R&R

Another work week behind me, and I'm happy to say that my lifestyle changes have made a bit of improvements.  I think my blood pressure has dropped a bit, and so have five pounds.  Not a whole lot, but every little thing makes a difference these days!  I'm still eating well, reaching for "nutrient points" when I log my meals.  Most days, I reach my goal of 80 or better.  Today ... not so much.

After a grueling session working in the back of the store, going through old boxes of retention paperwork, we nearly completed the task set before us.  The powers that be have changed how and what can be shredded after certain dates.  I knew there were "several pallets" in the back that needed to be disposed of, but how they are disposed has changed.  We counted 13 pallets, with an average of 30 cases per pallet, of things that had to be resorted by the category they belonged in:  "Daily Reports" vs Accounting Records, etc.  In the past, we sorted them by the destroy date, mixing the cases on each pallet.  Then they changed, and said nope, they need to be sorted another way.  After three hours of hard work, heavy lifting and many clouds of dust, we are getting rid of 8 pallets -- 240 cases -- of old records, and have only 3 more to go through.  But that's for another day!   I'm ready for a long hot shower!

And now it's Saturday evening; Friday and today being two very relaxing days of nothing but sunshine, reading a good book, taking long walks, and watching a bit of Netflix. 

Nothing gets more relaxing, however, than watching an Arizona sunset:

Lifestyle, Update

It's been a few days since I took the time to actually write.  I've been in a mode of taking care of myself, mostly working on my lifestyle changes.  I cut back by 250 calories each day, and have managed to finally drop three pounds -- nothing to really write home about, but every inch of progress is a step in the right direction.

My daily walks. .....  and here's Sadie again, scratching at me to pet her.  She hates when I get in a writing mood.  Or maybe she's so spoiled that she thinks all of my waking hours should be *her* time.  lol

Back to daily walks:  I'm walking 37-40 minutes pushing Sadie in her stroller, we cover nearly 2 miles in that time, and it feels really good to have that accomplishment each day!  At the same time, I'm making sure that the foods I eat put me at a good point on the nutrient scale via the Samsung app.   I've cut back my Diet Coke to one a day.  I'm drinking my Plexus Slim Pink Drink.   How long can I keep this up?  It's not easy but I keep telling myself that I'm eating to live, not living to eat.

After my last checkup, I'm on the borderline of having high blood pressure.  I know that dropping weight, exercise an cutting back on sodium is the answer to keeping it low enough so that I don't have to go on meds. 

So for now I try to remember:    A little progress each day adds up to big results!

The Pug Lady

When you live in a city that welcomes "snow birds", don't try to take yourself out for a meal at 12:30pm on a Sunday after church!  Even at a fast food place, I waited 20 minutes for a meal.  There was a long line at Chipotle, so I didn't hang around (I had groceries in the trunk!)  I opted for a quick Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell.  Not the best meal for me, but .... it was pretty good.  After the long wait!  Sometimes, when we get a sunny day after the week of storms we had, it was easy to forget that there would be others out and about as well.   Not that I had anywhere else I needed to be .... lol

It's been a week of changes for me in my eating habits.  I have been encouraged by reaching my goal of a nutrient score over 80 when I log my foods.  This week, I made 85 three times so far!  I removed carbs from my breakfast and just eat my eggs.  I added an apple and some raw baby carrots to my lunch each day, as well as making sure I drink at least 48 ounces of water during my work day.  That won't be hard to hit now that we're back on track with our normal spring weather -- warm and sunny!

I've also quit focusing on a goal of 12k steps per day, and am actively watching how my FitBit tracks active minutes.  You have to be engaged in your activity for more than 10 minutes for it to count anything toward that number.  Mondays are always more active than any other day, but with changing that focus, Sadie and I head out each evening at 6pm for a long walk.  It's a quick 10 minutes over to the park where I let Sadie run in the grass.  Then it's back into her stroller and off we go for 1.4 miles, circling our neighborhood.  I'm sure if any of the neighbors are like me, they have a nickname for folks if they don't know a real name. 
I'm betting dollars to donuts that I'm "The Pug Lady".  lol 
Many folks wave to me each evening, and that's really nice :)

I'm hoping after all the hard work and better eating, I show improvement on the scale!  While I know it's not good to be measuring success by the scale, it's hard to break a habit so ingrained into us.

