Chats, Challenges & Laughs 2nd home

[Cele21]

For all my Chats, Challenges & Laughs peeps! Since we can't get on the threads I thought I would start a discussion area for us. We may not be able to keep track of points standings easily but we can still talk.

I miss you!

[CJ_Here]

Had a meal at 2pm on Tuesday and wasn't going to eat until today, but ended up eating at 10pm and then had breakfast at 10am.  We had an early supper; done by 4pm so I closed my window until tomorrow at least until 11 am.

[Katrin]

Hey Everyone,

I'm popping in just to say hi. I'm busy in Atlanta and it's been an up and down day - not all good but not all bad. I'm just growing increasingly unhappy with work. However, I had dinner last night with a dear friend and former co-worker and she let me know about a mutual friend and former co-worker who has a business doing basically what I'd like to do so I feel like maybe something is going to change soon? Well, I know it's going to change soon but it's a matter of how much I can control the changes and work them in my favor.

Anyway, I admire what each of you is doing to get or stay on track. It's not easy and I've basically let a lot of things go - I'm just trying to survive right now. Not ideal but I think not setting my bar too high and then feeling even worse for not achieving it is the way to go. 

[ElaineJ27]

SW: 267

LW: 253

CW: 252.8

I lost 0.2 pounds last week in spite of myself. I logged into my WW Zoom meeting yesterday in time to hear that next Wednesday is the last time for that Zoom meeting. It was an unofficial announcement but I already knew my studio is not reopening. Now neither of the leaders I’ve been working with for the past eight months will be doing Zoom meetings. I basically have to start over with a new, much larger group. I have decided that after next Wednesday’s meeting, I will cancel my WW membership. I can track my food on the Fitbit app and concentrate on my gym membership. 

After that news, I played a video game for over three hours. I also decided that I will “fast” from video games until the New Year.  I finally got to work on my Christmas decor and now only have two swags to hang inside and a bag of outdoor garland that I‘ll take on the deck this afternoon. 

It’s past time to get back on track and find my groove again. 

@Katrin , it’s good to hear from you. I pray for you occasionally with your travel. It seems like you catch viruses often being in different places with different people, as well as trying to eat healthy on the road. 

Hopefully I will post more often as you all will be taking the place of my WW group, which I considered my group counseling. 

[CJ_Here]

I ended up fasting 23 hours.  We were busy outside taking a walk in the woods.  Took a fall, but was not injured.  Then we cut some branches for a couple of gnomes.  I'm attaching one here (I remembered this was one option we had here that we didn't have in the original feed).  Got quite a few steps and some physical work (trying to get up off the ground, lol) so I'm calling it 4 pts today (post, water, exercise, eating plan).

[CJ_Here]

I also am dropping out of WW.  They gave me a free month (Dec).  If our local group ever gets back to in-person, I can always re-join.  I just wasn't getting anything out of it and can spend the monthly fee on upgrading my phone.  I would like a phone that I can actually have apps on.  Maybe then I can join the challenges, get fitness pal or itrackbites or the like.

Good to hear from you @Katrin .  I hope an opportunity that suits you better shows itself soon.

[ElaineJ27]

Again, I wrote a post and lost it. 

5 points for Thursday. Tracking calories on Fitbit as opposed to WW points isn’t as different as I thought. 

I finally did the hand weight exercise that my trainer set up for me two weeks ago. I did those at home as I have the necessary hand weights. Now I’m going to get cardio by playing golf! It’s 46 degrees (F) and sunny. 

@CJ_Here , your gnome is cute. You should have a lot of interest in them. 

I hope everyone is able to enjoy this holiday season even though it’s certainly different than years past. If we embrace the reality that it is different, we can celebrate what we have instead of mourning what we’re missing. (The exception is Jan, who I hope is able to share good memories of her dad in this first year without too much sadness.)

[CJ_Here]

Fri was a good fast day and eating until 10pm hit and then I ate stuff.  So, today I am not eating until 4:30 and then I'll be back on track.  

@ElaineJ27 , the gnomes are not for sale.  We just put two together for outside our place 🙂

Went for a walk in the woods again today.  Not many steps but I am getting bigger muscle exercise with stepping over dead trees, etc.

Somewhat frustrated with Amazon and getting the wrong shower part twice.  They suggested I order from somewhere else which is not easy either.  Moen is from Canada it appears and so their online retail stores are from there also;  and so they aren't recognizing my zip code.  I needed a break to get my stress level down and then I'll take a fresh approach.  Maybe this is why the contractor said it would be easier if I ordered on the new bathroom stuff; lol.

