PollyannaAgain

School stuff can be hard to re-start if it's been a while. You'll get into the swing of things in no time though.

No worries! Welcome back and good job!

*Hugs* It'll be okay. Today/your next meal is another chance to start over and eat well. You can do it.

Nice job! Maybe your momentum from this past week will help you keep going this one.

Thank you for sharing that! I understand what you mean by mental capacity. I usually only have the oomph to record/adjust food or do everything else, not both. That's why I forced it in to this challenge. I knew I didn't have the energy to try to get back to the gym when I started this challenge, so I figured I might as well try for food stuff!

I made it up to 3 days since adding the goal. A migraine Friday and the weekend killed it, but yesterday was a good low day, so I'm working to make today #2! I did add several moving goals that I feel like I can do right now. But I'm also probably riding some post-migraine energy, so we'll just have to see how it goes... Thank you for sharing about the scale! I'm half-afraid that if I step back, I'll gain a bunch, but the other half thinks stepping away could be just what I need. I wish I had a downward trend! I've been working to lose weight for three years now, two since I joined here. Nothing I do seems to help, and I've actually gained ten pounds in the last year alone. It's hard to keep going when nothing seems to work, and I find myself currently stuck in a cycle of Try to lose->Gain (not in a good way*)->Try harder->Sudden Injury/Random Illness->Give up for two-three months->Repeat. (*And now that I've said that, I'm wondering if it really was "not in a good way," or if it just happened to be timed around other things that weren't "good," like stress at work or illness, and I just beat myself up about it...Hm. Food for thought...) I do have quite a bit of data built up over the last five years and have found that my weight regularly fluxuates three--five pounds weekly, so I usually mentally account for that when I weigh. I only mentioned weight here, but I also track my waist and a few other points with a tape measure, all but one of which have also increased. Thank you for mentioning all that though. It is good to try to keep things in perspective. Anyway! The rest of the week was okay. I finally updated my points today (thank goodness for scrap paper!). I had to close on Thursday, and I think our unusually tight work scheduling (one of our regular staff is out for six weeks while undergoing breast cancer radiation treatments) triggered a migraine completely out of nowhere Friday morning. I haven't had the whole sequence happen since April (Prodrome->Aura->Migraine), and it was foggy out, so I didn't realize what was happening until there was nowhere safe to pull off the road. My aura is typically visual and is like looking through a kaleidoscope--lots of...interesting rainbow and white light patterns, blurriness when you try to focus, and just one tiny spot where I can see normally. I'm very grateful that my boss is very understanding of the situation. That's been quite a blessing to not have to add worrying about keeping my job to my current stress levels. After the migraine, I was wildly productive both at work and afterwards. That's when I got the bulk of last week's crafting done. I don't always experience post-migraine euphoria, but I do try to make it count when I do! That energy is waning somewhat now, but I still feel like my old self (even though I'm a bit sleep-deprived right now), rather than the useless, sad lump I've felt like for a while now. I should probably add recording my mood and energy levels to the next challenge. I'd really like to go to the gym. This is the first time I've felt that way in a while! What I really want, is to get back to that spot I was in where going to the gym was fun. What made it not fun? My weight? Maybe. I'm not really sure anymore. I did break my finger this time last year and had to put lifting on hold (no pun intended). I should have kept going and done the elliptical or something. Hindsight. My gym bag is in my trunk. I wonder if I have clothes and a towel... In other news, I now have not one, but THREE fairs lined up over the next two months! I'm excited, but crappola, I did not buy enough stuff for three! I feel like the middle event is going to be pretty small, so I think if I just buy some more autumn-themed ribbon and shift my Halloween stuff to the later events, it should work out okay. I'm thinking one additional print for all my sizes should be good, and I'll make up some every day patterns (from supplies on hand) to supplement the ones I already have. That's one of the other things I started working on post-migraine! I'm making a spreadsheet to help me plan my orders better. Thanks for checking in, everyone. I hope you have a great week!

Sorry for the double post!

I think, not counting my thread, this is the third time I've seen this phrase today! Beware the 4th week of August, everyone! Hang in there. Maybe it won't be as difficult as you're expecting.

Braved is a good term here! I hate cleaning the fridge after a power outage! Also, yay for sales and cantaloupe! And it sounds like you still made good choices food-wise, given what you had to deal with. Keep up the good work!

