What The Heck! How Have I Been Gone So Long?

Good Morning.

I got into my blog yesterday to look over my old Hawaii vacation posts as my friend are headed to Hawaii on Monday.  I was embarrassed to see how long it has been since I have been in my space on the World Wide Web.  It has been busy.  Busy at work.  Busy socially.  Busy in general.  I kept thinking I’d get a blog post published and sadly, it didn’t happen.  So please, forgive my absence.

So, what has been happening in my neck of the woods?  It was a packed social calendar last week and after skipping the scale my two week check-in was not good.  I met up with my parents and some friends at a local bar for $3 beer, which isn’t the best idea before weigh-in.  I also picked up Panda Express on my way home so that was strike two.  Cosuming beer and Chinese food the day before you step on the scale is a bad idea.  But, I got on the scale.  I am hoping some of the large gain is temporary but I also know that social food and drink last week also contributed.  With the scale continuing to climb, I must take action ASAP!

This week I have been focused on a commitment to tracking and specifically managing my social outings this week.  I have spent a lot of points the last two days but it is all tracked and I feel successful with a lunch dining out experience that went really great yesterday.  That shows me that I can do this and I must really focus on being accountable to my WW program

I don’t want to keep going up on the scale.  I remember what that felt like and I have no desire to go there again.  I feel it and I know you can see it.  I have not been connected to my program as a member and I desperately need an in person workshop.  I am so limited as to which I can attend with my work schedule.  I plan to explore some virtual options.  

I think I am also a little depressed.  I’ve been letting the FOMO (fear of missing out) get to me with a lot of recent and upcoming retirements at work.  I am just feeling down in the dumps and left out of all the fun to be had when retirement comes.  But, it isn’t my turn so I need to snap out of it and re-focus on what I need to do now instead of daydream of what I want to do in the future. 

Weekly WI: A Late Check-In

It’s Fri-Yay!  I can’t too excited per se because technically it is my work week.  However, I’ve some fun on the agenda this weekend that means less days at work.  WhoooHoooo!

 

My weekly weigh-in was great for my home scale but not so great for the official scale.  I was down 1.6 pounds after staying focused on earning seven blue dots last week and limiting my social outings.  I had expected when I stepped on the “official” scale for my employee weigh-in I’d be close to where I was at my last weight-in as the scale at home was 0.2 pounds higher than my last employee weight record.  Nope!  The scale was up over 2 pounds.  It was super deflating but overall, it doesn’t diminish all the hard work I put in last week.

 

This week has been full of social outings and splurges with more set to come.  I have already decided I will skip the scale this week but also not let that deter my focus for the day I have control over what I consume.  I am working on finding ways I can squeeze in healthy foods among all the indulgences. 

On Tuesday, Phoenix and I had our annual bike-about where we ride along the greenbelt and stop at various restaurants and breweries.  We also stayed overnight at a hotel close to the greenbelt.  Our first stop was Lost Grove Brewing.  I have not been other than one time and they now serve pizza, which was delicious!  We shared a pizza and draft lunch special along with a second draft, so we had one each and enjoyed the patio weather.

 

Our next stops were Matlack’s and Woodland Empire, which were located next to each other.  Woodland Empire won for best beer!  Sadly, Phoenix spilled it but…it was delicious what we were able to enjoy.

We biked back to the hotel to meet Kenyon, who had to check us in as we were using his hotel reward for the night and invited him and Stacey to join us at Barbarian Brewing.  I wanted to take part in their Kolsh night and they had a food truck serving German food. 

 

The Kolsh was good but at $3 for each tiny pour, it wasn’t the best deal.  Kenyon and I shared some mac and cheese with a bratwurst and then we moved along to JUMP to listen to the live music.  We ended our night at The Warehouse, a new meeting space in downtown Boise.  Kenyon and I shared a meat and side plate from Neighbor Tim’s BBQ and had the best brisket which had zero fat and all deliciousness.

 

The following morning Phoenix and I hikes part of Table Rock, oh how I don’t miss that hike, but I am glad she encouraged us to go, before we showered and changed to check out of the hotel.  We went to Zee’s Rooftop for lunch with amazing views of downtown Boise.

 

We settled at a nearby paid parking lot and walked around downtown.  We started at Bardenay for a prickly pear margarita.

 

Then eventually to Boise Brewing for 2 for 1 beer as part of our Beer Buddies membership and where we ended the 24 hours of fun.

 

On Thursday I met up with Rebecca for a long overdue visit at a new place MJ’s Italian Ice and Custard.  Oh man it was delicious and surprisingly the Italian ice was not super sweet.  We will be back.

 

Saturday I am volunteering at a beer festival and I am super stoked to pour beer for 2.5 hours before I drink beer as my reward!

 

 

Mid-Week Check-In: Look At Those Blue Dots!

It’s Saturday.  The work week has kicked off and running.  I am hoping it goes by quickly because I have fun on the agenda for my days off.

I wanted to pop in with a mid-week check-in.  So far, this week is going GREAT!  I plan to keep the momentum going.

