It is snowing again today. It's making everything very pretty outside. However, I will need to shovel soon.
I accomplished everythingon my task list yesterday. I did not log back on, though, because I was STRUGGLING with my self about eating a piece of frozen cake (back from the days of the Promotion Cake for my daughter). Oh I really wanted a piece, but this is NOT the time to be indulging in cake. I mean, if there was a special occassion, then that would be fine; OR if I were at goal, that would be fine, too. But my weight is up, I'm not at goal or anywhere near there, so now is not the time for cake.
I told myself that if I was going to have a piece of cake, that I'd have to log on here and make the announcement. That was enough to stop me. What also helped is having the sugar free gummies upstairs in my nightstand drawer. Going upstairs kept me away from the garage freezer on the first floor. And the sweetness of the gummies was a little treat - enough to satisfy.
I checked out 2 books on meditation. One is a 21-day program, and one is a 12-week program. I'm going start with these books. The 12-week program is written by a yoga instructor, so it's from a different (and helpful, I hope) perspective than the 21-day program. I started the 12-week book last night, and I can get into it. I also read a little more on a book called "Stillness" written by a man who was isolated for 3 months (?) over a winter, as a caretaker for a summer lodge. So he wrote about his experience of solitude and unplugging from society, and how he used his time to think and reset his life. An easy read, but I seem to be dragging this one out for some reason.
Today's To-Do:
Well.... I'm not sure what happened with my weigh-in. I did eat more yesterday in the afternoon, but it was carrots and celery sticks. And then I get this number on the scale?? REALLY??? I'm wondering if it's the small glass of wine I've been having some nights this week (like 1/3 measuring cup), or TOM bloat, or too much salt (?), but frankly, I'm too distracted by cramps to evaluate thoroughly. Just VERY DISCOURAGING, especially since I KNOW I was hungry a few afternoons at work.
I was not expecting snow this morning, so I've already been outside to shovel. It wasn't a lot but I want the driveway to melt, so the snow has to go. The direction that the driveway faces doesn't lend itself to melting very well. We face north. Anyway, now my hands are feeling a little shaky, but my driveway is clean, and I got in more steps. Shoveling is great for steps, but I have to wear the fitbit on my ankle or the arm movement doesn't count accurately.
I have a long list of things to do today, most of which bring me joy. I'm sharing it with you so that you can see what I planned for my day, but I'm not going to check things off here, unless I happen to update my entry for some other reason. However, I have a written list that I will cross off tasks as they are completed. Something very satisfying about checking things off a list.
Saturday's Happy Tasks:
I like checking things off a to do list as well.
I have some Happy Tasks too! i will be buying a book to read on my phone...or maybe it'll be practically free...I would go to the library, but, it's temporarily closed by me and i don't know where the library is in the city where i work yet...so i'll just use my phone app to read a book this time around....i'm going to read a famous George Orwell book that i never got to reading in high school.
enjoy cutting the nails, so much better than paying at the vet for something you care capable of.
i may do weights tonight also.
bye!
I'm having a hard time with work stress, now that I'm refraining from stress eating. I'm at the point of thinking about bringing a bottle of wine to the office for a small glass to calm my nerves. However, I am going to try some camomile tea first, today, to see if that helps without making me sleepy. (My daughter bought some.)
I did not get to yoga at work yesterday. I had done a little in the morning at home, so I still met my daily goal, but now I see that I have this secondary goal of taking a break at work to do a little yoga, too. Hmm... well, I'll keep working on this.
I did a mile on the treadmill, with half of it spent jogging. Met and surpassed my water goal. Did not read. Did not write in my journal.
Looking forward to going to the library tomorrow. Checking out books on meditation.
Mistakes Girl is going to have a baby! She is 6 weeks along, due in early September, which could mean late August... I don't know if this means maternity leave or if she's quitting altogether.
Unfortunately for me, I may not be able to take that Labor Day vacation to Montana to visit Son. And I was tentatively considering that, if I quit to move on to become a Walmart Shopper, I would make my move in September, after the summer students quit to go back to school. Yes, I could still do that, but that would put my current boss is a pickle, indeed. I know I don't owe him but in a way, I do feel some kind of loyalty to him.
Well, I can't spend too much personal energy thinking about that now. First, I just have to get through today.
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
The appeal is that it is an active job. Also, it's pretty much a solitary job - no answering phones, that's for sure! Also, I can choose a variety of hours to work, so no 9am-5p. For example, many of the in-store shoppers work 5am-2pm.