*Hugs* Sorry about the rough start! There's no such thing as "not good enough" for those around you. There's only "good enough" for you. That being said, I think you'd probably be a stellar Black Widow (who hunts down Garden-Destroying Hooligans and makes them cry), but you remind me more of a Elastigirl from the Incredibles, doing the super hero/super mom thing all at once. Nice job, also, for getting all the things done, even with the rough morning and sheer size of that gardening fixer-upper task!

I found a delicious bagel all full of good stuff, and now my grocery store is always out of it! When I read a book about the Glycemic Index, it said to pick bread items that had at least 3g of fiber (pretty sure it was at least 3), and I definitely noticed a difference in how I felt after eating stuff that fell in that category. I shoot for stuff with a high protein/low sugar ratio in addition to the fiber requirement now too. Anyway, the point is, pick good bagel, enjoy good bagel.

Nice job! Keep up the good work!

Thanks! I think the 65g for a week is going to be a good change for the challenge. I went over yesterday by a lot more than I expected, so I'm actually thinking that seven days in a row might be my final goal for the challenge, and I'll break it down into smaller goals of stuff like "two days in a row <=65g" or "three days in a row...", etc., that way, I can build the habit over time and hopefully make it stronger. I'm basically shaping myself like I do my dogs for this! (For anyone who doesn't know, "shaping" is rewarding small approximations of a final behavior until your subject is capable of doing the final behavior. It's more valuable than simply forcing the final behavior because when a shaped behavior "breaks down," it typically only drops back to one of the previous approximations, rather than crashing all together.) I haven't thought any more about the get moving stuff yet. It's on the To Do list for today. In other news, I earned a book! Yay! I should make a shopping list on Amazon or something of the things that match my reward list. That might encourage me some more because I'll know what book or album I'm working toward... I came in to work too early today. Even after hitting snooze three times. But I wasn't early enough to go ahead and come in, so I went to the store and happened upon some pants in the fall section that fit well still, so I bought a couple of pairs because my current ones are ready to retire. I briefly considered buying a pair in the next size down, but since my weight still hasn't budged, I decided against it. My weight not budging is abominably frustrating, but maybe this sugar thing will be the thing to finally break through that particular wall. I think I may give up on weighing/measuring myself for a while to help myself try to relax. I have my starting measurements/photos, so I could just file those away and worry about numbers later. Has ignoring those numbers helped anyone struggling in this particular manner?

Ah the weekend. Blegh. Are you ever surprised when you find out about preconceptions people have about you? Short version: People I've known my whole life think I'm rich. *snorts derisively* I re-worked my HFCS goal because it turns out I don't really eat much of that anyway and can easily avoid it. I'm focusing this week on keeping my total sugar consumption at or below the 65g marked on MFP. I haven't decided what to do after that yet. I may need to focus on staying at that level for the rest of the challenge, or I might be able to start reducing it in the remaining weeks. We'll see how much of a struggle it is this week. I may have to remove working with my brother's dogs from the challenge. I should probably also brainstorm other "Get Moving" things to do as it doesn't look like we'll be getting to the lake again for a while. The week is off to an inauspicious start...

Aw, I'm so sorry. *hugs*

Ah. I see. I wish I could help, but I still haven't figured out stress eating! Let me know if you hit on something that works!

Nice! You are on a roll this morning!

Carrots with hummus are delicious if you get one you like, and I bet it would be good with bell pepper sticks too. Celery or apples with peanut butter is tasty. I've heard bananas and peanut butter also go well together...Berries and super dark chocolate are also nummy if you need something sweet (I use 72% cacao). "Balanced Breaks" from Sargento are a mix of cheese, nuts, and dried fruits. They look small, but I find they do the job (for me anyway). When I plan snacks, I try to get a protein and a fat in with my fruits/veggies, and I'm not opposed to eating food food for a snack either if I feel I need it. One of my favorite "foods" is a hardboiled egg with whole grain crackers (or pita bread!), Swiss cheese, and tomato slices. Nom. (When I studied in Egypt, we had this with bread as breakfast.) Anywho, the nice thing about you trying to prep your meals is that you can account for your snack calories to keep everything within your goals so you can try lots of different stuff! Let us know what you find too because I'm sure lots of us are always on the lookout for a tasty, healthy snack or meal-as-snack that we hadn't thought of before!

Aw. Hope you feel better soon!

