Crazy day... Friday was crazy at work. It would help if co-workers would actually show up for work. Way too many people taking time off lately, and nobody seems to care.
Today was legal clinic, so no time to post in the morning. Left my cell phone at home and while I missed having it - may have been able to post here from the clinic in between clients -- it was actually kind of nice to be free of it.
Came home and found my weight bench put together! Oh my is it so much nicer than the very old, basic bench I have. I am looking forward to using it!
I did not weigh in this morning. I had already gotten dressed for my morning workout when I remembered. I said to myself, "I don't have time to play scale games today" and went downstairs to start my bike ride.
Recap on this past week's goals:
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
Lights out before 9p last night. Woke up twice during the night, but forced myself to just go back to sleep for more glorious rest, and it worked.
Chair Yoga 2 was good. Turns out, one of the guys who goes to Regular Chair Yoga also goes to this yoga. Says he's been going for over a year! That really helped husband feel better. Otherwise, he would have been the only guy there.
The yogi is a movement therapist, which I really liked. She teaches folks how to do movements correctly: posture, how to get up off a chair correctly --- body mechanics. I loved that!
There were a lot of neck exercises that husband couldn't do because he can't turn his head any more. Still, he said he'd go on his own if I couldn't go with him. I liked it - and enjoyed having the afternoon off from work! - but I don't know that I can do that every month.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
also good to get some sleep....i'm currently looking for that!
Today was a stressful day at work. In fact, I had almost forgot that I was leaving at 4pm today to take New Kitty to the vet. I found myself getting so stressed out with one file because the other party (not our client) wanted the repair AND a credit for the repair. Well, that's not how it works. You either get the repair done or you get a credit instead of the repair so that it can be done once you own the property. Not both. I felt that I was disproportionately honked off about this. It didn't help that it was before lunch. Also, I think I'm having some emotional sensitivity due to hormones, but not TOM.
See - this type of situation is what I'm talking about, when I refer to the desire to be more mindful at all times (working, eating, etc.). Instead of getting caught up emotionally, I should have stepped away and taken a break -- take a walk, get a drink, eat lunch, go visit a co-worker. Anything but get more honked off!
If I could just catch myself before I get consumed by these dark forces.....
Took New Kitty to the vet and they doctor said we are doing the right things. There a few more options than we could be doing, but we're not ready to have a litter box on the main floor of the house yet, and not ready to try drugs. The doctor could not get a urine sample for the UTI, so we might try again next Wednesday. However, we have changed our routine in the morning, so that New Kitty is not so stressed out by Daughter getting ready for work in the mornings (she has a new schedule). And so far, for a few days anyway, it has worked out well. Right now, she is curled up on my lap taking a nap. I swear that she looks like she's smiling.
Thanks to your comments about the weight bench, I realized that what I want it for - leg curls and leg extensions - in addition to what I've been doing before, is almost done. Like 95% done. The last part that's taking a while is a squat rack, but I don't need that right now because I do not have a weighted bar. So maybe this weekend I can work on getting the leg extension part finished. The rest of the "bells and whistles" can wait. That might be our happy ending for now, and that's OK.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
good idea on weight bench. at least you can start using it. sounds like me when i was getting my fitness equipment, it wasn't all right away but in bits and pieces.
Had a very unsettling dream about work that woke me up at 4:15a. I could have gone back to sleep but decided to get up. I did not want to risk going back into the dream, and once I figured out it was Monday, I just decided to get my day started. Maybe I can go to bed early, which would be great.
Woke up somewhat dehydrated, although it was nice not to wake up needing to use the bathroom. Hopefully this will help me drink more water today.
Husband and daughter spent about 1.5 hours trying to put together the weight bench. Out of 14 steps, they finished at #7. My daughter came up to tell me how difficult this was for my husband, physically. Oh dear... I'm not sure what to do, if there's anything I can do to get him to turn himself around. I know he has an appointment with the rheumatologist this month, and this time I'm going with him. Not that this doctor is involved with his weight, just the AS (arthritis). She is very clear on boundaries, as to what she will treat and what she will not.
Trying a new approach this morning with kitty. If it doesn't work, at least I will have the extra time to clean up any mess.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
I keep a glass of water next to my bed and when I get up to pee, take a few sips.
Frankly, I do not think my husband would seek help or counseling. I'm not sure what would work. I know that when my son was at home, they would go to the gym together - most of the time, which is OK.
Exercise is great, and he needs to do more of it, but mostly for him, it's pretty much about the diet. His inflammation could be improved by eating differently/better, but even that is not enough to inspire him to change his ways.
so your weight bench is 50% done...it's getting there!
interesting how the dr is clear on boundaries...makes sense i guess bc AS is related to so many other things?
good luck with Kitty...i am sure eventually things will work out right...
