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

@its_cleo, ugghhh don’t you just hate those kind of dreams. I get them too occasionally and they are just like crazy horror movies. I hope you got better rest last night. How did the session with your trainer go? We haven’t lightened up in the U.S. yet but there is talk going on how to make it happen when we can start to get back to normal. I pray that it’s sooner than later!

@RetiredAndLovingIt, ohhhhh no way could have a bunch of fresh peanut brittle around me and resist. Good luck with that! It’s hard for so many who have to work and homeschool their kids. It’s so hard to wrap my head around how badly this virus has affected so many people. A roast sounds so good! What are you making for Easter?

@trooworld, glad that you are feeling better and I would think walking to ABBA would definitely help your mood. They have such great music! I love my resistance bands. Did you get rubber or fabric? I have both and find that the fabric ones work best for going around my legs.

@mswatson0777, you are such a busy girl! Continuing to get in our exercise will for sure help with maintaining our weight. I have heard that getting dumbbells is impossible right now. I want a set of 20 lbs. but will have to wait until life resumes and DH will let me spend that much money.

@theslightedgeforever, I know you are worried about your son, and understandably so! Is he healthy? We have to remember that most people who get the virus do recover. As for snacking, I stopped buying the dark chocolate that was a trigger for me. But I then bought some caramel rice cakes and those with a little peanut butter are sooo good! However, I am NOT going to put peanut butter on them and just enjoy the crunch with my afternoon coffee. I’m still eating too large of portions at dinner and really need to focus on that as well.

Good morning and Happy Good Friday! Well, I managed to lose 1.2 lbs. this week. I’m still playing with the same three pounds week after week but at least I don’t continue to go up. I’m trying to stick to my tracking and not overeat my points, which is hard! I took yesterday off from working out but will be back at it in just a few minutes. Today is shoulders and then a nice long treadmill walk. I did have a staff meeting yesterday and I kept my distance. The other five members of my staff are meeting once or twice a week now to tape messages and record music. We talked about our summer schedule and made the decision to cancel our vacation Bible school. Our children’s pastor is going to do something with FB Live for the kids. It’s sad but we are pretty sure that even if we are back at church, we won’t be ready to have that kind of contact. Have a good day!

Hi all..sunny here today but chilly. Looks like it will be the treadmill again for me.

@mswatson0777 Sounds like fun doing a zoom yoga. Not sure how to stop the dog. Ours used to lick dh's pillow. Wow, that was gross!

@trooworld Now you get to try retirement, too, lol. Glad you will still be getting paid tho. I think mine are the tube kind also.

@its_cleo Sorry about the bad dreams. Hope you can do the stairs in your building.

@TeresaW1020 Not sure what I will make for Easter since it will be just dh & me here. Probably something easy, lol. Even though we are only 10 minutes apart, we have been staying away from dd & family. We Facetime or House Party with them almost every day.

@theslightedgeforever I brought most of the groceries out of quarantine & wiped them down. A few things that we got extras of I didn't bother wiping..they went back out in quarantine, lol. Wow, even your eggs. I took mine out of the carton, but didn't wipe each one. Oh well, probably won't eat any for 3-4 days since I already had some, so that should be long enough time to decontaminate them. Needed my Dove dark chocolate, lol. I ration it one a day, & trying to only eat the peanut brittle once a day. He made 4 batches as long as he was doing it, just to use up the peanuts! I have set my calories to maintain & letting my exercise make the deficit. Hopefully will still lose slowly & yet not make myself crazy.

I guess dd did an online grocery with pickup & they didn't give her any of her cold stuff. So she had to go back to store anyway. & she put that they could substitute if out of something. Guess instead of plain crackers she got some weird flavor crackers. Wasn't happy about that either. So she said next time, she won't substitute, just go without. Guess I will have to do that too.

Have a great day. We are going to go drive around, just to get out of the house, lol.

