Noel's 2016 Check In

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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Noel's 2016 Check In

Post by NoelFigart » Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:50 pm

Didn't lose any weight over the holidays. Didn't gain any, either, so, I'm kinda good with that.

Off the wagon as far as not having a drink until my marathon swim. Had some wine over the holidays and just don't feel like being THAT much of a Puritan. Glass ceiling still applies, though I don't really have one every day. Still liking the evening herbal tea and I got a nice Brown Betty teapot from Santa this year.

Food isn't a huge challenge for me, other than the occasional over the top S day or when on travel. When I'm into my little routine, it's just not a big deal.

My big challenge is facing the pool at 5:30am and having to go to be the same time as the average fourth-grader every night to get enough sleep. But that's not about moderate habits. That's about being focused on a goal, so I'm not sure it's really a great "Everyday Systems" problem or not.

But OTOH, getting my ass in the pool every weekday will most emphatically get me up to snuff for my my immoderate goals, so maybe it's still something I should track that way.

Monday

No-S

Breakfast: Smoothie and a breakfast burrito
Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad inna jar.
Dinner: Spaghetti

Swim

1200 yds in ~32 minutes. Yes, I am a turtle. Wanna make something of it?

Glass ceiling

Raspberry Zinger tea.
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:33 pm

Tuesday

No-S

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito, smoothie
Lunch: Salad with chicken, dried cranberries, apples, walnuts and raspberry vinegrette. Delicious, but boy howdy was I hungry for dinner!
Dinner: 15 bean soup

Swim
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Post by NoelFigart » Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:53 am

Wednesday

No-S

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito, smoothie
Lunch: Salad with chicken and orange. Orange ginger dressing.
Dinner: 15 bean soup. I found out my husband doesn't care if we eat the same thing two nights in a row, so I hadn't frozen the leftover soup, but just reheated it. Nom.

Swim
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:39 pm

Thursday

No-S

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito, smoothie
Lunch: Caprese style salad
Dinner: Malaysian Curry, glass of wine while watching a Stephen Fry talk.

Swim
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Post by Queenie » Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:50 pm

I love hot tea in the winter. I make it a cup at a time, though, because it's just me. There are two black teas I love to drink hot, and I bought a pound of each of them. I'm set for a while.

Also bought a pound of a third black tea that I prefer for iced tea. Black Friday sale.

Anyway, I can identify with your pleasure in your brown Betty pot.

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Post by NoelFigart » Sat Jan 09, 2016 1:26 am

Friday

No-S

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito, smoothie
Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad
Dinner: Malaysian Curry. Gin-n-diet tonic.

Swim
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Jan 10, 2016 12:28 am

Saturday

S-Day

Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs
Lunch: Pizza
Supper: Apple with some peanut butter

Lunch and dinner were substantial enough that the little snack was really all I wanted. I'd've skipped entirely, but didn't want to wake up chewing the pillow or something.
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Post by NoelFigart » Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:58 pm

Saturday

S-Day

Breakfast: Porridge with butter and brown sugar
Lunch: Quesadilla
Supper: Curry and a gin and tonic.

snack: handful of dried apricots and almonds before lunch because I'd waited too long and was getting dizzy. (That would have been a glass of juice or milk on an N day)

Also nibbled a little as I was preparing lunches (salads in a jar) and breakfasts (egg and cheese wraps) for the next week.

I'm knitting a sweater. I do tend to want to snack out of boredome, and I do tend not to snack when knitting.
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Post by NoelFigart » Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:36 pm

Monday

No-S

Breakfast: Smoothie and a breakfast burrito
Lunch: Apple and chicken salad with walnuts and dried cranberries with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Dinner: Chicken stir fry with broccoli, carrots and red peppers and rice

Swim

Yep, I did. 1250 yards in 33:25
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:21 pm

Tuesday

No-S

Breakfast: Smoothie and a breakfast burrito
Lunch: Caesar chicken salad.
Dinner: Spaghetti

Swim

1250 yards in 33:39
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:31 pm

Wednesday

No-S

Breakfast: Smoothie and a breakfast burrito
Lunch: Proper caprese salad with fresh basil. Oh my....
Dinner: Pizza

Swim

1250 yards in 33:25

Thursday

No-S

Breakfast: Smoothie and a breakfast burrito
Lunch: Salad with chicken, apples, walnuts and cranberry with raspberry vinaigrette
Dinner: Taco Stew

Swim

1250 yards in 32:36
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Post by NoelFigart » Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:47 pm

Friday

No-S

Breakfast: Egg and cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch: Chicken salad
Dinner: Taco stew

Swim

1250 33:09

So, a nice, solid week.


