Morning all! I don't have anything new to share as progress-- my weight is unchanged and my activity, while increased from a month ago, is pretty much the same as it has been the last few weeks.

I am enjoying more local produce as we move into summer. Cauliflower has been very inexpensive lately and I love it. I will be roasting some today for brown rice bowls for lunches this week. I like to cook it with onions and whatever other veggies I have and add ras el hanout (as middle eastern spice blend).

Corn has been surprisingly good this early in the season (I usually wait for silver queen (white sweet corn) in August). I wouldn't even have looked at it twice except that my sister had me over for dinner last week and served it. Corn is not the best/healthiest vegetable but I got some to include in chicken taco salads. I will also maybe indulge in some elote too-- also not healthy but in moderation with a lean protein and black beans, I think it is fine.

I need to do some research today as I have been getting muscle cramps fairly frequently -- I suspect I am not drinking enough water but honestly, that isnt new. I am not taking statins (a common cause of muscle cramps) so I suspect my diet it light on something I need. I welcome any experiences you all have had.

Generally, things are going well -- I am very busy with work but also very productive (it isn't always the case that busy=productive!) so I am feeling good about that. It helps that I have another vacation coming up. I will work a bit on vacation but only to write online-help content. I enjoy that kind of writing (which is great because I don't have anyone else on my team who could do it without major editing/rewriting) so I will save it for rainy days on vac and/or times when SO and I have downtime or need some solo time. I'll be there for 13 days so plenty of time to fit it some work.

How are things going for all of you beautiful people? Is there anything you are focused on this week?

A 13 day trip! That is really something to look forward to. What a great getaway.

Things here are the same as usual here as well - lots of exercise and movement, but some not so great food choices. The food journal doesn't lie. I do really well for a few days and then something comes up or we travel or I find myself too hungry with no appealing healthy options so I eat something not great. My food journal tells me I had french fries 3 times, potato chips twice, and tortilla chips once last week. So, lots of room for improvement there obviously.

I did meet my water goal 6 times, so there's that at least :)

I agree, 13 days is a lot. I've only done two trips that long, Australia and China. Even the last trip to the festival with 5 nights seemed like a lot, especially away from the kitties.

The Zepbound shortage seems to be easing up a bit. I found 5 mg last week! So, I'm good for the next month. Maybe I will see some scale progress. I've been hanging out around this weight for awhile now. It would be nice to drop a few more.

Today I did Zumba and then TRX interval blast at the Y, which is awesome. There are a lot of movements similar to what I do in Pilates. I did Pilates Reformer 1 over the weekend, and have my private session Thursday again. My schedule is all off this summer based on other appointments and when I need to go to school. I have dental cleaning and dermatologist annual exam this week. DH and I are tracking. I never stopped but he is back.

We have a lot of jalapenos in the containers on the deck, and tomatoes are starting to grow. So, maybe tomorrow we will make tacos for Taco Tuesday.

Re the muscle cramps, might be low on magnesium. I haven;t been taking mine every day, and i have been getting cramps in my left leg/foot. I have a magnesium spray I keep by the bed for times when I get a cramp in bed. Pickle juice or yellow mustard helps when you get them, too. the nurses at my mother's chemo center kept little mustard packets for when the patients would get cramps from the chemo meds.

Are the cramps coming at rest or during exercise? At night?

Another OTC CGM has been approved, this one by Abbott. No word on when they will be available.

Popping in to say hello again to those of you also on health/fitness jouneys. Love reading the progress.

I have been trying to get focused again on not over-eating due to desire to eat vs hunger. I think I've been doing well. To be honest I haven't gotten on the scale but some clothing is fitting better so that feels like a good sign.

I've been doing great with swimming (finally 50m pools are open for the warm season!) and running. My weight lifting has been sadly inconsistent. I have a hard time switching schedules when the weather gets warm and I move outdoor cardio to morning and lifting to lunch time. So I end up running over the top of it with work. I'm going to try to do better.

Life has been kind of crazy with my sister in law, her dog, and now my adult niece moving in with us for a period of time. They are relocating after a painful death in the family (for all of us but especially my sister in law) and so we opened our home to them for now. That has been challenging, mostly in terms of keeping a safe gluten-free kitchen for me. Not to mention my fridge really doesn't have room for four adults eating completely different meals. And trying to figure out how to cook two or three different meals in a modest sized kitchen has been challenging (mostly taking turns). I feel like I cannot cook like I want because of the cooking overlap and that there's no where to store leftovers. So I've been trying to just keep it simple.

I'm still doing intermittent fasting. I've been pretty consistent about one 36hr fast most weeks and one 24hour fast (1 smaller evening meal) another day. I really do think I've lost some of the winter/mourning weight I put on and at the very least i've maintained most (or maybe all?) of the big weight loss that I achieved in 2022. As someone who struggles with calorie counting and portion control, IF has been a godsend.

Hi all, I'm glad to check in and read your posts. Not much new for me except DH and I ate lunch out a couple times. I usually haven't found it to be a goal buster but I ordered some truffle fries yesterday at a fancy restaurant and they came in a silver cone that would have held a small child. I brought most of them home but luckily DH made me toss them because their smell (truffle oil?) really got to him, lol. I have book club tonight but I'm bringing a fruit salad so I'm planning on filling up on that.

prickly, that sounds really challenging. Wishing you bunches of patience and good humor for the duration of the very nice thing you did.

