This has been a lonnng, cold week. Long with work. Ive worked both nights and weekend and I am tired. I did make a pot of Acini di Pepe soup last night -- it is really so simple (as opposed to some of the more involved soups like Italian Wedding Soup) so it was perfect. It uses ground beef so not the lowest calories soup in my arsenal but at least I get some added protein ;)

Not much else to share -- I am holding steady on my weight but haven't been very active. I did plan to shovel snow yesterday but a friend showed up and cleared my driveway before I even knew he was here. Temps are in the high 20s now so I should try to get a walk in but I still have some work to complete and a resume to work on (for graduating nephew) so it is kind of low on the list. I need to stop putting everything ahead of walking/exercise but I am feeling stretched pretty thin these days. I have been doing some short spurt mat exercises but nothing consistent enough to call routine.

I should be more upbeat with my status -- I am starting to lose slowly, I did cut out some less than ideal foods/snacks. I just need to get more enthusiastic about exercise and the process in general.

Oh I hear you, the cold weather has been HARD. And we don’t even have it as bad as others because it doesn’t stay super cold for long here. though it does seem like a colder winter than the past few years. No snow yet.

I have some grading and of course some important football to watch today. ❤️💙 Also women’s basketball. I will use the treadmill and do some weights at home.

I will make some lasagna this week. That is another good cold weather food. It doesn’t look like I can get the red lentil pasta in lasagna noodles, but I have some. I’ll just need to eat a smaller portion.

Looks like i will end the week on Zepbound down 3, but this basically my holiday weight gain. No real side effects other than reduced appetite and cravings and ”food noise.” I will take another dose today but I have to delay next week because I have that GYN procedure coming up which I am not looking forward to that.

The cold has been brutal here all week. I honestly have barely left the house! But tomorrow will be a balmy 37, and increasing all week, so life will go back to normal. I had a good week eating-wise, and did my Peloton routine 3-4 times, and was disappointed when I got on the scale this morning and saw no change. Grr. But, I feel good anyway.

This week will be more challenging because I will be out for dinner twice and DH is out of town, which usually means I tend to eat more junk but I just ordered groceries for delivery tomorrow (not going to the store = less temptation to buy junk) and I am now fully equipped for healthy eating! We are heading north on Sat. for DD's bday and going to a restaurant that often has my favorite dessert of all time, so I may have to splurge on that if they haven't changed the menu.

Then back on track.

We are headed on our "southern road trip" in 2-1/2 weeks and that will be a challenge, foodwise, so I am really determined to eat as well as possible until then and get those habits firm in my mind so I will be less likely to go off the rails when I'm looking at dinner menus! I am also planning to bring my workout clothes so I can, at the very least, get up and go for a morning walk every day. The warmer weather will be good motivation!

Hey GS, I haven't made it recently, but I LOVE lasagna made with thinly sliced zucchini to replace the pasta sheets. I absolutely love how the zucchini adds flavor to the sauce! I usually add spinach to the ricotta mixture .. and if I am sharing with someone who expects meat, I will add turkey sausage. One of my very favorite "meals for a week".

Tip: You really need to remove as much water as you can from the zucchini planks. I salt them and let them sit on a bed of paper towels for an hour ... and then really pat them dry. I have seen others will roast them a bit and then pat them dry. I am sure that is delicious also!

I watched a video a little bit ago-- on a topic other than healthy lifestyle but she did touch on that. She spoke about feeling like she coasted through 2023 ... she wasnt all that consistent, didn't make much progress on her goals and basically let "other things" drive her schedule and life. Boy, this really resonated with me. I will go even further, I have coasted pretty much since 2018. Not 100% .. but since then, I allowed my declining vision, not driving, covid, work, surgeries/health issues impact my life in bigger ways than I feel good about. I have accepted slow progress and not taking full control.

I consciously don't make "resolutions" but I am going to spend some time in the next few weeks looking at how I want to live and what I want to accomplish in the years to come. I turn 60 in April so I think it is a great time to think about what I want out of the next decade. Most importantly, I want to be more engaged and intentional. It is so easy to let work, disabilities, etc control my schedule and activities-- but I won't get where I want to be by coasting and going with the flow.

To bring this back to the topic of this thread, I know I want to be stronger, healthier and at least 50 lb down by the end of the year. I didnt lose 50 lb last year but it is very doable in a year if I am more intentional and consistent!

