Category Archives: weight woes

spring into summer

Leave a reply

I always have the best intentions to regularly update this space, and then I finally get around to writing and look back and realize I haven’t been here since March.

So what have I been up to since then? All the things I usually am. The kiddo has gone from her school year activities of band, soccer, and theater to her summer activities of Driver’s Ed (how??), band (always band), and art camp. Work has been busy and I have been active with running (sort of), knitting (probably need a whole post about that), and Weight Watchers. I have been pretty consistently on the WW app yet have only lost about 5 lbs in 2 months…menopause is a bitch.

We saw ‘Six’ at the Fisher, the kiddo had a spectacular run in ‘Hello Dolly’, we got a bond at the local pool club, and I got braces.

And I turned 50.

I started a whole solipsistic post about that and didn’t finish it (you’re welcome). I know age is just a number, but I really do feel a sea change about this particular number. I know I can’t just entirely retire in this decade, but I have been able to begin the process of evaluating where I am investing my time and energy and more importantly, why. During this decade, I hope to be more thoughtful about that and begin to swing away from doing things for other people and more for myself. Less because I ‘have’ to and more because I ‘want’ to. And when that’s not possible, to give myself grace in how I approach those things. For example – can I quit my job? No. Do I sometimes dream about retirement? Yes. But when I stop and think about it – I really like my job and even in retirement I don’t plan on giving up work altogether unless I’m forced to. So is it my job itself that I dream of giving up, or the mental stress and pressure I put on myself ABOUT my job that I can reconsider? It’s more about shifting the narrative about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. I work because I love being able to financially support myself, my home, and my daughter. I work because I really love the people I work with and am interested in the job I do. I GET to work. However, I also love who I am without work. I have no interest in being promoted, making more money, hustling, changing jobs, or advancing myself in any way other than showing up and doing a solid, ethical job at what I’m responsible for – but putting work on an equal footing with my family, my home, and MYSELF. Not letting it usurp other things I love and need, and take up more space than it should – and this decade, that is enough.

Same with my health. Would I love to lose 20 lbs and be the same weight I was ten years ago? Yep. Am I willing to put the work into doing that? Probably not. Am I tracking and using WW just for the weight loss and how I look? No. I feel better when I consider what I am putting into my body and have goals about the kind of foods I am eating, about drinking less wine, drinking more water. And running. Would I love to set a half-marathon PR that crushes what I could do ten years ago? Yes, but I don’t run because I am trying to do that (or even think that’s really possible). I am not doing these things to flog myself into being something I’m not. I run because I feel better when I move my body and I know that these things give me a greater ability to grow old gracefully in a healthy and happy way.

So those are the big things. In other news, it’s summertime here in SE MI and I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening at home with Brandon and then a busier day tomorrow. The Girl Scout troop (yes my kiddo and her friends are still hanging in there with Girl Scouts) and accompanying mom troop are all headed to Cincinnati on Sunday for a couple of days hanging out in a sprawling, historic AirBNB Victorian, cooking for each other, shopping, eating, and visiting King’s Island. Ten years ago the thought of these 2-3 days would have given me hives. Now – I’ve known these women since our kids were in second grade and they’re my mom tribe. They’re the women I text when I have questions about marching band or something happening at the high school. We are who we turn to when the school is on lockdown because of a threat investigation (which has happened no fewer than 8 times this year). So while this probably isn’t the ideal way I would spend my vacation days, I no longer have any anxiety about it – I’ll load up my books and knitting and they’ll know that I’ll be the first to go to bed and no one cares.

I do have plans for a knitting post and a Favorite Things post – I have lots of little fun conspicuous consumption items that I’ve found and have been enjoying. Whether those posts come in June, July, August or beyond – I make no promises. But be well in the meantime!

winds and clouds and changing skies

Leave a reply


It’s March and 2023 already feels pretty action packed. Our power grid in suburban Elysia is always a matter of heated local commentary and it’s been tested severely over the past couple of weeks. An ice storm knocked out about 500,000 households two weeks ago, and just as the vast majority of those folks were coming back online, we got hit with an unusually intense snowfall on Friday night that delivered another wallop. The snow started showering down at about 3:30 Friday afternoon – it was heavy and wet, and came down so fast that it took more trees, branches, and power lines with it. We made it all the way through our Friday night movie selection (“The ‘Burbs” which Brandon had never seen) and within seconds of the end credits, we heard the familiar sound of blowing transformers and the lights went out. I’ve lived in Michigan almost all my life and I’ve never experienced thunder snow and lightning before. It was amazing and terrifying. Luckily, I had the foresight to blow up our air mattress so we could sleep downstairs near the woodstove, so we were fairly comfortable, but still. It’s a matter of convenience. The rest of the weekend felt like a wash – power going off and on until Sunday mid-afternoon. When it was finally restored, we could start laundry, meal plan for the week ahead, restock the fridge, etc. Pretty much everyone in the neighborhood is just pissed and done with the fact that our power goes out whenever someone sneezes. There will be a long line of generator customers (including us) once tax refund checks are delivered.

