Alcohol Free Is What We Want to Be! Thursday, March 21

SHAPING UP FOR SPRING!
February 11 - March 31

Spring is coming!

Supportive Friends
Progress not Perfection
Renewal of Being
Inspiration
New Habits
Great Success!

This can be your Spring! This can be your success! No more rationalizing and making excuses.

This challenge isn't just about being alcohol free though it is the focus of the board. It is about finding and giving encouragement, getting healthy, loving ourselves, and finding what works and what doesn't. This is NOT about making ourselves feel badly about the unhealthy choices, it is about celebrating the healthy ones. So let's go for it!

As always, the rules aren't complicated. Simply no alcohol and staying on your food plan. If you get off track, don't give up....don't throw away the day, the night, the week. We are working on progress not perfection.

You may have alcohol issues that you cannot manage on your own and our group is here to support you and encourage you to get the help you might need. You may have alcohol issues that you can control but have to exert the motivation and our group is here to support you.

Spring clean your cupboard early! If you have junk food, tempting alcohol, or trigger foods in your kitchen, you are setting yourself up for failure. Give it away, dump it, GET RID OF IT! Temptation is always going to happen. Don't make it easier for yourself to give in to it. Assess your kitchen, ask if this helps or hinders me. DO NOT have sentimental attachment to food or alcohol. The stuff will always be there, it does not magically disappeared but your health can be compromised! This is your life! Make it the best!

REMEMBER….
1. Work the Plan and the Plan works! Think of your new eating plan as a lifestyle change -- one that will have ups and downs, with good days and (very few) bad.

2. Don't deprive yourself. A food plan should be about SATISFACTION. Find foods you LOVE that will help you meet your goal.

3. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you.

4. Listen to your body. It knows things. Pay close attention to your body cues.

5. Live one day (or even one MEAL) at a time. Don't be discouraged and beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon. Just get back on with lots of helping hands.

6. Get exercise with activities you enjoy. If you don't like what you are doing, then you won't stick with it.

7. Keep track of what you eat. Write it down. You WILL 100% without a doubt make better choices if you hold yourself accountable for them.

SHAPING UP FOR SPRING EQUINOX!
February 11 - March 31

THE EIGHT GOOD HEALTH GUIDELINES
1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
2. Choose whole-grain foods, such as brown rice and oats, whenever possible.
3. Include two servings of milk precuts – low fat (1%) or fat-free – each day.
4. Have some healthy oil (olive oil, canola, sunflower, safflower or flaxseed each day.
5. Ensure that you are getting enough protein by choosing at least a serving or two of meat, poultry, fish, eggs or dried beans each day. Many dairy products are also good sources of protein.
6. Limit added sugar and alcohol.
7. Drink at least 6 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
8. Take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement each day.

NUTRITION ACCOUNTABILITY
Drink more water: 72 oz
One or more fruit daily: Y
One or more vegetable daily: Y
AF: (mostly alcohol free since August 16, 2006): 6435; ANIM: 1 (021221)
AIM: N
ANIM: N
Fitbit Goal/burned: 2170/2156
JUST JOURNAL!

HABIT ACCOUNTABILITY

Move Accountability: 3, 11,600+ steps, 250 steps 8/8 hours, walked the nature trail, laps in the basement, counter pushups and stretches
Sleep Accountability: 2, slept well, 6.5+ hours, Fitbit score 82, stress management 79
Nutrition Accountability: 3, 29/23, 31 weeklies left, blue dot, saltine toffee, ice cream
Happiness Accountability: 3, enjoyed the day, watched Damsel movie, stitched, read before bed
Habit Accountability: 3, drinking more water than diet Coke
Check in Daily Accountability: 3, I'm here!
Time Management Accountability: 3, walked, finished CE's needed for license renewal, laundry, couch time, finished Patriots tissue box cover
What did you do for yourself today? Reading, couch time, time outside

Please post a NSV (non-scale victory), LSP (little sign of progress), PA (positive affirmation) or motivational quote: “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” ―Zig Ziglar

CHALLENGE START WEIGHT 2/11: 173.0
February 18 weigh in: 173.2
February 25 weigh in: 172.6
March 3 weigh in: 171.6
March 10 weigh in: 169.8
March 17 weigh in: 169.4
March 24 weigh in:
Final Weigh March 31:

2024 Goals:
11,000 steps each day: 79/80
At least 7 hours sleep: 39/80
Lift weights twice/week: Wk 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Blue dots: 71/80
Starting weight: 179.8
Get to the 160's: March 10, 2024
150's:

After posting yesterday I finished enough CE modules to renew my license. DH & I took the golf cart to the nature trail yesterday morning to walk. The weather was lovely and I took off my jacket about halfway through. When we got back I switched out the St. Patrick's decorations for Easter. Then lunch and couch time. We had BLT's for dinner. I had gone up in my dose of semaglutide Tuesday morning and was feeling a bit queasy yesterday. After dinner I watched Damsel, a movie about an island where young women are sacrificed to a dragon, sort of Game of Thrones-ish. I finished the Patriots tissue box cover. Before my bath I did a body scan with Me360, which creates a fascinating/horrifying avatar of your body that you can rotate 360 degrees. It also lists measurements of chest, waist, arms, legs, body fat %, etc. Some of the measurements were close to what I got with a tape measure, some were very different. It will be interesting to see the changes as my weight goes down.

It's another pretty day today and we are going back to Gibbs Gardens to see the cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips, etc. I also want to make a couple of other stops in Kennesaw if I can talk DH into it.