Good luck with the glucose monitor, Legomom. The one good thing about tortilla chips is that the baked ones are okay but not so good I actually want to over eat them, and salsa is practcally no calories and not much else. I have found 10 baked scoops and salsa to be a pretty good bite, and adding a half serving of hummus makes it more satisfying.

I made lasagna last week and added a whole bag of wilted baby spinach to the ricotta layer. I used the ”oven ready” noodles bc that’s what I had on hand. I had forgotten how much I dislike them 😕 DH has no such concerns so it’s been good and hearty fare for him whilst recovering from a nasty cold he picked up in California.

I am staying in a pretty tight four lb range that I am comfortable with but not entirely satisfied. This redistribution of my weight with aging is bothersome at best. Things don’t always fit the way they used to even when the scale hasn’t changed. I am glad to be healthy but I would like to banish the creeping bulge!

Baked tortilla chips are a good idea! I forgot about those. When I was doing WW years ago, I bought the high fiber tortillas, cut them, sprayed them with olive oil and baked. Those were pretty satisfying and the fiber was a plus. Salt and crunch are definitely my loves!

I am sitting here struggling with breakfast. I know I do so much better overall with fat and protein, but all the breakfast proteins I like are considered processed - bacon, sausage, turkey sausage. I don't like eggs or yogurt, and I haven't found a way to do protein powders in a manner I consistently want. In the summer, I will do a lot of salads. Leftovers would be my best bet I think. I have some chicken noodle soup I can warm up, limit my noodles and add some nuts, maybe. Protein in general is hard for me, because all I really like is chicken and beef.

I am going to try oatmeal one morning with my monitor on, and try to find a protein powder muffin or something. I had a chocolate one I used to make which sounds good to me today if I had all the ingredients.

I don't know if you like it-- but I used to eat bean soup for breakfast. It was a fairly bland recipe-- no meat.

I think whatever has the specs you need and makes you happy, is fair game for breakfast.

PSA : I wouldn't normally recommend a book until I read it but I received an alert that the kindle version is just $2.99 today (not sure how long-- sometimes it is a day, a week or a month). At $2.99 it seemed worth sharing.

I have downloaded it-- plan to start it within the next few weeks.

Move by Caroline Williams

"An eye-opening journey into the power of human movement and how we can harness it to optimize our brain health, boost our mood and improve every aspect our lives "

Shortlisted for Sunday Times’s 2022 Book of the Year

I love beans of all kind! And soup for breakfast works for me. Yesterday for breakfast I had an egg white sandwich and fruit cup from chick fil a - spike. Today I had oats with hemp, flax, and chia seeds with mixed berries - spike. It's fascinating wearing this monitor again and seeing it all in black and white. The spikes aren't super large, but I do notice that when I eat like that it generally isn't very filling in the end.

I downloaded the book - I know I will agree with all of it. Movement is so vital, and my life is super sedentary. I don't know how to really change that in my current life. Yesterday my spike was definitely shorter because I timed the dog walk after I ate. That is key. I wish my life was naturally more active and not just scheduled exercise. I need to improve that for sure. Hoping the book has some tips.

This is one of the soups I made this week - I used hot curry powder and red pepper flakes because I like flavor. I also added garbanzo beans and more veggies, less water, because I like thick soups. But it is very good and warm. Seriously good vegetable soup

I don’t know if this would appeal to you, Legomom, but this is a current favorite breakfast here.

We love this oatmeal from TJ.

When I add the water, I also add chocolate protein powder. After it’s cooked, I stir in about a teaspoon of almond butter (could use PB of course, too). I love it and it’s very filling.

The other day, my lunch was Siete grain-free tortilla chips with salsa and plain yogurt (instead of sour cream). Weird but I liked it.

I'll have to look for that, we don't have a TJ's - but it similar to what I make - 1/3 cup high protein oats, 3 T mixed super seeds - chia, flax and hemp, cinnamon and mixed berries. It did spike me today, but it came down pretty quickly and smoothly even with sitting to work after I ate. I'm going to try the protein powder addition and see where I get. I don't want to give up all those seeds and fiber. Some people do egg whites too. I will test some things out!

Ooh, that looks wonderful, SueB! I have not been to TJ's in a long time, pre-pandemic. It's always such a madhouse there. But those are all the things I like a lot.

Gs, I don’t go to TJ often, but when I do, I stock up on that particular cereal. I usually buy 5 bags. DH is somewhat obsessed with it.

