Sammy's Daily Check In

[Sammybunny711]

Oh no, and with your big move...hopefully you're feeling better soon!

Thank you. Woke up today with a sore throat. Blegh.

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

B: Atkins shake + 6 peanut butter crackers

L: Chili fries (healthy chili, homemade healthy air fried fries with seasoning) + apple + bell pepper + hot sauce + jalapenos

D: chili with two hot dogs and hot sauce + 10.5 saltine crackers + 4 pickled okra pieces + pineapple/apple/pomegranate arils bowl (only ate a little of that)

Woke up with an even more sore throat. UGGGHHH. I don't have time to be sick right now. I don't really know what to do. I'm not sure if I've caught something or if it's from all the dust I've stirred up while packing + pollen outside with the warmer spring weather. I really really hope it goes away and gets better. Ain't nobody got time to be sick and pack up a house to sell at the same time. I wish more than anything that I could stay at home in my pajamas with some hot tea and rest with a good book or movie. At least I can have the tea at work.

How are you of you doing? I hope everyone is having a great week. If not, hang in there. Better days are ahead!

I am so happy that this lifestyle has finally clicked for me. I almost look forward to each day of eating now, as it's no longer a stressful thing. My dietitian wasn't so jazzed about the idea of Red Days. I'm trying to decide if I'll nix red days and just keep green and yellow days (obviously trying to keep NWS days to a minimum). What are y'all's thoughts on Red days?

One of the biggest things I'm hoping for in my next house is honestly a staircase. I want a staircase that I can go up and down on over and over for a set period of time. I don't like going to the gym at this point in my life and I either walk or work out at home. I think a staircase could ensure my legs look awesome as I lose weight. Do you guys do stairs at all? I don't have stairs in my current house.

I'm definitely fighting temptation to get back on Instagram. There are so many great ladies who have lost significant weight there that I would LOVE to connect with, but at the same time...I do believe most social media is a scourge and a blight on society (I worked in Social Media for 11 years and would NEVER do it again). I do love connecting with people, though, so I've joined a Discord server for folks losing weight and I lurk on reddit communities. But...there is just something so intimate about people sharing their stories on Youtube or Instagram. I'll never quit Youtube. I love longform content. But there are definitely people there on Instagram I used to follow who I would love to check on and see how they're doing. I even had a few Instagram friends back in the day. But I value my privacy and my sanity. So I will stay off. I'm also listening to a book by a former Meta employee called "Careless People" and it definitely motivates me to stay off nearly all social media.

[WINhappy]

Hi Sammy, I know it never seems like it, but moving doesn't last forever—it will just seem like it does when you're still in the midst of it. I'm sorry you've caught a cold. That's just miserable, I'm sure. I hope you feel better soon! All the best, WIN

[Sammybunny711]

Hi Sammy, I know it never seems like it, but moving doesn't last forever—it will just seem like it does when you're still in the midst of it. I'm sorry you've caught a cold. That's just miserable, I'm sure. I hope you feel better soon! All the best, WIN

Haha, I'm sure you're right!! And yes, omg, this cold is ramping up and driving me crazy. My throat is hurting a lot and I'm not sure if I should get checked for strep. I'll have to think about it.

And yes, moving will one day end. I've just got to keep marathoning until.i cross the finish line.

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

W: 234.8

B: atkins shake + 6 Lance peanut butter crackers

Mid-Morning: Tea with soy milk and splenda

L: pineapple + pickled spicy okra (4) + leftover chili fries with jalapeños, red onion, 2 Applegate hot dogs (lower calorie than many others (couldn't eat the whole rest of that bowl)

D: Leftover Alfredo with egg noodles + (4) pickled okra + banana

Ugh. My sore throat is driving me crazy and now my husband has one. I'm going in to Urgent Care at my lunch break to get tested for strep throat. I had it in the fall and I wouldn't be surprised if I have it again. But I'm freaking out a bit. My bosses don't want me to work from home and I only have 2 days of sick time accumulated AND I have to spend one next Tuesday to go down several cities away to get tested for psoriatic arthritis. :S :S :S I hate the sick time system at my job. If you get really sick and have like no sick time, you're sh*t out of luck. Or you have to go on FMLA. I hate the work culture in this country.

Okay, rant over.

