I have had a busy week, just now catching up. I went to the Dr. Monday for CT scan results. The lungs are stable, place is still there but has not grown. I go back for another scan in 1 year instead of 6 months. Guess that is progress. He did say I could go out to dinner but be very careful. I can't go with friends, he said it is best for just me and hubby to go alone right now. If the restaurant is not following CDC guidelines, tell them why and leave.

I also got some disturbing news. This CT scan showed a growth on my pancreas. I will have an MRI next Wednesday then will see a surgical oncologist Friday. So glad these appointments are soon and I don't have to wait a long time. My lung doctor recommended a colleague of his that specializes in the pancreas. I read back through all 3 ct scans and the PET scan and did not see anything mentioned about the pancreas so it hasn't been there long. Guess that is good news. Of course I am a bit frazzled until next week is over but hopefully it will be just another place to watch and scan. Trying to think positive. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GOOD THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS! Being able to share with y'all is therapeutic.

I went to a friends house today for lunch outside on the deck with the girls. She prepared a great salad with a pecan, craisin, apple, lemon/lime dressing. It was so refreshing. Dessert was a pear crisp made with fresh pears from her tree in the yard. She gave me boiled peanuts to take home (it is a southern thing). Fresh dug peanuts from the field, washed several times then boiled a few hours until tender with lots of salt. Definitely not healthy. I only had a few. We visited from 11-3. Just what I needed. My husband went to the local grill tonight and got us a steak sub and fries for dinner. Not the healthiest day but I think I deserved it. I did get in over 16,000 steps and 17 minutes of strength.


@ 1theresamcvean (Theresa)
I have hummingbirda from April-October here in NC, we love watching them, right outside my kitchen window and it seems like every time we sit down to eat the birds come to feed as well. Your outside dinner with friends and family sounds wonderful. So sorry to read that you are not feeling well. Presumed Covid, did you test positive and were you sick?

@ annliz23 (Ann) love your exercise plan,

@ brown6267 (Mary) good stepping

@ cafelelia (Lisa) You have a lot going on with work and school, hope it all settles down for you soon.

@ Freeglerock (Lisa) Sounds like you are getting a good amount of exercise and flexibility. Glad you had a good weekend, even if you did go over a bit I'm sure you will get right back on track. I just saw your weight loss, congrats!!!!

@ jedaschultz (Debbie) steady loss, congrats!

@ kandi3570 Sounds like the patio is coming along nicely. Love the pictures. Hope that your sciatica is better, you have my sympathy. I have had 4 back operations and I feel your pain.

@ kirsten11872 (Kristen) Congrats on nearing the goal weight and getting into your clothes again. WIN!

@ lennoncpa (Cheryl) Yay, refrigerator is in place. That had to be hard to go without one. I agree, lot of support here and no judgement. WE can do this! Line dancing in the park, wish I was there with you. Sounds like a great way to have fun exercising.

@ Ljdanny (Tracy) nice walking last week!

@ mainebeachbum (Stephanie) Sounds like the wedding was fun and you did well with your eating. Congrats on the weight loss! Be careful with the foot, backing off for a short while sounds like a plan.

@ melaniedscott (Melanie) I hope work gets back to normal for you soon.

@ minstrelofsarcasm (Ashley)
The brunch sounded great and you are doing enough spinning to counteract it. We do share a love of baking, I am on week 3 without cakes or pies. Embrace that magical feeling of weight loss, positive reinforcement is good! Love that you are competing with yourself. I bet you will win😊😊😊

@ podperson1 (Shelli) Hope that you feel better soon! Prayers

@ "Sleepymom5 (Pam)
I hope that your daughter is feeling better! Your walk on the beach sounds amazing! I also need to clean up computer space but such a boring job! Listening to your hunger is huge. You can do it. Thanks for the prayers.

@ tryingagain5 (Linda) Even the bees wanted to go to church:):) Good to get back to the gym and work with a trainer. Interested to see how the jury duty goes, I am 68 and have never been. My husband has only been one time. Sounds like you have a great boss! Congrats on the weight loss.

@ xX_PhoenixRising_Xx (Kristi) I understand being behind, I am just now catching up. I sympathize with your struggle but always ask yourself "am I eating because I am hungry" most of the time the answer is no.

@ cassiegetsfit2013 hope you start feeling more energetic soon. Try to get out in the sun and air for a short walk.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON............

Yep, I was expecting that. While this is still a loss compared to the beginning of my week, it's not an weekly loss, and that's okay! My bloat from my brunch brought me almost all the way back up to 170 on Monday morning, so watching the numbers come down day-by-day has been a treat. Besides, I started the month at 166.2, so I'm still looking at a loss from the month; just thrown off by my anomalous whoosh two weeks ago. Did I technically gain? Did I technically lose? How much water retention is happening in my body? Who knows!

