Not a lot to share. I am working on some projects this weekend-- work and home.

I am still wrestling with myself on body image issues/progress frustations, etc. I am trying to keep them in perspective. I think this is normal to experience on a long journey of weight loss/behavior changes so my approach has been to acknowledge the feelings but not allow them center stage. So far, I've been able to do just that.

Ive been seeing pretty steady weight-loss this month but I am not happy with my eating. I have been a little too dependent on carbs-- healthy carbs but still, going with what is easy over healthier options that require a little more planning or prep. I want to increase the veggies--they are so good right now. My goal for the week is to have at least one new vegetable every day. Not new to me-- just new to the week's menu. I think it will encourage me to plan better and add some variety to my meals. Variety has definitely been lacking as I've gotten busier.

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend .. and wishing all good things in the week to come!

It’s been so rainy and cold this entire weekend so not much going on. Glad we went to the beach last weekend. Just got home from mani-pedi. I still need to finish packing for my conference, so the ”overpacking” thread is useful. I think I will pack some energy bars. Good thing I should not have challenges with healthy meals but eating every meal out is going to be a challenge. I will walk a lot. I will pack the TRX.

I did mat Pilates on Friday at the Y and I stopped in the weight room to get a quick orientation to the new equipment, so I will start back at the Y when I get back from my trip. I also have my birthday next weekend. Need to ”suggest” to DH that some Pilates packages might be a good bday gift.

I’ll try to check in at some point this week.

nicole, good luck with your braces. I'm getting Invisalign on Tuesday. Your post was a good reminder for me to stock up on soft food.

Good luck with the braces nicole and bunny. That's pretty exciting.

I"ll start with the positives - my exercise is going well. It's pickleball season, and the weather is nice so I've been playing and walking regularly. I've been pretty consistent with my weights/resistance, although that is something I need to just keep improving/adding on. I feel like I could be pushing myself more, but I am making good habits.

I've been much better with my water - I'm adding electrolytes to the morning water and that's helping it go down much easier. After my last bloodwork, my nutritionist put me on some supplements to try to lower a couple inflammatory numbers and I have been better about taking those.

I've been a little lax with the food. With all the cardio, I notice I need more carbs, but I haven't been choosing the healthiest versions. And I've been rationalizing some not great choices with the exercise line in my head. I'm trying to go beyond calories in and calories out to pick better for me foods, but that's an ongoing conversation in my head.

I'm still drinking wine more nights than I want to. I'm still in the mindset that fun times with friends or a dinner out deserve a glass of wine, but those are adding up more often than I'd like. It's not a lot of wine, but with the sleep issues and the brain research, it's still more than I want to drink. Still a broken record on that part!

I follow this account called metabolism makeover and their food plan is to have PHFF at every meal - Protein, Healthy Fats, and Fiber. That just really clicked with me. I have found that when I organize my meals to have all of those, I feel better and my blood sugar is stable. So, I'm sticking with that emphasis, It's an easy way for me to plan my food for a more rounded/complete meal.

Hope everyone had a great weekend - good luck keeping up with your healthy goals this week.

@Bunny...You too...good luck with your invisalign. Problem with soft foods I'm finding...the high calories. Yikes!

Guacamole. Hummus. Refried beans w/ sauce. Mashed potatoes.

I've started putting veggies in the food processor and that's helping. Or making smoothies with ice cubes not milk. If anyone else has soft low calorie snacks or meals...I'm all ears. ❤️

Good Luck with the braces, y'all!

I came home from a hiking weekend, and went straight into hay production! Thank goodness for my neighbor, who needs hay for his horse, and has a truck and traler, because the young man who normally helps no-showed!!

Dh's work insurance is having a step challenge, and i think he auctioned me off...LOL. There are 5 on our team, and we are in first place right now, I have 2.5X more steps than the person in second. Proof my body does NOT respond to CI/CO.....and my diet has to be so danged clean. Life is not fair, LOL.

I lost another pound this weekend. My up and down mood has leveled off a bit, possibly because I am a little less stressed.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Invisalign trays have been in for 2 hours.

First impressions:

• They really don't show unless you're looking for them.
• My teeth are already feeling the squeeze.
• They are much easier to put in than get out. I have been assured this will get easier.
• My lisping isn't as bad as I'd feared.
• My tongue goes straight to all the uneven places.
• No attachers until my third set in four weeks.