My brother's wife and one adult child living at home and then a married daughter, her husband, and their two toddlers all have Covid.  Because the wife babysits the kids, they all joined together for Thanksgiving.  The married daughter works in a hospital and my brother's wife is a volunteer EMT so maybe it was inevitable.  The other adult daughter down with it worked at the local grocery store.  I pray the rest of the family won't end up with it, but now all of them (five adults in my brother's home) are quarantined.  The thing is my brother was one of the many that wasn't concerned with the virus; that there's starvation worldwide, etc taking more lives every year.  I pray he doesn't have to go through the evil side of this virus.

I just had an error message show up while I was writing.  I hit "Cancel" and then I had the option to Discard or Reload.  Reloading brought this long post back so I could hit the Reply to post it.

[CJ_Here]

Saturday - ate too much / did take a walk

Sunday - ate too much; But not as much as yesterday / no walk

If you get an error message while typing (red bar); if it doesn't clear up, hit cancel.  You should then get a box above your post (I think; can't remember now if above or below) asking if you want to "Reload" or "Discard".  If you hit 'Reload' your 'writings' should come back.

[ElaineJ27]

5 points for Friday, 2 points for Saturday.  I am tracking and getting in my water. On Saturday I finally finished my Christmas decor and packed up the stuff that goes to Goodwill. Today, I carried all the boxes of Mom’s collectibles out of the basement to my car, then filled my friend’s car so she can deliver it to the thrift store that her office runs to benefit developmentally challenged persons. 

Now I’m planning my upcoming week, including scheduling workouts. 

Thanks, @CJ_Here , for the posting hint. 

I’m focusing my Christmas preparations on Bible study, decor, gifts for kids and grandkids, and watching Christmas movies. My baking will be limited to one evening with “the girls” at my daughter’s, watching Trans Siberian Orchestra virtual concert. Hopefully I can keep the sweets containers closed until Christmas. We won’t be making near as much as we usually do so I can keep in mind that there are no extras. 

[ElaineJ27]

3 points for Sunday. I did get exercise carrying a dozen boxes from the basement to the car but my Fitbit didn’t log the steps because my arm was stationary. 

I started today singing Christmas carols so that’s a good sign for me (although not so pleasant for Hubby to listen to). Busy day but all lined up, with some wiggle room in case of delays. 

I did some online shopping last night and am making good progress. Microwave Ramen cookers popped up on my page, so I ordered one for each grandkid so they can make their own beloved Ramen noodles!

This Christmas is certainly different and I will miss seeing loved ones but a slower pace is helping me enjoy everything instead of being so frenzied. I hope the same for all of you. 

[MargaretG139]

The only point I've consistently earned is tacking my food! I'm still way over on my WW points but, tracking is helping me reign in the uncontrolled snacking that's been going on for far too long. Once my phone lets me play the Fit On workout videos, I should be able to add the exercise point consistently as well. Water, steps and posting continue to be hit or miss - but I'm working on it... one thing at a time. Oh, and I've doing doing pretty well in getting at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night and tracking that as well.  

LW 204

CW 202.6

@CJ_Here  - I like the gnome! Wish I had that kind of creativity... Also, thanks for the tip regarding posting. At one point when I was posting regularly, I had gotten in the habit of copying what I had written so that if the site gave me any problems I could just paste it rather than rewriting. 

All our Christmas boxes came out of the attic on Sunday. The only decorating left to do is the tree. We cut down a tree every year and will probably be going to the tree farm one afternoon later in the week - when the temps get out of the 20's and 30's and into the upper 40's. I also have to wait until the tree is up to set up our cardboard fireplace. I still have to go through all the stuff I didn't use, find out if the girls want any of it and then decide what's worth donating and what's trash. 

I'm sticking with WW. I really like the enhancements they made to the app. The virtual meeting I attend is going strong. There's probably a group of about 20 - 25, with at least 15 that come each week. The coach is the coach I had when I did WW at work. She had a pretty solid following at her Friday morning in person meetings and I'd say most of the people coming to the virtual meetings are from that group. 9 months later, I no longer feel like an outsider! The main thing I miss from the in person meetings is the accountability of stepping on the scale. But between the app and posting my weekly weigh in results here, that almost makes up for that. My in person center won't be reopening. The lease on the store front they were using expired at the end of February. We had two meetings in temporary quarters and then everything shut down. The closest in person meetings now are about a 20 minute drive. No thank you as long as I have the option to continue to attend virtually.

[CJ_Here]

Happy to hear WW is a good thing for you, @MargaretG139.  It's good to hear from you.

Both you and @ElaineJ27  and my sisters are 'talking' me into getting out the winter decorations.  I'm going into town tomorrow and it would be great to fill up my trunk with a bunch of stuff (including winter decor not being used anymore) to drop off at Goodwill.  I'm impressed that you've let your Mom's collectibles move on, @ElaineJ27 .  I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision.  

