The last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle with work and unexpected circumstances and I have been evaluating what I want to do about work, retirement and the rest of my life lol. Not sure why but all of this has resulted in me being a bit hard on myself ... so today I want to focus on and share what I am proud of ... and I'd love to hear what you are proud of!

I am proud thatI have been able to maintain the flu weight loss even now as I am back to normal. I committed to eating more seafood and fish this year and more protein in general. I think that has been key. I do want to adjust the balance a bit to bring veggies a little more in the forefront but I think I am going in a good direction.

I am proud that i have increased my water intake -- the biggest change is that even before starting the coffee in the morning, I fill a 30oz cup with water/ice and drink it first thing. This will be an ongoing effort to improve but i am proud of my progress.

The week ahead is going to be very cold and very likely snowy and icy ... i am heading into the pantry to see what soup ingredients I have to work with this week. I have been making the same handful of soups on rotation-- thinking I will try something new (or not lol).

What is going on in your world this week? What are you proud of?

I don’t usually post in this thread, but have been missing you Funky, so came here to check on you. sounds like you are doing great with your healthy eating plan!! Congrats on your success. As for work, I hope things calm down/slow down. I will say, for me, retirement has been absolutely great!! Good luck deciding what to do.

I think I posted in the last thread that I met with TIAA this week. I needed to change my allocations since I was super high in equities. I am concerned about the state of the US/world and needed to do that as I get older and closer to retirement. . I’m also meeting with HR to talk health insurance and other benefits. If I retire but DH still needs insurance, how does this work. I have 6 months of sick time, so that is something that is super important. I found out I am being nominated for an award, but it’s a little hard to get excited about it. I’ve been nominated before and didn’t get it.

WTG on maintaining your weight and feeling better.

It’s supposed to be cold this week and maybe wintry weather on Wednesday. I’m supposed to travel to our regional conference on Thursday, but it is supposed to be OK.

We are not off for President’s day, so I am booked for Pilates. If weather is bad Wednesday, I’ll need to reschedule my private session.

We’ve got our menus planned for the week, so we should be set. Have leftover salmon from Valentine’s Day.

Funky - I am glad you are feeling better! That's a great tip with the water. I am trying to do that every morning as well, and usually I don't find it too difficult because I am thirsty when I wake up. I have been pretty hungry lately, so I am also trying to drink a big glass of water before I eat to make sure it's hunger and not thirst.

I came home Thursday to yuck weather and a head cold. So not much happened this weekend, but I am feeling better today so I jumped on my trampoline and I'm planning on doing weights later. I pretty much skipped the last two weeks of that while we were gone. I was lucky enough to get lots of pickelball in and lots of steps. Fun exercsie! Staying active is so much easier when the weather's so nice you don't even want to go inside. I find this winter weather challenging for both my mood and my exercise routine. Next year I need to plan to be gone longer I think :)

@gscience - I admire your consistency! You've been doing all the things for a long time.

Glad everyone is making good progress -- especially with exercise!

But I really want to hear what YOU are proud of in your healthy lifestyle journey. We've been at this for years --I love the enthusiastic support we give each other. Would love to see us all give the same to ourselves. Maybe it is just me but I think it is easier to focus on my failures and where I could do better than what I have done well.

It felt good to express some pride this morning. It shifted my focus for the week. Give it a try ... if you dont want to do it here, do it in private. Say it aloud!

(Thanks @Tina Marie .. but I have been around. I just dont have a lot to say as I am not shopping, decorating or working projects at the moment)

Well I don’t know if ”proud” is the right sentiment, but I often feel lucky that I can still move my 60 yo body without much difficulty! I have focused a bit more on stretching and some yoga, and have noticed that I can bend over and touch my toes (actually the floor) easily.

My dad had two falls in his early 80s — once, he slipped on wet leaves in the driveway, and another time he tripped over the janitor’s bucket at work. The only injury was a bruise near his eye from one of the falls. I attribute his lack of serious injury to his daily workouts, and I have to keep reminding myself that even though exercise isn’t making me thin, there are so many benefits to exercise.

I am proud that I prioritized exercise enough to move our workout equipment to a more prominent place (former guest room) because I am using it more and enjoying it more. It isn’t a page from House Beautiful but who cares? (But I do actually love the indoor-outdoor rug I found for the room!)

I was not happy with the side effects from the reflux meds I was prescribed, so I decided to go off it until I finally see the gastro dr next month. My throat feels about 90% better since I stopped drinking coffee. So not sure if I need meds or not or if dietary changes are enough. Everything I read about Famotidine seems to indicate that it shouldn’t be taken long term but apparently people do. I have a friend who’s been on it for 8 years!

I am a great water drinker! So there. I refill my big cuppa water all day long, and also have at least one mug of herbal decaf tea each day.

