HI Everybody! After a mild winter so far, it has been very cold for the past two days and tomorrow as well. The fish pond froze for the first time this year-not all the way but most of it. I got some exercise with dog classes today. I had two dogs in one class this morning and one in a class this evening. The evening class was to practice for the dog shows so I had to run around the ring with my dog.....that should go on my "why" list, which I should do soon. Great idea MJ!! The challenge was more like signing up for a short "plan". I just have a free membership on MFP. I'm falling asleep at the computer so will bid you all "good Night"!!

Hello all and welcome back MJ!
I have been struggling with more family and personal issues. Sorry not to be posting here but dieting (though I am still on track with my IF plan) has not been foremost in my life right now. There is nothing I can share and that weighs on me too. Some days have been real downers. Please bear with me if I am sporadically on here for the next month or so…or until some issues get resolved.

MJ….my daughter gave me two tips which are working after so many years trying to keep on 17dd…I needed a change! I am using an app called “Lose It” and is feature rich tracker for calories and weight graphing etc. You plug in your age, weight, life style etc and it tells you max calories for day. As you enter in your meals foods and snacks, it keeps track of how many calories you have left in your eating day. All for free…I decline any offers to get a premium account. I am allowed 1395 calories each day and I combine this with Intermittent Fasting or IF. I pretty much can eat anything I want starting at 11:00 each morning and ending by 7:00 each evening.

I believe since I started Sept 3 I have only had one snack after the 7:00 cutoff. We have had some later meals that did not end until 7:30 but the next day did not eat until 11:30….so stayed with the fasting time. I have seldom gone over my calorie allotment, haven’t been hungry except around 10:30 when it’s almost time to eat. Some days my stomach growls…or I am watching clock to eat….but I tell myself I must be really burning the fat those rare days. Some days I forget to eat until noon or later…and my DH has to remind me, lol! The last few days my scale showed total of 12 lbs gone. Today I bounced up almost 2 of those. Seems I do a lot of up/down a lb or 2 on this…..but natural when you weigh everyday. I only record my weight on days the scale is different. That’s a long explanation for an easy peasy program. I never even think about or feel guilty for a cookie or some mashed potatoes now and then…because I am in calories range and eating window. It’s not a fast loss, very slow but steady. Could be my age as it worked faster for my daughter??

Have a great day everyone!

Diane, Prayers for you as you go through this rough time. We are always here for you. Please know that you are supported by your friends here. Take care of you and yours! Hugs! You provided an excellent explanation of IF. The benefits of IF were confirmed today on a local medical talk show I listen to on Saturday mornings. The doctor explained IF and strongly endorsed it. He said that he himself practices IF and has found success with it. He also said that IF can be practiced at various intervals based on individual preferences/needs, but the most common is 16-8 followed by 15-9. I respect this doctor a lot and was delighted to hear his endorsement of IF. (He is not a “diet doctor” but rather does an eclectic show addressing a large number of medical concerns.)

Today was a good day for me in terms of WW and IF. I think listening to the radio show this morning helped immensely with my motivation. It was a rather lazy day however as I had a lighter than usual “to do” list. Tomorrow is my day of rest, with our online church service in the morning. A blessed Sunday to all!

Shari, Good luck with your greenhouse gardening! It does sound like fun. The extent of my "gardening" is 2 plants in my kitchen, one is basil, the other parsley. They continue to thrive in my kitchen window. And I like being able to snip from them to add when I am cooking sometimes. I also have a Christmas poinsettia, but I don't think that counts as "gardening" per se, lol. It is rather unseasonably cold here but not nearly as cold as your area Shari. We had and are still having freezing rain, sleet, etc. today so travel is quite treacherous. Our church was originally going to cancel services this morning, but then at the last minute decided to hold services and that also meant the service would be live streamed. Very few people made it to the church today, but quite a few viewed the live stream. I smiled because I was the one who raised quite a fuss when our church discontinued their live stream in Aug. 2020. It took months for the live stream to be reinstated. But now I don't feel so guilty about raising that fuss after all.

I am having another very good diet day. I made a feta egg white omelette for brunch today...very good, healthy, and low in my WW points. We are having leftover (from yesterday) ground turkey for supper so this is a very easy cooking day for me again. Celebrating my high motivation again today!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome back. Reading about all this cold weather makes me feel so fortunate for phx sunny sun here. I am loosely following 17 day diet (more like stage 2) in the hopes of quickly dropping a few pounds before my daughter's wedding first week of Feb. Then I am truly going to work on maintaining by sensible eating.
Does IF stand for intermittent fasting? Seeing so many posts has made me curious.