Didn't eat as much during my open window, but more sugar than protein.  Today I want to make better choices.  Thinking of making up some soup which will help me.

[CJ_Here]

Update:  Did get items in my trunk for Goodwill, but no Christmas/winter decor since we ended up bringing a container of Hubby's wood scrollsaw projects to a local coffee shop for free displaying.  Hopefully, he can sell some so there's room for him to make more.  And, then we loaded and delivered two loads of firewood so I got some exercise.  Not the day I expected, and I was a little crabby inside, but I didn't vocalize the changed plans and it worked out just fine.  Plus, today I didn't overeat so I'm calling today 4 pts.

PS - So, if the post is lost (red bar error), after you hit "Cancel" it does disappear.  So, hit "Reply" on the latest post (as if you are starting fresh) and then the (blue box I believe) message to "Re-load" or "Discard" comes up.  

[MargaretG139]

4 for Monday (posting, tracking and water, steps)

I've reduced my step goal to 3000 per day M - F. I'll keep it at 8000 for Saturday and Sunday. 3K is still a stretch without an outdoor walk but doable if I take the really long way to the bathroom each time I have to go (like walking up and down the stairs 2-3 times before and after).

I didn't have breakfast for the first time in 12 days today. I'll start a new streak tomorrow. BUT as I write this I've stayed within my WW food budget for the day. If I don't have a snack attack in the next 2 - 3 hours I'll end up with my first blue dot day in I can't remmeber how long. I'll take that as a win!.

[CJ_Here]

Hope you got your blue dot @MargaretG139  so you can start a streak of them.  

My trunk is full and will stay full until I can catch Goodwill accepting donations.  It was frustrating to see the orange "sorry, we are full" sign out today.  We don't have any place else to donate to, which is sad because I am sure there is need. 

I made it through a "wanting" night due to hunger from eating some empty calories on Monday.  I ate pretty good today considering I went to town (which is usually when I buy treats and eat them all in one day).  Now I'm full yet I want to eat just to eat.  I hope this feeling goes away.  I know it's because I fell off the wagon last week and so I'm going through withdrawal; again...  I just need to white knuckle it a few more days and it should get easier.

Finally got a new phone today and so some high stress tonight trying to get contacts transferred over. After over an hour to AT&T, I find my old phone was not compatible for contact transfers so I'll have to manually add in over 100 contacts.  Hopefully, it won't take me too long to figure out how to work the darn thing. 

[MargaretG139]

3 for Tuesday (tracking, posting, water)

Well that didn't work.... I had hoped that by "announcing" my blue dot status here that I would hold myself accountable for the rest of the evening - Nope. The stress of the day awoke my inner (food) vacuum cleaner. Maybe I should break out the actual vacuum cleaner when I have those types of moments in the future, just imagine how clean my house would be : )

I happened to look out the window as I was starting my workday and through the bush that's right outside the window all I could see was pink. I went to one of the east facing bedrooms with a clearer view and watched the most colorful sunrise I've seen in a while. It was amazing how quickly the pink faded. It looked like it was going to turn into a pretty partly cloudy day. .... and what did I see when I I just looked out the window again? A very gentle snow fall... It's not going to amount to anything more than a "powdered sugar" dusting as the temps are to go above freezing. If anything we'll be having some rain showers later this morning.

Today will not be a terribly productive (workwise) day as I have almost 5 1/2 hours of back to back meetings. Fortunately I have a half hour break right around lunchtime. Considering the types of meetings they are, I should be able to turn the volume up on my computer and get lots of steps in.... better put my sneakers on!      

[ElaineJ27]

3 points for Monday, 2 points for Tuesday. My plan was to work out after lunch both days as I had Bible study via Zoom both mornings, then delivered Doorbell Dinners. After lunch, I didn’t muster the motivation to go to the gym and I was too much of a pansy to walk outside. 

I had my last WW Zoom this morning, which ended with all of us in tears. Now I’m going to clean up my kitchen, then use my elliptical and hand weights. A roast and vegetables are in the crockpot for dinner so I won’t have to wrap up my afternoon activities to start dinner. 

So far I have been tracking my food and water in the Fitbit app and have stayed around 1800 calories for each day. I have been craving sweets something terrible so it’s very good that I don’t have any in the house!

@MargaretG139 , it’s good you have a plan to get in steps during meetings when you can instead of realizing afterwards that you could have done that. Even if it falls through, a plan is always better than winging it. 

@CJ_Here , are there any churches or shelters in your area that may be able to use your giveaways? 

I hope everyone else is faring well in these strange circumstances. 