Good idea Funky -

I am proud that I am still consistently on this health journey I started 4 years ago this month! I am proud that when I wore my CGM last week after about a year, my numbers were very good. I am proud I finally started lifting weights and am making some progress, and I'm proud I have been consistent when I am in town. I am proud that I gave up alcohol almost 10 months ago because it was something I was questioning in my life and I personally needed to do. I am proud that in my original quest to lose weight, I ended up prioritizing my health first, making changes that made me feel better and are sustainable to me, even though there are some extra pounds still hanging around. I'm proud of how much I improved my diet to incorporate more real foods and eating out way less. I'm proud that when I'm feeling depressed or anxious, I turn to nature or exercise first as a way to feel better. I'm proud that I have been able to share my knowledge and new habits with my DH who has also benefitted from this improved lifestyle. I'm prouid that I ran my first 5k last summer, I'm proud that I was mostly able to keep up with my 22 year old son hiking this summer. I'm proud - and sometimes surprised :) when I can get to a hard shot in pickleball because I'm faster than I was before. I'm proud of the confidence I have gained in myself that has allowed me to say yes to a lot of things I might have said no to before.

I am proud to reach a small goal, I ran on the indoor gym track for 90 minutes. I drank about 30 oz's of coffee first, which helped. :0) I just don't have that kind of energy @ 7am.

Point is...IF I can run 90 minutes, 3-4 times a week without increasing my caloric intake...I can lose 20lbs. It's just a matter of time...

Great way to think Funky....good thoughts only....

Lol well about 30 min after reading Sues post i threw my back out collecting my groceries at the door i never had back issues before — prob because i was much stronger argh hoping this passes quickly

@Funkyart...hope this too passes and you regain your health...best wishes...

Nicole — 30 oz of coffee! Surprised you could run 90 min without wearing Depends! 😂

Oh no, Funky, hope it passes quickly.

Thanks — had poor sleep and pain when moving last night but is MUCH better today. i will be back to normal in a day or two. Just a big ol reminder that im losing strength and flexibity. The bag wasnt heavy at all … i guess it was a funny angle

Oh, Funky I hope you are feeling better soon. It is amazing as we get older how much an illness can affect us.

Overall, I have been doing well except my sweet tooth made a big comeback. I think I have now eaten everything sweet in the house and I will not be buying or making any more.

After 14 months, my stamina is getting better (long Covid), but boy what a nightmare. The last pieces are lingering asthma and ankle surgery next week to repair a torn tendon. Not looking forward to it, but am ready for it to stop hurting and to be able to resume all activities. I did talk with my Pilates instructor, and she is going to work with me privately to maintain my upper body strength. I will be non weight-bearing for 4 weeks and in a walking boot for 6 weeks.

My weight has been stuck, but that is because I have been eating too much. That is my biggest challenge at the moment. I hope everyone stays warm this week. We are supposed to get another really cold wave all the way down here.

I hope your back is better very quickly, funky!

I am proud that I have finally gotten back to consistent exercise. I fell off the wagon and had not been exercising for quite a while. I've been doing walking classes on the Peloton treadmill and I like it a lot. I also just got a weighted vest to wear while doing them to help improve my osteoporosis and to burn more calories while doing it.

The scale has finally budged. Only 1-2 lbs (depending on the day), but at least it's a start. And I do feel better.

I do want to find the time to also do some spin classes on the Peloton bike a few times a week while also walking 6-7 days on the tread. If I can retire soon, that will be much easier to do. I am waiting to hear what my company is willing to do for me. I spoke to my boss before the end of the year. I turn 65 in August. I do not want to work past that date, but I would prefer to end sooner with a package. He spoke to his boss and apparently there are layoffs in April. So, we're hoping I can get on that list and be laid off with a package to get me to at least August. I know that they've given 1 year packages when laying people off but I'm not sure they will do that for me since I'm asking for this, and there is zero percent chance I would be on the layoff list otherwise. After decades of being thankful I was very much needed and never needed to worry about being fired, it now sucks that I am ;-)

DH is 2 years younger than me, so we will have to do something to fill that gap for health insurance for him. Thankfully, our financial advisor has built that into our plan. I just hope the plan is accurate. The state of things in the US has me very concerned about our portfolio.

I'm with with SueB that I am proud I can move my body well and have relatively few aches and pains for my age. I saw a meme "I get to exercise" vs. " I have to exercise."

Funky, that is a super common way for people to get back pain, groceries or else taking kids out of car seat.

Not sure what's going to happen with the weather. We may just get a dusting of snow but could also have some sleet. Then it will all refreeze tomorrow.

Only a dusting of snow, but I did cancel the Pilates private session and worked from home. I did some dumbbells and core work, with assistance from my personal trainer, Blue. He loves when Iset out a mat because, of course, it’s for him.

I meant to post this article from NYTimes about fitness after 40. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/06/well/move/peak-fitness-after-40.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yU4.WU9z.xnnNXL6DDcBc&smid=url-share. I’m on the iPad, so not sure if the link is clickable here.

I’ll check in later. Off to the regional conference. It’s so cold!

@gsciencechick...Good article...I passed it along...

