Here's To Our Health in 2023

Many of us in the group are facing health challenges, whether the challenge it to lose weight, get healthy in general, control diabetes, whatever. This thread is a place to share our stories, challenges, and progress.

Good luck to everyone in achieving our goals, no matter what the challenge, in 2023!

This one’s also posted on the wiki!

Here I am again, hoping to get just a wee bit more active, and slow, reverse, or stop my "progress" towards type 2 diabetes.

Just checking in. Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve just had my first Covid episode, and hope to avoid a second one. Now recovering, need to work on that.

>5 EllaTim: I am sorry to hear that you have had Covid, Ella. I had it in February 2022, so I can commiserate. Hopefully you will recover quickly!

Thank you Stasia for setting the thread up!

Last year went well for me as I reached both my primary and secondary goal in terms of walking. I just looked at the spreadsheet I've been keeping over my daily step count and I walked over 5 million steps in 2022! That's just crazy. (You can check my post on the 2022 thread here if you want.) I didn't do as well on my climbing/hiking challenge but that was more intended as incentive than a real goal so I'm not too bothered. I hope to get to the top of some more mountains in 2023, but it'll be a bonus.

My walking goal for 2023 is to walk the route of the Orient Express - the original route going Paris-Istanbul (except I'll start in the east and walk westward). I'm hoping to combine this with some cultural and gastronomical treats as well. This is a longer route that Umeå-Venice (or Umeå-Florence as it ended up being) so I'll need to increase my step count to about 15 000 a day. I have walked around that for most of 2023 so I don't think it'll be too difficult.

I have been hesitant about setting other fitness goals for 2023. I want to, and physically it'd be good for me, but my work-life situation at the moment is pretty exhausting and I don't want to put to much pressure on myself. So I think I'll keep my goal ideas on the side for now, and if things improve in life then I'll bring them to the forefront. These goals are about diversifying my physical activities and adding more cardio and strength training (currently I walk and do yoga on a daily basis).

Okay, I just found my walking goal for next year! I was looking at NerdFitness because it’s s fun site with great tips for strength training, and I came across this blogpost where they talk about doing a “Walk to Mordor”! That is so cool, and sounds like great fun. Apparently, it’d be just over 2800 km (slightly more than my goal for this year). And I had been thinking of re-reading The Lord of the Rings soon, so what better time?

>8 PawsforThought: What more incentive do you need? Re-reading Lord of the Rings and walking to Mordor? Sounds like a great combo to me!

>9 alcottacre: I’m already excited!

Happy New Year to all!

My new year started off a little discouragingly, as I indulged during the holidays a bit too much. Now I have a few extra pounds to re-lose. Sigh. But I've been walking already this year:
Dec 31 - 12269 steps
Jan 1 - 8146 steps
Jan 2 - 5613 steps
It's been raining lightly off and on this morning but I may do a quick morning walk outside anyway - much more fun than the treadmill.

>8 PawsforThought: Oh! I have mostly positive memories of NerdFitness, though I stopped following it some time ago. But I remember the walk-to-mordor thing. Enjoy!

My goal for this year is to 1) not break any more toes, because it hurts and keeps me from getting my daily steps in, 2) get my daily steps in throughout the week - weekends are hopeless for me, and 3) lose 70 pounds.

I will keep you posted, whether you want me to or not, lol.

>11 ffortsa: Great start to your year, Judy!

>12 ArlieS: Good to hear you have positive memories of NerdFitness. I’m sure I’ll enjoy walking to Mordor next year.

Beth and I started our competition as of yesterday. We are both over 200 pounds, so hopefully we can help each other stay on track.

I tried putting on shoes yesterday for the first time in a week because I had to get to the library to renew my card for another year. I was never so glad to get home and take off my shoes! I think it will be at least a few more days before I can wear them without issue. *sigh*

step journal continued:

1/3 5,235
1/4 12,411
1/5 best not to speak of this
1/6 9361
1/7 11128 as of 1:30 PM
1/8 4348
1/9 14406 (wahoo!)
1/10 - forgot to put my phone in my backpack, so all I can say is that I didn't go far.

Update on the first week of the year (plus one day):
My new daily walking goal for the year is 15 000 steps - this in an increase of 2000 steps from last year, but I did reach 15 000 steps on most days in 2022 so it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again.
I have reached my goal every day the past week, even though I've had lingering after effects of a very nasty cold and the weather has not been very inviting (we're in the middle of an extreme snowfall).
Over the past 8 days I have walked a bit over 128 000 steps, which equals a bit over 64 km. This means I'm now officially en route from Istanbul to Bucharest, which is the first "stop" on my journey.

Aside from the walking I'm still doing my daily yoag, and January brings with it 30 days of yoga on Yoga with Adriene so I'm very excited about that. I will be trying to get some strength training in on a regular basis, but have only managed one time so far, although I am counting the 3+ hours of shovelling snow yesterday as a strength workout.

>17 ffortsa: Looking good, Judy!

>18 PawsforThought: Looks like your new year is off to a great start, Paws. I cannot wait until I get back to walking.

Well, my weekly update is not going to be much since I still cannot walk for any appreciable amount of time yet. The toes are healing though and that is the important thing.

My weekly weigh in: 196.0 pounds, so I have lost 4.2 pounds since my weigh in last week. I am hoping that this is a trend that continues!

Well, probably because I've been walking more (not, I will note, not eating less), my PCP thinks I will live forever. All my bloodwork is on the mark, my weight is back close to where it was before holidays, and I haven't fallen down in about 8 weeks. Now to add some balancing exercises and some muscle. Today was not a great walking day, made more opaque because I left my phone, where my steps are counted, on my desk instead of in my backpack, so even the minimal walking I did was not recorded. Oh well.

As for the walking, Stasia and Paws, you are my heroes. Yesterday's 14000+ surprised me because as of 1PM it was only 8000. More day's like yesterday would be great.

I just had to buy jeans in a bigger size than I've ever bought before, and this is not good.

Or, more accurately, it's a symptom of an underlying thing which is not good - namely, the fact that I've basically done no exercise for the last 3 years and taken up eating pizza instead - and if I carry on this way my health will suffer.

Time to fix that, I think. I need to ponder how to fix it (although I have step 1 sorted: walk past the pizza aisle), but in the meantime I'm checking in here for a wee bit of accountability.

>22 Eat_Read_Knit: For me, getting into exercise (and I say that as someone who only does “light exercise”, at least for now) it’s been a matter of finding the thing that works for me and that I actually enjoy doing. I love walking when I have a distinct goal and while I can now do it with just my own thoughts for company at first I really needed to listen to something interesting (like a podcast). And exercising more has led to a genuine craving to exercise EVEN more (I’m sometimes daydreaming about swimming or skiing, which would never have happened five years ago).

So have a think about what you like doing (physically) and make that into your exercise.

I have been doing really bad when it comes to walking. Really tired after being ill. And the constant rain hasn’t helped at all. I’m now taking part in the decluttering group, and this has helping me get more active.
I do need to work on restarting exercises!

>23 PawsforThought: Thank you, this is good advice.

I do like walking, but I know I'll only do it in favourable weather, so I need an indoor thing too for when it's cold and/or wet. I've belonged to gyms in the past, and swum regularly at other times, but neither is a good fit for me right now.

I've dug out my old exercise mat and ordered an aerobic step, and found some YouTube workouts to try, so I'll see how I get on with that. I liked step aerobics when I did it before. The trouble is, that was about some time around 1992! But I feel inspired to try it again, and that is half the battle. So, hopefully, between that and some general bodyweight/HIIT workouts and yoga videos, something will click.

>25 Eat_Read_Knit: YouTube is great for exercise! I do yoga every day with Yoga with Adriene and it’s been my saving grace. I’d never go to a live class but this allows me to do yoga when it suits me and no matter the circumstances. I’ve also found great instruction videos for strength training and some interesting looking dance videos (dance is my kind of cardio).
I hope you find something that works for you.

I took aerobics in the 90’s too (late 90’s, though) and rather liked it. I might look into some aerobic videos…

Forgot to update!
Last week I walked just over 109 000 steps, which is a bit over 54 km. That means my current total is a bit over 118 km - still in Turkey, though.

It's snowed a whole heap last week and we've had more snow on Sunday and today, so the conditions for walking are not ideal. While I usually take a short walk around the neighbourhood after dinner, since Christmas I've mostly turned that walk into walking indoors instead. Still going outside during lunch, though because I need to get some sunshine. Speaking of which, my colleague realised yesterday that it was still light outside at half past two in the afternoon, which it wasn't been for two months. The sun is slowly but surely returning, which is so nice.

I’m having a hard time walking because I hate the cold weather. To force myself to walk, I play Pokémon GO and try to take a book to a Little Free Library other than my own. Last year in winter I enjoyed walking indoors with Leslie Sansone on Utube. This winter I didn’t even turn it on because it seems boring. My weight has crept up a bit so I’m watching my intake. I don’t want to have my clothes feel tight in me. I downright refuse to go up a clothing size. :)

I've had to cut back on walking mostly because of ice. I am looking forward to the days getting longer, and hopefully warmer weather. In the meantime I like Classical Stretch with Miranda Esmonde-White, whose videos I get from the library. I also found a gentle pilates video by a woman who runs Maui Pilates. It was very gentle, but boy did I feel it for a few days!

>11 ffortsa: Don't we all have some extra weight to re-lose after the holiday season. I'm just back from a month in Sydney staying with my parents and being fed by all the relatives there - and I haven't stepped on the scales yet.

>13 alcottacre: I think not breaking toes would be a good thing.

