Birthday Girl Today :)

          Today is an incredibly special day!!!  It is my daughter’s 12^th birthday!!!  I cannot believe how time has gone by so fast.  I swear it was just last year she was a little girl.  Now she is almost a young lady. Last week we were at Michaels, and I realized I was looking up into her eyes LOL I did not realize she had gotten taller than me. I am 5’5” so that means she must be about 5’6” now and she still has a lot of growing to do. She will be so tall LOL I love it.  She is my little amazon. With all that beautiful blond hair, those gorgeous blue eyes, incredible intelligence, sweet and tender heart, and those long legs I am in trouble when she discovers boys. Boys will also be in trouble too because they must get past me and her brother LOL, I am just so blessed and happy that I have her in my life.  She is my inspiration.

                We have been celebrating her all week. Each day we have gifted her a small present so we can drag out her birthday celebration LOL it makes it more fun. I rearranged my schedule at work so that I could have this special day off.  Last night, as a family, we watch the new Jungle Cruise movie. It was great. We made crab cakes, baked chicken (kids did not like the crab) and broccoli tots. We also had popcorn cause well it was a movie night LOL.  This morning I will go pick up her cake from Publix. She picked out a Strawberry Decadence cake. This evening we are going to her chosen restaurant of Bahama Breeze. Tomorrow will be Farmer’s Market, and The Monday will be last birthday bit of going to this robot themed Hot Pot restaurant called U&Me. Kids are really looking forward to that one because of the robots that roam around bringing what you order.

                All these activities are so calorie laden, so I am a bit worried, but optimistic.  I was certain I had blown it yesterday with my calories, but this morning when I was brave enough to log what I had eaten, I was stunned to see that I still fell within my calorie range LOL the nightly walk with my kids helped big time. After this is posted I will do more walking so that I can enjoy dinner tonight.  I have looked at the online menu and figured out what I can eat LOL tomorrow is normally my cheat day, but since cheating a bit all weekend, I will skip it LOL that way I stay on track.  I am loving watching the scale drop each week.

                Today’s Noom lesson said I was to celebrate what I have accomplished which is finishing 130 lessons. I have been using Noom now for 68 days now. In that time, I have lost 19 lbs., that is almost 20 lbs.!!!! LOL something I never thought I could do at my age. That is simply amazing to me.  If all goes well, by the end of this upcoming week, I will have officially lost twenty pounds. That means more socks LOL every time I lose weight, I get myself a silly pair of socks as a reward. Noom suggested I reward myself in the beginning with something, so I chose socks LOL usually I get practical socks, but when I lose weight, I get a silly frivolous pair LOL. When I wear them, it is a reminder that I am succeeding. By the time Spring comes I will need a whole other sock drawer LOL that and some new clothes.

Birthday Week Begins

Staci and me being silly

          It is birthday week!!!  My daughter turns 12 on Saturday, so this week is all about her.  I cannot believe how fast she is growing up.  I keep trying to convince her the 1+2=3, but she is not going for it LOL she was adorable when she was 3, at 12 she is just stunning me with her beauty inside and out.  I am so very blessed to be her mom.  Yesterday her first present got here. I got her a Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing Edition.  I did not intend to get her that though, my brother started that LOL he send her a Switch game, but she has Switch lite, so it would not work. That got me looking into how much a regular Switch was and I found on Amazon it was not that bad now. So, she ended up with one.  Oh, and my brother LOL I got him back. He did not think his purchase through. As soon as his granddaughter heard that Staci was playing the game they picked out, she wanted one too LOL so now he must buy it again so they can play together LOL I am rationalizing the purchase as since I could not get a reservation at a resort with a waterpark or a backyard waterslide, the money I would have spent on those, more than covers what I spent on the Switch. After seeing her play with it, it was totally worth it. Between my son and I, we have a present for her every day this week to make her birthday celebration last longer. I changed up my work schedule so that I would have all weekend of to celebrate her. Bonus is once I work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I will have six days in a row off so a mini vacation for me!!!