A lot of AS patients have other issues, namely pain management, which she does not do. That is an entirely different area of medicine altogether. I do appreciate that she has these boundaries, actually.
We love kitty so much. We will find a way to help her live with us. She came from a house that "had too many cats". If it was a hoarder or collector situation, then these behaviors might not have been "bad" at her old house, when she was a kitten.
I won't press the bench issue much further. I'm almost at where I need it to be for my workouts anyway.
I've replied to your comments on my last entry -- you have been extremely helpful in giving me "food for thought".
I feel that I need to work on portion control on foods - other than vegetables. I have not given consideration to moderating my consumption of protein, but this is something I would like to do, and that I think would be beneficial for my overall well-being. I had a conversation at dinner last night, asking my husband to start preparing less meat for dinners. A lot of the meat I eat is to get rid of leftovers.
I do need to weigh in regularly to make sure that I'm truly maintaining. It doesn't have to be every week, but it should be regularly, at least for a little bit longer.
Maria had mentioned something about establishing healthy habits as key to maintaining. I agree 100%, but why is it easier to maintain a habit of drinking enough water, but much, MUCH harder to maintain a push-ups/sit-ups habit --- even after establishing for 2 months! Taking a week off, I can tell already that it will be a struggle to get back on track.
Goals for this week:
This week is our first session of "Chair Yoga and Mindfulness" on Wednesday. I am looking forward to this with the husband.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
if your hubby prepares extra meat, can you freeze it?
Great goals for this week. some people say that the water goals are overrated - like if you are having soup/other drinks/veggies with lots of water in them - ? that is something i have heard recently.
i reallly love your sleep goal. it is mine, too. i will try hard to stick with a good sleep schedule this week. since it's important for me if i want to "feel good" on Friday.
i am looking forward to hearing how your Chair Yoga goes!
Amen for weekends! How nice it was to sit down at my laptop and visit with you all on this nice leisurely morning. No kitty issues this morning, and she used her litter box properly over the course of the night. I'm pretty sure that this is a behavioral problem, but kitty has a vet appointment on Tuesday just to be sure.
All of the plastic has been cleared off the couch, and my husband started putting the weight bench together. He didn't get very far, but he started. He claims it's a 2-person job, but daughter is never around to help him. I'd rather not put together my own birthday present, but maybe I'm being a baby about it.
Last night, I was feeling a little anxious/sad/lonely... and maybe a little hungry? IDK, but I had a few spoons of peanut butter - out of the jar nonetheless - until I had had enough. At first, I was wondering if I should feel guilty about that, but then I realized that with the keto diet, I did exactly what I'm supposed to do: limit your carbs, meet your proteins, use fat to meet your saitety. When I was full, I stopped. Woke up feeling OK - not gross like after a binge or bloated or any of that. Had a great bike ride this morning, too.
Losing weight was OK (not easy per se, but OK) once I got started and stuck with it. This maintenance thing is HARD. What do I eat? How much do I eat?
I've recently been plagued with thoughts that run along the lines of: What if I did everything I could do to lose/maintain and found out I was actually gaining weight and unable to stop?
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
For example, that push-up and sit-up habit -- not a problem letting that one go.
Portion control and limited servings --- oh the STRUGGLE!
You are smart and good at managing yourself. Maintaining is hard you are right. for me, i have a TON of tactics to help me. you know them - seltzers, lots of veggies at least at one meal usually a day, good amounts of fruit, iced coffee, stevia...list goes on further. find your tactics. you know some - your raw veggies you like to have at work. there are so many choices. have you tried raw fenel??? not sure you like the flavor, but it's a good change of pace from celery!
but maintainence, like maria mentioned above, is different. instead of being happy with the scale only - you have to definitely be happy with YOURSELF! instead of eating less to make the scale lower, you have to keep that eating less calories to keep where you are at. but its true - the body is everchanging - and part of maintenance is learning how to moderate tings and live a normal life where maintenance fits in.
as i have maintained, i have had times of weight loss and DEF weight gain...increasing cardio was always the easiest way to increase my calorie burn. but with injuries, i cannot even do that so easily anymore, and i more have to work at food choices.
this is one of the first summers in several years where i haven't lost weight "easily" and it's more of a maintaining summer for me.
really, what i want to say is, we (me, you, all the maintainers) def have to be ready for change (most of us - expcept for the few people that prefer extreme routine eating same thing all the time) and variety and learn how to work them in.
i have an example - Ricky. he is able to limit his servings of sweets and the size. he eats sweets often, so it's nothing new to him. he'll buy a huge slice of cake, but break it into just smaller few bites each night.
when you order a slice of cake at the diner after dinner, you can eat just a part and bring the rest of home to freeze. you can order a decaf coffee (low cals!) to drink with it if you want to feel full.
