It’s a different list this year. It’s shorter. I hope it’s more doable if I only focus on three things. I didn’t do so well last year. How did you do? I hope you are better than me. Here is my April monthly update.
Walk 1000 miles.Progress: I made reasonable progress, but I’m not 1/3rd there. I’ve walked 246.30 miles for the year. That’s only 61.58 miles a month. I really should be doing 83.34 per month for 12 months. I’m hoping that May is better. I’m trying to hit over 5,000 steps at least a day. That means I walk in the morning, at least 5 days a week. I’m hoping to turn this around in May. Wish me luck.
Read the Bible in a year.Progress: I’m up to date. My church started this January 1.
Lose five pounds. Progress: I’m up and down. I am only three pounds down, but I know I need to work harder on that. If I continue going up and down, I need to be closer to ten pounds to remain 5 pounds down for the year. We have a class reunion coming up next year, so there is more incentive this time around.
So if you have a list, share it with me in the comments below. We can do this together, and hopefully, we all succeed this year. So, really, how did you do last year? And did that change your list for this year–either longer or shorter?
It’s a different list this year. It’s shorter. I hope it’s more doable if I only focus on three things. I didn’t do so well last year. How did you do? I hope you are better than me. Here is my March monthly update.
Walk 1000 miles.Progress: I made reasonable progress, but I’m not 1/4th there. I’ve walked 187.5 miles for the year. My excuse is too much rain. However, there have been a lot of sunny days that I didn’t take advantage of.
Read the Bible in a year.Progress: I’m up to date. My church started this January 1.
Lose five pounds. Progress: I’m up and down. I am at 5 pounds down, but I know I need to work harder on that. If I continue going up and down, I need to be closer to ten pounds to remain 5 pounds down. These are the same five pounds I didn’t lose last year. We have a class reunion coming up next year, so there is more incentive this time around.
So if you have a list, share it with me in the comments below. We can do this together, and hopefully, we all succeed this year. So, really, how did you do last year? And did that change your list for this year–either longer or shorter? Good luck.
Goal: Lose five more pounds. I am maintaining my weight but currently not losing much. However, from December 31 to November 30, I was down 4 pounds. But after Thanksgiving, I will admit I added a few of those back. Yikes. I need to be better in December. So maybe I can do this after all.
Goal: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, which may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse, isn’t it? No progress in the last five or six months.
Complete: Read 30 books. I have read 44 books, reading five books in November. I will admit some of them were shorter than your normal novel. This goal is complete, but I’m not stopping reading.
Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021 and finish the first draft of my second book. On June 11, I started a class to help me write my second book’s first draft. I have created an outline for that one and written about 10,000 words. I have completed my first book. My first letter to an agent was sent in October, but then I decided to make some significant changes before I sent it out to anyone else.
I will not finish: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We planned to go to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico in April. In September, I changed the plan to go to North and South Carolina. All reservations were made. And then plans changed again. We went to North Carolina and then decided to go home due to my health. So we will not complete 3 states this year. I was confident about this goal, but it won’t happen.
Completed: two quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I pushed it and worked on the quilts three days in a row, eight or more hours a day. It was exhausting. On August 30, I brought them to the quilter to be quilted. I picked them up in October and have machine sewn on the bindings. Then I started the hand sewing of the binding. That is the most time-consuming step. I finished the hand sewing and wrapped them up for Christmas presents. They were finished a few days before Thanksgiving.
I will be unable to complete: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for four years and never reached it. So far this year, I have walked only 589.9 miles. As before, I’m getting further behind each month, which isn’t good. I walk more often, but I think I will end up, if I’m lucky, getting to 700. Once again, I will have to put this on my list for next year.
November was good for my quilt goal and sort of for my travel goals, I guess. But that is it. I admit I have given up on reaching 1000 miles, but I still want to strive for as many as possible. How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.
I am maintaining my weight but currently not losing any. I need to get more serious about losing weight. No progress in June, July, or August
Goal: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, and I think that may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse, isn’t it? No progress in June, July or August.
Complete: Read 30 books. I have read 32 books. I read 3 books in August. This goal is complete, but I’m not stopping reading.
Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021 and finish the first draft of my second book. I have joined a group that will help me with this. And I have a writing coach now, so that should help. She and I talked on the 31st of January, and I’m excited I have been going through the third draft and making changes. On June 11, I started a class that will be helpful in writing my first draft of the second book. I have created an outline for that one.
The goal for book number one is 55,000 words, and then we will discuss the next step. I plan to be working on my 3rd draft until I hit that word count. Currently, I have 1,103 words to go. Great news – I have found two people to be Beta readers. I joined a group of fellow writers who are working on their memoirs (like my second book,) so I have been making progress on that. I currently have 4,590 words done on my first draft.