Food: Beyond my brunch on Sunday, I've been eating fairly well. Having the blueberry lemon cake leftovers has been a challenge, but I think I've found a good pace that would both finish the cake and not completely betray my healthy habits. Sure, I may have binged on hummus and pretzels a few times. And sure, I make a decent amount of protein ice cream to satisfy my ice cream cravings. But I'm typically pretty close to my calorie limit (including the little bit of extra from working out).

Exercise: Over the past week, I have attended seven spin classes, walked 22 miles, and completely bailed on planking at all (which is something I need to get back into). A friend of mine invited me to join her in a pilates-type class, so I might do that in lieu of a spin class next week, even though I'm still pushing to hit 700 classes by the end of the month. On top of my typical four classes per week, I would just need to add in two more each week to hit my target. Given that I haven't done less than seven classes any week this month, I'd say the chances are quite high I'll reach my goal.

Active Sources of Water Retention:

• Too many carbs/simple sugars at brunch on Sunday
• Muscle recovery from all the gosh darned spin classes
• MS medication
• Too much sodium, not enough other electrolytes
• Stress from work, health, family, Covid-19
• Sunburn on my legs and feet
• Mystery bruise on my leg
• Curse the MFP Gods placed on me for not logging dinner every day

This Coming Week: I have a barbecue in the park with a few friends on Saturday, and that's pretty much it for my plans that involve being less-than-healthy™. I have a mentorship meeting tonight with some students at my alma mater, a call with friends from college on Friday night, and might be kayaking on Sunday (weather permitting). Which means that muscle recovery source is going to be sticking around for ONE. MORE. WEEK! It's not leaving any time soon, I'm sure.

Wednesday check in
I did well yesterday. My MIL visited just for an overnight stay. We ordered Indian take out, which is her favorite. I did very well with portions and eating until I was full. I am really trying to develop and learn in scenarios like this because not every day can be a perfect eating day. The stressful life issues continue, particularly back to school, and I am starting to sound like a broken record. As Theresa noted, COVID cases are going up here, but our government has promised to keep the schools open and try other measures first, like reducing the size of gatherings, closing bars etc. To help manage the stress, I decided to stop thinking about all of the variables and possible outcomes. There is just no use. I am a planner and problem solver, so this is a good lesson in letting go and going with the flow. I have also started listening to my Calm app more, and discovered that the music section is great and instantly calming, even when I am doing other things. Hope that you all have a great day!

@1Theresamcvean & @minstrelofsarcasm - This week, I will weigh in on Saturday morning instead of Friday. I want to try to flush out some of that sodium from that take away. Theresa, I hope that you feel better and that it is not COVID. Ashley - I love Lucy!

@debbiewsharpe - I hope that MRI goes well next week and I will continue praying for you.

@tryingagain5 - That lost lb is very well deserved, congratulations!

pacsnc6
week 3
Thursday check in
PW 159.6
CW 159.1

Check in for Wednesday
Food-logged and on target
Water-80 oz
Exercise-78min bike ride, 2-20 min walks and PT

Great day yesterday! I am going to be honest though, if I didn't put it on here that I was going to ride the entire island, I would have talked myself out of it. I am about 1/2 way down so it really like riding there and back. I am glad that I pushed and went the whole way. I am going to try to do that as much as possible the last few weeks I am down. Jim is coming today for the weekend so I need to get moving. I have to exercise, shower and I have a nail appointment. Daisy is also not feeling well. I am probably going to do a walking video so I am here if she needs to go out. I may end up canceling my nail appointment too. I have a call into the vet so we will see. She has a very sensitive stomach and it seems to be getting worse as she gets older.