Hey @cbabie, yep a shower can do wonders. Well if the fast works for you….but you need food for energy running around after that little one, so I hope you make sure you get enough….what do you take her for rides in? …..wow sorry your husband has dreams like that too! With me fortunately it’s only once in a while. I honestly think it’s because of my cycle- it usually happens only when I’m ovulation or have PMS. …I assume there is a different cause with your husband lol…

@RetiredandLovingIt that is a pain about the groceries. I know I tried a couple weeks ago but I couldn’t get any delivery times. But when I was looking online- it was so hard, they didn’t have what I wanted. It was easier to just go. The only time I ever had groceries delivered was years ago when I hurt my back and couldn’t really pick anything up. You have to make do with whatever they bring you.

@mswatson0777 yeah the Master’s in 12 months lol. It was brutal. I almost had a nervous breakdown afterward. But I connected with a good group of people and made friends in my program and we all got through it together. We drank copious amounts of wine lol. To this day, even a glass or two of wine makes me feel like crap and I swear it’s because of that year lol. …..how old is your bulldog? I think with pets one of the key things is to figure out why they are doing it.

@trooworld…I don’t know if it matters with the type of band. I think the flat kind just don’t cut into your skin as much if you tie them around your legs, but I’ve done that with the thin ones and you just adjust the tension…..ah yeah- I totally go through with getting up ever 3 minutes it feels like to use the bathroom even though I don’t. It is anxiety. I have not found a way to beat it when that happens, but I hate it. One thing I try to do when I can’t sleep well is to just focus on breathing deep. So I lie in bed and think- don’t even worry about sleeping. Just try some deep breaths. Usually my breathing is so shallow and tight because I’m anxious. Sometimes that helps and I can fall asleep. …I gotta tell you I love the Idea of an Abba workout video.

@TeresaW1020 trainer session was ok. I don’t enjoy it as much honestly. But it was nice to see him and nice to do some exercise. We’re using zoom. I have a couple of 10 lb dumbbells and a stability ball, so we’re using those. I’m afraid we’ll get bored doing the same things but he’s pretty creative and says he can come up with different things. ……I was thinking about you yesterday- I was cleaning out my closet and I found an old 1000 piece puzzle from like 10 years ago. I did complete it then, but then I packed it up so I may do it again. It’s a drawing, sort of cartoon like of a bunch of animals going to the ark. The only weird thing is it’s snowing, and the ship is like in a snowdrift lol….kind of weird but it’s quite a fun picture. So I will start doing that I think. –That is fantastic to lose some weight! Especially now.

@nighthazel01 yeah running is pretty hard on the body….I know a lot of people tha struggle with ankles, knees
etc. They say walking is much better. I just get stubborn and want to do the hardest thing ever lol. Even though I’m not usually successful !.....we got some hail and snow here too but it didn’t last.

@theslightedgeforever yeah I keep meaning to see the Rocky movies. So 3 is next for me, if this quarantine goes on long enough I may watch it. …….yeah I do the same thing load up stuff with water to use as weights. I’ve been using empty kitty litter containers lol. I was also thinking about loading up a suitcase with heavy stuff and carrying it around.

Well today I walked 6.5 km. I think that’s 3+ miles…? I have no idea lol. I’m going to skip the stairs, and give my achilles some time. It will be sore for a while, tendons are notoriously hard to heal. I still have issues with my arm and the tendonitis there happened in Jan. it’s ok, I just work around it.
I hope you all have a great weekend, and happy Easter.

@trooworld, yeah it sucks to have a gain but it was such a small one. Also, if you have been doing more of those fun workout videos you could be retaining water. I'm sorry that your work has been shut down but yayyyy for still getting paid! My DH has been working on submitting the needed forms so my church can get money from the government to keep us all on the payroll at the church and to help pay our utilities. Love that workout video!!

@nighthazel01, we are also shut down through April. When I was out last Monday the garden centers were still open and packed. I too want to go buy new flowers but I’m NOT. I might have to check out the Ozark show. We are starting to fun out of things to watch.

