2021 - #JenBsBooks

 

I slipped up in a lot of things this last year, especially with food/fitness and weight loss ... but BOOKS? I had a good book year. My eyesight has gone downhill these last couple years, and it's really impacted my "reading" reading. While I got in a few books with my own eyes and imagination, almost everything was audio. I kept good track on GoodReads (and I LOVE their end of year stats!) I made monthly collages (you can see them on the monthly recaps, or I compiled them HERE) and intended to make a stat spreadsheet ... but I did get off-track on that at the end of the year.

... another look at my generalized GoodReads ratings/reviews ...

... as mentioned, I was extremely Audible this year ;) I'd only had a 3-month trial membership previously (in 2020), but when a $99 12/month, 12/credit deal was offered at the start of 2021, I figured I'd give it a try. Unfortunately these stats don't show the whole picture, as I listened to a lot from my library (Libby/Overdrive) as well. Almost any book I received as an advance review copy WAS through Audible though, as well as any KindleUnlimited books (there were a couple KU deals I grabbed during the year). So even though this may not reflect ALL my audio, it's still super interesting to me. I'm trying to remember Dec 7 ... I do know that was a bad night of sleep for me, and I turned on an audiobook while I was laying awake for a while. So I started early (midnight?) that day.

Here's a look at my books (a GoodReads reflection) ...

TV Recap ~ 2021

As I did monthly posts throughout the year, I mentioned some of what I was watching ... but it wasn't a complete collection. To keep everything easily tagged (as "Television") and together, I figured I'd make a single post about what I was watching TV/Series wise (there is a  separate Movie 2021 post). 

For the first few months, my monthly posts would mention what I was watching at times, 

but didn't include any images.

I remember "Bridgerton" was getting quite the buzz ... I liked it fine. Haven't read the books it's based on yet. I'd really liked "The Haunting of Hill House" so I thought I'd like "The Haunting of Bly Manor". I did NOT. It had several of the same actors, but the story wasn't there, and I despised the main girl and the 80s dress (high waisted jeans, the hair). Really  had to push to finish. We got Disney+ to watch The Mandalorian (first two seasons, Hubs and I upstairs) ... I know we were slow to jump on the bandwagon, but it actually might have been watched in 2020? Writing this up in retrospect, I'm not sure. But while we didn't keep Disney+ all the time, we got it again and I watched WandaVision (and then I did watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, forgot to grab an image of that), and The Right Stuff.  Another one that Hubs and I watched together upstairs was Peaky Blinders (S1).  At some point, HBO Max was again included with our AT&T phone, so that opened up more possibilities ... West World (S3) was top on my list ... it had been so long, I had to watch recaps of S1 & S2 before watching S3. His Dark Materials, The Undoing, True Detective (S3) and The Head (murder mystery in the arctic, liked it but the ending was too out there). Dickenson was on AppleTV. Just okay for me, finished the first season but didn't feel like continuing on. 

In Summer (May, June, July, August) ...

Watching on a variety of streaming services ... Bloom was interesting, reminded me a little of Glitch (coming back to life rather than just returning to youth). I liked Devs. For All Mankind was one that really ended up catching my interest. I watched S1 and will continue on but took a break for now. On Disney ... Big Shot. Cute enough. The Watchmen ... Hubs and I had started it a while back but hadn't finished. I restarted. Weird, but interesting. Mare of Eastown was good. The Girlfriend Experience was just ehh, and I actually disliked The Mosquito Coast on AppleTV. Also on AppleTV, Physical ... which was crazy and fun. I was okay with the 80s hair here, and it was interesting from a Zumba standpoint. I'd watched the first few episodes, then we finished up our free AppleTV trial. Later on in the year, when Ted Lasso came on with new episodes, we re-subscribed and I finished up the season. Finally ... CougarTown. I'd watched Seasons 1-4 ages ago on DVD. I'd seen there were more seasons, but wasn't sure where they were available. When they hit AmazonPrime, I started watching again, but this was my "weight workout" show, which means I'd only get in one episode or so a week. So to get through the final two seasons (13 episodes each) took a while, but the show made me laugh.

For the rest of the year ...

