Squelch the Snark!

Daily Motion

The effort to shed my lard is showing a bit of progress.

I decided that what I’ve been doing obviously isn’t working, so decided to change things up a bit and see if this helps.

I had been skipping breakfast, calling it “intermittent fasting,” but the result of that was a LOT of hunger for lunch – so I’m now eating some of my husband’s Cheerios with milk for breakfast.

I’m consciously trying to consider each thing I’m including on my plate for lunch, NOT including something that is less important to me in an effort to keep my metabolism working but not load myself down.

Dinners are 1) an individual frozen portion of something I have cooked (like spaghetti, a casserole, hamburger patty); 2) an individual portion frozen entree (I’m eating Atkins Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo tonight); or 3) a new entree I’ve cooked. I make a side veggie and we have a dinner roll.

The MyFitnessPal.com calorie counter thinks I’m ‘not eating enough’ (based on 1200 calories per day) until I add a snack. I’m waffling on this one, since I know I’m eating healthy and mainly wanted to make sure I wasn’t shooting myself in the foot inadvertently.

I’m trying to make SURE I’m either working in the yard, doing my yoga, or both, daily, plus I’m trying to drink more water.

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IndiaMART

So far, I’ve lost 3.2 lbs. Suffice to say I have a LONG way to go before I get to my goal, but I have started. I’m happy that my scales have finally noticed, and are registering a difference, but they continue to be quite snarky. I’m hoping to squelch the snark with my continued efforts.

Yo Yo

Pinterest

I was doing well on my ‘no-eating-between-meals‘, ‘no-extra-salt,’ plus ‘yoga-every-afternoon‘, but had a bad day yesterday. I felt like I was starving to death. I fell off and gained back two of the five I lost. UGH.

Today is a new day, though, so I’ll give myself a break and do better today. I’ve never been a runner, and these days my hips start yelling at me if I walk a lot, so I’ve been redoubling my efforts to practice my yoga each afternoon, doing lots of slow, careful stretches, breathing into each pose, relaxing as much as I can. This, combined with working in the yard, should make a reasonable amount of exercise.

Motivation Monday – Pinterest

Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, my scales will stop laughing so loudly.

Eating Lead?

Wall Here

I’m not throwing in the towel, but my weight loss efforts seem to be a joke lately. Lunch and dinner remain as usual, but ‘somehow’ I’m eating pretzels in the afternoon and ice cream with chocolate syrup before bed.

I have no one to blame but myself. I had a birthday recently (a wonderfully happy one, even though the numbers are beginning to get pretty impressive) and I have been on this binge ever since.

I’m still doing my yoga practice most afternoons, but I was planning to be active outside, getting my veggie garden set up, and the weather has not been cooperative yet.

Those are my excuses and they’re pretty weak, but they’re the only ones I have right now.

Each day I’m trying to say that “today will be different. “ Hahahahahahah

I’m going to continue to tell myself this and ONE DAY I’ll believe it and hopefully begin to make some improvement. Until then, my scales will be snarky.

Trying to Eat Healthy

Sent to me by my friend, Marsha

Two days ago I pulled a couple of salmon fillets out of the freezer. When I thawed them, I discovered I had FOUR, instead of the TWO I had expected. I went ahead and cooked them, serving them with some steamed veggies. I had never had salmon leftovers, so I looked on the net to find suggestions for using them. I hadn’t thought about making a salmon salad, like tuna salad, but I decided to try it. My husband was pleased with both dinners, and I got some other ideas of what can be done with the leftovers, so I’ll probably do it again – on purpose next time. :0)

My husband’s request is for spaghetti tonight. We used to enjoy a large pasta bowl of it with garlic toast. Now we eat in a much more careful manner, trying for moderation, rather than eating what probably amounts to 3 or 4 servings each at one sitting. Now I serve it in small bowls, with a salad on the side and maybe a dinner roll. I divide the leftovers into individual portion freezer containers, ready for us to heat and eat at other times.

I’m building a portion of cashews into my daily calorie count, particularly when MyFitnessPal.com concludes “I’m probably not eating enough” after I list my eating plan for the day.

We’re enjoying our lunches, comprised of fresh fruit, potato salad, a slice of ham or turkey, and maybe some cheese. It’s colorful and delicious.

I’ll get back to my exercising, warm-up and weights exercises online one day and my elliptical trainer on alternate days, plus my session of yoga in the afternoons – once my arm quits complaining.

I’m cooking more, but carefully, and am enjoying the ‘cooking once’ getting several meals out of each session.

And I’m hoping this, along with trying to drink more water, will result in a healthier, sassier me for 2023.

Mirror, Mirror…

Source Unknown

Can you say, “yo yo” three times fast?

All the goodies are finally gone. My scales are not only smirking – they are guffawing.

guf·faw

/ɡəˈfô/

Learn to pronounce

noun

noun: guffaw; plural noun: guffaws

1. a loud and boisterous laugh. :0(

123RF

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This generates hostility and frustration, obviously. Since we’re not planning any more holiday stuff, I can hopefully get back on track. (I know. You’ve heard this before. Whine.)

SO –

today is a new day. I have not eaten breakfast yet, since I’ve been trying to reach a tech to work on our dishwasher. I also haven’t gotten out in the garage to do my elliptical trainer session for the day.

I’ll go do both NOW.

It’s Friday! 12-16-2022

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My computer says it’s 32, but my thermometer in the window upstairs said it was 25 when I was dressing awhile ago. BRRRRR! The high is supposed to be 45 this afternoon, so there is hope to get outside later.

