Quick Check-In

 Good Morning and Happy Sunday.

I’m doing a bit of lounging and then will head out to mow the lawn for my activity today.  I made it out for a walk in Saturday and earned my National Parks award.  I do almost anything for an award!

With some dayshift overtime hours last week and again this week, I was up early for my walk on Thursday.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and had me wishing we could keep these cooler temps.  I am ready for Fall.

I’m a little over two weeks until my Girls Weekend in Portland.  I am looking forward to the downtime from work, the new food finds, and exploring a city I’ve not really visited.  It will be even better to do it in the company of my favorite gal pals.  I’ve got a short week this week and a long work week next.  I’m a little bit closer to a break and so ready indeed.

Weekly WI: Another Loss

I had a good-sized loss this week which makes me really happy.

I was a bit worried as I’d stepped on the scale Thursday before my doctor appointment.  It isn’t typical to weigh mid-week so when I peeked on Monday and I saw I was up from the loss I saw on Thursday, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Thankfully, I pulled out a loss!  Whooohoooo.

 

I also met the turning point for my weight loss this year.  I started the year strong and the scale app that our home scale is connected to shows the overall trends.  Prior to a few months ago, I was down in weight, down in BMI, down in body weight percentage, up in muscle mass, and up in bone mass.  The weight gain I experience where I saw 200 pounds again (gulp) turned those number around.  Where they were down, they were now climbing up again and those positive numbers that were up had come back down.  If that doesn’t smack, you in the face…nothing will!  I am going to continue to work hard on my weight loss and wellness goals.

 

It has been really difficult keeping up a full-time job, a part-time job, and an abundance of overtime at work.  I’m exhausted.

 

I’ve been working six-day work weeks and even thought best laid plans are to try and cut back on staffing when we can, employees out sick have been complicating the matter.  There isn’t anything we can do but often I feel left to have to shoulder the load.  I have to continue to remind myself that I am only one person, and I can’t do it all.  I’m also starting to think I need to sign up for less OT so when I am overloaded, at least it isn’t double or triple the overload.  I know I’m not the only one pulling long hours and work weeks.  It just gets really tiring.

Thursday Thunder in Boise

Good Morning!  Happy Friday.

I am back to work for a six-day stretch and while not entirely ready to be responsible again, I enjoyed a little downtime and some social time on my day(s) off.

I had my annual check-in with the thyroid doctor and was officially in Onederland.  WhooooHoooo!

It felt so good to be under 200 pounds as I’ve really been working hard at that the last few years.  I am committed to seeing the scale continue to tick downward and working hard on those goals.

After my appointment, I took myself out to lunch at Twisted Timber.  I will say the cuban sandwich was good but the service was not great and they were out of the pub chips, the reason I went in the first place.  They also messed up my order and gave me chips and salsa as my side instead of the homemade macaroni salad.  

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise which meant I just didn’t eat them.  I also should not have ordered this Pina Colada sour beer but it was delicious!  I only drank part of it.  I had other splurges built into my Thursday to look forward to.

I was still thinking of those pub chips and thought maybe I’d get some chips when I stopped at Albertsons after lunch.  I ended up getting some $1.99 ice cream on scale as they had the peppermint variety and I missed out not getting any last year.  I have learned since yesterday it is too dangerous to have in the house and I need to get rid of it.  I have enjoyed the few servings I ate un-tracked which tells me it is a “red light food!”  And at just $1.99, I can afford to get rid of it.

I had plans to meet Wanda and Michael at Thursday Thunder to see Casio Dreams, a local 80s band that is awesome.  We met early and I introduced them to Twin Peaks delicious cold beer and $5 happy hour appetizers.  This was not the original plan…so lots of points were consumed.

Afterwards we ventured to Chow Public Market and had another drink.  Since we were full, we didn’t eat there (originally I was going to eat at the tamale restaurant).  This canned cocktail was just $5 but too heavy on the cucumber.

We set up our chairs in the shade and waited for the concert to start.  It was an enjoyable evening and we stayed until the band quit playing just after 9pm.

Of course I was starving afterwards and made my way to Panda Express.  Oy!  I very, very, very high point day and so I’m looking forward to lots of water and lower point foods today.

Weekly WI: A Small Loss

I had not intended to go a whole week without posing something.  I has been a very long week with lots of hours at my regular job and my part time job which has left me exhausted.

 

I am on day five of six and ready for a day off.  One day off has not been enough to rest and recharge so I’ve not been staying true to my commitment to build in more downtime.  It just feels so busy right now.  I think the hot temperatures are also not helping as it is just hot, hot, hot.

 

My weekly weigh-in was a loss.  Small…but a loss!

 

I will work harder this week to ramp up the activity again and I’ve noticed some body changes from my strength training routine, so I want to make sure I also get back into that this week.  Like I said above, motivation was low this last week.

 

I listened to a WW Walk Talk from Ethan Kross, a leading expert on controlling the mind.  The walk talk was all about the internal chatter loop in our minds that isn’t productive and how to harness it.   After listening to the talk, I was prompted to buy his book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It, and found a hardback copy at the used bookstore. 

 

I’m having a little trouble getting into the book as it has not yet piqued my interest.  But I do look forward to leaning more about how to harness my inner talk.  It really isn’t WW related as I am pretty good with that inner self talk.  The loop I can use help with is my inner talk when it comes to my full-time job and working with my coworkers.  It has been a constant struggle. 