I made some tough decisions this week.  Tuesday I decided to stay home vs. engage in a social outing.  Can I go on a social outing and not have food/drink?  Sure.  But, is it as fun?  I bowed out of Tuesday in lieu of a planned Wednesday social outing.  Last week I met up with Phoenix for her Wednesday running club that is also a social club.  The members meet at a brewery and complete a run along the greenbelt and afterwards, they enjoy some adult beverages.  It sounds like my kind of club!  I’ve only been once and the members of Mikkeller Running Club are really nice.

Sadly, our plans did not pan out.  We have been hit with evening storms almost nightly and the storm on Wednesday was a dozy.  We had a severe thunderstorm come through set to expire just before the run/walk and made the decision to skip the meet up this week.  The running club ended up meeting as the weather improved a ton.  On one hand, I was super bummed to miss out on the social aspect but on the other, it saved me at on of points.  I also planned beer so I had two of my new favorite low calorie beers.

Yesterday at work was rough.  I didn’t feel like going home and cooking and eating out sounded so tempting, which is also what has been derailing me.  I called The Hubs and we made the decision to eat in.  I am so glad we did because I made a delicious pizza cauliflower dish and even had points left over for a low calorie beer.  I feel really great today after making that decision.

I’ve earned blue dots all week and also stayed focused on activity.  I need to continue with the activity through the weekend, which I’ve dropped the ball a bit. 

I am hopeful for a loss come Tuesday.  I must stay strong these last few days!

Weekly WI: 200s...Again

Good Morning! Happy Wednesday.

I am a day late in posting my Weekly Weigh-In as it was a busy day where I was on the go for most of it.  I won’t leave you hanging and the title probably gave it away.  I gained 0.2 pounds thus I am still in the 200s.

I don’t know how to feel about this.  There are many sides to experiencing a weight gain trend that you weren’t expecting and thought you had a handle on.  It is like a swinging pendulum between “I got this” and “What if I don’t.”  I think if anything experience had taught me that I will always struggle with the balance between losing weight and engaging in social activities.  So much of the time it feels like I can have on or the other but not both.  I am constantly swinging back and forth with thought of “should I” and “I shouldn’t.”  It is exhausting.  

It is also so weird to be here again.  It isn’t new territory and recently Facebook memories reminded me that I had finally made it back to Onederland after a five year hiatus.  Heck, I even spent a whole year in Onederland in 2021.  This time it is just…depressing.  Enter the pendulum again.

On one hand, I feel good.  I’ll admit I saw a photo of myself posted by a member that reached goal and I thought I looked pregnant.  So that was a bit defeating.  But, over all, I feel good.  I’ve been back to the gym at least twice a week engaging in the harder classes that push my body.  When I am pushing my body and working it hard, I feel so strong and I love that feeling.  My clothes still fit, maybe with a little more muffin top lately.  I have been living life enjoying time with friends.  Over all, pretty darn good.

The other hand reminds me that I am not where I want to be and I am so much further away from my doctor’s note goal weight which is also my employee goal weight.  I feel like I’m letting my company down by being 10+ pounds (gulp) from that goal weight that I still have not been able to hit since being offered a position as a WW coach.  GAH!

If I had a third hand, it would also be keeping me grounded as I KNOW what it feels like to gain 80 pounds and how much work, time, and effort it took to love 60 of that re-gain.  That part of me say, “no way are you going back there.”  If I have to evaluate what is worth it and what is not, hands down…gaining a shit ton of weight is NOT worth it.

As for today, I am finishing my coffee that has turned cold and will get myself ready for the gym.  One day at a time and one meal at a time.  I felt very successful yesterday after saying no to a social situation I actually invited myself along.  I just didn’t need it when I have a social situation I am looking forward to today even more.  And, I won’t let this social day deter the remainder of my week.  

One day at a time and one meal at a time.

Weekly WI: May Comes To An End

Good Morning.

It is the end of the month check-in and it isn’t pretty.

I dipped back into the 200s after I gained the 1.6 I lost last week.  The biggest culprit was eating out way too much and getting into the ice cream just as often.  I am frustrated and mad at myself but that type of reaction is counter productive.  I need to take ACTION!

The year thus far is going UP when I want it to go DOWN.  I need to run this 6.4 turned around ASAP and I plan to do that by digging deep into my WW tool box for support.  I need to refocus and reconnect with the behaviors that made me successful and work on better balance.  It ins’t all or nothing.  It isn’t white knuckling or a free for all.  Balance can lie in the in between and frankly, I need to just get over the “I don’t want to fix dinner” and “I’m too tired, let's eat out” by meal planning in advance and sticking to the plan.  It is time to just suck it up and DO IT!

I attended a step class at the Y yesterday and oh boy, it has been a hot minute.  It was nice to see a previous instructor from many years ago.  I also missed the back of the step and fell during class…whoops!  That was embarrassing.  I am attending another class today because I need some upper body movement and weight training.  I am a little nervous about how sore my calves are today and may have to modify.  I love how I feel when I move my body and I love how pushing my body makes me feel so strong.

Let’s do this!