Weekly WI: Goodbye March

Good (Early) Morning…yawn

I am up waaaaay too early and I see a nap in my near future on this stay-at-home day off from work.  My Mom is coming over for a Virtual WW Studio Workshop and I’m going to attempt some long distance tech support and see if we can get my Aunt Barb in New Mexico on the meeting with us as well.

I decided to complete my weigh-in a day early and had 1 pound loss.  Yippie!  I am ending my month of March lower than February, which is a big win.  

I did some reflecting after seeing a Facebook memory from a 2016 Vegas trip.

Looking back at my weight record, which is pretty sparse since I was avoiding the scale.  2016 was the climb back up to 253, an all time high for my re-gain.  

April 25, 2016 - 244.6

June 27, 2016 - 253

I am a perspective type of gal which means I looked back to 2015.

April 1, 2015 - 200.8

I gained 43.8 pounds in just one single year.  Wow.

2016 was the year I regained control of my emotions, my life, and recommitted to my WW program.  Today, I am proud to share that I am only 4.2 pounds higher than I was five years ago.  That is freaking amazing and I am a legit rockstar.

I was thinking back on 2019 since last year I changed how I wanted to start viewing my weight loss.  I used to track my monthly losses thus having to deal with negative self talk as well as feeling bummed out when I had a month that was a gain.  It was counter productive to me because I always felt like I was playing catch up vs. getting closer to my weight loss goals.  Part way through 2019 made the choice to change my mindset and look at the ending month number vs. just having a gain or a loss.  While it was still hard to end the month with some gnarly numbers (I’m looking at you July 2019), my goal now shifted to simply working towards a number that was lower than the month prior, whatever that lower number may be.

I have adopted that mindset again for 2020 and I know moving forward I will continue to do so.  Once I reach my WW goal weight (new doctor’s note), I plan to also continue this mindset into maintenance.  

When I reflect back on 2019, I am also really proud of myself for turning things around when I saw 221.4 on the scale last July.  If I learned anything from regaining 80 pounds it is that I am really good at lying to myself.  I have this exuberant outer shell that allows me to be a people-person and connect to almost anybody I meet along my life journey.  That means I have become really skilled in being there for others when they need a listening ear but not so good at being there for myself.  

Every life experience shapes you in some way.  In my life Weight Watchers has been the biggest impact.  Whether it be weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain, I have learned something new about myself at each phase of life.  I suppose much like you learn about yourself as you age at each stage of your life.  I’m finally chipping away at the layers that contributed to regaining 80 pounds.  And, it feels amazing!

Last week after my Virtual WW Studio Workshop, I felt so encouraged and motivated.  I genuinely loved what I saw in the bathroom mirror and wanted to take a photo.  I went in search for a photo taken in 2016 around the time I had reached 253 pounds.  I found a photo from the FitOne 10K.  

I remember this race.  Dawny was in town and I told her this was probably my last 10K race as it was just becoming too taxing on my body.  I was out of shape, I was feeling pretty miserable, and I was hurting all over.  I don’t feel that same way today.  Could I go out and walk a 10K and survive?  Absolutely.  Plus, I’d probably be hurting the next few days afterwards.  But, I know I could do it.  That mindset milestone means a lot to me.

March Apple Watch Activity Challenge Is Complete

March Apple Watch Activity Challenge has been completed.

 

I’ve got three months down and nine more to go.

 

This month the challenge was to fill all three of my Apple Watch circles for 18 days.  While this isn’t a difficult challenge, it does mean having to exercise for at least 30 minutes in the day.  That is where it was difficult some days.  I just don’t love activity.  But, these challenges help keep me motivated as exercise helps myWW plan too.

I am still doing a mix of treadmill, walks outside when the weather cooperates, and my Aaptiv audio workouts.  I try to get strength training twice a week with the audio workouts.  It is really easy to jump on the treadmill with a TV show but I do like to push myself.  The audio workouts for treadmill can also help push me as well as when I walk outside.  That extra conditioning is making me feel better overall and making my clothes fit better too.

These days of stay-at-home and having almost everything shut down is tough.  I am doing my best to try and stay positive and keep myself as healthy.  I hope you are too.

 

 

Travel Update: Cruising The Pacific Northwest

I need a happy boost this morning so I decided to jump onto the Norwegian Cruise Line website and see the countdown to our April 2021 cruise. 

 

In doing so, I spotted the current deals included $200 on board credit, as well as the additional free-at-sea options.  We ran some numbers and for just $50 more, we would be able to now get $200 on board credit during our cruise.  Heck yeah!

