Like I said in last week's post - I started working with a personal trainer for weights/resistance training. This has been a goal for about 6 months now. So, a big step for me! I was doing some similar exercises, but there was enough difference that I could really tell the next day. I also have gone to Physical Therapy twice for a shoulder issue. It was holding me back from doing some needed exercises. It's not much better yet, but I'm hopeful the treatments and stretches will fix me up soon.

I also started drinking 20 oz water with electrolytes first thing in the morning before my zevia. Hoping this helps my overall water consumption, which is kind of slacking.

I'm actually up in weight a bit - consistently over the last week. Trying to still convince myself it's just a number and keep moving forward with the actions that will make me healthier in the long run. I am very scale and weight focused, probably for the worse. I've been ok with the very slow loss, but I'd like to not gain! I'm not really sure what's up. I feel like I've been pretty steady with my choices. I guess time will tell.

Still reading and learning, but trying not to complicate things too much. Re-reading Why We Get Sick by Ben Bickman. Highly recommend if anyone is looking for a good health book to motivate lifestyle choices, especially concerning insulin resistance and its effect on our health. Tried to link the book, but not allowed:)

Moving forward with the same goals -eating for steady blood sugar, 30 plus different plant products, adequate protein, increased movement, and weight/resistance training.

Hope everyone is doing well and moving forward with good choices and baby steps toward a healthier lifestyle!

I did add a new food- lupini beans. I follow someone who makes a salad with those, tomatoes and avocado that tempted me. But so far, I just eat them from the package.

https://beingbrigid.com/recipes/lupini-bean-salad/

Interesting-- I have never seen or heard of Lupini beans.

I also have started drinking water first thing in the morning. I have it while making/brewing my coffee. It increases my overall water intake and it just feels good and clean first thing in the am! I need to continue to improve my water. I am especially bad in the winter. I did pick up some cold press pineapple juice yesterday. I don't drink juice by itself very often but I think a small amount in my water may make me more likely to reach for it. Juice is high in sugar-- even when it is only fruit as in this case -- but it is also high in fiber and I plan to use just a bit of it. If I find it increases my cravings or hunger (signaling increased blood sugar), I'll stop.

I'm with you on something to make you drink water. I'm currently pretty addicted to the Waterloo Blackberry Lemonade flavored water. Same thing - makes me drink more. Hopefully it's the same benefit as plain water.

I usually supplement plain water with Hint water -- I like the pineapple flavor of that so the cold press pineapple juice seemed worth a try.

I plan to make a simple recipe from SK today-- I'll swap in whole wheat pasta and increase the amount of broccoli. I have been trying to avoid pasta lately but I am thinking my tweaks plus a green salad will make for a nice light meal.

pasta with longer-cooked broccoli – smitten kitchen

Hi all, I pretty much dropped off posting in the weekly Healthy Lifestyle thread. I just was not as consistent as I should have been and felt ridiculous reporting on my lack of change.

So I am back with some changes in my game plan. My current goal is to increase my protein consumption to a minimum of 60 grams per day and to lose 5 pounds in the next 6 weeks. We go on vacation then and I know I will gain, so I want to lose a bit before head off.

The last month or so WW has not been working for me despite sticking to my points. I will be moving to calorie counting to see if that will work better. My husband uses calorie counting and seems to do well. If I am diligent with my calorie counting and it does not help, I will head off to my doctor to see if something else is going on.

@jill302 I was successful on WW until they switched up their plans. The free foods were some of my favorites:) beans and fruit! yes, please! Good luck with your new goals!

legomom, if you recently added more rigorous strength training this could explain your gain. When "stressed" as we stress them to improve strength, muscles retain more water which leads to false gains on the scale. It may even out without you changing anything once your body adjusts. If your sessions are several days apart you might see a gain the day after that gradually reduces until your next session.

I'm still plugging away. Lost the 4 lbs I gained over the holidays. Now would like to lose 8 more before summer beach trip...or whenever, but lose them! Also, I passed my first round test for my Pilates certification...2 more to go! Hope to do the second one by the end of March.

It could be that, or it could be the sourdough avocado toast I’ve added to my breakfast routine:) The extra carbs might have me hanging on to some water?

I do think the new exercise is a possibility too. It feels like I’ve worked my way up to it the last couple months, but I was pretty sore after the trainer workout.