@its_cleo, bummer that you didn’t enjoy the Zoom session with your trainer, but I get it. I don’t think I would like it very much either. Virtual is not a very good substitute for being in person but it’s what we have to do right now. Yayyy for finding a puzzle. It will be another distraction for you. Right now I’m redoing one that I did a few years ago. I found this puzzle that would be sooooo awesome!! https://www.ravensburger.us/products/jigsaw-puzzles/adult-puzzles/memorable-disney-moments-17826/index.html My DH said no!

@cbabie, you know that I’m a big advocate for fasting! I really need to start pushing myself to go longer. Being home is hard and I end up breaking my fast at noon to eat lunch with DH and then I’m eating too much at dinner. I don’t see a reason to ever stop if it’s working for you. You might not go for as long every day, but I will also fast for at least 16 hours. Good job on your DGGD taking you out for walks!

@RetiredAndLovingIt, I love Dove dark chocolate too! DH and I used to have one piece every evening. My DH keeps asking if I would rather do online grocery shopping, but I don’t want to. I want to be able to pick my stuff out and if I need to make a substitute then I want to be able to decide and not the one shopping for me. I haven’t been wiping down everything I buy at the store. I Clorox the counters, change my clothes, and wash up really well. I guess I need to do better.

@mswatson0777, uggghhh dogs are such a pain sometimes. Mine threw-up on my expensive area rug this morning. When she gets sick it’s always on that rug!! Drives me crazy. How did the Zoom yoga go?


Good morning! It’s a beautiful sunny day here and I just told DH that we need to go out this afternoon for a drive and Starbucks iced coffee. I also need to sweep and mop my floors today, which is always a nice added workout. The Good Friday live stream service went well last evening, but it sure made me miss our people so much after seeing them all on at the same time as we were. We are doing a big push for us all to watch together again for our Easter service. DH is reading right now how bad the weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow evening. So, not in the mood to worry about a tornado while being quarantined. OK, I’m taking my grouchy self to my workout room to let my virtual trainer hurt me. Have a good day!

Hi all..gloomy day here, too. Had a little rain & they are predicting snow for tomorrow. Good thing we aren't getting all dressed up for Easter, lol. We always laugh..when dd was pregnant & due May 3, the other gma got the baby an Easter dress. Well, dd went early (she's the one that just had her birthday) & she got to wear the dress on Easter.

@mswatson0777 I think everyone is getting a little grumpy lately. Our ride was fun..there is an eagle nest about a mile or so from the house, so we had to check it out. & dh decided to share some of the peanut brittle with dd so dropped it off also. They stopped later with a picture of the Marine Corp emblem for dh that gd painted. Of course, we kept our distance at all times..just leaving our presents on the chair on the porch.

@nighthazel01 Yeah, our online order took awhile. We ordered Wed. night & soonest pickup was the next Wed. DD did it on a Wed & got a Fri time, but then didn't get all of it, lol. Your food sounded good.

@cbabie Wow, you are able to so such a long fast!! I have been doing about 15 hr, I guess. (about 7pm - 10am)
It really hasn't been too hard, but I don't seem to get much done b4 breakfast & it really messes with my morning.
I need to get off the computer so much.

@TeresaW1020 I do a jigsaw puzzle app on my I-pad which I enjoy.

Not much else going on, guess I better go eat lunch.

Happy Easter everyone.

@nighthazel01 Good for you for getting out and doing some walking. Plus you had a good food day. It's nice to come out after winter but here we are, stuck inside. But thank God I don't have small kids and a big dog inside with me. I heard someone throwing around November til we get back to normal. That would really be awful.

@shexio How are you doing with the joy food this weekend?

@teresaw1020 Yaaaay on the weight loss. Plus some good exercise. My son is healthy as far as I know. He had asthma as a child but doesn't seem to be bothered as much with it now. I can't buy caramel rice cakes cause I will just keep eating them one by one. Sad about VBS but probably for the best right now.

