I didn't post for a few days because I was so busy packing up stuff in my office. It's looking on track now (I hope) so I'm catching up on PBS.

Lisa, I understand the part about starting the week off right and then fading. Lucky you, to get to see the Astros! I'll be able to do things like that "some day."

I've been able to keep up the IF throughout the week. This current fast is hard - from 5 pm yesterday to 1 pm today, but I'm close enough now that I know I'll make it, and the scale was nice this morning! I haven't always managed the stretches I'm doing for PT, so that is my main goal today. I was careful about food choices recently, so I am pretty sure some inflammation is leaving my body.

Melissa, getting ready for vacation is exhausting, but I hope you have a great, relaxing, vacation!

Vicki, the job sounds like a good thing. Sounds flexible so you can work as much or as little as you want.

Goals till June 30: 

• Keep up the IF
• PT stretches every day
• GET THE OFFICE EMPTIED (not precisely a health goal, but a big stress relief when this is done!)
• Thyroid pill every day (This one was started in March and is now such a habit I don't really need the reminder, but I wanted more bullet points)

One goal by July 1: Think of a goal for July, my first month of retirement! I'll have extra time, though I will still be finishing the sorting of the stuff in the hotel room. So I'm thinking it will be something like cooking instead of fast food, or more steps, or something like that.

Margaret, those stress reliever things, like clearing out your office, are definitely health goals.  Stress has a negative impact on our health is soooo many ways.  Good job on the long IF fast.  I need to incorporate some of those longer fasts and see if I can't get the needle moving again.  I've been hovering at this same weight (within a couple pounds) for way too long.

I have a July goal, but it's probably going to seem dumb to most of the people here.  It's not particularly health/fitness related - although I can make a case for it being a healthy habit.  Mostly it's just a habit I need to establish to overcome a bad habit already in place.

How's that for a teaser. . . . .

Astros game early today - in fact, just started.  I'm going to lunch with a friend and will probably miss most of the game.  It will be recorded though, so if I avoid knowing how it turns out, I can watch it later today.

My monthly goals & last week's progress (Sunday 6/19-Saturday 6/25)

Exercise 4x/week....this past week 6/7 days
Read 30min/day...this past week 6/7 days
Eat in dinner 5/7 days...this past week 5/7 days (ate out last Tue-pizza & Sat-tonight-gift card to Bad Daddy's Burger Bar that we wanted to use)

My goal weight is 122-feel like I'm never going to get there.

6/1 124.4
6/6 126.6
6/11 125.6
6/19 127.6
6/25 127.2

I have decided on the new habits/goals I want to start implementing & tracking in July.

I must have done something right this past week. I'm down 4.2 lbs (235.2). If I could do that every week I'd be thrilled but know that's most likely not going to happen. But any loss weight wise will continue to make me happy.

I start the part time job tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to getting that started and doing more to help myself,

Have a great week everyone.

Congratulations Vicki!! That's awesome! The 4.2 weight loss AND the new job are great & will keep the momentum going!

Shayla, I am right there with you in feeling like I won't ever reach my goal weight.  But, if I am honest, I know I am not being as diligent as I was when I needed to lose more weight.  This week I am going to be super diligent about my IF schedule and pay more attention to what I am eating (calories).  Going to do clean fast too.  I have been doing a dirty fast for months, and for months I have been playing with this 3-5 pounds.

Hope everything goes well on the job Vicki.  I like your attitude and think it's going to be good for you in many ways.

Sunday, so my goals are almost non-existent.  Just IF schedule (eating Noon-7pm) and write in my gratitude journal tonight.  I'm eating both meals in and I will likely get at least 30 minutes reading/listening to my book.

I'm watching the Astros and hope to see them beat the Yankees.  I'll call my mom this afternoon too.

Wishing y'all a great day and I will talk to you tomorrow sometime.

Contemplating changes that need to be made next month so I don't continue to yo-yo from 127-125 constantly.

Started off today with a 4 mile walk in the neighborhood. It was very pleasant..it was only 75 degrees & overcast b/c rain is moving in this afternoon.

Good morning.  The day has started off positive.  I went to a class at the gym at 7:00 a.m.  Not too much else going on for me today, but a friend and I are meeting up for lunch and then going to watch a movie.  Probably something I recorded off Hallmark or GAC.

Like you, Shayla, I'm trying to figure what I need to do to reset and stop the 3# yo-yo.  I think I need to go back to a clean fast and being sure I stick to the schedule.  I'm not sure why, but when I do the dirty fast so that I can have flavored sparkling water during my fasting window, it seems to make me a little less committed to the whole schedule.  Plus, I find myself not just cheating on the time a little bit, but just not being as disciplined on what I'm eating during the eating window.

