Happy Friday, my friends! I am going to make this quick because I have a billion things to do before we leave for our trip to Minneapolis. We get in around 6pm, then we're heading straight to a Twins game :) The wedding is tomorrow night, and then Sunday they are inviting everyone to their cabin on the lake to hang out. We leave late afternoon on Monday. So we do have some time on Saturday before the wedding and Monday before the flight to do some sight seeing. I need to see the Mary Tyler Moore statue! I think I want to see the George Floyd memorial, too. Other than that--what else is happening in the Twin cities? Suggestions welcomed.

QOTD: Where are my pumpkin spice people at? I'm here! I'm hoping to get my first PSL of the season at the airport today!

Accountability: Fine. I still felt a little off all day so I never had real meals, just little snacks like handfuls of sunflower seeds, almonds, and cheese. I finally had an egg wrap in the evening. Still holding strong with the losses from earlier in the week. I'm about to take another Wegovy shot, plus we're traveling today so I really don't have a menu.

Good Morning! I am ready for the Shenanigans, how about you?

Exciting news, I lost another half a pound yesterday! It's amazing how quickly the body responds after a stall is broken. I'm sure it will level off again soon, but it feels nice to see a little reward every day right now after so much waiting :)

Nothing too exciting today. I have lots of meetings and lots of stuff to do. I'm working from home so I am going to get to it early and try to make a dent.

We finally made it to a Knockouts Baseball game last night for the first time in ages. It was fun, but the last time we were there it was still in the high 80s at 8pm, and last night I was very ill prepared for how cold it was by 6:30pm. I didn't remember to bring a sweatshirt which was dumb, so I was shivering and we left early. We'll go back tonight and I will be prepared!

QOTD: Do you do most of your shopping online or in a store? I can't believe how little I shop in stores anymore. For ages I have gotten 90% of my clothes from StitchFix, all my incidentals from Amazon, and now that my grocery shopping is delivered through HungryRoot, I don't even go into grocery stores anymore. I cut through a very fancy mall on my way to work so I see all the things, but I never go in to buy anything.

Accountability: I ordered chicken tenders at the ball game and only had one before my body reminded me that we don't like fried food anymore, so that the end of dinner. Grim shared a little of his popcorn, though :)

• protein coffee
• babybel & nuts
• caesar salad with chicken
• maybe a hotdog?

So apparently, I sleep every other day, now? I have no idea. I slept sooo much on Sunday but last night was elusive. I just tossed and turned the entire time. I am not too tired (yet) though, so bring it on, Tuesday!

I am excited to report that the weight loss was "real" and not just dehydration from illness. I am truly excited that the stall is over and I can finally see some results paying off from the work.

QOTD: Have you ever seen whales? I have been on quite a few whale watches on the North Shore of Boston and I think I only saw whales twice. But when Maryann and I were in Maui we went on a boat and saw a ton of them!

Accountability: Yesterday's orientation food for breakfast & lunch was not even close to "on plan" so I skipped it and cobbled together a protein bar and nuts. I'm not going to count on eating there today and I will bring what I need.

• protein coffee
• hard boiled egg & babybel cheese & almonds
• caesar salad with chicken

^^actual photo of me this weekend^^

Morning all! I am not sure exactly what happened to me yesterday. Food poisoning? A stomach bug? Not sure, but the pain started overnight and I was a yucky mess all day yesterday. In positive news, I got a lot of much needed rest and lost 3.5lbs. I can think of less aggressive ways to achieve these results but, whatever, I will take them :)

Assuming my coffee stays down okay this morning (so far so good), I will head into the office to sit in on Day 1 of our new faculty orientation. It should be a nice day of schmoozing and fine dining (if my stomach can take it). These events are always nicely catered and will include a fancy breakfast and lunch.

QOTD: Do you think you gained most of your weight on sweet treats or savory? Grim and I were talking about this last night. I am 99% sure that fries, bread, and macaroni were the biggest culprits for me. Not that I didn't indulge in too much chocolate, too, but the simple carbs were definitely my staples.

Accountability: I only had Propel water yesterday (not even coffee!!!****il about 5pm when I had a small tortilla with dairy free cream cheese. I couldn't think of anything more plain but it still didn't sit well.

Food is a mystery today. I am scared to eat, and I have no idea what will be on the menu for the first 2 meals. But I am pretty psyched about breaking my 3 week stall that I was stuck in with Wegovy, so I am super motivated to make good choices.

I blame the Brady Bunch for that myth!

Beautiful bracelet and a stunning photo of it, too! I wish I could get better at taking pics of my cookies. It's so hard!

But her PB squares are legend!

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a fantastic hump day! I was planning on a WFH day today but one of my coworkers called out sick so I think I should go in so that we have a senior team member in the office. I don't mind--it's been a super productive week and I am excited to keep it going :)

We haven't been to a Knockouts game in over a month! The last time they were in town the weather was extremely hot, and sitting in 100+degree weather didn't sound fun. Then whenever they've been in town, we've been away, so it hasn't worked out. My poor player must be so sad that no one is cheering for him like a maniac. Anyway, tonight's weather looks good, and I think it's the last game we'll be able to get to so we're going! Yay for baseball.

QOTD: Did you grow up with parents who were good cooks? My mom used to read cookbooks like other people read novels. She loved them. We never had much money, so she had to get creative to try to adapt recipes but she loved cooking. Soup was her specialty and she made some great things :) About 8 years ago she found a group of besties who also love cooing and they formed a Gourmet Gals group and put on the most insane fancy dinners once a month. It's so cute.

