MIA - Social, Social, Social

I have been MIA and my social calendar has been packed!

If you’re an avid reader of this blog you know that there is a direct impact between the amount of social situation and my weight. 

 

More Social = Less Focused & Weight Gain

Less Social = More Focused & Weight Loss

 

Even my WW app knows this.  My Weight Heath Score dipped to an all-time low.

 

The closer we inch towards vacation, the harder it has been to stay on track.  One thing is for sure, there has been no lack of FUN!

 

July started with a RV trip to Hagerman with some Elk friends.  My cousin Debbie joined us.  We spent half a day kayaking on the river exploring Blue Heart Springs.  It was so much fun.  We finished off at the hot springs, which was not fully hot and felt so good on a day with 100+ degree temps!

 

The next weekend was the annual Owyhee Cattleman’s Association annual meeting in Silver City.  Phoenix and Stacey joined us along with my parents, sister, sister’s friend, niece, and her boyfriend.  It was an enjoyable weekend and once again…HOT!  That has been the theme of July, and our fire season is off to a blazing start with much of Idaho and surrounding states rapidly burning.

 

This last week was a triple fun but very busy weekend.  Thursday, we attended a baseball game at the Hawks Memorial Stadium.  We stayed through the 7^th inning to try and win a cooler.  I was two numbers away.  It was half priced beer day so that was a WIN for sure, plus our Boise Hawks were winning the game.

 

Friday was Banana Ball.  The Party Animals vs. the Texas Tailgaters.  Wow, what an interesting and very cult-like experience.  Did I mention yet it was HOT!  So…so…so hot and our seats were in direct sun for 2 hours.  We left early after we just couldn’t take the heat anymore.  I don’t think I’d do another BB game, but it was an interesting concept.

 

Saturday, we celebrated Phoenix and Stacey at their wedding shower.  I think you can sense the theme…it was HOT!  But oh so much fun.  It is making me super excited for the wedding cruise in September.

Whew, that is a lot of social.  And that isn’t even all of it.  This last week has been extra filled with fun.  When we return form vacation, I will for sure be looking forward to getting back to healthy habits.  

Weekly WI: Lots Of Fun Stuff

Life has been rippin’ and roarin’ at a fast pace!  Thankfully I have been able to balance my social outings with healthy eating which has kept the weight gain on the low side.  Despite having a gain the last two weeks (0.6 two weeks ago and 1.0 pounds last week), I am feeling good and my body feels different.  Smaller maybe?  Hard to say, I did just buy bigger jeans…and some shapewear…

We signed paperwork on a second mortgage so we could get out from under US Bank on our RV loan.  In turn, we also got a lower interest rate with better terms and a smaller payment.  All this means with our extra payments, we hope to have the RV paid off in seven years…or sooner if we can just snag one jackpot hit at the casino!

Phoenix and I attended a silent disco at Good Apple Taphouse.  These events are always hit-miss depending on the crowd and the DJ.  We had a great time.

I successfully coordinated an Elks event called Warm Welcome to the Nampa Public Library.  It was a reading hour combined with passing out warm clothing which was purchased as part of our Spotlight Grant.  We supplied so many needed clothing items to our community members.  The event was a success and we are looking forward to growing our partnership with the local library.

I had a mini girls weekend staycation where Phe and I spent the night at Wanda’s house as her husband was out of town.  We visited two wineries and built terrariums at a local shop called Wood & Root.  We also tried a new brewery in town.

The only other excitement is booking travel and waiting or warmer temps to arrive, which we have had a mild winter.  I’ll recap all our upcoming travel soon.  When I don’t have much to do…I obsess about travel!

Weekly WI: Official Monthly Check-In

Good Sunday Afternoon! 

 

I am quite late in jumping in with last week’s Weekly WI.  My days off just flew by and here it is Sunday about to start a new WW week.

 

I lost 2.8 pounds last week.  Taking a step back from tracking all my zero point foods has been nice.  I am doing that again this week. Since this week is also busier with more social outings, I have been focusing more on the quality of food vs. trying to eat ZPF so I don’t go over budget.  If I go over, I go over.  Instead, I want to fuel my body with healthy low point foods. 