many times, i use a drink with higher calorie food to slow myself down and learn how to have less.
with us, we both have to learn how to stick with the idea that the first bite tastes best and it's only with us while we taste it in our mouths....and if we can limit the number of bites, we are more well off.
another tip i'd like to mention - proteins. i actually learned this style of eating from my former very thin friend. she was mostly a carb eater...ordering chicken fried rice as a meal. she'd eat mostly the rice and just a little chicken. but thinking about it over many years of knowing her - it sorta makes sense. we don't need huge amounts of protein (not even on keto), and eating large portions of protein has become to me a waste of calories. i do not eat large portions, at all, of protein except once in awhile. i make sure to have some at most meals,but, more importantly FOR ME is to have plenty of veggies, some carbs because i personally am not able to do keto, and a little protein. def my servings are more typically not bigger than a deck of cards for beef. for chicken sometimes a hair bigger. when i make my turkey burgers,i usually cut them in half and it's enough unless i'm craving protein....
the above paragraph is how i have worked to shave a few calories off.
if i have a hot dog, it's typically the whole thing lol, but proteins that i eat a lot of and often, it's easier to limit. especialyl when i'm freezing portions, i try to keep them on the smaller side for protein.
I'm going to have to think about that.
at work, i drink tons of water, and some herbal teas after having a littlle fruit if i'm actually feeling low energy / and that is my snack 2-3 hours after lunch most days...but after the fruit, it's more water, more herbal teas. and when i have almonds now, i have 100 cal servings (half the serving size) and stretch it...
I think I just answered my own question - LOL
I do not need all this stress before I go to work. Son is struggling, daughter is driving into the city tonight for a concert, and new kitty is having litter box issues again. Turns out, nobody took her to the vet the last time she had problems! Hopefully this time my husband will get off his fat butt and do something.
I'm still waiting for my weight bench to be put together. Parts are wrapped in plastic on the sofa in the basement. The cat is peeing on the plastic. WTF. I don't have TIME in the morning to be dealing with this $#!*.
So after it happened this morning, I got off my bike to do some quick cleaning, and lost my workout stats on the bike, because it times out after a minute or so. Grrr!!! Don't mess with my morning workouts!!!!
Husband has gained a lot of weight. Really noticed it last night. There's no talking to him about it. He has enough difficulty moving around with his disease, much less with ask this extra weight.
And now I get to go to work and deal with all that crap!!!
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
I actually ended up having a pretty good day in the end after all.
first, i'd like to know more about your son...it's NOT going to be easy for him. but if he can just stick with it, and remain well behaved, he'll make it. try to talk this into him. it's not easy i am positive of it! but, it's a well paying career!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry about your new kitty seems this kitty is particularly finicky and difficult.
sorry to hear about your husband also. it's too bad he isn't concerned with his health as you are. some people just continue to hurt themselves which is rather sad. similar to my friend R who smokes...every time he's just pushing the limits he no longer has.
with hubby, perhaps do not purchase or purchase limited amounts of what he eats or perhaps tell him he should eat what you eat.
but if your hubby won't listen, i guess you should just ...let it be...if that's really how it's going to be,very unfortunately.
other than that, your kids will have struggles at times as they are just beginning life. try to get your son to stay engaged.
and as for you, you are doing very well!! we are always encouraged by you!
I'll write more in my entry for today.
Cat issues...grr. Husband issues...grr. I hope he sees the affect the weight gain has. I am so uncomfortable with my extra weight. Have a great weekend! IP
Thank you for reassuring me about the military. I know that because he was able to pass boot camp, unless something really bad happens, the AF will make good use of him, whether it's in this job or in another capacity. I think he just needs to get out of Texas. It's brutally hot there.
Checking in... I've decided to take this week off from push-ups and sit-ups. This to help with fatigue, plus I've had some aches in the arm joints. So just rest.
Yesterday, I was so unmotivated, probably as part of feeling so tired. In the afternoon, I started yawning -- loudly. I couldn't help it.
I found Bear's comment on my entry yesterday to be quite illuminating. I've been eating more fruit lately, and I think the extra sugar is affecting me.
Yesterday was a low carb day and this morning, I feel better. I hate to pass on the delicious watermelon. *sigh*
Might be hormonal too. This was a harder month than usual, although all months are very difficult.
Anyway, so my goal for today is less sugar and a nice walk at lunch.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
Like you, when i'm feeling tired i also have taken off from certain exercises. it's ok.
it can also depend of course on the TYPE of sugar you are having...i know you know this.
i was reading the comments between you and Bear and sometimes i also feel like i've had too much sugar and it does affect my system. so i understand what you mean.
i hope you feel better. the sleep thing can be weird when you do get just about enough...but it feels like not enough. i can relate and have been there, feeling abnormally tired, many times.