                With only two days off right now I am having to smush everything I normally do in 4 off to just the 2.  I do not know how other people manage with just two days off LOL that is one good thing about being a nurse, I am off work more than I am on. Yesterday I mowed my back yard but ran out of weed whacker line to finish it. So, my son, daughter, and I went to Home Depot. Inspiration hit while we were there, and my son and I ended up getting the supplies to make this Halloween decoration. We are making a scary archway to put in front of our outside hallway leading to the front door. We got PVC pipes to create it. Is going to be 8 feet tall. We are painting the pipes black and attaching purple and orange Halloween lights to the sides, so it lights up the hall just enough to see but still stay spooky for the trick or treaters. From the top we are going to get a black tarp and I will cut it so it is shredded lengthwise, and people will have to walk through it to get candy. We are also going to find a spooky sign for up top that says, “Enter if you dare”.  My neighborhood goes crazy for holidays, so this will be great. Our skeletons this year are going to be dressed as the king and queen holding court on the front porch LOL last year, they were Disney Tourists. Lots of people took photos on our porch LOL we had about 100 kids show up last year and that was with Covid restrictions. This year I figure that number should double. I love that we get all those kids roaming about for trick or treating. It makes it so much more special.

                I have been totally into Autumn this past two weeks. I joined a Facebook group called Fall Lovers and the pictures and posts are stunning. So many amazing decorations and recipes.  I want to do all of them. Some have been posting finds at Cracker Barrel, so going there is on the agenda today LOL Last week I bought a bunch of decorations online that should arrive soon. I have been hitting up Hobby Lobby and Michaels but hiding my purchases from myself. I will bring them out in September.  If I wait too long to get the stuff it will be all gone. Last year we shopped in September and almost all Halloween was gone, and Christmas was out. This year we are planning better since Autumn is our favorite time of year in my home.

                Autumn will be a definite challenge with Noom.  So many recipes I want to make. I love making soups, but they have lots of calories.  I am going to have to be exceptionally good and either abstain or figure out a way to make the soups have less calories LOL for the pumpkin stuff, I got sugar free pumpkin spice and such syrups LOL.  I can make my own lattes at home. Sundays are still my no diet day, so all the goodies will have to be on that day. I like that Noom allows me to eat anything I want; I just must stay within calorie allotment.  Last week I lost another two lbs. so now total lost is 18!!! I cannot believe that. Since schedule is off, I am not sure how it will go this week and next.  If I can figure it out and stay within my allotment, by the time I weigh in next I will be down 20 lbs!!! That is something I once thought was impossible. I have hope again that I can get down to a normal weight before this time next year. Okay I have babbled enough in here. Time to go get half my steps in before kids wake up and daughter tries to take over my TV again to play her Switch LOL

Set Point vs Happy Weight

          According to Noom the Set Point Theory hypothesizes that our body regulates our metabolism to maintain a certain body weight.  Everyone’s set point is unique, it is determined by genes, it is a range where your body can sit comfortably and sustain. The set point is when your body can function most optimally. A body’s set point is not necessarily your happy weight.  Happy weight is the weight at which a person feels happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit. My set point is not my happy weight. I am healthy for the most part, but not happy with how I look.  I keep waiting for somebody to notice that I am getting healthier. Okay granted I do not go places where people know me LOL I just hang out with my kids and go to work. Coworkers will take forever to notice since I will not give up my baggy, comfy scrubs yet. I also still do not see it.  I would have thought a 15 lbs. weight loss would be noticeable, but I guess I am wrong.  My mind knows it though, so that is good part. Since my mind understands that what I am doing it working, just very slowly, it keeps me going.  Whenever I feel like giving up, my mind reminds me that this time next year, I will be so happy that I did not give up.

                Yesterday was Sunday, my day of not worrying about diet or exercise LOL I still do though. I still made sure I got my 12,000 steps in and that I did not go crazy with the calories.  It sort of is just a habit now LOL.  I did discover that I can have Panda Express and Denny’s.  Panda Express has fit wok choices. So, I got to relish super greens for 90 calories, beef broccoli for 150 calories, and string bean chicken for 180 calories. It was delicious.  At Denny’s I got the fit slam which is just 450 calories. I was happy and so were my kids. We are a family that likes eating out LOL slowly I am breaking away from my super structured diet. I am finding other ways to enjoy foods while staying within my calorie count.  There is another Noomer on Twitter that I follow who posts pictures of her food choices, all keeping her under 1200 calories a day.  It looks challenging, but when I asked her how she does it, her response was most items are frozen, she just divides them up. She also plates them so nicely LOL I do not have time for that. I can do the frozen stuff though LOL going to investigate that more.

