FFF 15 - On Time with Good News!

Fit for Friday!!! I'm liking FFF not only for the health challenge, but this has become where I've started doing my "regular life" updates each week as well.

Great news this week. Sir and I got the apartment we applied for!

We'll be moving in July, less than 2 months away! We're very excited. And now, we have a LOT of packing to do.

In other news I screwed my knee up on Saturday.  Finally got to the Doctor today, it's likely sprained. If it doesn't start to heal in the next 4 days, then it might be torn, and I'll need an MRI. I really hope it starts to heal. I have a very active job which isn't helping, and I can't play my sport like this.

I hope it starts healing so I can get back into the swing of things.

Workouts: 3/7 - Two sports practices. Lots of walking and physical activity at work. My knee made it difficult to do more.

Eating: 3/7 - Three decent days. I went out with the girls after practice and made some poor life choices on Wednesday. The rest of the days I threw myself a bit of an eating party. Its how I cope with stress, pain, and PMSing.

Weight: ⚖ Maintained this week. I'll take it!

Stress: 👎 It's been a bit rough at work, and with my knee. 

Decluttering: 👎 None really this week. But now that we have a place I expect there to be much purging and packing! I'm off on Monday, I expect to start then.

Sleep: 5.5/7 - 👍 Did great this week, totally made up for last week. Just gotta try to keep it up. Wednesday I didn't do too hot, staying out till about 1 am, then going to work, but the other days

FFF: 14 - Late; Life Asplode

Super late with my Fit for Friday. It is Sunday night right now, ha. Better late than never, though!

Life has been crazy this week. I worked overtime 4/5 of my work days. I went to sports practice three days this week, plus I volunteered at our game last night. Sir and I are also apartment hunting, contacting people and doing showings and whatnot. We think we have found a suitable one. We're meeting this Tuesday to apply - keep your fingers crossed! I can't wait for it to be July, and for life to be just... less. This is not the kind of asplode we need. We need this kind:

One of the few downsides to the place we want is we can't get a cat. But we also don't have to be there forever, either. Onto this past week!

If you haven't checked in with Fondles for Fit for Friday, do so! 

Apparently I am not the only late one this week!!

Workouts: 5/7 - Three sports practices. Did an interval running thing with Sir tonight, then we finished that up with a walk. On Monday, we went out for dinner and had a longer walk to and from the restaurant. I love living in a walkable area! I was also pretty active with work and volunteering, though I didn't count them as specific workouts.

Eating: 1.5/7 - I logged, but between getting brunch with a friend, movie popcorn with Sir, pizza Sir got cause I left out the taco meat all day and went to work (he is awesome by the way, no complaints about the pizza), and eating fast food out while we were apartment hunting, I definitely overdid it. But increased activity must have balanced it out.

Weight:  👍 Down 1.2 lbs! Starting to lose the stuff I gained while I was away. I'm still higher than where I need to be. I go up, I go down, like a yoyo, but I keep gaining and losing the same 2 - 3 lbs. My next breakthrough, I feel will be getting to 172, then lower!!

Stress: 👎This has been a crazy week. Sir and I are both feeling it.

Decluttering: 👍Though my house is a total wreck and every dish we own needs to be washed (tomorrow!), we did donate our cat stuff to the local pet pantry. Out went his litter box, litter mat, food and water dish, food mat, cat scratcher, toys and balls, fur brush, pet carrier, and fancy water fountain. It was actually more stuff than we realized, and I'm not convinced there's not more down there (I know we bought him a bed). My heart is a little heavy with giving it away. I miss my little furball. And though we want another kitty, I wondered if it would be weird (for us, kitty won't care) for new kitty to be using old kitty's stuff. It is a moot point though; we figured that we're not going to be able to get another cat for awhile, plus we don't want to pack it up when we move. So out it goes. And it's a good cause!

Sleep: 3/7 - Definitely feeling sleep deprived. With everything going on, there were quite a few nights with about 6 hours. That is not sufficient for me. At the end of this week I was at a 9+ hour deficit (my sleep app tracks that). Hopefully I can "catch up", though that's not really how it works.