Just a quick entry... and I'm sorry for not commenting on your diaries lately.
Feeling very tired, since Sunday really. Although I'm going to bed on time, I feel unable to catch up on sleep.
Also very bloated. I might be gaining weight. I must make it a point to weigh in on Saturday to keep myself in check.
It was all I could do to get up this morning.
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
I think I did OK food-wise yesterday, even though lunch was half a sandwich (the leftover Reuben I did not finish after Chair Yoga on Friday). I looked up the carbs, and figured if I was careful for the remainder of theday, it would be OK. And I think it was.
Now that I am no longer using sweetened flavor packets, I find that getting in 100 ounces of water a day is a real challenge. I fail most days. When the water drink is sweet and flavored, it was no problem to drink 124 ounces. Still, I think this is the better route, to go with plain water, iced water, lemon or lime juice, herbal tea (no caffeine - like Celestial Seasonings Peach or whatever).
I stayed up really late, first watching the PBS shows until 11p and then reading. I didn't turn off the light until after 12:30a. I forced myself to get up this morning, though, in hopes that either I can take a nap later on today or go to bed very early tonight.
I hear some activity in my neighborhood, so I think I'll for for a short walk. Also, I think one of the houses got new windows earlier this week, so I want to check those out. It will help clear my mind. It was a difficult news morning today, with yet another Walmart mass shooting and then Dayton, Ohio...
Progress as of today: 50.5 lbs lost so far, only -0.5 lbs to go!
i got a really bad sleep last night due to coming home late and not being able to relax my mind / body before bed so i woke up on and off. no biggie though but it happens. good plan for you tonight to go to bed early!
too bad with both those shootings that happened! so many killed.
also, did you like the new windows?
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Portion control is tough at first...but luckily it does get easier....I'm one of those that belong to the clean plate club....had to retrain myself....
I too have a membership to the Clean Plate Club. It was really ingrained into my head as a child not to waste food. And I agree -- wasting food is not a good thing, especially if it's meat.
I'm going to keep trying.
grannyannie on 08/18/2019:
I depend on my food scale as I don't trust my judgement as to portion sizes. Nice that your new bench is ready for you!
THIS is fabulous advice. I need a food scale, I think.
"Dear Santa..."
Horn_of_plenty on 08/18/2019:
you did good this morning! i left my phone home recently too and it was not the worst thing in the world, thankfully.
good for you on going to the legal clinic and doing something extremely constructive on the weekend. i applaud you because i know it's a personal commitment and your choice and i think it's great to be able to do something more with yourself and lend your talents/skills to this group!
congrats on the weight bench! you will be happy! i should have bought the weight bench that holds the ankles/feet for situps...i totally wish i had bought that one! for now though, i get my feet under my couch and it holds them just fine...
100 ounces of water may not be necessary for you. remember it's just a cool sounding number. if you eat fruit / veggies with water, that adds in too. when i visited my naturally thin (thinner than me) friend in Paris this year, she drank/ate very little throughout the day until a main meal for dinner!!!! she didn't like to be inconvienced by needing the bathroom all day (her schedule is very much on the go for work and travels a bit - plus she has use of only one hand so it can be understand why she would want to simplify certain things). what i mean is, i'm not saying to be like her (i personally don't like her style of really just one main meal a day), but i'm saying humans have lived a long time without exactly 100 ounces and that you will be ok....also, she would drinks LOTS of tea at home in evening since she wouldn't be going anywhere and could use the bathroom easily at home LOL.
I also am working more on sleep lately ...my plans are bigger and have to wake up early for them lately...so today i was grateful to sleep in a bit / go to bed early last night.
i feel i def have better workouts when i recover more with the extra sleep.. for my body, i think 8 hours per night is best. like you, i do like more than 7 hours.
That's very interesting about your Paris friend. More like the "One Meal A Day" (OMAD) philosophy. I watched a show on PBS - wow, I wish I remembered the name of it - that addressed food, weight, cultures, etc. OMAD seemed to be the most effective in weight loss and health benefits.
It wasn't really OMAD, but 2 very light snacks, and then just one meal. So snack 1 might be a small apple and a hard boiled egg. Snack 2 might be a small garden salad and an ounce of cheese. Then the Meal would be a real meal, with say, a piece of dark chocolate for dessert.
I am going to keep working on sleep as a specific goal this week.
Horn_of_plenty on 08/18/2019:
That was what she ate!!! she started the day with an orange and sometimes tea if she had a longer morning at home. and days she was extra hungry, she also inluded the egg. and this was her style of eating!
her bigger meal would be full and balanced.
happy-1 on 08/18/2019:
I like your goal recap. Maybe I should do that.