Continuing on with some series I was already invested in ... Season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale. It kept me coming back to the gym! My son (on my Amazon account) signed up for Paramount+, so I got back to The Good Fight (S4). I'd taken a break from Grey'sAnatomy after Covid became a storyline (I was living it, didn't need to see it in my show at the same time). Enough time had passed that I got back to it. Loved some of the cameos in Season 16.  Also on Hulu ... The Hot Zone (liked it), Nine Perfect Strangers (didn't like it), The Split (it was good), and Only Murders in the Building (a little ... maybe a LOT too corny). Hubs wanted to see the second season of The Morning Show so we got AppleTV again and watched it. I'd already seen the first season of Ted Lasso, but I got Hubs to watch, and then we watched the second season together. Love Lasso! I also adored Schmigadoon! Hubs and I also watched The White Lotus (that was weird!), The Boys (S1 & S2), and Cobra Kai (S1 & S2). 

So while I may have spotlighted some of these series in the monthly recaps ... I wanted an annual look at the television series that kept me entertained and exercising throughout the year. All in one place for quick review. #JenBsTV

#JenBsMovies 2021

I'd asked the boys to write up their movie memories from 2021 for the family blog ... I created a collage of mine, only to realize it was just partial (the second half of the year). I've tried to keep a list on IMDB to track my movies and TV series, and using that I was able to augment the first collage I made.

I use my movies for motivation and entertainment while working out ... all of these were watched while walking on the treadmill or hitting the elliptical machine. 

We had Disney+ again for a bit ... so the year started off with a bunch of Disney shows. Some were repeats (Invincible, Miracle, Iron Will, Glory Road, Journey of Natty Gan, Ever After) but lots of new ones.  Soul was good, I really liked Clouds. I didn't care for the live action Lady and the Tramp, nor Black Beauty.

... on other platforms, I caught up on the Godzilla/Kong movies, four of them! Went on a "based on a true story" binge (second line from the bottom) and watched several with #4 as he had them in his film studies class (the last five films on the bottom row). While they were okay, they weren't really my preferred types of movies, and it really does make a difference in energy and willingness to get in an extra workout.

The second half of the year, I ended up watching five movies on the road, during a family trip to Seattle. Four (on the bottom row) were watched with Hubs. All the others were watched while working out.  The top row were movies I had seen previously (Dead Poet's and ET were part of #4's Film Studies). The anime movie A Silent Voice was also for #4's school/English.  Into the Woods, In The Heights and Tick Tick Boom were musicals. I LOVED the latter.

Quite the variety. I'm not super picky with the movies I watch while working out. I just keep my ears open for shows people are talking about, see what's available on our streaming services, and just give them a go. 

Self-Sabtoging September 2021

I've really lost all motivation, which is obviously noted in the numbers. The lack of calorie counting, the uptick on the scale. The days I counted I kept calories in check ... those ZERO days are NOT zero calories. Probably 3000. Just not tracked. Not counted ... but obviously they still add up. A lot. I didn't  even get to this monthly recap until oodles after (it's end of November now ... things have not improved). I didn't gather all the graphs and charts because ... why? But I still figured I'd add the monthly numbers up for my own records. Mark the decline. Odd, as September is often one of my more motivational months in years past. Getting back on a school schedule is good! And I have less on my plate this year (#4 is still online-schooling, but I'm not nearly as involved as the last two years, #5 has an early drop-off and late pickup, with less trips in-between). Just a bit of a "nothing really matters" attitude ...

 

One area I have NOT been struggling in is books ... almost all audio, as I do other tasks.

 A good majority here are from Audible's PLUS program. My Audible membership is up in January and I don't plan on renewing. I've only used 2 of my 12 credits so far (I'm perfectly fine borrowing rather than buying, there are few books I want to own and re-listen to). I do like the sales and PLUS program, but have a hard time justifying the cost when I have so many other books at my fingertips (library, etc).

Down in the home gym ... this is what I was watching while working out. 

