9,700 steps today (3 mile hike with a friend this morning, then walking all over the property trimming trees with my husband).

Went to dinner with friends... had a bacon burger (no bun) and fries - so that's not so great ..

Whew! That's a lot of heavy furniture moving, Connie. I hear you on the dust...

4 mile walk with another friend (my friend Beth, who just had her 3rd eye surgery). That's about 8,300 steps. I need to repot my tomatoes... so will try to get that done before it gets any hotter.

I finally lost one of the pounds I gained while I was sick - phew! I wore my compression wraps yesterday so it makes me think it's lymphedema water weight. Eating better though, and keeping to my hours of eating as well.

I think that this was a weekend to not do anything healthy. We had a double homeschooled Graduation party on Saturday and my dessert plate was full. It's not often there are very many things I can eat, but this time I took some of the three options I had! Yummers. I didn't finish it all, but still (insert piggy nose here)! Will get back on track today and actually will be eating lightly, trying to figure out exactly what might be causing the headaches.

Weight: 238.4

It's amazing how those Kisses or M & M's just pop up when we least expect it!

I've been saying "NO" to treats more than I am saying "Yes". I did have a donut mid-week, but that is it for treats. I've even held off on jelly beans until Wade offers me one or two at bedtime! I've found a healthy cracker made from cauliflower that has been pretty good. The initial taste is "huh", but then as I eat more they taste better! When you don't have many options, fairly good is good! LOL! I've also had my sweet potato chips and yesterday got a bag of 10 sm bags of white cheddar puffed corn. I really like puffed corn, but my favorite hasn't been on the shelves lately - the Great Value puffed corn. I just looked at the Walmart site, and it says I can pick it up today at the Walmart that didn't have it just yesterday! Hmmm??? Oh well, we'll keep trying or I'll order them!

Still hanging around the 238 mark. I ordered some compression sleeves for my legs which will be much easier than the wraps. The ones I have a too tight because my legs keep getting bigger from the lipedema. I found a good price on E-bay.

Oh wow! Awesome, Cindy!

It's the weekend, so treats are in the offing! I will be careful though and not go overboard like I am wont to do. (I looked it up and that is the correct spelling! My spell checker has it underlined, but I looked it up to be sure!)

I wonder if they make a body brace? I think today I could wear them all! LOL! Well, my knee, my hands, and my back - that's not too bad. Hopefully, this new natural pain reliever will start kicking in!

Today I started Real Appeal which is a United Healthcare weight loss program through work insurance. So far it is very mental. I did Precision Nutrition in 2016 and it is very much like PN. Very focused on behavior change and self-awareness.

Hey, Laura, so glad you chimed in. I think the mental is 3/4 of any weight loss program. I struggle keeping myself wanting to move in that direction and give in too easily when I want something to eat. I try to make healthy choices, but am not always successful with that. I'm struggling right now to get my determination in place!

I do praise the Lord, as I was praying this morning I realized that I had a lot less headaches than I had been having, and very few of the ones I do have are migraines. God is very good always!

I will say "NO" with determination, and I'm going to begin to do my arm workouts again.

Great ideas!

Yes... I was stress eating candy all last week. It didn't help that there was an endless supply of chocolate in the production office. I did lose a pound while I was on this last job, but I walked SO much - it should've been more

After almost 60 years I think I might have made major headway in my sugar addiction. My husband has had to radically change his diet due to pancreatitis. I made small changes in mine to mirror his but didn't go as radical as he did. But slowly I see that my tastes are changing. I had croutons for the first time in a long time yesterday and was shocked by how salty they are. I had not noticed that before. We had our weekly frozen yogurt Friday night, and I woke up Saturday going, nope, not again. Something in me was overwhelmed with the heaviness of the yogurt. I used to pray for God to change my appetite to crave healthy things rather than sugar/salty things. After decades of prayer maybe this is happening. They say that sugar is more addicting than cocaine and after almost 6 decades of craving sweets and chocolate, ice cream and cookies, I think for me this has panned out to be true. Last night I thought, well, just wait for something stressful and see how you hold up then! Then I realized that I am in the middle of great stress right now, and I still don't want the sugary stuff like I used to. I think having a spouse that eats healthy has been a game changer for me. He used to order cheese enchiladas, huge burgers, desserts and then at the grocery store, load up on chips, soda pop and bakery items. Now almost all his grocery shopping is in the produce section and a few organic cereals. He almost died twice from pancreatitis in 2020, was on a picc line feeding tube that I had to administer, and almost dying got his attention. God knows that I have definitely not arrived, but something is different inside of me and I'm grateful. I give the credit to Jesus since I prayed for years for my appetite to change. I hope that I continue in His strength to say no to unhealthy and yes to healthy. I have 38 pounds to lose.

I wanted to say I saw where Restfinder is a caregiver to a dementia parent. (I friended Connie and Restfinder). My father had dementia. I was a caregiver to him, my brothers and mother were caregivers too, but last July we had to put Dad in a dementia unit. He was 94. He was so sweet; he was never violent. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. He was a big guy, started out around 200#. He quit eating at some point, began to lose weight. Between us working full time and his weight and us having a small house (he could not walk) we could not have cared for him which is a guilt I guess I will always have. But he knew we loved him dearly. I had medical POA over him and there were days I was on the phone with 4 of his drs off and on all day long between kidney issues, broken hip and various other issues. Plus I would be emailing/calling the dementia care unit staff. Always taking supplies up there and checking on him. He lasted 4 months in there, and after a fall where he broke hip and required surgery, he died about 8 weeks after that fall. He was not always sweet in his 94 years, but those last 4 months, he was like an angel.

Now, my brothers and I are caregivers to our Mom. She is 93. She is in a 55+ adult living community and suffers from various ailments but not one huge ailment, if that makes sense. Mom is a retired RN and very sweet and accommodating. She doesn't have dementia, just age-related memory loss. She's 1.5 hr away from me; my brothers live just a few miles from her and do most of her errands, the stuff I can't order/deliver via Amazon. I have medical POA over her and contact her doctors but nothing like the volume of calls with Dad. We love her so much and would do anything for her.

I didn't mean to write a novel. I guess I was trying to communicate that I empathize with the dementia journey and caregiving journey. It can be lonely and excruciating at times, full of self-doubt and unexpected twists and turns. I relied on my Lord to get me through it. God bless each of you richly in Jesus' name.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your precious Mom. I know the helpless feeling as they slide downhill. The Lord did draw near to us in those hours, and small glimpses of grace were so appreciated. I wonder who will be there for me to do the things I've done for my Mom and Dad; I can't help but wonder, even though it feels selfish to do so. I remind myself that the Lord will be there, of course, and He is enough.

I'm so happy to hear that the bandage wraps slid down! My brother had lymphedema and I'm aware of the scope of the medical implications. Watching his decline also motivated me to make better lifestyle choices. It was the catalyst that propelled me to do Precision Nutrition in 2016.

My husband has had bouts of diverticulitis in the past resulting in trips to the ER. Between that and the pancreatitis, we are on about 4-5 supplements to help keep our digestion working.

I'm glad you're taking care of your teeth! Important for digestion.

I'm so glad that you have help, Connie! I'm also glad that you are able to still have Bill with you.

It's such a comfort to know that God already knows what is going to happen in our lives. God knows and that gives peace.

I just trimmed up the tomato bushes and am still trying to cool down! Phew! It is hot! I picked a couple of okra and gave them to our neighbor, she uses them in her THM recipes. Okra is supposed to help with weight loss.

Hope you ladies stay cool. Love you