Anna418's Weekly Check-In

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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anna418
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Anna418's Weekly Check-In

Post by anna418 » Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:23 pm

I've decided it's probably easiest for me to check in on a weekly basis, rather than daily. My main downfall will be no sweets - I am constantly trolling the candy jars at work. I am a bit worried about eating enough without snacks, but we'll see how it goes.

I also have a general (self-imposed) calorie limit of 1500 calories, or a weekly limit of 10500 calories. (I'm pretty short and a normal weight - my TDEE is about 1700, but I'd like to slowly lose some vanity pounds. If I stick to 10500 calories a week, I will lose about 0.4 pounds/week.)

I'll post next Monday about how this week goes!
Vanilla No-S

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:09 am

Well, maybe I'll post some days, but not daily. It will take awhile to figure out my system. I rolled my snacks into my meals yesterday (N day 1) because I was really worried about going without said snacks! I like to eat every few hours so I was feeling a bit panicky. So I added a slice of whole wheat toast & 1 tablespoon almond butter to my breakfast, and an apple with 0.75 oz Colby jack cheese to my lunch. I was completely fine between meals! I still get an urge to eat something sweet after dinner, but haven't been doing that since January 1, so it was pretty easy to power through those cravings. I still stayed under my calorie goal (I will continue to track for at least a while).

Today the no snacking was quite a bit harder! I am getting a cold and came home early. The kitchen was calling my name. I kept looking at Keebler club crackers on the pantry shelf. I stood firm but was surprised at how many urges I had to snack! I also had to tell myself no to a hot chocolate from the 7-11 across from my work. I never go in but had to this morning, to pick up snacks for an internal event, and found myself immediately craving a giant hot chocolate! I didn't roll any snacks into my meals today except for some cheese at lunch. However that also means I didn't eat any fruit. Oops.

Days 1 & 2 -- SUCCESS!
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:16 pm

I really remember in the first few weeks how I would walk over to a cupboard and look inside it for food. Weird habit.... however, it went away within a few weeks of consistently not giving in. Good luck! Keep persevering. :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Fri Jan 31, 2014 11:05 pm

Wednesday & Thursday (days 3-4) went well! I didn't roll my snacks into my meals and I was fine. I am trying to make sure I eat enough at meals, though, because normally I eat a bit less at meals knowing I'll snack. Success so far!

Yesterday was especially hard because I was managing an internal event and had to order soda, snacks AND pizza. The event started at 4:30 which is dangerous because it's prime snacking time. Upon smelling the food I immediately felt hungry. I held firm and resisted the snacks (and watched everyone else chow down), and once they were gone my appetite mysteriously disappeared. It was like a Pavlovian response to the food in front of me. I'm so used to just grabbing whatever I want. It is really weird to not snack!

Last night we went out to dinner - I had 1 glass of Pinot Noir and really enjoyed it because I knew I wasn't getting another one. I have had a cold and it's now settled in my chest, so I'm at home today. So far it's been a lot easier to ignore the kitchen than it was on Tuesday. I am definitely looking forward to treating myself to a sweet this weekend. Maybe a salted caramel brownie from the bakery down the block. Yum!
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:17 pm

Hi Anna,
I wanted to answer your vacation question on your thread:

Generally, Reinhard has advised to keep your Non-weekend S Days to 2/month, but it is up to us, of course. Since your vacation is two days beyond a normal weekend, that is perfect.

I took 4 Non-Weekend S Days in December, although I was unusual on the forum in doing that. I firmly believe it's better to set the bar at a reasonable height. :)

Habit-wise, I think the key part is to decide AHEAD of time whether a day should be an S Day or not (preferably at the beginning of the month), and that is exactly what you are doing.

If a day is deemed by you to be an S Day, don't have any expectations on yourself. That is habit-fatiguing, in my opinion. Decompress from the stress of building N-day habits on your S Days.

