NON WW & WW NEWBIES, OUR NEW LIFE, THE START OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL

@joannadavison How was the hair appointment? I hope you feel refreshed

@Its_cleo Sorry to hear about your wrist, I'm glad you were able to fit physical activity back in. And as my partner reminds me, you deserve a life too, it doesn't always have to be around the fur babies. You only live once, its only two weeks, she will be fine, and you will regret it if you don't go. Enjoy that vacation!

@Nighthazel01 It is hard to be stuck at home around so much tempting food, way to go!

@theslightedgeforever How did the brunch go? And I agree, serving containers are the best for portion control!

@cbabie Oh my goodness, 3 hours a sleep per night?! No wonder you're struggling! I'd be a complete zombie

@trooworld That bath invention sounds like a great idea! How relaxing!

@TeresaW1020 Definitely don't ignore that knee pain! Maybe a different lower impact program might be a better fit?

Happy Monday all! I have the day off, so I am, you guessed it, still working through these piles upon piles of homework and dissertation prep-work. My brain feels like mush and I miss human interaction! But I definitely need today to get some stuff done for the week ahead so I'm glad I have it. I forgot to weigh in this morning (I think my weigh in day needs to be Tuesday since my Monday brain just isn't on top of things!) so I'll take a look tomorrow. I went a bit off the rails Saturday but otherwise I haven't been doing too bad. I'm meal prepping wraps to bring to work and roasted pork, broccoli, and squash for dinners (yum!). Hope all of your weekends went well!

@cbabie Yaaay on more sleep for you. That's the path to health. Each day it's the little choices that will help keep you on the right path. Now my voice sounds bad. Let's hope this is temporary.

@teresaw1020 I love quesadillas and had one before the movie the other night. Then dh says you're STILL going to eat popcorn. Well, yes. It was the first thing planned on my food tracker. I was working the other food around it. He is funny now that when we want to go out to eat the first thing he will say is we need to go where you want to go because of your diet. (which I hate that word and keep telling him that ) I'm thinking you are supposed to be on a DIET too for cholesterol purposes. I just tell him that I can eat anything because I planned for it and he's the one that should be planning. Although he didn't help today when he decided to buy a loaf of brioche bread. Yeah, that' s like crack to me but I did figure out how to eat 3 slices and stay OP. Just reduce and cancel the rest of the dinner meal items that were planned like sweet potatoes and corn. I think I'm going to have to freeze the rest. I've done well with the banana bread sitting there. This is a hard one though.

Good morning ladies! I'm just doing a quick check-in before heading out to get my hair cut and colored and then go grocery shopping. Making pulled pork for dinner so I have to go put the meat in the crockpot. It's a rest day for exercising, which is good because I don't have much time today and my arms are killing me from the last two days. I've upped my weights which feels awesome and I'm walking on the treadmill to baby the knees. So far they are improving. Have a great day!!

@its_cleo I hear the hot springs there are TO DIE FOR! I am jealous already, I bet you have an amazing time

@TeresaW1020 I hope you have a wonderful, restful day and that you feel less sore tomorrow

@cbabie I'm with you, I do so much better when I do physical activity right away in the morning. That way I don't have time to talk myself out of it. And good luck on your partner. I've been trying to nudge mine towards healthier habits for years, but nothing has stuck!

@trooworld I used to love light traffic days back when I commuted, its amazing how much it makes a difference!

@theslightedgeforever I'm impressed you do so well with social eating, that's where I struggle the most! And I've officially switched it to Tuesday since that way I have a day to even out a bit after the weekend.

@joannadavison How was your Netflix night? Did you find something good to watch?

As expected I was up on the scale today. I didn't make the best choices over the weekend and hormones were not my friend. I'm hopeful that if I stick with things and stay active this week it'll be back down again next week. I can't believe my trip is in only 2.5 weeks!!! This weekend I'm going to go through my closet to see if I'm missing anything I need to bring along. At the very least I want a big, floppy sun hat and a new swimsuit (the last one I bought was in 2012...I think it's time!)

