Men always lose weight so fast it's maddening . But, I'm proud of you. once a person gets used to eating that way, it's not that hard. Just that you need to keep a lot of green matter on hand.

it is gray and rainy here, too, but that is so common that it goes without comment by us . lots of snow in the mountain passes, so no water shortage this year.
Since we are not allowed to discuss political things, that eliminates the most talked about subject around here. Otherwise, life is quiet, and as good as one can expect in a January pandemic year. I'm glad to have a warm home, family and all the good food I could want to eat.

 

Currently working but I wanted to pop a reply in here to remind myself to come back and share a story later!

 

Well, I'm grumpy. Our pollen counts have been near historical levels, forcing me indoors for all except the bare minimum (riding lessons twice a week). I could mega dose myself with antihistimines, but then I'm just out of it all day.

Also @aubie you lost nine pounds in a week???

 

Happy Friday!! Been a busy work week. Cloudy & cold here, but no rain so things are slowly drying up.
I've been trying to do better too, eating salads for lunch & snacking less. It's hard working from home, the pantry is few steps away! LOL.

& I wish I could lose 9lbs in a week!

 

I start my morning off with cream...fresh cream, heavy cream, whipped cream, Irish cream, half and half if that is all I can get. Add that to the coffee in my cup and I'm good until lunch. Marked change from the everyday all day munchies. I hit a plateau on Keto and have relaxed somewhat with the carbs then added in intermittent. Lost interest when I didn't see results. Sally though, she sure took weight off. Perhaps that and the routine established can keep what I've lost off and then I'll start working on the next round.

Dinners here have been Seafood Gumbo, Black Beans cooked with the Christmas ham hock, Brisket with the cherry wood cut and dried to add to the pit, Steaks with roasted veg, Meatball and Sausage Spaghetti with the last of the ground from the steer in the freezer and working through the left overs that are in the fridge and freezer so I can start new.

We are still working on repairs and clean up of never.ending.piles of debris. Slowly burning the ones that are ready. Adding two more for each one burned. The chainsaw is still getting a work out but instead of three each with it is one that we rotate. I've been banned form the roof which is fine with me. Looking at finally starting a market garden which is something I have wanted to do for a while. Will see where that leads.

The cold is settling in. Hoping it doesn't stay for a protracted visit.

 

Sunny and cold here. I took all the ornaments off the tree but husband needs to drag it out of the house. I broke my vacuum cleaner, ran it over to my parents to see if my dad can fix it. If I wait for husband it will be next year. I wish we could just rip the carpet out and put down hardwood floors. I'd be tempted to put 2x4s down and just varnish them. I bet it would look cool.

Waiting on the kid to get dressed so I can take him to baseball. I love sitting in the car for 2 hours waiting on the teenager... it's too far to go home though. I do run it over to the carwash but that only takes a minute. I am trying to avoid the complainer parents.

I haven't watched the news in days. I can't take it anymore. It would be one thing if they reported straight news but every channel has their own spin so I'm all bout the western channel these days. I got tired of Hallmark channel and the perfect women with the perfect men and wonderful families. I love that channel but I can only take so much. Finished watching Cobra Kai - yes I am that kind of corny....

I still have to feed the horses but think I'll wait until after baseball. I'm debating on blankets or not. It's going to snow 7 inches, no 3 inches, no a dusting, oops nothing for us... Which channel tells the truth?! Maybe I'll just put them in stalls.... LOL

 

Bright and dry here for at least a week, and not too cold (upper 30s to 40). Great weather for hiking and riding. It's been a very difficult week, between work and everything else, so I'm trying to be kind to myself and replenish my spoons. Rode twice yesterday, in the gym today, off for a hike tomorrow. Work has been bribing people heavily to work our new 911 contract (and other shifts) so I'll likely pick up a shift next week. Trade madness for sweet cash money.

I believe my dad is off to his girlfriend's for the weekend, which means takeout for dinner. Not sure what rings my chimes just yet.

 

Happy Friday all!! TGIF! Whew busy week!

Congrats on the weight lost @aubie! Go you! I tried doing low carbs and it worked great but kinda blew it over the Holidays now need to get back into it....