@trooworld Thanks for sharing the ABBA workout. I wonder if I'm the only one that doesn't like peanut brittle. I have the tube resistance bands also.

@mswatson0777 Yaaay on the walk even though you didn't want to. How about 2 five lb bags of flour for your containers. Although maybe you can't get flour right now. Everyone seems to be baking their own bread. lol I'll look up your author. I think dogs know what they do. Cats too. He's probably wondering why the heck are you home so much now in his space.

@retiredandlovingit oh yeah, you're right on the 3-4 days of quarantine. I was thinking 14 but that's the time for me possibly to get the virus. I hear you on getting out of the house if it's just in the car.

@cbabie I'm glad you are getting out in the sunshine and walking. ooh your dh and I could totally do a Houseparty dance. That would burn some calories. What book are you reading for bookclub. I need to start mine for this month.

@its_cleo That's good you were able to Zoom with your trainer even though it's not really what you wanted. I think this next week I'm going to pick a day for each type of equipment: stability ball, resistance bands, pilates balls, dumbbells, oh I have a Bosu ball too. That's 5 days right there.

Well, still not caught up but I'll finish this tomorrow.

@nighthazel01, well I didn’t get my Starbucks! We went through the drive-thru and there was a sign that they had closed. Not sure why but hopefully they will reopen soon. You Easter dinner sounds wonderful! Hey, it would have been wrong to wake a sleeping cat just so you could take a walk!

@joannadavison, I had to Google Romanian deadlift to see what it was. I like it and will add that to my workouts. Have a happy Easter!

@RetiredAndLovingIt, I might need to look up online jigsaw puzzle since I’m running out of real ones and DH seems to think they are a frivolous expense at this time in our lives. Whatever!

@mswatson0777, I’m glad that you like your Zoom yoga. Hey, I get it about your coffee maker. Good coffee is more important than ever right now! I am spoiled too and mourning the fact that my adjustable base for my bed died and now I have to sleep on it flat. If there weren’t really terrible things happening in the world, I would be such a big baby about it. I try to keep it to myself now, but dang it all!

Good morning! Happy Easter…He has Risen!! I have been struggling with not being too sad that I won’t be in church this morning, wearing something cute, and seeing all my church family. Instead, I will be in comfy clothes, sitting in front of my computer with DH watching my pastor on FB. It is what it is, and I am very thankful for good health, plenty of food, and a nice house to hang out in. For dinner today I am making a small honey glazed ham, baked beans, my mom’s macaroni salad, wheat rolls, and apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yum!!! So, right now I am going to go do a nice long workout to help balance my dinner. Have a great day!

@TeresaW1020 Your dinner sounds delicious. It was definitely a different Easter this year, but I can't complain, everyone here is healthy and happy.

@trooworld - Too bad about your dinner, but you made the best of it. We're supposed to have high winds today, and we've already been warned about power outages.

@theslightedgeforever- Yeah, that's true about young kids and schoolwork, my kids are on their own, I just get to hear them complain, but it's okay, I've gotten good at tuning some of it out. I do feel bad because they've worked so hard, and their classes don't convert well to online versions, and some of the teachers have given up. They'll have to figure it out though.

Yesterday was fun, we had a nice dinner, and most of my family even dressed up for it, they were indulging me. My younger daughter was like forget it, I'm eating in my jeans like every other day. I weighed myself yesterday, and again I maintained, I'll take it because I'm definitely eating more since I've been home. I think Tuesday marks 4 full weeks we've been on lock down. Time hasn't moved this slow since I was seven years old, it's the strangest thing, one week feels like months ago. I got in over 10,000 steps in yesterday without really trying, I went for a longer walk in the morning because the weather was kinda nice, and I had to double back to avoid people hogging the road. I was busy cleaning and cooking most of the afternoon, and I went on a second walk inside my house in the evening. Not too bad. Heading to work now, I have to commute from my computer room, to my living room, the traffic around my fridge can get annoying sometimes.