I thought I would yesterday, but my plans got snafued by my husband taking on a couple of big projects. We created a fulcrum to pry up the center of some big shelves in the basement so I could move a 2×4 into place as an added support. Scary, but we did it with three tries. (This was after I was using a can of dried beans to try to pound the 2×4 in place and bashed one of my fingers. I have a black place on my fingernail and a really sore finger today. :0( )

The second project that took up much of the afternoon was that our truck has been making a noise as we put on the brake, like something was dragging. We’ve checked and checked, but haven’t been able to see anything. We backed the truck into the shop and took both back tires off. We checked, but couldn’t see anything. My husband said we could have a stone in between the wheel and the brake disc that might make a sound like that, but we didn’t find anything. We laboriously got the tires back on and drove the truck back to the garage. It DIDN’T make the noise, so maybe something fell out when we took the tires off. No more noise! (The air compressor wasn’t working the way it should, even after my husband put a new hose on it, so that may be one of his next projects.)

Today we’ll get our mail, meet our friends for Lunch Bunch, get an oil change, then hit Walmart and another grocery store on the way back home. Exciting stuff, huh!

My scales didn’t smirk as much this morning. I’ve lost a couple of pounds this week. Since MyFitnessPal.com concluded that I ‘wasn’t eating enough,’ I’m now eating a hard boiled egg as breakfast each morning and am eating 1 oz of cashews as a snack during the day. That brings my calorie count up to where they think it’s healthy and will help me lose the lard. I’m hopeful, since the scales have started to maybe take my efforts more seriously.

QuotesGram

Today is DAY 154 on my efforts to make daily yoga stretching a habit. I’m holding the plank pose now for a count of 30 three times during my practice, so a bit of progress there.

Make this a fun day!

DAY 149

Tenor

Today is DAY 149 on my trying to make daily yoga a habit. I may never get to the point where I consider my yoga practice ‘habit,’ but it’s a normal part of my afternoons now. I start thinking about when to do it starting mid-afternoon each day. I’m still putting a sparkly star on my desk calendar each time I finish and keeping track of the number of days. I’m so immature it makes me laugh. :0)

lifestyle.livemint.com

I’m doing the plank daily, doing several short holds of the pose, rather than trying to hold one long one. Yesterday I did three times, counting to 25 each time.

Then I’m doing my ‘regular’ yoga practice. I’m doing some extra poses and exercises for my abdomen and core, trying to build strength.

I’m noticing that I’m using the yoga more and more to loosen up and stretch out after working in the yard or doing something else that makes me stiff and/or sore.

As we get closer to winter and I can’t work outside, I’ll switch to doing a session on my elliptical trainer in the garage.

As for losing the lard, my scale is still laughing and smirking at me. It doesn’t laugh out loud as I walk up to it, but it’s close. I really wish I were the type of person who had to be REMINDED to eat….

A Bit of Light

Giphy

I’ve finally lost a couple of pounds over the last few days. My scales are still smirking at me, but not so widely.

I’m fasting from dinner until lunch the next day. Typical lunches are a slice of turkey or ham, a piece of cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and some fruit. Sometimes we also eat a very small ramekin of potato salad.

Dinner is a frozen dinner or individual portions of leftovers from meals I’ve cooked, a side veggie or salad, and a roll.

steve cole images-Getty Images

My yoga practice is going well. I even forgot to give myself a glittery silver star on my desk calendar for yesterday until this morning. (I’m on DAY 137 of daily yoga practice, but I’m getting to the point I almost don’t need to keep track anymore. Yesterday, since my back was sore from working outside, I held the plank pose four times at a count of 15 each. I don’t know if that’s equivalent to one longer session, but I do what I can do each day and don’t worry about it.

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I also worked in the yard, and that gave me more exercise for the day. I finally got the deck planters cleaned out for the winter. Since we have 8 or so planters out there, that was a good amount of work for the day. Today I plan to cut the rose bushes way back. I’m not sure what else I’ll do, but the weather will be 75 and quite breezy with lots of sun this afternoon.

We’ll leave for errands in a couple of minutes. We have our Christmas mailbox decoration in the back of the truck, ready for us to put it up as we leave. On the way back, we’ll put our trash can in the back to drive it back up.

Have a wonderful day.

Hopefully Restful Sunday

cutnessoverload-cuteness.com

We had a challenging day here yesterday, so I’m hoping for a calm day today. The weather is still rainy and gray, encouraging quiet activities and maybe even a nap!

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I had a nice session of yoga yesterday (DAY 134) and I could FEEL some improvement in my ability to stretch into some of my poses. I decided to do my plank pose with 3 attempts, trying to hold each one as long as possible, since I had sore muscles and couldn’t hold for the quick-count-of-45 yesterday. It makes sense to me that several sessions holding the pose should be good for building strength, too.

Giphy

One Thanksgiving meal and the next day Turkey sandwiches meal have done their worst. Yesterday I got-back-on-the-horse of trying to eat right. Hopefully, the scales will start to notice a difference by the end of next week. Loss to Date: 23 pounds and 26 inches since my heaviest.

Hopefully, this will be a nice day for all of us.

Sunny, Cold Saturday 11-12-2022

Dogtime.com

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Weather –

My husband saw snowflakes when he took Amber out for the last time last night! It’s 37 degrees with bright sunshine right now, with more snow possibly Monday. Ooh. NOOOO! I’m not ready for this! I’m still trying to get the yard cleaned up!