Hope you all had a good week. I'll try to get around and play catch up with you soon!

FFF: Mean Thirteen

 Fit for Friday!

I'm back from my work trip. It was a good trip, and I feel I learned a lot. I definitely did not work out much, and I overindulged on the food. But I feel that life is meant to be enjoyed in moments like these, and as long as you don't make it an everyday habit, indulge a little. Getting back to the healthier routine today!

Sir is over the moon that I am back. We took a little evening walk last night and reveled in each other's company. I'm glad to be back too. Onto the recap!

Workouts: 1/7 - No sports. I barely worked out during the business trip. I got to swim for about ten minutes one night before a hoard of noisy teenagers overtook the pool.

Eating: 0/7 - I didn't even log it. They had some nice catering for the meeting, and we were going out to neat restaurants and meeting up at bars to drink heavily network. Back on the horse this week though!

Weight: Gained 1.6 lbs. I'm not feeling bad about it though, I expected it. It's okay as long as I start anew today.

Stress: I was away and enjoying myself. I have a three-day weekend right now. Life is good at the moment, haha.

Decluttering: Definitely not. Maybe this weekend!

Sleep: 4.5/7 - Not bad for this week! Had trouble getting to bed last night, and one night at the meeting there was a truck backing up so loudly and I was up a few hours early. But other than that, sleep was good!

I feel almost safe to say that spring has sprung here. It's wet and rainy, but the temperatures are good! Hope you get to go out and enjoy it!!

FFF Twelve

Squeezing in Fit for Friday!

Really crazy busy this week. Sir started his new job. We're apartment hunting. Work issues causing me to stay late. Volunteering, too. I'm gonna do a quick update so I can maybe get to bed before midnight!

Workouts: 3/7 - Two sports practices, and a lot of hiking at work.

Eating: 2.5/7 - went to a conference on Saturday and ate whatever. Had some very snacky evenings.

Weight: Lost 0.8 lbs! :)

Stress: This week was tougher with change and work stress, but today was good. Slept in. Watched a movie with Sir. Got ice cream. Did some yardwork. Went to a fancy gala tonight.

Decluttering: I think the yard work counts! Sir and I took a huge bucket of sticks to the town compost park. I pulled weeds and got rid of the evergreens I had up for winter ( which were not so green anymore).

Sleep: 5/7 - pretty good this week! I took naps or went to bed early when I could. 7-9 hours every night!

I may be MIA next week. Going away for work. Will be eating poorly; whatever they feed us. I am being put up in a hotel though, so I plan on using the fitness center, and hitting the pool and hot tub!!

FFF: Eleven - Fresh Start Friday

Time for Fit for Friday!

Hope the week is treating you all well. It's been a busy one for me with work and other things, but I'm off this weekend so hopefully I can play catch up, and be outside. It looks like spring may finally be here, for real!


Workouts: 5/7 - Pretty good this week. Friday, between hiking and walking downtown, I did over 6 miles. Sunday was sports practice, and I went for a two mile run with a teammate right after. Tuesday I did this lower body workout. Did a walk on Wednesday, and another sports practice on Thursday.

Eating: 2/7 - Sir and I went out for wings and beer on Saturday night. On Tuesday I was off work and threw myself an eating party. And I only now just finished the last of my Easter candy, which I've been eating all week. I think I am PMS-ing too.

Weight: Gained another 0.8 lbs. Maybe some of it is bloat, but a lot of it is food. Hopefully back on track this week!

Stress: Despite it all, I feel pretty good. Having this weekend off helps.

Decluttering: Maybe that will happen this week? I did bring some boxes home for our eventual move!

Sleep: 4/7 - Three nights over 8 hours, two over 7. Tuesday was another night where I was okay with losing sleep. Last night was rough though. Couldn't fall asleep after practice, and had to be up at 5:30 AM. Still, I think I'm getting used to it, and I'm not as exhausted as before.

Sir starts his brand new job on Monday! And we can finally start looking for apartments to reduce the commute times. We're going out tomorrow night to celebrate. Hooray, date night! I'm hoping to attack the garden this week. And perhaps I can have a fresh week to work on my weight goals this week too.

