Wednesday March 30. Labour of love

Good morning all.

Hope that  Blue and you Kairk are doing well.  It is the small wee hours as I write so hopefully new life is soon braving the world.

everyone seems to be doing so well avoiding 'fly-infested, puke laden ' unhealthy foods.   Well done.

i fell (food wise) but am picking self up and moving on.    Walked for 1.5 hours yesterday.

Thanks for the advice about Benadryl for sleep and also to contact  Fitbit about the non syncing issue.   Waiting a reply.

Happy Wed everyone.

Happy Wednesday !

     Home having my left secondary cataract removed today. They have already called to shift me two hours later because of an emergency. I think I'll still be able to fit everything in the rest of the day (Sadie to vet etc.).

     I got back on track yesterday and took a minor bump on the scale. 132 even.  No harm no foul. In reflecting back, I  realized that I had been significantly overdue to eat when I was called to the building secretary's desk to take a crisis call from central office. Although I had options in my car, I didn't recognize my actual hunger and my body's need for fuel in the moment.

     May Blue and the rest of our family meet both the anticipated and unanticipated challenges of the day !

Happy Hump Day!

124.2 - down again - yippy! Got both boot camp and yoga in yesterday and am not sore at all today, double yippy!

Bought hearts of hemp seeds from Costco yesterday. Have you tried them yet? They are high in protein. I toasted them (dry skillet at medium heat, stirring constantly) and they are pretty good. I put them on my yogurt instead of the almonds this morning. They have a nutty flavor. I could see adding them to oatmeal or any baked good (i.e. healthy cookies, muffin etc.)

Work again today. I took my wedding ring in to be resized (again). It about falls off whenever I wash my hands and I don't want to lose it, especially working in health care when I am washing my hands constantly!

Bible study tonight. Hoping to get a walk in at lunchtime.

Hope Blue is progressing along well with her labor and you have healthy puppies!

Paula

Off to buy hemp hearts!!!!  I have been looking at things to add to yogurt/salads, etc that increase nutritional value of foods as well as being tasty. I am collecting things (pumpkin seeds, garbanzo beans, almonds, etc) that I am going to spice/toast/doctor up to have available. 

Carbon, I don't know how old you are or what your cognitive status is :)  But, there was a study released earlier this year that found an association between long term use of anticholingerics (like Benadryl) and memory loss.  Part of my job is med list review and cautioning people about this association is now routine so I felt compelled to say something here.  It isn't just pharmacists like me thinking about this....I know the psychiatrists (for example) have been putting the kibosh on benadryl for sleep, too.  

Of course, association isn't causation and I don't think anyone thinks that a single dose is a worry.  But, don't want to see you get into a habit not realizing potential risk.  

Also, if you were going to use benadryl for sleep, please do know that it's sedating effects can linger into the next day.  Also, if you use it nightly, it becomes less effective.  So, the usual recommendation (before the cognitive dysfunction worry) was to maybe use it for 1-3 days, then skip for a night or two.  If you don't skip the night or two, you will find you need more to be effective and so on and so on.  

A link to a summary of that study. http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-dr ugs-like-benadryl-linked-increased-dementia-risk-20150128766 7 

We in the Pacific Northwest might be more cognitive (ha!) of this study because it was done right here at the University of WA.  

Hope you get some zzz's soon.  

I too have trouble getting to and/or staying asleep.  Melatonin helped a little, but not enough.  I started using essential oils.  I put a couple of drops of lavender and a couple of drops of DoTerra's Citrus Bliss (but I'm sure other brands also have citrus blends) in a small diffuser or use a cottonball/tissue with the drops on it and rub onto my pillowcase, if I forget to fill the diffuser with water and am too lazy to go back downstairs.  :)    I then put the cottonball or tissue inside the pillowcase.  It's not a miracle cure, but I am definitely getting to sleep more easily and staying asleep longer. 

Thank you!  Thank you!  Had no idea!  Good call. 

Many many many thanks.  MANY! 

I am guilty of taking Benadryl off and on over the years.  I'm in an on period since November when I was sick and don't trust myself without it until school is out.  I don't like being a cranky teacher that has had no sleep...I don't have the fog others talk about; no hung over feeling at all.  I sleep most nights uninterrupted while taking it. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't!

Feeling pretty grumpy and hopeless today.  Scale was at 163.  Sometimes it just feels like it's sand slowly slipping through my fingers.  No I do not make the best food choices all the time.  But I don't think that will ever be the case.  It will probably get harder.  Right now my life should be so easy to lose weight.  I still have restriction, I know I do.  I have a young metabolism, I could theoretically exercise more without aches and pains.  I have no children to take care of, my parents are healthy and do not need me.  I think this is probably the easiest it will ever be for me.  So why is it so durned hard?!!  

I was trying to think of what has changed that now 160-163 is my maintenance instead of 153-155, like a couple years ago.  It's not a huge change, and for that I can be grateful.  There isn't that much that needs work.  Up until this year I was in law school.  I suppose the biggest change has been that I'm in an office for a set period all day, and I eat out at lunch.  I think that is probably the number 1 change, and it could be responsible for a good deal of my weight gain.  I don't want to not go out to eat, but in weightloss that might be important.  And then in maintenance (which clearly I'm not even getting that down right now) I will need to set parameters to eating out.  Also for weightloss I really think the wine has to go.  That makes me so sad to say it, but I just cannot let even 120 calories escape like that!  I do think that being more mindful of my hunger levels and not snacking has been a very good thing--although I admit that is not something I have done more frequently now--I snacked even early out!  I think I will update my blog soon.  The struggle is real, y'all.  Some days I just feel so defeated.  It feels too hard.  Just like pre-surgery.  Why does it feel this way?  I don't think "normal" people have to go through this angst!  And I know they drink wine and eat out--I've seen them do it!  

And now I'm meeting a friend out for dinner tonight.  It just feels like such a trap.  Sometimes I feel like I can hide from the world and be skinny, or enjoy and be fat.