@Shexio, that is good that your weight is down, but sorry it’s at the expense of you not feeling well.

@nighthazel01, glad that you had a nice Easter and good job on getting in all those steps! Yes, the time has definitely slowed down for so many of us and yet for others, they are working crazy long hours and wish life would go back to normal so they could slow down. Such a crazy time, isn’t it?

@theslightedgeforever, no way was I getting dressed up yesterday. I did put on a touch of make-up for our Zoom call last night with some church friends. I’m wondering if the Starbucks near my home shut down because we have three of them in town and their primary staff is college students, which we don’t have right now. The sign on the drive-thru said they are working on reopening. Yes, we need our coffee and it’s a good thing that I have a perfectly good coffee maker at home! Your son sounds like he needs a smack upside his head.

@trooworld, I hate when I order food out and it’s not as good, or better than what I could cook. I always feel like I wasted money and calories. What a fun and resourceful way to finish watching a movie. What did you watch? DH and I watched The Greatest Showman yesterday for the first time. What a great movie and the music is amazing! I need the CD. That video does look fun.

Good morning! It’s a sunny, breezy day but last night was scary with the storms. I was wide awake from 1:30 until about 3 am with the lightning and thunder. I was extra grateful after watching the news and seeing how many people died and that the storm is still causing so much trouble for people today. It really seems unfair in light of what we are all going through. But we are in tornado season now and it’s to be expected. Just sucks!! Easter was pretty good, all things considering. Online church went well, and my Easter dinner was very good. I did eat way more then I should have eaten, and we have all the leftovers to eat again today. Tomorrow, I go grocery shopping and we are going to be eating light and healthy for the rest of the week. I am not getting to Friday and having a gain on the scale. I’m NOT!!! Have a good day!

I just realized I missed your post! Way to go on all that activity, you are killing it!

joannadavison wrote: »

Hi all- just a brief drop in as I'm about to meet my sister & a distant cousin on-line! We have meeting scheduled for 9pm UK time.

I started doing one of my gym routines - 3 exercises x10 for 5 mins BUT I added in Romanian deadlifts as gym not opening any time soon again & I need to work on hamstrings (physio informed me they're weak) & PT at gym recommended them. I couldn't move yesterday. Today I did short walk but it hurt!
I made cards this morning for the 2 youth church groups. The this afternoon I delivered eggs at a distance. The ones I my village I walked rather than car- ouch! Hot bath & stretch when I got back.

Been awhile. Just popping in to say hi. Hubby was home for the weekend. Drank lots again. Lol. Getting back in track tomorrow. Weight is still plateau. Going to start doing walk jog intervals on treadmill for 30 min as well as getting in the brisk outdoor walks weather permitting. And doing workouts/weights 3 days a week. Hopefully that will help. Also changed my activity level to not very active so then my exercise will be a true adjustment.

@cbabie I agree, it was hard to feel like a holiday when we weren't able to spend it with family. I love that your GD stole your strawberry protein smoothie!

@nighthazel01 I really hope that was the last snowstorm, but I don't trust the weather until May. Great job on your long walk!

@renaegry Sounds like you've got a great workout plan

Happy Tuesday all! I've got a busy day of work ahead, but I'm meeting up with a friend over lunch for a yoga date. I'm having a hard time staying motivated, but I keep making a daily check list of stuff to do and sticking with it. Yesterday, I ended up organizing and cleaning out the drawers in the bathroom (long overdue). Today I might tackle the linen closet or the entryway closet. I figure keeping busy will keep away the quarantine malaise and make this into a more positive experience to look back on (or at least I hope so).

@cbabie two days in a row on the treadmill- woot! Yes we had some wind here yesterday, it wasn’t as bad as they said it would be though….I’m sorry your Easter wasn’t that great, it was a tough time for a lot of people.