Happy Spring!

FFF: Tardy with Ten

A little late in getting to the Tenth Fit for Friday!

This was a busy week. Lots of exercise, lots of traveling. Lots of events. I straight up forgot to weigh in yesterday morning. Then I had a promotion event for sports right after work, and when I got home, I took a nice hot bath to ease my aching body, then cuddled up in my blankets and watched Jesus Christ Superstar Live! on Demand. Catching up now!

Workouts: 3.5/7 - I feel pretty good about the amount of workouts this week,though I made it to only one sports practice (other was cancelled for Easter). Most of the rest was due to work things and other commitments, but however it is fit in,  it counts for me! Went for a walk on Sunday with Sir and his family. Hiked over 3 miles on Wed. Should have went to sports Wed, but I was pooped. Thursday I went to practice, and we also did circuit training there, which was a killer! 

Eating: 1/7 - Oh man. Between my Uncle's party on Saturday, Easter Dinner on Sunday, and literally having candy every single day... this week was a crapshoot. A tasty one, hahaha! Sir and I made each other cute little Easter baskets. He put my favorite jellybeans in there, plus Cadbury caramel eggs (one of my few chocolate weaknesses!). Then the next day, he got me another bag of jellybeans, plus Swedish fish eggs and a Godiva bunny (cause it was the after-Easter Sale, he said, hahaha). I brought some to work, but all that means is that I'm eating it both at home AND at work! Candy and soda are my real weaknesses.

Weight:  Gained 0.6 lbs. It's less than I expected. Tomorrow is another day, another week!

Stress: I feel okay, but tired. Not so much needing sleep tired as body fatigue; muscle aches. Also, I had a migraine on Thursday, which made going to practice really difficult. I don't typically get migraines. Sir has had to explain what was happening to me every single time I get one. I don't recall getting any growing up or in my early 20's. Maybe one in my late 20's (now that I know what to look for). And maybe 4 or 5 in the past 3 years. I don't know what brings them on. I realize I am fortunate in that there are those who suffer from them much more regularly.

Decluttering: I did a little better with keeping the house in order, but no "extra" decluttering, really. I did put one book in the donation box though!

Sleep: 4.5/7 - I am trying and managing a bit better I think. Two nights over 9 hours! One night of 6 hours (the reason was so worth it). I took a nap on Thursday before practice and between the nap and regular sleep, I *almost* got 8 hours. Woo!

Hopefully Spring is springing. We were supposed to get snow, but that forecast got tossed out, thankfully! Hopefully it's warming up where you are, (or cooling down if you're on the other side of here)!

FFF: 9 is Fine

9 weeks in - Fit for Friday!

I feel better this week, like I'm finally starting to get the hang of this new schedule, sleep deprived and all. I switched back to a black tea in the morning. I think the small amount of caffeine helps. I was doing decaf before. If I have an additional tea, I'll do the decaf then.

Workouts: 4/7 - Not too much this week. I think I did the bare minimum; basically things that I am forced to do. Three sports practices. I don't "have" to do them, but I signed up so it's an obligation to go. Though I'm usually glad to be there. I also snowshoed again on Saturday. We still have snow here!

I am lucky in that I have a very physical job. For work, I often have to do a lot of recreational physical activity. I sometimes think to myself, I can't believe I am getting paid for this right now! Now that I am back at work, these will help with my workout and fitness goals, though.

Seriously considering reducing the sports practices from 3 to 2 a week. Two is the minimum; though I try for 3. Going again on Thursday after going Wednesday and getting up for work at 5:30 was a bit much. My skills suffered for it too; I lost points. We'll see.'

I have been doing squats and other things at work while waiting for the laminator or making copies, etc. I got some strange looks, but whatever.

Eating: 2.5/7 - This was not a great eating week. It was that time of the month for me and I wanted to eat everything in sight. And I did, haha. Workouts helped burn some of it off, thankfully. I finished the brownies I made, had a little sangria party for one. Yesterday I went to Chick-Fil-A. We just got one and I'd never been. I was disappointed. I didn't understand the appeal, and this place was packed! I got nuggets and fries; two fast food staples so I could make easy comparisons. The fries were soggy as were the nuggets. I don't see myself going back. What a waste of calories. The service was fantastic though; maybe that's why people go?