Accountability: I prioritized drinking water like a champ yesterday. I think I had about 60oz. I am sure thats not much for the rest of you, but it's at last 3 times more than I usually have. I'm sure it helped get me properly hydrated and I was not hungry at all. I made chicken for dinner and was full after about 3 bites. My fat cat swopped in and ate the rest for me. Thanks, Innie.

• protein coffee
• egg bite
• almonds, salami, & cheese
• ?? dinner at the game. I've heard they added a lot to the menu since the last time we were there so hopefully there are better options. If not, I will get chicken tenders.

16? Damn girl. So happy to hear you are taking a long weekend - clearly you deserve it.

Nope, editing my menu after actually looking in the fridge. I organized it by what is going to go bad before I eat it, so here is the revised menu based on not wasting anything!

• protein coffee
• egg bite - before it goes bad
• yogurt & granola
• salami & cheese - before it goes bad

^^I'm back from an amazing 2.5 day vaca and would give my left eye for another week right now!^^

Morning all! I just sent Grim off to his surgery. I spent the last half of the weekend a little under the weather and I have developed a slight fever and cough, so his daughter offered to take him to his procedure so that I don't infect anyone in the waiting room. I'm sad to not be there, but I know he's in good hands.

Send him alllllll your best juju. He's the best guy in the world :)

He took me away for an amazing birthday weekend. We stayed in a fantastic hotel right in the heart of the area. We ate yummy food, shopped, saw the sights, went on a fun lobster boat ride, and napped during every conceivable down moment. It's amazing how refreshing 3 days away can be.

QOTD: How are you with food prep these days? In the first 4 - 5 years post-op I spend every Sunday cooking and prepping a million tiny Tupperwares with food for every meals for the week. I gave up on the that about mid-way through my terrible year as a principal and I never went back. I was thinking how smart it would be to start prioritizing that again.

I'm not very hungry this morning. We'll see.

• protein coffee
• Siggi's berry yogurt
• leftover lobster
• garlic chicken

Good Morning! It's my 50th Birthday! omg. That just doesn't seem possible, since it's still 1988 in my mind. I have no idea why but I couldn't sleep at all last night. It's not like I am excited or nervous about turning 50, but I woke up at 1:30am and just couldn't force myself back to sleep. I read the entire internet and then gave up at 3:15 and made myself the first (of many) triple espressos for the day.

Today we have an all day quarterly HR retreat. It should be a nice low-key day. We have the morning to update each other on projects and initiatives and the afternoon will be all about AI, which is pretty much how we spend every meeting now. The day ends at 3pm and everyone is going out together, but I am going slip off and take a 3:25pm train out to my parents. Dad got out of the hospital yesterday and if he feels well enough, we'll go out to dinner, but if not, we'll just order in and hang out. Either way it will be a lovely time.

QOTD: Tell me about your 21st birthday! I was living in downtown Boston worked about a mile away as a preschool teacher. I remember leaving my apartment and it was a beautiful sunny day. I was feeling so happy and optimistic. Then a bird swooped down and pooped on my shoulder. I went inside and changed, walked to work, and within an hour a kid puked on me. I had to leave and change again. Ha. Not the best start to the day but after work all of my friends took me out to an iconic Boston bar called the Pour House and I enjoyed my first legal drinks. I remember it being a great night and the first of many spent at the Pour House. My new job is on the same block as where that bar used be but it closed down about a year ago and it's turning into a fancy gay bar.

Accountability: About 6700 steps and stayed on track with food until a Grim surprised me by taking me out to dinner. I had grilled chicken tacos :)

I'm very lucky to be fed all day!

Our work event starts with a breakfast buffet, which is:

• eggs
• bacon
• hash browns
• assorted yogurts on ice, granola on the side
• bowl of berries
• vegan banana chocolate chip bread
• assorted muffins

And lunch is:

MYO Greek Bowl

Base:

• romaine
• quinoa & lentils
• couscous

Protein:

• Harissa Chicken
• Falafel
• Grilled Steak

Toppings:

• feta
• tomatoes
• cucumber
• mixed olives
• sliced red onion
• hummus
• chickpeas
• artichokes
• tzatziki
• baba ganoush
• corn

Dressings:

• green goddess ranch
• lemon herb tahini
• white balsamic vinaigrette

And assuming we make it to dinner, we're going to a restaurant at a gorgeous winery: https://nashobawinery.com/dinner/

Good Morning! Well, I am not sure if I am fighting something off or if I just hit a wall from an emotional weekend, but yesterday at about 4:30pm yesterday I just got hit with insane exhaustion. I crawled up to bed and took a nap from 5 - 5:30, got up, had dinner, and went back to bed at 7pm. I slept until 4am! I have a touch of a headache but other than that I seem fine--just still tired, if that's possible. I have a fairly light work day so I plan to take the later train in and just take it slow today.

QOTD: Do you have attic or basement "treasures" tucked away? Grim will go up to our attic and bring down boxes of the most wild stuff. We've found a box of little bells that an aunt collected, old metal circus themed piggy banks, an ornate religious statue, 1960s cookbooks, etc. It's so fun! Grim, tell us what else is up there!

Accountability: Eh. I wasn't hungry all day (more evidence that maybe something was off) so I kept the food simple.

• Protein Coffee
• Egg Bites
• Dairy-Free Tzatziki Chicken Lavash Wrap
• Veggie Burger