@cbabie You are getting consistent with checking in more so you'll find a good time for your exercise. Tzatziki is that yummy sauce that comes on a gyro.

@trooworld Yaaay on the water.

@teresaw1020 So glad your knees are getting better.

@its_cleo I eat the theater popcorn. I just take my own 1 cup container and keep refilling it until I've eaten the number of cups I can have for the day depending on what else I've already eaten. This last time I ate 5 cups. But the time before that I could only eat 3.75 cups. My daughter would also like to see Iceland. It's on her list.

@mswatson0777 I think I do so well with social eating because I have a lot of practice lol. It's the times when no one is looking that used to be the problem. But I'm getting a handle on that. Right now my mantra is I can be loose with food or be thinner but I can't do both. Even when I make good choices the scale moves upward sometimes. Not fair at all. But then it eventually comes back down. I know some of it is from the sodium in the restaurant food and popcorn I ate.

@retiredandlovingit How did you fare with all the recent snow? That's a good idea about using your average for the weigh in amount. Although I don't think the small increments would keep me motivated. I don't know.

Red Day- Stayed OP 100/100 I went out with a group of friends for a bday party. Since we had two birthdays they brought out two big brownies with ice cream. I was at 98 then. So I had 1/2 a teaspoon bite of the brownie no ice cream and I was done. Food pusher friend kept saying oh come on and eat some. "No thank you, I'm good. I'm done for the day." Then later same food pusher but it's my bday in a "sweet" voice. " Well I hope you are having a good bday but I'm following a program and I'm done for the day. But that leaves more for you all. Enjoy." Then she asked me if I was doing intermittent fasting. lol It's like the whole world is doing that or keto. I said no because I can't stay on it long term because of my social engagements which are at night. Plus I know myself. I can fit alot of food into a short window of time if I really want to. But OMG that was a good brownie. Lots of times brownies are dry. So I know where I'm going for my bday. Then while at the party a text came through and the neighbors are getting together tomorrow night to go visit one of the neighbors who is old and sick. That usually involves sweets and such. So more planning for that. I'm just going to not eat dinner and my snack to leave the carbs for that since I don't know what I'll be facing. Breakfast and lunch will be extremely low carb like today. I only have 100 tomorrow to play with. How I wish they would visit on a Thursday. lol Exercise was a rest day.

January Week 3 goal: 3 glasses of water daily. Met goal 1/7 days

@its_cleo, going to Iceland and Greenland sounds amazing! You should totally start your planning and go! I’m the same when I travel and like to plan and research every little detail. Not sure if we will get a vacation this year at all with all the expenses we have with bringing my mom here and finishing our backyard. Maybe a weekend getaway later this fall when my mom gets used to the dog and can watch her for us.

@mswatson0777, bummer about the scale but you will get it to go back down! Hang that new swimsuit in your kitchen to keep you mindful of your food choices.

@RetiredAndLovingIt, yes staying the same over gaining is preferable. I used to go to TOPS (have you heard of it) and when we stayed the same weight, we would say that we turtled. I still say that. Good for you for getting your steps in!

@theslightedgeforever, food pushers are such a pain and you handled your friend beautifully! I so admire that you could have a tiny taste of brownie and not dive into the rest of it.

@trooworld, I think this week is speeding by! Glad, you liked your book. Hubby went to the library and is constantly reading this giant novel and making me jealous that I don’t have my own. I told him that I want to go with. Of course, the question is would I really sit down to read. Hmm??

Good morning! My pulled pork and coleslaw dinner was so yummy last night that we will have it again tonight! I finally found a black coffee that I can stand so I can stop using heavy cream in my coffee and do a clean fast for IF. Everything I’ve read says that clean fasting is the way to go so that is what I’m doing even if I don’t love it. I will save my yummy cup of coffee and cream for the afternoon. I’m off to workout. Today is shoulders and then I will walk on my treadmill.

@theslightedgeforever at least Quorn looks more like meat than mushrooms!!!! UK supermarket chain cafe changed it's vegetarian breakfast- "shroomdogs" 😢 instead of soya sausage!