Had a HULU special, so got it for a month. #4 has been happy to have it, watching the anime offerings (he's actually been running on the treadmill, not just walking like me). I have to go with the "no commercials" option as I've been so spoiled by other streaming services. I can't stand ads breaking up the shows. While I like Hulu, again, it is difficult to justify the $13.99 monthly cost ongoing. We'll likely resubscribe here and there. It really is interesting how much motivation a show can bring. Handmaid's would get me excited to hit the gym again. Nine Perfect Strangers was an ordeal to get through (I know, I can just stop watching, but I have this need for closure. Ironically I read the book and didn't care for it either, not sure why I felt like the show might be better). Murders was cute enough, lots of big names, but really just okay. I liked Hot Zone. 

The three movies were DVDs from the library - Concussion I had seen before, but #4 was doing a paper for English about concussions in the NFL, so it seemed like a rewatch was recommended. The other two (also "based on a true story") were previews from the former DVD that looked interesting, so I then grabbed them. 

 

... and finally, the monthly photo recap featuring the family!

Recap HERE.

August 2021

 

Not only were eating/exercise not great during August, but September is almost over and I haven't even finished up my monthly post yet. And just so you know ... September is even worse weight-wise :(

Weight, had a little drop but then back up. Fasting hours haven't been great, and I've struggled to keep up the motivation to keep a record of caloric intake (you can see I missed a day there, and there were some general estimates where I wasn't really tracking well). 

Steps and Sleep ... sleep seems okay.

I did keep up my 10k streak at least, but nothing close to a 30k day. #4 son has been crazy with the steps though! Zumba, elliptical, treadmill throughout the month. Lots of ping pong and pickleball. Only two weight sessions.

What I Watched While Working Out ...

Back to HBO (Hubs figured out how to get it included on our phone plan), watching a couple series there. Mare of Easttown was pretty good, I wasn't exactly sure where it would end up. Limited series, wrapped up, not really set for a follow-up. Hubs and I had tried Watchmen a while back, but had only gotten a couple episodes in. I actually had to try and figure out what I had seen and where I was, but needed the refresher. STRANGE series, and I guess it ended at the one season. It did catch my interest and kept me coming back though. A couple movies, one old (Confessions - cute, I'd seen it before. Lots of good music in it) and new, Reminiscence ... this was weird. I liked it okay. Very film noir (I'd piggy backed some of my son's classes last year, one being film studies, thus the reference there). Seemed to have a couple references (both the leading lady, and the rooftop laundry line) to The Greatest Showman. Now CougarTown ... that one has been going on for a while for me. It's my "weight workout" show, one that I don't really have to watch closely, one that I'm okay only catching a couple times a month. I really enjoy this crazy, wacky show. So silly. In the last year or so I think I've finished up season 5 and season 6 ... which wrapped up the series.

Books ... 17 for the month. Mostly audio. I just have much more "ear" time than "eye" time. And my eyes are not going great, I should get in and get checked. It's that time ... I guess I need glasses (it's been a good run, I've outlasted all my siblings!) 

• The Martian - I've heard the Ray Porter narration is better than this Wil Wheaton narration, but other than some "Ready Player One" flashbacks (he narrated that as well) I thought it was good. I had seen the movie some years ago, which I'd really liked, so I did have a basic idea of the storyline going in. Lots of science/physics/chemistry stuff mentioned (but as I went through chemistry and physics with my son during online learning, it was interesting to me to catch some of it). This was included temporarily in AudiblePlus, so I wanted to get the listen in while it was free for me.  4.5 stars.
  
• The Midwife's Revolt, Our Own Country and A More Perfect Union - Historical fiction in early-America years featuring Abigail Adams. A trilogy of sorts, books 1 and 2 have many of the same things happening at the same time, but two different character perspectives. The final book is several years after book 2 ends. The first was my favorite I think. These were included in KindleUnlimited (both text and audio). Four stars for the first two, three stars for the third book.
  
• The Bright Side of Going Dark - cute contemporary, duel POV, featuring a "social influencer" as one story line (turning off her phone, as the title suggests). Kindle Unlimited (text and audio). 4 stars.
  
• The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - heard SO much buzz about this, and I did like it. The title character and the basic premise of "living years unchanged" resembles "Age of Adeline" (although the similarities end there). Borrowed from my library. Julia Whelan narrating. 4 stars.
• Hope (by Marc Levy) - I've read a few by this author (several included in KU, text and audio) and this was a favorite. A romance wUnbith a little futuristic sci-fi thrown in. Can you preserve a person's soul? 4 stars.
  
