Me too, Vail. I can't buy the stuff....but hubby and the rest like to have it around. I have no will power what.so.ever, so it's best if I don't have it in the house either. I did replenish Hubby's stash. But I told him, that I did not need to know where he had them this time.( but he could occasionally give me one or two!! Isn't that AWFUL OF ME !?!? lol

Great News, Suzy!! I am so glad for you and your Mom. I know it is so stressful for a loved one to be that sick and it is out of your hands. Best wishes on the shower. I know it will be so much fun!

Made it to the gym again this morning.
The thing I like about this particular gym is that being a small town, It doesn't have that cold, impersonal , stuck-up feel that most gyms have...do you know what I mean? The owner is so friendly , kind, supportive. I have a(non-threatening) crush on him already. he is so sweet. His little family is adorable! a two year old little boy and a few months old baby girl. Haven't met his wife, but she has to be just as sweet as he is.

He set up a meeting with us newbies to show us how all the equipment works. I guess all gyms do that. I don't feel intimidated at all...which is odd for me. lol

Snoozie, hope you are doing great!!

G

That gym sounds so nice. I go to the YMCA and it’s somewhere in the middle. I used to go to LA Fitness years ago and it was awful. They gave you a very quick disinterested demo on the machines and then wanted to sell you private trainer sessions at $90 an hour for more instruction. I took a Zumba class there and that’s when I tore my meniscus because the teacher was too busy watching herself in the mirror to offer instructions. Awful. The YMCA is okay. I just have to make myself go and establish a new routine.

Good for you for going!!! The more you go, the easier it will be to get up off the mat! At least, that’s the plan.

I agree that this month has gone by in a blink. I haven’t made any progress on my health goals. I’m hopeful that I can turn that around soon. I feel a bit like I’ve lost control. I know it’s my decision what I put in my stomach and how often I exercise. My decision making abilities have been severely lacking of late.

I’m so sorry Snoozie. Don’t let that discourage you from going back. I’ve got to believe that the more you go, the stronger you’ll get and this fear will be a thing of the past. At least you’re going and doing something really good for yourself. Keep it up!

Personal chef and personal trainer! I would think that strength training is what’s going to help you get up off that mat.

I’m thinking about trying weekday meal prep. I’ve seen some info and recipes on skinnytaste. Maybe if I’m not having to think about what to eat all the time then I can have more control of myself...not be grazing through the kitchen. Saturday and Sunday would be more spur of the moment since that’s when things come up anyway. Do any of you have any experience with meal prepping for the week? Any thoughts?

The shower is the 9th so I’ve still got time to get everything ready. Thanks for the good vibes!

Weak as a virgin drink? Hahaha!!!! That made me laugh. And acting like you’re talking to someone? Extra drinks? Y’all are too funny!

By meal prep I meant making or putting together five breakfasts/snacks/lunches/dinners on Sunday for Monday through Friday. Although my Sundays are usually spent hiking, so I’d have to figure out when to put it together. I was hoping it would eliminate the whole “what am I going to cook for dinner” and the “it’s easier to just get take out” dilemma. I’m in a Skinnytaste Facebook group and someone was making breakfast burritos for the week. I thought that was brilliant! I’m going to do some research on what other things I could make ahead of time like that. For dinners I could gather all the ingredients and do the prep ahead of time then just pull it out and cook it each night. If it’s four servings then make it one night and freeze two servings for the next week? Right now my freezer is full of stuff I’ve made ahead of time for the shower so I’d have to start after that.

You probably never have any reason for this, but that sounds like a good safety feature too ...I know, I know , I've seen too many crime shows. but you never know who's exactly knocking on the door....lol

Meal prepping: I have done some in the past, but never been a big fan, partly because of very limited fridge and freezer space. However, I do sometimes do it a day or two in advance. For instance I've cooked up chicken and used it in sandwiches, salads, stirfries, etc. I sometimes do extra rice because it seems a shame to do one portion, and use it for meals the following day. I'm really cautious with rice so don't like to keep it more than a day. I also tend to cook larger portions of soup, and reheat. It is sometimes good to come home and know there is a meal that I can just put in the microwave or cook easily. Another thing I do quite often is roast vegetables: I mix them with seasoning, dijon mustard, maybe a bit of oil and roast as big a patch as I can fit in my oven. They are great to add to salads, as a side, or even a snack. Things with more homogenised taste/texture like stews, curries, chilli, bolognese sauce, etc. do seem to lend themselves well to prepping and reheating. Some are even better, e.g. day-old rice works better than freshly cooked for frying.

However, I'm not a fan of prepping a week in advance. I worry about things getting past their best, either in terms of food poisoning, or just taste/texture. I think I was once told that vegetables start to lose some vitamin C once cut, and I also think they tend to keep better whole. I also think some foods lose their crispiness (for instance, the roast vegetables) when stored in the fridge and aren't as good as when fresh.

So sorry, not much help - never had room to prep a whole week and don't think I'd want to! But I see the benefits of it. I have a feeling that if it really suited, it might be a game changer to have all the weeks meals neatly stacked in terms of sticking to "the plan". A bit like one of those expensive diet services which deliver all your meals, or even the meal replacement diets - if you know everything is prepped and planned then you know not to eat any extras!