@cbabie I'm trying to get my DH to use MFP! Since retiring from teaching he's working for a supermarket chain but hours not great for health- good for us but not conducive to healthy mealtimes! Trying to get him to track so he can see that!

@trooworld brilliant thanks. We'll have to look out for those. Target is on our "todo" list. Wish it was in UK! Must try Greek Quesadillas

@TeresaW1020 good news on the knees. Enjoy rest day.

@its_cleo DH & I started cutting out red meat (when I discovered high famial cholesterol), we then cut right back on pork then chicken. Started veggie one New Years Day- although we kept fish for a while. Eventually dropped it but went back to eating it, by chance, when I was pregnant. Must be about 25 years-ish.

@mswatson0777 we ended up watching a missed TV program on catch up!!

@RetiredAndLovingIt Quark is sort of cream cheese. Quorn is the veggie protein! It's alright! LOL!

Feeling very energised after 1.5hours in gym incl 1hour training. Got some new protein flavours- the coconut & vanilla one is gorgeous.
Starbucks trip tonight to do school planning whilst youngest at Police Cadets.
Have a good day all.

@trooworld I'm glad you enjoyed your book. We're reading Educated by Tara Westover. I have until the 30th. Yes 1/2 teaspoon. I have a brownie in my freezer that I may or may not indulge in tomorrow. Still haven't decided yet. I have to plan it if I want to eat it.

@teresaw1020 "Turtled" lol Love it. I feel like I turtle all the time cause I'm so slow at this but still moving in the right direction. I'm really working hard to stick with my boundaries. I could have given up the mashed potatoes and gravy and had the brownie instead but I just had brownies last week. So I said I can save them for another time. My question is the opposite of yours Would I sit down to read? Mine would be would I get up and get stuff done?

@retiredandlovingit I feel like saying Elizabeth this is the big one. The young gals on here probably won't get that reference. I need to get a schedule for water. I drink 24 oz of hot tea when I wake up and that carries over to breakfast. Sometimes I have lunch and sometimes I don't. Then another 24 oz of hot tea from about 4-7 pm. Which includes dinner but I'm making a conscious effort to drink a 12 oz mug of water with dinner. If I go to the gym I fill up my water bottle but lately most of my exercise has been walking at the mall and I never think about taking my bottle with me. So I need to work on that too. I'm the same with Diet Coke. I like it with meals outside but I buy 2 a week for home. Sometimes that's my lunch. I used to have a 3 Diet Coke a day habit. I prefer dh to do my planning or my dd. Just tell me when to show up. Good for you for getting in an early morning walk. Plus trying out other new things. I also need to do that too. It's on my list. lol So was decluttering but then company showed up and here it is January is almost over. So onto February.

@joannadavison I can't eat too much soy because of breast cancer risk. I do like edamame though. I set my dh up on MFP too. He used it for about first 3 days and then nothing. He says I know what to eat. Yeah right. lol I can see that. Sounds like you had a great workout. Good for you.

@mswatson0777 I'm living vicariously through you. Enjoy the cruise. One of my 100 day books for 2019 had food pushers in it and how we were to learn the skills of how to push back. So that's a work in progress. I'm glad you are feeling calmer now. I think it helps making good food choices.

Red Day- Stayed OP 93/100 carbs Exercise - 30 min walking club

So another successful social event. Another skill in my book was learning to say No not yet, I'll have some later, thank you and then I determine when "later" is.

@joannadavison Starbucks makes school planning sound like so much more fun. And 90 minutes at the gym is impressive!

@trooworld Sounds fascinating! Once I have a break in classes I'll have to add it to my reading list!

@theslightedgeforever That sounds like a fantastic resource! I'm fortunate I don't really have any food pushers in my life so we all just eat our own things and go on with our lives. I think the rise of knowledge on food allergies/preferences has really helped reduce this and it's definitely working in my favor.

I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday, boy was I disappointed! Other than that, I'm in a much better head space today. I went to a 2 hour class last night and ended up just laughing the entire time with my friend, it was exactly what I needed! The crazy part is I almost didn't go because the weather was awful and I was in a pretty bad headspace (which is when I need to go the most!). Hope today goes well for you all!