• Confessions of a Jane Austin Addict - this one didn't do it for me. Time travel, modern JA fan transported back into P&P times. Library borrow. Two stars. 
• Pride and Premeditation - another "Austen-esque" story that didn't quite do it for me. P&P retelling, murder mystery. I'm not sure why Elizabeth was so young in this (just 15).  Library borrow. 2.5 stars.
  
• All That's Left of Me - For some reason I thought this was going to be a fun/light "wishes come true" story, but it was pretty heavy (trigger warning, sexual harassment/rape). Does make you think about what would happen if what you wished for came to pass. KindleUnlimited, text and audio. 3 stars.
• The Rose Code - WW2 drama ... there's been lots of buzz about this book too, maybe my expectations were too high? It was good, but felt a little over-the-top with all that happened (the spy story). Two timelines, both in the 1940s (during the war and after). Three POVs, although all third person, one narrator. 3.5 stars.
• The Girls in the Attic - WW2 drama, included with Kindle Unlimited (text and audio). Good narration with "German accent" (as the characters are German). I wasn't sure where the story was going, it kept me guessing. 4 stars.
• The Second Blind Son - 2nd in a series, and it had been a while since I'd read book one (The First Girl Child) and I didn't really remember it. But reviews said this was more of a companion book than a sequel. Overlapping timelines, different perspective ... so I figured it would be okay if I didn't feel fresh on the first book. While I've loved many of this author's other works, this series is just so-so for me. Fantasy. Included in KU with text and audio. 3 stars.
• The Coldest Girl In Coldtown - for some reason the "cold" in the title always made me think of "Warm Bodies" and thus zombies ... but this is vampires. Interesting premise (turning "cold" but not yet a vampire) but the "cold" is more related to the MC broadcasting blogger news.  Liked it but didn't love it, not sure I'll continue on with the series. Library borrow. 3 stars. 
• The Wrong Unit - my one "read" for the month. It was fine, but didn't keep me hooked and I struggled a bit to get through it and was relieved when I was done. Futuristic sci-fi/robots and some crazy technology and world happenings. 2.5 stars. Kindle Unlimited, text only (whispersync audio was available for $7.49 but this was short, or so I thought!)
  
• Leaving Blythe River - I've read several by this author, and they are a little hit and miss for me. This was a miss. Shifting time frames, and it just wasn't believable at all (for a book that's supposed to be on the realistic side). Searching for a father lost in the wilderness. Included in KU, text and audio. 2 stars.
• Sooley - John Grisham in a non-courtroom novel. This didn't FEEL like a novel at the start. The way it was written, and narrated, it sounded so similar to "The Boys in the Boat"  and "Unbroken" ... I had to stop and Google to see if this (the character, the story) was real.  While loosely based on a real person, this was fiction (with some situational facts, the war, etc) and ... depressing! It left me down, but 3 stars for the writing. Borrowed from my library. 

 

 

As far as family ...

We had birthday week (two boys at the end of August, one first week of September), the start of school (a sophomore, a senior and one SLCC/Skydiving). #2 and his wife had a Hawaii getaway, and Hubs hit the red rock of Moab in the RZR. For me, it was Zumba, pickleball and Pokemon with #4. Speaking of #4, he's been doing great with his exercise (jogging on the treadmill in addition to our pickleball) and has been getting some driving in (finally!) Haircuts, a good watermelon summer, and lots of food.

When Hubs was young, his family would find caterpillars and watch them turn into monarch butterflies. Monarchs have really been struggling for survival in today's world, and while Hubs has wanted to share this experience with the boys, we've not been able to find caterpillars, haven't seen a monarch in the wild in years and years. We've had a patch of milkweed in our flowerbed in the hopes that someday a butterfly would stop by. It finally happened. I can't believe the luck that I had just arrived home and looked over and saw the small flutter and recognized it immediately. I got a video to share with Hubs, and noticed as Mrs. Monarch made a stop on one of the small shoots. She left us an egg! So even though the boys are older now, we've been watching our little egg hatch and "Pilly" eat and grow!