Went to Urgent Care and most of the tests were negative. I'm still waiting on the throat culture to be conclusive whether it's negative or positive, but I came back to work with a mask for now. I feel TERRIBLE. I just want to rest. But I'm trying to preserve sick time if I can. If I have strep, I'll obviously have to go home. Update soon.

Negative on pretty much all the usual nasties. Just some gross virus. Ibuprofen helped a lot, so I'll just toughen up and move on with my day.

One thing I'm trying to do with food is lower the calorie density of what I'm eating with veggies and fruit. I think I'm succeeding!

[Amy3010]

Oh, gosh, that sucks! Sending you massive get well wishes!

[Sammybunny711]

Oh, gosh, that sucks! Sending you massive get well wishes!

Thank you, my friend. I took some ibuprofen and that helped thankfully.

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

W: 235.6

B: Atkins shake + 6 peanut butter crackers

L: 2 peanut butter fold-overs on whole wheat bread + pineapple + spicy pickled okra (6) + dried apple chips

D: several fried catfish fingers + tartar sauce + skillet corn (with a few sausage pieces and veggies) + red beans and rice + a piece of corn bread (we went to a BBQ place. I think this is the first time we ate out all week)

Exercise: 20 minute morning walk, 33 minute Body Groove (my favorite FAVORITE exercise is dancing with Body Groove), 20 minute afternoon walk

I'm feeling MUCH better today. Yesterday was rough. I went to bed at 8pm last night and fell right asleep. Throat is way less sore today and I have more energy and generally feel better. PRAISE. So happy that's the case. Because I have GOT to make more progress in the house this evening. But as a treat, I'm going to do some Body Groove on my lunch break. I miss dancing SO much and I haven't had like any time to do it while I've been working on my house. But I love it so much and it's terrific for my mental health, so at lunch, it's MY time. When I get home from work today, I'll work on the house.

I am annoyed at having to be at work today. UGH I have so much to do in my house. I wish I had more than 4 days vacation stored up. I would totally have taken a day off today to work in my house, but I need to save days for the move itself and also an eventual vacation later this year if I'm lucky.

We have enjoyed some serious spring weather this past week and I am going to break down and shave my legs today. If you know you know (i.e. I never shave in the winter XD)

When it comes to exercise, my solitary goal right now is to do SOMETHING each day. Even if it's 5 minutes. I'm TRYING to do the 40-day Body Groove Journey every day (beginning today) to coincide with Lent. I know I'm late starting, haha, and it's highly likely I won't be able to keep up with it every day. But Body Groove feels like a gift to myself. It's as good for my mental health as it is for my physical health.

It's date night tonight, so we went to the BBQ place with our little girl and she got to play in their large yard. It's a great place to sit outside and their sides are not too unhealthy. Tonight, my hubby and I are going to watch a movie.

Thank y'all for sticking with my super long posts, haha. I've totally turned this into an old school blog of sorts.

[Soprano]

Glad you are feeling better

[Sammybunny711]

Glad you are feeling better

Thank you. MEEEE too. I was so poorly yesterday it's kind of insane how much better I feel today. That going to bed at 8pm must have done the trick!

[Soprano]

I do find as 8 get older if I'm ill and rest as soon as possible I recover quicker

[Sammybunny711]

I do find as 8 get older if I'm ill and rest as soon as possible I recover quicker

That makes a LOT of sense. Me, too. I'll be 38 this year and my body needs more and more sleep. I get, on average, 9 hours of sleep a night.

[WINhappy]

Hi Sammy, I'm so glad you're feeling better! Remember to continue prioritizing rest. Until you're 100% done moving, and 100% healthy again, you're still using a lot more energy than you might realize, especially if the daily trend starts feeling easier/better. You're doing such a great job attending to your goals. All the best, WIN
PS: "if you know, you know" - yep, I know!

[Sammybunny711]

Hi Sammy, I'm so glad you're feeling better! Remember to continue prioritizing rest. Until you're 100% done moving, and 100% healthy again, you're still using a lot more energy than you might realize, especially if the daily trend starts feeling easier/better. You're doing such a great job attending to your goals. All the best, WIN
PS: "if you know, you know" - yep, I know!

Thank you for the reminder. I've blocked off most of tomorrow for packing, but my husband's mom is coming over tomorrow night so I'll plan to rest while she's here.

[Amy3010]

Great to hear you're feeling better!

[Sammybunny711]

Great to hear you're feeling better!