Goal: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We are going to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico trip in April. I need to plan the other trip to Wyoming and North Dakota. However, I am thinking about changing that trip to North and South Carolina. No progress in June, July, or August.
Progressing well: Complete 2 quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I pushed it and worked 3 days in a row, 8 or more hours a day, on the quilts. It was exhausting. On August 30th, I brought them to the quilter to be quilted. They should be done in early November. Then I will pick them up and put the binding on. At this point, this should be easy to complete this goal.
Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 4 years and never reached it. I need to be really serious about this year. The fifth attempt must work. So far this year, I have walked only 405.5 miles. If I did this evenly each month, I’m about 261 miles behind, which is an increase, once again, not the decrease I had hoped for. I’m getting further behind each month, which isn’t good. I did walk a lot more in August, but these 100+ degree days aren’t helping my situation.
August was good for my reading, writing, and especially my quilt goals. I finished the book goal, and I am very close to finishing the quilts. Now that the quilts are done I should be working harder on the writing.
How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.
Goal:Lose 5 more pounds. I am maintaining my weight, but currently not losing. I need to get more serious about losing weight.
Goal:Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, and I’m thinking that may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse isn’t it?
Goal: Read 30 books. I have read 15 books. I’m still reading about four books at the same time. They are mostly books about writing. They are going slow.
Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021. Finish the first draft of my second book. I have joined a group that will really help me with this. And I have a writing coach now, so that should help. She and I talked on the 31st of January and I’m excited. I am finished with my second draft and moving on to the third. I have found out that I should not work on the first draft of my second book. It is non-fiction and those should be written after they have been accepted. I did start looking for an agent to represent me.
Goal: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We are going to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We made most of the plans for the New Mexico trip in 2021 since we are going with a group. I still need to find any other things that I would like to do while we are at the “must-see” spots. I need to plan the other trip. We visited New Mexico so we have one state complete.
Goal: Complete 2 quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I already had the pattern for my son-in-law. In January, I bought some of the fabric for this one. I bought a pattern and most of the fabric for my daughter-in-law in 2021. I didn’t make much progress this month, but I believe I have purchased all the fabric I need.
Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 4 years and never reached it. I need to be really serious about this, this year. The fifth attempt must work. So far this year, I have walked 205 miles. April was a good month until the end of the month. I’m not feeling very good. Yes, it’s currently May, but I had a lot of tests run to figure out why I’m not feeling very good. So unfortunately my miles may not be very good in May.
April was good for my walking and travel goals. How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.
Goal:Lose 5 more pounds. I am maintaining my weight, but currently not losing. I need to get more serious about losing weight.
Goal:Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, and I’m thinking that may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse isn’t it?
Goal: Read 30 books. I have read 13 books. Currently, I’m reading about four books at the same time. They are mostly books about writing.
Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021. Finish the first draft of my second book. I have joined a group that will really help me with this. And I have a writing coach now, so that should help. She and I talked on the 31st of January and I’m excited. I have been going through the second draft and making changes. I am getting close to finishing the 2nd draft.
Goal: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We are going to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We made most of the plans for the New Mexico trip in 2021 since we are going with a group. I still need to find any other things that I would like to do while we are at the “must-see” spots. I need to plan the other trip.
Goal: Complete 2 quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I already had the pattern for my son-in-law. In January, I bought some of the fabric for this one. I bought a pattern and most of the fabric for my daughter-in-law in 2021. I need to go shopping. My usual fabric store has been little help, so I need to take a half-day and drive further away.
Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 4 years and never reached it. I need to be really serious about this, this year. The fifth attempt must work. So far this year, I have walked only 140.8 miles. If I was doing this evenly each month, I’m about 110 miles behind. I should speed up the pace in April.
March was especially good for my reading and writing goals. I had hoped March would be better for my quilts. April needs to be intense working on my quilts, if I’m going to have them ready for Christmas. How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.
Completed: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year. We finally did it a few weeks ago. It looks great and finally feels finished.
Completed:Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I will lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021. I am currently losing weight. In July, I started the old system I used, and I have made progress!! In September, I felt like I had hit a plateau. So I have started using Noom. I am losing weight again. And I’m excited to say I have lost the five pounds, which in reality is 10 pounds.
Progress:Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Contact at least 2 cousins. I have contacted two cousins; however, they have not answered me back. I contacted another one and have heard back from him and his mom.
Completed: Read 46 books.
Completed: Ride my bike. I did it on July 23 – it was a bit wobbly and I will have to practice my turning, but I did it. I overcame my fear.
Completed: Visit three states that I have not visited before. In September, we finished our travel to Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas.
Completed:Complete 3 quilts. My quilts are at the quilter. So I am done.
