to teacher's college! He didn't have a bachelors but had some life experience and I think it probably helps having teachers that are well-rounded!

Am feeling really out of sorts this week, not sure why. I have had a good and healthy week and of course, the scale goes up! Oh well. Keeping on today....

Hi, all!

So apparently it's been so long that I entirely missed the May thread, lol. Typical ADHD distractedness and inconsistency in action.

Karrie, congrats on the half marathon, that is absolutely amazing! You must feel great. And all respect for training for Tough Mudder in September. I haven't run it, but I watched a friend do it - wow, that's some bada$$ stuff right there.

Mihani, hope your wrist braces help. You may have mentioned this earlier (during my extended absence *looks down sheepishly*), but are you seeing a physical therapist? I have DeQuervain's in my wrist and my first doctor basically told me my choices were cortisone shots for symptom relief or surgery to fix it. When my US doctor refused to give me the cortisone injections until I tried PT I was skeptical but I think it took literally less than 6 weeks to get rid of 90% of the pain and range of motion issues.

Sabine, great goals. 50 miles of running is impressive. All the more so that it seems like par for the course for you!

Liapr, I'm glad I haven't been gone so long that I missed your wedding. )Or more to the point, your wedding pictures ) . It must be soon now. So exciting

NewMe, It's always great to pursue your dream (especially when it involves getting out of the finance industry, lol. I can't say I've ever regretted it.) Making a living while doing what you love is about as good as it gets.

Zoot, I don't know what Super Shred 30 is, but it sounds pretty hardcore! The jumping jacks alone are making me tired just reading the chart!

Utah, good luck finding the medication regime that works for you. Fatigue makes everything so much harder. Keep trying and I'm sure they'll figure it out. Sooner rather than later, I hope.

Coueswhitetail, those pictures look great, and the recipe sounds tasty. If your dinners all look that good, you should consider starting a food blog, lol. I'd subscribe

Not too much happening here. I did finally "harvest" my first strawberry last week, and it was worth the wait. Honestly after 3 of the 6 seedlings didn't make it past the first week, I didn't think I was going to get any. I have one more growing, still white, but it's getting there . I suppose a better wife would let the husband have this one, but that's unlikely to happen.

I've kind of been drifting away from my good habits lately, and this weekend was a write-off due to stress eating, but at least I've managed to keep to my commitment to eat 100% vegan. Now I just need to work on not being a "junk food vegan", lol. I think spending more of my MFP time here instead of the main forums is probably helpful - all the IIFYM stuff is not a good influence on me, because it helps me rationalize pretty much anything. But no more denial - I know I can't live on takeout and Trader Joe's frozen curries and expect to feel my best. I'm probably not quite ready for full on ETL yet, but I will definitely be getting back to my smoothie breakfasts and salad lunches this week.

Hope everybody has an awesome week

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get in still... I've been away for so long! All of the items in this discussion look so good! I decided to post my picture of what I looked like last year after being with you all - so, I am trying to get back to that weight and then continue on again like I never left! So glad to like minded ladies close by to share info with! Hope you all are having a great day!

Welcome back Angie!

Sitting here munching a plate of berries. I got some "gentler" lettuce for lunch today...some of those kale and greens mixes are too much for the state of my "new" gut, I think, and boy do I pay for them. So I bought a box of spring mix and will see how that goes.

I am hoping to beat the rain out running today, but I do need to leave a little time for digestions. I have such issues in the morning, lol! First take the levothyroxine, then wait 30-60 minutes to eat, then I have to eat or I run out of gas trying to run, so I have to eat at least something, wait for that to settle in, then run. We are supposed to have just a ton of rain coming, between today, tonight, and tomorrow. Building that ark later, I guess.

Our contractor is here trying to beat the rain, too. He brought his little tractor and is moving the stone block that will be our new wall on the new patio area. Our older dog, Maggie, is hanging in the patio doorway watching him, but my puppy said the heck with it and has climbed up on her pillow and gone back to sleep. I can't wait until she can just sleep an hour later in the mornings, lol! I can't complain toooo much, as we are no longer up multiple times a night, and she has gone from 5 am to 6 am....but when I have to try for rest and...I took Benedryl last night because of allergies, it would be nice if she'd give me a little more time, lol! I am scheduled to work a pm shift tonight as well, which is also why I wanted to sleep later. Maybe a nap later....

PS Peas I find the forums and "eat more 2 weigh less" and "IIFYM" also toys with me. Not that they are bad strategies, but I don't know how to do them properly without eating alllll the foods! lol.