Yes, the soreness can cause some temporary inflammation and potentially some water retention, but nothing to be concerned about. If you don’t challenge your muscles, they won’t adapt.

Weather is great this week. Looking forward to spending time outside though pollen is also increasing, and DH had a cold this weekend. Multiple COVID tests negative, thank goodness. He is finally feeling better. I went up to a horror convention by myself on Saturday since we found out the guest list, so I went for a photo and autograph.

Pilates is tomorrow, and I’m scheduled until the end of March. Her client load is really picking up and I want to be sure I have my spot since I look forward to it all week. Still doing Zumba, Zumba step, and weights on my own.

Tomorrow I have the early morning appointment with the weight management doctor, so I’ll post an update. I’m down a tiny bit, but maybe I can see more tomorrow morning before I head out.

I’ve also never heard of Lupini beans. I’ve tried to get navy beans for a recipe, but those were apparently out. I used chickpeas instead.

I have two conferences this week. I think the one I am going to skip since I am not presenting, and honestly, I’d prefer to avoid a huge crowd of mostly students. But I didn’t go last year either! Two of our faculty are going with the students. Then our campus is hosting an interdiscliplinary conference on Movement(s), and I am presenting Friday afternoon. So, I’d have to drive about 2 hours Thursday, stay overnight, and drive back Friday late morning to moderate the session and present in the p.m., and I just feel this is too risky to do given how bad traffic can be. Since I’m looking to reduce my stress level, I think doing all of this which is not needed. If I was just attending the campus conference, I wouldn’t care, but I need to moderate and present.

Glad to hear you have great weather, GS .. and that you are enjoying pilates, zumba, etc! Take care in your conferences if you attend!

I am really not synched up well with my IF ... last night I ate very late (because life) and this morning I am very hungry-- which is very unusual for me. Sure no big deal for one day but I have to admit that breaking IF timeframes has become the rule rather than the exception. I have done very well on IF in the past-- I feel better and I lose better-- so it's time to get back on track. If I look back, it went off track with daylight savings and winter/holiday activities and I just never synched it back up. This is going to be a focus this week ..

I have dinner plans later this week -- still deciding on the restaurant but it looks like it will be either greek or thai food. I am hoping we end up going to one of the better thai restaurants as they offer many fresh options -- my favorite is stir fried veggies (broccoli, baby bok choy, etc) in a spicy thai broth with a blend of brown and red rice. Either way, I should be able to keep the food in caloric range-- but it may push the limits on my IF eating window which normally closes at 7pm.

I still haven't unpacked/set up my new scale .. so haven't weighed in a number of weeks. I feel like I have gained a bit so not eager to confirm that :(

I am headed to a "spa retreat" in Maine with my bestie this weekend. I have noted that the hotel has Peloton bikes as well as other equipment...this is not something I have ever checked on in advance when traveling! Also bringing my winter gear since it will be freezing cold and we want to walk outside as much as possible. On the other hand, we will be eating all our meals out, so I guess it's a good thing we have exercise options. Last year around this time we went to FL, and right about now I am wishing we did the same this year...what were we thinking??

Two months til I have to wear that sleeveless MOG dress and my arms are still fat 'n flappy! I have a wonky rotator cuff situation in one shoulder and it makes it so I can mostly only do very light weights, at least for any lifting over shoulder height.

That is pretty amazing that you could cut your meds in half after only 1.5 month, Rn! I don't do well/feel well on a low carb diet but that is really amazing progress.

Sue, a spa retreat sounds wonderful about now-- but yah, sunny and warm would have been a bonus lol! Also.. I can't believe the wedding is so soon!

Ooh, spa retreat sounds awesome. I did my undergrad internship at a spa resort in Florida in 1990. I took people on walks, bike rides, led aerobics and pool classes. It was tough, but someone had to do it. I've seriously considered going back there as a client to help me unwind. But when I have time around the Christmas holidays there are always huge C***D spikes, so I do not want to travel during that time. There are local places like the Ritz Carlton and other places that have the spa treatments, but honestly I really just enjoy a deluxe mani-pedi which I may do tomorrow. But I'd like to do the classes and the pampering.