Good job! Glad to have you on the boards.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:24 pm

Thanks for the tip re: vacation! I will keep that in mind.

Summary from last week:
No-S: success!
Glass Ceiling: some success, some failure

I stayed on track with No-S during the week, but definitely indulged on Saturday & Sunday. I am actually somewhat relieved that I'm back to N days. I hear that's normal though, to go off the rails a bit during the weekend at first. I had a piece of pie on Saturday, a piece on Sunday, and a milkshake on Sunday too. Yikes! Definitely was well over calories both days.

Glass ceiling:
No drinks Monday - Wednesday
Success Thursday (1 drink)
Success Friday (2 drinks)
Failure Saturday (3 drinks, argh)
Failure Sunday (2 drinks)

It's hard to stop at 2 drinks because my limits are lowered and I start thinking "gee, that third drink would be delightful!" At least I kept it classy with brut rose champagne as my third drink on Saturday, haha. We went wine tasting on Sunday so I suppose that was sort of a planned fail, but still a fail. Definitely focusing on strictness with N days before I clean up my S days.
Vanilla No-S

jw
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Post by jw » Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:42 pm

Sounds like you are doing really well, Anna! I've never investigated Glass Ceiling closely -- but I thought two drinks was allowable. Why would your two drinks on Sunday be a Fail?
"The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective." -- El Fug

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Tue Feb 04, 2014 12:43 am

For me, I really shouldn't have 2 drinks every day. So I am allowing myself 2 drinks on weekend nights (Friday & Saturday) and keeping my limit to 1 drink on "school nights" (Sunday-Thursday). :? It's going to be kind of hard though! I am so used to 2+ glasses of wine a few nights a week. Not necessary but oh so delicious!
Vanilla No-S

jw
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Post by jw » Tue Feb 04, 2014 1:02 am

Ah, school nights -- makes sense! :)
"The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective." -- El Fug

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Tue Feb 04, 2014 7:25 pm

W2D1 of No-S: SUCCESS!

Had three treats thrown at me yesterday at work. I walked into the breakroom and saw red velvet cupcakes sitting on the table. Then I got an email from the famous Cupcake Fairy here at work mentioning lemon cupcakes and chocolate chip whoopie pies. The whoopie pies were the most tempting - normally I would absolutely eat one (at 10 a.m., no less) without a second thought. It's amazing how many sweets and snacks are constantly available at work!

My coworker/cube neighbor availed herself of both a whoopie pie and a red velvet cupcake. I was pretty jealous, especially since she is 6 feet tall and super thin. I guess she has more places to hide those treats! Still, I am focusing on my goals and recognizing that the treats aren't going to get me there.

Tonight is my weekly Bachelor viewing party with girlfriends. I am going to stick to one glass of wine, no snacks. I will probably bring my dinner to eat while I watch TV so I don't feel too left out.
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Tue Feb 04, 2014 8:30 pm

I think that is a great idea to bring your dinner to the get-together! :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:04 pm

I had the same experience - after starting NoS I suddenly realised all the sweet treats and general snacking being thrown at me and being around me. The other day I laughed out loud when it culminated in an advertisment for snacks for cats. I don't need to perma-snack as it is the case all around me in my office and my friends' cats could all do with fewer snacks as well :)
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Post by eschano » Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:05 pm

Oh, and as I'm saying this I just got a voucher for a "Graze box" full of snacks courtesy to Amazon UK.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Started again January 2021

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:33 pm

W2D2:
No-S FAIL
Glass Ceiling SUCCESS

Guess what?! Apparently me bringing my dinner to Bachelor is actually a TERRIBLE idea! Hah. I brought my dinner last night, which led to me deciding I could add a "bit" of spinach dip to my plate. Which then led to me eating all of the dip. I am serious. No one else ate a bite. It was an entire ramekin full. :oops: It was completely delicious (my friend Abby makes the *best* spinach dip). Plus, since I had failed, I decided to eat some cheese, too! Why?! Luckily I stayed the course on Glass Ceiling and had 1 glass of wine.