Weight:  Down a pound! I'm not sure how with my half-week eating party. I'll take it though! With the holiday this weekend I don't have high expectations for next week. We'll see.

Stress: I'm... managing. Took more baths this week. Managed to read a little. Meant to do my nails, but didn't get around to it. Maybe today. I made a new "rule" that if it is after 8 pm, I will not pick up the phone or answer text messages. Unless it is Sir, or some kinda life-or-death situation. It's too much. My mother has also relapsed and has taken to calling me completely sloshed in the evenings. I can't deal.

Decluttering: Nope. This is going to have to be my prime focus area. Today, Sir gave me one task and one task only before I leave to visit my uncle: Do the dishes. I did some before breakfast, and I'll get that sink decluttered before I leave today!

Sleep: 4/7 - Two nights over 8 hours. Got to sleep in this morning. One night under 7, the other 5 nights at 7 hours. I feel... okay. A little tired but not exhausted. I could definitely go back to bed though. I am looking forward to sleeping later the next couple of days!

That's it for me here. If you celebrate, I hope you all have a fantastic Easter holiday, or a wonderful Passover with family and friends. I went out last night and got stuff to make Sir a little Easter basket. When we get back Sunday nights, I hope he'll be happy with it! We'll be visiting his mom and sister.

FFF: Two Months - Eight Weeks In!

It's been 8 weeks since Fit for Friday started. That's two months! Wow, what time has flown! 

This was a good week in general for me. I got to spend more time with Sir. Sir got fantastic news about the job. I gained three points in a skill I'm working on for sports (I need another 6.5 points for this skill, but still, progress!) I got to snowshoe for the first time. And I had a good weigh-in this morning.

Workouts: 3.5/7 -  Sports practice on Sunday and Thursday. Hour long hike last Friday. 2+ hour long hike on Saturday. Snowshoed yesterday.

Eating: 2/7 - This was a week with some extravagances. Saturday was St. Pat's so on my way home from work I picked up Shamrock Shakes and apple pies from McDonald's for Sir and me as a surprise treat. Sunday, Sir took us to Five Guys for date night, then we came home and watched the new Ghostbusters with some ale. Did you know they now have shakes at Five Guys? We got more shakes! Then of course on Wednesday we had our Booze n Brownies extravaganza. The other four days I ate at or below maintenance, and one day I even had over 200 calories left over. It all balanced out because...

Weight: Down 1.6 lbs! 😊 (I'm lower than I was last week, so I guess it wasn't dehydration after all! I'm counting it! I did actually lose 2 lbs last week somehow, haha.) Since FFF started two months ago, I am down 3.6 lbs. I'm down 12.6 lbs since last year. I would like to see more progress, but I am happy with this. I have another 25 lbs to go to get to my first "goal" weight. Which is really a check-in and evaluate weight: Stop here, lose more? Tone up and gain weight/muscle? The problem for me is the holidays it seems. I do pretty well, then holidays happen. Myfitnesspal has a nifty chart that can show you your ups and downs, if you record them!

Stress: 😏 I think I'm doing a little better this week. But having time off on a random Wednesday probably helped. I also did my nails green for St. Pat's day. Taking care of feminine things like that always make me feel better about myself and definitely help with de-stressing. Its maybe an hour out of my week where I pamper myself. And since I'm doing it myself, I don't feel guilty about money, though I'd love to get professional manicures/pedicures.

Starting to chip after a week, but still looking pretty good!

Decluttering: Absolutely not. This is my struggle now that I'm back at work. I can barely keep my house afloat; the bare minimums of dishes and clutter in the living room is too much for me to keep up with on a regular basis. I try when I have nights off, or a day off, but with work, the commute, sports, and the "rest" of my life... this is where I compensate I guess.