Diet and Exercise –

I’ve lost 2 lbs this week. I’m really trying not to stuff my face between meals, after dinner, in the middle of the night…. DAY 120 on my yoga practice. It’s still quite difficult for me to hold the plank pose. I made it to 21 seconds yesterday. Pathetic, but progress.

Ham Radio Tower –

It’s gone! George and a friend came at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon. They were able to get the tower lying on it’s side on the ground without problem (amazing) and then proceeded to take it apart. While they were doing that, I helped my husband get the antenna controller unattached from the shelf in the office where it has lived for umpteen years. It did NOT want to come out of the sturdy metal bracket my husband built for it, but FINALLY he was able to get it down. He also decided to give George a signal analyzer. I found the paperwork and we bundled those together. George was thrilled with his ‘goodies’ and we were happy that the stuff has obviously found a good home.

Lunch Bunch –

It was great yesterday. Kay’s husband, Bud, wasn’t working because it was rainy (he works a backhoe). He greeted me with, “I thought it was time for you to enjoy my smiling face again.” :0) He, Kay, and Linda were there. Linda is moving to a retirement place in Greenwood and may actually be moved by next Friday, or soon thereafter. She is looking forward to a more active social life than she has now. I’m really happy for her. She meets people easily and should be happy there. If not, we’ll help her move again.

Supplies –

Since the forecast is possibly snow Monday, we’ll probably get out today or tomorrow to replenish supplies so we can hole in up here, if needed. I’m planning to wait until it warms up as much as it’s going to if we go today. The sun is shining, but it’s COLD out there!

Have a nice Saturday.

Breadth

arosetintedworld.co.uk

I’ve of two minds on our change to a more Mediterranean style eating plan.

MIND ONE:

Part of me is VERY happy that I feel better. I’m not eating Mediterranean recipes much – since my husband gets hostile when I talk about veggies and the recipes I’m finding lean heavily toward veggies he doesn’t consider ‘food.’ I’m basically just trying to focus on adding more veggies and fruit to our diet.

When I make beef stew, for example, I’m consciously adding more veggies than I used to, loading it up with less beef and more veggies. The same with casseroles.

I’M consciously choosing frozen dinners which concentrate on veggies, such as Healthy Choice “Steamers” and “Power Bowls” while my husband loads up on Pineapple Chicken or Sweet and Sour Chicken dinners. When we have the frozen dinners, or leftovers from my cooking, I add a side veggie, plus a fruit.

MIND TWO:

The other part of me is frustrated at my slow weight loss. I’m trying to watch my portions and track my calories on My Fitness Pal, but the scale is still laughing at me. I want there to be less of me. I am eating healthy, doing my daily yoga practice (DAY 73) and trying to be more active in general. I keep telling myself, “One day at a time…”

Good Housekeeping

Hi! It’s Friday!

boredpanda.com

Hand-painted, One of a kind Memory Box

Yesterday I spent much of the day listing memory boxes I’ve painted on my Etsy site, HandmadeHavenByLinda Today I’ll try to finish the clean-out-and-reorganization of my bedroom bookshelves, fold and put away laundry, and other equally exciting stuff. :0)

Today is Lunch Bunch. I know that two of our friends won’t be there because of needing to see a doctor. I’m hoping that Kay, and her husband, Bud, will be there. We finally got some rain overnight and are supposed to get more today. It would be nice if it holds off until we’re back from Lunch Bunch, but I won’t complain if it doesn’t. My flowers are saying, “ahhhhhhh!”

Glenning Welhan-Yoga Journal

I’m feeling more in control lately. Our eating in a more Mediterranean fashion, with lots more veggies and fruits, using meat as a flavoring, rather than the main focus of our meals, is working for us. I’m continuing to find ways to sneak veggies in, since my husband is hyper-sensitive to that, already deciding the veggies or the recipe featuring them will be ‘awful’ before he even tries it, but I’m getting better at it. :0) Some of the meals are getting rave reviews! I’m still kind of on my own, since there are very few ‘Mediterranean Recipes’ as such, that DON’T feature things I KNOW my husband will throw up his hands about, but what we’re doing seems to be in the right direction.

I’ve discovered that either cottage cheese or almonds is a good, filling snack for me in the afternoons. I’m trying my best NOT to be up in the middle of the night, when NOTHING deters me from stuffing my face. I’m on DAY 49 of my daily yoga practice today. Although I’m still an old, stiff broad, the yoga stretches really help me feel better. Our yellow lab, Amber, looks forward to my practices now, running over to smile at me, snuffle me, and try to push me off the mat before I sternly order her to get in her “PLACE.” (Can you STERNLY order anything while laughing?)

Over the past week I’ve lost 4 lbs. I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to make sure I’m staying under my calorie limit for the day. The big thing is that I’m feeling more in control of what I’m eating, drinking, and doing. The fact that all seems to be coming together to result in my losing part of the lard is definitely motivating.

Enjoy your Friday!

Happy September 2022!

SeekPNG

Happy new month! May this month bring nice, calm weather to all of us so we can spend as much time as we would like outside. Things outside here look pretty ragged. I gave up trying to get things under control since Mother Nature was trying to fry me like a piece of bacon or steam me like veggies in a steamer each time I went out. I would love to be able to enjoy being outside again, to get my veggie garden under control, and my flower planters. It’s super-humid here right now, so it’s another ‘steamer’ day – but we MIGHT finally get some rain this afternoon and evening. All appendages are crossed.

