2026 / Q2

 

Seeing success on the scale ... while tirzepatide is definitely a help, it's not a magic bullet. I feel like I'm definitely putting in the work: lots of activity, tracking calories, intermittent fasting. Prioritizing protein and getting in my weight workouts to preserve muscle.  We had a family week+ vacation to Hawaii there in June, and that definitely affected eating and exercise. I require routine to stay on track (but it was a great getaway! Worth the bump). More of the stats from April, May and June ...

Trying for 20k a day in steps, and 100+ active/zone minutes ... tracked by Fitbit

Even with consistent, even increased activity, overall daily burn went down ...

I figure that is because I'm carrying around less weight overall.

Intake is up slightly from last quarter, but I am still tracking everything in MFP, other than during our Hawaii vacation (I took a vacation from recording as well, hopefully I didn't go overboard TOO much).  Still have a few high/overeating days here and there. Unlike some people on a GLP1, I only have the slightest appetite control (still on a fairly low dose). I've heard many say they can't eat much, don't feel like eating, don't crave sugar ... that's not the case with me. It's still a daily struggle, but I feel like the medication gives me just a bit of an edge. I also rarely have any negative side-effects, even when I do overeat or make not-so-great food choices.

The fasting just seems to come naturally to me ... I'm generally not hungry in the mornings, waiting until around noon to eat. Then I try to stop eating by 7:00 at the latest, often earlier, at 5:00 or 6:00. I really think fasting just helps me keep calories in check ... stops extra/mindless eating. I didn't track during our vacation.

Here's a look at my location tracking ... treadmill/elliptical/weights are in the home gym, so I have to add them manually, and I think I forgot a few days in June (getting back into routine after vacation). I love LifeCycle, it's such an interesting capture of my goings on. I'm a graph girl.

During this quarter, there was a change to Fitbit ... Google bought them out a while back and has been transitioning. The icon and the app changed, and it looks like the main sleep graph did too. The night of no sleep was our return red-eye flight from Hawaii. 

Snore score! Still an occasional uptick, but honestly, I think I'll let my SnoreLab subscription lapse and stop stressing about the daily tracking. 

 

... a bit of a mixed report from my SleepCycle app, still indicating some (although it seems to label most any sound snoring, not as detailed an indicator as Snorelab for different levels). I will keep the SleepCycle reporting, as it is a general sleep tracker and my alarm. 

Just interesting to note the long time trends over the years ... as Covid hit March/2020 I was at 180, I put on 20 pounds, then lost 50, and then regained as 2022 started up. Jan2022 I had my first seizure, and that affected my exercise abilities and tracking.  A few months later I caught Covid for the first time, and I think that really got the snoring started. Losing weight definitely has an impact on it though!

I've hope someday I'll get to my family updates/collages (I've been bad this year) and I still need to write up my quarterly What I Was Watching ~ 2026/Q2 ... but here's a look at #jenBsbooks for April, May and June of this year. I've always got an audiobook in my ear, and I record, rate & review all my reads on Goodreads and Storygraph. I'm JenBsBooks on both. 

2026/Q1

 

Finally, a set of weight graphs that I'm proud to post. Not there yet, but progress! This is very similar to my loss at the end of 2020, the start of 2021. Five years ago, I started in October and hit my low in April. This go round, I started in December ... and I hope to surpass my last low, and then to keep it there (I regained quickly back in 2021).  It's been a mix of increased activity and reduced calories/IMF ... pretty textbook calories in vs calories out. 

I've upped my activity ... not quite an average of 20k consistently, but close. 

Activity minutes are up as well.  Fitbit tracking/graphs.

The burn isn't up much (from last quarter) even with the increased activity ... 

I guess because I'm not lugging quite as much weight while I workout. 

But the intake ... there is a difference there!

I've always struggled with the eating. I love carbs and sugar, and those calories add up quickly. I think I always justified a little, that I was burning a bunch, so I could still indulge. But I'd overindulge. I'd TRY to stay under 2000 (which I know is a high "goal) and fail at that most of the time.  Pretty much from the moment I took the first shot of Tirzepatide though, I just felt more in control. I've never experienced the "stuffed" feeling, or elimination of cravings as some on GLP-1s have reported. I still can/do eat, and enjoy it. I have tried to make better quality choices, priotitizing protein.

I hadn't totally committed to Intermittant Fasting ... but I think I just fell into the schedule again naturally. I'm generally not hungry in the mornings, and "closing the window" helps keep me from evening snacking. I got a full fast in a couple times this quarter.

A look at Lifecycle ...

... lots of basketball January/February (in person watching #2, and catching the livestream of my #5 playing for a community college in Oregon) but TREADMILL still tops my activity, with Zumba and Elliptcal not far behind. Ping pong and Pickleball are up next. I've attempted to up my strength training in addition to my cardio. 