Rainy and dreary here, I think the sun shone 1 1/2 days here this week. The weather app keeps sending alerts of heavy snow but I kinda doubt it, we'll see. So that will probably blow any riding this weekend.

Yeah on no political talk but what a mess this country has become at the moment.... and I agree on the fact that every tv station does their own interpretation.

For dinner I was given some deer meat so today I ground some up and made a chili... kinda just threw it together but it turned out really good! A little spicy but I like spice. Also cooked some beans in the instapot and threw a few in the chili, don't like chili with lots of beans will make refried beans out of the rest....

That's about it!

Thanks for starting the thread @aubie!

 

YAY @aubie! 9#’s is fantastic!! ) Keep at it. Those of us who struggle with weight loss are cheering you on!!!!!

I think it’s slowed down in here because a lot of the long timers do not like this new forum design (I’m still not fond of it) and possiblly because they needed their password to get back on and can’t find it.

It is a typical western PA day down here in southern Middle Tennessee, lollol. We have 2-1/2” of snow, current temp is 36(F), with a Feels Like of 27, lollol.

The Rottweiler was in hog heaven when we went fence checking. The Catahoula was not, even though he was wearing his Weatherbeeta coat, lol.

This weather would be disgusting if I were still in PA because there isn’t enough s ow to get the snowmobile out. I’m fine with it down here because, no matter the weather, there are no bad views from my Feng-Shui window When I designed the layout and the angle of how this house would sit, there was purpose to it

Supper will be carry home from whichever Italian restaurant strikes DH’s fancy. He is one of those people who can eat whatever he wants, all day long, and still be as skinny as a broom handle. My family has the fat gene I watch what I eat — every bite of it —so I now need to lose 25 of the 20 pounds the doctor has harped about since 2011

 

Congrats on the weight loss @aubie!! That's awesome!
Last winter I did keto for about 2.5 months, lost 10 pounds. But it just wasn't sustainable for me. Substituting cauliflower for mashed potatoes is a no go. Same with zucchini noodles. Yuck.
Then summer came and was so busy I didn't worry about it. Fall I was ordered by doctor to stay home and off my foot so it could heal. Started gaining it back so I'm just eating a bit healthier and in moderation.

Yesterday I made chicken taco soup. Its spicy! I can't ever seem to make a small pot of soup so it'll be dinner tonight and lunch for several days..lol. I love soup and it's even better on these colder days.

Today the wind is blowing 20 mph and cloudy. Storm is coming through at first we were supposed to get snow but now it just looks like wind and some rain.
We've had a warm, wet winter so far.This time last year we had at least a foot or more of snow and big drifts. I'm not used to dealing with mud this time of year! Getting tired of toweling dog feet off. The Chihuahua ends up looking like he was the horse in the back after a race on a muddy track because he so low to the ground and he follows the BC around..lol.
I did buy one of those chenille rugs made for muddy dog feet. It does help some.

Today my day started out with a phone call from my friend knave, that was awesome! Now I'm cleaning house and doing laundry. Hubby will be home late tonight for the weekend. That'll be fun plus he can jack the stock trailer back up that he knocked off the block a few days ago so I can use it..lol!!

 

No rain for us luckily! Snowed all night last night, looked amazing this morning though. Fresh snow gliterring, so cold it crunched. It was really nice till I remembered that I'd have to be outside every three hours checking on the sheep. We just started lambing. No more lambs yet today. We got twin girls yesterday morning thoug, so I've been busy feeding the new momma.
I had a quick bowl of homemade yogurt and granola for breakfast as I was in a zoom call at 6 this morning. Skipped lunch though. I'm still super hungry but nothing sounds very good right now lol!
Family is trying to decide what we want for dinner tonight. We decided to eat early, watch a movie than call it anearly night, but we can't decide if we want Chinese food, pizza, appys from Costco, or homemade hamburgers with our own bacon.

I still have to make it outside today. I need to test my donkey, see if she's really halter broke. I got it on her yesterday but I'm gonna try today without a lead on her neck and see how that goes.

 

It’s so gloomy.
After years living in New England I’m suddenly having to get used to a wet grey muddy winter again.
On a more positive note, work started yesterday on the fencing that we started organizing back in May!