So this week I am committed to doing the clean fast and sticking to the schedule.  I pretty much left the schedule like it came up in the app, except it had an eating window of Noon-8 a couple days and I backed that up to 11-7.  Anyway - hoping that going back to "clean fasting" will help me get back on track.  Short term goal is to hover around 153-156 instead of 158-161.

Today's goals:  IF schedule, 10K steps, gym, gratitude journal, continuation of the other new habits.

Wishing y'all a great day.

I haven't posted here in awhile because I had stopped:  losing weight, exercising, etc.  I knew what I needed to do but just hit a road block.

Two weeks ago, I told myself I was easing back in and, when I weighed on Sunday morning, I had hit 199 lbs.  It was the first time in 4 years that I weighed less than 200.  Not by much but I'm very happy and proud of myself.  It took me 1.5 years (not quite) but that's okay because I did it.

I still have more I want to lose but hitting that 199 mark felt like a huge achievement and I wanted to share. 

Ani, congratulations.  It's always encouraging to break those plateaus.  Keep up the good work.

Ani-that's so great! Hitting a big goal like that will encourage/motivate you to keep that momentum going! Good for you for getting back at it!

Good morning.  Hope your day is going well.

Continuing on with the same goals:  IF schedule (eating 11-Midnight; 24 hour fast starts at Midnight); 10K Steps; Gym; Writing in my gratitude journal

Intend to eat both meals in, and I'm sure I'll get my 30 minutes of reading/listening in.  I'm nearing the end of the audio book, and you know how that goes.  Always want to read more near the end of the book.  :)

Wishing y'all a successful day, whatever the goals you are trying to achieve are.  We can do this!

Broke my fast a bit early today...by about an hour. I had my 3 closests girlfriends over to hang out by the pool & I provided snacks. Thankfully the snacks did not include sweets...I offered chicken salad, crackers, cheese, veggies, dip & grapes.  Tonight Rob & I have a dinner meeting out at Red Robin so I'm going to need to look at the menu & see what somewhat healthy choice I can make. Hopefully they have good salad choices. Hopefully we'll get home before dark so I can walk the neighborhood since I haven't done any exercise yet & don't forsee doing any before I go to dinner.

Vicki-how was the first day on the new job?

Motivation for the day:  Your body is your most priceless possession. Take care of it.

Shayla, how nice that you can have your friends over to hang out by the pool.  Enjoy Red Robin.  I've been having a hankering for that recently.  Not salad though.  Lol

Maybe it can be a reward if I can drop my "hovering" window by 5#.

I went to Red Robin & persevered! I got a salad..not fun, but necessary. :)  I also got home in time to squeeze in a 2 mile walk before it got dark. A feel like today was a success.

Good afternoon.  Congratulations on the success yesterday, Shayla.  It's hard to make the good choice sometimes.  :)

I'm watching the Astros now and trying to decide if the gym happens later today.  My goal is 3x a week, and I went yesterday and Monday.  I plan to go tomorrow afternoon so I know I'll get my 3x.  I don't particularly like the classes offered later this afternoon when I would want to go, so I'm about to talk myself out of it.  We'll see.

Also, I'm in a 24-hour fast period (7 p.m. last night until 7 p.m. tonight) and I don't know if working out without food is such a good idea.  That sounds like 'justification,' but I am not sure it really is.  I don't know if I've worked out late in a 24-hour fast.  I've done it when it's fairly early in it - iike if I'd gone this morning.

I believe I've talked myself right out of the gym.  So, my goals today are to complete this fast and then only eat one meal, to get my 10K steps, to write in my gratitude journal, and to continue with those other new habits I've established (reading, TV off, etc.).  Need to get moving because I'm only at about 4000 steps and it's after 1:00 p.m.

Wishing y'all a good, and successful, day - however you define that.

Good morning.  Going shortly for lunch with a group of ladies.  It's an Italian restaurant which means I'll probably have to work to find a good choice, but maybe I can eat half and bring half home for later.  And, skip, or at the very least limit, the bread.

DId not go to the gym yesterday, but I did make that 24 hour fast.  Now I have a 24 hour eating period.  I don't really like that, but it's switching me from skipping breakfast to skipping dinner and I know I do best when I stop eating earlier in the day.  I am just telling myself - "just because you 'can' eat doesn't mean you have to eat."  I didn't eat breakfast so the Italian will be my first meal of the day.

I'll make the gym today for my 3rd time unless it's too stormy, in which case I'll go early tomorrow morning.  We are supposed to get some pretty severe storms today from a disturbance in the Gulf.  We need the rain soooo badly that I don't think most of us even care that it might be severe storms.

So today's goals:  IF Schedule; 10K Steps; Gym; Write in the Gratitude Journal; Continue all my other habits from the beginning of the year.  :)