Anyway – it’s March and I have some goals!

Firstly – health and self-image – I am getting my teeth fixed. I resisted for a long time but my dentist told me before the holidays that my bite has become so bad that my teeth are actually loose on top and chipping on the bottom. I had braces as a kid, but I didn’t wear my retainers so….cautionary tale. I went in for an ortho consult last week and unfortunately, Invisalign is not an option…I need an extraction to relieve overcrowding and then it’s good old-fashioned brackets and bands for me. Starting soon.

Also in the health and self-image category – I’m back on Weight Watchers. While I’m all about body positivity, and embracing that my peri-menopausal body at 49 and 8 months is never going to look like it did before (and that’s okay) – I would really like to feel a bit better in my clothes than I do currently. I am short, and I gain weight around my belly and as a result I can just look barrel-shaped which makes finding pants that fit almost impossible. So another March goal is tracking and doing better with my food choices and getting back into some of my work pants. It’s also somewhat true that once I do one positive thing for my overall health and well-being (see ortho above) then I feel inspired to do other things. I spontaneously re-upped Weight Watchers a few hours after my ortho consult.

Professional goals – Although Widget Central has been fairly lax about hybrid schedule and working from home, I’m conscious that these things are much about perception, too, so in March I will try to be more faithful to 2-3 days a week in the physical office building. I’ve been averaging about 1 office day a week since January. I like work from home, but I also don’t mind time in the office, so this shouldn’t be a major problem for me – the biggest thing is just planning to pack my lunch and snacks (which should also be good because – see above with weight issues).

Miscellaneous goals include keeping up with my 2023 reading challenge, running at least 20 miles, blogging once a week and finishing at least 1 knitting project. I’ll check in on these things at the beginning of April, hopefully in a bit more organized format.

Not really a goal here, but at the end of the month, for the kiddo’s Spring Break, we’ll be taking a trip to Williamsburg, VA – she’s going to be 15 this summer so she has probably already aged out of the ‘educational trip with parents’ bracket, but I still think it will be cool for her to see Williamsburg and Jamestown, the weather should be mild and pleasant, the hotel has an indoor pool and we’ll eat some nice meals. I’m currently trying to decide whether to drive our Subaru Outback (the inexpensive route) or rent a more comfy minivan for the 20ish hour (round trip) drive.

And of course there are the usual tasks of getting taxes done (tomorrow), running the kiddo around to theater rehearsals (Hello, Dolly! in May! she plays the judge!) and marching band and music lessons and scheduling her summer music camp and driver’s education class in June (!!).

And that’s our March.

The title of my post is from William C. Bryant: “The stormy March has come at last, With winds and clouds and changing skies; I hear the rushing of the blast That through the snowy valley flies.”

friday five!

2 Replies

1. I got my Covid booster on Monday so, like Big Bird, I am fully armed to protect myself and my community. My first two were Pfizer, this one Moderna. My initial side effects were all similar- sore arm, fatigue, headache, all of which were resolved within 24 hours. I took the next day off from work, slept, drank lots of water, and was good to go the following day. However, now, a few days out, I’m developing an itch and mild rash at the injection site. After some Internet research I’ve found that this an uncommon but benign side effect – mostly in women – of the Moderna shot but not seen with Pfizer. Nothing to worry about but who knew.

(And while we are on the topic of Big Bird’s vaccination, can we remember that Big Bird has been endorsing vaccines since 1972? And let’s also remember that Ted Cruz is a repellent individual who – while vaccinated himself (!) – feels he has nothing better to do to serve his constituents than attack a PUPPET for making little kids feel good about vaccinations in general. Whenever I think the GOP can’t get shittier or dirtier they manage to outdo themselves.)