 

Tuesday, I had a new crown put on my tooth after my old one broke eating a tortilla chip before Halloween.  It was over 10 years old and yet…I had to pay a fortune!  I now have a second purple-ish crown in my mouth.  Later that night I had my lodge meetings.  Thankfully they didn’t have to numb my mouth for the crown replacement.

 

Wednesday was a volunteer day at the Meridian Senior Center as part of the Beacon Grant.  We need to log 24+ service hours with meals on wheels.  We also served lunch.  I really enjoy visiting the senior center as they have live music during lunch.

 

Thursday, I attempted to visit my friend at the Idaho Veterans Home as part of the Adopt a Vet program.  He wasn’t feeling social so after a quick hello, I ran some errands before relaxing a bit at home.  I met some WW friends for lunch at Old Country Sausage than went with Stacey to the Caldwell Elks Lodge meeting.  Sadly, they changed the meeting date and we missed it!  We had some beers at the Caldwell Lodge then visited the Nampa Lodge before heading home for an earlier evening.

Friday was our annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner and program at our lodge with over 150 in attendance!  I helped in the dining room with the Columbia High School students who are part of the Nampa FFA.  What a fun group.  The guest speaker was incredible, and we had a 103-year-old female WWII veteran as one of our special guests.  She was a combat nurse.

 

Saturday, I took the day off work to help with Rake Up Nampa where we wrapped up early.  We had a beautiful day with sunshine and perfect temps for a day outdoors.  After I attended a celebration of life for my dear WW friend and college Donna Burch.  She lost her battle with pancreas cancer only 19 days after diagnosis.  She was one of many WW coaches that are a big part of my journey.

 

Whew…I’m tired recounting all that!  I am not sure what the scale will show this week as I am over my weekly points.  I have also only logged a few days of activity as I keep working towards eight walking workouts this month.

Weekly WI: Power Moves

 The technique this week in workshops is identifying your Power Moves - the behaviors that feel comfortable, you enjoy, and they are relatively easy for you to get back to.

 

I decided today when tracking food for my unexpected overtime coverage day at work that I would hone into my a relatively easy Power Move…not track my Zero Point Foods.  With the addition to macros in the WW app, I’ve been weighing and measuring my ZPF.  The thing is, I’ve lost my mojo.  I am just not feeling all the good WW feels and I need one small step to get me headed back in the right direction.  So, today I went back to basics and tracked all my food except for the ZPFs.

 

My November Apple Watch Activity Goal is to log a walking workout of at least 5 minutes eight times this month.  Day 1 was completed yesterday.  I’ll complete Day 2 tomorrow.

 

I’ve been away from the Internet space for a bit.  It was a busy couple of weeks as we ended my favorite month.  Here is a snippet of what I’ve been up to:

 

Where’s Waldo for Halloween at ISP. 

 

My pumpkin for the decorating contest.

 

Attended The Witches and The Black Afternoon Tea event at Chateau de Flores with Wanda.

 

The Elks Winter Convention was held in Mountain Home over my birthday weekend. 

 

We took the RV on the last trip of the season to Elko, NV where we lost a lot of money at several casinos.

Lots of birthday goodies were consumed!

Weekend #4 Of FUN: Nampa Elks Lodge Oktoberfest

My September wrapped up with one more Weekend of Fun, Oktoberfest at the Nampa Elks Lodge!

 

Sadly, our Oktoberfest wasn’t well attended.  I think this was due to the early time (2-5pm) as the Boise State game started at 5:30pm.  Since I had planned to be at the lodge, I signed up as bar tender during the game.  I always enjoy working at the bar and boy is it a workout!  My whole body was sore the next day.

 

In addition to Oktoberfest food and drink, we had a Harvest table with goodies for sale.

                             

The volunteers manned the food booths, including my Mom & Dad. 

 

We had a costume contest and a stein holding contest.  Both were so fun.

 

We had a silent auction and danced the Chicken Dance.

 

It was a great time, and I had so much fun.  I really wish we’d brought in more members for the fun.