@mswatson0777 lists are pretty much saving me through this shut down. I always make lists, I’m a bit OCD with it, but it has helped during the shutdown to keep me on track. Especially on the days where I feel low- it’s like just put one foot in front of another and keep going down the list…..wow a snowstorm! We had some rain up here, but fortunately no snow although it has happened other Aprils. I think this year I wouldn’t have cared bc we’re not supposed to go out anyway.

@nighthazel01 60 minute walk is pretty good! I never think to wash my fruit ahead of time, I should do that. Although sometimes I wonder how much good it does to wash them tbh. I just rinse them.

@trooworld I would be exactly like you and not want to move the dog, especially if he wasn’t feeling well.

@TeresaW1020 man I’m sorry to hear about the storm. I’ve never lived anywhere that got bad storms like that. Here now we sometimes have flooding problems in the spring- this has been getting worse year after year but it affects other areas of the city- ie there is an island off the coast of Lake Ontario where some people live (have of it is public property and no building) and they have issues.

@Shexio man that is an amazing weight! I don’t think I’ve weighed that since I was 10. If I could get down to 130 or 140 I would be ok with it. …trainer tips- I think people here have heard me talk about it enough lol. – mobility/foam roller/flexibility type movements are important and better than just stretching. Weight lifting is the best! But proper technique is important. -- Using dumbbells rather than a barbell can be helpful bc one side is stronger than another usually so the dumbbells help to force both sides to work out. This is true for arms and legs. ---I could give a lot of tips on technique and form for specific exercises but you would have to tell me which ones…..

Some of you mentioned dressing up…man I am in jogging pants every single day. Even jeans feel dressy to me now lol.

I’m ok. Had to work off and on but hoping to have some down time now for the next week or so. I’ve gained weight this week so I’m really trying to increase the amount of movement I do in a given day. Typically I only go out first thing in the am for a walk, but I might try to do another one at 7 pm and see how busy the street is. I’ve really been trying to follow the stay at home advice.

I saw my trainer today and it was a little better. It was all core workout. I feel terribly out of shape though, and my stamina is low, and it shows.

Tomorrow I will try to get groceries. I stocked up before Easter so I didn’t have to go on the weekend but I do now. Getting groceries seems like a big adventure!

@mswatson0777 - Making a list is a good idea, it helps keep us
focused and more active.

@cbabie I'm glad you caught your hats! It was windy here too, but we still need fresh air sometimes

@its_cleo Even if you feel your stamina is low, you are regularly exercising. I admire your commitment to exercise.

@theslightedgeforever Lol. I wish you could toggle back to past pages without losing what you've written.

I went for my two walks yesterday. It was cold here, so I had to walk faster during my first walk. It was a terrible day with food yesterday, I couldn't stop eating. I think the realization that things aren't going to go back to normal by fall is hitting me. I'm worried about my kids, they've worked so hard on their classes, and they go away to school, they have to stay in the dorms and attend crowded classrooms. Their classes don't transfer online easily. Anyway, I've got to let it go and deal with it as it comes.

@theslightedgeforever great exercise with the cardio and stability ball. They are good for a lot of things. I have one but it's not quite as good as the one in the gym.

@nighthazel01 I don't know about fall. I'm trying not to worry about it. I know there are a lot of doom and gloom predictions about the next 18 months, I'm trying to be more optimistic....there are so many unknowns.

@TeresaW1020 the leftover Easter candy- I always feel so tempted when I see it all in the store, like I want it all! I think there is a kid inside me lol. But I never buy any. There is one type of Cadbury egg I really like with the Oreo cream inside that my corner store usually gets. A few of those is usually my only indulgence, but for some reason the corner store didn't have them today.

Well- I woke up early this morning so I did an hour walk. I don't have a lot of work to do today (hopefully!) so I'm planning on getting groceries and trying to get some strength training in.