July 2021

 

The summer slide; exercise/eating and fasting all went downhill, and ... weight went up. Again. Beyond the lax summer schedule (sleeping in, etc) there were holidays (July 4th and 24th), wedding anniversary (29 years), and a family vacation to Seattle. I'm not exactly sure where Fitbit got the weights for July 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th ... I did NOT take the scale with me on our trip. Maybe it just prorated based on the weight before-after?  The end of the month had some emotional eating as well ... super sad situation for my son's basketball coach.

  

Weight was all over the place ... a 7.65 difference between the high and the low. Starting weight 163.8. Ending weight 169.53. High 170.85. Low 163.2. Average was 168, 4.5 up from last month. Fasting hours were down, and a little more inconsistent. Intake was up (uber over on one of our vacation days).

A look at steps, active minutes (a couple days without ANY), and sleep ...

I kept up my 10k streak, ten 20k days, one 30k day. 15 Zumba classes with a bit of practice at home. Only eight days where I got in my full hour of elliptical. Treadmill time was down, just six days this month. Still plenty of ping pong, and a few (four) pickleball sessions. One weight workout. 

What I'm watching really DOES motivate me ... the bottom row was watched in the gym, but with the Seattle trip, the five movies on the top row were during travel. On the plane, and in the car while on the road (I have anxiety issues on freeways and crowded streets, so I sat in the backseat with headphones on and tried to watch a movie, not the road!) 

• The Tomorrow War: Amazon original, I liked it. Time travel and futuristic stuff is fun.
• Greenland: Apocalyptic ... I liked this one too. Lots of action, kept my interest and energy up.
• The Impossible: I'd had this on my "to watch" list for a while. Based on a true story. Super sad, intense. Kept me captivated. Cute Tom Holland when he was little!
• Empire of the Sun: A rewatch for me, but it's been years. I've been reading so much WW2 I figured I'd come back to this. Again an actor in his younger years ... Christian Slater.
• The Way Back: We are a basketball family, I like basketball shows. This had a lot of language. Interesting (but appropriate) ending.
• The Upside: I thought this was well done. Thumbs up.
• Remember Me: I am NOT a fan of Mr. Twilight, but I liked this movie well enough. I was not at all sure how it was going to wrap up there at the end. It wasn't what I was expecting. 
• Space Jam - A New Legacy: The kids went to the theater opening night. Hubs and I watched some on HBO Max. We didn't make it through. I finished it up on the treadmill, just to finish.
• Luca: Disney+ membership is ending. I'd heard good things about this, it was cute. Very young.
• Big Shot (Season 1): 10 episodes. I waited until all the episodes for the season were streaming. Girls basketball is really different than boys basketball ;) This was a cute little story though, a bit "Disney" and "after school special" feel. I found it interesting that there was a team beyond these five featured girls, but I felt like they were different background girls in every shot ;) 

What I was Reading ...(I almost always have an earbud in)

July Books ~

1. Pansy Cottage (3/5) 4th in a JAFF series.
2. World War Z (4/5) Really liked it - so many accents in the audio edition. Zombies!
3. Answer Creek (3/5) Almost a DNF, but glad I went to the end. Historical, Donner Party.
4. Pearl of Magic (3/5) 3rd in a 5 book series, loved the first two, this one not as much. Little Mermaid retelling.
5. The Will and the Wilds (3/5) Just okay - kept my interest, but won't stick in my memory.
6. The Trials of Morrigan Crow (3/5) Meant for a younger audience ... didn't click for me.
7. True Loaf (3/5) ... really just a short (really short) story. Just okay.
8. Across the Winding River (4/5) WW2 with two timelines. I liked it. Audio included with KU.
9. The Seven Day Switch (4/5) Liked this a lot - "Freaky Friday" switch between two moms.
10. Tears of Amber (5/5) WW2 historical, over years, intertwining stories.
11. Nothing to See Here (4/5) Liked it, unique idea ;)
12. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett (5/5) Fond memories of this one.
13. Walk on Earth a Stranger (4/5) Gold Rush historical, touch of paranormal. First in a series.
14. Like a River Glorious (4/5) Same series, book 2 ...
15. Into the Bright Unknown (3/5) Same series, book 3 (final/trilogy). Enjoyed it, but not quite up there with this author's "Girl of Fire and Thorns" series.
16. Darcy's Royal Dilemma (3/5) JAFF, quite short ... abrupt ending (setting up series, but I don't think I'll continue).
17. Hamnet (5/5) Lots of book buzz about this - I felt like it lived up to it.
18. How the Penguins Saved Veronica (5/5)  - I'll have fond memories of this. 