Oh boy…after talking about it forever, I have an invisalign consult on June 7! We might need a separate invisalign support group!

I’m on vacation right now so I won’t talk about what I’ve been eating, but yesterday my phone said I walked almost 8 miles, and today we e-biked 20+ miles, then kayaked around a lake.

In recovery mode from my vacation. Back to counting calories, lots of veggies and watching protein; overall feeling good about where I am.

Thought I had cold but no it is just that peonies and I can not cohabitate. So sad, those flowers are just beautiful.

Funny I have been thinking about invisalign too. My teeth have shifted terribly. Loving all the information that is being shared.

Invisalign - Day 2

Slept fine with them. Putting in is still easier than taking out, but it's getting easier.

The pressure is gone. It's like my teeth have already capitulated and begun to move.

The biggest challenge will be eating. The trays have to come out to eat. Then brush and back in. I have never brushed my teeth so many times in a day. I'm keeping track of the time they're out. They should be in 20-22 hours a day. I'm thinking somewhere in between will be doable for me.

I am here in Denver, walking a lot. Eating has been about as good as I can make it, but still many challenges.

Took a break from the conference and went to the Denver Botanic Gardens today. Speaking of peonies, this is the place if you like them because they have every color everywhere, also an incredible assortment of colors of irises. there were beautiful paths with many benches to sit and relax and take it all in. It takes about 2 hours to go through the gardens.

Weather has been excellent! I miss Pilates though I did do my TRX.

I have not been eating or drinking enough through my workdays-- I don't notice it on most days but yesterday I went out after work.. and I got dizzy and off balance to the point I needed to sit down. It was embarrassing -- but very quickly remedied by eating and drinking. My still messed up eyes don't help the situation but I know the core issue was dehydration and lack of food. It was a super busy work day and I was still on my second cup of coffee (cold by that point) at the end of the day. I hadn't switched to water or iced tea..

It isn't a matter of trying to limit my calories -- or even snacking-- both of which I am fairly focused on but I CAN eat and drink while limiting calories. It is really the time and my mental focus. I have a new team and a new project and there are always unscheduled questions and calls. I need to selfishly take my lunches.. in fact, today I told someone to reschedule a meeting she'd set for 12-1pm. Go me.

I am reminded of some of my tricks last summer-- i wasn't nearly as busy with work but I kept things on hand for a quick/light lunch.. turkey rolled up with pesto, apples and peanut butter, premade salads, broccoli and hummus. I need to get back in that mindset and shop accordingly.

I am definitely more prone to dizziness because of my vision issues-- but it only becomes a problem when I am not eating/drinking like a grown adult lol... like I know I need to. I need to do better.

This may not be applicable to others (who are grown adults and know how to eat/drink).. but I am sharing here in case it helps someone else.. or at the very least, for my own accountability.

May I join you all? I've been reading these threads, but now I'd like to take part as well.

For those who have started with braces or are considering them, I did Invisalign a few years ago as my bottom teeth were starting to shift. I'd always had a small gap between my front teeth so it seemed like a good time to fix that too.

My teeth were only sore for a day or two (in the beginning and each time I started with new trays) and I never felt the need to eat soft foods, but for those who are, soup is a good option. If it's not a cream based soup, it is generally low cal and it can be loaded up with veggies.

I'm very happy with the results and now wear retainers during the night. I was quite strict with myself during the first couple of months as far as wearing them 22 hours per day, but as time went on I became a bit more lax. It didn't seem to affect my progress or end results; I think the dental professionals really hammer that point home in order to get people to take the process seriously. I was also warned to drink only water when I had them in, but I so missed my morning tea hour that I started drinking tea with the trays in and I did not notice any staining. I also made it a point to take the trays out after tea to rinse and brush so that there were no traces of sugar from the tea under the trays after i put them back in. The other thing I was careful about was making sure the tea was not too hot.

We had a very hard winter here with heavy rains most days, so I was a slug most of the winter months. We also tend to eat heartier food during the cold weather. Now that it is spring, I find that I'd like to lose about 10-15 pounds and have started walking every morning. I am up to two miles per day. Part of my route is hilly so I am getting some good cardio from that and I'm feeling stronger with each passing day. I also do a set of morning stretches before starting me day and those always feel so good. My shoulders don't have the range of motion I would like and I am trying to loosen them up.