I think I may have spoken too soon. I woke up in the night with a lot of sinus pressure and a stuffed up nose. Ugggh. I was doing better and not o feel sick again. Nooo. I don't have time for this.

[Sammybunny711]

S DAY

W: 233.6 (New Low!)

B: Atkins shake + 6 peanut butter crackers + a tiny bit of Kashi cinnamon cereal with soy milk

L: some coconut shrimp with sweet chili sauce + pineapple + spicy pickled okra

A: Had a Seagram's canned cocktail while cooking. Very tropical and tasty

D: 2 homemade Chicago Dogs (my favorite kind of hot dog) on brioche buns with pepperoncini peppers instead of sport peppers (includes, pickle spear, tomatoes, peppers, yellow mustard, relish, and diced onion with celery salt sprinkled on top. Tons of good veggies and it's delicious!!) + air fried seasoned potatoes

S: 1.5 homemade mnm cookies that my daughter and MIL made).

Exercise: House Prep + Body Groove Journey 2 (I was exhausted but Body Groove is so good for my mental health that I did it and I'm glad I did.) after my MIL went home, I did Body Groove Journey Day 3. It makes me feel so so good. I'm coming to crave that feeling.

Woke up today with a return of the sore throat and tons of sinus pressure and drainage. Ugh. I am so annoyed. Today was supposed to be a super big working day in the house. I am not sure how I'm going to approach the day now.

Used flonase and Dayquil and just powered through, working on more packing. But now I'm resting and watching TV while my daughter naps. Once she wakes up and my mother in law comes over, I'll do some more work. This is the packing that never ends.

At about 3:36pm, I quit working. I'm so exhausted. And I know if I don't rest, I won't be able to make more progress tomorrow.

I took an anti-inflammatory to help with the aches and pains of packing and I hope it kicks in soon. I feel like I've been working myself to death the past three weeks.

I'm ending the night achy and exhausted. I wish I could snap my fingers and all the packing be DONE. I'm getting really sick of it. Big time.

[Sammybunny711]

S DAY

W: 234.8

B: Some cauliflower oats with mango, blueberries, flax, and soy milk (used quick oats this time and they were very creamy!)

L/S: bacon cheese burger with tomato, pickles, and onion + cheese fries + kid's mint oreo shake (My daughter wanted Steak n Shake as a special treat and it is SO hard to eat healthy here. I picked one of the smallest and low calorie burgers and a small cheese fries because I love them and a kid's sized shake. Definitely could have made worse choices, but still. I don't even want to think about the calories )

D/S: Made a fries + Chicago dog bowl. Very interesting experiment that paid off! Same ingredients as yesterday, just combined with the fries and obviously nixed the bun. Had some dried apple chips with it and also 1 cookie with my daughter (she had one too)

And with that, kitchen is closed!

I slept very well after all my activity yesterday. Today has been a slow morning with some snuggles on the couch with my daughter as she and I slowly woke up. Then we had breakfast, and soon we'll be getting ready for church. After church, I've got to go back into productive mode. I've got to get everything off the floor of my master closet, as repairmen will need to get to the baseboards in there to replace them (had some water damage years ago).

I do plan to do some Body Groove today as a gift to myself. It makes me so happy to dance and right now, I NEED breaks from the endless packing. I feel like I haven't made a lot of progress this weekend but I'm so darn tired of the endless packing from hell. I know I'm complaining a lot about it. Sorry about that.

I did end up doing Body Groove and enjoyed it despite being exhausted. I also got most of our master closet done. Just a bit more to go tomorrow. The next project will be our dining room. We have a lot to do in there.

[Ellis]

We all know the feeling of endless packing! I hope you feel better soon! A sore throat and a cold is no joke. Some people keep functioning and staying active, but it always hits hard in my case. I think dancing is one of my favorite workouts too!

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

W: 235.4

B: Atkins shake + 6 Lance peanut butter crackers

L: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread + rest of that banana, apple, spicy pickled okra, bell pepper

D: Homemade sloppy Joe sandwich + creamed spinach + creamed corn + apple

Woke up still feeling a bit under the weather, but I am PUMPED to be back at work where I can sit for 8 hours. I am exhausted physically and even a little bit mentally and emotionally. I just want to be at home in my pajamas and my fluffy floor-length sherpa hoodie under the covers and watching a silly show or reading. But sitting at work is the next best thing right now. It is a tangible break from packing. Too bad it's been nonstop work tasks all morning. But I think I've gotten ahead of things and can relax for a few minutes.