We had to first cancel our current cruise booking, which meant we had to lie to the representative.  Thankfully she didn’t ask too many questions as to why we were cancelling.  I was feeling super guilty for re-booking and getting this new great deal when the state of the economy and business are hurting.  But…it is $200…

We were booked on the NCL ship Encore.  It is NCL’s brand new ship as part of the high class fleet.  Kenyon started comparing the itineraries for the Pacific Northwest cruises.  There is another NCL ship, Bliss, that rolled out in 2018 and is also in the high class fleet.  When you compare the two, they are pretty close to identical.  They both have casinos, a Starbucks, and a brewery.  The difference is the price.  There was a bit of a savings if we wanted to reduce our trip by one day.  Encore is sailing for 6-day and Bliss is sailing for 5-days, which means Bliss doesn’t stop in Seattle.

I do love Seattle so that was a bit of a bummer to consider sailing for the lower cost on the 5-day cruise.  I also noticed that on Encore, the big entertainment show is Kinky Boots, which is ah-mazing.  On Bliss, it is just Jersey Boys, bleh. 

When we compared them more, not only would we save money for one less day sailing, but we would also save by not having to pay the additional day of gratuities for the included drink and dinging package offered with the free-at-sea deal.  Total savings came in at $376.

That is a pretty good savings for a day in Seattle and Kinky Boots.  So, we went for re-booking on NCL Bliss for the 5-day Pacific Northwest Cruise.  We leave out of Los Angeles, have a day at sea, port in San Francisco, a day at sea, port in Victoria, BC another day at sea, and then disembark in Vancouver, BC.  I am stoked to visit Victoria, BC again and I have never been to San Francisco or Vancouver, BC.  Yes, I do love Seattle too.  I am happy for our cost savings though.

The days at sea will be much more enjoyable with a non-smoking casino and the drink package.  We haven’t ever had an alcohol beverage package so I’m a bit excited for that.  Plus, there is still a brewery on this ship.  With the $200 on board credit, I’ll be visiting Starbucks at least once a day.  We also have a sailing date one week prior to our original date.  Let the countdown continue…

 

It has been really hard feeling stuck at home.  I am thinking that we will have to postpone our April plans for Vegas.  Of course we just have to wait and see at this point.  Until the Governor lifts the stay-at-home order, I can’t travel.  Work has put the squash on out of state travel at this time.  Sigh.  We just gotta stay as positive as we can that things will improve soon.

Have a good Saturday, whatever your travel plans may be.

A BIG Blow: WW Studios Closed Until May 1

Morning.

Thanks to our new Disney+ subscription, I stayed up late watching movies as well as my usual TV shows that record on Thursday nights.  Of course, when you work swing shit, staying up until 2:30am is normal.  I did get up super early and never napped yesterday so it was a long day.

I woke up to news that our WW Studio Workshops are closed through May 1st.  That is a huge blow to my mood this morning.  There aren’t many things that I’ve allowed COVID-19 to bum me out over but travel and my WW meetings are at the top of the list.

I am so glad WW rolled out the Virtual WW Studio Workshops and not only do I have the ability to see my local WW peeps, but each day our Salt Lake City area meetings are in session.  I think I might need to start hitting up a couple meetings a week.  I was feeling a lot of anxiety last night over the scale, food, etc.  I am determined to stay on track and I am happy about returning to work so I can get back into a routine this weekend.  I have my meals prepped for the next couple of days and I have also pre-tracked.  I have to go into work early today to meet with an employee on the other end of the week.

I hope you are all hanging in there the best you can.  I’m feeling a bit down today and wishing I could get out and enjoy the sun, although we seem to be windy and temps are cool.  I will make sure I get out and about this weekend for some Vitamin D.

I Need An Online Shopping Intervention

Hello.  Happy Thursday.

I had no idea I missed whole day yesterday.  I slept in late after being up late and then had to work a 4-hour overtime shift.  So, I guess that was about the extent of my Wednesday.  Our governor signed a stay-at-home order for Idaho for the next 21 days.  It is nice to think there is light at the end of the tunnel, I sure hope so.

Being at home hasn’t been too bad considering everything is closed down.  Our weather turned a bit chilly even though we have sunshine, which is wonderful.  Since I’ve been homebound, my online shopping has gotten a little out of control.  So much for all that money savings from cancelling our Vegas and Jackpot trip!