(Also – fuck psycho Kyle Rittenhouse and fuck his psycho mom and fuck the biased judge while I’m at it. You don’t go out walking around with an AR-15 and then CLAIM SELF DEFENSE WHEN YOU KILL PEOPLE. It was what you INTENDED TO DO ALL ALONG. And then certainly don’t (badly) pretend to CRY ABOUT IT. You’re a racist scumbag murderer – at least own it now, stand by your shoddy upbringing and flawed belief system and complete absence of morals and ethics and take your punishment.)

2. The other big thing for me this week is the rollout of the new Weight Watchers program. I’ve been on WW for over a year now, after gaining some Covid weight. I gained about 10 on top of being about 10 over where I should be, lost almost 20, stopped working the program and gained back 10 to put myself right where I was pre-pandemic. I’ve been half-heartedly and listlessly tracking since then without much motivation. Peri-menopause is real and it is here. The new program has jump-started me because I can actually earn points back for drinking water, hitting my step goals, and eating non-starchy vegetables! I’m very much in favor of it and am back to tracking constantly. For the first time in months I’ve had over 60 oz of water several days in a row and hit step goals and food targets as well! I love that the program is holistic, there are no “bad” foods, and encourages general health, activity and well-being.

3. Yesterday at lunch Brandon and I walked our annual Thanksgiving donations down to the mailbox. We each donate a specific amount for Thanksgiving (and then again at Christmas) to our selected charities. This year he went with Salvation Army and I chose Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit. Then we got Starbucks in the new holiday cups (basic bitch level enjoyment unlocked) and walked around the historic district of our village admiring the Veterans Day flags and banners. A belated but heartfelt THANK YOU for your service to all my readers who are vets!

4. I’ve never been one for expensive shampoo but my stylist convinced me to try samples of Aveda NutriPlenish and dammit after a week my hair looks and feels much improved. I find it difficult to spend that much on shampoo and conditioner but what am I to do? Luckily my salon is having a holiday 25% off sale next week so I can pick up my first bottles at a bit of a discount. I’d be better off if I could go days between washes but I’ve never been able to do that.

5. For several weeks the kiddo and I have been working together on a top secret crafting project for holiday gifts, which I hope to share more about next week. This year, we’re trying to do more handmade gifts for loved ones and I’ll give you a hint – we use a lot of these at this time of year.

That’s it for Friday. What are you doing this weekend? Brandon and I will do a 4-5 mile run, and I have to get the kiddo sorted out with a pair of black dress pants for her band concert on Monday night. I also hope to finish up her Purl Soho Simple Pleasures hat. The weather should be cooler and wet with possible S-N-O-W! Be well and enjoy. xo

weekend edition

1 Reply

5d4ad487-5882-473a-a801-ca679ecdfefb

Happy weekend, all!

June was a quiet month on the blog but very busy IRL.

4378ab3f-941b-482e-a1f4-6a7a00070d20

We celebrated my 47th birthday and Miss L finished her very strange 6th grade year.  I now have a 7th grader – I can barely believe it. Although it seems that the kiddos may be able to go back to school in the fall, nothing is certain right now, and even if they do, it will surely look different than it does now.

8368114d-efb7-4ebc-bf6a-6954c1486d15

 

I’m still working from home and feeling blessed that my company is being very cautious about bringing everyone back. Miss L’s camps were cancelled this summer and it’s so nice not to have to worry about rearranging all of our schedules to accommodate for her summer care – although the weeks when she is home feel just as busy in the summertime as they did when she was doing virtual school. While I am an introvert, and happy to be at home for large swathes of time without social contact (in this way, self-isolation was no problem for me whatsoever), Miss L is extroverted and I think all kids need social stimulation, interests, and friendships. She and Brandon have bonded over their mutual enjoyment of old kung fu movies and skateboarding, so there are regular visits to the local skate park, but during the weeks we try to make sure she sees her friends from school and get out into the neighborhood. It’s been a balancing act to do this in a responsible, socially distanced way but I think most of her friends’ parents are simpatico on this, and Miss L has been happy to have more bandwidth with a few of her friends and some neighborhood friends at both her dad’s house and mine.