Sorry about the work stress. Been there before.
Do you have a 3 day weekend? Sounds like you need it badly.
I do NOT have a 3-day weekend. Most law firms are open on these smaller holidays to catch up on paperwork. It's only those lucky people who work for the courts that have the day off.
However, I'm glad you asked, because this means that yes, I probably DO need a day off soon. I will look into this.
Recently, when I wake up before my alarm, and if it's after 4am, I am getting up to get the day started, rather than lying in bed debating whether or not to get up, or trying to go back to sleep. If I'm awake, I find that it works out better if I just get up.
I started commenting on your diaries on my phone, while on the recumbent bike, but then the site started hiccuping, so I thought it best to write my own entry using my laptop. Here I am!
I was able to do yoga at work yesterday! I am using an unused office that is cramped with too much furniture and isn't heated very well. (This room has heating/cooling issues ALWAYS.) I did a short routine (Sun Salutation B) which took about 10 minutes. It was awkward taking the time to do this, so I just have to get used to MAKING the time to go into this room to take a break. I will keep trying. Also, I was much better at doing the sequence yesterday than on Monday evening, when it was very awkward. My goal is do this sequence with video guidance so often that I have it memorized.
Tonight will be treadmill night. I ate too much dinner last night to jog on the treadmill - and I like to jog at least a little bit when I use the treadmill (for my goal) - so last night was upper body weights after a light bike ride to help my stomach settle. Met my water goal. The only thing I didn't get to was reading. *sigh*
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
My stomach has to be mostly empty to do cardio or muscle weight. I'd get indigestion otherwise or just not have the energy to do it.
We get up at 5:50 to Alexa turning on the light and telling us good morning and some random fact. If I wake at 5 or later I don't go back to sleep because I don't want to wake during REM sleep. Feel too groggy.
you know how sometimes there are stories on the news about how our brains "make sense" and make connections of our experiences and what we learn during the day at night?
well, i woke up last night dreaming of how to do some of the new work i'm doing...i was dreaming of the procedure. LOL LOL LOL.
if it works better when you wake up at 4am, so be it. you aren't the only one up early like that...and if you are able to be productive, you do YOU.
enjoy the treadmill, i did some extra walking on the way home, too (less bus, more walk!)
Very tired, so TOM will be here soon.
I brought my spare mat to work, but I did not get the opportunity to do any yoga. I need to readjust my lunch routine to fit this in on an empty stomach. I'm glad it didn't happen yesterday because I checked out the YouTube videos last night, and the routine I had planned to do was not right. I did a few videos until I found one I liked.
We're getting bad weather Thursday into Friday, so it may be better to plan to do yoga at work tomorrow, with no walk, and then use the treadmill at home tomorrow night. Yes. That will allow me time to do weights tonight. Upper body for sure, maybe some legs. THAT'S MY PLAN.
Work was hectic in the afternoon, so when I came home, I had a small glass of wine to help me relax and NOT release all the energy and stress into eating too much. I think I did well with that.
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Hope the weather doesn't get too bad.
The precipitation is supposed to start in the afternoon, so that's good. I do not like waking up to surprises that need to be shoveled first thing in the morning. I am OK if I am expecting it, but not if I'm not.
hoping your TOM doesn't give you too many troubles. it's true, usually when we are distracted by other things, it doesn't...but it takes a BIG distraction.
a small glass of wine is relaxing.
sorry for your bad weather, i think we are still having quite unseasonably mild weather. 40s.
I woke up early today, and got up, rather than lying around in bed, so that I would have time to write here today. Unfortunately, the downside is that it's not even 7am and I want breakfast. I will wait until closer to 8am, although..... when I do this (wait), I sometimes forget to eat breakfast. Yes, I get caught up in preparing for work that I forget to make something for breakfast, to eat at either home or work. That's what happened yesterday, and it's happened before.
I had a very good yoga session last night. It was more challenging, reminiscent of days when I was in the studio, and I was able to keep up. I had a wonderful idea over the weekend, which really excited me (for some odd reason). I think I'm going to take my other yoga mat to work, so that I can do a short yoga video in a room that nobody uses. The only issue is that the room is a little chilly, and there's furniture in there, so I may have to move a chair. But the plan is that I would "take a break" - either a separate break or connected with my lunch hour - and go into this room and do a 10-15 minute sequence of poses. I plan to take my mat today. That is the first step. Then I have to be intentional in making this time while at work. Doing this will help me establish boundaries with my time, which will be very important once we get busier. Well, we'll see how it goes.