Before we were supposed to travel to Vegas, I had decided it was time to pull the trigger on the purchase of a new iPad Mini.  I finally got my MacBook Air paid off (no interest financing) and had the ability to make another purchase on the Apple Credit Card.  I also had upcoming travel, which is why I want a smaller iPad.  With Apple’s annual announcement being pushed back/cancelled with COVID-19, I knew they wouldn’t be releasing a new iPad mini anytime soon.  So, despite the cancellation of our Vegas Girls Trip, I still wanted an iPad.  With just my luck…the Apple Stores had closed (this was a few weeks ago).  Good thing for online shopping!  

I got my new iPad mini a couple weeks ago and I love it.  I’m so happy I stepped back down to the smaller size.  It makes reading books so much easier and since the new Virtual WW Studio Workshops rolled out, I have been using it for my weekly workshop meetings.  We will eventually sell or trade-in Kenyon’s 12.9 inch iPad Pro and he will keep my 9.7 inch iPad Pro.  He has been wanting a smaller iPad for travel as well.

It was time for new tennis shoes and I’d been holding off due to overspending the last few months.  Well, with the cancellation of travel, I got myself some new Hoka One One Clifton 6.  The minute I put them on, my feet thanked me.  They are so cushy and nice.

Of course, I had to buy a new case for my iPad Mini as well as some tablet camera covers.  

Then, Built Bar had some good deals so I ordered a few more bars.  Eh…just okay flavors.  I wish I didn’t get sucked into the new flavor combos.

I also bought in on a Starbucks espresso pod deal with Bath & Body Works.  I have not been frequenting my local Starbucks since I spent money on pods.  I’ve been drinking my coffee at home.

Finally, I had to renew my car insurance so I’m telling myself NO MORE SPENDING!  Every time I go to the store I swear I spend three time as much since you have no idea if you will see the item on the shelf again.  

Weekly WI: A Gain

Good Morning!!

I had my Virtual WW Workshop Meeting today and I tell ya, it made my WHOLE day.  I just love my WW Peeps.  I won’t let my gain on my home scale this morning put a black cloud over me.  I gained two pounds (weighed in twice about an hour apart just in case…) which is to be expected after going into the negative on points last week.  I was really glad to see I have one more Tuesday to weigh in before March comes to an end.  So, this week I’m going to set a goal to get all seven blue dots.  Tracking and meal planning helps keep me accountable.

I had to delete my prior shares on my public platforms of our WW Zoom Virtual Meetings.  Due to privacy, these are just for WW Members even though the Zoom site is open to the public.  To help protect our members, I have deleted the information I shared.  If you are a WW meeting and you want to attend one of my local Virtual Workshops, please reach out.  I’ll be happy to direct you back to that information.

So today,  I’ll share what my side of logging into Zoom looks like.

And what my WW Coach looks like (I have Cindie’s permission to share her photo).

Yeah!  It was such a great workshop and Cindie and Echo did a great job.  I really feel super energized.  Part of that could also be that I no longer have to work extra overtime tonight.  Ha!  My WW Coach Cindie also made me a virtual award for my 100 pounds.  That was so sweet.

We had a good meeting topic this week on new routines and had some really great shares/input from members.  The community is just so wonderful and I am so thankful for WW for setting up these Virtual Meetings so we have a way to stay connected.

Have a great Tuesday.

The End Of A Very Long Week

Good…Monday…Morning.

I’m losing track of my days around there.  The days seem to run together and the weeks feel long.  Welcome to the new norm?

Here are some of my eats last week.

Mom brought over some corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes so we could have a delayed St. Patty’s Day meal.  I cooked it up in the Instant Pot and then used left overs the next day for corned beef hash.

I think I’ve determined the fat content of the corned beef is a bit too much for my stomach but it is delicious.

Kenyon suggested a chicken recipe that combined some of our spices at home.  1 tsp each of onion power, garlic powder, and paprika.  1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper.  Add the chicken breast, 1 Tbs of olive oil, and spices to a bag and shake, shake, shake.  We used the air fryer set at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  It was really good.

Mom also brought over a ton of fresh fruit.  I spent a good amount of my week last week making a fruit salad and eating it all.  I love fruit but boy was that a bit of an overload.

Yesterday before work, I threw together an easy pasta salad and made some Salsa Chicken.  I got the mild salsa this time instead of the medium and enjoyed it much more.  It was getting too spicy and starting to give me heartburn.  I am glad I found some whole wheat pasta at the store.  I’m still on the hunt for brown rice and frozen potatoes.

It has been a good week although I’ve gone over my points several days and I was in the negative before I had some rollover points yesterday.  I should have some today too.  I will get on the home scale and jump on my WW Virtual Meeting tomorrow.