>16 alcottacre: oof!

>21 ffortsa: yay!

>25 Eat_Read_Knit: My advice on starting again after a break is to ease in gently. I can tell you from experience that if you think your body can start at the same level as it was x years ago when you were at your peak and try to practice at that level, you end up regretting it :0)

I skipped my Saturday walk in the park today because I'm not feeling well. cold? I checked my covid status and all is well, which is good because we have a house guest this weekend and a funeral on Sunday, where old people will be present. I wanted to make sure I didn't increase the count, so to speak. But if this cold is still a problem, I'll probably stay home anyway.

I intend to get on the treadmill at the gym after I do my grocery shopping, to make up for the walk at least a little.

Last week I walked a little over 114 000 steps, equalling 57 km. That takes my total up to 175 km. The massive amount of snow we've had recently (snowstorm two weeks ago) and thawing and refreezing has led to both huge snow banks and narrower pathways and slippery roads so it's a bit tricky to go out and walk. Thus, my evening walks have primarily been indoors for the last few weeks. It works, even if it's a bit boring to walk around inside - I have a bunch of podcasts to listen to, otherwise I'd have a hard time managing. I'm still getting out during the day as I walk to and from the bud and train as well as go for a short walk during lunch. It's crucial to get out in the middle of the day at this time of year, since the days are so dark (though it's starting to shift and you can really tell the difference now - it's not pitch black on the way to and from work like it was fairly recently).

>32 PawsforThought: Wow; I’ve just returned to 1° north of the equator where sunset varies by maybe half an hour over the year. We holidayed in Australia where, of course, it is summer right now. On the longest day of the (last) year - 22nd December - we climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for sunset.

Hello all! I've peeked in on this thread from time to time and seen how it's used to do a lot of self-tracking. I don't know if I'll keep up with it but I thought maybe if I committed to having to post on here each week it might help me follow through on my personal health goals (I know posting my reading certainly helped to hold myself accountable to that).

I have a pretty poor level of physical activity, working a desk job and doing school work on my days off. My back hurts most days and when I do do any form of physical exertion I lose my breath pretty quick. So I'm hoping to start exercising regularly to help and maybe start building up some strength.
I also have a pretty poor diet and am prone to forgetting to eat (there are somedays I forget to eat entirely), so I keep a lot of quick, cheap food around because I'm usually starving by the time I remember I need to eat. I don't have a great fix to this yet, but maybe noting it will help make me more conscious of it.

I don't want to intrude, since neither of my goals are really aligned with walking or losing weight, so if this is not the right space then I understand.

>33 humouress: Well, I'm up at ca 64° north were we have approximately 5 hours of sun during the darkest days of midwinter, and during June and early July it never really gets dark. It's not far enough to be midnight sun, but the sun hovers just below the horizon so it's still light all night during that time.
I know that in other parts of the world dark = night and light = day, but here it's dark = winter and light = summer.
I always make sure to take vitamin D supplements during October-April as it's recommended if you don't have an outdoors job.

>34 WhiteRaven.17: This thread is for everyone who wants to improve their health, not just people who have specific weight loos or exercise goals. You're more than welcome!

I've had quite a bit of back pain (and neck pain!), and the thing that's helped me the most, aside from daily yoga practise, is to have a standing desk at work. It can be pretty tiring at first, but the tip I got from a nurse, and that I tell everyone I know who wants to stand and work, is to stark the day standing and doing that until you're tired. Then you sit down, and sit until it's time for a coffee break (or something else that breaks the morning up). When you get back, you stand again and do that until you're tired. Sitting until lunch and then standing, etc. You'll be able to stand for longer and longer until you're standing all day.
I have a desk job too, and have a long commute so don't have time for long exercise sessions so I sneak in my walking during the day.

I hope you find a way to get a better routine for eating as it's such an important part of staying healthy.
Good luck!

>34 WhiteRaven.17: Hey Kro! Nice to see you here. As Paws says, this is a thread for tracking your health goals per the thread title; it's just that my personal one is to lose some weight which should also help with some issues like knee pain (it already has, for the most part). As for back pain, I recently had a session with a physiotherapist who pointed out that my posture was wrong as well as giving me some exercises to do, which all help.

>35 PawsforThought: I grew up in England and though I don't (think that I) suffer from SAD, I was always glad to see buds on the trees and notice the days getting lighter.

>36 PawsforThought: Thank you for the welcome.
I do have a standing desk at work, so I will have to give that a try and start implementing it. I've always avoided it since I have bad knees (they over-extend and tend to lock) but in little spurts and if I start yoga again for my knees that might be an easy way to be on my feet more and build stamina.
Thanks for the advice and luck! :)

>37 humouress: Hello Nina! I'm glad to hear it, I have a way of always second-guessing if I'm understanding a social set-up correctly. Glad to hear you've had some helpful strides yourself. Posture really is so influential, and yet so hard to correct and be conscious of all the time.

>34 WhiteRaven.17: *hugs* from afar. You sound like me.

Update on last weeks walking: it started out well on Monday but the rest of the week I really had to work hard to reach my daily step goal as it was a busy and stressful week.
I did manage (just about) to reach my goal every day and reached just under 106 000 steps for the week. That equals 53 km and takes my total up to 228 km.

The light is really starting to return now, which is nice. In a few weeks it'll still be light outside when I leave work and in about a month it'll be light when I get home.

I'm currently feeling that once one reaches a certain age, simply keeping oneself physically comfortable is a lot of work.

I've done something to a hip, that's currently making it painful to sit at my desk, with that pain continuing for a while when I get up, and at the same time my sinuses are having fits that are only relieved if I use a netti pot daily.

I managed to walk around the block this morning, slowly and carefully, since gentle exercise seems to help the hip. And the sinus problem is not new, but used to only happen in April/May, doubtless due to some kind of pollen.

Also on the good side - one of the few things I can do comfortably is sit in bed, or one particular living room chair, reading. I still have to get up and walk around regularly to stay comfortable. But it's good to have something I can do that I enjoy.

I really don't want to completely replace my desk, desk chair, etc. I'm more or less certain that while the ergonomics are the best I can manage, with those materials, they are the root cause of my hip problem, exacerbated recently by a new computer that did not yet have a program installed to remind me to get up and stretch every 25 minutes.

It has such a program now, but that's just shutting the door after the horse was already stolen.

And I missed the netti pot last night, basically because I was too preoccuppied with the hip problem, and went to bed early because by that point lying in bed was the only comfortable position.

>39 ArlieS: Much appreciated & >41 ArlieS: same to you. The hip trouble does not sound pleasant.

Thought I'd check in with an update myself, even though there is not much to report. I did try standing at my desk a little last weekend, but could only do so for about an hour before I started leaning on it for support and just sitting down. I meant to continue with that practice this weekend but have not had the effort. I've been feeling exceptionally drained this past week.

Eating wise I've managed to actively make some meals and it feels like I've accomplished at least one meal a day and only didn't have one on two or three days over the last two weeks. And there were at least two days where I managed to have two meals. So there's that.

I looked at prices and availability of standing desks last night. There appears to be a huge range, but they aren't all as expensive as I expected.

Of course most of them are not desks, by my standards, but basically just tables - no storage, not even for pens and similar, and not even a keyboard tray. (It's hard to have keyboard and monitors at the right height, with the monitors on the same surface as the keyboard, if your back and arms are the length of mine.) Maybe that accounts for the relatively low prices.

The most difficult thing would be getting the old desk out, and the new desk assembled; I had been expecting traditional furniture store policies (they deliver, install, and will remove the old one for a slight additional fee) but it seems the world has standardized on Ikea-style policies (comes as a kit; you put it together yourself) at least for this type of furniture.

As it happens, my old desk is huge, and needed three people to set it up, all of them stronger than I am now, or two people who were even stronger. It also has loads of storage, and a huge working surface. I needed that surface back when I had 3 or 4 computers in tower cases, three monitors, and lots of really big supporting digital gear. Now I'm down to 3 physically smaller computers (two minis and one laptop), and 2 large monitors; this is the only thing that makes replacing the desk even worth considering.

>43 ArlieS: I've looked occasionally at sit-stand desks as well, but my problem is that most of them do not go down low enough for my shorty stature. The one that I found that does is rather too large for the space I can allot. So for now, I just try to move when I'm not at my desk!

Sorry to hear about your hip. I have to keep myself limber so that my hamstrings don't seize up, and I'm often too lazy to do the required exercises. So I know the feeling.

And as for congestion, we in NYC have been having a very warm winter, which means that, except for a few cold days, the molds keep on keeping on, and I've been waking up completely stuffed. Shades of my very allergic childhood. My sympathies.

Slightly late update on last weeks progress.
Not a very exciting week but I reached my goal every day. I'm still doing my evening walks indoors now because of the amount of snow - several of the paths I'd otherwise walk on are inaccessible now (not plowed). A bit boring, frankly, but I'm listening to podcasts to make it more fun.
I'm still not 100% after my bout of whatever virus infection over the holidays. I have a work trip next week and if I'm not back to normal after that I'll call the health centre and see what they say - the doctor I saw in January did say to call back if it didn't get better, but that the cough could linger for up to 8 weeks. It's been nearly that now, and while I'm definitely improved since I saw him, I'd prefer to be completely fine.

Anyway, last week I walked a bit over 108 000 steps, which is a bit over 54 km. That takes my total up to 282 km.

I don't remember if I've mentioned it but I have an eczema-related skin issue which started about half a year or thereabouts before the pandemic did. I saw a skin specialist and was on medication for it, which he gradually tapered off (he said it would take at least 6 months to go, I was determined to beat it in 6 weeks ... and here I am, four and a half years later ...) and gave me some topical creams for.