Had the weight management appointment this morning, and it was overall very positive. They are happy with my weight loss to date, and I even saw a better number this morning on the scale. I will keep with my same macro targets. I asked about GCM and once again he said I don't really need it unless I am on some kind of medication that would make my glucose too low. I asked about checking A1C, and he said for people with prediabetes it could be every 6 months or once a year. So, I just want to be sure to get in with my primary care physician before he retires in June. I will also see him back at the weight management clinic in June. Since my insurance doesn't cover Saxenda/Ozempic, etc., we discussed other medications that could help with cravings and fullness, but since I'm not really having these issues anymore since changing my diet there isn't really a need to do this. He said get as much and varied exercise as I can, and the Pilates and weights are great.

I'm not going to the conference two hours away and will just attend the one here.

Glad you got such positive feedback from the weight-loss clinic, GS! That has to feel great! So good to hear that what you are doing is right on target and working!

I also think a spa vacation sounds divine ... but for now I will settle for a hair/nail appt early next week lol.

I am eating a wonderful bagged salad from TJ's .. it's a mix of all sorts of yummy stuff like kale, shaved brussels sprouts, cauliflower, radicchio, dried pears and pistachios! It almost feels like a spa meal. I know bagged salads get a bad rap but they allow for so much more variety-- without all the food waste. I think this one will be on my regular rotation -- I like it as is but I can see adding herbs or grilled chicken to it. It's 120 calories for 1 serving but that's pretty small. I had 1/2 bag/2 servings as my meal.

Funky - The TJ salad sounds wonderful. I will have to watch for it. Bagged salads get my DH to eat more greens, so I am a fan. As you mentioned he will throw chicken on in with the bagged salad for a lunch. Also, great for evenings you are in a hurry.

I really liked it, @jill302! The salad kit name is pretty vague .. something like "Very Veggie" or such. The ingredients include kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, pistachios, dried pears .. and the dressing in the kit is a honey ginger dressing. It is a little sweet but not overly so -- I had planned to make my own but when I saw a serving was only 120 calories, I decided it was fine.

I should note that I did get hungry a few hours after I ate it last night which was a surprise. It may have been the honey ginger dressing spiked my blood sugar? Maybe I should have added protein to it. I did have 2 servings (maybe a little more) so I didn't expect to get hungry!

Yeah, that is probably not enough protein in that salad. Sounds good, though! Add protein and then with the fiber in the salad it should be a winner. Shrimp, chicken, salmon, etc. sounds excellent. I haven't been to TJ's since before the pandemic. It is in a small shopping center that is always jam packed.

I had the falafel salad last night takeout so that was a good protein and fiber day.

@RNmomof2 zone 5 congrats on your changes and the improvement in your meds. @gsciencechick - glad you got such good feedback at your visit and have found activities that you like and want to do regularly.

It is probably true you don't need a CGM, but mine really does help keep me in check. And I've learned a lot. Like from a purely glucose level - one day we went to Panera and I got the big Greek salad with grilled chicken, and the potato chips for my side. Ate all the salad first, then the chips - no spike. Another day I ate a handful of potato chips on an empty stomach (less than the side at Panera) - spike. Then another day I ate chips and queso, thought to myself I can't get another spike, so I did my weight workout when I got home - muscles must have used it up - no spike. So - you see my issue with crunchy chips this week!!

It's been not the best week. I've been eating more than usual - several social meals out, not as much walking as usual, no pickleball, and only one resistance workout. So, there's that :) I'm still trying to work in a long fast tomorrow to get me back on the food track. The weather looks great today and tomorrow, so at least I'll get in long walks outside.

I've been rationalizing some not so healthy foods lately too, which is a habit I don't want to get in. So, I am trying to get past just the calories, or even the spike, and remember that food is medicine and it is important to my body to eat the right things, not just the right amounts. That a healthy body is more than just my weight. That the fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and good quality protein are telling my cells good things. They are fueling me towards better health not just a number on the scale. Rinse and repeat:)

I’m trying a 24 hour fast today. I’m hungry! I could only have a couple more hours, but I did my weightlifting this morning and decided to eat protein after, so now I have until tomorrow at 11. Should have waited until another day to fast, but that’s what I’ve been doing for weeks!

So, here I vent. I’m in the home stretch now though. I’ll just go to bed super early😂