Morning, all! I am starting this thread early as my sleep is off a bit-- I have a nasty cold and will likely go back to bed soon.

I had a nice drop on the scale last week so feeling good about that-- but I intentionally walked by the scale today. I ordered out last night-- I wanted spicy Tom Yum soup but it would have been a long wait so I ended up ordering wonton soup and adding lo mein to the order. I know chinese food is not my friend. High calories and high sodium... the tom yum would have tasted better and been better for me. It's fine.. but I am going to ignore the scale for a few days. I am very focused on fluids so hoping the extra water (and tea) will help flush out the bad stuff.

Not much else to share today ... I am focused on rest and fluids. My work week will be pretty busy again so if I have the energy later today, I'll get a pot of soup on. I loaded up on Aneto chicken broth (my fav premade broth) and I have a parmesan rind so I'll probably stick with something simple-- maybe chickpea and kale .. or I may swap in bok choy (which I have).

I know a few of you have started making soups ... what are some of your favorites for this time of year?

Congratulations on the weight loss! I know it’s been a focus of yours lately and you must be thrilled to see the payoff.

I’ve not lost any of those 3 stubborn pounds that came back after my surgery. I feel as though I can finally start doing some neighborhood walks since the temps are down. I’ll do a short distance now, with my hiking sticks to keep my gait in check. We have a quarter mile of flat asphalt on our private road so I’ll start with that and see how it goes. The past couple of days DH have been working on our yard, mostly the shrubs and getting them in shape and getting rid of some weeds. I feel so much better getting outside and doing something!

I'm glad you're feeling better, Outside, and recovering from the surgery. Those few extra pounds will go away as you increase your activity, I'm sure.

Funky, I hope rest helps you feel better. Yes, I never weigh myself after Asian takeout!

I haven't started making soups yet, but I did make a batch of black garbanzo last week, and I froze the broth, which was so earthy and delicious, to make soup later. We're having a cool spell this weekend, but temps are rising again this week. I may not get into soup-making until October.

Thanks to Legomom, I did an inventory of my refigerator and pantry, and concluded that I do, indeed, have at least 30 different vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, grains, seeds and nuts in my house. Now I think I need to switch things up a bit, like instead of a full batch of garbanzo beans to last all week, perhaps 1/2 batch and then 1/2 batch of quinoa. And instead of buying a big bag of apples, buy just a few along with another fruit. Just change things up a bit. I can get in a rut of eating the same stuff all the time--healthy stuff, but not varied.

Speaking of ruts, while I'm consistently exercising, I'm doing the same strength training movements that I was doing last year. I need to perhaps change it up. I think I've mentioned this before. But, honestly, I dislike strength training so much that by the time I hype myself up to do it, I prefer the familiarity of what I've been doing. I've increased weights and reps, etc., but not the specific movements.

That's enough from me for now. Have a great week, everyone! Thank you for the continued inspiration.

I am so glad you are on the mend Outside. Take good care of yourself. My dear soninlaw made delicious pizza, a weakness, and i have to use lots of control not to tt gobble up all the leftovers. Tough job but glad to have it.

Btw, i have been a gardenwebber for many years. Westsider40

Same weather here, Feathers-- though I'd guess we are a day behind you. It is still in the 60s here but will inch up to low 80s later in the week.

I tired the 30 different plant products about a year ago-- you are inspiring me to do so again! I think it is a little harder when cooking/buying for 1 but I do need more variety and even if I hit 25 instead of 30, it will be a big step forward!

I am postponing soup making to tomorrow-- I agree it isnt quite soup weather but it is so easy for me when I have long work days. I opted for the chickpea kale soup-- all I need is kale and i can also use that with a kale and scrambled eggs. Eggs are also super easy on busy days and eggs+veggies is one of my favorite comfort meals.

I used to have eggs for dinner a lot but when i had my oral surgery, I had eggs almost daily and burned out on them. I am glad to go back to them. Do you have eggs in your regular rotation?

Outside, so glad to hear you are able to do more-- and so glad the hiking sticks are helping. They have been invaluable to me-- especially in helping me to walk in a straight line.

Westsider ... glad you stopped back. Do you have anything special healthy behaviors you are focused on or are you just generally focused on staying healthy?

I got lots of exercise this weekend, including helping DS/DDIL unpack for 6 hours today. My back isn’t too happy right now.

I have bloodwork/physical this week. Not looking forward to getting on that darn dr‘s office scale but hoping my bloodwork numbers are better than my scale numbers!

My fridge is currently full of good options: apples, pears, berries, veggies, eggs, plain greek yogurt. I need to make some hard boiled eggs because they’re so easy when I need protein.

Challenge ahead: a four day trip to VT with my two BFFs this weekend. The usual issues: restaurant meals and wine! But we plan to do lots of hiking and a yoga class so maybe I’ll ”break even.”

Sorry you are sick, Funky! Be sure to test for the CV but those can take a few days.

Westsider, yes, your name sounds familiar.

The weekend flew by too fast. I did have a glucose spike yesterday so that was a little disconcerting. Oh well, I won't eat that again! Should've stuck to my plan. I also bought a fingerstick glucose meter to double check the cgm. I shouldn't need to do that too often, though.

