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!

[Glenda]

Such a good idea Elaine.  Sometimes "just start"  (housework for instance) or take the first step (onto a treadmill) turns out b better than you expect!!  Good for you.  An inspiration too.  

[ElaineJ27]

3 points for Thursday. I only had 7,770 steps and didn’t track dinner. I reheated taco meat for me and macaroni and cheese for the grandkids. I dished up some Mac and cheese but they wanted turkey sandwiches instead so I ate the Mac and cheese, as well as two tacos. It’s still not as much as I had been eating and I am back on track today. 

I got my first vaccination this morning. I’ll keep you updated on any side effects I experience. I bought some melatonin while I was at the drugstore. All week I have been able to fall asleep but wake up in about an hour and spend a couple of hours trying to go back to sleep. 

Last day (until May) for Doorbell Dinners, then playing golf at 1:00. We have cooler temperatures and partial sunshine so I should be pretty comfortable. 

[CJ_Here]

It'll be 4 points today; short on my steps.  I'm set for 8,500 steps a day at this point.  My weekly average is creeping up though so that is good.  I see that besides a walk I also need to get outside and do some walking / something since our house is so small I don't get many steps inside.  I didn't get the kitchen cleaned up - my bad.  Tomorrow I want to get the dishes done prior to a 10am online poetry class I'm attending until noon.  And, then, sisters are zooming.  After that a walk.  Doesn't seem like a lot but more than what I was doing this winter.  Over calories today but not by much and I goofed by eating before checking where I was at.  So, I'm calling it a win that I'm on my way back to staying on track.  Oh, and I joined another challenge.  This one is to lose 80 #s by the end of 2021.  I know, totally unrealistic for me; But, I'm using it as another accountability space to help me stay within my calories which will give me a 2# / week loss.  This was, I mean IS, my April goal so I can just extend it.  And, I am flexible enough to know that if this gets me into trouble mentally, I can just adjust.

[CJ_Here]

It'll probably be just 2 points today; not enough water or steps and no exercise.  Oh, and high, high calories.  Felt way out of my comfort zone during the poetry class today but did force myself to share.  I won't be doing anything like that again.  I did get the kitchen cleaned up; cooked up spaghetti and cleaned up again after that.  Just feeling crabby.  Probably because of the class, my overeating and under walking.  And, I didn't sleep much last night.  I'll go to bed early tonight and start fresh tomorrow.

[CJ_Here]

Did get 9 hours of sleep last night.  Don't know if it's the days on end of rain and clouds we've been having or my food choices or what, but I'm just feeling down with no energy.  So, may very well be another 2-3 point day.  Hope everyone else is doing better.

[ElaineJ27]

3 points each for Friday and Saturday. 

@CJ_Here , I have also had trouble sleeping this week. I can go to sleep, but wake up about an hour later wide awake. With melatonin, I slept well Friday and Saturday nights, but was groggy this morning so I may need to catch up. 

I bought a turkey when they were on sale and am cooking it today. I invited my mother-in-law because she doesn’t cook since FIL went to memory care. Then I invited DD and her two kids. This morning Hubby invited a friend and his family. The wife is working so he is bringing their little girl. All of a sudden, we’re having a party. But we are not having dessert. 

I have also been less motivated with our rainy weather. I have tracked my food and stayed within my goals. But my steps and exercise are lacking. 

My plan is to hit it hard again starting tomorrow. 

[Cele21]

USW - 218.0

LW - 193.4

CW - 195.6

Weight is up again. I decided I need to get back to tracking my calories as I am obviously stress/mindless eating (no, I don't ALWAYS deserve it!).

Hubby was on line and saw that a theatre near us was doing a special 20th anniversary showing of the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring. After the movie they had a 30 minute interview hosted by Stephen Colbert with all four of the actors who played the hobbits. The next two weekends are the same thing with the other two movies with interviews with different actors and the director. It was a lot of fun re-visiting something we did on a date night with the kids 20 years ago as well as learning tidbits from the actors that we never knew. I am trying to get us out of the rut of 'we can't do that, we have so much to do around the house'. Hubby almost changed his mind about going but I insisted and he was really happy we went. Also, it was only $5 per ticket! Movies and books were our thing when we were dating so going back to a movie a week is warming my heart and bringing back such good memories.

[ElaineJ27]

3 points for Sunday - posting, water, and tracking. I asked DD to pick up some brownies for yesterday since Hubby’s friend came with his 3-year old. In addition to brownies, she brought sugar cookies and gooey butter cake. My calorie intake was like I ate a fourth meal. 