Well, the itchy patches started gradually again (and I have a bad habit of absent-mindedly itching anyway) and were coming and going and getting worse so I went back to him before we left for Sydney on holiday and he put me back on the medication. It improved hugely and even stopped itching but when we came back, I saw him again and he reduced the dosage slightly. Whether it's that or something in Singapore, I seem to be getting the sores/ spots on my hands again.🤷‍♀️ So I'm not a very happy bunny. I just hope it's not Jasper (our dog).

>46 humouress: Sorry to hear about the skin issues and I hope it clears itself up soon. I have some problems in that area too - atopical exzema. I have no idea what your issue is and will not give out unasked for advice but in case it's connected to dryness of skin in anyway I'll just say that I have found that nothing is as effective against dry skin as a high percentage of carbamide. I've found a cream that has 10% (most don't go higher than 5%) that I use regularly and it's been like a miracle cure. If I'm having a bad time I'll use the foot salve for extra fat.

Update on last week's walking: I walked a bit over 108 000 steps which equals 54 km. That takes my total up to 336 km. This means I've now firmly entered into Bulgaria on my way from Istanbul to Paris. I have around 100 km until I reach Bucharest, which is the first "stop" on the way.

I have a work trip this week (have to get up at 04:00 tomorrow morning to catch a flight), which includes a three-day conference so we'll see what happens. I'm planning to escape the conference at every possibility and walk around town so hopefully I'll get some good numbers in.

Saturday, I ended up walking about 7 1/2 miles all told (not all at once), and was completely wiped out afterward - kept falling asleep at the concert we attended in the evening. Clearly, I need to do more and longer walks to up my resilience. On top of that, my weight has been going in the wrong direction. Grump. I'm hoping to institute a better walking schedule from now on.

I had a bout of Covid in December. Not that bad, but it has me still feeling tired. Now I’m slowly rebuilding. Have a bad back, and chronic back pain. I’m now back to 3000 steps a day, have to be very cautious or my back pain gets worse. It does help that spring is slowly arriving. Nothing beats a sunny day of gardening.

In spite of a lot of walking lately, I'm gaining weight! GRRRR. I'm going to have to really keep track of my eating for a while - something is slipping my attention.

Last week was okay, considering I had a work trip that took up a lot of my time and didn't allow for as much during-the-day walking as I normally get. I also, for the first time this year (and hopefully the last) missed my daily goal on Friday. I had a conference until lunch and then had to get to the airport. Delayed flight meant sitting around more than planned and no time for walking around the airport during transit and once I got home I was exhausted any pretty much went straight to sleep. So only 13 500 steps that day. Fortunately, the day before and after I hit 16 000 and 17 000 steps so all in all it'll be fine.
So in total I walked 108 000 steps, equaling 54 km. That takes my total up to 390 km.

Last week I walked a bit over 108 000 steps, which equals 54 km and makes for a total of 444 km. I also had a spa day with my sister-in-law, followed by a dinner - our Christmas present to each other. It was a very simple spa, and there were no treatments, but it was still really nice and we're planning on making it a regular thing.

>47 PawsforThought: Thank you, I'll look out for that. I have been told to keep moisturised and I found a hand cream in the pharmacy that specifies it's for eczema so I grabbed it (without really looking at what's in it). The hand have calmed down (for now) but the medication has the odd effect of losing the definition of my finger prints, so my fingers feel smooth and strange.

>49 ffortsa: >51 ffortsa: It's probably muscle mass ;0) Since coming back from holiday over a month ago I haven't got properly back into my old routine so the scales are heading in the wrong direction again. But I'm planning on travelling again - so that's my excuse for not committing to any paid classes for now.

>53 PawsforThought: That sounds like a nice 'us' day. And a simple spa means less expense - so you can do it more often :0)

Update:

Last week I walk just under 108 000 steps, equaling just under 54 km. That takes my total up to 498 km. I've done some calculations and I've walked 18% of the way in 17% of the time, so I'm on the right track.

We had a major thawing last week, followed by a re-freeze so everything is covered in ice now. There are two things I dislike about this time of year: ice and slush. Makes for not-fun walking outdoors, but at least it's nice and sunny. The sun now rises early enough for me to see the runrise as I'm going into work, and sets late enough that my train has almost made it all the way back before it sets. It's nice to have so much light again. I do like that we have "proper" winters but there's nothing like the Nordic summer light.

>55 PawsforThought: We haven't had much of a winter here in NYC - no measurable snow, some really warm days. I prefer the New York weather to be truly four seasons, so it is making me a little crabby. But of course, the sun is up a lot earlier and sets a lot later as we head to the solstice, and the government in its wisdom has set an early date for daylight savings time on March 12th, so we will have more sun in the afternoons after this coming weekend. I do wish they would pick a time zone system and stay with it. Daylight savings time has worn out its welcome, if it ever had one, and there is lots of evidence that 'standard time' is better overall, but I suspect our Congress is too silly to see the light.

I've heard some people want one time zone for the entire world, and I suppose it would be on a 24 hour basis, not a 12+12 one, but everyone would still need to know what 'effective' time it is in one place or another. When I worked at my last job, we had people in London and people in India and southeast Asia, and had to keep track of their work hours versus ours. That would still be true, and it might be even harder to remember the differences.

>56 ffortsa: Does your daylight savings change date from year to year? Ours is from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. I quite like having daylight savings, because it does make for a big difference in when the sun is up. Since the sun rises so early, I prefer having that extra hour of sun in the afternoon that daylight savings brings, rather than an extra hour in the morning when I haven't woken up yet anyway. If it is to change, I'd prefer to have daylight saving year-round rather than "normal time" all-year.

The one time zone for all sounds incredibly difficult to me.

>56 ffortsa: Yeah. A common time zone worldwide seems insane to me, though it might be useful from the POV of people who expect everyone *else* to accommodate to *their* convenience, and not vice versa.

Latest update:
Last week I walked just over 108 000 steps, which is just over 54 km. That takes my total up to 552 km. I did have to struggle a bit to get the steps in as my nephew was visiting last week and changes to the schedule, especially ones that include a lot of socializing, equals less time for walking. But I made it.

This week is another work trip so that could be challenging, but I think there's enough air in the schedule on Wednesday and Thursday to walk around. And on Friday I'm actually taking the day off and allowing myself to wander around the city (the city we're visiting) for a few hours before getting on the train home. I've been looking forward to that Friday for weeks and weeks - it'll be the reward for some pretty stressful work.

ETA: The bronchodilators I've been taking (as advised by the health centre for my breathing which seems more laboured than I think it should be) were causing side effects that were a bigger issue than what they were helping with so I've stopped taking them. Will go a few days to see if the breathing is any better. If not, I'll call the health centre again and ask for a doctor's appointment.

>59 PawsforThought: Oh, sorry to hear about the breathing difficulties. I hope a solution can be found that isn't worse than the problem.

I walked over 13000 steps yesterday, but was a little undisciplined in my eating, and the scale did not move. Discouraging. But Jim will be away for four days next week, and I can use that time to limit my eating and up my exercise. Not that I couldn't do it while he's here, but it's easier somehow to dig in when dinner is only for one. And I can make use of some of the things that have been lingering in the freezer (salmon, ground beef, frozen spinach). Also no going out to dinner for those days. I need to get back on track.

Another somewhat disappointing result. I walked 22,000 steps yesterday! But it did not show on the scale yet. I hope that two Japanese dinners in a row have upped my water retention and that's what is showing on the scale. Going out for brunch today, but I can cope with that.

Okay, update from last week.

As I had anticipated, the combination of train travel and multiple meeting meant it was a challenge to reach my daily target during my trip, but I managed it. I did have to go for a walk after a long, late work dinner t achieve it but it worked out. And on Friday I managed over 18 000 steps as I was just wandering around town before my train left.
All in all, I walked just over 112 000 steps, which is about 56 km. That takes my total up to 608 km.

>61 ffortsa: Don't be despondent - these things take time and it likely won't show on the scales the same day. And weight loss that shows the same day is likely to just be water weight. Keep it up and you'll see results!

Last week was incredibly tough, as we had to make the decision to put our much beloved old kitty down. He'd been racking up ailments for the past few years and it was simply no longer in his best interest to keep going. So a lot of tears, a lot of anguish and a lot of guilt made it quite difficult to go out and walk - I mostly just wanted to crawl into bed and not get up again. It's incredible how someone so small can leave such a big void behind. We'll busy him at our summerhouse in the summer, probably next to the lumber store as it was a favourite spot both for naps and hunting.

Despite it all, I did manage to reach my goal every day last week, though it was very close. I walked a bit over 107 000 steps, which equals almost 54 km. That takes my total up to 662 km. I've now walked 24% of my total and there's still almost a week left of the first quarter so that last 1% shouldn't be a problem.

>64 PawsforThought:
So very sorry for your loss.
My last dear old cat died just before Thanksgiving. I still miss her.

>62 PawsforThought: Good for you, sticking to your goal in spite of travelling. I have to confess I tend to let it slide at those times.

>64 PawsforThought: >65 nrmay: Deepest sympathies for your losses.

>65 nrmay: Thank you. I’m sorry to read your had to go through it too.

>66 humouress: Thanks. Honestly, if I gave myself permission to “slip up” when travelling then I’d give myself permission to do it on loads of other occasions too.
And while it’s difficult to pull myself up from the couch some days, I’ve noticed how much better it makes me feel once I’m out there (and afterwards). When my colleague died last year, my daily walks were a saving grace. And this week has had more bad news and the coming months will be full of stress so exercise will be vital for me to stay both physically and mentally healthy.
To help me get motivated I always have a stack of good podcasts to listen to as I walk.

