30lbs to lose... Started AGAIN yesterday (Darn Lockdown Snacking)

Whew, everyone is keeping busy! Thinking of all my hurricane path friends and loved ones, stay safe! Seeing those traffic jams evacuating out of the I-10 and 59 in Houston definitely sets my PTSD off.
We were in the area from Rita, Catrina all the way to Harvey. Never fun to be guessing how bad it will be, how long power will be out, etc.
TOM finally done, still working out and pushed through the cramps. I am a “cozy up and wallow” type, so I tried to change it up. It helped. Didn’t come easy, but it definitely helped!!!
My kids start school next week and they haven’t even told us if they’d be F2F or virtual. I am soooo afraid it’ll be F2F while numbers are going up here. And homeschooling is not an option in The Netherlands, only very few parents get an exception to do it. And if I keep them home from school we get fines and criminal charges (really ridiculous)! Stressed out !!!
Anywho, gotta clean the house today.... looking forward to dinner out with the family tho!!! 😊

Sleep has been horrendous this week, but I'm now getting assessed for sleeping problems, with a view to retraining my brain to sleep properly by the end of it. So, positive steps. Honestly, I have a team of about 5 different people analysing my sleep diaries and trying to come up with a plan - it's covered by insurance, so I thought I'd give it a go, but I didn't expect so many people to be involved...

Weight loss has been slow and steady (which is what I wanted), and my one maintenance day on Wednesday didn't derail anything. The world did not end. I feel quite vindicated by that - it feels a little like 'having a day off' when really, a maintenance day is just 'a normal day'. (It's not quite maintenance anyway - to allow for my watch not being accurate, it's a little under so I definitely don't gain, but I'm calling it maintenance.)

It's also nice keeping extra days in reserve - if I have a bad day, I know I can just turn it into a maintenance day without the world ending, and that actually makes more likely to have good days, because I know I have the option. Ahh, psychology. Great stuff.

Weather has been pretty horrid here, but I do have a pair of waterproof hiking boots somewhere, so if I can find any socks thick enough to wear with them, I might pop outdoors this weekend. As long as you have the right footwear, a bit of rain is lovely. (Disclaimer: when I say rain, I mean British rain, not the devastation some of you seem to get over in the States!)

It's bank holiday on Monday here in the UK, so we get a three-day weekend this weekend, which is always a nice bonus. I'm definitely going to get out at some point and go for a wander. Gradually increasing my activity levels - Rome wasn't built in a day...

@MommaGemz I'm so impressed by how you keep going even when you're knackered. I suppose being a mom will give you that kind of super power!

@clutterqueen Well done on achieving balance - feeling like you've had a treat, whilst still keeping on goal.

@NadiaMayl Any update yesterday? Schools here go back soon as well, and Government guidance was still changing on Friday. We're very stressed about it too - if you don't deregister here, it's just fines. I've offered to cover the fines for my sister's two depending on how things happen - I'm really angry about how there has been no consideration in the UK as to the impact of children going back to school on the vulnerable people they live with. Children might be at lower risk, but children generally don't live in a pack on their own...

@kcd394 Did you get your rearranged mini spa day? Thinking about it, I might do that on my bonus day off - I have some face masks somewhere, and that might be a nice non-food related treat.

Someone (elsewhere) mentioned the concept of having 'rewards' for hitting certain milestones, which I like the sound of. Does anyone have any suggestions for rewards that don't involve food? Thinking about nice things that aren't food sounds like a good idea.

Because my goal day won't be until next summer now, I might even be able to consider a holiday as an ultimate reward - because the world could be a bit more normal by then.

Homestyle pamper/spa days also sound good - when did anyone take the time to have a long soak, use a conditioning mask on their hair, moisturise their arms and legs properly and put a face mask on? Possibly never...

Buying something non-size related, like a necklace or fancy hair product could also work. Or, if you like them, buying a bunch of flowers - they don't have to be expensive.

Anyone else want to chip in?

@thelastnightingale I like your idea of no food treats as a reward. One thing I used to do occasionally was a pedicure but I’m not sure how practical that is during Covid!
@kcd394 I’d hardly call your behavior lazy! You’ve just been super busy. Going to a family cabin for a long weekend sounds very nice! Good for you! Enjoy the time and recharge your battery there!