Hello, everyone! Congratulations on the progress and maintenance.

I've been getting back to the gym after nearly a month of traveling. It feels good, and tends to have a domino effect in other health choices.

Prickly, also sending good vibes your way. It's challenging to share space with others, and I hope it all works out.

Go, Bunny! That's wonderful to read!

So glad to hear your update Bunny!

I have read all the other posts but will respond later this week-- love reading all the updates! Thank you everyone for your continued support and sharing! ❤️

Bunny, I'm struggling with walking, not because of physical limitation, but just not wanting to. I haven't gotten more than 3/4 mile since I got back from Florida a month ago. I was walking miles on the beach every day in Florida but just pppffftted when I got home. I promise to start one mile walks beginning tomorrow with a goal of increasing every week.

You can do it, barncatz!

It isn't all about weight loss ... but it is a major part of my goal as I have a lot more to lose.

I didnt lose any weight last week but this week, I have lost 3 lb! That is kind of how it goes for me .. will lose 2-3 lb in a week (or even a few days-- which was the case this week) and then a week or 2 of steady state.

Sorry, I don't have much time to respond to other posts but I wanted to share since I haven't seen any real losses in awhile :)

Good to read all these positive updates. Especially good to see Bunny making such great progress in rehab.

Finally seeing about 1.5 lbs of scale movement. Yesterday I did mat Pilates and some weights at the Y. I pay $80 per month for the Y still, so I at least get to use the membership more in the summer. This Y is a smaller Y in a corporate park but there are no kids, just 16 and up. I don’t do yoga, but they have a hot yoga room that is very popular. Getting ready for Zumba step aerobics by Zoom at 8:15. It’s going to be another hot one today, so glad it’s early I can be outside. I doubt I need to bring out the industrial fan this early but we’ll see.

MIL is coming over today and we’ll go to dinner at a Venezuelan restaurant near our house. I’ll still need to schedule my Pilates sessions for the week. I know I will aim for something for Wednesday since we have a retirement reception for someone in our building I’d like to attend.

Yesterday I walked a little farther than I intended--1.25 miles--and my knee was sore the rest of the day. This morning it feels way better, but I won't push it as far. Easy does it today.

Since breaking my leg I've slept on top of my bed with leg elevated and an afghan over me. It sounds a bit grim but I got used to it. Luckily for me, I prefer sleeping on my back. A couple of nights ago I decided it was time to try sleeping *in* bed as a nod to returning to normal. I prefer lightweight covers but this will take some getting used to. My left leg still prefers to sneak out from under the covers and lie on top of the bed.

Morning all ... taking a little break from the pile of work I will be doing this weekend. My project has its first major release in Oct and I am doing a lot of analysis and reporting as we negotiate what will ultimately make it into that release, also preparing to decommission the old application (not as simple as "turn it off" lol) and most importantly preparing the business for a completely new and much more complex line-of-business application. Life will be very busy from now to the end of the year -- and I need to be prepared to continue forward with my healthy lifestyle goals even still. These are the times I have lost the health battle in the past ... so I need to be keenly aware and prepared if I am to stay on track.

Prickly, you definitely have some challenges with additional adults living in your home-- but how kind and generous of you to help them out. I hope things get easier as the summer rolls in. Also, so glad to hear you have continued your exercise/activities since you were posting more regularly. I have always admired and been inspired by your dedication to running and swimming!

Feathers - it must feel great to be back in your routine after a month of travel! Something you said made me think your travel was also physically intense/adventure related-- did I read that correctly? Do you want to share with us? I also note that there is a domino effect when we make progress in one area, it becomes easier/natural to make progress in other areas. So glad you are feeling great about your progress!

Barncatz - Great goals! I admire how self aware you are and that you are always looking for ways to do better. Your goals are realistic and targeted. I look forward to hear about your progress!

Bunny - so glad to hear you are healing well and making such good progress. You have done so well in the face of the unexpected injury/surgery. Please keep us updated!

I continue to have muscle aches and mild cramps in my legs. Front of thighs and back of calves. To answer your question earlier, GS .. it is both during the day when active/and not but most bothersome at night when trying to sleep. I am not one to take otc drugs but I have been taking es tylenol a few times a week at bedtime. That has helped a bit... also, "punching" my thigh muscles helps. I feel certain that I must be "missing" something important in my diet. I will be increasing foods that include magnesium (walnuts were always my go-to for that) as it seems a likely candidate.

Hope everyone is doing well ... it's a beautiful day here and I hope to button up my work for the day in time to enjoy some of it! Hope you get to enjoy it also!

That's great progress, Bunny. Keep going, and don't push it. You seem to know what feels right and what doesn't.

Funky, yes good memory! I did travel with some adventure. I've been working on a report in the main forum to share. I really enjoyed your book tour report--what an interesting trip! It's just taking some time for me to post due to catching up. And a yard full of weeds (ugh).

I hope you were step away from work and enjoy the day.