Jan- WTG steps 10/11, PU, stretches, blue dot, AF, getting rid of GS cookies, no donuts at work. Hope DS is having a lovely beach vacation. I've got the Colleen Hoover and Kristin Hannah books on my list, the nurse book sounds like it would make a good movie. Yay for tests showing no shrimp allergy, hope your test meal went well. Enjoy knitting today.

Vicki- Yay for scale being down and DH's cough gone. Glad you enjoy Bible study. I guess they were saying the obesity meds had been around for 20 years for treating diabetes.

Cindy- Yay for the Celtics win. Fingers crossed for DS's lab results.

Cathy- Glad you could check in, WTG getting back OP.

M-W Word of the Day

scurrilous 
adjective | SKUR-uh-lus

What It Means
Scurrilous is a formal adjective that most often describes language that contains obscenities, abuse, or, especially, slander—that is, a false statement that damages a person’s reputation. Scurrilous can also describe someone who uses or tends to use scurrilous language, or it can describe a person or thing as evil or vulgar.

// The press secretary made a point at the briefing not to address the scurrilous rumors surrounding the senator.

This can be your Spring! This can be your success! No more rationalizing and making excuses.

"I look to 2024 with a renewed commitment to Progress”
“Out the Door in 2024”

SHAPING UP FOR SPRING EQUINOX!
February 11 - March 31

Spring is coming!

Supportive Friends
Progress not Perfection
Renewal of Being
Inspiration
New Habits
Great Success!

NUTRITION ACCOUNTABILITY
Drink more water: daily goal 70: 90oz
One or more fruit daily: 3
One or more vegetable daily: 4
Dryuary AF: 81
Dampuary AIM:
Sauced ANIM:
Fitbit Goal/burned: 2,000/2,307

JUST JOURNAL!

HABIT ACCOUNTABILITY
Move Accountability: Step goal 7500: 7,946 steps, 10/11 hours, 95 PU, 7 floors, stretches, toe touches AP
Sleep Accountability: 8 hours, 91! sleep, 86 stress, better sleep
Nutrition Accountability: 28/23 points. oatmeal, cherries, applesauce, salad with Chicken fajita, banana, 2 cookies, scallops, shrimp, squash, spinach, LO pie
Fitbit Macros: 1,544 calories, 54% Carbs, 27% fat, 19% protein. 263 cal left.
Happiness Accountability: 5 feeling happy
Habit Accountability: Exercise bar. 2/4. did tiny habits, morning journal, quiet time, tracking it all
Check in Daily Accountability: 5 I'm here!!
Time Management Accountability: 4 work, grocery run, Joannes, knit, TV time, scrolling,
What did you do for yourself today? 4 TV time, journaled, knit, finished my book
Please post a NSV (non-scale victory), LSP (little sign of progress), PA (positive affirmation) or motivational quote. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out"


CHALLENGE START WEIGHT 2/11: 201 official at WW: 201.8

February 18 weigh in: 200.6 WW
February 25 weigh in: 200. At home
March 3 weigh in: 199.5 at home this morning
March 10 weigh in: 200.6 at WW 198.8 at home this morning!
March 17 weigh in: 198.6
March 24 weigh in:

Final Weigh March 31:

Hi all. LONG day, some crazy stuff. My 10 and 10:30 family appt showed up at 2:00 and of course that appt was there too. Got a bit backed up, but finished it all and got home by 4:30. The Ducks BB is on but at least DH has burgers and fries planned for dinner and that makes me happy. I was thinking about burgers on the way home and now don't have to go out. I'm pretty proud of myself, I passed up Dark chocolate pudding? eggs from the candy store and some other pretzel chocolate mix at knitting. Didn't even want to know what pudding egg was, figure like a truffle. then at work there were new donuts, buttermilk glazed, yum! but I actually scanned them and I knew I couldn't do 18 points for pure sugar. NSV. Some sad news is one of my friends at knitting who has been sick off and on, last month or so she had pneumonia and had been complaining of shortness of breathe, well they put her on oxygen but now finally found that she has lung cancer. Not sure what the plan is. She said she's only told 2 of us at knitting for now and no one else really. Her son and DIL were flying down to Florida today to talk to the grandson before sharing with others. Riley, the GS, is at the Atlanta Braves spring training, this is his 2nd year, played on the AAA team or whatever last year right out of college. Prayers for all are always welcome. Today at work they decided to take no more appointments after April 8th! That means I could either chose to be done then or work a few more days if they need help getting things done before the 15th. I could see working that week, but maybe taking the Thursday off in case I could go knit and then go to lunch with peggy and the girls. Want to spend the time while she still feels well enough to get out and about. Guess that's enough news for today. Quiet here on the board. Hope you all had a nice day, still some sun shining here so see if the storm clouds roll in tonight or not. Maybe tomorrow. Have a great evening all. Jan

Hi All!

Nothing definite on what the doctor is looking at but DS will be undergoing more tests. The second round of blood work just left open questions. Just thinking positively and praying between sporadic tears caused by crossing bridges before we get to them.

Jan, prayers coming your friend's way and for all that need them. I need to read your post more carefully to grasp it all. We are having a thunderstorm, lights are flickering and my mind is all over the place.

Amy, glad you were able to get your CE modules done! Woot! The body scan sounds beyond me but would love to know more. Hope you and DH enjoyed Gibbs garden.

Carole, very safe travels for tomorrow. Take care of your burn, hugs. 

Fingers crossed that tomorrow is sunny. Want to buy stuff for my special garden of memories, not that anyone would recognize it as such.

Going to ty for an early bedtime and listen to the rain....and thunder and watch lightening through the curtains.

Hugs to all, Cindy