On Sunday, I got the idea in my head to study to be a meditation guide. I heard about an affordable self-guided program that I thought would work for me. Then I started getting boggled down with comparisons between programs, reviews, pros/cons, accreditation, etc. Well, something to think about. I still think I want to enroll in a teacher-training yoga program, but I'm just not sure I'm ready, plus I think I'd like to do an in-person class versus online, but I haven't found a studio to study with, yet.
Work drama was just too funny yesterday. Nice Lady is nice, but she is all about creating drama around herself. I don't know why I keep falling for this. She'll set up something for herself - this time, it's getting dental implants - talk about it with EVERYONE for WEEKS, and then at the very last minute, some crisis will come up where she might not be able to follow through with it. This diversion causes a whole new drama, and then she'll quit or chicken out. I told the Boss that if Nice Lady doesn't get her dental implants, then he is going to be the one to tell her that she needs to wear her false teeth to work. It's ghastly when she comes to work with no teeth! Thank goodness for face masks!
She's getting the implants today. At least that's the last I've heard. She gets so nervous about anything medical. Then why do this??? Geez!
Anyway, Nice Lady will be out of the office today and tomorrow (to recover), which is good because she keeps walking by my desk a LOT which means I have to wear my mask all the time. Associate Attorney will be out in the morning to take care of her, because he can't function without her. (They came to our firm together, although she was never supposed to be part of the employment deal.)
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
Glad you have a good yoga session. I used to do meditation but could never get myself disciplined enough to do it daily.
She comes to work without her teeth??
I'm sure you can imagine my shock the first time she came in without her upper denture plate in. She made a big deal about getting her teeth pulled and getting this denture. Then she made a big deal about how it hurts and she doesn't like it.
I find it hard to sit still with myself.
My thing is that I delay eating in the morning, and then I forget! So I'm at work, then, without a breakfast. There is food there, so I can sometimes make do, but it's almost always foods that I would not choose.
And I too would feel awkward if someone came to work without their teeth, unless of course it was absolutely necessary for whatever unexplained reason.
oh, so i get what you mean by getting caught up and forgetting to pack or make a breakfast. may i suggest an easy bar or something when that happens?
sounds like a good plan for work. at my previous job, when i was in the Queens office, there was a cheap gym right next door. a rare about, but a couple of us, would go there during lunch. before my injuries way back, i would go and walk on the treadmill when it was too cold/icy outside! i thought it was genious to be able to get in exercise during lunch even if i couldn't walk outside, i'd just hop on a treadmill next door to work. a few others would go there during lunch break for a whole workout, but like i said, that was rare. most didn't have time to stop in during lunch! but your thing sounds wonderful bc it's a short thing. you could seriously just do a couple poses. nothing major. holding them awhile. could be a nice stretching routine if anything. i think stretching helps a lot to make my body feel better. i do a few stretches that are yoga related, learning them mostly from some former days of yoga practice in my early 20's (so like 15 years ago).
i'm glad you will have some "you" time tomorrow with nice lady off :)
I woke up super early today, which in a way is a good thing, becuase I want to be awake for as much of my day(s) off as possible. I had gotten up early to use the bathroom - a result of drinking into the night to meet my water quota - and I swear the clock said 2:34am but when I checked a few minutes later, the clock said 3:48am. I got up shortly after that, so around 4am.
I had a lot of chores to do yeseterday so today is a day of relaxation, for the most part. Here are my random thoughts:
These are "thoughts" not tasks, so I won't be updating my list, as to what I've done or not done. However, I may post an update later today.
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
as soon as return L&C book to library, why don't you request it again asap? seems you really like that book! very interesting to read about history.
history. some people are very up on it and some are not. i'm part of the latter category. never paid attention growing up to news or class history lessons. the folks i work with are actually very into to history / current events. well, even though i won't be able to add too much to discussion, it's nice to be around educated people ;)
Good morning! Oh I love Saturday mornings! And although I slept in quite a bit today - didn't get up until almost 7:30am - I was eager to weigh-in this morning, to see ifi I was able to shed any of the Holiday Bloat - and the answer is YES! (I am wondering if I had avoided that white chocolate problem on Thursday, if my weigh in would have been 144.5....) So now I am at the "10-pound" mark. I'm kind of excited to work on this!
I will be busy today, cleaning the floors and doing laundry. I already have a load of kitty laundry started, then my own. A clean house is a happy house. It won't be a totally clean house, but it makes me content to have these things done.