[Katrin]

Hi Everyone,

So, major update. I'm not sure that it was obvious that I was growing increasingly unhappy at work. Since I've had so much trouble posting of late, I know I didn't keep up with the milestones along the way but anyway, I've been somewhat actively job hunting since October. Well, on Monday morning, after I was already at the airport, I had a discussion with my boss where he granted me the opportunity to resign effective immediately, take my 2 weeks pay plus also my unused 126 hours of vacation and be done with the whole thing. So, of course I did! Sadly, 1 flight short of "gold" status with United.

Anyway, I fell over the weekend and twisted my ankle so I was able to get to the doctor's office Monday afternoon. I was amazingly delighted that my blood pressure, for which I've been taking Lisinipril for about 18 months now, was in the good range. I guess I had expected that the stress and sleepless nights and particularly the COVID anxiety would have pushed it higher but I feel so relieved to be done with the whole thing (in my mind at least) that my sister said I sounded surprisingly good. And, the pressure cuff seems to echo that.

So now it's my job to find a new job. I'll be good financially for about 3 months without any additional income but I really want to be better than good and now I have an opportunity to double dip so I'm going to try to find a way. One bonus in all of this is that a friendly competitor of mine (same brand/different ownership and we would share customers back and forth) thinks so highly of me that he's already made an introduction to a 3rd company in the same world and I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow. Because our world is small, I was afraid to job hunt in the same arena in case my boss found out. Now that that pressure is gone, I can be more transparent about it and that may work very well in my favor. Also, this friend of mine said they will have a position sometime in Q1 and so if I don't get snapped up by this other company, he'd love to have me join his team. They have over 100 hotels while my former company had just grown to 42. The company I speak with tomorrow has about 20 and currently no salesperson on staff.

So because I'm taking it easy until my ankle heals, I'm not doing much exercise but I have been eating better these past 3 days and definitely sleeping better and even my water intake which is normally good had fallen off a bit and is now back on track. This may just be a total win despite the less than elegant way it came about.

In other news, my family and friends are still healthy and Christmas is proceeding on track. Things are great with my boyfriend and he's feeling really good right now because he's earning some extra cash making, selling and delivering coquito to a growing group of friends and bar customers. I'm not sure if I told you all before that he's Puerto Rican and coquito is kind of like Puerto Rican egg nog - sweet and creamy rum drink. In one week between Thanksgiving and now he netted over $400 in profit with more orders still coming in.

Right now, I'm trying to optimize my old desk top computer - I've gotten so used to the speed and convenience of my laptop - so that I can get really serious about the job hunt but also I have 2 other projects on my plate to line up some passive and slightly active revenue streams. 1. I want to relaunch my side gig website - I'll send you all a link once I do so and 2. I want to put together a course for an organization like Udemy (on line educational center). I'm not sure quite how Udemy pays the contributors and how hard it will be to build out my course but any extra cash right now would be helpful, I've got the time, and once it's set, I can keep earning even after I do find a new job.

@CJ_Here  you were speaking recently about Fresh Start Friday and that is really resonating with me. I'm definitely going to adopt that mind-set by the end of this week and do everything I can to maximize my situation and come out on top!

More soon and hopefully a little more regularly. Thanks everyone for being such a supportive environment during these ups and downs!

[CJ_Here]

Wow, Wow and Wow.  I got ramped up reading all three of your posts @MargaretG139 , @ElaineJ27  and @Katrin .  So much going on.  Wishing you all the best in continuing your plans.  You all rock!  And, great to hear from you @Katrin .  With all that's going on, I hope you can continue to be a regular here again.

So, we had to run to town to pick up daughter and granddaughter gifts since daughter is driving up this Friday to drop off Christmas gifts.  It's cheaper for her to drive than mail out packages for her peeps up north.  She'll be driving 10 hours round trip so I know we won't have much time with her.  We ended up driving by Goodwill and they were accepting today so we were able to empty out my trunk; Yay!

So, with the new phone they decided (they said I requested but I didn't) to combine our phones and wireless with our Direct TV bill.  It looks like I will have to call them to square this away ... long story ... but just know I've written up notes to prepare for this, I'm sure, very long phone call tomorrow.  Yuck.  I've overeaten today and I don't care (that's the mood I'm in - to long to explain why - just am).  I will pay for my transgressions with heartburn and general stomach discomfort.

[CJ_Here]

Didn't have the energy to call AT&T today.  Had zoom with sisters, then we haul three loads of firewood and then played a little with new phone adding apps.  Ended up eating (empty calories) at 10pm until 10:30pm last night so didn't eat today until 3:30pm to 6pm.  Working on consistent 20 hr fasts which will help in weight loss as soon as I stop overeating.    Hope everyone is staying healthy.