I had planned to be in NYC this weekend but the reason for my trip was cancelled so it was a quiet couple of days at home. Today I will make a pot of soup (thinking split pea and barley) and catch up on a few things.

I realized that I have been trying to make up for many months of limited eating now that my dental work is pretty much done and in doing so, I have been eating too much-- and eating more of the things I wouldn't normally eat. It isn't sitting well and it has unintentionally sabotaged my progress. I am returning to lighter meals and calorie-conscious eating. I won't actually log/count calories but just be more mindful.

I took my niece out for breakfast (and a manicure) before her wedding Friday evening. I don't normally eat before 11 but since it was her special day, I ordered a vegetarian herb quiche thinking it was a good choice. It was not! It was so rich. I have used this cafe to cater events in the past and I never had an issue eating their quiche.. even generous slices! It was a reminder that I need to be more mindful when I go out to eat. I had a few small bites to be polite and left the rest.

There are 11 weeks remaining in the year and I have a goal to hit. I will have more meals "out" in the coming months so I will need to be more mindful in general.. but especially when choosing a meal in a restaurant. My body just isn't comfortable with rich foods anymore-- or lots of meat and I have to remember that restaurants and holiday meals are loaded with calories. I will need better strategies this holiday season!

Funkyart I know what you mean! I too will have to have a strategy with regards to food and particularly exercising. I am trying to write down that strategy as it is the best way for me to keep it up.

This has been a strange time exercise wise for me. We have been in and out of town for the past few weeks. Each week it has been a struggle to get my exercise all in although up to this point I have succeeded.

Last week I finally by the end of it managed to get all my exercising done.

Then again this week it's been a struggle. I was able to do Monday and Wednesday but for like a month in a row Friday has been not cooperating. It is Sunday and I still haven't done my final set for last week.

Today I have to drive lots again so will have to do the exercises before I go.

Plus I never have back issues but my back was bothering me after my workouts last week. Many many times I have done my exercises 2 days in a row with no problems but I suspect that I did something wrong last time when I did my exercises two days in a row.

I have mid-center back pain which is easily alleviated by stretching thank goodness.

I have to be very careful of my posture when I do the lunges particularly and sometimes I don't seem to automatically place my feet correctly.

Plus last week I was remiss in doing my stretches.

The exercises were truly sandwiched between lots of driving and lots of visiting and not enough space and time to do a thorough exercise job.

I grab snatches of time and often work out late at night which I can do even when fasting. I can't do it in the morning or afternoon without food. During the day I must have food in my stomach to do any activity. Most frustrating as I love my night time empty stomach when working out..

Best to everyone this week. Enjoy reaching your goals or maintaining. Despite this little hiccup I am still enjoying the exercise Journey! Yay!

Ive been doing pretty well the last 4 days .. I am back to my lowest weight so thankfully I didn't get too far off track. I need to improve my water consumption -- I have fallen back into my bad habit of drinking diet sodas (ginger ale, diet root beer). I haven't had sodas at all for a very long time so I am disappointed in myself but for now, I am mostly focused on my food choices and portion sizes.

One thing that is working really well is keeping homemade soups available.. for now it means making peace with having the same thing multiple times but I am also working on cleaning out my freezer so that I can freeze my soups and mix it up in the weeks to come.

How are you all doing?

ETA: Also related to healthy lifestyle ... I have been needing a LOT more sleep lately! I don't use an alarm clock -- but now rather than waking at 5am, it is closer to 7am. It is messing up my routine but I think the extra sleep is great. I am now getting 6-7 hr sleep instead of 5 or less.

@Funkyart sleep is so important! That will make a big difference.

I’m on vacation, lots of exercise, but lots of wine. I can’t weigh myself, but my jeans felt pretty good tonight.😀

11 weeks left in 2022 (now, 10.5 now that I'm writing this...) puts things in perspective. I'm going to sit down and think of some tangible goals to meet between now and then.

My eating has been fine. A good mix of vegetable and protein, along with soups and bean dishes.

Weight training has decreased. Our weather has been so nice, and I've got that "get outside while I can" attitude, even though I still get outside for walks in the winter. My exercise time has largely been spent outside, and I want to get back into weights again. I haven't had a good strong weight session in probably 10 days, and I can feel it.

With the holidays coming up, I'll be doing more cooking and entertaining. In years prior, I either use this as an excuse to take time off, or as reason to amp up exercise and more careful eating so that I can enjoy the holidays, but not feel like I have to reverse a bunch of damage come Jan. 1. I'm going to set some goals and go for the latter.

Have a good week, everyone!

Yeonassky, take good care of your back. Perhaps it's from all the driving? I spend a lot of time on road trips, and I find I have to actively stretch before and after these periods of time.

Last week I did great exercise-wise. And I started the weekend really strong with a very long 1hr and 45min swim (usually do 1hr) because it was the last day outside. But then I decided to take Sunday off when I got busy doing yard things so I didn't get a run in. And while I've managed to get weight lifting in every day, I missed out on swimming on Tuesday due to limited availability at my pool (reduced from 4 hours to now 1.5hrs) and conflicting meetings at work. I usually aim to alternate swimming and running days. I have kept up with running the other days and I'll plan to swim today. The other pool I was considering is really expensive ($71 for the first month, $55 for every month after), at least to me, so I'm trying to decide if it's worth spending that much money to have more flexibility in hours. The pool is inside a bubble so there's no natural light which doesn't sound as appealing. I would still have my year membership with the other pool, so this is additional cost. So that's my quandry right now.

