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

2025/Q4

 

... after avoiding the doctor for all of 2024, I went in for a basic physical ... got labs. Thyroid very out of whack (my prescription had lapsed) and A1C and cholesterol aren't great. Not super surprising. After my appointment at the end of October, I had a few "good days" (the dip in the scale reading) but then went back to bad habits in November.  Dec 1 I made a decision. I'd been reading up on GLP1 medications, and decided to start. I went with compounded Tirzepatide from Brello. While I was waiting for my order to come, I did a full day fast, which did a five pound/temporary scale slide. I started the medication on December 10, at the lowest/starting dose. At first I didn't feel anything, bad or good, but then I noticed that I was able to keep calories in check, and the scale started to move. 

I upped my activity a little, at least compared to the previous three months.  The low day Nov8, Hubs and I were traveling (to Oregon to watch our youngest in a college basketball tournament), and same there for the week after Christmas. 

... I really had been TRYING to be good and lose some weight before my doctor's appointment. I actually tracked calories in October. I'm not sure why I gave up counting in November. With the addition of some "help" and increased motivation, I tracked calories, and controlled them a little better in December. Again, the last week was traveling, which brings extra challenges. 

Once upon a time, Fitbit had a nice "intake vs burn" graph (look WAY back on some monthly reports here).  These separated intake (above) and burn (below) don't have quite the same effect. 

Here's a look at Lifecycle ...

I manually add my treadmill, elliptical and weights (all done in my home gym). Some of the basketball has been in person (my #2 has some local men's leagues, and then the two Oregon tournaments we went to for my #5) and others have been watched via live stream. 

Sleep, Zzzzzzz .... yes, there were a few BAD nights in there, with little to no real rest, but overall, sleep isn't something I struggle with. I'm lucky I get to be lazy and sleep in ...

... a couple of the high nights, I had had taken an Ambien (after a lower night of non-sleep). The reduction in December though, with even just a little weight loss, is promising ...

... family quarterly recap

https://blackhamboys.blogspot.com/2026/04/blackham-bunch-quarterly-report-q42025.html

I did a What I Was Watching post, and here's a Book Look! #JenBsBooks

2025/Q3

July, August, September ... not a good quarter for the scale and stuff. I can't say there was really anything going on that I can try to blame. Life is fine, even pretty easy.  Still struggling with the plantar fasciitis, although it hasn't gotten any worse, and doesn't keep me from my Zumba, pickleball and home gym (it DOES keep me from walking around barefoot, at least without a limp). Mentally I gave up on the eating ... very little tracking or fasting, some very bad eating days. The scale shift isn't really surprising. 

It's actually just a tiny bit under where I was last year for Q3.

I usually post graphs from my Stridekick app, but for some reason it didn't input several days in August ... so we get Fitbit graphs this quarterly report. Average and Total Steps/Minutes.

... at this point in the quarterly report, I generally show my "calorie intake" graph, and my "fasting" calendar. But ... if I don't really have enough data to generate a graph, well, then there aren't nice images to share. I did try to get back on board with both MFP and IMF at the end of September. 

Here's a look at LifeCycle ...

Unlike the previous quarters, I manually added in my treadmill, elliptical, and weights  (all done in the home gym, so they don't get auto/GPS-tracked like other activities away from home). It's just interesting to see how my treadmill time stacks up against Zumba and pickleball. 

My Oura ring gives a few interesting quarterly insights ...

The first is INACTIVE time. And yes, 9-10 is a common exercise hour for me.

Sleep, zzzzzz ...

... and snoring. I forgot to track a few nights.

A little peek at the family for July, August, September ...

... and of course, my Reading Recap. All books are rated and reviewed on GoodReads and The Storygraph. #jenBsBooks  I have a separate "What I Was Watching" post ...

In 2020, and last year in 2024, Q4 I managed to get some scale success ... with even more positive movement with the following new years. Maybe associated with the shift/Daylight Savings? As both these previous times it then fell apart after April. We'll see what the coming months bring!

2025/Q2 ~ April, May, June

Well, in non-blogger life, it's almost the end of the third quarter, into September. I guess I should update my Quarterly Review for April, May and June ... as illustrated by the weight graph, things didn't go well.

After some success at the end of 2024 and the start of 2025 (down 15+ pounds), this quarter was all uphill. Oops. It's the eating. I kept up the activity okay, but slipped on both IMF and MFP as is unfortunately amply illustrated in the graphs below ...