IndiaMART

I’m finally seeing some progress again. I’m being a good girl with my snacks now, unless I’m up in the middle of the night. Then I can eat the entire fridge in one sitting. I don’t know why my motivation/determination/common sense flee the scene in the middle of the night. I’m just trying everything I can to NOT have to be up, and therefore NOT having to control myself when my defenses are down. So far, the smirk on my scales is fading. :0) DAY 48 today on my daily yoga practice!

Pexels

PROJECTS UPDATE –

I should be able to finish my project to reorganize the books in my bedroom bookshelves today. I moved more books into the guest room shelves yesterday (my Robert B. Parker collection), so my shelves in the bedroom are now ready to clean and reorganize.

My husband remarks every time he gets another drink from our main fridge how good it looks. (his highest compliment in that regard comes from the fact that he’s a Marine (‘once a Marine, always a Marine’) – he says it’s ‘shining like a diamond in a goat’s ass.’ Iffy as a compliment at best, but quite colorful and heartfelt, nonetheless…

I’m taking pictures today and will try to get some more products listed on my Etsy site today.

Enjoy the start of a new month today!

Wednesday Thoughts 8-31-2022

lovethispic.com

We’re about to put this month to bed and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m hoping we’ll get a cool-down soon – with more than a tease of rain chances – so I can enjoy being outside again.

IndiaMART

Even though my scales are still laughing at me, I saw improvement this morning. I found a new snack – 1 oz of Blue Diamond Lightly Salted Almonds with Sea Salt. The 1 oz is about 28 almonds. 170 calories. Filling and delicious. I’m enjoying them with a bottle of water after my yoga practice (DAY 47).

When we leave for errands today, we’ll change out our mailbox decoration. This scarecrow helps us welcome hopefully cooler weather with open arms.

Right Attitudes

I’m going to concentrate on my bookshelves in our bedroom today. I’ve moved a bunch of books out of there into the guest room, plus gathered a grocery bag of books to donate to the library. Today I’ll see if there is more to donate and then clean the shelves and reorganize the books.

Let’s make today a good one.

WHAT!?!

Changing Lives 2 Pure

I have gained 5 pounds since I switched from Low-Carb eating to Mediterranean style eating. I’m trying to take one day – one meal – at a time, but the 5 pounds is a round number that I really don’t like. If that were all I had to lose, I would look at it more calmly – but it’s just the tip of the iceberg I’ve been trying to lose for quite awhile now.

Add to that – my hips and knees have been strenuously talking to me for the past week, making it much harder to do my daily yoga session. I’ve modified that, trying to do all my poses, but fewer reps or not pushing quite so hard, adding muscle gel and Tylenol to the mix, trying to exercise my way through it. (I’m on DAY 36 today.)

The good news is that my digestion is good now. My body seems to really like the increase in veggies and fruit. I’m not having to take ANY medications now related to this, and for that I’m grateful.

I’m just ‘making a note’ that I’ll be happier when there is less of me.

Facebook

Good Saturday Morning 8-6-2022

Unknown

I wish I woke up eager to start the day, a smile ready. Instead, I always get up reluctantly, grudgingly, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get morning chores under control quickly and then enjoy a cup of coffee.

Today is much nicer because I just finished chatting with our son. Before he moved to Thailand, he set up a secure chat program for us, as well as a conference call program, so we can have good communications even though he’s all the way across the world. He has recently purchased a condo and is having it renovated. Huge new windows have been installed that will be much more efficient and make his condo much quieter from the outside traffic. He’s now going to set up a 2nd bedroom to be a combination office and music room. I’m eager to see how he sets it up. We can type-real-time with each other, plus send pics, leave messages and pics, plus actually visit on video when we’re all up at the same time, so I get everything but his stellar hugs. Can you see me smiling?

Empowered Parents

Yesterday I got the Christmas presents I’ve made for friends protected from the elements and stored safely until gift-giving time. I also got some work done on the inside of the Christmas cards I’m painting. I may be able to finish them today – except for flattening them again.

Now Cook This!

I’m using the chicken we brought home from yesterday’s Lunch Bunch and making what we call “Main Meal Salad” for dinner tonight. I’ll sneak some extra veggies in there. My scales are finally beginning to notice my efforts on eating – or NOT eating – and I’m on DAY 22 on my daily-yoga-practice goal. (Picture my husband cheering me on in his recliner while chomping on some Fritos . :0)

Enjoy your Saturday.

Achieving Balance

crescentmoon066.tumblr.com

I am finding some good answers on what will work best for me as far as eating and exercising, getting healthier, more flexible, and feeling good.

Last night we were simply heating up individual portions of things I had cooked before and frozen. Cooking another veggie seemed too much, so I just got out some of the raw veggies I cut up recently and have been eating with dip for snacks to put to the side of the plate. I asked my husband if he wanted some, and he said, “Sure.” Later, when we were eating, he said they tasted ‘good.’ :0)

So, I’m consciously eating more veggies every day, less meat (used mainly as a flavoring now, some fruit, nuts, avoiding added sugar, salt, most white things, except for one dinner roll – a thing to which I look forward. I’m trying not to eat snacks, or anything after dinner. Many times I’m successful.

I’m consciously more active. Right now I’m in a cleaning mode. My house keeps asking, “Who IS this?” I’m working on really deep cleaning our master bathroom. It’s large – with a room that has a double lavatory and countertop, a whirlpool tub, and my walk-in closet. Another room has the toilet and a shower. I’ve been doing the minimum for a while, so I’m trying to DEEP clean it this time.

