01/30/2020 Thursday

Weight: 139.6
Veggies/Fruits: 7
Macronutrients: Cals - 1,260, Carbs - 124, Fats - 45, Protein - 84, Fiber - 38
Green SmartPoints: 31
Water: 5 cups (hydration lately is so much better)
Sleep: 7.5 hours (sleep is also better, and I haven't taken a Tylenol PM in two weeks)
Exercise: 10" strength exercises and 10,071 steps

Scale bounced up this morning, but still in the 130s, so that's a good thing. (BTW, is it "scale" or "scales"?)

Last night's dinner was a spinach Parmesan omelet and an English muffin (light multigrain). I love that kind of breakfast-dinner, but often forget it's an option.

I'm sure eating a lot of SmartPoints lately. This last week I wound up with a weekly points deficit of -9, due to Tuesday's bread pudding and praline sauce.

This coming week will be even more challenging with a book club dinner (tonight), a birthday dinner (Friday), a combo birthday party/Super Bowl party (Sunday), a trip to The Big City (therapy session and lunch with a friend) and that night a poker party I'm hosting at my house (what a long day Monday will be!), and finally another restaurant lunch with a friend (next Wednesday). Jeez, Louise! I knew I was socializing more, but this is overwhelming. I need some good strategies to navigate this food-fest minefield!

Sounds like all the Old School tips apply:

1. Don't show up ravenous at these events (eat something filling before I go).
2. Bring a few of my own nibbles to Super Bowl party, e.g., apple, non-alcoholic drinks, etc. I also don't have to stay for the whole thing, since it's going to last a long time, especially if it goes into overtime.
3. Have a single bite of birthday cakes (don't accept a dessert plate).
4. Design poker party food to work for ME, as well as my guests.
5. Send all poker party leftovers home with guests or throw it in the garbage immediately.
6. Order chicken and vegetables/salads (no breads) at restaurants.
7. Don't allow myself to be over-served with alcohol.
8. Remember WHY I want to lose these last pounds of regain.
9. Remember that these are merely first-world problems, and don't be a drama queen.

Other thoughts or suggestions? If so, I'd love to hear them.

Today's Theme: #DontBeADramaQueen

Ann, your nine point plan sounds great. Just because ten is an even number, how about adding drinking water with/between alcoholic beverages ?

Swimming within distant sight of the shore, but I see it and my head is above water. DH had been constipated for a few days and we'd progressed to suppositories. Wednesday AM he cancelled PT, and said we needed to go to urgent care at 7:30 AM. I have to admit when he felt crummy over the weekend and complained of back pain, we both wrote it off to Friday's heavy duty PT session. Turns out he has another raging infection, this time in the kidneys. They sent him to the hospital, where we spent most of the balance of the day receiving IV antibiotics. We got home just before dinner, to open a letter from our attorney indicating the RV dealer was going to fight us tooth and nail over the Lemon Law. I missed my weekly WW studio weigh in (have to earn those 50 bonus points), and will go tonight instead. Dislike very much weighing in at the end of the day. We are both alive and breathing, and that is all that really matters. Hair cut and color this morning will help.

Sorry about your DH - he does go through a lot.

The cut and color will hopefully help your spirits especially if the WW weigh-in is tough. I still strip down to leggings and a sleeveless top with no coffee or food on-board when I weigh at them even though I do my usual first of the day weigh-in at home. Old habits...

Diane, a pox on your dealership. Seriously, do car dealers not understand the power of social media these days? Dudes!!

But you're right ... in the big picture, those things are not the big ones Alive, breathing, living, loving ... those are my new standards these days.

I hope DH's recovery is rapid! And that his care-giver needs are minimal.

Thank you, Diane, for the water suggestion. Am drinking another cup of warm water (I like it that way) right now!

DianeO, sorry DH is so sick. Not fun but glad you caught it. Sounds like an all around crappy day. But on the legal front, those who protest the loudest often cave in. Diane S

Weight 132.4, WW bluepoints 33 (I had more than the planned one glass of wine). To that point, I think your list with Diane's emphasis on water is excellent. However for me to be safe I'd have to avoid the alcohol altogether. It just leads to more eating for me in addition to wasted calories. I often bring shrimp to parties. Always safe for me and popular with the guests.

I think I'm mostly packed for Florida (the extra clothing). It was 25 when I walked Justice this morning. I can't wait until it is a LOW of 55-60 in the morning.

Today is more thank you's - I just have a few more before I get the list of donations to our Alzheimer's Support organization. I'll take Justice for a long walk when it is warmer out.

BTW, I got these recently from Amazon. Super well made and really warm. The skirt adds a bit of coverage and is kind of cute:

Yogipace Women's 28" Thermal Fleece Compression Running Tights with Skirt,Black, Size XS Yogipace $19.99

Thanks for the cute/warm/inexpensive yoga pants link, although I can't find those in my size. Please do keep posting good deals you find like that.

I am joining the bump up on the scale crowd today! LOL! It is a well deserved blip up and I am totally okay with it. The blip up involved a larger second breakfast than normal, a few cookies far too easy access and eaten with the same feeling exuded by Mary Tyler Moore in the opening credits of her show when she views the price of meat, rolls her eyes, and tosses the package of meat in her grocery cart, all followed by a delightful b'day dinner for Ron. The cookies were not worth it, but the rest was. I am hoping that being right back on track this morning with my 6 Blue SmartPoint breakfast.

Dottie is off to the vet today for ultra sound to see if she's pregnant. I've learned to not count my chickens before they are hatched - especially not with the long distance breedings. If she is, I hope it is not a huge litter. 6-8 would be just fine! I do hope for 6 though. Fewer than 6 can limit choices for future showing and breeding and can falsely influence perception of quality. Not always, but sometimes.

One of the puppy buyers referred to me as highly organized. I had to chuckle. I'm glad that I appear that way to my buyers, but I feel like I have them all fooled! I do take exquisite care of the pups and am pretty hard core about qualifying people for placement, but I'm not so organized on the clerical side of things. Still have to get all the paperwork and contracts organized for the pups going home this weekend. ACK! Have to get on that.

Exercise has been really good this week. Back to pressing 85 dumb bells for chest presses. My goal for 2020 is to be able to press 100 pound dumb bells for this exercise.

Including a pic of my handsome fella getting ready to enjoy his b'day feast of Gnocchi in a smoked tomato sauce with mushrooms, sausage, and gorganzola cheese. I tried it and it was deeeeeliscious! I do think he looks fantastic for turning 69 yesterday!

Ron is a good looking man. And yes, he looks much younger than his birth certificate says he is. :)

P.S. That gnocchi is pretty darned handsome, too. :)