Another tough week last week. I went to see a physiotherapist because I've been having pains in my neck/back. The diagnosis is an underdeveloped muscle by my right scapula and a bulging disc in my spine (upper back). I got a rehabilitation program that I am working diligently at and that will hopefully help.

I've been walking and yoga-ing as usual, though - exercise is good and the pain isn't any worse than when I'm just standing or sitting.

All in all, I walked nearly 108 000 steps, which equals just under 54 km. That takes my total up to 716 km, which means I've walked more than 26% of the way.

Because of my CFS and other things going on in my life, my health has taken a backseat. However, last week when my weight shot up to over 200 pounds again, I decided I needed to concentrate on my health again. I lost 5 pounds in the past week, a good step forward. I am trying to get back into the walking habit again too, so I decided to start with 7000 steps a day and gradually move up until I work my way back to the 16,000 steps my doctor wants me to get daily.

Congratulations to all who have stuck with it!

>69 alcottacre: I too somehow got out of my good habits and back to my useless ones. Climbing back on the horse is never easy, but I've been walking a lot, and getting back to intermittent fasting (I almost typed 'tasting'!) which seems to help me eat less. Have to cut out the cookies, too!

>69 alcottacre: Good luck Stacia!

>70 ffortsa: You have inspired me to try to get some walking back into my life. I am trying to do a 20 minute/1 mile walk in the morning. Right now that's relatively easy because the temperatures are nice. I'm hoping to listen to an audiobook while I walk to make the time pass, but I forgot it this morning. But I did get the walk in!

I forgot to update last week - I blame the holidays. My neck is still painful, especially after my commute or if I have been sitting in a less than ideal position for some time. I do try my best to keep up with the rehab but it's difficult to remember to do them as I'm supposed to do them so often. Time flies.

The week leading up to Easter I walked a little over 110 000 steps, which equals just over 55 km.

Last week I walked a bit over 107 000 steps, which is just under 45 km.

That takes my total up to 825 km and I'm on track. The snow has finally started melting properly and the roads are completely free of ice and snow now so I'll start wearing running shoes on my walks from now on instead of winter boots. That will make quite a difference. Hopefully the snow on the walking paths will also completely melt soon, so I can take my evening walks by the river again.

Last week wasn't great, though I did hit my target. The weather was amazing so I have really no good excuse.
I walked a bit over 106 000 steps, which is just over 53 km. That takes my total up to 878 km.

>71 markon: Thanks, Arlene!

I have been able to keep the walking up and this week I went back to 10,000+ steps a day. I think I am going to leave it there for about a month and then start back on my upward trend.

I have not been doing as well on the food especially on the weekends, but I am working on that as well. I have been spending every weekend at my Dad's house trying to get it prepared to sell and checking the mail, so not cooking, which is not good for me at all. Hopefully this nightmare will be behind me soon!

>73 PawsforThought: That is great, Paws!

For anyone interested, Livestrong.com is beginning a 30-day walking challenge as of today. The goal is to reach at least 7500 steps per day.

You can check it out here: https://www.livestrong.com/article/13711439-the-10000-steps-a-day-challenge/?utm...

I started the challenge that I mentioned on Monday and thus far, I am doing well. I set some stipulations for my challenge: 7500 steps is my target for Saturdays and Sundays continue to be my day of rest. Thus far my week has looked like this - Monday, 14202 steps; Tuesday, 12532 steps; Wednesday, 11602 steps.

I am not worried about the downward trend as long as I am over the 10000 steps daily (except weekends!). Yesterday was down because I had people here removing a tree and they will be back again today.

>77 alcottacre: Well done! It's really hard to get those steps in when you ave people over.

>64 PawsforThought: I'm so sorry about your kitty, Paws. It's always a tough call to make.

>69 alcottacre: I'm sorry the CFS is playing havoc with your weight and walking goals, Stasia.

...
I'm stable at a weight loss of 63 lbs. I have lost 6.5 lbs. since January 1, with a year goal of 20 lbs. I'm not worried too much about it right now as I had left knee replacement surgery on March 9th, an still in the midst of PT, but can drive again and am using a cane instead of a walker.

I'm able to go to the chiropractor again, fortunately, since using a walker and now a cane has played (more) havoc with my lower back/SI joint, plus the cane has caused pain in my right shoulder. I have a 3:15 appointment today with Dr. S.

Last week turned out okay even though it was a very busy day with multiple all-day events/meetings. My least favourite thing about my job.
I walked a bit over 108 000 steps, which equals just over 54 km. That takes my total up to 932 km. Getting close to the 1000 km mark, and also somewhat over expectations/goals.

I also had a return visit to the physiotherapist last week which led to more rehab exercises. I'm feeling better, but I'm not quite back to normal yet. So now I have two exercises to do a few times a day, three exercises to do every half hour and four exercises to do 5 nights a week. It's almost a full-time job!

Sorry not to check in until now.

I've been struggling with the scale lately, not sure why except, of course, careless eating. And my walking has been extremely variable. Oh well, time to regroup. I'm going to try some exercises in the morning from the book 8 Minutes in the Morning, which I found on my shelf of (mostly unread) exercise books. It sounds like a reasonable approach.

Last week was a pretty good week. Since it's started becoming properly warm again I've restarted my post-dinner walks along the river so it's been easier to get my steps in.
I walked just under 112 000 steps, which is just below 56 km. That takes my total up to 988 km. That means that on my virtual hike I should reach Budapest in about two week's time (a week and a half, since we're half way through this week). It also means I'm nearly finished with the longest stretch of the journey - Bucharest-Budapest is ca 645 km long.

Regarding physiotherapy, my back is feeling better my my neck is still acting up - I think it's mainly due to bad posture during train journeys and internet scrolling. Hopefully it'll improve. My upper arms are getting stronger since most of my physio moves involve pushup-like movements.

>81 ffortsa: Let me know if the exercises from the book help, Judy. I might try and hunt up a copy if they do.

>82 PawsforThought: Glad to hear that last week was a good one for you walking wise, Paws. I hope that the neck improves as your back has done!

I had a very good week walking last week, averaging over 10,000 steps a day - even on Saturday, which is huge for me. Then this week hit and I have had sinus-induced vertigo Monday, Wednesday, and today. I am so unstable on my feet it is not even funny, so walking has not been happening. I am sincerely hoping that this vertigo nonsense goes away soon.

>83 alcottacre: As is typical with me, I worked on the exercises for about 4 days and then started skipping. I'm going to start from the beginning. Not that the exercises are onerous - quite the contrary, limited exercise is quite nice. I'm just not good at establishing habits.

I’m back home after a break visiting my parents overseas and into the middle of a major renovation at home. I have managed to o back to some of my routine exercises - and have also started a ballroom dance class.

I went to my skin doctor for a check up last week and - here’s a weird one - he suggested a carnivore diet. He sold me on it when he said some people found that their issues cleared up after a week on it. Though it could take up to six weeks. So far there’s no change and I’m a bit bored with the menu. On the other hand, I could end up losing weight just because I’m not interested in eating; though I’m probably cheating a bit because I still have my coffee and chocolate digestive biscuit at tea time.

>85 humouress: A curious recommendation. But maybe it can work like a Hawthorne effect - radical change shakes up the system whichever way it goes. It would be nice to track down the cause of these outbreaks. I hope the change in diet helps.

>86 ffortsa: Thanks for the good wishes.

The theory, as he explained it to me, is that plants produce toxins to discourage (animals) from eating them and maybe that’s what’s causing the reaction. He said after six weeks we’ll reintroduce things slowly starting with fruits. I have to say, I’m already missing having fibre in my diet.

I completely forgot to update last week.

We've had nice weather and very summery temperatures which has made it much easier to go for walks, and combined with the light evenings we have this time of year, my evening walks have been quite amazing.

The week before last I walked a bit over 116 000 steps, which equals just over 58 km.

And last week I walked 110 000 steps, which is about 52 km. This takes my total up to 1098 km and means I've now virtually walked past Budapest and am on the route towards Vienna.

Ooops, been a while since I updated. It's mostly been going well, despite near-vacation-tiredness beginning to set it.

Two weeks ago I walked a bit over 115 000 steps, which is nearly 58 km.
Last week I walked just over 114 000 steps, despite being on a work trip for three days. I made sure to make time for my walks, though. That is just over 57 km.

This takes my total up to 1213 km. Another two weeks and I'll be in Vienna!

Well, I have suffered a setback to my ongoing journey back to walking. I was doing very well in May since I joined the walking challenge on Livestrong. However, I fell badly on Monday - I had to go to the ER because I was afraid I had fractured my back - but I found out I had just pulled the lat muscles in my back. Unfortunately, I am in a lot of pain and just standing up is an issue, let alone trying to get in 10,000+ steps in a day. Today my back has decided to go into spasms on top of everything else. There has been improvement to the pain levels - nothing at all like Monday, on which the pain was so bad I was literally having problems breathing which is not at all uncommon with lat muscle injuries - but I am not sleeping well at all and the meds they are giving me make we want to eat everything in sight.

So, long story short, I am temporarily sidelined.

>90 alcottacre: Oh, OUCH. I hope those spasms release soon. Massage, chiropractor, acupuncture? Whatever helps. I hope you are back on your feet soon.

>90 alcottacre: Ow! I hope recovery is as fast as possible. Meanwhile, have a virtual hug, if you like them.