I slept in this morning so I barely had breakfast before Bible study. Now I have a list of things to accomplish before lunch, then I’ll take a walk, and sew an hour before I pick up the kids from school. I asked DD to drop off play clothes because we’re going to pick up sticks at the farm instead of vegging with electronics. 

@Cele21 , Lord of the Rings is a series I have wanted to watch but I only notice when the second or third movie is on TV. I have to start at the beginning and find a time Hubby is busy because he wouldn’t like it. Your movie/interview is not only exciting for you, it’s a great bargain. 

I haven’t planned my week yet but I’m thinking I’ll take my mom to Walmart on Thursday afternoon. I will have to have an easy dinner planned because I will be physically and emotionally spent afterward. 

After several days of rain, we now have sunshine with temperatures in the low 60s. This ideal for me to be working outside or playing golf because I always get too warm. 

[CJ_Here]

Ended up having hubby run to town for a planned 'final' binge out last night and started back at it today.  Too rainy and miserable to walk today so pretty much a nothing day but staying on track food-wise so a big win.  Will end up with 2 pts.  Drank too much coffee today so I know I won't get all my water in.

I loved the hobbit books, but never saw the movies; not something I could get hubby to watch. 

I finally am able to accept the fact that I am not into elaborate recipes or planning out my meals.  Instead I can just work with what's in the frig or what I'm used to whipping up.  All I have to do is only buy the healthy stuff and I'll be OK.

[Glenda]

@CJ_Here @ElaineJ27   Ladies, it sounds like you only occasionally have difficulty getting enough sleep but maybe I can share something you might enjoy & find helpful.  I bought a cheap little cd player/ radio 10" by 5" tall with controls on the front sort of Braile-like, recommended for little kids at Best Buy, a couple of years ago.   In the dark I can start it playing a CD of rain again any time I wake.  It is right beside the bed.  Once I started listening to rain to go to sleep I stopped turning on the TV in the bedroom.  For a dark room,  I have ridged foam insulation  standing on my window sill in my 8 foot tall window with a round top.  A curtain wouldn't work.  I read once that it doesn't really matter if you sleep or not, if you rest &  are completely relaxed.  At least if you think there might be some truth in that it takes off any pressure.  Also helpful, fresh clean well fitting sheets.  Some people care more about tight sheets than clean sheets.  That "Pillow Guy" on TV says his sheets will fit on any depth mattress.  But I doubt they  can be tight.  In 1980 I went to a huge group diet hypnoses group thing where they used a  ocean waves recording & white noise instead of rain to help people relax better or  be hypnotized.   Waves are more monotonous, with no thunder.  But if your rain recording  isn't  playing too loud, even  your husband might not mind if you turn it on anytime you wish.  After all you both sleep through rain often, right?   So consider taking a bubble bath and getting into your fresh clean bed and going to sleep listening to rain.

[ElaineJ27]

4 points for Monday. I did not take a walk but did spend 45minutes picking up sticks and carrying them to the burn pile. I only ended up with 7500 steps, about 4K of which were yard work. 

I have been really cranky the past few days and most of it is probably food related. The grandkids fought over one stick instead of helping. I had DD bring play clothes and she also brought baseball clothes because Grandson had a practice game at 5. So we worked at the farm from 3-4, then went back to get him ready for his dad to pick up. We were in the front yard and Hubby and Granddaughter were examining the flowerbeds. He gave her clippers to cut off the spent flowers, then announced he had a student. Since my plans were all messed up, I fixed a frozen pizza for dinner. 

I took a walk this morning and it cleared my head a bit. I’m taking my mom to Walmart this afternoon and I will need all the patience I can muster. 

I have scheduled golf for the next three days. I just need strength to not binge for comfort, then have the bad cycle start all over. 

[Katrin]

@Glendayou are exactly right! Good sleep "hygiene" is so important! I purchased the Calm app about a year and 1/2 ago and absolutely love it. It has bedtime stories including a few that are ASMR type and also has music, nature sounds, nap sessions, and guided meditations on a variety of subjects and lengths. I have sleep apnea and do use both my CPAP and a mouth guard since I also grind and bite while sleeping. Keeping the room cooler also helps and I've also done some reading that sleeping naked helps.

I also avoid caffeine - I have only one diet coke per day and have it mid-morning usually - so it's completely out of my system by bed time and I also have a sleep routine that turns me sleepy like a pavlovian dog before I even get into bed. Also, I have notepads around the house (it's a 3 level townhouse) so that I don't lay awake thinking about tasks, etc. I make a note and allow it to leave my mind!

