@micaroo4 All the best for getting back into your walking routine! Do you usually go out on your lunch break? Your workplace sounds... kinda horrid at the moment. I hope that your boss having a break allows everyone (and her) to reset. When insomnia comes in over the top of it I think I'd be running out of patience real fast.

@AnAbsoluteDiva I really like the idea of moving with purpose. I really need to do this, once I get home and hit the couch I swear my butt melds with it.

@vegan4lyfe2012 Ooh those teas sound delish, and bergamot sounds like a flavour I'd enjoy. Looks like only truly teas ships outside of the US/Canada (but has exxy shipping), so I've found a local-ish site with some creamy earl grey Neverland Nightmare sounds amazing, those kinds of movies are right up my alley - though terrible monster movies are my number one love. I haven't been to the cinema for so long, so I am going to try to catch this one!

@Katmary71 Sounds like your greenhouse is going to be lovely! I have a cherry tomato plant in a pot out the back and for some reason this year it has been doing well - strange, as I thought they typically died after a year or two. I am the opposite of a green thumb, so it is completely luck. Delicious luck :P

@AprilRaineyBattle Love that you are desiring less sweetner. Have you just cut it out completely or have you been looking for other alternates like the creamer? Sounds like it's going really well!

@trooworld Great news on the loss this week, and the 24 since the surgery. I hope you made it to cleaning up your desk. It is far too relatable when clearing out a desk/cupboard... I just shift things to another space!


My week has been good. Work is back in the swing of things, but I have not been doing overtime (for me that is an achievement). I've reorganised my bookshelf - for me, this means not having 5 piles of books throughout the house, which is kinda nice. Now I need to work out how I want to sort my books. Do you guys have a system? By author/genre/general vibes?
I've had a few days of activity - treadmill, took a short walk at lunch. One of my colleagues goes for a walk at lunch each day so I am going to hit her up and see if she'll take some company.

Icebreaker question- Yes @micaroo4 I'm a homebody and would rather watch a movie on my couch than go out most weekend. DH and I also enjoy going to a comedy club or dinner out at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

@micaroo4 - Maybe you should take a few days off from work?! Lol

@TeresaW2024 - Prayers for your strength through all this. That's really hard.

Lisa

@Cornanda - if I take time off work, it will just pile up. My boss is on vacation this week, and she and I are the only ones who can do payroll. So no time off for me right now.

@TeresaW2024 - at least your niece and kids are out. Definitely do get your hand fixed. My friend had the thumb surgery on her left hand a couple of years ago, and she's having the right done next week. She'll be so happy to be able to use her hands with no pain!

-Mica

@sleepygirl79 You're doing great! I think raw veggies are challenging to digest unfortunately. I tried for a long time eating huge salads and I've learned I do a lot better with cooked or smaller salads.

@trooworld Congrats on the Ninja Creami definitely share what you make I'm curious! I do still do my special teas it helped a lot last night. Thank you for the link, with our local library also having a seed library it would be awesome to help out there. Your experience with the reading group sounds like it turned out well despite feeling a little cliquish at first. It is real awkward and challenging to make friends as an adult. It's funny I was thinking when picturing the perfect night home how much I appreciate the friends/family I can quietly sit in a room reading with, I think that's when my mom and I get along the best. I put the pilates bar on my wishlist, maybe that will be a future reward. Wow 24lbs since surgery is awesome you're doing incredible!

@TeresaW2024 Thank you! Yes the Rotary membership fee is $1000 a year, she gave us a free card to come to a meeting and breakfast and I couldn't help but think not giving out free breakfasts at a restaurant would save a good $500 right there! I'm glad your niece is safely with you, I hope he's evicted fast! Definitely get the locks changed if she owns the house. Like @micaroo4 was saying my Dad has had good luck with finger surgeries, he's had more than one but they've all helped (computer engineer so used his hands a lot). Way to go on no stress eating I'm proud of you and your 8.2lbs less this month woohoo! Things are good with my roommate, she's only here during the week and we're both readers and like similar TV. Oh no I”m sorry to hear Maggie.

@micaroo4 Oh that makes sense if you boss tends to drink a lot to be having a tough time this month. I hope she's in a better mood next week to help with Gregg's return and possible issues. Oh no I'm sorry to hear about the ashwaganda and not being able to sleep. Hugs on the boss situation, you can probably all use a break from one another.

@jellytree I don't personally have a greenhouse but the food bank farm I volunteer with shares the local high school's greenhouse (I wish it was mine I'd live in there!). That's awesome your cherry tomato plant is still going! I've done that with peppers before but not tomatoes. I'm glad it's a tasty one that IS good luck I think you have at least a green thumbnail. I kind of have a book system which is alphabetical but I have so many books it's one large group alphabetical fiction ones in the closet, one bookshelf cookbooks, one bookshelf gardening and herbs, then stacks, piles, and another bookshelf of “to be read” ones. When my roommate moved in she asked if I liked to read and I asked if she'd peeked in my room as I have about 100 books in stacks on my headboard. You'll have to share your chosen system!

@morenin I'm glad you're able to try phentermine again and hope it's just what you need. Yikes that's a lot of snow shoveling you're definitely not lacking for exercise!

@AprilRaineyBattle I love your choice of a relaxing night that sounds awesome!

@bethanie0825 Feel better!

Hi friends, think I'm finally caught up! I'm going to check out the menu before we go out. I'm planning to enjoy the meal and dessert but not overdo it. Worked out this morning, did some cleaning, and ran errands I need to sign my brother's card and scramble. Have a great night and happy Monday!