Went to the Y to lift weights today before picking up the groceries. Weather has been fantastic. I have Pilates Wednesday and then I'm not sure what other day. Got a mani-pedi on Saturday which was much badly needed.

Need to adjust all my routines now that college and NFL football are back.

Westsider, if you're on web, you should be able to edit your username.

Go under "Your Houzz" in the upper right corner and choose "Edit Profile and Settings".

There should be an "Edit" button next to your username. Then you can be Westsider40 again!

I'm glad everyone seems to be doing so well this week - lots of progress on varied fronts! Funky - I really do hope you feel better soon! One of the reasons I started the 30 different plant products was the information on the gut biome and the immune system. I probably need to count again though. It seems like an easy thing to do - the variety - and hopefully there is a payoff. I can do the seeds and nuts, fruit and beans pretty easily. I need more veggies though.

I've been trying to up my exercise routine by adding heavier weights and switching up the exercises. I'm trying to find the perfect workout at home - with the equipment I have, but enough weight to get stronger. And I'm adding more intense cardio a couple times a week. Last week I did hills and some running, this week I'm trying a HIIT type workout on my rowing machine. I get a lot of movement with walking and pickleball, but not always a heart pounding workout, so those are my goals right now. I'm proud of the weight work I've been doing, I've been pretty consistent and moved up in weights on my deadlifts.

I haven't made soup yet this year either. I haven't really been cooking much at all, which is not great. But this is my favorite soup and in season I'll probably make it once a week. I like that it gets its creaminess from the blended beans instead of cheese. There's a lot of fiber and protein so it's really filling. I do roast my own chicken instead of using a rotisserie.

White Chicken Chili

Thank you Prickly Pear. very kind and thoughtful. im kinda lazy now.

Funky, at the present, i am not focused on any particularly healthy behaviors, except as i said above, not to gobble up the leftover pizza.

My family and i are very cognizant of healthy behaviors. They are runners and speed walkers and competitive. Being fit is a high priority.

i think most ppl know its about diet, exercise and lessened stress. knowledge is one thing and doing is another.

I do work on an unhealthybehavior and that is to develop a disdain for food. Nutty, i know.

overused old saw—-nothing tastes as good as being fit feels!

I love soup! It's probably my favorite food group. I am lucky in that DH usually makes a big pot of soup for me and I have it almost every day for lunch. Lately it's been vegetable soup. He doesn't use a recipe. He just chops all kinds of veggies and turns it into yummy soup.

When I make soup (not often), this is my favorite: Emeril's Potato Leek Soup

It's creamy but doesn't use any dairy.

I really should make it more often because it's really delicious.

On the exercise front it's been a mixture of success and challenges. I'm struggling with the pool schedule changes going into fall. Most years they've kept a 50m outdoor pool open during the week around lunch time and then Saturday morning. This time they are only doing that 3 weekdays 9am-12pm which is challenging for those of us that can really only squeeze in workouts before work or at lunch time. I also had extra appointments last week so I only got in 2x 25m swims and a few extra runs instead. Over the weekend I did get in a long (for me) 1.5hr run again. And today I managed to squeeze in a run and a swim! Still no weight lifting for me due to my injured arm but after having my husband do lawn care this weekend my arm is starting to feel a little better. Maybe if my arm feels strong I can start again next week.

One health-frustrating thing that sometimes comes up for me is a lot of peer pressure on what I eat and drink at social get togethers. Because of my gluten intolerance (and vegetarianism), I'm often unable to really partake in party food. I'm fine with that and try to plan ahead (eating before I go or bringing something to nibble on subtly), but people get pushy about trying to make me eat something and I just cannot safely. Same thing seems to happen with alcoholic beverages where the last thing I want to do is wake up with a hangover in the morning when it's time to exercise, so I try be moderate in my consumption. Some people get so aggressive about it. I wish people would just offer and accept the "no thanks" without making such a fuss. This came up again at a party on Friday where people were shoving shot glasses into my hand and getting frustrated that I wasn't eating more than the veggie / fruit platter.

I am still really happy with how well intermittent fasting is working for me. It does get tiresome sometimes, but is still far easier for me than trying to calorie count all day every day. Same principal of course that reducing calories helps reduce weight and/or maintain healthy weight. I always struggle with bouncing back to a higher weight after getting to a good weight and intermittent fasting has been a good tool for me to manage that.

Thanks, all. I am feeling better. I rested all weekend .. not 100% but good enough to work a long day.

Had my physical this morning. Cholesterol is high again but my ”ratio” is still good so she is not concerned. My “good“ cholesterol is really good.

My weight has basically been the same for at least 5 years. It has fluctuated a bit in between the annual exams, but obviously keeps landing in the same place. I talked to her about trying to lose 5-10 lbs for what seems like forever, and she said, one option is to just accept it. I am healthy and active, maybe this is just where my body wants to be. Hmm. Maybe.

I have a stubborn dry spot near my temple that I was going to have checked at my annual derm appt, which isn’t til Jan., but my Dr things I should have it looked at sooner. She took a pic and sent it to the derm to see what she thinks.

All in all, a clean bill of health a week before 60…I can’t complain.