Change is Good

Two weeks in and after many ups and downs, I think I've finally conquered the 3 pound loss.  It isn't easy eating "clean", and I have my slip ups.  It isn't easy having to ponder the good vs bad with every food choice because I'm trying to watch so many different things.  I've gotten to the point where I look forward to 2pm when I allow myself a Diet Coke.  At the same time, I'm watching calories but more, I'm watching the nutrients in my food choices.  About 3-4 days a week, I'm able to reach my score of 85 in the nutrients category on my Samsung app and that's really good!  **pat on the back**

Today at work was another story, however.  When something hazardous like a bottle of bleach leaks, we process it into special waste buckets that get picked up by a special hauling company.  It's our job to make sure that liquids are absorbed so they don't harm anyone.  Between our processing, and the company's removing the products from our building, about a quarter cup of bleach was left in one of the buckets.  As I was putting things back to rights, I grabbed a bucket and was about to slide it up on the shelf.  The contents of the bucket came splashing down the front of my shirt.


I didn't panic, I've been trained, I grabbed paper towels to wipe the excess, then tossed off my shirt before heading into the bathroom to splash water on my skin (and my bra).  I wiped down, then splashed myself again and wiped down yet again, just to be sure I got it all off.   All was fine, although I had to buy a new shirt to finish out my day!!  Once I got home, it was time for a shower - took a couple of scrub downs with some coconut body wash (it goes along with my coconut shampoo and lotion as well!!) After all that I was finally rid of the smell of bleach.  *whew*

Long walks with Sadie in the stroller each evening, along with taking my supplements, I find myself sleeping better each night.  I think it's a combination of many things, but I'm chalking it up to two things:  very little Diet Coke and my Plexus Probio5 .  Maybe it's only my imagination, but getting enough sleep is definitely good for me --- and my co-workers!!

So here's to some good changes --
and I'm hoping for more to come!

Doctor, Doctor....

Gimme the news .....   *sigh*  Old song reference, but ...

A trip to the doc, with 8 months between the last visit resulted in some good and some bad news.   On the good side, my white count was back up again.  And my cholesterol dropped 20 points!  On the bad side, my blood pressure was up.  The doc was concerned that maybe I have "white coat" anxiety, and it goes up when I'm at the doc.   Personally, I think it's related to my caffeine intake.



I've been doing much better on reducing my consumption; Monday thru Weds I only had one Diet Coke, at 2pm each day.   But now that I think back, my Thursday started with over 200 gallons of paint that needed to be processed before I left for the doc's office, so did I slip and have a Diet Coke first off?  Did that set my blood pressure higher???  It will be one of the things I'll be tracking.

I've been investigating "diets".   Keto has too much fat for my body to process with my liver bile issues.  Lowering my carbs has always worked for me in the past, but I need to also reduce sodium and eat more plant based foods.  So I'm going to try the "DASH" diet -- a wider variety of foods, and controlling portions, and greatly reducing my sugar intake.  (Goodbye chocolate, I will miss you!!)

This will easily fit in with the new "Lifestyle Changes" I've been trying to do.  to keep. 
One day at a time ......

For today's numbers:  14,758 steps today, which included a 34 minute walk pushing Sadie in her stroller.  Tomorrow will be more walking, along with some housework!

Hello, Weekend!

Lifestyle Change Day 9

Here I am, 9 days into the changes, and ... it's going well. 

I've not lost any weight, but I'm feeling better than I did before. 
I'm trying to stay positive about the changes, and hope that other things will follow when my body and hormones adjust to the new eating style.  At least, that's what I'm telling myself. For now.