I went for a 9 minute FREEZING walk this morning. It was so cold, my cheeks were hurting, so I just came right back to my office. I have no idea if I'll be able to do Body Groove today. I've GOT to keep making house progress and since I have a VERY finite amount of energy to spend today, I know I've got to spend it on packing. I'm nearly done with our master closet. After that, I've got to totally finish our master bedroom, then get the dining room staged. UGH. It never ends.

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

W: 233 (New Low!!)

B: Atkins shake + 6 peanut butter crackers

L: Chicago dog bowl again (2 beef hot dogs, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pickles, mustard, leftover air fried potatoes)

D: chips and salsa + 1 taco (two corn tortillas + grilled shrimp + cabbage, red onion + jalapeño + cilantro + queso fresco) + rice and beans

Exercise : more packing + body groove journey day 5

Drove down for my rheumatology appt and oh man, that place was a MAZE. It was so so hard to find, but I finally found it thankfully.

Yay! I don't have psoriatic arthritis. Thankful for good news. Came home and worked my butt off in my house. Making progress every day. Then I did Body Groove, then I sat a minute to rest. In a few minutes, I'm going to go shower and get dishes and laundry done. Productive day off work!

[Soprano]

Whoop another low, well done

[Sammybunny711]

Whoop another low, well done

Thank you so much!! I'm hoping for ten pounds down in February, but may not make it. Either way, I'm very pleased with my loss this month.

[Sammybunny711]

N DAY

W: 233.4

B: Atkins shake + 6 peanut butter crackers

Mid-Morning: Cup of Biscuit Tea + unsweetened soy milk + 2 Splenda packets

L: Leftover taco (corn tortillas, shrimp, cilantro, red onion, cabbage, queso fresco, rice with beans/cheese) + rice + spicy pickled okra + strawberries and banana

D: leftover homemade Sloppy Joe's on a brioche bun + strawberries and banana + snow peas + creamed corn + 1 piece of pineapple

Exercise: 18 minute morning walk / 20 minute afternoon walk / 28 minutes Body Groove Journey Day 6

I am so freaking exhausted. I will be SO happy when I get through this phase of things. I am REALLY feeling my size while doing this packing project. At the end of each day, my knees and ankles hurt and I generally feel totally wiped out. I hope that it's helping me to get more in shape, at least.

Not sure if I'll have time for Body Groove today. I've got to pick up my MIL tonight for her to have dinner with us and I've also got to do normal house chores AND more packing. Maybe Body Groove will be my little treat to myself for getting everything done (if I'm not ready to collapse).

I'm SO happy to be on these boards. You guys are so supportive and kind and I'm so happy to be here with y'all. I hope you're all having really good weeks.

I am so tired that my brain is playing some MEAN tricks on me. Not in the form of food cravings, but in the form of some mental health struggles. I know my brain is only doing this because I'm exhausted and my defenses are down, but damn. I just want my brain to be sunshine and rainbows. Especially after how hard I've been working.

I am BEAT. Tonight, we had my MIL over for dinner and while she played with out daughter, my husband and I moved some small end tables into the garage for storage to help open up the space in our dining room.

As soon as my daughter is down for the night, I am COLLAPSING. I am going to either watch a movie or a fun show, but I am DONE. And I'm not packing tomorrow either because I have to work late. It has been nonstop for three weeks and several of you have encouraged me to rest, os I'm going to try my best to rest tonight and tomorrow night.

[Soprano]

You are doing great but please try and rest a little you are probably still recovering from your illness.

You are doing fantastic and it's lovely to follow your journey

Jx

[Sammybunny711]

You are doing great but please try and rest a little you are probably still recovering from your illness.

You are doing fantastic and it's lovely to follow your journey

Jx

Thank you for the encouragement, my friend. I am definitely going to lie low tonight and tomorrow night. I've been using flonase and saline spray to help my sinuses and I started taking my allergy medicine again to combat the dust I've been stirring up while packing.

[Sammybunny711]

I'll admit it. I'm having a hard time resting. The nice thing about work is that I sit at a desk, so I'm forced to sit for a good portion of the day. But I feel like I HAVE to be productive. Like I MUST be active and exercise on top of all this packing and house prep. I know I don't. But I'm having a hard time.