Shari, Good idea to look for a book at a local greenhouse. They might be able to give you some ideas too. I, too, am finding the variant is hitting people I know. My neighbor with whom we are very close) now has Covid. His wife, who is a huge help to me in so many ways, took him to the hospital last night as he was having difficulty breathing and having a lot of coughing. He got an IV drip of antibiotics for 2 hours and then sent home with an antibiotic for 5 days. The cough has improved since he got the IV. He won’t eat and is sleeping a lot. He’s about 67 years old and was scheduled for a 2nd hip replacement this week. That is now being rescheduled. His 60-year-old wife is quarantining for 5 days. They are not vaccinated (by choice), and I am quite concerned about both of them. They have been very careful around me and John, knowing we are vaccinated and that we are extremely cautious. We haven’t been physically close to either of them since the onset of the pandemic.

MJ, Yes, IF is Intermittent Fasting. How exciting that your daughter’s wedding is so close! Will it be in Phoenix?

DW, Safe travels to you! Ah, Florida! What a desirable destination! Where in FL will you be? I used to enjoy visiting Florida many years ago. My parents wintered there prior to my mother’s death in 1990. When John was much younger I took him to Disney World two times. Wonderful memories. Great that you are well prepared and will be outdoors. Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

I had a very productive day today. I jam packed my “to do” list and was actually quite energized (for me). I was well within my WW points and again had no visits from the “hunger monster.” I am so pleased with everything I accomplished today and am just hoping I can do the same (or close to it) tomorrow.

Paula, our bodies really let us know when we overdo. Pain stops me and I have definitely not been doing much these last several days. Such a reminder to strengthen, or pay the consequences.

Shari, husband and I keep evaluating and the answer stays for us, least social interaction as possible. Daughter is ed nurse - has worked this entire pandemic and we see firsthand how overwhelmed the health workers are. Doing all we can to not add to their load and stay healthy, not spread to others.

I am definitely making plans, keeping to the plans for meals. Not sure what the thinking was entirely to have gotten off track this last time and gained the 12 lbs. It was sure quick - less than 2 months to put the weight on. Working currently to lose, but definitely plan on figuring out my thinking so I don't repeat it.

Dropped pounds this week and of course, feel good that I have kept the course. Intentionally taking the time to work on goal sheets, food planning, self monitoring. Evening tends to be the hardest but doing my best to talk myself thru it. Really trying to stay on the health end of all of this. I don't like my clothes being tighter, and knew if I didn't stop the eating, it would only get worse. So tho I don't have a lot of lbs to lose, I would if I didn't stop it then health would be a bigger issue. Googling healthy eating and reading thru the importance of protein, carbs, fats, and calcium (which includes magnesium, vit B12 and K) was a good reminder what each does for me and why it is important to get my calories from these foods. Health is so important for each of us and our health also affects our loved ones. Prayers for healthy eating for all!

HI Everybody! We got home yesterday afternoon. I'm back with renewed motivation and many extra pounds. I am almost back to where I started in January, 2021...very discouraging but also motivating. I'm not feeling well and had my first covid test this morning...fingers crossed that it is just my usual sinus infection....the symptoms appear to be much the same from what I've been reading.
We had a nice time in FL. We were in the Brooksville area. My dog was winner's *kitten* one day for two points toward her championship, and runner up two days, and the first day she really didn't want to be there, so no placements. We had to postpone our return by a day due to the weather system that went across between FL and home. We had no snow at home but drove through areas of GA, TN, and KY that had received a variety of unpleasant precipitation. We saw enough to confirm that we made the correct decision to wait a day. We enjoyed the warm weather and visiting with people that we don't see often.
It sounds as if everyone has been doing well working your own plan! I am back to 17DD and am looking forward to doing my exercise Zoom classes again! Have a great Wednesday!!

Paula, it feels so nice to have a great day! Yeah for you! Having the right foods at hand makes a big difference. I notice that I often break compliance when I find my weight has dropped on the scale. It is almost like permission later in the day to eat however. Helps me to keep an eye on this. Funny you mentioned palachina with mushroom filling as that is one filling I made. Hungarian style all fillings are very sweet - jams, sugary fruit, etc. Found out my guests were eating healthy and since I had mushrooms and chicken on hand I made a non traditional filling and it was a big hit.

DW2022, nice you were able to have a good trip. Hopefully your covid test is negative. I am also on 17dd and following it loosely to drop these extra pounds and go back on maintenance.

So starting the day with renewed commitment to less calories. Still working on motivation and plan for physical activities and exercise.

MJ, Your palachina night sounds like a hit for sure! I know I would have enjoyed it....and healthy too. Super!

Shari, I hope your son bounces back soon. I heard on the news today that the county where I live still has a very high rate of Covid transmission. I cancelled my haircut that was scheduled for Monday. My hair dresser is so sweet and understanding! Another blessing in my life.

Today my IF was off schedule due to a Zoom meeting I had today. I didn't get to eat before the meeting and was quite hungry after the meeting so I ate. I am within my WW points however, so that is a plus. So by my standard for myself, I am back to no days in a row again too. I will give it my best shot again tomorrow.