For some reason today I've been having cravings for sweets, it's taken a lot of effort to talk myself out of eating things I don't need. I haven't gotten the best sleep the last couple of nights, and there's been a lot going on this week, so I'm sure that's not helping. Thankfully some grounding strategies and reminding myself that these cravings are temporary has kept me from eating all the things my body doesn't need.

I'm curious, what do you all do when you're having persistent cravings?

@Alatariel75 you're not letting the team down!! just being here is enough - no pressure. Braindumps are very much welcome here to clear your mind.

@lauren_989 I'm envious you have zucchinis already. I'm further up north and my little plants will be blossoming in about a month.

Wow so many of you are in the heat - hope you stay cool.

It was my daughter's birthday this week - I had some time off from work to make it special for her and doing a party at the bowling lane tonight. Will be challenging my husband in a few games to keep us active. Besides that, it will be a quiet weekend of walking the dog, summer break starts next week with school and will be an adjustment to that. Got a few good workouts in this week and no snacking in the evenings - that's a win for me.

oooooo, catchup !! 🌬🍃🎐👩🤸‍♀️ Didn't make it back last night (got home around 9p), so I left catch up until today :).

Kali/kali225, oh! look at you, (last Sat), laughing at the bad NE weather, and putting your kayak in the water, anyway ! Great job! I let the unrelenting spring rain beat me down, lol. Good on you for the opposite 🥂. Haha, I feel ya on the 'Can I find some middleground …' bw intense workout ramp-ups for challenges, and 'non-challenge time'. TG for these challenges tho, to keep kicking me forward! ;-) Ohhhhh man, on the insur co & rental car drama !! Well done you for getting it in writing that there was no limit on rental days! GL 💪. Oh, hey, just read you prevailed! Well done getting most of your $ reimbursed!!

Lauren/lauren_989, no, it doesn't rain all day :p. But it has rained a lot of days! It rained on Sat, Sun, Tue, & Wed, since the weekend :p. None on Monday, yesterday, or today (Fri), tho! Def grabbing an outside walk later this evening, enjoy the breeze. With ya on hovering around the same weight in the 190s! I'm just below you, like maybe 3 lbs? Been there for wwwwwweeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkssssssssss …. :p Gorgeous zucchs!!

Al, alaterial75 ~! Your vent!! Man, loved it, so inspiring! Resonated with me, bc when I do overuse my knees, I def get 'swolls' that retain fluid. But I have to be honest, if the scale hasn't moved when the 'swoll' subsides, then I'm not getting the job done in the kitchen! I've heard it said, you lose weight in the kitchen, and get fit in the gym. So damn true.

Alatariel75June 15

Ugh, I just need to vent a little. I know I've been half assing my health and eating, but I just realised, after looking at a medical note from the end of April, I'm still the same weight, give or take. That means that despite the crazy amount of steps I do, I'm eating enough that if I wasn't walking this much, I'd be gaining. Not good enough!!

I need to stop with the sneaky wines, stop telling myself I'm just retaining fluid, and get my chubby butt back in gear.

Ohh, sweetie, I just read your followup post. I'm not familiar with everything that you're referring to in your post, but sending you empathetic support, thru the ether ✨. I wish I could offer you back the inspo your previous post gave me. I just read this in another place on MFP. I saved it bc I found it so inspirational (and I'm not even a religious person). Maybe you'll find inspo/comfort in it, too? PS, I don't know what your sn means, but it is lovely and lilting on the tongue, when I 'say' it in my mind Xx. Inspo post ~

QOTD: How do you overcome challenges?

The first thing that comes to mind is to pray. Then, it amounts to realizing if there is anything in the challenge in my control. If there is, then I try to get as much information about it as I can make a plan to deal with it. If I don't see any action I can take, then I know the only thing I can control is my reaction to it. So I just put on my big-girl panties and get on with it.

Jolene, maddawgmadsen, echoing what alateriel said, you're amazing for advocating for yourself at work like that! Excited for you, for the possibilities in front of you. Will the travel be to amazing places?! :D and hey, well done on doing the cross-fit and lower body workout, despite being exhausted!

Vikki/gidgitgoescrzy, loved reading about your great weekend! Man, you got a lot done! What color did you go with on the kitch? Ahhh, just read the exciting reno-schedule update !! Woop !!

babyw8gone, well done, on establishing summer routine. I do much better when I'm grounded by routines, too. Which, I'm not really doing, currently, so that's something to think about :p.

Joann/cleaneater80, thanks! (on the weights NSV). I'm chuffed about it, I admit :D. haaaahhhhh, your push to get more steps this week, than last week, was inpiring! thx for the smile it gave me! :)

Pearl/pearl4686, hugs on the stressful time. Celebrate the victory tho, despite the junk food choices, keeping your diabetes well managed is something to be proud of ! My husband is also insulin-dependent diab (T1), so I know all the baggage and weight that making all those gazillion tiny decisions each day is to carry.