 

@aubie - Congratulations on the weight loss!

I also eat like an unsupervised toddler but I have yet to make any changes. I really should though! I eat waaay too much sugar.

In my neck of the woods, weather has been in the low 30's during the day and drops into the low teens at night. We still have about a foot of snow on the ground.

Taking life easy right now. I tested positive for Covid about two weeks back so I should (theoretically) be feeling better but there are a few lingering symptoms.

 

Spaghetti tonight, made with almost all dehydrated ingredients. It is SO GOOD. Converting lots of standard recipes to dehydrated ingredients. Just had beef barley soup for lunch, made with home canned beef and dehydrated everything else - oh, except some really good packaged beef broth (Pacific Foods Organic). I just received my order of dehydrated vinegar and Worchestershire sauce! Who knew! Making up meal "kits" with as much shelf stable ingredients as possible.

Have kind of hit a wall with riding. It's lonesome, boring and cold. But I think I'll keep lungeing her. She is starting to be able to get her leads correctly on the lunge (18 and never learned how to canter apparently) and she needs the movement for her hooves. Hopefully I'll get my mojo back before too long.

My attempt to re-waterproof my Schneider's blankets was a fail, but it worked on the Amigo rain sheet, so I bought another Amigo for the horse whose sheet failed. It's pretty posh! Will be trying other products next spring but I can just about buy new blankets for the cost of experimenting with water repellents.

 

@aubie congrats on the weight loss, hope you make your goal weight soon. I have always been able to eat anything and not gain much. I've been 6' and 175-180 forever. Pretty active though so that helps.
@farmpony84 like you I have quit watching the news also and started watching even more RFD tv.
Just got back from a week in Texas at the Lambshead ranch. It was a great time, 50,000 acres and I didn't have a horse. Went there on a hunt. No to very spotty cell service and no internet. Great time though and no withdraw symptoms. Came back to rain with a total of 1 3/4" and lots of mud. Timed just right to put out more hay. Tonight is home made beef vegetable soup. Hard to beat that. Need to get out this week and fill a couple of deer tags and stock up some venison in the freezer. We normally have a steer ready for the locker plant about now but, with the covid a lot of folks that don't normally use the locker plants were scared and they are backed up. We checked several in our area last summer and all are booked up til April 15th as the earliest we can get in. Won't start fattening till February now. Luckily we have beef and pork still from last year, unlucky for our kids because when the new beef comes we divide up what is left in freezer among them. Cold here for the next 5 days and muddy so little riding.

 

@ksbowman current affairs have me absolutely terrified. I actually have a trip to TX planned for March. We'll be in the Dallas/San Antonio area. I am going to book a trail ride while we are there. I am really looking forward to it.

@aubie I refuse to weigh myself but I have lost something. I had gotten to where I was using the old hair band to close my pants and I am now able to button them again. I was REFUSING to move up from a 29 jean to a 30. My 29s are tight but they are buttoning so that is a plus. Today I stressed a little over the news and ate some things I shouldn't have.

I did so well this morning. I watched Big Valley, Gunsmoke, and the Virginian. (And the last episode of Cobra Kai) Broke my vacuum cleaner... but did do some cleaning.... And now the husband has the news on. I think I'm going to go watch Jericho for the 50th time....

 

Congrats on the weight loss @aubi.

I'm going to have to monitor mine this winter. I have less riding to do. Darn good vet is wintering here this year and his surgeries heal so well and so quick! 😆 I'm joking and not complaining. It's pretty great. But I do get less saddle time. Especially paid saddle time!

It's getting colder and snowing more. That's normal. But every winter I weigh the cold here against tornado season in the southern states. Hmmm. Humidity doesn't bother me. So... which do I want to deal with.

We're just having leftover pasta tonight. It's a little spicy, the g'kids say, I've got a cold beverage nearby. I make crockpot meals four days a week because we ride at night. One of my kids starts it before going to the barn. So Friday is a day to scavenge for food in the fridge. Exciting stuff, huh. 😂

Good to see everyone. I wish everyone a peaceful weekend.

 

It's been a busy and stressful week.