>91 ffortsa: Massage is absolutely out. I think I would come completely unglued if someone tried to touch my back. The number one treatment for pulled lat muscles is rest and I am trying to do a lot of that. It is, however, boring in the extreme and I am not used to just sitting for long periods of time. Lol

>92 ArlieS: I will take all hugs, virtual and otherwise, that I can get these days, Arlie. Thanks!

Last week I walked just under 111 000 steps, which equals 55 km. That takes my total up to 1268 km - one more week and I will be in Vienna.

As usual, slightly late update.

Last week I walked a bit over 118 000 steps, which equals 59 km. That takes my total up to 1327 km.

Another sporadic update for me. I thought I'd be more conscientious with my walks and started walking with Jasper (our golden retriever) again. But he, poor baby, was attacked by another retriever (oddly because they're usually super friendly) on Sunday last week and we only discovered when we took him to the vet on Tuesday (because he was lethargic and a bit jumpy on Monday) that he'd been bitten quite badly. So, with my walking partner temporarily out of action, my resolution faltered though I did do one longer walk one morning. Though I did volunteer at Riding for the Disabled for three extra days this week (well, including one tomorrow morning) and that is quite energetic.

My husband is travelling this week; he's usually good at making sure everyone gets fed - so I tend to lose a little bit when he's away. It's just keeping it off when he's back that's a problem. But generally, my weight graph is heading downwards, which was my aim when I joined this thread.

And back issues (sorry about yours, Stasia. I've just visited your new thread); I went back to yoga having found a yoga class, though it's on Saturday mornings. But I enjoyed it, so I signed up for this weekend too. As for skin issues; still wondering if/ when the change in diet will help.

Well, I've decided I have to stop eating yellow cheeses. I love them, but they add too many calories to my intake, and my weight is going up. When my sister cut out yellow cheese (among other things) she lost a good bit of weight, and I'm hoping the same happens for me.

I've been maintaining a fairly good walking practice, but now my tracker has given up the ghost, I think. Replacing the battery didn't revive the partial screen failure, so I ordered a new one. My phone has a fine tracker, but I'm not always carrying it, whereas with this little device I can wear it on a chain around my neck. There's a (small) chance that the incredible humidity on Saturday's walk did the display in, so I buried it in some rice. We'll see if that helps.

>97 ffortsa: Hi Judy! Just checking out your feed and your profile. Loved your comment about being a former English major - I am as well, and you're so right. 🤣 Sorry to hear about your walking tracker... I'm trying to keep my practice up as well, but it IS hard some days. Hope the rice works... that's often a good bet.

>97 ffortsa: Sorry to hear your tracker gave up the ghost. I had to replace mine last year as the clip broke - I have the kind that you clip on your waistband.
Giving up the cheeses might be a good idea - they are very calorific. I hope it works for you!

I went back to my skin doctor this week after 6 weeks of trying the carnivore diet. I admitted to him I cheated a bit and didn't cut out coffee - so he said I had to give it another 6 weeks. It is so BORING. Thankfully I don't live in a cold climate because I can't think of any hot drinks I can have except soup. I'll have to up my water intake, which I've never been very good at, an switch to cold milk (I can't stand hot milk). So I've decided I'll give it a proper go this time and see if it makes any difference.

A friend of mine said her skin doctor said she was lacking in minerals like zinc, so she started taking them and her issue cleared up. When I suggested it to my doctor, he seemed to pooh-pooh the idea which is ironic because whenever I look up the carnivore diet, the first thing the sites all say is that it is controversial and hasn't been proven. And (currently it's on my hands) my finger tips sometimes feel like they have fine splinters in, which is new. But goodness knows what that is due to. So I'm sceptical but I'll give it a proper go and see what happens.

But the menu is SO BORING.

Another late update. I can only do step updates on my work laptop and I try not to use it when I'm on holiday so updating will be a bit more sporadic during the summer.

Anyway, two weeks ago I walked 117 000 steps, equalling 58 km.
And last week I walked 113 000 steps, which is 57 km. This takes my total up to 1442 km.

Adding to this, on Friday it was just about warm enough in the water that we went to the beach and I swam about 200 m (400 strokes, which with my terrible technique should be about 200 m). I had just seen a social media post from the Sea Rescue Society asking people to ensure they are capable of swimming 200 m so I wanted to test myself. I could do it, and I could probably do more than that too, but I really need to improve my technique. Swimming has never been my strong suit - I'm a bit to wary of water - but as it is both a vital life skill and a great form of exercise I'd like to improve. Once I move I will sign up for swimming lessons and go swimming regularly for exercise.

>101 PawsforThought: Hi Paws. I used to swim most evenings in a local health club, mostly backstroke because my crawl isn't exactly useful. Then they closed and transferred my membership to a club about a half-mile away (another country in Manhattan-speak), and I would have had to schedule a lane, so I didn't go. Now the Covid schedule is gone, and I actually made it up there to a class last week. So maybe I'll get back to the pool. In the meantime, we are taking a weekend trip where there will be an indoor pool, and since it is likely to rain all weekend, I hope to start back up. Good luck with improving your swimming. I agree that it's a vital skill.

>102 ffortsa: Sorry to hear about the pool issue. Hope the new one works out for you.
I can’t do the crawl, only chest strokes and a bit of backstrokes.

>103 PawsforThought: So we did have a pool in the hotel, but only a very cold, very narrow lap pool, and we skipped it, even though Baltimore last weekend was sizzling. Hung out in the hotel at the conference mostly, except for two walks that we foolishly took to the area where the harbor boat tour starts. i may go back to the health club tomorrow for a class, and I'll see if I have enough energy to try out the pool.

Update for the past couple of weeks.

The week before last, I walked a bit over 111 000 steps, which is just under 56 km.
And last week I walked just under 113 000 steps, which is a smidge under 57 km.

This takes my total up to 1555 km.

This week I will likely get higher than usual numbers as I'm heading off on vacation for a week and my vacations tend to consist of a lot of walking around looking at architecture and walking around looking at museum exhibits. Possible exceptions being tomorrow and Saturday, which are travel days.

Whoops, it's been a while since I updated.
I'm now back at work so it's possible that updates will be more regular (at least I will have regular access to a computer).
I have three weeks to update on.
The first week I went on holiday to Tallinn and Riga, which inflated my numbers as I always walk a lot during my trips. Except for the Saturday as it was both a travelling day (by bus so no chance of walking) and I was very ill (the mother of all colds).
I walked just over 146 000 steps, equalling just over 73 km.
The second week was more back to normal, though I was still shaking off the cold so struggled a bit with the numbers. I walked a bit over 112 000 steps, which is just over 56 km.
Last week was again normal, except for Saturday when I first went on a long walk and then decided to join my mum and look for mushrooms (no luck yet, it's still early) on a mountain nearby. I walked a total of 112 000 steps, equalling 56 km.
This takes my total up to 1740 km.
We'll see how the walking opportunities turn out for this week - there's a storm that has just drawn in over the country and even though I don't live in the worst hit area, it is both very windy and pouring rain and I can even hear thunder rolling right now. It needs be I'll just walk indoors, I guess.

>106 PawsforThought: always impressed by your stats. I walked a little over 6 miles on Saturday and was wiped out. Yesterday I got myself up to 8000 steps, but ached most of the way. That will teach me to stretch after walking!

>107 ffortsa: I wouldn't be able to do half of it if I didn't have something to listen to while walking. I listen to SO MANY podcasts. And I weave the walking into my regular routines - if I'm not on vacation or working from home. I walk to and from the bus and train, walk during my lunch break and walk after dinner. That covers my daily 15 000 steps. If I'm at home I usually take a long walk in the morning and then a shorter one after dinner and that usually covers it.
Stretching is important! My legs are hurting today too, because I spent most of yesterday sitting on my haunches and pulling weeds from the veggie patch.

>108 PawsforThought: good review of your walking habits. I try to walk wherever I go in the city, but most things are near me, so if I plan a longer walk I have to pick a distinct target. Audiobooks definitely help, and if the book or podcast is especially good I'll walk more to finish it, or arrive at a natural break.

I like to take Jasper (our retriever) for my walks. He's my pacemaker :0) - he's a decent size and always curious so we keep moving at a good pace. And even if he stops to investigate something, the dog trainer told me to keep walking so he soon catches up and overtakes me.

On the carnivore diet front, I saw the doctor last week and he'd like me to keep going for another four weeks; I think because we should be almost finished with the renovations by then. But I am allowed apples, pears and pineapples - thankfully. One benefit of the diet, though, is that I've lost 7kg, give or take, since I started in April and I've got to the target I set myself.

Whoops - it's been ages without updating. I've had some technical issues since my pedometer first broke (the clip ) and then I lost it completely (because of the broken clip). So I had to rely on my phone for a week before I got a new pedometer. I don't like having to carry my phone around with me everywhere.

Anyway, four weeks ago I walked 110 000 steps, equalling 55 km.

The following week I walked a little over 114 000 steps, which about 57 km.

The next week I walked a bit over 117 000 steps, equalling 59 km. The extra kilometers are a resolt ov being on a work trip to Stockholm and my wandering around central Stockholm and the Nordic Museum.

And finally, last week I walked about 110 000 steps, equalling 55 km.

This takes my total up to 1960 km. That means I'me now between Munich and Strasbourg, the last stop on the trip before reaching the end at Paris. I have 780 km left before I reach Paris.

>111 PawsforThought: great walking. I've been down with Covid, so walking has been limited, but I'm back on my feet and hope to return to my former activity level. Also get a trainer. Enough with this procrastination - I could use the help.