I’m adding some new poses to my yoga routine in the afternoons, though late afternoon is the best time to be outside working in the garden or my tomatoes or my yard, so I’m having an internal fight over this one. So far I’m doing one or the other, but I would LIKE to do both. I’m working on it.

The result of all this is I feel better. I’m sleeping better. I’m starting to lose some of my lard. Win/Win/Win.

Balance is all.

Veggies and Fruit

Tenor

I’m trying to adopt new eating patterns now. My doc told me to take my thyroid med by itself in the morning, then wait at least an hour to eat or take my other meds. I have an alarm set for that now as I type this. Today that means I won’t eat breakfast, since we would leave in another our for Lunch Bunch. Most days, though, I’ll plan to eat a bit of breakfast when I take my other meds.

I’m concentrating on adding as many good veggies and fruit as I can to our diet in this first push toward a Mediterranean plan. When we’re busy, I’m eating a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer Bowl while my husband eats something else, and making us another veggie to go with our meal. I’m eating a piece of fruit as a snack each day. We’re cutting back on meats, using them as flavoring, instead of the main focus. I’m making a beef stew in the crock pot tomorrow, with lots and lots of veggies.

So far, I think this will be the thrust in the change in diet, since my husband rarely meets a veggie he likes. I downloaded another Mediterranean cookbook onto my Kindle last night. It got lots of good reviews on Amazon, but so far, the recipes I’ve seen in other cookbooks or recipes online center on chick peas, couscous, eggplant, kale, tofu, etc. and this would cause not only derision, but revolt from my other half. I’m hoping I can find a few good things in the new book. It may be that I just collect one or two from several sources, add them to the recipes I already have that my husband likes, and start a rotation. Whatever the case, I’m hoping that eating lots of fruits and veggies coupled with my moving more regimen will result in a happy result on the scales and from my measuring tape.

Her World Singapore

Short Rant

HuffPost

Okay. I’m feeling MUCH, much better.

I’m eating more veggies and fruits. I’m eating healthy. I’ve even splurged a couple of times, but not badly. My ‘rant’ is the frustrated question – why does feeling better have to mean I’ve gained 3 pounds? I’ve been trying really hard to lose the lard. I haven’t been doing anything ‘weird,’ in my efforts. I have now learned that the high fat on the keto plan is not the best one for ME, with my lack of gallbladder, after trying all the suggestions for compensating for that.

I’m trying to eat more whole, fresh veggies, fruit, nuts, meats as a flavoring. I’m still trying to move more, including more exercises as I am able. I’m drinking water. Increasing fiber. Watching my portions.

I’ll keep on keepin’ on, but it’s aggravating that what is supposed to be GOOD for me results in MORE of me so far…

Adapting

Tenor-GIF-Keyboard – The Pet Collective

Because I’m older-than-dirt and have no gallbladder, I’m having to adapt my eating program to lose the lard. Even with taking all the suggestions I could find on making it work and trying several meds, it’s with regret I’m changing my eating regimen once again. I had done a good, conscientious job, turning the keto stick dark purple. I was losing weight gradually, but my digestion wasn’t being cooperative.

I’m still avoiding any added sugar, trying to keep it as low as possible. I’m still trying to keep starches to a minimum. I’m concentrating on veggies and fruit, with meat as a flavoring, rather than the focus. I’m adding fiber, trying to get my system working the way it should again.

I’m not worried about the scales or the measuring tape until my system is under good control again and my normal energy is back.

I AM continuing my exercise program as much as possible, though my cleaning-and-re-organizing-the-pantry-program has been a substitute the past three days. I’m getting all the exercise I can handle pulling and hauling things around, scrambling up and down the ladder for at least an hour each day.

Finagle’s Law

Finagle’s law of dynamic negatives (also known as Melody’s law, Sod’s Law or Finagle’s corollary to Murphy’s law) is usually rendered as “Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment.”

123RF.com

Since I’m finally losing some weight – and losing inches in conjunction with that, I hope – I put in an order for a size smaller jeans.

I ordered one pair. (They are too long and I’m having to roll them up, but they are a much better fit otherwise.) I put in a follow-up order for the same size, but in ‘petite’ (a tactful word for SHORT.) I received one pair (I’m wearing them now) , but the other pair is on back-order.

My husband suggested I order a couple more pairs in the same size, so I would be in good shape once they arrive. I did that, and also ordered a size smaller, since I’m hoping I’ll be ready for that in the future. I also ordered some shorts, since our weather changes from spring to summer temperatures sometimes in the space of a couple of days.

Yesterday I had a delivery! The package was on our front porch waiting, since we had gone to look for my husband’s sugar-free drinks.

Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives definitely applies –

• Did I receive the back-ordered pair of jeans from the original order? NO.
• Was it the additional order of the current sized jeans? NO.
• The shorts? NO.

The delivery was the two pairs of SMALLER jeans I’m hoping to be able to wear in the future, once I shed more of my lard. :0)

Hahahahahahaahahahah. I guess they will be further motivation on my efforts…

Hostility vs Maturity – No Contest

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This is a fight between my head and my gut feelings and my gut feelings are winning right now. It doesn’t matter that I KNOW I’m being childish/immature/unrealistic/whatever-other-adjective-you-choose. It’s how I FEEL, and that is overriding any chance of my acting like an adult.