Sunday, with the Superbowl, I exceeded my Diet Coke limit, and treated myself to a small plate of home made nachos.  Which nearly started a fire in my microwave! 

I had this paper plate left over from Christmas, red with a gold trim.  I wasn't thinking the trim had any metal in it, but I should have guessed.  I couldn't figure out what the smell was as I was melting cheese on my nachos!  But back to nachos, it was just 1 serving of tortilla chips, a little melted cheese, then chopped avocado and tomatoes on top.  Which tasted delish!

My step counts were down that day as well, because of the rain.  But they're back up over 10K again this week.  My food counts are recorded and each day it's been over 85 in the nutrient content, and that makes me happy.

I see my doctor tomorrow for an annual checkup.  I know she'll say something about my weight.  And maybe a lecture if my cholesterol is up, or my blood pressure.

SuperBowl LIII

Here we are, another Superbowl game to watch.  Most years, it's the National Anthem, the commercials and the half time show that get all the attention.  As well they should!  Some of the singers we've had in the past made ... history.  It was nice to see (and hear) Gladys Knight singing it this year.  Personally, I prefer people to sing it as written.  I understand as an artist, they want to add their own personality to the song, and her version was just fine for me.  Always nice for me to see the "oldies but goodies" be out there singing!  Mostly, before they're all gone. :/

The half time show :  Maroon 5 and Adam Levine, wow, good job!  I like his music, always have.  Didn't know the other two singers, but I don't follow that genre of tunes.  Adam is a great showman, and seems to be in tune with his fans.  I admire that.

I just saw the Toyota Supra commercial the Pinball Wizard, I liked it!  And a Michael Buble commercial... yay :)  I wonder what the favorite commercial will turn out to be?

One last crazy football fact:  I was dating my second husband Superbowl XXIII , 30 years ago!  It was 49ers but I don't remember who they played.   Did they win?   Yes!  20-16 against the Bengals.  I cheated with Google. hahaha

Even though it was the weekend, and raining, I made an effort to get in a walk - not a Sadie stroll, but a real walk for me.  I was able to do three 20+ minute walks in my two days, and am counting that as success!  My eating was a bit over what I do during the week, but that's how it works out on a weekend.  After Subway for lunch, and veggies for dinner on Saturday, I had a late lunch/early dinner of cheese pizza.  I wanted something warm and comforting what with all the rain, and even though it was sprinkling, forced that final walk with Sadie!  I'm wondering what the scale will show in the morning!

I spent part of my day preparing lunches and dinner meals for the week.  I baked some eggs for breakfasts, and cooked up some hamburgers on my Foreman grill so they're ready when I come home from work. (I rarely feel like cooking during the week!)

I wonder what this week will hold, but am keeping a positive attitude - so far!

Lifestyle Change, Day 6

On Thursday, I fasted through breakfast so that I could have blood drawn for my annual checkup.  I'm fretting what the numbers might say.  But I did my best the three days prior, so that's that.  For lunch, it turned into a cheat day because I didn't bring my lunch.  I know better -- but still didn't do it.  While lunch was a cheeseburger and fries, dinner was reasonable, so that helps.

Friday was a bit better.  I count it a success when I can ignore "donut day" and stay on track.  Every day, a little success is better than nothing!  When I got home after work, right before my shower, I stepped on the scale, anticipating what it would read.  And I was OK with the number, it was 2 lbs lighter than the start of the week! 

But then my hopes were dashed when I finally stepped on the scale Saturday morning.  I was heavier in the morning after 12 hours of fasting, having only sipped 8 ounces of water throughout the night!  Two pounds more registered on that scale and all of my hard work, my hopes, were dashed.  Hit me like a ton of bricks!  Which means I ate breakfast 2 hours earlier than I should. 

