PW 177
CW 178.3

echoing @MaddawgMadsen ...it could be a lot worse.
Disappointing though as I had hoped for a month in the green. But not going to let it derail me, it's not that bad and I know just how it came about. Letting a little treat here (that evolve to more) and there is the main culprit & birthdays. I have learned some things though. Just can't keep tortilla chips in the house, can't sit on the couch watching TV without an activity, choc fudge sauce (xmas gift) cannot sit in the fridge if it is opened....etc... and that snow shoveling can't make up for all of that. More like pushing snow around even - but glad I did it as it all froze solid.
I read all the sneaker fitting recommendations - who does that? a podiatrist? a sport store salesperson? I'd ordered 2 sizes of sneakers from Amazon - their 'try on' deal, and nothing has turned up and they don't show on my account - puzzling, must make sure I didn't get charged. And still sneaker-less.
Have also got an old free elliptical coming this weekend - will plant it in front of the TV upstairs and no more excuses.

Good morning all

@MaddawgMadsen Congrats on the house, it's lovely. I really like your yard, lots of space...

@eggfreak I did mine at a running store, called Charm city run. I think it's more at specialty stores that deal with sports, I'm not sure if someplace like Dicks sporting goods would have that. I would try to find a running store. And don't feel obligated to buy there, you might be able to find it on sale online, I do that with REI and their outlet store all the time.

I had a good evening yesterday, walked on the treadmill, I signed up for PBS masterpiece, they have some of the best shows. I am currently watching "World on Fire" then I think I shall watch Pride and Prejudice... For those that don't know, I watch TV while on the treadmill, it's the only thing I've found that keeps me on it, I pick certain shows, and they are treadmill only shows. LOL

I wish I could walk outside more, but honestly, I live in Baltimore, almost in the city, so I get anxious about walking around the neighborhood and won't do it by myself. LOL not that anything has ever happened, and my neighborhood is not bad, but it's in proximity to not so savory areas, and yeah, the anxiety just isn't worth it. So the treadmill it is..

My poor refrigerator is empty, I looked this morning, the only thing in there is yogurt, pickles and stuff to make a salad. I need to do a serious shopping trip. LOL We are trying to do no spend weeks, so last week we went to the grocery store, I had a $ 40.00 gift card, so I said this is all we can spend. LOL - Maybe no spend weeks, shouldn't include groceries... Guess it's a good time to give it a deep clean though.

Whew, look at me rambling... Have a great day team !

@strong_fit_ells – I love the bike! That is a great idea to still get to ride the bike you love, but indoors when it is ridiculously cold! And, you can absolutely live with us. We have guest rooms. 😊

@Kali225 – Way to go making it to the small gym treadmill. It isn’t what you like, but you made it happen and that is awesome! Also, a big bowl of strawberries sounds amazing.

@ashleycarole86 – I used to love buying new cleats! I just hated breaking them in. When I was running a lot, I regularly lost toenails. It’s kind of gross, but I got used to it. Hopefully, you won’t lose any more!

Wednesday, January 17th – 7,466 steps, 45 minutes spin, 2.5 hours of league bowling – three games (571 series! … so close to 600)

@eggfreak – One of the biggest things that was holding me back was snacking while watching TV. I recently got back into crocheting. I’m making my husband a blanket, and so far, it is looking pretty cool. Plus, I can crochet while we watch TV, and my hands are so busy that I don’t snack on everything in sight. I hope the elliptical in front of the TV has the desired impact you want! As for the shoe fitting, I will echo what @Gidgitgoescrzy said – find a running store. In Portland, we had a couple of running stores that did the fitting. One of them charged unless you bought shoes from them. I would look into any running stores that are in your area and find out if they do the shoe fittings and how much they charge if they do.

@Gidgitgoescrzy – I like the idea of no spending weeks, but I do not think I would do it for groceries. We have a separate account specifically for groceries with a set amount of money that goes to it each week. We recently reduced the grocery budget to help save more money for the house which has turned into eating a lot more vegetarian meals with eggs, tofu, and beans as more frequent protein sources. I lived in Portland for years and was always uncomfortable walking downtown by myself. Nothing ever happened to me, but I did have one friend mugged in broad daylight. It can be scary! I definitely do not blame you for being anxious to walk around Baltimore.

