Ages 70+

I grow Plumeria trees. Some are very slow growing and might take years before you see any blooms, but when they do, you have the prettiest and most fragrant blossoms you could find anywhere. You might have seen these before as they’re used to make beautiful Hawaiian leis.

I get so impatient and want them to bloom right away; but if I’m doing everything right (right soil, fertilizer, watering and placing where they get plenty of sunshine) eventually, I’ll see the flowers. Maybe not this year… or even the next… but the day will come. I need to remember to "trust the process".

The same thing applies to my dieting regimen. As I consistently follow my healthy diet plan, I know that eventually I’ll see the results and reach my ultimate goal. I know it won’t happen overnight and I might not reach my goal this year or even the next, (I’m working on losing 100), but it will happen. Again, as with growing plumerias, I have to remind myself to “trust the process”.

I hope sharing this will provide some inspiration to you. In the past 10 weeks, I've lost 13 pounds. It's not a huge amount, but it's been steady and without the pains of dieting, just mindfully eating the right foods at the right times.

Today is catch up around the house day made a pot of stew and soup. Try to concentrate on my Spanish and Ukrainian lesson. Be Present.

@jan110144 Banff is our backyard so to speak. 4 1/2 hours drive. Great analogy.

Have a great day everyone.

Nice day yesterday, but still too chilly. Another concert last night (chamber music recitals) and another tonight (philharmonic). It has been a week full of musulic ... 4 concerts in 8 days. This will pretty much be it unl the fall.

@BarbMessimer do take care of that knee and be careful.!

@jonni82014 are you learning two languages at once?? That's challenging!

I've been "going at it" outside with my plumerias but I feel the need for a break today. Might do a little housework, or not. Tomorrow will be another outside day so I need to be well rested. 4 more days to the end of the month, and I need to work on dropping another pound or two. (I always record the lowest weight for the month.) I made a great pork roast yesterday so will have some of that plus steamed broccoli and a large salad... perhaps some cottage cheese and fruit for a bedtime snack.

@jan110144 ... Happy Earth Day! We need to connect with nature everyday!

@jan110144 Your are hilarious "mystery meat" Same scenario here when my son was a toddler; he got in the walk in pantry and removed all the labels of the cans. A few of our meals we a mystery as well.
Are you a participant in the concerts? Chamber music - can you expand a bit on the subject; sounds very
tranquil.
We all find our place that provides us with peace and serenity in our walkable neighbourhoods.

@BarbMessimer Good luck on your weigh in. Gardening is so therapeutic. It's a bit chilly out here to consider planting though the Garden Centres are open. We usually start planting the 3rd week in May.
Yesterday for the first time I enjoyed some butter chicken and chicken biryani. So tasty. Speaking with the restaurant owner I also got educated about different ethic foods of India. Good experience.

Just for today Off to the travel agent to talk about change to our itinerary for the upcoming trip.
If it's a not too windy. We will go for a walk.

@jan110144 I would like to try tamales; never had one.
Speaking of HVAC we are having our furnace, humidifier, hot water tank replaced and a new AC installed. They are 20years. Thank you Costco we win a few $$ back on our Membership, Costco promo another 15% discount and points on our Cash back Credit Cards Very pleased that there is not a lot to retrofit.
Our daughter and SIL (Germany) had a set of twins (boy and girl) in December. Going to Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany in the summer. I have not travelled to Europe before.

Just for today: Off to the Rec. Centre 45minute walk on track it's raining. 50-60minutes stretch and weights (cable) maybe a dip in the pool or hot tub.

Have a great day everyone

Not much going on for next couple of days since I will pretty much be stuck at home while they replace hvac. Everything moving forward wonderfully with intuitive eating. (Actually dislike that term ... find it totally NOT intuitive, at least initially). A little struggle staying away from the scale this morning, but I am moving to weighing in just once a month ... so not til June 1.