Not completed: Walk 1000 miles. This was my 4th year to fail, but it doesn’t mean I will give up. I didn’t hit 600 miles, so that is a long way off. I tried to pick up my pace for December. But then I got sick on December 27 and there went that. Once I feel better again, I will have to work harder to hitting this next year.
In December, I read two books. Thanks to Noom, I have lost the weight I wanted to for the year. I did pretty well with my holiday eating. It seems like I should give up on walking 1000 miles, but I am not going to unless something drastic happens.
How did 2021 go for you? I hope you did better than you expected. 2022 has just begun. Let’s make it a productive year.
No progress: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year. Hoping for October.
Progress:Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I will lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021. I am currently losing weight. In July, I started the old system I used, and I have made progress!! In September, I felt like I had hit a plateau. So I have started using Noom. I am losing weight again.
Progress:Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Contact at least 2 cousins. I have contacted two cousins; however, they have not answered me back.
Progress: Read 45 books. I have finished 36 books. I am on track to make this one.
Completed: Ride my bike. I did it on July 23 – it was a bit wobbly and I will have to practice my turning, but I did it. I overcame my fear.
Completed: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This month we finished our travel to Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas.
Progress:Complete 3 quilts. I’m doing much better than last year. I have three baby quilts cut out already. My only progress this month was to buy fabric for the backing of the quilt, that I have yet to sew. I have sewn one – it is now about 3/4 done. Instead of all baby, I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. Maybe next year.
Progress: Walk 1000 miles. I’m not as far as I should be. I have walked 523 miles. This has been something I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing, so I hope I will complete it at last. However, I will have to speed things up to come close.
In September, I read 4 books. One of which was the Bible, but I had started that last year. Some books take longer than others. I am making progress on my weight. I am down a few pounds, and I’ll continue doing that for the rest of the year, I hope, but Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming and I tend to eat more then. Doesn’t everybody? I’m sure Noom will give me guidance. My trip to three states is complete. We are actually making plans already to travel to New Mexico next year with a group. And I have narrowed it down to 4 states, 2 of which I’d like to add to New Mexico to get my three for next year.
I am confessing here to all the world, diet and exercise haven’t been a part of my life, for most of my life. Until I had children, my weight was fairly stable. And then things got out of hand. There have been several times since the birth of my children that I have weighed as much as I did when I was about to deliver a child. That is not a good feeling, especially at sixty-five.
My biggest downfall in weight loss is sweets. So the post from Monday of this week fits me perfectly. See the picture to the right. Cookies. I love cookies. Maybe I need a picture of Cookie Monster on my refrigerator.
Weight Watchers/WW
About six years ago, I joined Weight Watchers and had success. I met my goal and maintained it. But then our location shut down due to not enough people going to meetings and working on the program. That’s what happens in a small town. This happened years before Covid, so I had no excuse to not join another location, except that driving at night was something I hate doing and I worked full time. I don’t feel like I can see as well as I should at night. Since then Oprah bought Weight Watchers and changed the name to WW and I moved to a different city where I could almost walk to the local WW. But in the meantime, I discovered something else that worked. And I will admit, Oprah Winfrey purchasing the company was not in my book a positive thing.
Trying Something New
So I found a few things to help me on my own. Yes, on my own doesn’t give me the commitment that WW did, nor the encouragement. But the cost is free, which is nice. However, since I had met my goal weight and was maintaining it, I was free at WW. Excuses are so easy for me to make.
No matter what you do to lose weight, make a commitment. You need to change your eating and exercising. I knew I could do it from experience. So what am I doing?
I use My Plate to record all the food and snacks that I eat. I use the free version, but there is a paid version I’m sure has its perks. When I first signed up for it, I had to set a goal amount to lose and the app calculated how many calories I could eat each day. If you hate counting your calories, this might not be for you. A lot of food is already in the system, plus most food has calories on the packaging. In California, they post the calories in restaurants. This was not so on my recent vacation to other states. So sometimes it can be a guessing game or a “that sounds close” option. If in doubt, I increase my calorie count, rather than guess low. I’m committed to being honest about my journey of losing weight.
If I am careful entering my calories, carry my phone around so that My Plate will calculate my calories burned, I can watch how I’m doing. I try to never go over my allowed calories. It’s really fun to get on the scale the day after I have left 100 calories or more available to eat. I often have lost half of a pound when I have walked a lot and have not used all my calories. However, it’s not so fun, when I go over my calories and my weight sneaks up a half of a pound.
Exercise
In years past, I have signed up to places where I could exercise with others. In the late ’70s my mom, two sisters, and I did something regularly, but I can’t remember the name of the place. I also tried Curves. I actually loved Curves. It took a commitment to come, but I usually went with my sister who lived in the same city. But times must have gotten tough financially, or the owner got greedy, and they would not run the air conditioner low enough for us to continue. Yes, it’s best if you sweat a little in your workout, but this went beyond. We begged employees to make it cooler, once in a while we succeeded. Occasionally we did it ourselves when no one was looking.