I am officially virtuous. Both my housemate and I have now gotten our annual flu shots. I'm in physical therapy for my job lot of musculoskeletal issues, and have mostly managed *not* to miss my daily exercise sessions. And I devoted today's last bit of time-with-energy to creating another pot of bean stew, designed to be helpful for both IBS and pre-diabetes.

On the bad side, I haven't taken a proper walk in almost two weeks - my back/hip went out on Aug 27, and recovery has been slower than usual. (I can't recall it taking more than a single week before.) I spent a lot of time reading and/or listening to podcasts while reclining or lying on my back, so lots of overdue tasks need attention. Unfortunately I still have to limit computer time, and avoid long continuous sessions, but it's getting better every day.

I hope to catch up on all the threads I've starred eventually. I did manage today to finally finish recording all the books I've completed since that Sunday.

>112 ffortsa: Ooof, sorry to hear you've had Covid. I have been blessedly spared that (though the cold I attracted in July was one of the worst I've ever had - although it was nothing compared to the great plague weeks of the Christmas and New Year period).

>113 ArlieS: Well done on getting the flu shot. I get mine every year, but they will not be available here until late November so it's a while yet. I am getting my TBE and HPV re-fills next week, after which I will be up-to-date with everything regarding needle-stabbing (save the flu one).
Sorry to hear you've been in pain, and I'm glad you're getting better - even if it's a slow process.

Last week was okay - I had a minor cold coming on which made me very uninterested in being physically active, but I did reach my goal every day.
All in all I walked almost 113 000 steps, which equals 56 km.
This takes my total up to 2016 km - I'm officially over 2000 km!

This week I'm on another work trip. I have the afternoon off today and the morning off on Friday so will make sure I get as many steps in as possible (sitting on the train down here was a bit tough on my back, and I'm sure the train ride home on Friday will be trying too). I'll have to sneak in a morning walk tomorrow and on Thursday because otherwise it's a whole lot of sitting down all day. My knees will be ready to kill me by the end of it.

I had a work trip last week, which is always a pain and can lead either to either way more walking than usual or to struggling with reaching my target. This time it was leaning towards the latter, made worse by the fact that I still have a cold and was really tired all weekend, but I did make it in the end.
I walked a total of just over 109 000 steps, which is a bit over 54 km. This takes my total up to 2070 km.

Last week I suddenly became frantic for exercise. I took a Pilates class (pretty mild), a class at my gym, home exercise on Thursday, another class on Friday, my usual Saturday group walk and a Nordic Walking Stick class (total 20,000 steps!) and a demonstration in midtown on Sunday. Don't know what set me off, but I need to be a little more intentional about my schedule!

Right now I'm sudden having the sneezies from some allergy, even though it's raining here (no fair). But my hip doesn't hurt. thankful for small favors.

>117 ffortsa: Wow, you've really had a boost of energy! Well done!

I started a barre class (a combination of pilates, a bit of ballet, a bit of yoga) a couple of weeks ago. It's good; after losing weight I need to tone up a bit - but, boy! do I feel it afterwards.

I'm thinking of starting swimming again - but I've been flirting with that idea for a while. I even bought a couple of new swimsuits. Only I can't find them now.

>119 humouress: Oh, good to know what a barre class is. I think my health club offers one - I'll look into the schedule.

And yeah, I need to start swimming again as well. During the pandemic restrictions, I would have had to sign up in advance for a lane. Now it's first come first served, which actually suits me better, if I can find a reliably quiet time in the pool.

>120 ffortsa: Yup, the pandemic really scuppered my exercise schedule. A lot of the classes I was doing (not that I was doing that many) stopped and never re-started and now I have to overcome my inertia and find things again.

My plan is also to start swimming eventually. Can't do it now because my commute takes up too much of my time, but whenever I find a place to live and move I will get a membership card for the swimming pool.
And I've started looking for gently used second hand skis and related paraphernalia so I can go (cross-country) skiing in the winter. I always hated skiing as a kid but now I think it'd be a good, gentle form of exercise (that I can do at the speed I prefer).

Last week was really tough as I caught a cold on my work trip the week before and felt like death warmed over all of last week.
On Friday I had a physiotherapy appointment, after which I went to have the last of my TBE and HPV shots (didn't help with the tiredness). After that I spent a couple of hours at a sewing and craft fair and when I finally came home it was eight in the evening and I basically collapsed into bed as soon as I came home. Spent the weekend doing very much nothing (except just enough walking to reach my target) and trying to recuperate. I'm feeling better this week.

I walked a total of 111 000 steps, which is a little over 55 km. This takes my total up to 2125 km.

>123 PawsforThought: better than I did. I was a sloth.

A month ago today, I decided it was time to pay attention to my health again. As many of you know, this year has been very rough for my family and my health has taken several hits, not the least of which was badly injuring my back (which still hurts, but has mostly recovered). My weight was over 200 pounds back on August 28th and I have now dropped 12+ pounds. I am still taking it easy as far as the walking goes because if I get up to the 10,000 steps for multiple days in a row, my back pays for it. However, I think that any walking I do is all to the good.

I am so glad to see the progress that others are making! I want everyone to live a good, long, healthy life!!

>125 alcottacre: Good to hear you’re back on the metaphorical horse, Stasia. My back is hurting too, but for me the walking helps - and I’m very grateful for that.

>126 PawsforThought: Thanks, Paws. I think that the walking does help with the back, it is just too much on too many days that seems to be the issue. Currently I am shooting for 7500 steps a day and that does not seem to be as bad for my back on consecutive days as the 10,0000 steps is.

I'm plugging away at doing my physical therapy exercises. This requires self-bribery in the form of chocolate, and I still don't manage them every single day, but it's pretty close. Last Friday the therapist was pleased enough with my progress to add weights to 3 of my exercises; who'd have thought a simple one-pound weight could make those exercises so much more difficult.

In other news, I got the new covid shot 9 days ago - 5 more to go till I feel fully protected. And I somewhat sadly replaced my beautiful pre-computer-era desk with a modern sit-stand computer desk. Even with the addition of a keyboard and mouse tray, the old desk had poor ergonomics, and was probably implicated in my back problems. Between the physical therapy, the new desk, and the passage of time, the back is improving; the trick will be having it improve enough not to have another episode, or at least go longer between episodes.

I've also been trying to make my dentist happy, and have acquired and begun using an off-brand water pik. Maybe I'll have a clear checkup next time I see her - it's been at least one cavity per checkup ever since I developed dry mouth, as a side effect of other, non-dental treatment. (Growing old is not for the faint of heart.)

Unfortunately I'm still not back to taking daily walks; maybe when things calm down a bit more. (Today I'll be running errands - by car, unfortunately - during prime walk time.)

>125 alcottacre: I'm glad to read that you're getting back to working on your health. Heavens knows there are plenty of things that can derail the best of us - and you've had more than your share of them this year.

>123 PawsforThought: You rock, Paws.

Same comment I made to Stasia - life has a way of derailing our efforts. Illness and even vaccinations aren't compatible with keeping on full tilt; sometimes they aren't compatible with any kind of exercise.

>128 ArlieS: This requires self-bribery in the form of chocolate, Whatever it takes, right?

I hope the COVID shot works better than ours did. Kerry and I had both the original shot and the booster and yet managed to get COVID (back in 2021) and he has since had it again this year.

>129 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie.

>128 ArlieS: This requires self-bribery in the form of chocolate

I like it! (Sadly, I'm not allowed chocolate at the moment on the carnivore diet; though my doctor has added back thick skinned fruits, beans/ seeds are out of the question. For now.)

Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

*sigh* Count me in as one of the faint of heart.

Well, with no sugar allowed, I'm now drinking black tea without sugar which I never liked before and not finding it too bad. If I can keep it going even once I don't have any restrictions it might help keep the weight off. Of course, I can't have coffee or hot chocolate yet; I'm not sure I can manage black coffee without sugar.

The diet may be helping my skin issues; I'm now off the antibiotics. However, we went for a wedding dinner on the weekend and I may have indulged (my husband's fault, of course) in some foods not on my diet. I also had my nails done with various lotions and potions put on my hands. Whatever it was due to, I did have a slight flare-up for a couple of days but things seem back to normal (ie fewer bumps) now. My weight is still going down - at least that's a side benefit of the diet - though we went for a birthday dinner the next night, so there was a slight upwards tilt. And there are a few more dinners out coming up, what with birthdays and overseas relatives visiting, so the graph may take a few hits. But I hit my target for weight loss a while back, though the doctor would like to see me lose a bit more; he seems to think that also contributes to the skin issues.

Last week I walked a total of 106 000 steps, which equals 53 km.
This takes my total up to 2178 km.

It's getting darker here now that autumn has arrived so I have to remember to put on my reflective vest when I go for my evening walk. And I need to buy a flashlight because parts of my usual route doesn't have streetlights and I like to know where I'm putting my feet.

I had my first appointment with my massage therapist on Monday. She told me off for keeping my head askew too much so I have to work on that.

>133 PawsforThought: askew as in forward? I think we all do that a lot. One of my Pilates fellow attendees asked me how I got such good posture, but it's not something I can take credit for (a naturally tight back and a short stature keep me upright), and I still have to watch the dreaded cellphone neck issue.

Speaking of Pilates, I had terrible foot cramps yesterday during the floor exercises. I might try some magnesium supplements. Or, as one of my doctors remarked, tonic water, preferably with vodka.

>134 ffortsa: No, askew as in tipping my head towards my right shoulder. But I do also lean forward (but that’s not news).