And, why am I feeling/acting this way, you ask? (Assuming you’re still reading :0) )

I’m being really, really good on my low-carb diet and exercise program. In fact, I’m finishing a month of low-carb eating and tracking, and am on Week 3 of a really good exercise program created by Mike Kutcher, a Seniors’ Specialist Physiotherapist and Exercise Scientist on the website MoreLifeHealth/Seniors.com.

SOMETHING seems to be happening, because my Keto Stix are turning deep purple now. My scales are yo-yo-ing in results. I don’t care if I don’t LOSE weight every day. I realize there is a lot that goes into what shows on the scales any given day. But I resent GAINING weight. Yesterday, for example, the scales showed I had GAINED 2 lbs. Today I’m down half a pound from that, but I’m varying too much for me to handle like an adult. I’ve been told not to weigh every day, and I see the sense in that. The trouble is, I’ve learned the hard way that if I DON’T check it every day, my mind seems to go into relaxation mode, figuring ‘a little bit of this or a little bite of that shouldn’t matter.’ The scales represent my personal accountability.

SOMETHING ELSE seems to be happening, too, in that my jeans got loose. I ordered the next size down. My husband told me to go ahead and order more in that size. I did, but my NEW jeans are loose again. The MEASURING TAPE isn’t showing ANY progress, though. I’ve also read that measurements can be off from one time to the next and that you need to be really careful with it, but I AM.

So. I’m feeling hostile. I would LIKE to have results on the scales and with the measuring tape that I can point to – at least in the comfort of my own home – giving me positive feedback.

I’m SUPPOSED to be reporting to you today the end of WEEK 4 on my low-carb and the end of WEEK 3 of my much more active exercise program. I have lost the pandemic weight gain of 6.6 pounds and am back to my 30-pounds-off-from-my-heaviest point. I have lost about 28 inches from my heaviest, but no difference except the jeans thing to this point in my new push to get and stay healthier.

Canton Box Company – Etsy.com

123RF.com

I will ‘keep on keepin’ on.” Fingers crossed that my results by the end of May will be more encouraging.

Eating, Not Eating…

momzdailyscoops.blogspot.com

I’m word playing off the title of the Demi Lovato song, “Sorry, Not Sorry” in the title of this because I’m “eating, not eating,” a lot of what I used to eat. Some I’m just giving up until further notice, if not forever. I’m substituting ‘acceptable foods’ for other things I don’t want to give up completely in my quest to get and stay healthier.

An example of this is that I now make spaghetti sauce for both of us as usual, the only change being that I look for the one with the lowest carbs I can find. I make macaroni for my husband (he likes that better than actual spaghetti) and make ‘zoodles’ (spaghetti substitute make from zucchini) for mine. This is okay because I really like meals with pasta and will go for a lot of things that are supposed to pass for spaghetti, noodles, and rice. I also use spaghetti squash and plan to make more of the spaghetti squash and zoodles soon and keep individual portions in the freezer. I’m not as fond of ‘cauli-rice,’ (a substitute for rice.) I’m TRYING to convince myself I like it.

Each week my new regimen of low-carb eating and a lot more exercise gets a bit easier. I now write out what exercises I’ll do each day for the week on my desk calendar. I give myself a star for each part. :0) For example, I consider the videos I’m doing daily (warm up, stretches, and one of two weight videos) as one star. A second star is bestowed when I do my elliptical or 30-minute video workout on alternating days. A third is earned when I do my 30 minutes of stretching yoga. It feels good to see all the sparkly stars on my calendar. :0)

Sunny Saturday

Pinterest

It’s beautiful here in Arkansas today – a great day to do some work outside. I finished weeding my veggie garden yesterday, and will either cut stuff in the yard down today or choose a planter to clean up. Tomorrow brings “rain and storms” all day, starting early morning and ending late, so it’ll be an inside day.

Here is my garden. I’m still working on trying to get the irrigation system programmed correctly, but with rain all day tomorrow, the pressure isn’t so great. I plan to start harvesting spinach and leaf lettuce next week for some lovely main meal salads.

Our yellow iris are just beginning to bloom now. We have purple ones left, but they are fading.

This is the first bloom on one of our Rio Samba rosebushes. I need to prune them carefully.

I don’t remember the name of these sweet blue flowers. They are perennial and seem to last a long time. Maybe this planter – heavily in need of clean-up, will be the one I work on today.

Pinterest

I feel triumphant today because I have officially broken into ‘new territory’ on my ‘lose-the-lard’ project. A couple of days ago I got back to my pre-pandemic weight which was 30-pounds-down from my heaviest. This morning I lost some more, so HOORAY! I’m setting a goal of another 5 lbs down (which seems more doable with the goal in sight.) Today I’m wearing new jeans which are one size smaller than I was wearing before, so that’s a concrete, satisfying thing I can enjoy while I try to move more and keep my mouth shut. :0)

I hope that you have a safe, happy Saturday.

Cooking to Lose Weight

momzdailyscoops.blogspot.com

I now have enough cooked and frozen into individual serving containers that we can happily switch between them without my having to spend a bunch of time in the kitchen. That really helps me avoid too much of my cooking ending up inside me. :0)

Lately, I’ve cooked –

• “Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake” – Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto
• “Bacon-wrapped Cheesy Chicken” – Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto
• “Bacon-Wrapped Hamburger Patties” – homemade
• “Simply Keto Chili” – Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto
• “Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bowl” – Suzanne Ryan, Simply Keto
• “Tender and Fluffy Almond Flour Biscuits” – Healthy Recipes

Each time I either doubled the recipes or made as much as the pan would hold so that I had leftovers. Now our freezer is nicely stocked with individual portions I can pull and simply heat in the microwave. This frees me up to spend more time outside, or take time doing whatever I need or want to do without worrying overmuch about dinner and staying on my new regimen.