With the nicer weather, I have also been spending a lot of time working in the yard pulling weeds, planting, pruning, mowing, weed whacking and raking. I really enjoy the work/end results and it's another way to burn calories.

Food wise, I have cut back my portion sizes and am trying to eat more salads, veggies and lean meat. My biggest downfall is snacking during the day and while relaxing at night and I'm trying to be very aware of that. It's gotten much better, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. It doesn't help that I want chips, crackers and ice cream rather than a healthy serving of veggies/fruit!

Beer is another issue. It contains so many calories. Hubby and I love to visit craft breweries and try new beers, and of course, eat pub grub. I should give it up altogether, but it's something we really enjoy, so I am cutting back my consumption of beer and trying to order healthier food at this point. The last couple of times we visited a brewery, I ordered salad, but it was really hard to pass up the burger and fries!

Best of luck to all of you on your goals to live healthier; don't beat yourself up when you falter. We all have times when we could do better, but tomorrow is a new day and a clean slate. :-)

Of course, Dawn.. thanks for joining us abd thanks for the words of encouragement!

I haven't talked about it recently but following an intermittent fasting protocol really helped me eliminate the evening/nighttime snacking. It also helped me realize I didn't need as much as I was eating during the day. I eat only in the window from noon to 7pm. Only coffee before noon and nothing after 7pm other than water. It doesn't work for everyone but it made a big difference for me-- not just in managing calories but also in my energy and mood. I can't explain why but there are people smarter than me who have been singing the praises of IF. Again, I know it doesn't work for all but it might be worth a try.

Can't help you with the beer-- I am just not a beer drinker. Never was-- I tend to drink whiskey or vodka with club soda. I will say this.. i strongly believe that if you are going to make lifestyle changes that you can sustain into the future, you have to make some accommodations for the things you really enjoy. We can do anything short term-- but to maintain a lifestyle, it has to be something we can stick to for the duration. I choose not to eliminate my half and half.. my coffee is one of my joys of the day so I make up for those calories by cutting something else out or back. Just my opinion.. 😎

GS what a nice break from the conference.. the botanical gardens look lovely!

Sue, can't wait for your photos too! Hope you're having an awesome trip!

Welcome back, Jill! Sorry you struggle with peonies-- they are so pretty and smell so nice. At least they are short lived.

DawnInCal, I'm really glad you joined us. I hadn't been participating in this thread until I realized that correcting my bite was a good health step.

My teeth were only mildly sore for the first 6 or so hours of putting my trays in. Overnight it went away. I have been religious about keeping them in close to 22 hours/day. Realistically it will be closer to 21, but that's still in the recommended zone. My teeth are soooo clean. I thought I'd have trouble with an edge behind my upper teeth, but, although I can feel it with my tongue, especially when I say my S's, my tongue doesn't hurt.

Thank you both for the warm welcome!

Funkyart, what you say about accommodating those things that one really enjoys makes a lot of sense to me. Depriving ourselves of those things that bring us happiness often leads to failure. I will take that to heart and give some thought to the IF. A few years ago, I would floss and brush right after dinner and that pretty much put an end to snacking because I didn't want to floss and brush again later. Maybe I should get back on track with that tactic.

Bunny, glad you are doing well with the Invisaligns. You had mentioned that it was difficult to get the trays out. That should get easier with time. I struggled with that too in the beginning and found that using the tip of my thumbnail on the edge of the trays really helped. Once you get the tray started, they pop right out.

Once you get the tray started, they pop right out.

Very true. My nails aren’t that great, but enough to get them started. I found that if I swish with water beforehand they seem to release better. Putting them in is very easy. They just pop into place. I’m not afraid of them anymore. 😊

In 4 weeks I’m getting 6 attachers on the bottom. That should make things interesting.

Checking in from Denver! So much walking and the hotel has a nice lap pool. One of the vendors was Danone, and I tried this Oikos high protein yogurt, 20 G protein, 8 g carbs, and only 3 g sugar. I will definitely buy again! She said Harris Teeter should have it.

Also Hoka was a vendor and I got a 30% discount coupon so I will try a pair. I have to order and they will ship.

Welcome Dawn from another Californian.