And of course, I followed exercises on TV programs. I really like Denise Austin. If you are a member of AARP, you have access to quite a few of her videos and others on the AARP app. They are often for a specific body part, like your lower back or arms.
My exercise now has been walking. In the last two years, my walking has mainly comprised of grocery shopping, shopping at Costco, and walking to a neighbor’s house. I have balance problems following my surgery to have a brain tumor removed. When I walk regularly, I can fall and hurt myself. Once it gets cooler, which should be soon, I hope to give it another try. I use a Fitbit watch to keep track of my steps. Years ago, I could easily walk 10,000 steps a day. Today I try to hit 3,000, sometimes pushing it over 5,000. I would love to get back to 10,000 a day.
Besides Fitbit, I use Runs to Go to track my miles for the year. I have done this for several years now. I have yet to hit my goal of 1,000 miles. But, I will not reduce my goal, since I am determined to hit 1,000 miles in a year. I thought this would be my year until I realized the balance issue has held me back. It is the end of September and I am only at 534 miles for the year. It is unlikely I will complete 1,000 miles this year.
Noom
I kept hearing about Noom, but I knew it wasn’t free, so I have been “thinking about it” for some time. Last night I signed up for Noom. I will have two weeks free and then if I don’t cancel, I will continue on, paying for three months at a time. My price is under $100 for three months. I believe that is less than I paid to go to WW, without having to drive to a meeting.
With Noom, I went through a lot of questions so they could get to know me. I have a lot of information to read or watch on video. They give it in small pieces. I’m sure it’s to encourage smart thinking. If I want a food plan specific for me, I can pay extra. I am a picky eater, so I will not pay to have someone tell me to eat food like salmon, avocado, and kale. I can also pay for an exercise guide. That I may consider unless I sign up for a class somewhere. I need accountability.
I have a coach who will encourage me. They give me a quiz once in a while to make sure I am learning the information.
Since I started last night, I cannot claim any success yet. But I am looking forward to losing my 15 pounds this way. With Noom, a big part of your success is believing.
No matter what, do these six things:
Each morning when you get up, before you have breakfast, weigh yourself. Use the same scale and wear the same amount of clothing – I usually do it in my pajamas, after I have gone to the bathroom. There is a lot of fluctuation day to day. Always try to weigh yourself at the same time of day. I suggest you write your results each day on the calendar or a piece of paper to track your progress.
Drink water – lots of it. You may have heard eight glasses a day. If you check online, you will find all kinds of ideas. The amount of water you need each day depends on a lot of things, like the size of your body, how active you are, and how much water you get from the food you eat. I suggest you check with your doctor. Be aware you can drink too much water.
Walk as much as you can, exercise with a video, or join a class at a gym. Be sure to keep this up regularly. Once a week is better than nothing, but several times a week is even better.
Be accountable to someone. This is something I have been missing lately. This is one of my reasons for starting Zoom. If you have a friend close by, work out with him/her.
Check with your doctor before starting something new. You never know if something can be harmful to your unique body.
Eat healthy. Replace cookies with fresh fruit or carrot sticks. Make good food choices.
Have you set a weight loss goal?
As you can see, I switch around on my way to lose these last 15 pounds. My goal used to be 20 pounds, but I have been able to lose five and keep them off. My goal is by Christmas. That’s about three months away. This time I will have to work harder. But thanks to accountability, I hope I will succeed. How are you doing with losing weight? If you have a weight loss goal, put it in the comments. Letting someone know makes you accountable to everyone that sees your comment, even though none of us know you well.
Status: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year.
Status: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I am going to lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021.
Status: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Spend time contacting at least 2 cousins. I have reduced this goal to a more doable goal.
Progress: I have finished 4 books. I am on track to make this one. Read 45 books.
Status: Ride my bike. This can be a challenge because of my balance issues that seem like they will be permanent.
Status: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This was a great goal last year and we did it, despite Covid shutdowns. I’ve already picked the states, so I am ready to start planning.
Progress: I’m doing much better than last year. I have one cut out already. Complete 3 quilts. Adult or baby. I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law.
Progress: I’m not as far as I should be, yet I have walked 57 miles. Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing so I hope I will complete it at last.
In January, I only made progress on three of my eight items. And that progress is not as much as it should be if I’m spreading this out evenly. But I am further than I was at this time last year. Of course, my weight has once again gone up. Too much stress in my life right now is what I blame it on. But it’s really my fault no matter what I blame it on. I’m the one that buys the cookies at the grocery store.
How are you doing on your goals? Please let me know how much progress you have made in the comments section below.