Sleep: 4.5/7 I do feel a little more rested this week than last week. 3 days with more than 8 hours. 3 days with over 7 hours. One day at about 5.5 hours (last night, haha). My "sleep debt" is at -45 minutes right now. Last week at this time it was about -5 hours. Which may explain the tiredness I felt last week and the fact that I feel pretty okay right now (Though I do want to go to bed early tonight; tomorrow is another 5:30 AM wakeup).

How are you guys doing after two months? Are you happier? Is your home less cluttered? Are you less stressed? Are you working out more? Are you eating better? Are you getting more quality sleep?

Charting has really helped me think about these, and I think improved me working on them.

FFF: Seventh Inning Stretch

Fit for Friday today. Starting this post after work rather than right when I start my day seems odd to me now. But here it is!

I feel like I handled this week pretty well. Maybe this is me starting to get into the groove of things. I do feel really tired, though. Need more sleep. And I don't have the time to declutter; it's all I can do to barely maintain the house right now. But I am okay with that.

Workouts:4/7  Two sports practices out of three, did Sunday and Wednesday. I skipped Thursday because I was so tired and cranky. We're only required to do two a week, but I try to go for three. Not sure if I can handle it with working and having to be up early. I went to bed at 12:30 AM on Wed, and had to be up at 5:30 AM... that is not sustainable. Did calisthenics on Monday. HIIT workout on Tuesday.

Eating: 4/7  I ate under my goal for three days, and under maintenance the rest of the days. I feel I did pretty well!

Weight: Down 1.2 lbs! 😊 (I'm actually down 2.2 lbs, but I think some of it was a bit of dehydration, so I didn't want to over-count it.

Stress: 😐 I am still a little stressed, but managing better than last week. I need to make choices to keep myself calm, and sleep plays huge into how I feel and how I'm able to handle things.

Decluttering: Nooooooooope. And The house needs some work. Clothes on the bathroom floor, sink FULL of dishes, too.

Sleep: 2/7  I only got two nights with 8 or more hours of sleep. I know I said my initial goal was 7 hours, but I'm finding that I had 4 nights with 7 (and one with 6) (and one with over 10, and another with 8 on the nose), and I still feel exhausted. If I need 8 hours to function well, and I get 7 each night, by the end of the week that is a deficit of 7 hours! So I really need to be aiming for 8. Last night I had an irrational sleep-deprived breakdown. I couldn't take it, I was so mad and so overtired that I couldn't nap, even. So I really have to figure out how to get eight hours. I don't know how people with kids do it; I don't have children, and between my job, and sports, I feel so very tired. I can't imagine having to handle little ones too. I am feeling judged by others for "being tired" when I don't have kids. Its probably in my head though.

I have to work tomorrow, but I go in late so I can sleep in. I don't have to go anywhere tonight, so as soon as Sir gets home we can hang out! I definitely feel like we're just passing in the night the past few weeks. We live together and don't see each other as much with our schedules conflicting.

You guys are doing so well! Keep at it!

FFF: Struggle in the Sixth Week

Another Fit for Friday is here! I made it through the week somehow, hurrah!

This was a rough week for me. I started back at my "real"  job on Saturday (I work super part-time at another job in the winter). The first day was pretty intense, we had a big event that required a lot of physical activity. And then... just getting used to it all again. The 5:30 AM wakeup, the 1.5 hour drive each way, managing the rest of my life in a very small window of time. Throwing sports practice into the mix, being sick... I definitely don't have it figured out. I am exhausted and hoping that another week or two will have me feeling "normal" again.

I am off today, though! So I am going to use this day as much as possible to do the little things I couldn't all week, and relax a bit. I'm going to dye my hair. Do my nails. Take a long hot shower. Catch up on all your blogs! Do some core exercises. Play some video games. Maybe write a bit here, even.

Onto my week. I'm not expecting much, honestly.

Workouts: 😞 I did not work out at all. I did literally drag myself to two sports practices. I skipped out on one this week, and one last week! I'm tired and still sick. Going to practice on Wednesday was a real struggle. I felt awful and that I went backwards in progress, even.

