02/28/2020, TGIF

1. Within Range: 5 over
2. Blue SmartPoints: 21
3. General Wellbeing: 9
4. FSF: S & A to Groomer for pedicures
5. Yesterday's Insights: I remain too focused on the number on the scale...must find balance.

My WW evening weigh in had me down 6.2 pounds from last week. I had visited this group once before and I like it much better than the morning one I had been attending, out of town near DC's VA group meeting. The coach is dynamic and there are 12-15 attendees as opposed to the 45-55 at the other studio. This week's focus was on increasing physical activity, which I already know is so good for me in so many ways. When I walked in, the Coach was trying to place having met me before, and said, "You are Lifetime, right ?" How fabulous that she thought so, or maybe she just remembered how close I was before watergate.

I tried the two ingredient dough ( 1c. self rising flour and 1 c. Greek yogurt) to make petzel bites yesterday. I cut the dough into 12 sections, and rolled each section into a 10"ish log. I cut each log into 8-10 pieces and tossed in a bowl of Everything Bagel seasoning. I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam and baked the first batch 17 min. and the second 22 minutes. The first batch was slightly chewy and sampled when warm. The second was nice and crispy when cooled. The entire batch of dough is 12 points on blue. Each of my logs (8-10 nuggets) was 1 point. I'll have to watch nugget intake (and corresponding salt intake from seasoning), but a nice change.

Two hour trip to and from DC's urology scoping today, looking for a stricture to explain frequent UTIs. Youngest DD found out she wasn't accepted in the NYC Marathon lottery (her times don't qualify her), so she is looking into buying a $2,000 bid. Hey, if my body would cooperate, I'd do it once !

Weight: 138.4
Veggies/Fruits: 8
Macronutrients: Cals - 1,210, Carbs - 90, Fats - 45, Proteins - 83, Fiber - 20
WW SmartPoints: 27
Water: 2
Fitbit Recorded Sleep: 7'46"
Exercise: 85" yoga class and 10,040 steps

****adoodledoo! I'm back on schedule and up on time this morning.

DianeO, congratulations on getting rid of more water. How nice that your new WW class suits you so much better.

Here, I'm ready for the scale to go down again. Come on, scale! :)

Book club last night was fun. We definitely talk about the book, but we also talk about everything else going on in our lives, whereas the other club talks ONLY about the book we have read. I enjoy both groups very much, but last night's folks are a bit more artsy and iconoclastic (for this neck of the woods) and my kind of peeps.

Since I started wearing a Fitbit, I'm quite impressed by the improvement in my sleep. Maybe it's just seeing how much I'm sleeping that encourages me. I'm definitely using Tylenol PM less often (I hardly ever take one!). For me, the amount and quality of sleep I get determines more than anything else how I feel throughout the day.

I'm spending more time writing these days and making progress. I'm putting together a package of writing to submit for a writing retreat in late April, and that's put some gas in my tank. Feels good to be incorporating writing into my daily life.

That's about all the news here fit to print. I'm looking forward to the nice weather this weekend. Sounds like winter will be giving the Southern US a nice sunny break for a few days. After so much rain and grey skies I'm ready for it. :)

T.G.I.F.!

Weight 127, WW blue points 15. It was 44 degrees when I took Justice out this morning! The high today will be 67 today it will warm up each successive day.

So much to comment on. It is interesting how much WW meetings can vary based on location and leader. On the Cape I have gone to several different meetings. Mind you this was before and after Christmas. Most of them were very small before the holidays, packed right after the New Year and trailing off by the end of January. All usual. One of the meetings up North which I went to several times was very full with about 25-30 people most of whom seemed to be regulars. The leader was good, but I liked the other one up North better. A bit older and shared more recipes, but her meeting was typically very small with perhaps 10-15 people. Both are held in bars which are closed in the morning LOL. Down here the Studio is in a storefront in the mall. The leader is very dynamic and the meetings are always full with about 30+ people. She runs them well and is very good at drawing everyone out. It surprised me how steady the participation is even though the holidays are over.

Diane, I think the leader assumed you were lifetime because you look plenty slim enough to be there. I have a friend who is about 5'6" or so and can't get under 140. She looks fabulous and has not been lower than that since she was very young so hopefully she will accept herself. She is 75, has myesthenia gravis but is in great shape and is gorgeous. I aspire to be her.

I always wanted to join a book club when I had time in my life (aka retired). I want one of the style your club was last night Ann where we read and discuss interesting books plus we socialize. But I find myself avoiding any commitments where I wouldn't feel comfortable if I didn't show up at the last minute up right now. I expect/hope that will change over time.

Today might be a pool day (it can be surprisingly warm by the pool even when cool everywhere else). Or maybe shopping or walking in Venice. Hmmm... Tonight I think we are going to a new restaurant on the water that just opened. We have been waiting for it to be open and saw yesterday that it finally is.

Enjoy your Friday!

Liz, my WW meeting attendance has been pretty steady since I joined in January ... even increasing still a bit. Yesterday we had 16 in attendance; was 12 the previous week.

Our leader always shows up and is very enthusiastic and positive, which is all I require in a WW leader. The folks there range from (I reckon) 100 pounds overweight to lifetime members who are in goal range. They're mostly women, but also some men. The group skews older (50s - 70s), with a couple of 40-somethings.

188.6 So disappointed in the scale this morning. I weigh before I go to bed too (in jammies) and usually wake up 3 or so pounds lighter (in the buff). Imagine my excitement to be 189.6 last night! grrr. But I trudge on...

I went to my knitting group last night. I like them so much (except one who drives me NUTS with her weird quirks of repeating every word of the person talking and sniffing continuously where I wanted to yell, "CAN I GET YOU A TISSUE???" I'm not alone in thinking she is the most annoying person in the group, so comfort in that!)

Barkley has come to visit and is a love. Though he eats poop. Must be vigilant on that front. Yuck. My dad has safely made it to the BVIs and will join his friends on the sailboat tomorrow. They are all serious sailors, so should have loads of fun. More power to them!

Today I'm getting my hair done and going to the symphony with the friend-I'm-trying-to-extricate-myself-from. Given I've only seen her 4 times since October, I feel like I'm doing well. It used to be nearly every day when she lived around the corner.

Off to get started! Wash your hands and don't touch your faces!

Washing my hands and TRYING not to touch my face. I'll work on that. :)

P.S. I would NEVER weigh myself at night. Aiiiyyyeeee!

Oddly enough, it usually helps me set expectations. If it's high the night before, I don't expect much the next day. But every once in a while, I get let down by my system!

I used to weigh morning and night. Now only morning. Like Ceci, the night weight helped me gear up for expectations for the morning. Now I found it is not in my best interest to weight at night.

Ron's blood work is coming back mostly normal. Kidney function is off, but that is par for the course these days. The doctors think it is permanent damage at this point. Hbg and Hematocrit are elevated, but not terribly. Everything else is good. No fecal results yet and no radiologist report on the chest xray yet.

My anxiety level is still quite elevated. I am finding myself terribly unproductive and distracted. Had to binge watch Netflix (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) to give myself some peace last night. I find myself spinning inside.

There is no reason to write about food. Knowledge betrays me. Sugar is my monarch.

Yesterday while walking down the breezeway I suddenly flashed on my mom -like her face was right there for a split second - and that spooked me. I felt like it was an omen. My mom once told me she felt her dead mother walk through her just before a time she needed extra strength to help my aunt when my uncle died. Superstition reigns supreme in my German blood.

Short day at school. Must work on grades....

Having a vision like that with what your Mom said previously would freak me out and I don't think of myself as superstitious!