Weight loss update and what all I have been up to lately

I lost my goal of 2lbs last week. Now down to 180.7lbs. I was not very faithful with walking on the treadmill but had still opportunity for more physical activity. I did drink more water, and hope to improve that intake even more. Also my snacks were healthier choices. I assume that combination made a difference.

Work has been pretty busy too. I am a Registered Nurse on a Telemetry floor. After all this COVID-19 stuff slowed down a bit we got really busy, because people were not afraid to come to the hospital anymore to get taken care off. Then of course as the Summer comes into full swing it slowed down a little on my floor. Which means I get floated to other floors more often. Not my favorite thing, because I applied for my floor because that is the work I actually like to do. But I guess there isn’t much I can do about it. So I just try to go with the flow.

I have a quilt to hand tack the binding to the back, but right now it is just way too hot to have a queen sized quilt on my lab. Pictures will come once I finish it.

I am also currently knitting a Sweater for myself. I hope to get it finished in time for Scotland. Which I am not sure it going to happen. My friend and I booked, back in January, a vacation to Scotland which is supposed to start August 9. Currently Scotland is not allowing US citizens into the Country out of fear of COVID. So fingers crossed, when Scotland is planning to reopen all tourism again on July 19 that the restriction on US citizens is lifted, and we can go and enjoy our vacation in the Scottish Highlands. I will post pictures of my Sweater also as I get it finished.

I also have been gardening quite a bit. My husband built me a little garden bed. I planted Eggplants, Carrots, Beans, Radishes, Cucumbers, and Marigolds (to keep the pests away). I have had my first harvest of Beans today. I am so excited how well my little garden is doing.

Weight Loss ~~ the beginning

Or maybe more like the re-set. I have been very lax in the health department. I have lost 24 lbs. since the middle of December. However, I have become more relaxed about the whole thing again, and got stuck at my weight for quite some time now. I even gained back 3lbs that will not come off again. So it is time to re-evaluate what I am doing, re-set the whole weight loss thing, and see what I can do to change.

Recently I started walking for 45 min four times a week. Always on my days off, since as a nurse I walk a lot at work. But that still has not busted me through my “plateau”. Perhaps my plateau is not that at all. I have been giving in to eating fried foods at work from the cafeteria instead of my healthy packed lunch. I also have been giving in to snacks, and not the health kind. I am talking about cookies, pudding, and ice cream. My vegetable intake is also low right now, which is a real shame, because of all the wonderful vegetable that are coming in season right now. See, I can’t even blame anybody but me for my failure to lose.

So here is my plan. Drink more water, and less caloric beverages. Matter of fact, lets make it one caloric beverage a day, because I do like my coffee with some creamer in the morning, and really don’t want to give that up. But I can give up the Crystal Light, sweet iced tea, and whiskey cola. Cocktail 🍹 Also the fried food at work have to go, including the snacks. 🍟  I have to stick to what I bring to work. I also have to incorporate more vegetable into my regular diet. 🍅 🌽 🌶 🥗

I will check in every week with a progress update. It will not be the same day every week, because of working it will not always work out. But here are my starting numbers. I am starting at 183 lbs and clothing size 14. Let’s see if I can report less pounds next week. The goal is to lose 2 lbs per week. Wish me luck!!! 🍀

What makes me tick?

There are so many things I am and what I like. I am a wife, mother, friend, nurse, quilter, knitter, cook, and I am sure some things I can’t think of right now. 🤔

I have been married for a very long time, and have two grown children. I love to spend time with my family and friends. When I am not in working as a night shift nurse, I am either knitting or quilting. I also like to cook. I haven’t figured out yet if it is because I enjoy the process of creating, or out of necessity.

I love to knit clothing items. Sweaters, cardigans, and socks are most of my knitting projects. I find it very calming to sit down and get lost in a movie or audio book while having my hands do the repetitive motion of knitting.  I am not fast at it, but occasionally I do get a project finished.

I like traditional piecing and block patterns for my quilts. I can appreciate a nice, modern, or art quilt. However, I enjoy piecing traditional patterns and blocks.There I am also not fast in finishing, although I do get projects done. Slow and steady wins the race, and I am definitely going at turtle speed.

I like to cook for my husband. Dinner time is always a special time at our house. We make it a point to sit at the dinner table together on a daily basis. He appreciated my cooking, and I feel a carefully prepared homemade meal is a lovely thing to do for someone. 🥘

Sadly work does take up a lot of my time. Because of me working nights only it is not easy to switch back to a day schedule. I sleep the day before my first shift and the day after my last shift. This takes up two additional days that my day shift counter parts get to enjoy. However, I do like working my night shifts, because of the people I get to work with. Night shift is not easier than day shift, just different. Perhaps, some time in the future I might switch to days, but for now I am sticking with my schedule. I am planning on going back to school this autumn to get my BSN. After I reach that goal I will reconsider switching shifts. 😉

I mentioned above that I like to get lost in a movie or audio book. I like watching all kinds of movies, Not so much horror movies, but enjoy a large genre. I like audio books, but not necessarily mysteries. Unless they are very well written. I usually like to read about love, friendship, and adventure. I do not have a favorite author, but find myself getting caught up in series more and more often. Matter of fact I am on the hunt for a good book to get caught up in. I recently finished the last of the Outlander series and have not really found anything that catches my eye yet. 👁  If anybody has any good suggestions I would be grateful for them.

For now this is all I can ramble on about. I hope to have something interesting to share. Perhaps a finished project or something from my life that could be of interest.