I can't believe we are past the middle of July already! I feel like the summer is mostly gone and I havent done anything quintessentially summer or even enjoyed much of it yet! I will be working on that these next few weeks!

My real focus this week is on improving my eating. I am not eating bad foods-- not high caloric foods-- I am just not eating consistently or a good balance. Grief, no electricity, stomach bug and caution after the bug has really mucked with my diet. I am especially light on the protein which I know I need to keep up. Not yet sure how I will best achieve this -- but I dont really feel the need to follow "summer" rules. I'll eatwhat feels good day to day.

Not much else to share. I am feeling positive and upbeat -- and I know my energy will soon return to match!

How are you doing?

I have my second follow-up with the surgeon regarding my foot surgery. I am crawling out of my skin with the relative inactivity and the complications of trying to do things on crutches.

I am having some back issues secondarily to walking on the crutches. It didn't help that I walked a half mile in each direction to go to a different Dr's appointment, and that I fell of my stoop backward :D

That Dr was a consult for hernia surgery, which I will have in January since I have the first week or so off.

I am developing a trigger finger on my right ring finger. I am waking up with it locked touching my palm. I can open it back up but it kind of snaps. Right now it only happens when I am asleep. My mother had a trigger finger that eventually became permanent and required surgery (which is pretty minor surgery).

My day used to call a list of ailments like this "giving an organ recital"

@palimpsest- have you seen the iwalk hands free crutches?

Pal, the inactivity would drive me batty, too. I hope you're utilizing some mental health strategies, too, although your sense of humor is on target!

Funky, I've been feeling the same about summer--where has the time gone? I've got 3 short trips planned in the next 2 months, and there are still some summer events on my calendar. But time seems to be flying. I've been trying to stay mindful and present, and just enjoy all the small pleasures of summer.

I've developed a terrible sore throat the past few days. I'm not sure if it's from the air quality or allergies. It's painful to swallow, and it's given me the excuse to skip exercise the past few days. My eating has been fine, but I'm missing movement. That will change this week. I don't have a fever and otherwise feel rested and fine. So, I can certainly get back to working out (just not outdoors yet).

The hands-free crutch looks interesting.

The smoke is no joke! I developed a sinus headache today that I am sure is from the smoke ... hope you feel better soon, Feathers!

I too have a number of small events coming up in the next few weeks ... and I am determined to enjoy them as small bites of summer.

I don’t eat a lot of bars (eg protein bars) but sometimes keep some on hand for ”emergencies”. I bought Rx High Protein bars for the first time. I had had the regular Rx bars in the past and thought they were alright. I had the new one in my car today and took a bite — omg, it was soo bad! It tasted bitter like, I don’t know, chemicals?? It was some kind of peanut butter-chocolate chip flavor…supposedly. It was disgusting; I actually spit it out. I don’t know if I got a bad batch or if they’re all that bad, but the box is going in the trash.

Nothing new here, I have been so busy lately with general life stuff that I am tired today. I finally did a sleep study, and as my long covid doc suspected, I have sleep apnea. I have an appointment next month with a neurologist who only practices sleep medicine (interesting), so I will find out what she recommends.

@Funkyart That smoke sounds horrible. It seems to be a regular occurrence annually now. We get the Sarahan dust here periodically, but smoke is so much worse and even dangerous for some. I hope that it subsides soon.

@Sueb20 The only protein bars I can stand are the Aloha ones. Every other one I’ve tried tastes terrible and artificial to me.

@palimpsest I listened to a number of podcasts and audiobooks during my recovery. My bestie sent me some amazing colored pencils, coloring books and jigsaw pizzles. Once my nerve pain was controlled, I colored and worked many puzzles. It was a good distraction as I’m not that much of a tv watcher. It’s grueling and depressing-I hope you turn the corner soon.

I just went outside and it smells like the house next door burned down -- the smoke is THAT heavy. It was cool enough to open windows today but I didnt dare.

I doubt it was a bad batch, Sue ... some (a lot?) of protein bars are just disgusting! Like Texanjana, I have liked some aloha bars (some not so much) .. and I did try a barbell bar that was fine but it was too much like a candy bar for my liking. I had about 3 a week when I first gave them a try ... now it is closer to 1. I should have used them when I was out of electricity but I just didnt think of it.