@ashleycarole86 & @bowens1973 – Congrats on the losses! Great work!

I weighed myself this morning because I like to have an average even though I use Wednesday’s weigh-in as my weight. I weighed 171.0 today. If only I waited a day, I would have a loss. However, if I can take it easy this weekend and stick to my diet, I should have a good loss next Wednesday.

Happy Friday Eve WaistAways!

Good evening Waistaways

I did have a pretty good day today. Work was ok. I have 2 jobs at the moment. I'm a cook in hotel. January is quiet so I don't have to work many evenings for now. We only have a handful of customers most Fridays and Saturdays, or though this Saturday will be different. We have a staff party for our local garden centre workers. It will be 75 of them for 3 course dinner. Its going to be a busy day with food preparing.

My second job is I am school cleaning lady. It is the high school that my boys are attending. I only work Monday to Friday there between 3pm and 5pm. I work in hotel from 9.30 am until 2.30 pm, In the summer time after I finish in school I go back to hotel and work there until about 10pm ish. Last year was really hard work. I was tired most days, grumpy etc but I did like working in school. I met my boys teachers and it felt like every day was parents evening... But tomorrow I am going to give my notice in I really don't want to, but I just can't carry on. I am missing out on a break. It is ok now, but when hotel gets busy those 2 hours will be my break. I'll be home when boys get back from school so I have time to catch up with them. Don't get me wrong, I do see them in the hotel, they work with me My husband is on washing up, my eldest son does the bar when he's home from University, my middle son is almost 18 years old and he's my kitchen assistant and my youngest son who is 15 he's waitering so we are all in it together

I will be sad giving in my notice but it is the right thing for me to do.

Ok, I'm 500 steps short today so off I go on my indoor bike which I love That was such a good idea of mine to get that turbo that I am just stunned that I thought of it haha

@StayFITTer the bike was really easy and quick to set up. Well, my husband set it up for me but it looked very easy to set up

Have a lovely evening Waistaways and we almost made it to the weekend

This week has been far less hectic than last which has given me space to plan meals and cook. I've also gotten in way more steps.

The scale dropped yesterday, now to keep up with my good habits.

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe with all of this winter weather.

@strong_fit_ells
You are an amazing woman for having the strength to maintain a schedule like that. I can understand why giving your notice at the school is bittersweet but it sounds like you've put a lot of thought into it.

First soccer game of the season done and the new cleats felt great and minimal issues @MaddawgMadsen so far but my old cleats were so brutal that anything was better... even breaking a new pair in. However our team played horribly so it was humbling.

As you all have likely noticed after our many years here, Brad and I lose together, and we gain together. So glad we're in a lose period.

Oh yeah, and my yearly goal was to "weigh less at the end than I did at the start" because it was definitely the opposite in 2023. So, a status check -

Jan 1 237.4
Jan 18 231.4

That'll do for me for now. However, I intend to have this goal also be "weigh less at the end of each month than I did at the start". I like the way that feels.

Night friends.. can't wait to see what our Friday lineup has in store for us!

It's snowing again today ! Sheese... It's snowing alot too, good thing I didn't have to drive, hubby doesn't work on Fridays. So I also have him making the grocery store trip, cause we can't be stuck in the house with no food, one of us might not survive the weekend. Hopefully this is the one and only week of actual winter here... It's supposed to warm up next week.

I slept so bad last night, my fitbit says I slept 7 hours, it is a big fat liar, I woke up at 2.30 and tossed and turned till 5 then just got up... Ohh well, I am going to sleep really good tonight.

Okay, fingers crossed, we get to go home by noon.

Have a fabulous weekend, and Go Ravens, Packers, Lions and Kansas City...

I did some "inefficient housework" last evening to get in some extra steps. We live in a smaller house (1300 Sq ft) and all one level so it's hard to get steps in. So I intentionally put one thing away then walk back to the original room and do it again rather than doing several things in one trip. Some days I don't have time for it but I did last night and ended the day with 9000 steps. My under desk treadmill is working well for me too.

Meeting a friend at a brewery for a late lunch tomorrow and want to think through how to handle it. Pub food is so heavy and greasy. I'll check the menu today and see what good options there are.

Happy Friday all!