Needless to say, today's weekly weigh-in was not pretty. I am going to reweigh tomorrow. Back on track today. Next time, I'll eat dinner at home to create a bright line between dinner and snacking.
Vanilla No-S

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:29 pm

W2D3: SUCCESS!

Back on the wagon, woot. Stayed right at my calorie goal (currently still counting until I get the system down). No drinks yesterday. Just breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Do snow days count as S days? :lol: We are potentially going to have a snow day tomorrow! (A rarity here in the PNW!) I want a big mug of hot chocolate and a bunch of movies!
Vanilla No-S

jw
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Post by jw » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:31 pm

Lots of people drink hot cocoa on N days -- if snow days were S days here in NWPA, though, I'd only have about two N days a month!
"The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective." -- El Fug

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Post by automatedeating » Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:37 pm

LOL! Yep, here in the NW everything stops for a snow day!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! maybe we'll get one!! :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Fri Feb 07, 2014 6:55 pm

W2D4: FAIL! In about the biggest way possible. Oops...

We left early due to the snow (snowpocalypse!) and totally used it as an excuse to celebrate. My H & I both got home around the same time in the early afternoon and ate fancy cheese & crackers (snack fail) and drank champagne (glass ceiling fail). Later on, we made killer chocolate chip cookies (sweets fail). The only thing I didn't eat was seconds...including a second cookie, thankfully :]

I'm working from home today - my H has the day off due to the snow. I think my office is about the only thing open today. I am just glad I brought my laptop home so I didn't have to commute in. I am hoping he keeps me out of the kitchen and away from those cookies!

Today is a new day. Back on the wagon.
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:18 pm

In hindsight, sound like that special snow day would have been a perfect S Day! You and your husband had a romantic time snacking, drinking, and baking together. :)

Like you said, today is a new N Day. And tomorrow is an S Day!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

eschano
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Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:48 am

Sounds like the kind of fail that was a true joy and thus very much worth it in my books. Back to Vanilla NoS N Days today ;)
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Mon Feb 10, 2014 6:36 pm

Yep yep! I counted it as a fail but thoroughly enjoyed it. My routine was all screwed up Thursday & Friday. I got some cabin fever toward the end of the weekend but overall we both liked spending so much time together. Back on the wagon today and back at work! So glad to be getting back into my normal routine.

S days were pretty good, I was good with Glass Ceiling all weekend and also was fairly moderate in my treats. Homemade cookies (so yummy) and one cream soda. I never drink soda so it was a very nice treat on Saturday.

This week I am planning to have N day successes all week! My only potential difficult spot is Thursday - I have a work event that night and will be here until about 8:30 p.m. I need to make sure I bring dinner so I don't snack on the stuff available at the event. (Luckily I can just go hide in my cubicle once I get everything set up, and then I have to clean up at the end.)
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:01 pm

Right--remembering your dinner for Thursday will be key! :) Good luck!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:46 pm

W3D1: Success!

Breakfast - Fage 0% yogurt w/vanilla extract & sliced almonds
Lunch - spaghetti w/Pecorino Romano and black pepper; green grapes
Dinner - sesame & honey pork tenderloin with ramen
Drinks - 1 cup coffee, 3 liters water

Offloaded the rest of our delicious, delicious cookies to my coworkers. I think I managed to put away 5 in 4 days. My husband ate 8 in 4 days. It's totally unfair that my husband is so lean and regularly can eat second dinner, extra cookies, etc. After dinner last night he ate cream of wheat with butter & sugar (one of my favorite breakfasts). Where does he put it?!

I'm on my own for Bachelor this week so luckily there won't be a repeat of snacking during it tonight.
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Wed Feb 12, 2014 5:44 am

Good job!

And men and their dratted fast metabolisms! :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Wed Feb 12, 2014 5:38 pm

W3D2: Success!