795a9674-2cdf-4bc4-a2ef-df027184baff

I have been doing Weight Watchers for about a month now and am thrilled to report that I’ve lost 8 lbs. I still have a bit to go before I get back to what I thought I was before the pandemic, and another 10+ to go before I am finally at my goal weight, but the program is working for me and I am feeling really good on it. In addition to seeing the scale move a little bit in the right direction every week, I’m drinking way more water than I used to, and my skin looks much better. I am strictly limiting refined sugar, processed foods, and alcohol, and I am less bloated, my clothes feel better. I’m taking supplements and sleeping like a baby, and have more energy all around – I haven’t felt a mid-afternoon crash into sluggishness since I started the plan. The plan I’ve picked meshes well with the way we eat anyway, and feels more like a reminder / education about making good choices with food and movement. So here’s to the next month on it and hopefully more loss.

img_8325

I went a little crazy signing us up for virtual running events but Brandon and I are having a lot of fun getting our miles in and tracking our progress. The big one, you’ll remember, is the Mitten Run – 160 virtual miles from Oscoda to Empire (across the upper half of the lower peninsula, for you non-Michiganders) and I also signed us up for the Michigan Harvest Challenge, which is a different harvest-themed run per month through October. We’re also doing the virtual Fishtown 5k, which is a fundraiser for historic Leland, and the virtual Crim 10-miler in August. Whew! It’s a lot of running and so far we haven’t made it out of Farmington for our runs, but the Harvest Challenge offers suggested Strava routes up north for the various events so maybe one month we’ll get crazy and drive up north to do one.

ea0ba246-f492-47c6-8e68-0b42a91d145d

I hope you are all well and safe and healthy. xoxo

136c7bb0-a2eb-46c5-9eab-58326399f3ea

 

in which the best thing is a birthday

Leave a reply

The big thing this past weekend was Miss L’s birthday. I cannot believe my little one is 11 and entering middle school this year. It goes without saying that she is the light of my life and I could devote endless pages to her, except that is a little icky because, you know, her safety and privacy. I usually keep her off the blog, except peripherally. However, I will post a pic of her cake, which Busch’s kindly personalized with our favorite dragons.

96122509-e555-40b3-b8a2-9182acd3e418

And Emmett didn’t quite understand WHY he didn’t get any presents.

c996be7a-f368-41d5-8788-3ce0f5f98eee

After her celebrations with us on Saturday, she went to her dad’s house on Sunday to celebrate with her family there, and Brandon and I were off for our last long run before next weekend’s Crim. Unfortunately I slept in until almost 9 and Brandon was afraid to wake me up.  I heard him tiptoe in, put his running shorts on, stare at me hopefully for awhile, then leave again. At some point later, I smelled a mug of coffee being put by my head, and after clearing his throat and whispering, “It’s getting really hot out”, he wisely retreated quickly. I was grumpy about it from the very beginning, having no time to wake up gradually and enjoy the morning and my coffee; and he was right, the weather was atrociously hot and humid and as a result it was one of the worst runs I’ve had in months.

Our plan was to do a 3-mile out to our local nature park, do a couple of miles on the trails, and then 3 miles back the same way; however, we got there and spent a long time in front of the bottle-filling water station, and I just wanted to lay down in front of it, continually filling and swilling my hand-held, and Brandon maybe realized that things were going downhill (NOT literally). So we decided to try for more distance inside the park, where it was at least shady, and a shorter 2-mile route back. Of course, inside the park is steep trails, so what we got in shade we lost in hills, and I was basically baked for the 2 miles back, which I spent staring at Brandon’s back as he charged up hills like the engine that could. I pulled the pin at 7.5 excruciatingly slow and frustrating and painful miles and walked the rest of the way while Brandon chugged away ahead of me. He chirpily fist-bumped me and enthused that it was a great sampling of what the Crim will be like next weekend – “MUCH hotter and MUCH hillier” – and I tried not to vomit and pass out at the thought.

da349ae9-7a6e-4e50-96b1-ee74e68732b4

Anyway, I’m looking forward to a week of catching up at work (although “looking forward to” is not really accurate, should maybe be “have no choice about”), and Workplace Violence training in which I apparently learn what to do in case of an active shooter on-site. I am already prepared for this, as my plan is to hide in someone’s locker, although come to think of it I last checked that I could fit into one of those lockers when I was 20 lbs lighter, so maybe I’d better re-validate that as an option.