Been in a "boxing match" with the company that installed new windows on my house this past October, had to get an attorney involved. The windows have a defect that the mfg and the installing company are claiming are the way the windows are "supposed to be", yet there are obvious rough cut sharp edges where they "created" a so-called drainage since something went wrong when the windows were manufactured. Funny thing is the installing company is threatening to take me to court but I have more than enough evidence that a counter-suite would not work out well for them. There is a solution that would be a work-around but they refuse to allow it, claiming it will prevent the water to drain.

In the middle of negotiating a new contract with a client. They are being a little difficult while we are negotiating the terms of the contract. I have a consulting practice and so thankfully, I have a good law firm that does a good job on this stuff- it just takes time. Hoping to get the terms worked out. May have another contract coming down the pike in a few weeks. That will bring 5 contracts for me simultaneous if falls into place, which be good for my pipeline.

Bought the ingredients to make cake pops for this weekend. Was inspired by an earlier thread where some people posted about this and has me inspired, so will see how that pans out.

Going to a delayed outdoor socially distanced New Years' even gathering tomorrow afternoon. We had an ice storm come in that the organizer decided she didn't want anyone on the roads. So, that should be fun. Weather will be in the mid to lower 30's but the sun is supposed to be out.

 

Bought the ingredients to make cake pops for this weekend. Was inspired by an earlier thread where some people posted about this and has me inspired, so will see how that pans out.

I can't wait to see them! You'll do great!

 

Heck. I have to eat more than I want just to keep weight on. Ever since moving to a farm in Oregon. I/we (husband helped some) have shoveled 20 yards of gravel for muddy areas, I walled and floored a new barn, dug 50-60 post holes by hand and put up horse fence, have picked and processed hundreds of pounds of apples (some into hard cider hee) Canned and put up tomatoes and 48 pints of blackberry jam, processed 30 worth of apple pie and blackerrie pie kits (you just thaw, dump into pie crusts and bake for winter pies) Cut down and killed the roots of weeds in three pastures. I lost 30 lbs since getting here in April. Got my bikini body back and I'm 65, Dont work out, it's called just plain work,

Meanwhile no one gives much of a rat's patoot about COVID here. People wear masks into stores because they have to, thats about it. Most people are healthy, outside with big smiling faces.

 

Sunny here. Been a long stressful week. Went to the doctor for the first time in probably 15 years on Wednesday. Labs weren't bad but apparently I'm low on vitamin D3 which is ironic since I'm outside from sunup to sundown pretty much every day. Also my EKG showed an abnormality so I'm getting referred to the cardiologist. That's not gonna be fun to pay for since I don't have insurance.
Bright side is having the weekend off. Planning on spending most of tomorrow in bed resting. I'm beat.
Supper is pita with spinach and artichoke dip, chicken and lettuce. Maybe have some chocolate milk or ice cream later if I feel like it.
My online classes start Monday and the professor finally posted the syllabi.

 

Thanks everyone. I wasn't as concerned about the weight so much, even though it was 230lbs. I'm 6'5 so it wasn't to much. It's just about being healthier.

 

9 lbs is a lot then. Husband is 6"2 and 220.... He could stand to lose MAYBE 5 lbs but anymore and he'd be skinny... and men shouldn't be skinny... just saying... there should be the tiniest bit of comfy belly...

 

@AragoASB Do you take any time off to sleep? Wow, you stay busy!

 

I go to bed about 9PM and wake up about 7. Its winter now so Oregon days are short. This is the thing about being 'retired'. You go to bed when sleepy and get up when awake.

I am 'forced' to get up at night and gorge on cookies just to keep on weight..

 

Oh. At the end of the month my pet Jersey cow is due to calf her sixth calf. Then, 'udder slavery' begins. Because of Daphne, I have learned to make 7 kinds of cheese, butter, ice cream and yogurt. There is nothing like manual post hole digging to burn off the butterfat. Although from my serum cholesterol levels I did have to cut back. I share milk. That is, I pen up the calf at night then milk from Daphne a gallon for house use, Then let the calf have at it. It is nice to not have to be home at 5 pm every day for the 2nd milking because of the backup milker.