12 Years Of Wedded Bliss (Plus COVID-19 Cancelled Plans)

Despite some cancelled plans due to COVID-19 pandemic, we managed to get our 12th Wedding Anniversary celebrated.  We checked into the Anniversary Inn for the evening.  When we went to tour the rooms, I remembered one had a really big tub, almost hot tub size.  We booked Sultan’s Palace just for the big bathtub.

We weren’t sure where we would be able to eat as Boise City has put the squash on seating/restaurants and we weren’t even sure what might be open.  As we were checking in to the room, the owner of Papa Joe’s near by was hanging out flyers for their small take-out menu.  We were sold!  It was a short walk to/from and dinner was served in the room so we could relax.  Kenyon tried two different sandwiches and I tried the pesto fettuccini with chicken.  It was really good.

Anniversary Inn no longer gives you free cheesecake and instead you can purchase a dessert for $5.  We ended up skipping dessert, which was probably a good idea.  I think I’m coming off my fruit-coma as I’m craving sweets.

Once home, we finally fired up the new fire pit (pun intended).  We bought a fire pit column from Costco a few weeks ago and just got around to setting it up and testing it out.

When we were on the Broadway side of town, I had Kenyon stop at Albertson’s so I could get more of this low calorie/low point craft beer my coworker told me about.  I enjoyed a beer by the fire after I took a much needed and very enjoyable break.

This self-isolation thing is taking a toll on this extrovert.

How Are You Holding Up?

Good Afternoon.

I’m getting my day started a bit late because I’ve not been sleeping well.  I am exhausted by 9pm and then awake rom 1am-3am.  So, this has been fun.  I got my workout done with a walk on the treadmill.  The sun is shining so a walk outside might have been nice too.  I need to do some cleaning and laundry of towels, sheets, etc.

We are staring to run into some staffing issues at work.  I’m really hoping I can hold on to my time off through Saturday.  We had to cancel our Wedding Anniversary Trip to Jackpot, NV but we will still say overnight at Anniversary Inn.  Perhaps even dinner out.  Surprising, some places are still open, although most are going to curbside pick up.

This is all very bizarre and it is hard to know what to feel and/or how to feel.  All these restrictions and precautionary sure makes me feel like a prisoner in my own home.  I went out and about yesterday and made sure I was polite to all the people working that I encountered.  I thanked them for being there/being open and wished them well and luck.  Hey, it is about all we can do right now.

So…to all of you, hang in there and good luck.

At Home WI Week One: I Unofficially Hit 100 Pounds

I “unofficially” hit my 100 pound re-gain milestone.

Since our WW Studio Workshops are closed for three weeks, maybe even longer, I wasn’t sure if I’d hit this milestone this week.  When I stepped on the home scale, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had a substantial loss from last week.

I am so happy and which I could have shared this moment with my WW group.  However, we will have so much to celebrate when we re-open.  If this closure is extended, I could possibly hit my next milestone of being back under 200.  Double the celebration would be awesome.  I posted on our WW Studio FB Page so I could virtually share with the group.  I also received an email yesterday that virtual meetings are a go.  I knew of this yesterday as my WW Coach sent me a text message letting me know she was selected to lead the virtual meeting.  Wow!  That is exciting!

I’ve had a bit idea brewing for a while now when I reached my 100 pound milestone.  I think I’ll hold off a bit so I can “officially” get it on record with my WW Studio.  Until then, I’ll keep working on my goals.  

It was a super busy day yesterday so I didn't get a change to pop in. I met up with Phoenix and then Kenyon at Twin Peaks for St. Paddy's Day.  They were pretty busy considering the state of our world these days.  We had a great time and it was a great stress reliever from the last two weeks at work.

WW Studio Workshops Are Closing Temporarily

Welp, we received the official word.  Our WW Studio Workshops in the Treasure Valley are closing for the next three weeks.

Based on the email I also received, there is a possibility of a virtual meeting.  If that is a go, I may check it out.  Until then, I plan to continue to handle business as usual.  I will meal prep, track, and move my body so that I am sure to see successes on the “official scale” in April. 

On one hand, I am bummed because I am sure in the next three weeks, I will see the scale drop below 204.8 and I will earn my 100 pound charm.  In the interim, I’ll be weighting myself at home and at least using that as my accountability each week.  I will make sure I have double the celebration when we return to our meetings. 