It's actually Saturday evening right now. So far, this S-day hasn't been too excitiing. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, snacked on a few dried apricots and had a leftover salad inna jar that wasn't used during the week for lunch. IT needed eating up and an easy to grab lunch was good for me. I'm not sure what I am going to have for dinner -- possibly a ham and cheese wrap, maybe some pasta. I want to eat something that feels like a balanced meal today. Tomorrow may be chocolate. Who knows? But I consider myself off the hook and have no intentions of worrying about it unless I am gaining weight (which I am not)
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Jan 17, 2016 11:48 pm

Sunday

S-day

Breakfast: Yogurt/berry smoothie
Lunch: Ham and cheese wrap
Snack: Peanut butter on tortilla as a wrap. Don't judge me. Love peanut butter.
Dinner: Baked potato with cheese, black beans and corn with chili powder and garlic. This was actually a way to use up some leftover black beans and corn, but I think I may have unintentionally hit on a pretty decent meal. I'm more satisfied than I expected to be with it. My husband with far too much Irish ancestry loved it, so this may be a repeat.

I am going to have an appletini tonight after I pack my gym bag, and finish reading a historical novel (Mary, Queen of scotland and the Isles, by Margaret George). Not even gonna knit, that's how much of a bum I'm going to enjoy being tonight.

My husband and I spent the morning making breakfast burritos, salads inna jar and freeze ahead crock pot dinners.

Why?

I don't have to think as much about my meals. I've already decided what I'm gonna have and for the most part it's just a matter of grabbing something I've prepared that I know I like.
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Post by NoelFigart » Tue Jan 19, 2016 12:07 pm

Monday

No-S


Breakfast: Egg and cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch: Salad -- chicken, cranberry, walnut with apples and raspberry vinegrette dressing. This is a favorite.
Dinner: Pizza

Swim

I am quite annoyed about it, but what I think my goal really needs to be is not to let a red (goodness, especially one out of my control like a snowfall that interferes with getting to the gym) derail days it doesn't apply to. I'm way the heck too susceptible to the what the hell effect.
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Jan 20, 2016 12:58 pm

Tuesday

No-S

Breakfast: Egg n Cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch: Salad with chicken and Caesar dressing
Dinner: Curry



Swim

1300 yards. 36:25 mins. Not my most brilliant swim ever. However, what's comforting to me is that I got in the water and swimmed what I planned to. That's green. And I know from experience that swims do not have to be brilliant every time. If they HAPPEN consistently, I improve.
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Post by NoelFigart » Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:06 pm

Wednesday

No-S

Breakfast: Egg n Cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch: Caprese salad
Dinner: Curry (Boring, I know, but a normal sized crock pot makes enough for four people and there are only two in the house. I like not necessarily cooking EVERY day)


Swim

1300 yards. 34:51 mins.
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:31 am

Thursday

No-S

Breakfast: Egg n Cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch: Chicken and apple salad with cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette
Snack: Gummy bears, and a bit of cinnamon toast
Dinner: I was going to have Fifteen Bean Soup, but it's a hearty soup and wonder of wonders, the snack spoiled my dinner. I had a ham and cheese wrap. For all that I am feeling foolish for choosing to snack on an N day, gotta say I was pretty happy about actually wanting to listen to hunger cues. As failures go, I'm okay with the instructive failure.


Swim

1300 yards. 34:42 mins.
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Post by NoelFigart » Sat Jan 23, 2016 2:18 am

FRiday

No-S

Breakfast: Egg n Cheese wrap, smoothie
Lunch:Baked potato and a peanut butter wrap. Don't judge me.
Dinner: Bowl of fiftten bean soup. Glass of wine.


Swim

1300 yards. 35:04 mins.
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Jan 24, 2016 2:19 am

Saturday

No-S

Good S-day

Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Chicken noodle soup. I was going to have a salad, but it was cold and I wanted comfort food. So I thawed out about a quart of turkey stock, salted it a bit, tossed in some chopped onion, celery and carrots, then added sage and diced chicken breast. After cooking for a bit, I tossed in about a cup of rotini. That was enough soup for lunch for my husband and I wand and it was delicious.
Snack: I have this recipe book that has recipes just for two. I really like it. I made a lemon sour cream pound cake cupcakes from it and it was really good.
Dinner: I wasn't very hungry, so I just had a ham-n-cheese wrap.