Eating: 😏 Apparently I didn't even log food last Friday, so it must have been bad! I have no idea what I ate that day. In general ate more this week than I have been, either at or slightly under maintenance. I find myself hungry at work and I'm not used to the schedule yet. I see myself adjusting and eating a little less and a little less each day as the week went on though! At least I was mostly under maintenance, so I will take it for this week! I have to figure out how to pack  healthy filling snacks so I'm not hitting the candy bowl. I pack snacks, I'm just still hungry.

Weight: 😊 Down 0.8 from last week. That is great! I do feel like the past few weeks I've been hovering though. I'm currently 177.0 lbs. If I could get to 175 and continue from there, I think I'd feel like I'm making progress. I've been going from 176ish to 178ish for the past few weeks. Ups and downs.

Stress: 😵I am stressed. Lots of new change, A LOT of new responsibilities at work... I'm essentially being trained for another position, but really just throwing myself in there. But right now, I still have my current position. So, I'm doing both jobs. It will probably work out fine, but I'm anxious because of it. That plus lack of sleep and I am a bit frazzled.

Decluttering: 😐  Hahahaha. It was all I could do this week just to keep our daily messes contained! I think I did that, more or less, but didn't have time to work on focused areas. I want to get to reorganizing the bathroom shelves and medicine cabinet. Eventually. Next week, maybe? 

Sleep: 3.5/7 Three nights I managed to sleep about 8 hours or more. One night I managed 7. The other three nights, was a bit less than 6 hours. I need to work on this. Having sports practice on a worknight is hard. I get to bed around midnight, and have to be up around 5:30 am. Six o'clock if I really rush myself and have most things ready the night before. Last night I was able to take a nap before practice, for about a half hour. Not sure if it helped.

I was so tired getting in last night that I forgot to put my collar on before hopping into bed. Sir said he was going to punish me, except I have to leave for the dentist in about ten minutes.

What I'm looking forward to the next couple of days: Sleeping in. And cuddling with Sir. If he doesn't change his mind and punish me first.

I hope you all have a fantastic week-end and a great week!

FFF5: Trying to be Fit while Sick

Fifth Fit for Friday is here!

I'm not expecting too much for this week. I went to my little cousin's birthday party this past weekend, and it turns out she was really sick, ended up going to the ER (Boo to her mom for letting her potentially infect everyone, though the little one is starting to feel better). So I got infected and now I'm sick too. Poo. I don't have high hopes for this weeks goals, I've been pooped. I've been intentionally eating more too, trying to give my body the energy to heal itself.

You Should Eat More When Sick

Workouts: 3/7 Barely. I did two sports workouts. I skipped last night. I did go for a quick jog on Sunday after practice though.

Eating: Friday and Saturday were awful. I didn't even log it. Family parties, and reunion with my cousins at night. Much alcohol and snacking. I did stay at about maintenance the other 5 days though. Not enough to counteract that increased eating for the other two days, however.

Weight: + 1.2 lbs. I expected this with the cold and overeating, though. I just hope I get over it soon so I can go back to kicking butt.

Stress: I'm not really stressed this week. I'm sleeping and resting a lot. I think I have a bit of cabin fever, actually. I've been playing video games and watching a lot of TV, which I fall asleep to.

Decluttering: I started working on the bathroom shelves, but didn't finish. I'll get to it next week, hopefully.

Sleep: Friday I didn't get much sleep. Up hanging with my cousins. But I slept over 8 hours, sometimes 10 or 11 hours every other night. Yesterday I spent most of my time unintentionally dozing. Hopefully it will help me get over my cold faster.

I go back to work, tomorrow! Eeek. While I'm very excited and I love my job, I am a bit anxious about getting into my new (old) routine. Early wakeups, long drives, managing the house, and life, and serving Sir with the new things I have going on. I figure it will be about 2 weeks of hell before I get used to it again.

In other news, my laptop is starting to crap all over itself. I can barely use it. I can't open certain programs, it overheats, it has display issues, there's something rattling inside it. It's 7 years old, which in technology terms is ancient, so it's probably time for a new one. I am not financially ready to get a new one though, so we'll see what happens. If it completely dies, I can get on through Sir's computer, though I'd prefer not to be a burden on him. Hopefully I won't disappear from blogland though.