My sister, daughter and I drove over to the beach for a few hours today. We managed to find a spot that was at least 30 feet from anyone else. I felt comfortable!

My day:
Exercise: ✅
Tracked: ✅
Under: ✅ ( barely today, quite a bit yesterday)

Third times the charm... I keep hitting the back or done buttons... dangit.

@mammagemz hope you have a great birthday celebration! I like cake decorating but can't say I'm very good at it... lol

@clutterqueen look at those checked goals! Also yay for beach time!

So yesterday was great. We had three guests over, fire bowl in the driveway, spread out chairs nice for distancing, yummy kebabs on the charcoal grill and marshmallows after. I had a lite lunch knowing I'd been quite sedentary all day, and planned on not paying too much mind to dinner calories... I did log all my food this morning from dinner to find (thankfully) marshmallows aren't as calorie dense as I had feared. So I managed to be under 1400 calories yesterday.

This week was kind of a roller coaster. I had that free lunch Tuesday and it caused some serious water retention. That and being so mentally exhausted kinda caused me to slack off a little on healthy choices. So I had some treats this week, but to my credit I only allowed them in moderation. With my steps calories added in I still stayed in my calorie goals evey day. So it's a huge win to know I was able to moderate myself and have the treats, but still be able to achieve my goals. I passed up dairy queen sooo many times... I did finally cave to chicken nuggets at McDonalds late Friday, but only got 6 of them, and nothing else from the golden arches. Moment of truth was today at weigh in... another week, another pound gone. That makes 3 weeks of steady pound a week ish loss!

Last week: 189.2
This week: 188.2
Mini goal: 188 by September 14th (crushed it!)
New mini goal: 184 by October 4th

Hello everyone, is there room for one more?

Hi everyone, I’m Gabi 48yo, I leave in Northern VA, been married for exactly half my life and we have 2 daughters , 14 and 21. My oldest just went back to college, so is just us , the cranky teenager, a dog and a cat.

I was the extra skinny kid growing up, and maintained effortlessly a healthy weight until my second pregnancy, when I put 60lb and was totally baffled when it stayed on. I was completely not equipped to deal with it, and for 14y I did all kind of diets , failed and started again.

One year after the kid I changed my crazy busy job for an even busier one, so all me-time ended up disappearing. 5 years ago I changed course, got a slow and steady job 7miles away (goodbye hours in traffic), less pay , but less stress and started slowly to rediscover my old self. I had some success weight wise, but plato-ed since January.

Been on MFP for a year and last month found the forums and enrolled in a good challenge. I had fun and was diligent the first 3weeks and then ... finished the month at the exact same weight 😞. Going at it again this month just need more grounding.

I’m about 20lb from my weight goal, never been a very active person , but I do like to walk.
I’m short, 5.2 and currently size 10-12 and want to get to 2-4.
Glad to be here and to be part of this group.

It’s just occurred to me that I’ve been wearing these short shorts around the house for a while now, and I can pull them on without needing to unzip first. Last summer, I couldn’t even close the zip...

Caught my reflection when taking out the trash and whilst I clearly have more work to do, I felt... happy. I can see a difference in my appearance and how I look now is starting to get closer to how I remember.

I’ve also managed to slow down my weight loss to the level I wanted (just under a pound a week) as I’m now trying to maximise my chances of my skin tightening up as I go. The first two stone had to go ASAP for Covid, the final two stone are going more slowly for eventual appearance. I feel optimistic about my skin - I don’t think it’s sagging any more than you’d expect for my age, so I’m hoping to end up reasonably firm.

Wow, you’re so close to your pre-Covid weight, @clutterqueen. That will feel like a nice victory when it comes!

Welcome, @GabiV125!

An early night sounds delightful, @MommaGemz. I also find if I manage one, it helps with with my weight. My body really loves sleep even if my mind doesn’t!

Good morning
Eating 1450 cal ❌
Walking 15k ✅✅
I’ve been having nightmares and sleeping for less then 4-5h/night, I feel sub-human.
@NadiaMayl -I feel for you and your boys, it’s mind blowing to be asked to give up control after all these months of being asked the opposite.
@MommaGemz - this is a great time for a beach trip. Have fun and recharge!
@thelastnightingale -love your idea with doing something for ourselves, that felt through the cracks.
I’m starting mine today, and is 30 minutes reading before bedtime.