I have noticed that when I eat is very important with my ability to stay within my calorie budget. If I eat earlier than usual for any of my meal/snack times, then I end up eating more by the end of the day because of hunger. Lately, I’ve been breaking my breakfasts in two (I’ve done this before, First Breakfast and Second Breakfast, like hobbits). Today, at 11:30 AM or so, I was getting really hungry and a bit concerned because lunch isn’t until 12:30 PM or so. Then I remembered! I only ate the first half of my breakfast. I was inordinately happy to discover the second half of my breakfast in the frig. It was one of those moments when you know you’re just a bit odd, weird, choose your word.

I went camping for about 4 days last week (off the grid, mfp is possible, but only with great planning/weighing/logging ahead of time). I pretty much ate what I usually do on the trip, but with the addition of more than a couple s’mores each night, OK 4+ s’mores (without graham crackers—husband is a gluten-free kind of dude and GF graham crackers are nasty and I would never be able to get through a box of regular ones by myself). I didn’t gain any weight, very nice and unexpected.

I have lost all but a couple pounds from our recent vacation, so I’m doing well on the losing front. It has been quicker than losing weight from the vacation before that. I fully attribute it to a group that I have joined. There is a new group each month (same name, different month). This month it is, called: Ultimate Accountability Challenge August 2023. Here is the link, if you are interested:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/145179-ultimate-accountability-challenge-august-2023.

So, it is a ‘challenge’ in mfp-speak, but I don’t believe it is in the Challenge category, maybe Motivation? The ‘rules’ are really simple. You try to do 3 things each day: exercise 20 min (any exercise), log your food, and stay within your calorie budget (totally set by you). In theory, you report in every day, but just so it is at least every three days, which is ok. If you think you may be interested, check it out right away, the challenge for each month (the group) closes after 6 days. I pretty much exercise every day, so I don’t get very wired if I miss a day due to life happening. But, those couple days or so during the month while doing this challenge, I find that I take the effort to fit in exercise because I want to report in that I did my daily exercise. Please note earlier comment about me being odd/weird. I mean, in the big picture, what does it matter? Missing a day here or there of exercise? Like you always hear, consistency is what counts—-every little bit helps. During the summer, I count my ‘sticking’ as my exercise. I’ll get back to the regular during the cold months.

My last vacation was in July and by being in the June challenge, it made me log (not my fav). And, I was able to achieve my goal before the trip (one pound less than earlier in year). I joined for July, even with the vacation and knowing that I wouldn't log or even attempt to keep my calories low, to sort-of force me to go back logging earlier than I would have otherwise once I got home. There is a direct correlation with me of more logging, more weight loss. (dang-it!).

Enough about weight, other updates…

I continue to ‘stick’ (picking up sticks). Today was just dragging big branches (that my husband chainsawed a month or so ago) up from our backyard to our side yard. I want my husband to chainsaw those up in the side yard (too big for my lopper), so I can then dispose of them. This involves carrying/dragging/wagoning a can down to the end of the driveway. The key here, if you didn’t pick up on it, is not dragging/etc a can up a hill before dragging it down. Down is WAYYYY easier (I have great respect for gravity and try to work with it). (One of you have mentioned enjoying hearing some of my engineering stories and just a small comment...when I think of gravity, I always think '9.81 m/sec squared'. Some of the constants used during an engineering career just aren't forgotten, sadly). Approaching our house from all directions except the one side yard is up. We are about 2-3 houses down from the top of our particular mountain. Also, we have a couple acres and with the trees and the slope, our neighbors don't see this wood laying around. I don't want anyone being aghast for us being 'bad' neighbors. In fact, we couldn't even see the downed wood in the backyard. We live in a very wild-looking area. And to further (possibly) blow your minds, many people here (us included) don't mow their yards. Yards are more like woods/meadows here. If we mowed our yard, we wouldn't get the wildflowers growing in it throughout the summer, so pretty! (Weeds, too, let's not pretend. And, our wildflowers are actually weeds, too).

I am also trying to get through at least 1/2” of my stack of (endless) papers. The stack is maybe 4” high (always, 4” is the top of my very pretty, perfectly-sized wooden box that my (late) MIL gave me quite a few years ago. In my defense, some of the papers do get moved out. Unfortunately, more get added.

Other than that, the weather in Colorado is beautiful; I love the summers. I haven’t hiked as much as I usually do, but it is all good. I hope you all are enjoying your summer. I’m going to try to upload a pic from our trip to Alaska and maybe from where we camp on Colorado. If you see them, you'll know I was successful!

Inside Passage, on our way to Vancouver

Hello, ladies! I have been here, but I only just pulled up mfp on my laptop. I usually just use my phone and it is so much easier to tap out a note on the computer, not the phone.

So, I’ve made the decision to just accept that I need to lose more weight and to get firmly in the ‘normal’ BMI range. I have flirted with just over or just under 25 for some time. I plan to get 10 lbs under, which truly, has always been my goal weight. I was within 1-2 pounds about a year ago, but never quite reached it. I still decidedly look fluffy at 25 BMI (and I think at may goal weight, too. More decisions may need to be made later ). Everyone is different and I know this would not be true for everyone. I am also very much doing this because I am close to being pre-diabetic. I don’t overdo the carbs, either, just by default of what I prefer.

I’m still exercising, although it was only sporadic for Jan and Feb. I was overbooked in Feb and now I have more time. The plan is to log every day (and exercise) for March and April. I should be within striking distance to my goal then. The timing is good for me because we start camping in May; I eat ok when I camp, but rarely log. As well, we have no reception, which makes things difficult. May can be dicey in the mountains, but the second half of May should be safe. Our first time camping last year was in May and we had major hail the day we got there and then the next. We just went home; it was way too cold. Although hail only happens for a few minutes; afterwards, it looks like there is snow everywhere, which can be defeating when camping.

Big news in my family. My son is now engaged and the wedding will be sometime this year. He is in the military and stationed in Germany and has been dating his ‘Bavarian Bride’ for some time. We don’t know when the wedding is and it may be initially just a legal event, to be followed by a reception later, all in Germany. We have the smallest of families and she has a large one. Regardless, Germany, of course, makes the most sense.

And my daughter is pregnant, her first. She is expecting a girl. She will not be able to make it over to Germany for the celebrations, but will have to celebrate with them later. She and my son-in-law are very happy, needless to say.

I hope all is well with you and your families. I am really looking forward to spring. We seem to be alternating weeks at 60F and then a week at 42F or so (and sunny almost all days). Really, it is only not sunny when it snows and it doesn’t do that often. I realize that saying that is all relative, lol.

OK, I have been tracking and exercising now for four days again. Why haven’t I lost all the way that I want to lose already? Just asking.

Well, typos don’t help. I was talking about wanting to lose a good 10 pounds over a matter of four days, obviously just joking.