                So now time for watching an episode of Leverage for distraction while I get half of my steps in, then lunch time. By then kids are up and it is time to be social LOL. I know grocery shopping is on schedule. My son needs to go to Best Buy to look for a charger so that goes on to do list. After that, no clue what we are doing LOL.  I like it that way. I am not big on planning things. That just stresses me out. To do lists motivate me, but plans, those are yucky. I am more just do it when I want to. That way I have freedom to be lazy LOL

Alert, Oriented, and Ambulatory with Noom

             The other day I read a quote from Raven-Symone of all people that was inspiring and a bit mind altering LOL it was “I want to make sure my body is healthy and prepared to deal with old age”.  At the age I am now, this means a great deal to me.  I might not look my age, but there are days when I feel it.  One of the reasons I am trying so hard to get healthy is to fight against the effects of aging. I want to be able to move freely and think clearly. When I get to my golden years, I want to still be alert, oriented, and ambulatory LOL those are magical terms to a nurse.

                This is why I am trying so hard to follow all the advice Noom gives me. It might be silly to others, but for me, it is working.  For years I have tried to “lose weight” and have always failed. It seemed nothing worked. The past couple of years I have had some very minor mental scares that reminded me I am at risk for things I do not want to be at risk for. So, I decided to stop trying to just lose weight, but instead get healthier.  Healthier is betting than skinnier. I have seen many people at the hospital who were skinny, but totally unhealthy.  Healthy is a total mind and body thing.  Noom understands that and works to help get the mind healthier so that the body will follow. It is constantly giving me psychological tips, research, and strategies to get healthy. This week it has been teaching me about the need for better sleep. While I doubt, I can get more sleep due to my schedule, I can understand that lack of sleep will the tendency to cause me to overeat and make poor choices. So, I need to be mindful of that, and adjust my thinking. 

                That is why I liked the picture that goes with this post. I want to exercise so my body gets healthier and lasts me a long time. I want to eat things that will nourish my body, not be on a diet forever.  I need to ignore the self-doubt when I think I cannot do this, since June I have been doing this and doing it well. I also need to realize that I am important to my kids, therefore I need to care enough for them to care for me.

                Every morning I wake up thinking I will just take a day of rest LOL no diet, no exercise, no nothing. I will just be a couch potato LOL it is my habit to check emails, Instagram, Facebook, and play games before I am even out of bed, it eases me into my day. I also check into Noom and that squashes the couch potato idea. It reminds me to be healthy and make good choices. The lessons I have to read, the logging I do, and the message boards all help refocus me and motivate me to give it another day 😊. My older body will thank me for the choices I make today.

A Noomy Christmas in July

               This weekend we had fun and celebrated Christmas in July. I blame the Hallmark Channel LOL all those Christmas movies got to me.  It was a fun excuse to make a ham dinner with rolls and mashed potatoes. I also discovered I do not like purple sweet potatoes. I will stick to regular ones from now on.  My daughter and I made Christmas cookies and homemade eggnog. My son and I watched Black Widow while dinner baked in the oven. Then even both had a present to open (love excuses to spoil them). It was not elaborate, just fun.

                OKAY back to fitness now LOL this weekend I got off track big time. I even ate two donuts LOL, and they were good, but since I have had no sweets in ages, by the time I was on second one, I was not enjoying it so much. It was too sweet, so I will take that slip up as a learning tool. Now I know my sweet tooth is way more sensitive than before. Which is a good thing. Means I am making progress.  I also had fun in my mind because one of my coworkers who had teased me about my Noom diet, asked me how it was going.  I wear baggy scrubs so really cannot see any difference. When I said I had already lost 15 lbs. (YAY ME) in about a month and a half, she suddenly was extremely interested and not teasing LOL.  One of these days I know she is going to break and want to try it too LOL I will help of course, but inside feel so satisfied that I accomplished something they thought I could not and now they wanted my help.