Exercise is a celebration of what you can do, not a punishment for what you ate.

I am always trying to remind myself of this. I do not enjoy exercise, so it's a battle for me.

Thanks for the reminder!

Should we just continue this week's thread because of the date? Today is 2/23/2025.

I am doing OK. Went to my regional conference, and it was so cold outside and also certain conference rooms. I did manage to get in Zumba Thursday morning before I left and then Friday I did weights in the little hotel gym and some mat Pilates in my room. Since I drove, I had my mat in my car, and at this particular Hyatt the floors are LVP so good to do some exercise on. Today I went to the Y for weights and did the treadmill.

I had sushi on Thursday night, and it was so good to have real, fresh made sushi. That was a real treat. I did not sleep well either night because I had to be up very early for a breakfast session and then to moderate an 8 a.m. session. Saturday I was so tired.

Took both our cars for car washes since they were pretty brine covered from this past week's weather. It is finally supposed to warm up this week to the 60's and maybe even touch 70.

Hope you have a good week and are feeling well.

Thank you, GS ,., i hadnt noticed i created last week's thread as 26 instead of 16. These are common errors for me/my eyes.

And thank you-- that is a great solution for this week.

Not much to report but i do still have major back pain so cannot sit at the computer long. I had to work long hours all last week and i dont think that helped the healing. I will be off the computer as much as possible this week!

Have great weeks everyone!

Hope you back feels better this week Funky.

I've been majorly blah, I think since I left the beautiful sunshine and returned to the land of blah :) SO, just trying to do the bare minimum and not get too far off track, but my heart is not in it. The weather was better this weekend so I did get in my steps outside which was a great change of pace.

DH bought me my two favorite sweet treats for Valentines Day, so I even ate more sugar than usual, which isn't like me. Chips are usually my weakness. In an effot to get back on track I asked Chat GPT to make me a weekly meal plan to fit my protein, fiber and calorie goals. There were some new ideas so I changed up my grocery list and meal prepped some yesterday. Need to get more veggies ready today. That's pretty cool to play around with. I kept changing it around. In the end I had a meal plan with 1600 calories, 150 grams of protein, 35 plus grams of fiber, at least 30 different plant products and at least 800 grams of fruits and vegetables a day. The takeaway - I need less nuts and more veggies!

last month I tracked my food for about 10 days and I've been wearing my new Garmin watch 24 hours a day so I have a pretty good idea of my calories in and out. It wasn't a surprise, but it did remind me how much a difference just getting in the steps makes if you're counting calories. It doesn't seem like a lot at the time but just 200-300 calories a day adds up over time. It helped me remember to just do the best I can and that just walking really is good - good for blood sugar balancing, good for my mood, and good for some extra calories.

I cannot say I have much to be proud of in terms fitness, exercise, or eating lately. We are right in the middle of selling our house, selling our undeveloped lot, and buying another house. Two of those transactions are connected through contingencies and dates and it's utterly exhausting. The house we're buying has some unexpected issues to address, some of which need to happen before we move in, but the window of time between when we can actually gain access to the new house and must leave the old house is really really short, just a few days. I am swamped at work and feeling major pressure and trying to balance that with having to make so many phone calls to get estimates and schedule inspections and sign addendum after addendum. Not to mention having to leave the house for hours at a time and at the drop of a hat tidy the house up to be in a show state for the buyers. Needless to say I'm STRESSED OUT!

I am trying to find some time to exercise, but really it's only a few days a week, not the daily exercise I'm used to. There is a lot of moving around, cleaning, packing, de-cluttering, etc. But very little dedicated exercise time. This week my exercise is going to be derailed by four long days of in-person work events. Many people are in from out of town so I end up being forced to do social activities beyond normal work hours. Not to mention I will not have good access to food that is safe for me to eat (gluten intolerance). They say they provide gluten free food, but I've gotten sick at these before and I hate having to explain that I'd prefer not to eat rather than risk getting sick from a bad caterer or people cross-contaminating the buffet tongs. I am trying to keep up with intermittent fasting (5:2) though I feel like I'm over-eating and over-drinking in general. I can feel my body is losing it's fitness and it's so frustrating.

I loved reading all of your positive updates and I hope that maybe in a month I'll be back with some of my own positive updates.

It's been a rollercoaster of a year for me, weight-wise, but I am finally on a healthier path. When my mom was injured in July 2023, I basically stopped eating. It was how I dealt with stress. In one year I lost about 25 lbs which was too much for me and I felt it was very negatively affecting my health (sleep, stamina; etc). So I decided that this was the year to get healthy. That meant going to the gym and working with a private trainer and taking classes that focus on weights and some cardio (I do the treadmill on other days) The classes kicked my but and the trainer is a masochist, but I am much stronger now and I have put on 10 lbs since the fall. I kind of hate the gain, but I know much of it is muscle. (I just wish I hadn't bought so many skinny clothes last summer.)

But I feel better and that's the most important thing. I was definitely heading down an unhealthy path before.