Obviously, the "average" isn't correct, if I wasn't counting calories for many days in May, and most of June. If I HAD recorded ... I'm not sure I want to know how high those averages might go! A bit of just giving up, and some self-sabotage.  I did not have a 29  hour fast in May (no full/24+ fast this quarter), I was struggling to keep current in my app tracking and didn't get that corrected, and gave up on MFP and IMF a week or so into June ...

Sleep stuff ...

Snoring does seem tied to weight ... tied to 190 in fact.

...as for daily life (LifeCycle)

For this quarter, I tried to manually add my treadmill and elliptical time (and any weight workouts, I got in ... one, in April). They don't automatically register, as they are in the home gym. It's just interesting for me to see how they stack up to my Zumba and Pickleball. Pickleball has increased with the warmer weather ... playing on the weekends with family in addition to the Thursday Ladies pickleball. 

Blackham Bunch - 2025/Q2

... and of course, #JenBsBooks

Per usual, the quarterly What I Was Watching has its own post. 

2025/Q1 ~ January, February & March

 

Well, some scale success, although still a ways to go. Hit the quarterly low (184.9) in March, but also ended higher than the previous month's average. January 1st weight was 196.9 and the final weigh-in for March was 191. As I mentioned in my previous quarterly report, there was something about Daylight Savings (Nov3, 2024) that seemed to help get me into gear. Here ... Daylight Savings ended March 9, and I feel like right at that reset I started to struggle. Is there something about that schedule? Is it psychosomatic? 

I have another app (Goal Streaks) which I use to manually mark some personal points ... I had a 10k/20k/30k tracker going ... I added 15k, just to give me that little extra push to hit that middle ground. I didn't quite get to a 15k average, but the steps overall are higher than they have been in a while.  

It was basketball season January/February and I'd walk while watching my youngest playing (in Oregon/Clackamas, NWAC Stream) most Wednesday and Saturday nights, getting about five miles in each game. I have been having some foot pain. Nothing officially diagnosed, but my symptoms are textbook for plantar fasciitis. Just my right foot. I think I felt the first twinges back in November. I've added insoles, and stopped going barefoot around the house (which I've done for 50+ years, I hate shoes!) Tried some ice and stretching. It's definitely something I can push through ... I still got in my Zumba and pickleball. The pain has extreme swings. While it's always there, sometimes it's slight ... other times I can barely walk. Beyond the physical, there's been a bit of an emotional discouragement with this foot pain that has definitely gotten worse the longer it goes on.  

Daily burn estimates per Fitbit ...

No graph for weight workouts ... 

I got in nine for the quarter. Three each month. 

While I'm not good at weighing and measuring, I did keep up my MFP entries all three months. I feel like I did a decent job of keeping calories in check for the most part, but definitely need to work harder on both quantity and quality of calories. A few uber over days. One full fast (24+ hours) each month. 

I've been using two apps to track fasting ... Fast Habit and Easy Fast (pictured below).

I need to remember to grab a screen shot of FH at the end of each month.

Overall, the fasting hours haven't been too hard to keep, and the set eating hours are a help in keeping me from mindless eating, which I would probably do otherwise. Some family activities impact the eating (hours and calories) ... Superbowl Sunday, #2's Birthday, Valentine's Day, a family bash while #5 was in town for Spring Break. 

... a six month scale view (TrendWeight) and 90-day fasting/weight via Fast Habit.

Interesting to note the scale drop after a big fast - although it doesn't stick. 

A look at Lifecycle ... I wish it could track HOME activities more (it could if I went to the effort of entering them manually). There was a LOT of basketball Jan/Feb, but it only shows the ones away from home (#2's Men's League games). Zumba. Pickleball ... the weather was nice enough in March that we were able to get in outdoor pickle with the family. 

Lots of sleep data ... Zzzzzz

My "snore score" has dropped - I've always figured there was a correlation to weight (that was actually the impetus for my scale success back in 2020).  I don't know that I always trust the tracker (I've sometimes set up a couple of devices right next to each other, got very varied results) but this is the data I gathered ... 

Different devices ... similar, but slightly different data results. 

My alarm IS set for 7:50. I rarely hear it (turning it off before it sounds). 

More from Oura ...

Family Stuff - January/February/March

Not a lot of snow this winter. Lots of basketball. Three new trucks for the family! Ping pong, pickleball and piano, as well as the usual Zumba and treadmill time. A little elliptical. Hubs did his first half-marathon for the year. He's been doing lots of training. Bike, runs, even some swim (triathlon planned). 75Hard. Birthday. Superbowl. Valentine's Day. A guys trip to Vegas/IBS. 

BOOKS!

... and the quarterly "What I Was Watching" on its own post.