Ahh, sleep ...

I don't feel like my schedule is that different, but my Fitbit hasn't been syncing great when I wake ... if I laze in bed for a bit (as I tend to do) it still counts me as asleep. I probably should set a goal to get up (and out of bed) a little earlier. I always thought I was an "early to bed" gal ... but I guess not (and "early/late" is relative). 

... very happy with my snore score this quarter too! Single digits for the most part! I always felt like it was weight related (although a bout of Covid in 2022 also seemed to change something physically in me, making it worse). I think it's positional too, if I'm sleeping on my back, I'm more likely to snore.

I still need to do my family update/collages ... 

What I Was Watching ~ 2026/Q1 got it's own post, per usual.

Here's a look at #JenBsBooks for January, February and March

2026/Q1 ~ What I Was Watching (Jan, Feb, March)

Time for my quarterly TV/Movie update ... what kept me motivated while working out in the home gym, and what Hubs and I indulged in (our TVTT - TV Together Time) in January, February and March 2026.

I'll start with the series ... we don't keep Paramount and AppleTV all the time, but we had both during this quarter. Add ons to Amazon. I purposely tried to watch anything of interest to me on these platforms while we had a subscription (cancelled Apple, but Paramount gave us a deal for a couple more months).  We keep Netflix, and I watched a few there as well.

• Landman (Season 2): Hubs had watched the first season on his own, so I watched it myself (in the gym) but we watched the second season together. Enjoyed it.
• Colin From Accounts (Seasons 1-2): I'd watched this myself some years ago, and thought Hubs might enjoy it, and I was feeling up to a rewatch. Love an Australian accent!
• Lioness (Season 2): I'd watched the first season, and was interested enough to watch season 2.
• The Morning Show (Season 4): This was actually why we added AppleTV, but when we started watching it, it had been long enough since we'd seen the earlier seasons, that Hubs had lost interest. I ended up watching it on my own downstairs.
• The Last Frontier: A random "what should I watch on Apple" pick ... just okay. 
• We Crashed: I'd heard a little about this, it was interesting, but I was more than ready for it to be over. It reminded me a bit of another docu/drama (based on true events) The Dropout, in that I didn't like AnneH at all ... or more her character (meaning she did a good job I think), strange affectations, but they match the real person.
• The New Look: Again, interesting, but I was ready to move on as I wrapped up the season.
• Yellowjackets (Seasons 1-3): I'd heard some buzz (pun intended) about this one but had just never gotten around to watching. It was pretty horrible (not the acting or anything, just the story itself), but couldn't quite look away. I'm sure I'll watch the final season when it comes out, but for now, I was more than ready to take a break. 
• Stranger Things (Season 5): I wanted to wait until everything had dropped. I liked the ending (my youngest son, a fan, didn't like how it wrapped up). 
• Emily in Paris (Season 4): I really surprise myself that I like this show, it's so over the top ... but it's a guilty pleasure.
• Bridgerton (Season 4): Another guilty pleasure. Surprised at the "Cinderella" storyline. 
• Nobody Wants This (Season 2): I'd enjoyed the first season, and liked the second season too. 
• The Tylenol Murders: This popped onto my radar after reading the book "No More Tears" ... it was interesting. I think I was in 5th grade when it happened, but I really remember the terror!
• Kidnapped/Elizabeth Smart: This made headlines all over, but even more so here in Utah. I'd read Elizabeth's memoir, and Hubs had watched this, so I figured I would too. A little too "artsy" ... just the way they would frame the sister and Elizabeth visually. 

Hubs and I didn't watch any movies together ... these were all down in the gym. 

• Tetris: I really enjoyed this and have encouraged Hubs to give it a go ... he decided to the day after I let the Apple subscription lapse (so it's on his list for next time we subscribe). 
• Wolfs: Just okay for me ... although the overall ratings weren't great either.
• The Family Plan 2: Silly, fluffy fun. I'd liked the first one. If I'd known this was "Christmas" themed, I probably wouldn't have watched it (because of the OCD in me, I need to keep seasonal things in season!)
• The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: A random pick from Paramount offerings ... and I liked it a lot! I did some editorial work and needed to come up with clever titles, using rhyme, puns and alliteration. The husband/alcohol was a struggle to watch.
• Roofman: Eh, just okay. 
• Regretting You: I think I read the book ... just okay. 
• Becoming Jane: When I went to record this on my IMDB list, it was already there ... so I guess I watched it at some point? I didn't really feel like I remembered it. I also read a book about Jane Austen not long after watching this.
• Crazy Stupid Love: A purposeful rewatch. 
• Eternity: I'd seen previews for this and it was one I was watching for. I really enjoyed it.
• Rental Family: Another one I'd been waiting for, and Hubs had watched it during one of his flights and gave it a thumbs up. 

What are YOU watching?