Breakfast - Fage 0% yogurt w/vanilla extract & sliced almonds
Lunch - half of a ham & provolone on focaccia, pesto pasta salad
Dinner - leftover ramen
Drinks - 1 cup coffee, 3 liters water, 1 beer (Full Sail Session Lager)

Watched Bachelor last night on my own. Had a beer because I didn't feel like digging through our wine stash to find something cheap enough for a Tuesday night. I don't normally drink beer but I need something to take the edge off the annoying reality tv! :P

I am heading to Utah to visit a friend next weekend and she just emailed me announcing her pregnancy. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I am happily childfree and just don't care for kids myself, but am happy for her because I know this is what they want. However, I was really looking forward to wine & girl talk, not water & baby talk. I feel irrationally annoyed that my trip is not going to be what I expected. I'm probably especially sensitive to it because my two closest friends were both pregnant at the same time last year. So we spent all of our time talking pregnancy, babies and drinking water. So incredibly boring. I thought maybe them having babies would soften me toward the idea, but if anything it's steeled my reserve against babies. :?
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:52 pm

Oh, that does sound like a bit of a downer. I hope your trip ends up being fun and that this particular friend can save her baby talk for her other friends!

You know what I'd do? (of course, I am extremely independent, not always the most supportive friend)--I'd plan on mixed drinks. Those are fruffee and fun to make, and your friend can drink hers without alcohol.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Sinnie
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Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:09 pm

Post by Sinnie » Wed Feb 12, 2014 10:28 pm

I totally understand where you're coming from - and this is coming from someone who has just had a baby. Socializing is not exactly fun anymore. I had my friends over a few weeks ago, and between their loud toddlers running around my living room almost breaking things left and right, I actually said "what ever happened to our wine and cheese nights!!??" I vowed the next meeting is sans kids. Or at least it won't be at my place. Dh wasn't too happy about the tv not working properly after. In any case, since you do not have kids, she really shouldn't go on about it. Especially if she's aware of your childfree choice. I have a friend with a toddler, but isnt exactly the motherly type. When we met for coffee when I was pregnant, I never discussed it beyond "yup, I'm feeling great, thanks for asking!". Hopefully she doesn't bore you unless you clearly seem interested and get on a curious topic about it.

eschano
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Post by eschano » Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:56 am

I get it. My sister and sister-in-law were both pregnant (twice!) during the same time in my mid to later twenties when all I wanted to do it party as much as possible. Even now I find it creepy when perfectly normal people with diverse interests suddenly stop taking an interest in anything but their child. Your friend might not be one of those people though - I know tons of people with kids who are still great fun to hang around. And: you shouldn't talk ALL baby, it should be some baby-talk, some-whatever you want to talk about talk.

P.S: my sister-in-law was actually delighted to hear about something not-baby during her pregnancies and afterwards - still beats unwanted advice about child rearing.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Thu Feb 13, 2014 7:11 pm

Phew, I am glad you guys can relate! They already have one child, so I knew that I would be spending time with their rambunctious 3 year old, but was looking forward to him going to bed early and us hanging out afterward. I'm not very big on partying or getting blind drunk (although I must admit that a few times a year I'll really let loose) but I just really love having the freedom to do what I want on the spur of the moment. And obviously our friends with kids don't have that freedom anymore, so it can affect our plans too. It just sucks because most of our friends now do have kids and it's really hard to meet new folks. And I'm tired of making new friends, only to have them move away! Ok, I'll stop pouting.

W3D3: Fail. Wah.