A little progress is better than no progress! It's easy to feel overwhelmed if you think about this in black and white terms. I've been working on reframing my thoughts on my goals to keep from giving up, and it helps some. If you'd like to try it, I say something like "I didn't get everything done that I wanted, but I did do X, and that puts me closer to finishing Y," etc. The first time you say it, aim for a neutral tone because you're probably still feeling disappointed that you didn't finish something completely, but you don't want to let that defeat into your thoughts/voice. Each time you try the exercise, aim for an increasingly more positive tone. The idea is that as you change your tone, you'll start to realize that your actions that day were valuable, even if they were incomplete, and that takes the pressure off, which ironically helps you do more things! At any rate, hang in there, because I see you getting things done, even if they are small.

This is how I feel after work! Could you arrange your meals so that you have a snack between lunch and dinner? I find that if I eat something healthy before my long drive home, I make better food choices when I get there because I'm not starving. Hang in there!

Thanks for the congrats, guys! I'm super-excited, and of course, now worrying about other things. O.o But I have time to work on those things, so it's all good...and going into the dog training plan! Also, sorry for the double-post today! I didn't have time to finish everything earlier, so here's what I'm up to: With help from you guys, figured out the paper towels in the bathroom issue--Will be getting hankies and something to stick them in. = +1/3 pt on the Go Green goal. Woo! The last thing for that goal that's a real issue is food waste at work. I can compost stuff when I'm at home, but if I have rotten fruits or veggies in my work food (usually bought on Monday and stored at work), they usually go in the trash. Grounds people will definitely frown on a compost pile on campus. I'm thinking something like this might be helpful. Didn't do yoga last night, but worked on some deep-breathing/mindfulness stuff. I'm still wobbly from a migraine Sunday (I actually fell and scratched up my face this time. *insert eye roll here* As if I needed anything else to contribute to my clumsiness...But the breathing helped. I still woke up a bunch last night, but I got to sleep faster. I was worrying over my interview and my grandpa had some stroke-like symptoms. Didn't heard how he was until this morning. He had a "pre-stroke," and the doctors sent him home saying that only 10% of people who have those go on to have full strokes...I've been dreading hearing my phone ring all day. I've begrudgingly recorded all of my meals so far. I don't know what it is about this task that irks me so, but for the sake of the challenge... All of my supplies should be here before the weekend, so I'll have to enforce some butt-in-chair crafting time Saturday or Sunday. Both would be better, but I know me... I've been both surprised and pleased when recording my food to find that I don't really have a lot of HFCS in my life during the week. I don't think that will change much over the weekend, so I might have to adapt this goal to something a little more challenging...I did give myself a couple of points for not choosing a couple of items with HFCS in them while grocery shopping. I didn't need either of them, nor do I regularly purchase them...just was hungry and nervous, but still turned them down. Ta-da! I think that's about it. Oh! And last night, we had a sort of "breakthrough" with our training. I'm working with both dogs on "Nosework" which is where they have to identify containers with q-tips scented with specific types of essential oils in them. We're working on Birch right now, and really, neither have seemed too excited for the game, until last night when I set up three containers (one with scent, two clean) in the hallway and let them have at it. I finally saw some excitement! Which made me excited! We're going to work the containers again tonight.

Welcome and good luck! Your quests look well-thought out!

@Butternut thank you! I almost cried when I read your post. In a good way. Thanks too, everyone else! @Casbin & @Bean Sidhe, I like the hankie idea! I can see myself getting whacked in the face with the door if I try to use my clothes. O.o I have very happy news though, guys. I got in! I'm so excited. The "interview" was more informational than anything. The lady was extremely nice and friendly and did most of the talking. She and I hit common ground pretty quickly because I volunteer at the animal shelter. Apparently that's also where she got her start, and she was very pleased when I told her I planned to train the cats there as part of my "second species" requirement for the course. She just finished leading a program that clicker trained cats at a shelter to make them more adoptable as well. I may have to send her a picture of my pup. She was pretty excited about the mix that she is. In other good news, I don't have to pay the full amount until February, so I may not have to take out their loan anyway, though the one I had planned on was an interest free plan. It's five installments so that put it at around $1K each payment. That wasn't going to be doable if I had to start paying now, but I can definitely save up the first three payments by then, and that would buy me time (no pun intended) to save for the final two.

How scary! I hope the Kondo thing will help. I've seen a lot of people who really enjoyed doing it.