@jonni82014 what a great trip you have coming up!! I'll bet you are very excited to see the twins. I have been to France, Germany and the Netherlands, but not Belgium. What are your travel dates? Will you be traveling by train once you get there? (I love European trains)

@BarbMessimer SIXTY-TWO plumerias repotted! Wow! That IS a lot if work. You will have to post pics when they all bloom. Pompeii was one of the most interesting places I have visited.

Hello. I would love to hear any tips you can give me on this journey.

@jan110144 The two dollar value coin is called the toonie (two). We have a one dollar value coin called the loonie. It has a bird on it. The lake loon bird hence the name loonie.
We are decluttering and downsizing however at this point if we were to downsize from our house to condo we would be paying the same price. There would be no equity in the house to draw on. The condos we were looking at are the same price as the our house. Senior living is sooooo... expensive $6000. - $8000. per person per month. Nothing available as Senior Community Living. There is a house shortage in Canada as a whole.

@gates6489 welcome.

@BarbMessimer how is the knee?

Just for today: I am still research weight loss blockers ie life traumas. I might have to sit down with a professional to help me override my thinking. I have a clue what the life trauma is but not the steps that I would have to take

Have a great day everyone!

Sorry – long post - feel free to skip.

Journey Month 1

I started the IE "intuitive eating" journey one month ago today. I had tried this before, but did not succeed. This time it was probably not a typical start, as I began by the normal ‘dieting’, tracking, etc. I did it knowing that I wanted to move toward IE and just took this period to read and understand what I was about to do. During this time, I also concentrated on making sure I got adequate sleep, exercise, hydration and made an attempt to do more things with friends. These three issues were key, because I frequently struggle with trying to figure out whether I am tired, stressed, bored, thirsty or hungry! Fundamentally, I needed to cut down on the ‘noise’ if I was going to be able to listen to my body and try to understand what it needs.

After about two weeks, I decided to switch over to IE. By this time, I was MUCH MORE attuned to what I was feeling. Turns out that much of the time my eating was a response not to hunger but to one of the other issues. Addressing those has been absolutely essential to being able to recognize and respond to my hunger cues.

Once I started IE, the only real change I made (besides no longer tracking and obsessing about what I was eating) was to focus on variety. Instead of eating the same things over and over again (typical diet mode), I made sure that I was digging out old recipes, trying new ones, etc. The only ‘rule’ for me, was that there were no rules. I do tend to have the same thing for breakfast most mornings, but lunch and dinner are as varied as I can think of and have time for. The only time I eat the same thing twice is if I make something that has left-overs that don’t freeze well. Otherwise, into the freezer for future meals leftovers go. This variety has proven to be my ‘magic cure’ for cravings. So far, I can honestly say that cravings have not not been an issue.

One other key change for me, that seems to have really resolved bingeing, is the concept of granting permission to myself. When I have people over for dinner, or o out to dinner, and I know that I will be eating/drinking special things (i.e., dessert, richer than normal daily foods, drinking a glass of wine), I no longer try to plan just how much I can have to ‘stay on plan’ (old behavior). Inevitably, that would never work. Instead, it would tend to lead to overindulgence, disappointment, feeling ashamed of myself, and several days of highly "bingy" behavior following. Or, if I managed to ‘regulate’ myself, I would end the evening craving and giving in to eating, which, again, often led to a binge. Now going into such a day/evening, I tell myself that I am going to eat (whatever), have a good glass of wine, enjoy dessert and savor the entire experience. Doing that, I end the day feeling satisfied and content … and best of all a return to ‘normal’ eating the following day. And, pretty much I am quite happy with just a ‘normal’ amount of food. Amazing how the messages you give yourself can have such a powerful impact on behavior.

My goals for April were to walk at least 10,000 steps per day, a FitBit sleep score of at least 80, and to adhere to my eating plan. Results
Steps – 29 days at 10,000 or more Average steps/day – 13,500. Total miles – approx. 160
Sleep – 25 or 30 days with sleep score over 30 (never lower than 78)
Food – Started tracking and then moved to ‘intuitive eating’ after two weeks. “On Plan” – 30 of 30 days.

All in all, an excellent start. May will be much the same. Only changes will be 12,000 steps a day (vs 10) and add more variety in fruits and veggies.