>134 ffortsa: I get foot cramps too. I like that vodka I mean tonic idea.

I have a vague idea bananas (potassium?) are good, too - now that I'm allowed thick skinned fruits in my diet.

>132 humouress: I'm now drinking black tea without sugar which I never liked before and not finding it too bad.

Your tastebuds will adapt, Nina, you just have to give them time! I am the opposite - if people put sugar in my tea, I will not drink it. I have been drinking tea with no sweetener of any kind for years now.

>133 PawsforThought: Nice job, Paws! I have no idea what "keeping your head askew" even is!

Finally found this thread and hope everyone's activity will stimulate me to be more faithful to my plans. I'm trying to cure my sugar addiction and get more exercise. So far I've lost a little over 20 pounds. My "seated yoga" class has resumed after summer hiatus and I've been going faithfully (meets once a week). It's held at a fitness center I belong to and when I'm there I also do a set of 8 exercise machines that together are supposed to exercise each of the large muscle groups. I also spent 15 minutes on the elliptical yesterday.

The club also offers aqua aerobics every week day and I would like to get myself to go to that once or twice a week. In addition, I have a treadmill in the garage that I should use when not doing anything else aerobic...but basically I'm a sloth who would rather be reading...

I believe potatoes are another good source of potassium.

>138 RebaRelishesReading: I'm a sloth who would rather be reading

I can certainly relate to that! I am using my treadmill and listening to audiobooks while I am on it.

>139 alcottacre: When I use the treadmill I am always listening to an audio book.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: Great minds and all that. . .

>137 alcottacre: Like I wrote above, I’m very often (almost constantly) leaning my head towards my right side. Either this practice has shortened the muscles on the right side of my neck or something else has caused the muscles to shorten which in turn has led to me leaning my head. Either way I have to counteract it.

>142 PawsforThought: Hmm. I wonder what is causing it. Any ideas?

Today will be the second day in a row that I have walked 10,000+ steps. It will be interesting to see how my back reacts tomorrow.

>143 alcottacre: My guess is simply bad posture and bad habits.

Well done for walking so much - I hope your back doesn’t punish you for it.

>144 PawsforThought: My back is distinctly unhappy today so I am not going to push it to get to 10,000 steps.

Yes to bananas and potatoes for potassium. Also different kinds of nuts, I think (since I can't eat them, I don't pay attention.) Magnesium is also good for muscle cramps, I'm told.

I actually forgot about my morning class yesterday, which was too bad because my hip or hamstring or whatever really was bad and exercise might have limbered it up. I won't miss tomorrow. PT starts next week, unless I can get an appointment today - I wasn't free when I originally made my appointments.

Reba, I also have fallen into that big vat of sugary things. I've been eating too much fruit as that season ends, too. And bread. And I tend to eat too much yellow cheese, which really can add calories. So, a new goal: back on track so that I'm under 130 lbs before my birthday in January. That's only 4 lbs, but there are the holidays, and a weekend at Mohonk Mountain House, and probably a trip out to see a friend in Pocatello. So I need to take this seriously.

>137 alcottacre: I tried tea with milk and no sugar but, oddly, I prefer it black if I can't have sugar.

>138 RebaRelishesReading: >146 ffortsa: Unfortunately, at the moment my diet doesn't permit (plant foods) potatoes or nuts - much as I would like it to. But when it does, I'll have a nut-fest. Thanks for the information.

>147 humouress: Oh right. I forgot. I don't know of any animal proteins that would be a substitute. And I know how boring that diet can be. Can you eat eggs? I think there's some potassium or magnesium (can't recall) in egg yolks.

eta: yes! lots of potassium.

>148 ffortsa: really? I had no idea -- good to know.

>147 humouress: I am not sure how odd it is.

So, I took Thursday off from walking as my back just could not take it, but I got walked both Friday (12,000+ steps) and yesterday (10,000+ steps). Today being Sunday, I am taking the day off again, but I will be back to it tomorrow and we will see how the week goes. It is going to be challenging, if not downright impossible, to be getting steps in while I am visiting my mother, but I will see what I can do.

I am going to report my weight both before I leave on the 14th and when I return a little over 2 weeks later. You are all my accountability partners! :)

Last week was okay but the increasing darkness is no fun. And it's getting cold so more layers. I'll have to leave my trenchcoat at home tomorrow in favour of my autumn coat.
I had another massage therapy appointment today and now feel rather tender. Another appointment in two weeks.

I walked just over 110 000 steps last week, which equals 55 km. This takes my total up to 2233 km. I have 500 km left and eleven weeks to do it. Things are looking good.

>151 PawsforThought: Congratulations, Paws!

I am taking today off walking. I got 11,000+ steps in Monday and 10,000+ steps yesterday, but the back is not a happy camper today at all. I will be back at it tomorrow after the rest day. Saturday I will be driving to get to my mother's so likely no walking of any import then and Sunday is my traditional day off. I am going to do my best to get walking in while I am at my mother's, but do not hold out a lot of hope.

ETA: A "day off" walking during the week only means that I am shooting for 7500 steps, rather than 10,000. Sundays I really do take the day off walking and do not count steps at all.

Went to "seated yoga" yesterday followed by a trip through the weight-machine-series. It's raining today so I'm planning to walk on the treadmill. Reporting that so I will be more likely to actually do it :)

>153 RebaRelishesReading: Reporting that so I will be more likely to actually do it :)

Whatever it takes, Reba!

My weight this morning was at 190.1 pounds. I am hoping to be either at that weight or below it when I get back home in a little over 2 weeks.

>148 ffortsa: Oh good. I'm eating eggs - otherwise I don't know what I'd have for breakfast, having had bran flakes with sultanas for the past three odd decades almost every day. So that should help, thanks.

I've finally got my study back, it having been under dust wraps while we do the renovation. And I'm sorting out my new bookshelves - they're now cleaned and polished so I can start putting the books on them but that means I haven't taken Jasper out for a walk for a couple of weeks. And I still haven't started swimming, though I'm still doing barre, Latin dance classes, boxing and volunteering at Riding for the Disabled every week. I count it as a workout because you have to walk at the pace of the horses. They may not like to move fast but they've got four long legs so they amble faster than humans.

I'm still losing weight (I've had to break out my old belts for my newer trousers but they're not in the best condition) because of the carnivore diet (though I can't wait to have carbs, chocolate and coffee again) and my BMI is in the middle of the healthy range, according to my weighing scale's app (I was quite thrilled when I stepped on them on my birthday and it gave me fireworks and a birthday message) but I think I could do more to tone my muscles.

>155 alcottacre: Enjoy your break Stasia!

My scale read 137 this morning, which is a disaster. Maybe it was the mediocre Chinese take-out we had last night. Or, as my endocrinologist once told me, I'm preparing for hibernation. But I've got to stop eating the stuff that puts weight on me.

As an added incentive, I've been going to physical therapy for a serious back spasm, which my pt says it's because my abdominals have become weak and the back muscles are taking over the job. Bad Bad Bad.

So, work on abs, on eating right. Sigh.

>157 ffortsa: Oh my how I can relate to that Judy!! :(

>157 ffortsa: Hibernation sounds really attractive right now.

Good luck with the physical therapy. My therapist enhanced my routine yesterday, and today I am so sore! But if it works, I'll be happy.

Yup, can relate with the abs too. I have to focus on my core because I'm guilty of bad posture and I've got a couple of squishy discs.

On the weight loss front, the carnivore diet has seen me lose at least 10kg - but now I'm getting comments that it's maybe going a bit too far. My skin specialist (who put me on it to try and cure my eczema) is waiting for the kitchen renovation to finish so there'll be less dust and I'll be able to cook properly. But I saw him this week and I can have rice! and squash/ pumpkin! My first carbs and veg since April. And I'm also allowed coffee and chocolate (I've been waiting for that) now too.

Meanwhile, the eczema is better but not fully disappeared. But I'm going ahead and getting my books out of storage to put onto my new shelves, which means cleaning them all first (because of my OCD tendencies) in spite of the doctor warning me against too much cleaning. I'm wearing gloves, so fingers crossed it won't set off anything.

Whoops! It's been ages since my latest update. Work has been insanely busy.

The week starting 10 October I walked just under 109 000 steps, which is just over 54 km.

The week starting 17 October I also walked 109 000 steps, equally just under 54 km.

This takes my total up to 2341 km, with 507 km left to go.

I had my second appointment with the massage therapist two weeks ago, after which I felt as if I'd been trampled by a herd of elephants (massage therapy is not comfortable and not in any way comparable to regular massage). I had my third appointment this past Monday and we booked in a forth one for a month from now - after I come back from my combined work-and-pleasure trip to Malmö/Copenhagen.
My neck seems to be getting better, which is also has a positive effect on my back.

I am glad to see people keeping this thread warm while I was out of town.

I weighed myself this morning after 2+ weeks out of town and found that I had maintained my weight while I was gone - I did not gain any (Yay!) and I did not lose any either. I made walking a priority while I was at my mother's and was routinely getting my 10,000 steps in a day. While I was in Joplin, I did not do this, but that trip was short and I was pretty tired.

>162 alcottacre: That's good news.

Doctor's visit was 50-50 bad and good news. I weighed in at 138 (thank goodness today I was under 135 again!), but she measured me at 4'11", which is half an inch or more than the last doctor said. Maybe I was standing straighter, but I'll just take it.

Whoops, it's been two weeks since I updated.

The week starting 24 October I walked just over 114 000 steps, which is just over 57 km.

Last week I walked a little over 113 000 steps, which is just under 57 km.

This takes my total up to 2347 km. I have 393 km left to go.