Since my husband is almost at his goal, we’re also free for him to eat a dinner from Real Food or Stu’s Clean Cookin’, both places which provide good food at reasonable prices. They are both too high in carbs for me right now, but he can eat one of those while I choose from the other homemade dinners. Easy-peesy. :0)

Yesterday I told you I finally got back down to my pre-pandemic weight. Balloons flew, bands played, and confetti was thrown in celebration. I was hoping that I would break through to new territory this morning, but I just held where I was yesterday. That’s okay. It will come.

I’m hoping that the regimen of low carb eating and exercise will result in some good changes by the end of the month. And if not, by the end of May. We’ll see. One day at a time.

Week 3 Report

Hannah More Primary School

Today is the end of Week 3 of my new push to get the lard off and exercise more to get and stay healthier, whatever my age.

IndiaMART

• I lost 1.6 pounds this week.
• I’ve lost 6 pounds since I started the new push 3 weeks ago.
• I’m 29.4 pounds down since my heaviest.

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Flipkart

I will measure at the end of April, but to date there is 28.7 inches less of me than at my heaviest.

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Clipart Library

Feelings:

• I’m pleased that I am taking control of myself. I consciously think and plan what I’ll eat for the day BEFORE I eat or drink something that will sabotage my efforts. A HUGE HELP in this is MyFitness Pal.com. Yesterday I made some low-carb biscuits that had nice texture and tasted good. Today I’ll make bacon-wrapped cheesy chicken from Simply Keto and we’ll have a side salad and biscuit. I’m able to smell the popcorn my husband makes and watch him eat it without kicking the wall. :0)
• I’m consciously planning what my exercise for the day will be. I’m using a monthly exercise planner by Mike, an Australian who has created MoreLifeHealth.com – a whole series of videos to help seniors get and stay in better health. In addition to his programs, I’m doing yoga stretches daily and my elliptical trainer 3 times a week. Yard work and house work count, too, on moving more on a daily basis.
• I’m happy to see the scales acknowledging my efforts. The weight is coming off slowly, but steadily. As long as I’m showing some progress each week, it keeps me motivated. I’m researching how to break through any plateaus that will inevitably occur.
• I’m FEELING a bit more energetic. Even though I still have aches and pains, I now have more arrows in my quiver on how to deal with them. I’m doing the warm-up and stretching videos by Mike daily, plus my yoga helps. A heat pad usually takes care of any residual. If not, some Tylenol.
• I’m feeling happier. The world is too much with us these days, and I find myself feeling pretty down unless I consciously look for the good things – and there are a lot of them – in the world around us. I’m finding more and more coping mechanisms, and getting healthier, stronger, and more flexible is one of those things. My mantra remains –

taolife.com

Onward to WEEK 4!

End of Week 2 of New Regimen

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I can’t shout it to the rooftops or anything, but I AM making steady progress in my newest effort at lifestyle change and the goal of being healthier.

This is the end of WEEK 2.

I lost 3.4 lbs last week and 1.6 lbs this week, so I’m 5 lbs down in this latest effort.

Down a total 28.4 lbs since my heaviest. Down 28.7 inches since my heaviest. (I’m HOPING for a change in measurement by the end of the month. We’ll see.)

I found Mike, from More Life Help Seniors online. I’m doing two of his short exercise-with-weights videos, switching from one to the other each day. I like them so much I went to his website and downloaded his 4 week exercise program. It’s free. All you need is a chair, weights, and MAYBE a resistance band. I’ll start it tomorrow, and I’ll report back on how it goes.

Besides the weights exercises, I’m doing a 30 minute or so session daily of stretching yoga. I’m doing this late in the afternoon, after I’ve finished the yard work I’m going to do, the weights exercise, and any other more physically active stuff for the day so I can really relax and stretch. I also have a heat pad in my recliner that I can switch on if I need a bit of extra pampering.

The effort to eat low-carb is going well, too. I’ve finally gotten the scales to stop the laughing – though not the smirking – at me. It is noticing my efforts. :0)

Yesterday I made spaghetti sauce using Rao’s Marinara Sauce. It’s the lowest carb sauce I can find. I paired that with macaroni for my husband. (He prefers that to spaghetti) and I prepared 4 medium zucchini with my spiralizer. (one medium zucchini is a serving.) I used one serving and saved the rest. When we finished eating, I was able to make 3 additional meals for each of us to go in the freezer (labeled “H” and “L”) so we know which has macaroni and which has ‘zoodles’ (zucchini noodles.)

MyFitnessPal.com is a lifesaver for me. Each morning I list what I plan to eat for the day. I can readily see if I’m making a mistake or staying under my goals for carbs, sugar, fat, protein, and calories for the day. I can rethink and adjust or be confident then. I then add the exercise for the day. (This program makes adjustments based on how active you are). Sometimes that causes ME to adjust my eating, but not often. Just nice to know and a good record.

Things are going well so far. My friend Susy sent me a low-carb recipe for keto/gluten free bagels that I’ll try as soon as I get low on the rolls I made for the week.