Have a great first week of March! Spring is coming!

FFF: The Wrong Kinda DOMS; the Not-Fun Kind

Fourth Fit for Friday is here!

I really overdid it on Sunday at sports practice and have been combating a big ol' case of DOMS all week. And not the kind of DOMS I usually like talking about, either!

So, what's DOMS? Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. When you work out strenuously, you can get micro-tears in your muscle fibers, causing a deep lasting soreness, that usually doesn't appear until a few hours later, lasting up until 4 days! It can be difficult to do basic tasks. For me, my soreness was all in the legs. So standing up, sitting down, walking, even trying to get onto the toilet were very difficult. This is not my first case of DOMS. My first week of sports practice I had a really bad case of it, too. And I've had it in other instances. Its pretty common, I'm sure we've all experienced this at some point.

More on DOMS here: DOMS 101

I'm still actually hurting right now, but I can now function at least! Onto the goals:

Workouts: 6/7 - I did some form of exercise almost every day this week, only missing Saturday. Three sports practices, a 40 minute walk, a Dance Dance Revolution session, and Open Roller Skating!

Also, this week we had the first of a few skills assessment tests that comes with trying out for this sports team (it's a 4-month process). I PASSED! I passed my first one! There are three things I need to work on, but I did so much better than I thought I would! I'm extremely excited and proud.

Eating: 5/7 - Sunday was a bust. Total grief eating with the family. I entered it into my meal tracker as "Bereavement Dinner". Plus, Sir took us to McDonalds before we even got there. I just looked and Saturday wasn't too good either. I forgot I went to the diner with my coworkers and got a Cuban Panini and fries. And I ate them ALL! I also had some valentine's chocolates after dinner, cause the day was already wasted, haha. It's hard for me not to indulge myself when I've already screwed my day up, eating wise. The other 5 days I was pretty good though. Within 100 or so calories of goal, and under maintenance all 5 days.

Weight: 😄 Down 1.4 lbs!!

Stress: 😊 I did yoga this week, and I took time out to do my nails. I always feel like I'm pampering myself when I do that, and don't have to feel guilty about spending money for a manicure. I colored a little in one of my coloring books, too.

Decluttering:  😊 I tackled the hot mess that was underneath the bathroom sink. I tend to just throw crap in there and forget about it until we need it and then cause an avalanche.

I ordered an undersink shelf from Amazon. Put it together and organized!

Sleep: 5/7 - I've been even more mindful of my caffeine intake (I'm not supposed to have any, but I do, so I try to limit it severely). I added night filters to my computer and phone to aid in sleep. And I put a really simple sleep tracker on my phone. I just wanted something that would tell me how long I slept, and maybe how much I should sleep. I don't need a REM graph, or ocean music or anything. This is the one I went with:

Sleep Debt Tracker

I like it so far. I've gotten over 7  hours every night this week. 5 nights over 8 hours. It's going to be difficult to manage when I go back to work next Saturday.

It's my last full week before I go back to work! I'm excited to get back, but I'm also hoping to revel in this last week, and enjoy it as much as possible! Hope you have a fantastic final week of February!

FFF: Good Week, Need to Track Sleep

Another Fit for Friday is here!

Fondles had some interesting articles on her FFF blog about Interval Weight Loss. I looked up more after reading her post. Essentially, you reset your body's "settling" point. The weight it seems to want to be at. I don't know if you've noticed that, but my body certainly has! It seems to want to settle at 190 lbs. So you do a month of losing (a small amount, 2 kg or about 4 lbs for the month, followed by a month of maintaining. Then another month of losing. I may look into trying it.

Here's my wrap-up for the week:

Workouts: I did two sports practices this week, on Wednesday and Thursday. Saturday I did a quick interval training workout. On Sunday, I also threw in a cardio/strength workout video right before bed, since I ate too much and I felt guilty, haha. I didn't make it through the whole video but I'm still proud. Its been a rough week and I'm glad with what I did. I didn't even want to go to practice yesterday (felt nauseous), and I definitely didn't want to do that cardio workout after all the eating I did Sunday!