Swim
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:17 pm

Sunday

No-S

Good S-day

Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal
Lunch: Quesadilla
Snack: Square of dark chocolate. I was going to eat more, but you know when you eat something and it's tasty and just right? I'm trying to be better about that, so that I pay attention to my "satisfaction cues" as it were. If I have a bite and I'm all happy, but don't feel EAGER for more, I don't finish it. (IF that makes the slightest sense)
Dinner: stuffed baked potatoes (spoonful of 15 bean soup and cheese)


Swim
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Post by NoelFigart » Tue Jan 26, 2016 12:17 pm

Monday

No-S


Breakfast: Egg and cheese omelette
Lunch: Mexican chicken salad
This was ultimately a mistake. You see, I know better than to eat something I know is not going to satisfy me or make me happy unless I'm going to be somewhere where I am going to be busy and have no choice. So, this would have been fine if I were at the office, but I was working at home where the kitchen is in easy reach.
Snack: And this is why it was a mistake. I found myself eating some dried cranberries and walnuts. No not insane. but still, I'm being strict, so yes, a failure. (I'm an athlete. I can cope with failure without internalizing it. It's whether failure derails your or not that's important)
Dinner: Quesadilla, which is what I really wanted, and a teeny martini. (I have these two-ounce cocktail glasses I use for the more hard-core drinks I enjoy)


Swim

1350 36:10
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:37 pm

Tuesday

No-S


Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs
Lunch: Cookies and a smoothie. I had agreed to try some cookies for a friend who wants to start a mail order business selling cookies. I chose to have these for lunch because I'd received them in the mail and did not want to wait until they were stale for the taste-test critique. Still, it was a sweet, so yes, red.
Dinner: Chili.

Swim

1350 36:07
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Post by NoelFigart » Thu Jan 28, 2016 4:53 pm

Wednesday

No-S


Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs
Lunch: Quesadilla
Dinner: Chicken and noodles.

Swim

36:12


Today (Thursday) is an S-day for me. Sick is an S. I have an abscessed tooth. I did not swim. I am allowed to eat anything I want, but *wrygrin* with dental problems, no-one wants to eat much and no, sugar is not attractive. I had some yogurt, which was good, and after my dental procedure today, I'll likely have a smoothie. Maybe some grits if I want something warm.

I'm strict with myself, but not merciless. :)
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:48 pm

This has been an S week for me. I finally got an abscessed tooth taken care of.

But as you can imagine, I've LOST weight even though I've eaten when and what I wanted to/could.

For anyone who is afraid of the dentist, can I recommend Twilight sedation. It's expensive, but I'll never have serious dental work without it again. It's a beautiful thing, even if you do come home a little loopy.
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Post by lpearlmom » Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:12 am

Glad you're through it. I hate the dentist. What's the Twilight sedation? i don't mind feeling loopy ;)
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

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Post by NoelFigart » Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:20 am

It's a form of anesthesia. You're not actually under a general, where you need to be intubated or anything like that. In theory, you're able to respond to any directions that a medical care provider gives. But you don't remember the procedure at all.

So this is how it worked for me:

I was instructed to wear loose clothing and a short sleeved shirt to the appointment, and that I could not eat or drink after midnight. (God, I was thirsty after the appointment!)

I went to the office, they explained the procedure, explained the risks (all of anesthesia has a risk. This is slight).

Then they started a saline IV, and added a combination of drugs (an opiate and something like Valium, IIRC)

Then they did the dental work. Just like it said on the label, I don't remember a thing about it. In fact, I remember nothing until my husband was called in to the room to help me to the car and help me home. He says I was asking questions about how active I could be on the weekend and when I could get back in the water for swim training. I don't remember that!

My balance was off when I was helped to the car, and I slept a lot of the afternoon. You're told not to operate any machinery (not even a stove or microwave) and not to sign any legal documents for 24 hours. I was feeling a lot more myself by late that evening.

My jaw was numb from the local when I got home, but that wore off by the evening as well. No pain. I was dandy.
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Post by Merry » Sat Feb 06, 2016 7:35 am

I'm glad your procedure went well! My daughter just got her wisdom teeth out (all 4 impacted) and was put under. She was pretty funny coming out (thought the cabinets in the dentist's office went to Narnia, and she really wanted to open them!)

I hope you heal up quickly now that your tooth is out :-).
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29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
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