@1theresamcvean I hope you feel better soon. I was positive with antibodies but my doctor told me at the time not to be too confident because they didn't know how long that would last. I am interested what the results of your covid test will be.
@Freeglerock Nice loss!! I like your goals for the week. You got this!
@podperson1 Feel better soon
@tryingagain5 Nice loss!
@lennoncpa I love that you are able to get together to dance outside. I hope there is another way to get together safely when the weather changes. I don't think it is uncommon to be cranky these days with everything going on in the world. I actually limit my news because of that. Hang in there, things will get better eventually. xo. I am in Sea Isle NJ. It is very busy during the summer but lovely off season. I love September down here.
@kandi3570 I am glad your back is feeling better. What a productive day you had! I would have done the same thing with the lumber in the car lol! Sounds like you may have found the answer to the evening hunger although I am sure that keeping busy helps too.
@mainebeachbum Sometimes you just need more fuel. Sounds to me like you were making sure you were hungry before you ate. I think that is important to notice, I know I am so focused on hunger lately but that is what I need to work on Lol!
@debbiewsharpe I am sorry that the scan picked up another growth but you are right, they did pick it up early so that is good. I am sure the not knowing is difficult, hang in there. I am sending prayers and hugs. I am glad that you are able to go out with your husband now. That will be nice. I am also happy your were able to get together with your friends, that salad sounded amazing! I don't get the boiled peanuts Lol! My father was in the Masons in Florida and they sold boiled peanuts as a fund raiser. They did really well so I know people love those peanuts!
@Freeglerock You are really doing great lately. Evening snacking is a problem for many, me included. I am dabbling in IF for that. I am trying to do the 14 hours so I am basically not eating from 7pm to 9 am. For some weird reason, I don't eat a night when I am fasting. I would much rather eat at 9 am than eat at night and push my morning time back. If that makes sense. I just thought I would share incase that is something that would work for you.
Thanks for sharing about work, I am so curious what is going on out there.
@minstrelofsarcasm Thank you for taking the time to explain the water retention. It does get discouraging when the numbers aren't going down on the scale but you are following your plan. That is where I am now. This is something that would make me give up in the past but I am beyond that now. I will keep moving on and be happy I am not going up.
@Cafelelia How nice your MIL was able to visit. One of these days I am going to try Indian Food. It is hard to let go and go with the flow but it will help your sanity now a days. Hugs!
@pacsnc6 Nice loss! You must be looking good if the nurse is asking why you want to lose 10 more pounds

I still haven't properly caught up, but I do want to say that I appreciate you all being here for support! It's such a great group to be a part of. 🙂💪

@sleepymom5 I did make the cake but I didn't decorate it, just put a chocolate ganache on top. Hubby isn't fussed and I felt like I'd been hit by a truck over the weekend. Kahlua mudcake was his only request, we had that as our wedding cake and every few birthdays I get a request to make it for him. His mother actually made our wedding cake.

It amazes me how I can go from feeling dreadful to feeling normal again really quickly, but most of this week I've felt fine. So I've been making the most of it while I can - getting in spin sessions and weight sessions as well. Also yoga because that makes a huge difference. I even got on the cross trainer yesterday which I have avoided for a while because it's hit and miss if it triggers pain, but no problem, I felt fine. Long may it last!

It is Friday, for all of you working hope that you get to enjoy your weekend! After several weeks of no baking I finally rewarded myself with a lemon pie. Yes, I do think I actually enjoyed it more. I have found that just a little square of a dark chocolate bar, a cup of applesauce, piece of cheese or a piece of fruit really helped me. I even weighed less this morning. If you are not using the habit tracker I recommend it! Several days I was sure tempted not to exercise but it kept me focused. Thank you all for the love and support show in this group. I am still a sleep and finding my way around but I have read of the care and concern that y'all have for what everyone is going through. A special shout out to our captains, moderators and leaders of this group. I know a lot of work goes into it. You are all appreciated. YOU ROCK!

@Freeglerock
Looks like most of your goals were checked as Done – congrats! I bet going back in to the office felt strange, from 300 people to 10 people. I think with the 2 hour commute working from home is great, gives you a lot of extra “home” time to concentrate on your health, that’s a WIN! Thanks for the positive thought.
@ minstrelofsarcasm
At least you are watching the numbers going down. Love the Lucy picture, I feel like that about every other day that I get on the scales. You are doing great with all the classes and reaching 700 spin classes is an awesome goal to work for. Pulling for you and I believe in you. The barbque in the park sounds amazing. ENJOY!
@brown 6267 – good stepping!
@ Cafelelia
Developing that sense of fullness and actually stopping when it kicks in is huge! I am learning that I don’t need to “clean my plate” wish parents wouldn’t teach that. Never thought of a calm app but sounds like a great idea. I might need to try that. Hang in there with the school system, I think everyone is learning as they go and the positive I have seen in our district is that it is much better than in the spring and improving every day.
@xX¬_PhoenixRising_Xx
Weight only slightly up, new day and week ahead. Your walks with your husband along the coast sound amazing. Looks like you summed up your week on a positive note. Knowledge is power and you will use that power in the week ahead.
@pacsnc6 - congrats on the loss but it sounds like you need to be careful with is. Proper nutrition and exercise are always a good combination. You got this.
@sleepymom5
Your ride sounds so relaxing yet also great exercise. Enjoy your weekend and I hope Daisy is OK. Thanks for the well wishes, I am staying positive. This may just be another one of those places to watch and scan and I am getting used to that.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON.........

Weigh in day: Friday
Previous weight: 134.4
Today's weight: 134.4
Weekly Steps: 65,708