As an aside, I got my tax return back and happily spent about half of it on all-new gear for my sport. Sir went with me to try everything on and pick it all out, which was awesome of him. He's even thinking about getting some of his old gear out so we can practice together (his sport is different but has some similarities to mine. He also hasn't played in years. I forget sometimes that his team won their National Championship back in the day!) I've only had my new gear for two practices and I'm noticing a big difference in my performance! I was borrowing gear, and using some literally ten year old gear I had up until this point. Now I just gotta break it all in!

Eating: I ate under maintenance for 5 days. I ate under my goal for 1, and went over maintenance one day, on Sunday. Not by much, but still. My aunt is visiting my mom from Alaska and she made these amazing lamb steaks with roasted asparagus!! My brother also bought me donuts for breakfast that morning, hahaha. Could have been worse! Sir and I had a great dinner for Valentine's Day but I still managed to stay under maintenance!

Weight: I lost 0.8 lbs compared to last week. I was being sulky about it (was hoping I would be less than I was when I started FFF, hoping the initial gain was water weight or something... But Sir put me to rights... "What I heard was that you lost weight! Good job!"

Stress: I didn't make time for Yoga this week. But, I did take an extended hot bubble bath, while reading a book and enjoying a decaf coffee. Definitely felt relaxing!

Decluttering: I brought the giant pile of clothes to the donation place this week. I also amassed a small laundry basket full of other assorted items to donate. A couple books, an old backpack, picture frames, a ladle... I honestly don't remember all what was in there, but it was good stuff that hopefully will help out another family at the local thrift shop! I started a pile of books to go through (donate, give away, maybe read and then donate)... I have a LOT of books. This is going to be my struggle. Its hard for me to not amass books, and will be harder still to give them away if I haven't read them yet!

Oh! While I was cleaning the bedroom, I realized just how much random kinky stuff Sir and I have just... laying around. It's just him and me living here, and we don't have friends or relatives close by that drop in. Ever. So stuff just accumulates. This is what I amassed to actually put away properly (definitely not getting rid of this stuff):

Sleep: I'm going to add this category starting this week. I haven't slept right the past few nights and I really need to be more mindful of this, especially once I return to work in a couple of weeks! I really want to aim for 8 hours, that's typically when I feel my best, but 7 is a good minimum goal, I think. Last night I got 5.

Hope you all had a verifiably good Valentine's week working on your goals!!!

FFF: Focus on Decluttering Mind and Home

It's Fit for Friday! Time to check in.

Workouts: I worked out 4/7 days this week. Two sports practices (one was cancelled because of snow), one yoga session, and three calisthenics workouts with Sir.

Eating: I ate under my goal for two days, and under maintenance for four. Saturday was a bust. Sir and I went to visit his friends who just moved and had a new baby. It became a little party. I thought I was making good choices. Loading up on salad at dinner. Limiting my portions of other dinner foods. Only eating two cookies (instead of the nine or so others had), and eating the fruit for dessert. Well, I was over by nearly 1100! I need to log before I eat in situations like that, not after. Hopefully, lesson learned.

Weight: I feel like I did pretty fantastic this week, with the exception of Saturday. However, I gained a pound! I changed my weigh in day from Sunday to Friday, to coincide with FFF. Sir says it may be muscle. He loves me. ♥  I think I'm probably retaining water, or Saturday did a bigger number on my progress than I thought. We'll see next week.

Decluttering the mind (Stress): I got some yoga gear on Sunday. And I did my first yoga session at home! It gave me time to clear my head, and at the end, I was very relaxed.  This is the video I did, for beginners:

I had a yoga mat, and some yoga blocks. I think you could do this without either, if you modify your poses. I needed a pillow for my knee for some of it. Still, I'm excited to do it again tonight.

Decluttering the home: I went through my closets and drawers. Made a donation pile of shoes and clothing. Things that aren't relevant, or don't fit, or whose style I've outgrown.

I added more after this photo. All to give away, except ONE shirt.

Sir had veto power, but he chose to save only one shirt (my 'hangry' shirt). Pretty good! I'm working on my bookshelves next.

All in all, in think it was a good week. How are you doing on your goals?