Side note: I'm having a lot of trouble with what may or may not be true sciatica, the focus of which is a very sore spot where my butt meets my thigh. Sitting is not fun. It's amazing how much I sit, and have always sat, at work and at home, and how much I am reminded of it now. Saturday night I ended up standing for the second half of a chamber concert with the Julliard String Quartet because I couldn't bear the seats even with an extra cushion. PT is not ameliorating the situation, and I'll talk to my physiatrist again next week. I've got several trips planned in the next two weeks, and transportation is, of course, sitting.

It gets more inflamed when I walk. And I'm gaining weight. damn.

>165 ffortsa: So sorry to hear about your pain!! I hope you find a solution soon.

>164 PawsforThought: Go, Paws!!

>165 ffortsa: I have sciatica in both of my hips, Judy, so I can empathize. I am sorry to hear that you have problems with it. I have yet to find a solution to the problem unfortunately.

On August 28th, I weighed 205.6 pounds. As of this morning, about 6 weeks later, I weighed 185.5 pounds - down 20.1 pounds. I am not doing anything special other than trying to avoid processed foods and not going out to eat, which we rarely did anyway. I am hoping that by the time Kerry and I leave for our cruise in January that I am down another 20 pounds, a tough ask as we head into the holidays.

>168 alcottacre: Great job, Stasia! I’m sure it’ll be tough going into the holiday season, but you can do it! I actually managed to (unintentionally) lose weight over the holidays one year.

>169 PawsforThought: Thanks, Paws. I am starting up walking again too, so making strides in that direction as well. My degenerative joint disease has been flaring up with the changes in the weather and my knees and hips are particularly painful, so some days I am lucky to get out of bed, lol.

>170 alcottacre: Oy. Your joint disease sounds like it weighs heavily on you. Sorry to hear it. But the weight loss is WONDERFUL! I seem to have turned the boat around myself, down a few of the newer pounds over the last few days.

As for the sciatica, if that's what it is, today I have a bit of relief, due it seems to rest and not much sitting. Maybe I should invest in a sit-stand device for my monitor and keyboard. The computer itself is to the side anyway.

As for holidays, we are heading to Mohonk Mountain House for our annual Words Weekend. The food is delicious, so I will have to watch my tendency to indulge. We usually do a lot of walking, so I'll bring my ice pack in case the hip flairs up again.

>171 ffortsa: Sounds like a nice trip! That hip pain could also be a bursitis. Very annoying. Using ice is a good idea. But resting in time as well.

I have had problems with back pain for the last months. Sprained my back lifting in an awkward position. I was starting to walk a bit more. And now it’s raining all of the time, so no walking. I watched some YouTube, and now I think I have had an instability problem for years. Meaning I should work on stability first. Simple and boring exercises. Wish me success.

>171 ffortsa: I was diagnosed with DJD when I was about 12 or so, Judy, so I have lived with it for almost 50 years now. I just have to take it as it comes, I have learned, and try not to overextend myself on days when my joints are saying No.

Thanks for the congratulations on the weight loss. Congratulations on yours too!

Yay for the sciatica (or whatever) relief. I hope that keeps up for you! The Mohonk Mountain House trip sounds wonderful.

>172 EllaTim: Ah, I know the surprise of lost balance. I used to be better at staying upright in unexpected situations, but not so much now. So I also have to do stability exercises.

>173 alcottacre: Thanks for the comments. That's a long time to live with DJD. You must be handling it carefully.

The sciatica (or whatever) has flared again after a tentative walk (only 5000 steps) yesterday. Boo. I will take my ice pack to Mohonk. It's very much a walking place, beautiful and interesting landscapes, etc., and the weather is supposed to be cold but clear. We may even be able to catch the beginnings of the Leonid meteor shower if we get far enough away from the main building. If not, I will be in Idaho starting the 15th, and might be able to catch them on that weekend.

>174 ffortsa: I am sorry to hear that the sciatica (or whatever) has flared again!

Another two-week update:

The week before last I walked a little under 113 000 steps, which equals just under 56 km. I also tried to start some better routines regarding my sleep and general health. I am a terrible sleeper and often forsake going to bed on time, and I'm trying to do better. I did manage to go to bed almost an hour earlier than I usually do almost every day that week and I will do my best to keep it up now that I am back from a work-and-slight-vacation trip. As I knew I was going away the week after I also did more lengthy yoga routines so I had shorter routines during my trip - it's always tricky to do proper exercises when away from home.

Last week, when I went first to Malmö for work and then to Copenhagen with a couple of colleagues for a fun weekend (we flew through Copenhagen airport anyway), I walked a total of almost 138 000 steps, which is almost 69 km. The big increase from my usual result is partially a higher daily count and partially the fact that on Saturday we walk nearly 32 000 steps - twice my average! And I wasn't tired at the end of the day. The sleeping wasn't ideal - I never sleep very well away from home and I share a hotel room with one of my colleagues when in Copenhagen and I don't sleep well with other people in the room.

All in all this takes my total up to 2472 km, with about 268 km left to walk before the end of the year.

I managed to survive the trip without getting a massive cold (I already had a cold, but tend to get really sick after travelling) and my ears were doing okay. I think this success is due to me being very diligent with nasal spray and using an anti-viral throat spray whenever I got on a plane or a train.

Today I have another massage therapy appointment and we'll see what she says about my back. I haven't had a lot of pain lately but am feeling a little tender today - probably due to travelling all day yesterday.

>176 PawsforThought: Wow, good on you!!!! I'm most impressed (and somewhat moved to up my own numbers as a result of thinking about how much good you're doing yourself).

>177 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you! I’m not quite sure how I managed so many steps on Saturday—we were quite shocked when we saw the numbers. But wandering around looking at pretty things in good company is a good way of getting your steps in, apparently.
And I really can tell a big difference in how I feel now that I’m moving around more compared to before when I was mostly stationery. Although my plan for next year is to change things up and not just walk. More on that later.

I’m sure you’d be able to increase your numbers! For me, it’s about breaking it down into manageable chunks. It’s not normal to walk 10 000+ steps in one go, but 3-4 000 is fairly easy to do and if you do that 3 times a day you’ve reached you 10 000.
I walk to the bus/train (≈3500), during my lunch break (3-4000), from the bus/train (≈3500) and after dinner (3-4000). Plus maybe 2000 steps walking about the office and at home. That makes for my daily 15 000.

>178 PawsforThought: I stretch my steps out even further, Paws, because I want to make sure that I am moving at least once an hour.

Weight update - if I lose 1 more pound, I will be down exactly 25 pounds since I started watching my weight on 8/28.

>179 alcottacre: That’s great!

>180 PawsforThought: Thanks!

I am happy to see that you are making great progress on your walking. I hope that the back is doing better!

>181 alcottacre: The back is doing better. Much less tension this time than earlier, according to my massage therapist. I’m getting some exercises for my hip muscles as she thinks I need to strengthen them to build up support for my lower back (which in turn affects the upper back and neck).

Hi all. We went away for the weekend on Nov. 10th and I got a nasty cold or virus half-way through the weekend, which landed me in bed after we came home. The good side was that my back and hip got more rest, and for a while I was pain free. Then this past Saturday, I thought I could try my usual walk in Central Park, had a great time, and racked up over 12,000 steps with only minor aches on the uphill parts.

But it didn't last. Last night I did a measly two mile errand and came back with all the pain in place again. I did manage to get through my Pilates floor class today with minimal problems, and I see the PT again tomorrow. I have to get a sense from her about what I should be concentrating on. I think I need to strengthen my core and hip muscles, as your massage therapist suggested to you, rather than concentrating on stretching, which just seems to irritate the inflamed locations.

Stasia, congrats on your weight loss! I am still struggling, but meeting a friend who has a much more serious weight problem has kept me more focussed. She's in real trouble, in spite of lap-band surgery a few months ago. I'm very worried.

Another two-week update. I've had decidedly lower numbers the past few weeks, which is to be expected as I've been either sick (bad cold or possibly flu going around), working a lot or just generally tired from the dark and cold. I do love living here and wouldn't change it for any place else, but winters are tough - and this bit before Christmas and the winter solstice is the harder part.

The week before last I walked a bit over 107 000 steps, which is nearly 54 km.

Last week I walked I walked just over 107 000 steps, which is 53 km.

This takes my total up to 2579 km, and I'm 161 km from my goal.

It's been a while since I dropped by. I'm happy to see the good news; boo on the flare-ups.

Not much to report on my side; my weight is where I'm happy with it (an unexpected benefit of the carnivore diet for the eczema-type issue) - now just to maintain it which can be difficult because my husband likes buying edible treats for the family. My kids are good - my older son will point out 'Mum, you shouldn't eat that' but he'll let me if I insist whereas my younger son goes further - he won't let me (I really miss crunchy stuff but it all seems to be forbidden plant carbohydrates) and he'll even take it away from me. The eczema itself, which was the whole point of the diet, seems to be fading ... very ... slowly.

On the book front, all the books are back from storage and all but the last handful are back on the shelves though now I want to shuffle a couple of other shelves around. We're within touching distance on finishing the kitchen renovation so when I go back to the dermatologist he may change things up. The dust and flexibility with what we can cook at home have been hiccoughs with that journey.

>182 PawsforThought: Very glad to hear that your back is doing better, Paws!

>183 ffortsa: Thanks for the congratulations, Judy. I am sorry that your sciatica continues to be an issue. At least mine is sporadic.

I am getting my 10,000 steps in a day despite my recent CFS flare up. My weight continues to drop, which I am very happy about, but not fast enough, lol.