DW, I am very interested in how the new 17DD plan is going for you now. So good that you are able to get to Wednesday Lenten services in person. This week we have services every evening (6 pm) since it is the 1st week of our Lent. After this week, most weeks we will have evening services on Wednesdays and Fridays during Great Lent. I am doing the services online and plan to continue to do so. I also joined an on line (Zoom) book study with the church in Ohio where I do most of my online attendance. Tonight will be the first night I am participating with this group. I have read the first few chapters of the book and am looking forward to this discussion group which will begin after tonight's service concludes.

Shari, Yay for your compliant days and yay too for the easing of Covid restrictions. I had my check up today and masks are still required in medical facilities, but it seems that everywhere else has pretty much lightened up. Everything was good with my check up. My blood pressure was just about perfect 122/80, My weight was down 5 pounds from my last visit....so that was good but I had hoped for more. Now I have a number to work with and will aim for a more significant drop when I see the doctor next time.

We had wind storms last night. At one point more than 30,000 people in our area lost power. Our electricity went off briefly but it came back on quickly. Yesterday we had temps in the low 70s and then the winds hit bringing much colder weather. Wintry precipitation is forecast for tomorrow and then again over the weekend. Sheesh, I am so ready for spring.

The Buster adventure continues. We have been crating him when he is home alone, primarily for his own safety and also for our peace of mind. Well, when we got home today, he was out of his crate. He figured out how to open the latch and wait for us by the door as we arrived home. I am sure John and I can figure out a way to keep the crate latched when we aren't home. Buster sure is an interesting guy!

Diane, John and I agree that Buster must have some Corgi in his mix. Perhaps the unidentifiable "mix" mentioned in the results includes some Corgi. Today was my first day caving on the IF! Ugh! I was not just hungry but queasy in the stomach. So I ate some cereal about 2 hours too early. I will plan to be back on track with IF tomorrow.

DW, Woo Hoo for dropping those 6 pounds! That is so motivating to keep up with your plan.

Shari, it is such a challenge to stay on plan while eating out. A friend of mine who dropped a good bit of weight years ago and has kept it off feels that portion size is her issue. So whenever we went out to dinner (pre-covid of course), she ordered an appetizer and that was it. Now for me, that would just leave me hungry, but she managed to do that and appeared satisfied with the appetizer and a glass of wine. Sheesh, sometimes I was still hungry after eating a regular meal while she had only the appetizer, but this practice worked for her.

I struggled all day today and didn't do well. I started with a queasy stomach and then just was unusually hungry all day long. I nibbled and grazed in ways I haven't done in quite some time. Not sure why this happened, but I cannot keep this up. I will have to be extra vigilant to make up for today's extra calories.

Shari, I hope all went well with the serving of the papers. I pray that your friend stays strong and moves on. You deserve that drink!!

We are under a winter storm warning starting early tomorrow morning. It will probably end up with only about 6 inches of snow at most, but sheesh, it is almost mid March! I am so ready for spring. Today was a much better day for me compared to yesterday. It wasn't as solid as it could have been, but I think by tomorrow I will be back to starting another streak of good days. I just wonder how much damage I did to myself yesterday with all that grazing! I plan to make a pot of veggie chili tomorrow which will keep me satisfied and on track, and it is a good meal to have on a cold snowy day.

MJ, I understand your preference for healthy lifestyle food choices. I think that is why for me at the moment the WW plan is workable. Portion control is an issue for me and always has been. I have become much more conscious of portion size but on some diets found myself hungry no matter what. Currently with the WW personalized points plan there are some foods that are zero points so I have been trying to focus on those foods to satisfy my hunger. It is flexible enough for me to stay on plan or get back on plan pretty quickly if I do stray far.

Today is day 2 of my current compliant streak. Having the veggie chili is an enormous help for sure. It is delicious and very low in WW points. I might make another pot when this one is done, if John doesn't mind eating more of the same. He is pretty good about things like this. I do keep other options available for him, but honestly sometimes it is too tempting for me to serve him something else and not have "just a taste" which could be enough to throw me off plan. His birthday is on Tuesday, and I know we will have cake. Our former neighbor Cora is bringing him a homemade cake in the afternoon. I will have to include that in my points plan. John likes to get a delivery meal on his birthday too. I should be ok with that if I stick with some healthy fish or something like that from the restaurant we usually order from. I will have to deal with the sodium, but my food choice will be up to me.

Shari, Nice that the court hearing can be virtual.

Hi Everybody! We got home yesterday evening. My eating wasn't as good as I'd hoped-I always have the best of intentions when travelling.....Shari, how brave of you to deliver the papers and walk this challenging walk with your friend! Paula, I wish John a Very Happy Birthday!! It sounds like you have a good plan in place for eating! MJ, eating healthy food choices sounds like a great plan! Diane, I hope you are doing well!
I weighed in this morning and only gained 2 pounds on my trip-hopefully mostly water weight. I started back on the original 17DD today. I think that switching things up is helpful for me at this point. My dog did pretty well at the shows. She was very happy in the ring all three days. On the first day she got a 5 point major but no love from the judges the next two days. That was Ok because we were just happy to see her so happy! The problem from a couple of prior shows when she was extremely fearful must have been that they were outdoors. That's an easy problem to solve-just don't go to outdoor shows! Have a good evening!!

DW, Your water weight will be gone as you return to your plan. I feel water weight from our delivery dinner yesterday. Your reports from your dog show experiences captivate me. I cannot remember your breed however. Please remind me. I love your comment about being happy when your girl is happy...wonderful attitude.

Shari, Congrats on your good day and not caving to temptations. Sadly, I cannot say that after celebrating John's birthday, but it wasn't a total disaster.

John thanks you for the birthday wishes. He had a terrific day, including a decadent but delicious homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter icing from our 84 year old former neighbor Cora. Our delivery dinner was also great but sure made me extremely thirsty for the rest of the night. Sodium, sodium, sodium! I will aim to get back on track today, but sometimes I allow myself a "transition" day to ease myself back into compliance. I know that is just an excuse, so I will focus on compliance and not on excuses.

DW, Exciting to be celebrating your 50th anniversary of high school graduation! I have been to only one class reunion in my life and that was the 5th year reunion. My class celebrated our 45th + 1 anniversary last year because the year of our 45th (2020) everything was mostly shut down. I didn't go to the 45 +1 reunion, but saw photos and it looked like a nice time. I continue to zoom with a small group of high school classmates which for me, I guess, has been enough.

I had a couple so-so days. I stayed within my WW pts range without much problem but just didn't feel well in general. Today I am feeling much better and much more well rested. Today is like a total church day. I just finished "attending" an online service this morning and at noon will participate in a zoom retreat that lasts till 4 pm, and then another online church service (Vespers) at 5 pm. I am enjoying an egg white, feta, and tomato omelette now but haven't figured out supper yet....probably tuna because it is quick and easy.

Hope the weekend is going well for all!

Shari, Prayers for your dad! And for you and your mom as you both deal with all of this.

Today is a struggle for me to stay somewhat on plan..... As I am using the word "somewhat," you can tell I am not counting this as a compliant day. I need to get my compliant switch back to the "on" position! I am not over the top today, but I need to give myself a few more pep talks!