I indulged in a sandwich from Subway for lunch - turkey, bacon, guacamole with cheese, spinach and tomato, no sauce.  It was delish!  My calorie goal per day has been 1350.  This put me over goal by 400 calories, and I wasn't at work so my step counts weren't as high either. 



But Sunday is another day.  It's also grocery shopping day,
so I can be diligent with my purchases
and careful with my choices for another week of meals. 

Bring on the veggies!

Lifestyle Change Day 3

Accountability is a good thing!  But sometimes life gets in the way of actually making the time to fill ya'll in.  Both Tues and Weds were good days:  Tues was 13K steps, but today was only 9k.  Sometimes work is that way, rather than doing, I spent a great deal of my time today having "meaningful conversations" with employees while also doing some training.  Tomorrow is another day for more steps!

I track my food intake on two separate apps, mostly because of the different information I can get with each.  On SparkPeople, which I've used forever, I'm tracking potassium, sodium and Vitamin C.  I also use my Samsung Health app on the phone, and yes, I can get those same numbers - but only if I eat servings in half or full size, and I am sometimes more precise than that. For example, I quarter my potatoes, bake them, and only have 3 quarters in a meal.   The reason that I like the Samsung app for tracking is because it gives me a nutrient quotient as a goal.  The nutrients in foods based on a 100% scale and both Tuesday and Wednesday, I got 85% !!  I was thrilled with that.  What I'm eating is good wholesome foods, not processed stuff, and that's what I need.

I've cut way back on the Diet Coke.  Now, I look forward to my little "treat" at 2pm - which is when I really need a pick-me-up!  But I'm having a harder time kicking sugar's ass off my plate, so to speak.  When things get stressful at work, the first thing I want is chocolate.  Because it's soothing? or have I acclimated myself to that choice?   Probably both.  Yesterday was a walk from my boss's boss's boss's boss.  Yes, 4 levels of bosses making walking around in my area, discussing things that we should be doing.  And the whole time, I'm wishing I had a chocolate.  I didn't, and I survived!  So I'm counting that as a success! 



Since I'm at the age where I don't need to make excuses, just list reasons, the reason I didn't post yesterday as I was behind in a long overdue email to my BFF.  I discovered this because when I got a new phone in December, I didn't realize that I needed to actually set notifications to see phone calls and voice mails.  When I finally figured this out last weekend, I had a voice mail from her! 

Sometimes, I'm really that blonde -- because that sound better than saying I'm that old!! haha

Lifestyle Change Day 1

In my quest for a healthier me, it began today. 
Changes to diet and exercise, and increasing my water intake. 



Accountability report:  Water intake 88 oz.  Goal 100 oz.  Not bad for the first day

Food intake:  No candy, despite the chocolates on the desk in the pretty jar.  Eggs for breakfast, turkey wrap for lunch, broccoli, ground beef patty and baked potato for supper. I also added in a Naked Juice Power-C, to boost up my immune system - lots of colds going 'round.

Exercise:  Stretching for Seniors via YouTube, cute Australian accent on a young, handsome man.  Then some weight lifting for arms while watching the sun set.  11K steps recorded on my FitBit.

Caffeine:  One Diet Coke to break the lull at 2pm, one Diet Coke with dinner.  Didn't need the second one at dinner, water would have done it, except for the massive headache that was building all day.


I started on the Plexus Pink Drink today, as well.  I'm still not sure what it will do my digestive system.  I couldn't handle it full on when I tried it during the summer.  I'm hoping that starting slower will help a bit. 

I don't feel like I was deprived today.  Well, not much.  I sure would have enjoyed a nice sweet chocolate pick-me-up when things got stressful at work, but I powered through the craving.

I'm going to resist stepping on the scale in the morning, because this is more about healthy than it is weight loss.  Ok, I'll be honest, it's about weight loss too, but I don't think that should be the only goal.  Because I could lose weight by not eating, but that puts other systems in jeopardy, and this needs to be about being a healthier me!

So here's to having a successful tomorrow.