Breakfast - Fage 0% yogurt w/vanilla extract & sliced almonds
Lunch - yummy "whole bowl" from a local food cart (rice, beans, cilantro, avocado, etc)
Dinner - risotto with broccolini and crispy garlic chips; cheese & crackers
Drinks - 1 cup coffee, 3 liters water
Sweets - one square of chocolate toffee (yum)

The toffee came as a surprise V-Day gift to my husband from his parents. (And it's for me too!) It was good, but I must admit it's really not worth taking the fail. I find that once I "fail" it's really hard not to say, well screw it, I've already failed, I might as well do what I want. However, I resisted that urge and kept my mouth closed :]

Does anyone else find that difficult? "Failing" and then deciding since you failed you might as well really live it up? That's the hardest part of No-S, I think. Anyway, I'll save the rest of the chocolate for the weekend...
Vanilla No-S

eschano
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Post by eschano » Fri Feb 14, 2014 10:01 am

anna418 wrote:Does anyone else find that difficult? "Failing" and then deciding since you failed you might as well really live it up? That's the hardest part of No-S, I think. Anyway, I'll save the rest of the chocolate for the weekend...
Yes, absolutely, I find it horrendous. If I have a fail early in the month I'm often tempted not only to throw the day away but the whole month! Imagine - what a difference that would make. But then I also feel extremely proud and peaceful to resist that urge. Seems like you did really well on that!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

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Started again January 2021

anna418
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Post by anna418 » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:59 pm

Ah! I can easily see where folks would say "screw the MONTH!" I really am trying to just take it one day at a time. But yes, once I make a tiny mistake, it is so easy to give in and just let myself REALLY fail.

I have had a bit of a rough weekend. I learned on Thursday that layoffs are imminent (uh...tomorrow) and let's just say it isn't looking good for me. I have plenty of thoughts on the topic but I think it's best if I leave them to myself for now... :P Food & wine are definitely a go-to when stress hits, so this weekend was a bit, um, "indulgent."

Hope everyone else had a slightly better weekend than I did! :shock: I am really going to try to be good today and tomorrow and try to find better outlets of dealing with the stress than eating sugar and drinking wine.
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
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Post by automatedeating » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:04 pm

Oh, so sorry about the stressful weekend, Anna!
Sounds like a good reason to indulge a wee bit. :)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:13 am

Crossing my fingers for you today! Hope all goes well but either way, I am sure that you are able to deal with it.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

jw
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Location: PA

Post by jw » Tue Feb 18, 2014 11:43 am

Anna, hoping all turns out well today -- hang in there!
"The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective." -- El Fug

anna418
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Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:06 am

Hi everyone! Update - it's official, I am now a trophy wife :D

Honestly I think this is a really good thing. Work has been difficult for a while now, the firm is struggling financially which meant the marketing budget kept getting cut further and further. It was obvious that we had 1 too many folks in the department and just not enough work to do. My projects kept getting cut because they were the most expensive (events & sponsorships). So it makes total sense that I got laid off. My boss needs to do the higher-level strategy stuff and our lower level person below me does the day to day stuff. So my mid-level job got cut.

Anyway, I received a generous severance package and can collect unemployment, and we have savings ourselves, so we are not stressed at all. I am so lucky I can be picky and really take this time to reevaluate my career and decide what I want to do. Since I work in marketing I have a pretty good range of options. I am really excited about having some time off. I have been working since I was 16 and am ready for a little mental break! And I can finally do a bunch of stuff around the house that we have been putting off.

Was pretty off the wagon this weekend because of the stress/uncertainty if it was ME who would get laid off. I was pretty sure but still wasn't completely certain. Frankly I would have been more stressed if I had kept my job. Because I had nothing to do!

Was back on the wagon today. No more Oreos and wine...for now!
Vanilla No-S

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:23 am

Glad the uncertainty part is over and you can focus on your next move.

Enjoy your time off!

From one trophy wife to another! ;)
Linda
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:28 am

Hi Anna,
What a great mindset. And you've been working since you're 16? It's a well-deserved break and if the severance package was generous also one you might be able to enjoy a bit before getting back to work.

