10/30/2020, Friday

Good morning ! We made it until yesterday before buying Halloween candy ! Typically, we only purchase things we dislike, but fortunately, I have not cared for milk chocolate since VSG...dark chocolate is another story ! In the spirit of full disclosure, a bag of dark chocolate Reeses thins IS in our stash. We keep the candy closed up in the front closet so the dogs can't possibly ingest any, so that helps. Our county Covid #s continue to climb, so we will be putting a couple of bowls on a table at the end of our porch for self serve take out. The prediction of 1-3" of snow petered out to a dusting, so yea ! I agree with the social media comments that setting clocks back and living an additional hour of 2020 is a buzzkill this year.

Weight 128, down .8 (yesterday was likely a bit high due to steak the night prior). But Mike got me worried this morning when he asked if the scale was accurate because it seemed light to him. I know the scale at my place is correct so I will be able to cross-check. I hope I don't get a shock!

We decided to go to my place tomorrow for a week. It will be weird going back and forth. In guess I could stay there and Mike could go back home but I will likely go with him. We are having lunch with a friend of mine tomorrow and I meet Mike's oldest/closest friend the following Saturday. I spoke to the friend on the phone once early on in Mike's and my relationship. He gave me a bit of a veiled warning that I had better not hurt his best buddy.

Still waiting on baby news!!!! They have been at the hospital more than 24 hours now. Knowing my nephew, they might have had the baby last night and be hesitating on how to announce. That has been a pattern in the past.

ETA: No Halloween candy here! I don't want it in the house and I don't think Trick or Treating should be allowed. Plus I live in an old person's neighborhood so there won't be any. ALSO: My DSD had a terrible time getting registered to vote in Florida as the transmission of documents via snail mail seemed to take forever, but she finally got her mail-in ballot yesterday at 4 pm and had it sent back via overnight mail at 5:15 pm!

Have a safe, healthy and hopefully smoke-free day!

The absentee ballots sound like such a pain. DSD was here yesterday trying to fill hers out. There are so many rules. I felt like I needed to diagram it to understand. This is why I'm voting in-person election day. I know much has been made of the potential for voter fraud with mail in ballots. But it seems to me that there is a much greater potential for voter suppression/votes not getting cast because of process errors. I have a law degree and I had to sit down to help her with it. But I'm so proud she put in to receive one and was filling it out!!

I know what you mean! DSD and I had to vote by mail since we won't be present in our state on Election Day, but I hope that the volume of mail-in votes doesn't cause a lot of contention over the results.

My county has been mailing ballots to everyone for the last several elections. You can vote in person if you want. Ours is pretty easy! Use a dark pen, sign the envelope, print your address. You can go online and see if they've received it. Mine has been checked in. but I've been voting absentee for years, because when I was working I never knew where I was going to be on any given election day. It was easier just to know it was going to come in the mail! It even comes with an "I Voted" sticker in the envelope so you don't miss out.

Haha hadn't thought about another hour of 2020.

I have this really irrational belief that once we make it to March 2021, things will be over because we've made it through a year of this mess. I need to return to Ann's predictions and see what the end days of covid look like. I'm hoping there will be a vaccine by the summertime. I have to tell myself that right now. Believing that this time next year will be normal gives me the fuel I need.

We saw sun yesterday and the weather is warming. Should be in high 50s for Halloween. Hurrah. But all the chainsaws have been bought so I'm not sure how we'll clear out the tree damage for trick-or-treaters. We have bought full size candy and even though Rich and I have shared one each of the past 2 nights, I find it a lot less tricky. For example "I ate a full size Reese's." That feels like a commitment. I know exactly how much I ate and how many calories. Whereas I can dip into the fun size bowl and still not feel like I've eaten a thing!! Plus, we just stock the leftovers as movie candy. I think there are going to be a lot of leftovers this year

We plan to hand out candy normally but I think I might wear a mask. I think maybe kids don't transmit it as much and if they do I think I'm already in a world of hurt living with people who put everything in their mouths anyway.

I completely agree about the fun sized candy. It seems like my capacity for them is limitless.

Weight down from yesterday, up from last Sunday. I picked up some groceries yesterday. I find eating very similar things day to day really helps me. I feel a bit lost when I am away from my environment and have to wing it. This has always presented a problem when I lose the weight and begin to eat outside of my kitchen more frequently. I lose that tight control and can start to regain. It's not that so don't know what to order or choose, it's that I have no control over how it's prepared and then end up with more calories than I'd have making something similar at home.

Diane, I tried that- buying what I don't like- and learned under the right cir****tances I'll eat anything if it's at hand! I put a hairline crack in a tooth on a Gobstopper I swore I wouldn't like... Candy Karma.

Today I have head therapy followed by physical therapy. Given this is the second time my back has gone out during Covid, I think I need a professional to drill home what I'm doing wrong (my guess, too much sitting, poor core strength, 30 pounds overweight, lifting a giant dog in and out of the car 3 times).

Enjoy your days!

Maintaining weight is boring! LOL! However, it is way better than gaining! But it is not as exciting as losing. I considered the thought while getting dressed that I'm getting pretty good at knowing what I can eat to keep my weight fairly stable. I have been in the same 2 pound window for weeks and weeks. That's a plus any way I look at it.

Journaling continues to be somewhat elusive. I should really get back on the stick about that. Not sure what will kick start that other than a JFDI attitude.

I am willing to hand out candy this Halloween. Frankly, I think it is one of the safer activities from which children and adults can choose. Ideally, kids will be in bubble or immediate family groups. Trick or Treating is an outdoor activity that keeps people moving from one spot to another. I, who absolutely refuse to do any kind of public dining because I think the risk factor is too high, would have no trouble trick or treating. To me the viral load over time exposure is so minimal, this is one activity that kids can do with some normalcy. I know others here disagree. Interesting how perspectives within our group differ, right?

My hope is to not binge on candy this weekend. That is the plan. I will eat candy, for sure. No point in even trying to deny that it will happen. I'm just focusing on the fact that this is not a candy SEASON, but a candy day or event. Once over, it is over. I no longer accept that October 31 - the first Monday in January is EATING SEASON. My promise to myself is to maintain or even lose a little bit of weight during what I used to view as the eating season.

We are having a virtual Halloween party today. Can you say, YUCK!!!!!? But, had to do something. Sigh..... I am so missing the joy and excitement of today at school. Halloween at school is the best day EVER!!!! (I know most teachers hate it, but oh, I just love it!!!!)

Chiropractor and NUT today.

Ceci, good luck with PT.

Funny I was just talking about Halloween with my mom and making similar observations. They are outside, it's opt in or out as you choose and the primary ones engaged are the lowest risk, masks are totally acceptable indeed encouraged anyway!, and I think now there is some doubt how long the virus can truly stay on surfaces and it's more of a respiratory virus. Whereas Thanksgiving is still a lot riskier.

I used to have your same attitude on "eating season." Although I think I must take a different approach. I acknowledge I'm a perfectionist and if I see the scale tick up or whatever sometimes I can think "oh boy, might as well eat it alllll." Maybe you guys know what I'm talking about? Isn't that so backwards? If I blow it and eat something bad I think "might as well eat more and start back again after eating season is over." So this time I'm going to try and acknowledge my food desires and de weaponize them. We'll see how it works. I'm thinking I'm really going to try and exercise more, so long as there aren't any bad ice storms again! And I think I might try to hold myself accountable by logging in on MFP which I haven't done in ages. But instead of 1200 calorie goal, maybe 1400 or 1500.