Last night was apps and snacks which has always been the tradition for my family. Made way too much but will snack on them for awhile.

Tonight is my fancy ring in the new year dinner. Steak, twice baked potato, sautéed mushrooms, and a salad.

I should be back to posting more tomorrow. Gonna enjoy this last day off.

Given how happy I am with rye bread and cheese... making out with Toutons doesn't sound like it would end well for getting into the black pants again!

Was definitely a close call. Not sure if last year NYE or this year NYE I had more trouble zipping up the black dress pants. Pretty sure that mid summer I wouldn't have been able to.

So successful zipping up and still being able to breathe, move and have dinner are all good points! But definitely nowhere near where I was having trouble holding them up a couple of years back!🤣 Oh well! Onward!🤪

Uh-oh. Got invited for a Jan 6--late Christmas.... will the black pants fit again.... the 131g of shortbread cookies from the 125g package argue that it will be a close call. *kitten* sales... and I was avoiding them so well till the "beast" run out of food and I had to go get extra squash!

Are those black pants pants you wear regularly or just tester pants that you keep on hand?

I like the idea of that. Because clothes seem to stretch for a good while before they say no we're no good anymore for you.

When I get where I want to be I'm going to incorporate that plan as a tester.

Most Orthodox Greeks celebrate Christmas on Dec 25. But Ukrainian and Russians used to celebrate on Jan 6 according to an older calendar. Of course Ukraine officially moved to December 25 starting this (now last) year.

I have been invited to join for Christmas dinner at a somewhat confused household of mixed Ukrainian and Russian origin with relatives currently on both sides. And somehow I get the inkling that I will be on the demarcation line of the sitting arrangements!🙈

The pants are my normal black dress pants. I'm not normally a fancy dresser 😳 at my post COVID minimum (low 150s) they were held up by the belt and the suit pants were very comfy. At my "new happy normal" mid 150s the suit pants were fine and the dress pants comfy.

At my current closer to 165 the suit pants I'm not even trying and the dress pants were not threatening to pop. Above 165 we start entering into buttoning gymnastics, sausage stuffing.... and concern for wardrobe malfunction territories!😱

My jean size has remained 32 throughout. When getting closer to 150 I briefly considered whether I should look into a smaller size.

As the onion theory goes, percentage of total weight is more meaningful sometimes than absolute value. So 5-10lbs often translates to more size movement at a lower than at a higher weight.

The more cues (and backstops and tools) we have in play to help us manage... the better off we are.

I've been known, to my detriment, to avoid the scale😵‍💫

Well I ordered in last night but made a much better choice then I usually do. Greek food! Basmati rice, pita bread, grilled chicken, falafel, gyro meat, lentil soup, and baba ganoush.

I had about 1/3 the rice, 1/4 the pita bread, half the soup, 1 falafel, and the chicken (with a few dips of baba ganoush last night).

Today I had a bit of the rice, 1/4 the pita, rest of the soup, 1 falafel, and the gyro meat for lunch. I have the baba ganoush in the fridge for another time.

The soup was amazing though. Super creamy from the lentils. Everything else was really good too but the soup was the stand out item.

Tonight I am making yellow curry with chicken, potatoes, and carrots served over 1/2 cup of rice and some sautéed spinach.

lauriekallis wrote: »

Sound delicious, Athijade. I'm not good with ordering like that. Most (ha ha, all) would be gone the first night 😕.

You did well!

It kinda feels odd to celebrate such a simple thing, but I was really happy with myself. Usually I give in to the cravings for fast food and just say f it. But this time I found something that sounded good and was healthier... AND I listened to my body and only ate until I was starting to feel full.

The curry came out REALLY well. Some of the best I made. And the spinach worked! It soaked up the extra sauce just like the rice did and became so flavorful. I am really happy with how well it all came together.

Tonight I am making some turkey smoked sausage, roasted cabbage, and roasted red potatoes.

Chicken soup and crackers. I feel better today. The cold is easing up. I spent most of yesterday in bed sleeping- don’t even remember much of it.

Heated up some Cincinnati chili tonight. So way off plan, but I was having some medical issues (see my post in Share Your Day) and just could not handle cooking what I had planned. Luckily the tofu will last a bit in the fridge and the veggies were frozen.

Now baked chicken cooked in your very own over sounds delish!