This also takes a little bit of pressure off in feeling this week has to be the week I drop those last two pounds.  I sort of feel like I now have three weeks to drop two pounds, which feels really doable. I am feeling lighter this week and even though I don’t know how my home scale will compare, I am sure I will be down regardless.  I would love to be under 200 when we get back to meetings in April.  That feels like a big feat for me to expect from my body, but I can surely do my best and give it my all!

Vacation Plans Cancelled - Damn You COVID-19

Phoenix and I have had to cancel our Vegas Girls Weekend due to COVID-19.  Man, this sure has been a doozie and it was a bummer to have to cancel.

 

However, it was the right decision.

Since flights during spring break were still really steep and Kenyon wasn’t able to get the time off, we cancelled/postponed for late April.  Flights are a great deal and we are able to get hotel comps.  I was also able to transfer my RuPaul Drag Race Live tickets and my Comedy Cellar tickets to the new April dates.  Kenyon will now accompany me and I’ll force him to attend the drag race performance with me.  I will miss seeing comedian Joe Machi…ohhhh I was so close.  But, perhaps another time.

And maybe another time, Phoenix and I can have our Girls Weekend in Vegas.  She would be tons of fun to explore the clubs and breweries around the Strip.

The hardest part was deciding to return part of my time off request.  I don’t need that time off now and I can get some extra overtime payout if I come to work.  Hey, I like money!  Kenyon and I are still planning our Wedding Anniversary Getaway so I have something to look forward to.  Plus, I always enjoy spending time with Kenyon.

Yesterday was a blur of meetings at work and a full 10-hour shift since we didn’t have staffing to leave early.  I was exhausted but able to get good sleep last night.  I got in my activity today since I missed the opportunity yesterday.  I was also able to finally prepare some meals today and get ahead of the game for my WW workshop on Tuesday.  Although, they may be cancelled due to COVID-19.  Dang it!

 

I have pre-tracked my WW week and will have about seven points rollover, unless I decide on a Built Bar in the next few days.

Not having vacation looming might mean I could actually reach my 100 pounds sooner than expected.  But…that would depend on the meeting.  I have my home scale that can keep me accountable and/or I’ll see if I can at last pop into the Monday WW Studio and step on the scale.  I’ll text my WW Coach and see what she knows.

I’ve got some social plans next week so I am setting myself up for success and balancing with low point meals. 

Stay safe out there everybody.

Happy Thursday

Good Morning.  Happy…Thursday.  I’m losing track of my days.  Last week extra OT plus a graveyard shift thrown in there makes it hard to keep it all straight.  I have four work shifts staining in the way of me and 10 days off work.  Yippie.

It was an extra coffee day for sure yesterday.

Kenyon and I had breakfast at LePeep and ran a few errands before we went to my parent’s house for dinner.  We also had plans to meet up with Phoenix and Stacy in Nampa at this new-to-us place Agave Cantina.  It was Margarita Wednesday.

It was all Loteria, Mexican Bingo.  I was so bummed I didn’t win bingo.  The same gal won twice!  You earn the pot of money as it is a $1 buy-in and a free drink of your choice.  While I say I’d love to go back, the card was challenging and trying to hear how fast he was calling out the photos to reference the hispanic language/names on the card.  We did have a good time.  And, my margarita was delicious!  Don’t worry, I didn’t finish it all and I had Kenyon drive me home.

Today we are going to walk over to the new fire station that is having an open house today.  I was going to get in extra activity since I’ve not done any weight exercises thus far this week.  With my sleep being all over the place, there isn’t enough time before the open house.  It is a nice day with sunshine for our walk over/back and I will try to make sure I get 30 minutes of activity in somehow.  It is my last day off so I have a few errands to tend to.

Have a good Thursday.

Weekly WI: 11 Years Since I Reached My Goal Weight

Spoiler Alert: I had a loss!

 

I was prepping myself as I got ready for my WW Workshop that a gain was really plausible because of the work stress and emotional mess I was last week.  I just felt it in my bones it was going to be a gain and so I was focusing on all the positives of the week so I could keep myself in the forward movement direction.

I was really glad my focus paid off this week and I am really proud of myself for not giving into stress eating or alcohol.  It was difficult at times to allow myself to feed the stress but I didn’t. 

 

We had an awesome meeting topic on Perfection and feeling like we need to be perfect in our WW journey.  As you all now, my journey has been nothing in the scope of perfect.  It was 11 years ago I met my goal weight of 175.  This was an exciting FB Memory and the one I’d been waiting for.  I was really glad to have a loss this week on top of my WW/FB Memory.  A great day for sure.