                Not very Noomy to gloat, but inside my mind I will a bit. Gloat is wrong word I think, more of internal triumph that I am succeeding.  It helps so much when I see scale moving.  I cannot wait for the first time somebody sees me and notices a difference.  At work I am sure will take a bit since all covered up with scrubs. I would have to switch to a smaller size for it to be noticeable. Not going to give up my comfy, roomy scrubs just yet. Maybe when I lose another 10 lbs. I only see it on myself when I see my neck not so fluffy, and my ankles not so swollen after working all weekend.

                My Noom learning coach asked me what I thought was biggest factor in losing weight with Noom. I had to admit to her that it was the food logging. LOL, I told her up front, way back in the beginning I would not be doing that since so complicated. She said give it at least a try. So, since I had paid for program, I thought I should do all of it at least a bit. I started super simple, so I did not have to hunt for every ingredient. After using it a bit, I discovered most everything I was eating, somebody had already uploaded the ingredients, so it was easy LOL hardest part was remembering what I had eaten. I had seen on our app message boards that another Noomer was putting their foods in even before eating. That way they could see what their plan for day looked like ahead of time and adjust. So, I am doing that a bit. If I have extra calories, then I can divide them up between my planned meals for more oomph.

                Today I am going to try and stay on low side of my calories to make up for yesterday a bit. Not going to punish myself for having a good time with my kids but going to be more mindful to eat healthy today. So once done with this, I will get some stepping done while watching new Leverage: Redemption (so excited) and then have a healthy brunch salad. Afterwards will do some errands with my daughter, and later tonight take my nightly family walk after eating something healthy for dinner LOL I am contemplating Greek chicken with roasted veggies. I found a calorie free marinade I am wanting to try.

Noom Psychology Works LOL

          So, it is Wednesday, and I am up LOL I have my coffee and am waiting to take my dog to the vet for a booster shot (Shhhhhh do not tell her yet).  I have been a bit busy so have not posted in a few days. OK not busy, just have not been sitting at my computer much.  I finished up my paralegal program this week, so no school until next month.  I never know what to do with myself in between classes. I take college courses for 2 major reasons: it keeps my mind active and gives me something in common with my adult son. This coming fall we are taking Spanish and Foreign Politics together. Both courses outside my comfort zone, but he totally gets them LOL.

                This weekend was Independence Day.  We had a nice time relaxing at home.  We made BBQ chicken and burgers. Luckily, the holiday fell on my cheat day so I could indulge a bit. We watched Raya and the Last Dragon together, then lit sparklers while watching all the neighbor’s fireworks. They all put on spectacular displays LOL. No need to drive anywhere.

                After the holiday it was back to my diet.  Last week the scale did not move which was a bummer, but I did not give up. Noom app is always telling me that is okay.  Good grief the psychology part of it is working a bit LOL I actually did not get too discouraged.  I am hoping this week it changes a bit for the better. I have been getting in a lot of steps and watching my calories. I have been saving calories on snacks to use for bigger meals LOL well more decadent meals. I discovered quite painfully that I can no longer eat as much as I used to. One burger (no bun) + some BBQ chicken and I had a stomachache LOL I did not eat again until the next afternoon I was still so full.

                Yesterday on Noon app it introduced the 4 Pillars of Health: Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, and Stress. All those areas influence weight and overall health.  So now I have to focus on better nutrition, not just calories. I need to realize exercise does not really aid in weight loss, but rather keeps body functioning better, I need to get more sleep, and I need to manage my stress better.  If I do all those things, then I will have a better chance at succeeding with the Noom program. I am doing well with the exercise, but the rest is still a work in progress.  I am trying to eat healthier and take vitamins. Stress is always there, but I am working to not let it get to me. I try and live as drama free as possible. The hardest one for me to get a grip on is sleep. I can fall asleep very easily, but just for naps. I do not remember when I ever just got 8 hours straight. Probably was before I had kids LOL.