Lastly, I don't know how related this is, but I've started a daily practice of documenting what I well "let go" of, what I am grateful for and what I will focus on for that day. I try to do it early in the morning as part of my workout and meditation schedule. However, I've found that over time, the cumulative effect of letting go of the bad stuff, being thankful for the good stuff and deciding a daily focus has helped my mind to free itself more of the nighttime worry.

Confession, I've never read any of the Hobbit books or seen any of the new movies although I feel like in school many years ago we watched at least some of an animated one where the character of Gollum sounded a bit like bull frog the way he said his name . . . maybe I'm way off??? It was a long time ago. Science fiction/fantasy isn't my strongest genre and I just was never that interested. I prefer horror, thrillers, and more exciting type. I do like some mystery and love the heists. My boyfriend is really into the comic book movies - Marvels, etc. so we've watched a lot of those together and they are fun but I would never have picked them myself.

I was taking a quick break from a busy day at work - I'm feeling really good this week - my body and head are back in the game and I'm ready to make some stuff happen for myself. I've got a bit of a heavy start to the week and lighter at the end because I get round 2 of my covid vaccine Thursday at lunch time and I'm prepared that I may not be at my best after that.

[CJ_Here]

Good night time suggestions.  Last night was 2.5 hours of sleep.  I went to bed to keep from eating so I didn't fall asleep for a while and then was awake after hubby came to bed and finally got up after laying there for an hour or so.  I had a noise machine when I was working but haven't come across it again in the last move.  I've always been a light sleeper so I am woken easily.  I won't give up sleeping with hubby so some things may not get better.  Luckily I'm retired.  I know it's not healthy, but just keep trying to get better sleep just like I keep trying to eat better.   

My second dose is on Friday.  I'm hoping for the best.  Good to hear you are recovering so quickly, @Katrin .  Hoping to hear you are out to print soon.

[Glenda]

@Katrin  Why don't you drink caffeine free diet coke?  It even tastes better.

[ElaineJ27]

SW: 265.8

LW: 264.8

CW: 265

MG: 250

Although I have stayed in my eating range most days and hit my water goal every day, I gained a bit. My exercise was lacking a bit but within reason. I’m disappointed but not discouraged. I made an appointment with the doctor for some digestive issues that I had hoped would resolve but haven’t. 

[Glenda]

Maybe you ate salt.  Salt doesn't even have calories but you can gain weight.  Hang in there; it may not be real weight gain.

[CJ_Here]

Yes, salt may have done it along with building muscle after the winter with all your golfing.  Have you taken measurements?  You may be surprised.

Day three of healthy eat in the books.  Not walking though.  We got a cold snap and I just have been lazy about it.  Tomorrow I will be moving around more, shopping, so maybe that will get me back into it. 

[ElaineJ27]

5 points for Wednesday. I even budgeted for a kiddie sized ice cream cone with the grandkids after school. 

It’s 10 am and I have already consumed nine 8-oz glasses of water. I don’t drink coffee so I have water with breakfast, and I drank while I played golf. I also already have over 8K steps. 

While I was playing golf, I realized that I wasn’t breathing as hard and my walking was regular instead of trudging. It’s even easier to lift my clubs in and out of the car trunk. 

Thank you all for the encouragement. 

[CJ_Here]

Sounds like a winner day, @ElaineJ27 .  

2 points for today.  I know I'll be low on water today.  After being in the dentist chair for 1.5 hours, I was left with the inability to drink water for a couple of hours.  I had to have fillings put in both of my canine teeth.  I didn't do much shopping.  I get really tired from novacaine.  I'll need to get in plenty of water tomorrow morning before my 2nd vaccine dose at 10:15.  The sun did show up today along with deep blue skies.  Really hoping I have energy to enjoy the upcoming good weather days.

[Cele21]

Hi everyone!

Just checking in.

@Katrin  - Yes, there was an animated Hobbit movie and the new live-action ones are so much better, though Gollum still sounds like a frog at times LOL!

We are going to see the second movie in the series this weekend.

In other news, I received my second vaccine yesterday. Very minor reactions, some tiredness and 1 degree temperature increase. Today I have soreness in my arm but not as bad as the first time and am experiencing what feels like eye strain that makes me very slightly dizzy/nauseous. I also feel like I was sick - that kind of washed out feeling, but nothing is bad enough to keep me home from work.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!