Pursuant to the 20 lb comment, I’ve been tracking my calories and water intake with Lose It! for the last four weeks, and staying away from wine (this after aforementioned Lose It! documented Cabernet Sauvignon as my top caloric expenditure, with grilled chicken a very distant second, which I felt was WRONG somehow and should be addressed. However, there’s still cake in the refrigerator and ice cream in the icebox so I have to figure out my plan relative to those things, which may just be f- it, I deserve it since I’m not drinking any calories, and I have a horrible death run on Saturday in FLINT, and if the Workplace Violence training is all it’s cracked up to be, maybe I don’t even need to worry about fitting into a locker after all.

meanderings

Leave a reply

On this last day of July in the year of our Lord 2018, welcome friends! I hope all is well with you and yours. I’ve returned from a whirlwind but always-lovely weekend in the Up North area of Pure Michigan. We looked at the wonderful old houses left over from the days when wealthy folks would take a ship up from Chicago to their expansive summer homes to catch a breeze.

We toured the Benzie Area Historical Museum which was so well done and interesting – especially for a museum of its size, it’s a treasure trove of old photographs, displays, furniture, books, boats…and a tiny sawmill that actually works.

img_2817

img_2816

img_2808

And of course there was a lot of outside time under the sunshine and big sky.

I just wanted to say hello as I segue back into the work week. Today is dusting day on my cleaning protocol but I am baking some chicken and sitting with Emmett instead. I have a full day of meetings tomorrow for a new gig at work that I’m taking on in addition to my consistent paralegal / governance tasks – I came home hoping my Goody Box from Thred Up had arrived with a couple of nice new-to-me work outfits carefully curated by a stylist at my favorite consignment website. (It’s such a cool service. Give them your Pinterest style board and sizes, they’ll select a box of goodies for you, keep what you like return what you don’t…love it.) The box was indeed full of great stuff but only 2 things really worked. Sadly, I’ve gained a few pounds in the past year and have not been entirely consistent with my Weight Watchers. I’m back on it now, and hoarding blue dots, but I have a ways to go until the clothing that I favor can look good on me.

I’ve been running more but my eating hasn’t been on track so the extra few miles aren’t doing much, although I’m really happy to say that I’m feeling healthy and strong, with no pain or injury, which is something I don’t take for granted. B and I did a neighborhood 5k last weekend when he was home and it poured down rain like nobody’s business. We ran it anyway! Our time wasn’t much to write home about but you do the best you can when you are drenched to the skin.

As I type, it’s still raining, which is good news for my yard and plantings – what is left of them, that is, after the nonstop assault by the mama deer and her two fawns that I have squatting in the hedgerow (I live in a suburb, have I mentioned?) And cozy, knowing I have nowhere to be and nothing to do except eat and watch Netflix and maybe do some reading. I hope you are equally snug and content, until next time.

img_2793

insert obligatory new beginnings quote here

Leave a reply

Happy 2018! Even though I didn’t take much time off work, I still managed to enjoy a really nice holiday season – highlights included a couple of days that L & I spent with my parents in the frozen northlands and my summer friend B being home for a whole week.

12.2017_dunes

frozen northlands

It was a nice mix of family time and grownup time. The three of us went to the Detroit Institute of Art and had filet mignon on New Year’s Eve together; separately, L & I did puzzles and spent days in jammies and B & I visited the Motown Museum & had a great lunch at Social Kitchen and Bar in Birmingham (the atmosphere was a little busy and hipster for me; but the food was great – highly recommend the egg sandwich and the Brussels sprouts). He and I also found time to visit our fave local, Lucy & the Wolf in Northville (everything is good here and the service is absolutely top notch), and I felt a little nostalgic for the summer nights that would find us there eating devilled eggs and then wandering down to the live music in the square.

12.2017_seventeen cats

miss l showing off one of two puzzles we completed over the holiday – the other was a thomas kincaide little mermaid that my mom got her.

12.2017_motown

motown! #detroithustlesharder

Now everything is encased in ice, as the first week of 2018 has followed in the footsteps of past years with a deep freeze. Even though my cats live indoors and never have to put their soft paws in a snowbank, they seem to be as annoyed and drained as us humans – Sarge has barely gotten out of his cat bed since New Year’s. Everyone at work looks glassy and zombie-like. We all have road salt on our shoes and pants and although I’ve managed to shower and put on clean clothes every day, that’s about all the extent of the energy I can muster for self-improvement.

IMG_1327-COLLAGE

portraits of feline laziness

I did, however, get on the work treadmill today for my first run of 2018 and it felt great. I am recommitting to mileage this year and one of my goals is a half-marathon. I finally feel as though I’m fully healed from the stress fracture that’s plagued me for the past couple of years (!) and am slowly building my base again, even if it’s just on the treadmill right now.