Agree with both you and Funky, in that you have to make your diet/eating style work for you. Everytime my best friend goes on a diet she goes crazy, won't eat out at all, which she loves, and generally totally deprives herself of her favorites. At first she loses like crazy but then gives up totally because she is so unhappy feeling deprived. Then she is back where she was or worse. I know it is a hard balance at times because you can't have it all and lose. I would rather lose more slowly and make room in my plan for meals where I just do not care about calories or an occasional treat. This is going to be the way I eat the rest of my life, so I need to be content.

@gsciencechick thanks for sharing the yogurt, it could be really helpful to me, having a hard time getting all my protein each day.

Also, appreciate all the Invisalign information.

Much as I haven't really been able to see my recent weight losses-- today I had confirmation that no, my scale isn't broken and I am not imagining the lower numbers. A dress I tried on a month ago that was wayyyyy too small everywhere from bust to hips now almost fits. I could get away with it but it is a little snug over my belly-- but I am confident it will fit perfectly in a month. Yay me!

It really is crazy that my first thought when I see losses is that the scale is broken lol. I AM working at it, I don't know why my first thought wouldn't be that, "hey, what you are doing is working-- keep with it!"

I surely know these mental games we play on ourselves but I am too far down this path to let them sabotage me.

I am doing better with making sure I eat through the day-- not as well with increasing the variety of vegetables. I will keep working on it. I need to think less of interesting new recipes and more about what will I enjoy with minimal effort.

This is a very exciting time at work.. after a few months of planning, prep and designing, we're actually getting ready to start development of a new application. It will be a busy few months as everyone gets their sea legs, but I am excited and need to acknowledge that things like cooking interesting meals and trying challenging new recipes will be on hold. That doesn't mean I can't eat healthy and interesting food-- it just means I need to be realistic about the effort/energy I have to put into it.

Hope everyone is doing well this week-- with their eating, exercise and adapting to visalign trays! I especially hope that those of you traveling are having a wonderful time!

Ha, I found that my tongue wouldn't leave those little knobs that were affixed to my teeth alone whenever I had the trays out. They were simply irresistible!

That yogurt sounds good; I will have to pick some up next time I go shopping.

Thank you for the welcome, jill! I completely agree with you that depriving oneself when trying to lose weight is a sure path to failure.

Funkyart, that is wonderful news! Congratulations and how exciting. It is such a good feeling to try something on that was too small only to now have it fit. Give yourself a big and well deserved pat on the back! Good luck with the work project as well.

Something that really helps me eat less is to eat slowly. By thoroughly chewing my food and pausing between bites, I find that I feel more satisfied and eat much less than if I gobble my food quickly.

I have also started measuring serving sizes. For example, a serving size of soup may be one cup, but my bowls actually hold two cups when filled. Measuring is really helping me to be mindful of how much food I consume.

Dawn so true about serving sizes.. I've actually stopped using my full size plates and I purchased small bowls... not tiny but smaller than the typical cereal bowls. It makes a difference to see a smaller plate filled than a large plate bare! I do still use large bowls for salad.

As some may have seen on another thread, I traveled to Atlanta this last week so my exercise routine was pretty wrecked for half the week. Over last holiday weekend I spent so many hours doing yard work on top of my usual exercise, so hopefully that made up for it. And one of my days in Atlanta involved a ton of walking through a museum and the aquarium, so that was hopefully beneficial. I am also happy to report that I did not get any gluten sickness on my trip which felt like a big win.

But most importantly, the summer only swimming pool is now open for 50m outdoor swimming in the mornings! I'm really hoping they haven't sold out most of the pool to a swim team again like last year. The 50m is more of a workout since you're pushing off from the wall less frequently and I can definitely feel it after each session. I need to get back into my summer routine of cardio in the morning and weights at lunch time since I've been slacking off a bit on the weight lifting.

On the weight loss front I think I'm still hovering about where I was in the winter. Maybe down a pound. So maintaining, but I'd like to lose a few more again in the summer to be back where I was at the end of last summer.

On a side note, I'm terribly photo phobic and hate having people take photographs of me without my control. Apparently our company photographer snapped a picture of me during our in person company event and the CEO decided that was the photo he would send out to our entire company in his weekly email. Ugh. I am grateful that my immediate reaction wasn't "Oh no, I look fat!" but I still wasn't very happy with how I looked. I wish I could get comfortable with how I look in pictures.

I found that my tongue wouldn't leave those little knobs that were affixed to my teeth alone whenever I had the trays out.

Dawn, whenever the trays are out it's because I'm eating or drinking something other than water. Then they're back in.