Jackie/jguldi11, 🥳💪 congrats on your 30-day milestone!

Ellie/strong_fit_ells …. ((((((( hugs ))))))) oh wow, your post really resonated. My husband used to own a 7-Eleven. The last few yrs before we finally sold it, I was working up to 16+ hrs/day, 6 days a week. That is soul-destroying. I hope you can somehow, someway put a leash on the work hours. Xx

Well done on your weigh-ins, Michele/micki48 & Yinka/yinxfed, Kim/energyseeker, babyw8gone, Joann/cleaneater80, jguldi11, Lauren/lauren_989, and Veronica/veronica13559 🙋‍♀️

waves to Zan/zankash23, pizzafruit, Janice/fourathomej, Pearl/pearl4686

Me update: I got in a few workouts yesterday, an hour of housework, 40 mins of PTEs (knees/legs), and an hour of ST at PF (Planet Fitness, 1h 1m combined for upper/core circuit, and lower circuit). Stopped at TJ's (Trader Joe's) on the way home from PF for bananas, picked up some smoked turkey breast, and TJ's Ridged BBQ potato chips. Potato chips!??!! wtf !!???!! 😫😜 I can't remember the last time I bought a bag of potato chips at the supermarket? 2022, I think? when my sister asked me to pick up some Rippled chips for a burger night.

I helped a neighbor who's recovering from bypass surgery do some online grocery shopping last week, and he added a bag of Cape Cod chips to his order. That's the only thing I can think of that 'inspired' the snatch and buy. lol (It was on an end-cap, as I was leaving the produce dept). I'm happy to report they are as yet still unopened! In another challenge, a Bingo square is 'plan your meals for 3 days'. My Thu plan did not include chips, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my Bingo square, so the chips got set aside when I got home. Mini-victory ;-).

Cheers! Happy Friday ~ mk :)

oh Yinka! Your sports bra wrestling gave me a good laugh. 😂 We’ve all been there.

Exercise is where I really need to up my game. I will look into some of these videos. I think I may have done one of the 5,000 steps videos long ago.

Back to logging my food. It’s a start. I remember long ago when I was working to lose weight, it was flying off me and I’d lose upward of ten pounds a month. Ha! That was in my 20s and 30s (and to be fair I was also breastfeeding a two year old.)Now fast forward to 61 and I’m wondering if it is possible for me to lose 10 pounds before I go back to school in ten weeks. But that’s a pound a week and I can’t remember the last time I lost a pound a week for a few consecutive weeks. So I’m wondering what is possible. I’m not really focused on an amount but it’s ok to ponder. I guess my real goal is better overall fitness and that some of my clothes fit me better again. It’s been rough. Sevenish pounds made a ginormous difference in my clothes fitting. Not sure if it’s just the weight or post menopausal redistribution because I do not ever remember my body like this. It’s not pretty. Ok enough of that. One day at a time. One step at a time.

Still working my way backwards reading posts.

@cleaneater80 great job avoiding the evening snacks! I find myself fighting temptation many evenings.

Thanks @lauren_989 and @micki48 for the suggestions! I'll have to try those. I would never have thought of a dill pickle!

I spent most of the day cleaning and packing overnight bags for myself and the kids. My husband and I are going to Tennessee from Monday - Wednesday, he has a business meeting which means I get some alone time! The kids are going to their grandparents', which I'm sure will be like a vacation for them too.

Since we'll be leaving early Monday morning I'm planning to do my weigh in on Sunday.

While I'm gone I plan on doing my best to eat reasonable portions. I am going to treat myself to an ice cream or some other dessert, but I don't want to go overboard and undo all my hard work. I'll be sure to check in to keep myself accountable!

Two holidays coming up! Enjoy, Jackie/jgulldi! Enjoy, Yinka/yinkxfed ! O wait, urs is in Nov. Okay, YES you can lose a stone by then! And then you'll have a lovely lighter holiday in November :D. Michelle/micki48, I dunno if it's possible to lose, but it might be! I miss my 20s body/metabolism too ;-). heh Good luck on the summer journey, and wtg on food logging! 💪

You guysssss, it's Saturday. AND IT'S NOT FREAKING RAINING!! Seventeen straight rainy Saturdays in a row - curse/streak broken !

On deck today, 45 mins of PTEs (Physical Therapy Exercises). Maybe PF (Planet Fitness) for a cardio bike ride, but maybe not! I have that pencilled in for today or tomorrow, I might do it tomorrow. Saturday 'Power Hour' jammin and movin (clean litter boxes, swish & swipe potty & sink, two 15s of focused cleaning / decluttering (working on the bathroom the past few days), and lol (load of laundry) thru the dryer and folded. Started doing the 'Power Hour' theme on Wednesday, liking it! My bathroom clutter is slowly disappearing :D.

Happy Saturday, WaistAways ! Cheers, ~ mk :)