This weekend was a bit frustrating food-wise with my stupid gluten intolerance. My husband is a pilot so he's been away a lot after my diagnosis. We joined friends at a bowling alley and he and the guys grabbed pitchers of beer without talking to me and then said he forgot when I said no to a glass. And then he tried to tell me it just had "traces of gluten" (he googled it) so I should drink it. I was annoyed because it feels like he's not paying attention at all and/or thinks I'm just overreacting (despite the doctor diagnosing me and telling me not to eat wheat). And then the part I dread the most: being pressured to pick a restaurant in an area I don't know. Thankfully we ended up finding a Mexican restaurant nearby that offered something that appeared gluten free (veggie fajitas on corn tortillas). Unfortunately I think there was some cross contamination (probably cooked on a flat top) so painful stomach cramps woke me up in the night to use the bathroom. My husband didn't wake up so he didn't even realize or acknowledge what gluten does to my body. I have no problem cooking gluten free on my own, but I dread social situations because of this.

My husband also wants me to drive 4 hours to his MILs (on my own since he'll go right from his work base) for Thanksgiving weekend and I don't know what to do. Honestly, I want to tell him I'll just stay home instead. His family already struggles to provide vegetarian food and I think gluten free vegetarian food is just not going to happen, especially on Thanksgiving (think turkey, dressing, and sweet potatoes topped with non-vegetarian marshmallows). So I'll either starve or spend the weekend doubled over in the bathroom in pain.

Anyhow, that's a lot of complaining! I'm stumbling a little this week, but will try to get back on track as best as I can.

Feeling good about the last week, I am back to my weight from before 3 vacations ago. Feeling better about what I am eating and it has become less of a struggle. I also try to have my homemade vegetable soup on hand most of the time. I mix up the veggies and the spices so I do not get tired of it. No more vacations this year, so that will help. Of course, holidays are coming and I know my weight will be back up some by Janurary. Feeling good that my excercise levels have increased; our weather is getting better so I will have more opportunity to be outdoors.

@pricklypearcactus - Vegan and gluten-free together must be tough, but not as bad as eating things that will make you sick. Have you thought about bringing your own food? Or are they the type to be offended? My brother is vegan and our deal is that I will provide a few vegan options for each holiday meal and he will bring something that he likes to share. Usually it is not traditional holiday menu items, but if they are tasty who cares. We discuss the menu a week or so before the meal to decide on the specifics. My brother is happy with the way that works for us. One of my best friend's is gluten-free but they rarely eat at our house at the same time, so I have not had the double challenge often.

@jill302 bringing my own food is definitely something I've been considering. I am worried they might be offended, but it's difficult to know for sure. I wish my husband was being more supportive so he could help me figure this out. I like the idea of how your brother manages it. That's usually what I've done in the past for local Thanksgiving meals - bring a dish or two to share and if there are other sides I can eat that's great. But this gluten intolerance is definitely a whole other ball game of complexity to expect a host to consider.

SO sorry I have been MIA this week.. I am reading but haven't had much to share other than my cheers and support. I am trying to be less focused on food .. once my dental work was mostly done 2 weeks ago, I was super focused on food and adding things I haven't eaten for a year. It was ridiculous and unnecessary -- i mean yay that I can eat apples again but did I really need to eat cookies I couldn't eat before? I am eating well-- just pulling back and making food less important and less front and center on my brain.

Prickly, I am sorry to hear how hard it is to manage a gluten-free lifestyle outside the home. I think there is a lot of misinformation that just makes it harder to get support. It is hard to enjoy yourself with friends and family when you have to focus on what to eat and if it will affect you later.

Congratulations to all of you on your successes .. don't beat yourself up if you succeeded in one area and lagged in another. Be proud of what you did well and carry that success into the other areas of your healthy lifestyle! Sometime soon you will succeed in an area you have been struggling.. and pretty soon it will all be second nature. Hang in there!

Pricklypearcactus I Echo Jill 302's idea of bringing your own food. My family is so sweet and endeavors to support me in my crazy diet but I try to let them know that I can manage and bring my own stuff if I feel that they are going out of their way too far to accommodate me.

My other thought is is your DH just taking the time that most people take to absorb and get used to a change. If you have been one way for many years and are now switching gears your DH might be resistant as they got used to you the other way. I've always had a difficult diet so my family and partner are used to it but I witnessed difficulty adjusting in other relationships. Your DH might just need time for it to sink in and for him to give you the proper amount of support. I even resist the work of someone changing something they do sometimes. I'm not saying this is your situation or that it's right but I'm saying it's possible.

Feathers thank you very much! I am finding that the stretching has been an immeasurable help. With the stretches the stiffness disappears and with it the pain. So I'm able to continue exercising without problems.

Quick update on me: I had a meeting with a student dietitian yesterday. One of the things I’m going to work on is to be sure I have protein at every meal, especially lunches I pack for work/school. This way I will be less hungry and it will keep my blood glucose more even. So, hopefully, these appointments will tide me over until I go to the weight management clinic.

Do any of you use a protein powder or a protein shake you like?

@gsciencechick This is the protein shake recommended to me by my nutritionist. I got the chocolate flavor. It's not bad - I haven't tried a lot. I just mixed it with water in a blender shaker and it wasn't chalky.

https://gethlth.com/