Things on my list today:
EVENING EDIT: I pushed myself to get everything checked off my list today. Hmm, I'm not sure that was exactly the right thing to do. Kind of stressed me out in the evening, to get the yoga done, but it's done. I chose an 18 minute session on YouTube. I found myself getting annoyed with the instructor (Yoga with Adrienne) because she talks too much and was holding the poses long, which made it really hard. I guess that's the point, LOL.
Struggling to reach my water goal tonight...
Progress as of today: 41.5 lbs lost so far, only 10 lbs to go!
your entry looks like mine today with all your "DONE"
this entry sounds very positive and uplifting!
to actually make a worthwhile comment that you can relate to, my good friend who lives slightly north of me in NYS, has been trying to lose weight for approx 2 YEARS with no real change. she is the one that was always super skinny until several life changes (good and bad), health changes (anxiety medicine added, birth control added). but birth control for many years, not just the past two.
So, she's been trying to lose weight. AND DOESN'T OWN A SCALE. until she bought one, on amazon, today.
she texted me, haven't talked yet, telling me she was at her parents house and hopped on the scale and it read some weight she has never seen. ...very soon after i realized and said to her, she has to know her starting point and buy a scale to take action.
basically, i feel, she's been in denial about it. to make any change, you have to understand where you are to start.
weight loss, i feel, can be effective if a person uses a scale weekly.
i think she's already off to a better start than the entire last two years.
so, when you spoke of weight and your goals, it reminded me of this whole texting convo with her this AM.
it would be logical to use a scale, just like you and I do and everyone on here. we use it as a tool to reach and maintain our goals.
I think it would be hard to set a weight-loss goal without knowing your starting point. I feel that it's usually the number on the scale that gets people started on changing behaviors to lose weight.
I suppose that a person could lose weight by realizing, "Hey, my clothes don't fit well any more" and start calorie counting and exercising. Most people don't think they weigh THAT much until they see it on a scale.
I've mentioned my 7-month experiment when I was around 23. I weighed myself on January 1st, and then told myself I would not weigh in again until my birthday in early August. I modified my intake, started walking, etc., with NO measurement of my progress. Lost 20+ pounds... But I think I needed that end date to eventually find out the fruits of my labors.
either way, like you said, changes must be made. a person must give up the comfort of habit to lose weight. habit being whatever got you to the higher weight in the first place.
yes, she was shocked at the scale. and in my head, i believe it's denial...and time to take action for her. she once blamed gainnig weight on medicine (i think it's more just a couple pounds, although anxiety medicine can work to either make you gain/lose depending on how you act/eat when you are less anxious)...but not she said she thinks the scale is wrong. so, i guess that's denial. she said she'll see what her scale says when it comes in a week or so.
Oh yes, your friend sounds like she's in denial. It's funny that you said that she blamed the scale for the high number, rather than internalizing the weigh-in. Hmmm....
Meds can cause weigh-gain and make it harder, but at the end of the day, Does she want to weigh less or not? Basically that's what it's all about.
Inspired by Annie and Jacky, I'm thinking about taking light weights to the office, to use during my lunch hour, since my walking has been limited to walking around 1 block, only, because of the weather and snow/ice on the sidewalks.
I slipped up yesterday, in the afternoon. Around 3:30 or 4p, for some reason, I thought it was a good idea to open a bar of white chocolate candy. Once I got started, it was very hard to stop. I did not eat the whole thing, and stopped when I felt satisfied but by then, it was 500 calories eaten.
There are other things I could have done: drink water, drink flavored water, walk away from my desk, jumping jacks in the closet, etc. Maybe I will write out a list that I can look at, when this feeling comes up at work again. When I get this feeling to stress eat, it's hard to think clearly. A list could help.
The loan officer guy did not call last night, so I'm kind of done with that. I'll still take his call, but I do not want to be busy like that. My husband is retired, and I want to spend MORE time with him, not less, but I do need to work. Even though my job right now is not ideal, it is manageable.
I stayed late last night waiting for Associate Attorney to type out a letter he promised would go out yesterday. If I didn't have to wait for that, I could have left on time or even a little early. Frustrating because he took Wednesday off, which is why he's so behind in letters. He'd better catch up today, that's all I'm saying.