 

I planned some social time on Thursday, which I said I would quit doing on my only day off!  But this band I really like is playing and I really want to see them.  I only work four-hours OT shift on Wednesday (fingers crossed) and so it feels like I’ll have a little more downtime this week than I had last week…hopefully.

Weekly WI: Maintain

This week’s check-in with the scale yielded a maintain from last week. 

 

I can’t say there was anything that stands out for not gaining or not losing.  I am glad I didn’t gain!  Last month my trend was loss, gain, loss, maintain, loss.  I was expecting a gain this week and I think it is perhaps that time of the month.  For those reasons, I am glad I am not having to deal with a gain.  I’ll happily take a maintain as it feels like a step in the right direction, and I will work really hard for a loss next week.

One thing I’ve noticed is those BLTs (bites, licks, and tastes) have started to creep in and I MUST get a handle on it.  I also did a bit of drinking on my days off.  I mean…these days that is about the best escape I can expect!

 

I’m back at work for a very long stretch with very long days.  That helps with being on track and of course means no alcohol.  I am feeling tired after the last two days and craving some downtime.  That is something I want to get better with.  We are working a lot of overtime hours with very few days off, sometimes just one a week.  I need to make sure that I am practicing good self-care and building in downtime before my shift.  I also know staying active is just as important as eating healthy and finding time to rest.  So…lots of balancing!

It is officially five weeks to Girls Weekend.  WhooooHoooo!  We don’t usually vacation this late in the year and after the heat wave around the world, it will be nice to go in September with hopeful warmer weather.  The destination this year is Portland, OR.

I am going to be really boring and will need to find some creative blog content to keep this space up and running. 

Call Me The Crazy Cruise Talkin' Lady

Good Afternoon!  

I may be prepping for my upcoming WW Workshops, but I am secretly thinking about vacation.

In order to work through my depression of having to cancel our October cruises, I have thrown myself 100% in crazy cruise lady researching our only cruise booked which is in January 2023.  Good thing my friends are patient with me!

We will be on NCL Breakaway on a group cruise with a free of my favorite travel buddies.  I am so excited to be on a large class ship again.  I only have 175 days to go!

We also have the drink package…

And, I’m listening the soundtrack for the Broadway show Six, which will be the entertainment on the ship.  I AM OBSESSED!  The show is an all women band/cast about the six wives of Henry VIII set to rock music with a modern twist.  It has been so fun to hear the songs and increases the anticipation for cruise day so I can see the show.

This will be our first NCL cruise since we earned Platinum Status, which gives us tons of perks included two additional speciality dining options.  We have two other speciality dining options from our Free At Sea promotion.  This cruise came with a $100 on board credit too.  

I need something to fill the travel bug until Girls Weekend, which is in 5 weeks.  From there I head to Spokane to visit Dawny then it will be waiting patiently (or it is impatiently) for the cruise.  Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself entertained until then with the internet and You Tube.

Three Days Off = A Mini Vacation

I had three days off and it felt like a mini-vacation.  Oh man it was much needed and felt fabulous!

Tuesday I started my day with my WW workshop and a little meal prep so I had some healthy go-to to lean into on my days off.  I also made a pasta salad for our first (hopefully annual) National Night Out.  A gal in my neighborhood took the lead and organized a NNO event that was so much fun.  Meridian Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, and finally the Meridian Fire Department.

I think the moment we knew NNO was a success was when the fire truck arrived.  The kids emptied out of the bounce house and lined up to see the truck, spray a traffic cone, and get sprayed (well, drenched) by the fire hose.  It was really great.

On Wednesday, I met a WW friend for lunch, swung by the mall to pick up an online order, and headed downtown in search of an Idaho logo hat for our cruise, which is still six months away.  Banana Ink has some really fun Idaho gear and with my Beer Buddies membership, I received 10% off.  I found the hat I was looking for when I stopped into Flying M Coffee, I found some pins to accompany it.  Since I was downtown and had a pre-planned high point day, I grabbed a German lager at 10 Barrel Brewing Company.  

I got a second pin that I put on my other travel hat I purchased through Amazon.

Wednesday evening we met up with Phoenix, Stacey, and two of his friends for Green Chile margaritas.  It is Hatch Green Chile season and we after finding this delicious drink last year, we knew we had to stop in again for one (or two).  Of course they went up on price!  Ugh.  And, I forgot to take a photo.

Thursday was a veg day.  I think knowing I have to get back to six-day work weeks made me want to just relax.  I woke up way too early when The Hubs left for work so I took a nap, watched a lot of TV, and eventually got out and about for a few errands as well as some strength exercise.  It is time now to return to real life…

Weekly WI: Double Dose

 Although I just posted about last week’s weigh-in, another week has come and another loss has followed!

I plan to continue to stay the course and would really love to see slow steady losses over the next six weeks until Girls Weekend.  Whatever switch got flipped last month is going strong and I love seeing the scale go down.  I’m feeling really good too.

I’ve got some social events on the calendar and cancelled out of town plans with three (hopeful) days off.  I will be go-go-go with work commitments, overtime, and STRESS so I am looking forward to this little bit of downtime.  If all goes well this week, I think The Hubs is gainfully employed again, which also helps my mental state.

Other than that, I’m just a crazy cruiser gal waiting for the next six months until our group cruise.  

After talking about it with Phoenix and Stacey, I started researching our ship and destinations so I can keep myself from feeling depressed with the decision to cancel our October vacation plans.  So far, it is working but now I’m finding lots of fun shirts to buy for the ship!

If you need me, you’ll find me surfing Amazon.