01.2018_treadmill

obligatory widget central workout room selfie – can we jam any more equipment in that space?…note my moon face and pooh tummy –> hence the weight watchers…

I had a spotty performance with Weight Watchers over the holiday. I had some really excellent days and then I had some days where I wanted B’s Elvis birthday cake and handfuls of salted mixed nuts and pizza and big goblets of wine. I didn’t lose any weight, but I didn’t gain any, either, and I feel like I’ve started January strongly.
I should also add that one of my other big 2018 resolutions is taking place right now. Last year, I read an article about “Dry January” (mostly a UK thing currently, I think; about 3 million people over there participate) and decided to do it. I felt so good after a month of no alcohol that I’ve decided to make this an annual tradition.

My side hustle starts up again on Monday and if all goes well, I’ll be certified by the end of February. Not much knitting to report except Kit’s Mitts (a Christmas gift for a bestie – technically not finished before Christmas but not my fault – Sarge has a habit of digging into my knitting bag after I’ve gone to bed and dragging my knitting projects around the house, winding the yarn around chairs and tables, then up the stairs, needles and all, and he unraveled them TWICE) which I didn’t even Ravel because I didn’t take a picture of them before they were bundled into an envelope and mailed. I have a little mini-sock on the needles as a test for some Christmas ornaments / gifts for next year and a pair of wool mittens. I have been wearing the wool mittens I knitted last year quite a bit and I even wore them to snowblow and I am thrilled to report that they are WARM!! So I’m making more for the mitten basket.

And that’s about the sum of my New Year update. Happy 2018 to all and sundry and stay warm out there.

jump start

Leave a reply

So, a few observations have crept up on me this fall / early winter.

I got on the scale a week or so ago and saw numbers that I’d never seen.
I went to the doctor for commonplace prescription refill and my weight & triglycerides were a topic of discussion.
I put on a dress for a presentation to Japanese auditors last week and literally felt like I’d been zipped into a corset all day – I couldn’t breathe. (It’s worth noting that this is a sleeveless tweed that I used to wear over long-sleeved t-shirts with boots because it was 2 sizes too big.)
We took a photo with aforementioned Japanese auditors at dinner and my face was like a round pale moon floating over my dish of eggplant parm.

I try to be health conscious. I rarely eat fast food, I exercise 3-4 days a week, I’m active, I do my own yardwork and housework. I run, I cook at home, I eat whole foods.

Oh, I gained the Freshman 15 (or 20) and I’ve gone through periods of my life where my weight has fluctuated. It’s always resolved itself, though, with a few very minor tweaks. And I’ve always been able to throw down on a pizza or a pumpkin pie with gusto and not feel or see any real effects.
Several years ago, during my ramp-up into regular running, and then during my divorce a year or so later, weight just melted off me and wouldn’t stay on. I got too thin, then bounced back to a healthy, happy weight, and from there it’s just been a gradual climb.

And this year the struggle has been real to even stay within the upper range of that healthy weight, and in the last six months, I have to admit that it’s gotten away from me.
I know that some of it is the natural aging process combined with hormone issues related to my contraceptive of choice, but everything I’ve tried – counting calories on my own, increasing exercise, limiting sugar – has not worked.

I pride myself on not being one to sit on my heels and wait for things to get worse, so, in an effort to stall the gradual but steady weight gain, I gave myself a firm talking-to. If something isn’t working, you have to figure out something that DOES, so – four days ago – I signed up for a month of Weight Watchers.

It might be rash to do this immediately before the holidays but once my mind is set, I don’t want to wait and dig myself deeper into a hole. I find it interesting that a few years ago, I tried to sign up for WW and couldn’t – they considered me already at or below my ideal healthy weight. My, how times have changed.

So I enrolled in the new Freestyle program and four days in, I’m finding it both easy / convenient and hellish at the same time. I love that I can track on my iPhone app, and that it connects to my Garmin to log my steps and workouts and give me activity points. I love that there are tons of zero-point foods so I don’t feel hungry, exactly (I just feel angry). I love that I have weekly points and rollover points so I can allocate treat meals or treat days or snacks and know that it will come out in the weekly wash, good days and less good days.
I know that it will get easier and I will feel less hateful and depressed. But right now I am in the first throes of deprivation, full of lean protein and vegetables and sadly lacking in carbs, alcohol, and sugar.

Cheers to getting and staying healthy and a jump start to 2018.