I did a mile on the treadmill last night, with some jogging. And I forgot to mention I did 2 leg exercises with my weights on Wednesday night. I did no yoga last night, but did some reading about it. I'd like to start doing 1 sun salutation a day, so I was refreshing my memory on the sequence of poses. This might help me stick to my yoga goal.
Progress as of today: 38.5 lbs lost so far, only 13 lbs to go!
Good idea taking some weights to work.
Do you use ankle weights for your leg exercises?
Oh my word... After the chaos at the capitol yesterday, I'm done with 2021. I said to Nice Lady (before the riots started), that surely better times are ahead. Then the riots. Now I'm not so sure.
I came home from work, and Mr. Donkey is glued to the TV, but I insisted that we have a normal dinner at the table. I know he stayed up to watch the House finish their votes.
The phone call from the loan officer did not happen. He texted me at 6:45p saying he was running 45 minutes behind, could we talk today or Friday. I was so relieved, because I was in no frame of mind to talk about anything after everything that had happened earlier.
But this is a good example of why I would not want to work for him. It's 6:45p and I've had dinner with my family and was getting ready to enjoy my evening. He's still at work! And then add a 1+ hour commute? No thanks!
I met and surpassed my water goal yesterday but could not bring myself to do yoga. So much for my 30 days of yoga challenge. I'll do my best to do some yoga tonight, even if it's only 20 minutes or so.
Progress as of today: 38.5 lbs lost so far, only 13 lbs to go!
It was 8:45 am here when Congress finished their votes.
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Good job on finishing all your tasks yesterday.
Well done on resisting the cake!
Keep us posted on how your meditation is going. When I used to do it I would count my breaths, and when I started to think I'd put the thoughts in a bubble and let it float away. Or I would chant. Whatever works.
bearcountrygg on 01/17/2021:
Those strong cravings are so difficult...good job finding a substitute.
Jacky82020 on 01/17/2021:
I eat sugary cereals as a dessert substitute. Love the ones by Dunkin Donuts. The Caramel Machiatto has 150 Cals per 1 & 1/3 Cup serving. Sitting right there when I devoured a HUGE piece of chocolate cake the other day, but more often than not it helps. Also like the Churro one. Lots of sugar & cinnamon, not nearly as bad in terms of calories as cakes & pies etc.
Horn_of_plenty on 01/18/2021:
lol...i'm answering you here to the comments you left me on my entry for Saturday (i'm also behind in replying/comments). needed time off from the internet in general to do off internet things!
so, to answer your question if i did any more cardio on Saturday after I did a couple errands: NO. i was pretty busy the rest of the day with exercise and getting organized. i forget what it was i also did? but the day passed and it was mostly a rest day.
to answer your other question about if I notice I am eating less / less calories: YES. i say a big YES. As you know, i'm a calorie counting queen and there hasn't been a time in my life that i wasn't aware of how much i was eating, since i was 21.
Moreover to answer your question, i was able to eat a little less due to less stress at home when i wasn't working. Now, i'm working ...but it is a NEW experience and when i have these type of new, challenging experiences, i'm able to manage my appetite better because it's not a priority. I'm so into the job and new commuting that my appetite, for the time being these two weeks and probably this whole month, i have not been as insatiable as, per se, when working a boring job i've done for years. i'm sure you understand. When i'm bored is when i'm hungry. I'm not bored so i'm not hungry. but don't get me wrong: i've started getting hungry for lunch at work and i do have an appetite but i've been using what i learned on covid to try to dial it back and keep being moderate in general ....I am learning, continuously, what is best for me in maintainence. like you, i'm not done learning what works for me / weight maintenance / health!...
Horn_of_plenty on 01/18/2021:
Now i'm replying to your entry here, for Sunday:
Great swap from cake to gummies. I also drink seltzers with my snacks. or coffee if it's early in the day. i LOVE jacky's tip about the cereals, tho, i will not be going out and getting them. but a great way of also swapping, just like you did with the gummies. i like how you had something, instead of nothing (to eat).
All books sound good. I know the meditation is right up your ally. I'm sooo missing having a local library to go to right now. My go-to is indefinitely closed for now. I'm going to research a city library to see if there's any by my work. but for now, i'm going to read a book on kindle on my phone.
as for that Isolation book about the guy isolated, that sounds SO INTERESTING. if you like the book, i'd like to know the title. i want to read it next!!!!!
Horn_of_plenty on 01/18/2021:
and yes, i took advantage of the 3-day weekend to get together with my friend yesterday, you got that right :)
legcramps on 01/18/2021:
Looks like it was a very nice Sunday indeed!