I am thinking I might want to try protein coffee-- I really like hot coffee but I also like an iced cold brew. I think I might prefer protein in an iced coffee? Honestly, I am a little hesitant. I kinda don't want to mess with my coffee.

Barebells are the only protein bars that taste good; but they are very sweet, like a candy bar. I don't want that most of the time. The mint ones are a tad less sweet, and I like those.

I have started grabbing Chomps as a savory alternative but processed meats are a big "no" and I used to have a clean record on that front.

@palimpsest - DS broke his ankle and midfoot early June and has been on the couch with his foot elevated, non weight bearing since then. He has 10 more days before he gets his cast off and graduates to a boot. Watching him, I feel your pain on not being able to do anything. I would be nuts, but he just resigned himself to it I guess. I followed a couple Facebook groups for his injuries and the iwalk crutch has a lot of fans. But also a lot of people who can't use it at all. It looks hard to me!

Last week was the first week I didn't exercise at all. My pickleball days all got ruined with the smoke. I've been getting a lot of steps in walking around my house and have been getting up and down off the floor, but that's about it. I'm still steadily losing .3/.4 pounds a week. It's probably muscle loss though :(

I'll put another plug in for my Papa Steves bars. I like the dark chocolate coconut. Fancy grocery stores might sell them, otherwise you have to order them online and they do take a long time. They make them in small batches - vegan, but with pea protein and a lot of fiber. I'm on a subscription plan now. I also like IQ bars well enough and their ingredients are pretty good.

I received the Chocolate Mint Aloha bars as a gift-- and I was surprised how much I like them. There is another flavor I liked but dont remember it now. I didnt find them too sweet and I didnt mind the chocolate (I dont normally like chocolate). I wont likely order more barbell bars. No complaint other than they seem like candy-- just not my thing.

What flavors/bars do you like?

I didnt have any real complaints on Chomp bars either -- but I have a pile of them that have been sitting since March. I just dont reach for them.

This smoke is awful. It is killing me to keep the windows locked up and the a/c on today -- it is 75 degrees. Perfect weather if only we had fresh air.

Salted peanut, cookies and caramel and cookie crisp iirc.

Since I've been tracking macros, I've followed a 10:1 rule for calorie/protein ratio that I picked up from a nutritionist somewhere along the way, and it's an easy hack for me to follow. Very few protein bars qualify, and I generally don't like them anyway. I think I had one too many Cliff Bars in my 30s and never recovered.

Texanjana, my bff's daughter is going into the field of sleep medicine. She and her dad suffer from narcolepsy, so obviously she has a keen interest in it. I hope you find some useful and applicable information.

Funky, our highs are in the 70s a few days this week, too, but unless the air quality improves, the windows stay up!

I have tried a lot of different bars over the years but none tasted as foul as this one did. I do like Aloha bars and Think bars and the regular Rx bars …I only buy the mini size of the Aloha and Rx bars. Again, I try not to even buy them often because I would rather have real food. And, if I have them around I tend to rely on them too much when I’m lazy.

I am home from “art camp” now and feeling the fatigue that comes from standing on cement floors all day for 5 days, but also happy that I did it. I learned a lot and met some nice people. And got to meet one of my cyanotype heroes!

This was the sky on day one. Fortunately it cleared, because our class depending on having sunlight.

I lost my post from earlier.

I try to avoid bars but sometimes they’re unavoidable. I like either Kind or Rx but DH likes Nature Valley with 10 G protein. I’d rather have a shake if possible. I like Core Power vanilla or else Premier Protein for chocolate or chocolate caramel.

I did barre and weights yesterday and TRX today. Zumba tomorrow. Pilates Wednesday. They have been very booked for classes and private sessions, which is crazy for summer.

For dinner we had steak, baked potato which we split, and asparagus.

Still pretty hot this week. We have one outdoor concert this week so need to think about what to wear. Probably one of my skorts.

Yeah, the ones that are nutritiionally sound are awful. And I don't eat awful. Barebell are pretty widely available, Between that and the decent taste, they are my choice for "emergencies." I don't eat them at home, where I have better options.

I think the smoke is a bit south of us, and maybe being onthe coast helps too, but it has been a non event.

Surprisingly, I've never tried Barebells.