Weigh In Sunday Jan 19
SW 175
PW 168.2
CW 168.8

Username: An Absolute Diva
Weight-in: Mondays
PW: 191.8
CW: 191.3

Username: AprilRaineyBattle
Weigh-in day: Mondays
PW: 167.2
CW: 166.2

WOW, look at that lbs lost number! Good job team!

I am not doing great, i'm back up to my highest weight

GOOD NEWS:

I'm slowly identifying things that contribute to bingeing and I'm ready to start working. I did 30 min of treadmill and 10 min of meditation for the past two days, and did for a third time today!

Starting Weight: 213
Current Weight: 212.5

WEIGH IN UPDATE
WEIGH INS NEEDED NOW: @laurelfit57 @vegan4lyfe2012 @Jactop
Reminder To Weigh In Tomorrow to @TeresaW2024 @FushiaKat

@AnAbsoluteDiva It's either those who didn't gain or those that lost this last week.

@AprilRaineyBattle - I was interested in your pistachio problem because my DH is allergic to tree nuts and my children are allergic to peanuts. So I asked Google what kind of nut a pistachio is:


The pistachio (Pistacia vera) isn't really a nut at all. Technically, it is a “drupe,” a fleshy tree fruit that contains a shell-covered seed. With pistachios we discard the fruit flesh for the tasty seed within. The opposite is true with other drupes such as stone fruits like peaches, cherries and apricots.

Had an acquaintance years ago who developed allergy problems as an adult. I don't remember details except that it took awhile but she did get it figured out. I hope that will be the case for you as well.

Lisa

@AprilRaineyBattle - I developed gut sensitivities as I got older. It turned out to be microscopic colitis. A food might trigger a flare up, but it's not a food allergy. I can usually eat the offending food again with no reaction, once the flare subsides. 2 days of fasting calms everything down completely, or 7 days of just greens and miso broth.
-Mica

What’s one small habit that could greatly impact your health journey?
The habit that feels the most important to me is stretching. Stretching after every workout, and doing a good 20 minute yoga stretch every evening before bed.
-Mica

Congrats to everyone on the losses! Fantastic numbers!

@Katmary71 – Disney’s copyrights expire after 95 years, so all those old movies are public domain (or almost about to be public domain) so horror versions have been made of Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh (2 actually) and Bambi. A horror with Steamboat Willie is in the works and David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, is going to play Steamboat Willie. Can’t wait! Oh I think a horror version of Snow White is in the works, too 😊 I’m sorry about the newspaper photo. That sucks.

@TeresaW2024 – I love all things horror, so I am all about horrifying Disney! Poor Maggie Mae. I’m so sorry. So your niece and her children are staying with you until she can get the A-hole evicted from her home, then she and the kids will move back there? Just trying to process it in my brain. Sorry. Praying for everyone. I wish I could give you a real in-person hug. You are doing fantastic with the weight loss under these stressful situations.

@trooworld – Awesome loss so far! I’m gonna add my favorite lentil soup recipe below, in case you want to try it.

@morenin – Shoveling snow IS exercise! That neighbor… what an *kitten*.

@jellytree – I’m so sorry I just assumed you were in the U.S. or Canada. What country are you in? I have friends from all over, so I can definitely get some good recommendations for you. Another horror lover! Yay! When you say terrible monster movies, do you mean like B-rated bad effect monsters? Cuz those are super fun, too! I own over 2,000 movies so we can totally talk horror! For organizing books, I keep mine organized by author first. Then genre, if there’s not a lot by the same author.

@micaroo4 – Why do bosses do that kind of thing? Back in the day, when I was a sales manager for a Marriott, I had to share the office with the general manager. She was just hired and we were getting used to sharing space. She decided that she was going to quit smoking at the same time of starting this new job. She was so bitchy. I had to tell her to “suck a mint” so many times. I had been working there 8 years, but she was my motivation to leave.

@AnAbsoluteDiva – Sounds like a mess! Glad you can get back into your groove!

I have been eating way too much. Gained again. Damn Birthday cake that Hunter surprised me with. She and I were messaging yesterday and I told her that just about all of the processed foods have been consumed in my house and I am ready to get on track. She said her husband watched a documentary and wants to get on board, too. So all 3 of us are committing to non-processed foods. While we were texting, I heard their car pull into my driveway. They surprised me with some fresh produce…including the most beautiful pineapple 😊 I shared some of my soup with them. Feeling positive 😊 Thought I’d share my soup recipe with all of you. Dijon is the secret ingredient, so please don’t omit it!

Tangy Lentil Soup
1 T Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 T tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water
2 T McKay’s chicken bouillon
1 ½ cups dried lentils
2 bay leaves
1 T dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 T Dijon mustard
Preparation
On medium heat, sauté the diced onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add water, lentils, bay leaves, parsley, salt and pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer mixture for 30 minutes, or until lentils and veggies are tender. Turn off the heat, discard the bay leaves and stir in Dijon mustard.

ICE BREAKER QUESTION: You have the chance to spend the evening any way you want. A night out with friends. A movie. A class. A book. A romantic dinner. Visiting someone special. How would you spend the evening?
That would be what I did all day yesterday – spent it alternating from my craft room to my living room. First I’d make cards, then I’d relax with a movie. Watched Bodies Bodies Bodies because Sydney wanted me to see it. It was pretty funny…especially the ending (available on Tubi). Made some more cards and then my Tangy Lentil Soup. Then watched Revenge, which is a French/English gorefest. Extremely bloody. But it was ok (available on AMC+). Then a little more crafting before going to bed way too late as usual (2am).

What’s one small habit that could greatly impact your health journey?
That’s an easy one…STOP SNACKING AT NIGHT! (Although now that I think about it, it's really NOT a small habit.)

What’s one small habit that could greatly impact your health journey?

Procrastination! Procrastination makes it super easy to be lazy...