If you don't have a TJs nearby, just using quinoa as a base instead of oats may be helpful. Quinoa is a "nearly complete protein" and has more fiber than oats. I don't eat breakfast, but sometimes want a warm, cinnamon-y comfort snack, and I like warmed quinoa.

But I generally don't care for sweets, and prefer salt and crunch. I came across Buffalo Chicken Protein Chips (google it because I tried a link that wouldn't post here). They satisfy my initial craving, but they're not that good. My young, lean DS saw them on the counter, tasted one, and said, "Why did you buy these?" I responded, "Because I won't eat the whole bag."

I believe someone last week mentioned chickpea pasta? I tried the Banza Rotini chickpea pasta, and was pleasantly surprised at how much like regular pasta it is. And I find it incredibly filling. I'm generally not a fan of food-pretending-to-be-another-food, but I do like this pasta. The chips, not so much.

My exercise is mostly back on track, and I'm incorporating more yoga in addition to weights. I'd like to be doing more long walks, but our weather has been wet and hovering around freezing most days. I won't risk a fall. But it's hard...I don't care for cardio machines, and usually max out at 30 minutes before I can't take the monotony anymore. I need to be outside. Next week is supposed to be dry and in the 30s, so I'm hoping for safe sidewalks.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

@Legomom, have you heard of Noatmeal? It's made with coconut, flaxseed, chia, etc and much lower in carbs than traditional oatmeal. Because of this , it doesn't spike your bs.

I haven't heard of Noatmeal (clever name lol) but I have had Qia which seems in the same ballpark. I'll be honest, I don't love it but it is good enough. I think I'd like it more with nuts or berries. I just haven't experimented with it much as I don't usually eat in the morning.

After a couple of very cold weeks, the temp rose to 60 deg yesterday. Today we should see a high in the low 50s and at least low 40s for the rest of the week. Perfect weather to get out and walk (or jump rope or whatever).

Unfortunately, for the last three days I have had hip/butt-ish pains. I have had bursitis much of my life and assumed that was the issue but when I took aspirin (recommended for bursitis) it didn't help. Tylenol is seeming to dampen the pain but isnt eliminating it. Walking seems to help but it is pretty painful at first. It is also making it hard to get comfortable in bed .. so I am falling asleep later and getting up earlier.

I am determined to get out-- even if I have to keep the walks shorter. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain but this one is really affecting my daily activities -- including exercise. Any other suggestions on what I can do or take to address the hip pain? I know you all aren't doctors lol -- just looking for something that may have helped you in the past... even if it is "put on your big girl pants, grit your teeth and get out there!"

@funkyart - I'm sorry you are hurting. Maybe the walk will help? Stretch it out and warm up the muscles? If it persists maybe PT? I am such a fan. They helped me with a shoulder injury almost immediately and told me the stretches to do at home that worked.

@Rnmom - thanks for the Noatmeal reminder! My health coach told me about that way back when I started this, but I had forgotten all about it. And as Sueb suggested - I did add some protein powder to my oatmeal one morning. That was perfect for my glucose monitor and my day! It just works for me if I do a high protein breakfast. Sets my day up perfectly. My blood sugar levels were better the whole day. I didn't LOVE the taste of it, but I think I can experiment with that and the Noatmeal and find a good breakfast alternative. For me, it really is key for the whole day. I haven't bought into the whole protein powder thing, but since I can't really do a lot of eggs and I don't like yogurt, it is probably a good alternative for me.

I also tracked my weight this week and I'm not really status quo like I've been telling myself. When looking back over the last year, I am steadily up about 5 pounds and trending in the wrong direction. I think it's a combination, diet of course, but I am not moving. It's so nice in the warmer months when I can play pickleball for hours. Now, I'm lucky to walk 1/2 hour a day. I might need to seek outside accountability of a gym or class to really get back into it. I haven't sweat in months and that isn't good. And it doesn't feel good.

I haven't read the MOVE book yet, but I can say from first hand experience how important it is to stable blood sugar. I can walk for 10-15 minutes or fast for a couple hours to get my numbers back down. And they're just not stable if I don't move. It's really quite amazing the difference it makes.

Palm to face! I had a recipe for Noatmeal but forgot to link it! Noatmeal recipe There are other versions if you Google it. I haven't made it for a white mainly because I IF but it is a much bs friendly breakfast item.