Even more surprusing, I’ve never had a protein bar period! 🤷‍♀️

Ive never tried a protein bar that I liked. Ive taken Kind bars along on trips in case I get stuck somewhere where there is no food. So far I havent found that place.

Today I went to the dermatologist. I had a small skin cancer taken off my scalp a couple years ago. Recently I felt some tiny bumps in the same location, so i though i should have them checked. I ended up with a full body check and a bunch of ”barnacles” frozen off. The scalp bumps were suspicious as were a couple other things, so they were removed and sent off to be biopsied.

Anyway, now I look like h3ll, with frozen spots on my face, scalp, arms and one on my leg. Not what I went for, but Im grateful to catch things early.

The scalp spots will get scabby and take some hair with them when they fall off. Fortunately the hair grows back but you have to go through that stage where the hair is one inch long and sticks straight up.

I stopped and bought a pastry to reward myself on the way home. Now Im mad at myself for eating that. A day’s worth of calories in one fell swoop!

Pastry has well-documented healing properties, Ded.

Sorry to hear of your travails.

Yes, Kind bars are very good! On a continuum, Kind Bars are, to me, the most like candy (vis a vis protein and sugar) and something (inedible) like Dave's is at the other end of the spectrum, a very protein-bar-y. Barebells seem like an ok compromise.

It's the kind of thing I'd eat if my only other choices were dubious packaged sandwiches or greasy fast food. Or mints in the glove compartment.

Yikes, sorry, Ded. Do you get annual checks? Just curious if these all popped up over the course of just a year! Hope the biopsies come back negative. I personally would have turned to ice cream, but I respect your choice of pastry.

Ill always take baked goods over ice cream.

Ashamed to admit it had been two years since my last derm checkup. She wants me to come in every six months now. Many thanks to my Welsh ancestors who gifted me with pale, freckly skin. I guess I carry a lot of blame for many summers spent toasting in the sun.

BTW, how’s your nose doing? All better?

Me too, Ice cream is too cold. If they could fix that issue, I might reconsider.

But have you *tried* ice cream?

Ded, so glad you were able to catch those. My former hairdresser said she would find spots on scalps frequently and always alerted the client. So many of them shared with her later that they were cancerous. I had never checked my scalp for that before. Hope everything heals quickly, and that pastry was definitely in order.

Feathers, LOL.

How bout ice cream with chunks of brownie in it? baked goods and ice cream all in one!

Ded, I think I still have some lasering in my future but dr is on maternity leave now. Her office is supposed to schedule a followup when she returns. Everything is healed and casual observers aren’t pointing or recoiling, but there is still some bumpiness where the skin graft was, and still swelling on the other side. But everything is healed and the skin isnt red or anything. I think it’s going to end up being close to a year until it looks as good as it’s going to look. Meanwhile I am having a neurotic summer, slathering on sunscreen, wearing hats, Cool Cabana at the beach, etc. Could’ve done all this many years ago, right? Dumb kid.

Id never turn down cake or pie with ice cream.

Feathers, I could feel but not see the bumps on my scalp. It was my hairdresser who confirmed my diagnosis.

Sue, Glad to hear your nose is coming along. Im sure no one notices a difference but you.

If Id been smart enough to wear a hat in my younger days, i wouldnt have spots on my scalp but I was much more concerned with being bronzed and lovely.

Today I have a bunch of red spots that will eventually get scabs and fall off The worst is on my cheekbone, wouldnt you know. It aches and is front and almost center on my face.

I hope I never have anything worse than this!

Oh yeah, I get the "barnacles" or SK's frozen off. I also get them in friction areas around my bra line which is fun.They haven't been too bad lately. I am scheduled for next month for my annual check up.

My oldest brother had to have Mohs surgery on his scalp for basal cell.

Yes, hair stylists are often the ones to tell clients they should get something checked out.

So hot last night at our concert. It was still in the high 80's at almost 10 p.m. and even the breeze was hot. I didn't feel faint but I just in general felt awful so we actually left a little early. I was very happy to get in the air conditioned car and ventilated seats. Then I took a shower when we got home. Had some Gatorade zero at home and here at the office. I had Pilates so I came in for a few meetings with students.

gosh, was it hot out?

Asking me? Not too bad, and I took my time.