Now, do look at strategies for NoS that work when you don't have a regular work routine. I believe there are lots of people here on the board who don't have a 9-5 job but do structure your day for continued success.
Can't wait to hear more.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:12 pm

Thanks for your support! I am definitely going to set a schedule for myself starting next week. I have been running errands so far and it actually takes up a good bit of the day. The cat is curious as to why I am home, but she seems to be enjoying it. She keeps following me from room to room.

Heading to lunch shortly to meet a friend who is a SAHM. She is the only other person I know who isn't currently working, and luckily is one of my best friends! Went to the grocery store this morning and it was old folks central. I haven't been during the week in ages.

I have been working at least part time since I was 16 (the Gap, woo!) and continued working part-time throughout college (full time in summer). At one point in college I had 3 jobs. That was awful. Then I got a full time job right out of college and here I am. Ready for a break! I am enjoying the minimal screen time I've been getting. I had way too much screen time every day - 8 hours at work and probably another 3 at home. Yikes. Trying to dial that back and start reading more books!
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:21 am

I love your attitude about this! I think this could be a really good change for you, it seems like an opportunity, really.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:58 pm

Thanks, automatedeating!

Let's see...W4D4: SUCCESS! 8)

Phew, let me tell you, that was a hard one. I kept thinking of the Oreos sitting innocently on the pantry shelf. I had a headache so it was easy to resist the wine, but the sugar was another battle. I really thought it through and knew that I wanted that "green" on the HabitCal, so I worked through the cravings! Feeling pretty good about that. Still thinking of sugar (the more I eat, the more I crave) but going to fight it again until tomorrow's S day. Hopefully enjoying a glass of wine at dinner will help.

I also need to get more fruit in, I haven't been eating much fruit at all. It's my bad habit that my husband really gets on my case about. He is huge into fruit and I'm just not. I mostly like really expensive raspberries.

For now, I'm off to clean the house! We are heading out on our respective Utah trips tomorrow and I am a maniac about having a sparkling house before we leave.
Vanilla No-S

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Sat Feb 22, 2014 12:03 am

Good for you for fighting those cravings. I really had to white knuckle it at first but now don't think about snacking or eating sugar much. My beverages definitely help keep me happy between meals.

Don't worry too much about nutrition right now. Your brain will have an easier time if you just give it one obstacle at a time. In the beginning I just focus on 3 plates no matter how full they were, after about a month they got more normal looking, after about 3 months in I was ready to add exercise.

It's been about 7 months and I'm just starting to focus on nutrition a bit. Seems to be a natural progression for a lot of us here so you'll know when you're ready to tackle the next thing.

I totally get the clean house thing. Nothing worse then coming home to a messy house after vacation. Have fun!

Linda
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Sat Feb 22, 2014 12:22 pm

Have fun in Utah!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Fri Feb 28, 2014 6:32 pm

Thanks guys! I'm back. I was actually back on Tuesday but my H was gone until Thursday night. It is so hard to cook for myself when I'm solo. I just want to eat a single girl's dinner of wine and popcorn! :lol:

I updated my habitcal as best I could remember. Yesterday I finally got back on track with No-S. Phew.

I haven't been using the computer since I got laid off (which is really nice) and the iPad is a pain to use, but I'll try to still post every day!

My H took today off and we went out to breakfast. I got biscuits and gravy and coffee. Yum. We are heading to the spa soon...a facial for me and his first massage ever! I hope he loves it! It's a beautiful day outside and we are enjoying each other's company. I think it's going to be a fantastic day.
Vanilla No-S

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:14 pm

Wrapped February up with a big old SUCCESS!

Breakfast - biscuits & gravy
Lunch - cod with potatoes & paprika aioli
Dinner - spaghetti with turkey-pesto meatballs
Drinks - black coffee, 2 liters water, 2 glasses wine (GC success)

Went to a friend's house last night and they had cheese, crackers, hummus & veggies. I managed to ignore them all night. At first it was hard but once I told myself no it was totally fine. Savored my 2 glasses of wine slowly over 4 hours.