Onward to WEEK 3

Progress Report? – Almost End of Week 2

Giphy

SHORTER ANSWER:

• No change in measurements yet almost at the end of Week 2. Down 28.7 inches overall since my heaviest. Hopeful to see changes by the end of April.
• Down 1.6 lbs this week. Down 28.4 lbs since my heaviest – first goal is trying to get down to -30 – where I was pre-pandemic, then on from there.
• Exercise level is way up. Still fighting sloth. Am doing yoga session each day. Also an online video on exercise with weights for seniors. Also working in the yard each day the weather cooperates.
• I’ve read that it takes 66 days to build a ‘habit.’ I’m hoping that by the end of May my new way of eating, drinking, and exercising will have become ‘routine,’ ‘habit,’ or ‘regimen,’ – whichever word describes it most accurately. One day at a time.

Fun, Freezing Friday

The Humane Society of Greenwood

I just learned we’re supposed to have a freeze tonight. UGH. I’m hard-headed, so after Lunch Bunch, I’m going to check for head lettuce and zucchini plants to put in the garden, anyway. When we get home, if I’m successful finding them, I’ll plant them, weed the raised garden boxes, and then cover them with sheets tonight.

I’m getting to the end of WEEK 2 on my eating low-carb and ‘moving-more’ efforts. I’m gradually changing my eating habits, relying on MyFitnessPal.com to plan what I’ll eat for the day to make sure I’m under my calorie and carb limits.

downshiftology.com

Though I told my husband he can eat what he wants (within reason, since he’s Type II diabetic), he says, “I’ll eat what you eat.” So today at Lunch Bunch, instead of the breaded, fried chicken tenders with honey mustard we have been eating forever, we’ll have a hamburger patty, side salad with blue cheese dressing on the side. Tomorrow I’m making low carb spaghetti. I’ll fix macaroni for my husband and Zucchini ‘noodles’ for me (Zoodles). Please see pic above.

Pinterest

I’m also doing well on my ‘moving-more’ efforts. I’m doing my yoga stretches every afternoon after my other strenuous activities are finished. I’m doing weights exercises with a video for seniors I found online. (I also found several other videos he has done, and hope to incorporate them into my day soon.) Finally, I’m working outside every day the weather is cooperative. Today, for example, when we’re back from Lunch Bunch and errands today, I’ll use the wheelbarrow to move four or five 40-lb bags of potting soil out to the tomato planters I weeded yesterday, prepping them for the coming tomato plants. I’m going to try to find zucchini and head lettuce plants while we’re out today. I’ll plant what I can find, then weed the planters, then plan to cover them up tonight to protect them as much as possible from the freeze.

The Senior Alliance

I wish I could show you a pic of my friends at Lunch Bunch, but I’m respecting their wishes and their privacy. Today is a special Lunch Bunch. It’s our waitress’s birthday, so we’re bringing her gifts to celebrate. She’ll be surprised, and she’ll be reminded how special she is.

Enjoy your Friday.

Lard Progress Report – Week 1

DrStrange.co.uk – Pinterest

This is the end of WEEK 1 in my RENEWED ‘getting-serious-about-losing-the-lard-and-exercising.’

I’m trying to eat low carb and do 30 minutes daily yoga stretching. On good weather days, I’m trying to do yard work to add more movement and exercise.

RESULTS – WEEK 1:

WEIGHT: Down 3.4 lbs this week, down 26.8 lbs since my heaviest.

MEASUREMENTS: No change this week.

REACTION: I’m feeling happy that the scales noticed my efforts. This is motivating to redouble my efforts to continue. My weight loss seemed to settle into .2 pounds daily toward the end of the week, and that’s fine with me. I’m hoping to see some change in measurements by the end of April.

I found myself ‘hungry’ a couple of times, having to talk sternly to myself. I drank a bunch of lemon water and the hungry-ness passed. I’m fighting some bad habits, plus my pull toward eating when I’m stressed or angry. My worst times for this are mid-afternoon and when I’m up in the middle of the night. I’ve figured out a good keto snack for me for mid-afternoon, and just drink water if I come downstairs at night.

Figuring out what I will eat for the day using MyFitnessPal.com is really helping me. I add what I’m planning to eat, adjust it if I’m not meeting my macros on low carb, and then stick to it. Sometimes I’m getting big surprises on what we HAD been eating. I’ve crossed off some frozen meal choices from two different sources for me. My husband, who is closer to his goal, will eat those while I stick to what I NEED to be eating.

On to WEEK 2!

Yesterday’s Small Triumphs

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• I managed to bake some really low-carb dinner rolls for our dinner. (I’m trying to replace the deli/bakery dinner roll we’ve been eating.) They were okay. I will continue to look for a recipe we like better, but this would work. :0)
• I also cooked a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Bake recipe for a low-carb dinner. It was as good as we remembered. I froze the leftovers into individual containers so we can have two more easy dinners from one cooking session.
• I got a gold star on my calendar for doing a good session of yoga.
• I mixed and sprayed two gallons of weed killer under the planter boxes in my raised bed square foot garden. I’ll probably need to spray at least one more time, but I have a good start on it now.
• My husband mowed our lawn for the first time this season. He had to air up the mower tires first, having to repair a leak on our air compressor in order to DO that, and then get the mower running – always a headache after it sits all winter, but he prevailed and it now looks like someone cares, at least a little, about our yard.

Today I’ll try to weed whack all around the front and back yard to complement the good job my husband did on the lawn. (I have even more motivation than usual because we have a 90% chance of rain tomorrow.)

Happy Tuesday!