I calculated my grades for February - yikes! I would like to have a success rate of 75% or better. I am ready for March!
Glass ceiling: 64% success
No-S: 47% success (did not count S days)
Vanilla No-S

eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:51 pm

S days are successful days! This isn't a "diet" :) Well done on the success with the cheeses.
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:54 am

So far March is off to a strong start!

Monday: Success!
Breakfast - Fage 0% yogurt w/vanilla extract & sliced almonds
Lunch - cod with potatoes & paprika aioli
Dinner - cheeseburger & a small side salad
Drinks - 2 liters water, 1 pint beer

Tuesday: Success!
Breakfast - Fage 0% yogurt w/vanilla extract & sliced almonds
Lunch - burrito bowl with chicken (and I stopped when I got full!)
Dinner - some peanut butter...I was not hungry!
Drinks - 1 cup coffee, 2 liters water, 1 glass red wine
Vanilla No-S

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:25 am

Just a little off track late last week, but back on the wagon today.

Today: Success!
Breakfast - yogurt w/almonds & vanilla
Lunch - sloppy joes & french potato salad
Dinner - same as lunch
Drinks - 2 liters water
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Tue Mar 11, 2014 12:57 pm

Anna, I had to laugh when I read your thread. 2 Liters of water! I just imagined you as a little person carrying around this giant 2-L bottle all day. :) And then if anyone gives you a hard time about it, I imagine you saying, "At least it's not wine!"

Glad your week is off to a good start!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Fri Mar 14, 2014 4:03 am

Haha! To be fair, I only carry it in ONE liter increments! I am addicted to my SodaStream and make fizzy water twice a day. I adore it.

Tuesday: Fail! I blame Juan Pablo.
Breakfast - cream of wheat
Lunch - sloppy Joes & French potato salad
Dinner - antipasto plate (goat cheese, crackers, olives, Marcona almonds, chocolate-covered almonds, salami)
Drinks - 2 liters water, 3 glasses wine (oopsie)

Wednesday: Success!
Breakfast - cream of wheat
Lunch - none, my breakfast was SUPER late
Dinner - spaghetti puttanesca
Drinks - 2 liters water

Thursday: Success!
Breakfast - cream of wheat again
Lunch - spaghetti puttanesca
Dinner - spicy Mexican pork & rice (so good!)
Drinks - 1 liter water, 1 glass wine
Vanilla No-S

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Fri Mar 14, 2014 2:53 pm

I had to ask my husband who Juan Pablo is. :lol:
Looks like a pretty good week!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:56 pm

Hi Anna!
Just wondered how you are doing?
Happy Spring!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

back at it

Post by anna418 » Mon Jun 23, 2014 5:08 pm

I'm back! I started a great new job two weeks ago (it's actually a step up in my career) and am finally back to regular computer use. Being laid off was tough because I had unlimited access to the kitchen. Gained 5 pounds and looking to lose it.

Today is my first No-S day! Plan:

Breakfast - Fage 2% yogurt with honey & sliced almonds
Lunch - black beans w/fajita veggies; cherries & a pluot
Dinner - bourbon-glazed ham steak with collard greens

Glad to be back in the land of the living (and working).
Vanilla No-S

eschano
Posts: 2642
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Post by eschano » Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:02 am

Welcome back and Congratulations!
eschano - Vanilla rocks!

July 2012- January 2016
Started again January 2021

anna418
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Post by anna418 » Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:21 pm

Thanks eschano!

So far, doing good. Tonight will be a purposeful "fail" because I have an evening event I'm managing and we're only doing appetizers & drinks. So I will be grabbing bites when I can!
Vanilla No-S

MJ7910
Posts: 504
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:17 am

Post by MJ7910 » Thu Jun 26, 2014 11:29 pm

glad you are back. hope it is going well for you
Current BMI: 22.9. Height: 5'4.5"
Highest BMI: 25.5 in August 2011.
Lowest adult BMI: 20.8 in February 2012.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:03 am

Welcome back!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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