... as for family

Star wars stuff. Pizza, pretzels, popcorn and lots of other food. Ping pong, pickleball and Pokemon Go. A family vacation to Seattle. 29th anniversary. Basketball ... #2 men's league, #5 to Vegas. WJ Family pulls together for Coach after tragic car accident. Rain. Ribs. Zumba. Covid vaccinations for the boys. Jumping out of planes (#3), Top Golf, Grandparents & games. 

June 2021

 

I had been doing so well. Past tense. What started going downhill mid-May (resulting in an opposite "uphill" on the scale) continued into June. I'm really surprised at how fast the pounds reappeared. 10 pounds in a month? Still staying pretty active, but struggled with food/fasting. 

So here's the scale shifts during June. Started at 161.7. Ended at 165.2. High was 167.9. Low was 159.8. Average was 163.5, which is 6.5 pounds up from last month's average. Looking at annual records, at least I'm a lot better off than I was last year at this time. Although if you go back further, it's about where I was May/June of 2019. Up and down, down and up.

 

Intake vs Burn ... calories counted on My Fitness Pal (requiring manual guesswork and input) and burn calculated by my Fitbit Versa. Who knows how close they are to correct. All estimations. Average intake was high though, 2486. Average daily burn 2858. Can't out cardio the calories, as much as I try!

There were some high calorie days. The goal is to stay under 2000 ... which I only accomplished five days in June. Not sure how so many stick to low-calorie (1500 or under) eating plans! I'm sure NOT eating carbs and sweets&treats would help a lot. Junk food does add up quickly. It's the eating. I know.

Step average just over 20k. I kept up my 10k streak (since early January), twenty-one days over 20k, no 30k days this month.  15 Zumba classes, which was more than last month (as I'm hitting MZL regularly now, they even opened up class again! Yeah!) Christa had her last day with our Mon/Wed class though, as she's having ankle surgery and will be out for a few months :(  25 days with some time on the elliptical, 8 days where I got my full hour in. 17 days with treadmill time. 1 time on the bike, 4 weight sessions. 16 days with ping pong, and 7 pickleball sessions. 

The TV Shows/Movies I watch really do make a difference in my motivation. The top three are series, the first on Starz, the latter two on Apple+. I finished the first season of GF Experience, but it wasn't really for me, and reviews said the next seasons weren't good. The Mosquito Coast had decent reviews, but I had to push to finish. Got annoyed that WHY they were running was this big secret, never revealed. I liked Physical ... plan on finishing the season, but it's still airing, and my Apple+ subscription ran out and I didn't want to pay to continue it. 

Movies ... the middle are all re-watches. Ones I'd seen a while back. I hadn't remembered Josie being quite so over-the-top silly (but I still enjoyed it). Legends ... why did I watch that again? Just misery! Devil was one I have wanted to watch again, and it delivered, again.  Redemption Day ... eh. Nobody, it was fine. In the Heights ... didn't have the same impact on me as Hamilton or Rent (reminiscent of both to me). Tenet - Hubs and the kids had seen it. I didn't understand it, which seems to be the consensus. 

Good month for books ... 20 total. 

I'd put several popular books on hold at the library, and several became available. I still have KindleUnlimited (they offered me three months for $1 when I went to cancel my two months free ... couldn't say no to that).  Also, in addition to AudiobookBoom, I've started getting books from other sources (a Facebook review group, Netgalley Audio).  Read (listened to) The Obesity Code ... I struggle keeping interest in non-fiction, but it does go along with my fasting right now. Some interesting info, although most things were still familiar. 

... and on the family front ...

Love the #voila look ;) #3 has been jumping out of planes. Father's Day gatherings with both sides of the family, plus pizza.  9-Square, Pickleball, TopGolf, Swimming. Two trips to Moab ... and one that wasn't. #5 had a St. George basketball tournament. New grill for Hubs. New router ... had to reset all the devices in the house, and my old Fitbit Aria scale would NOT connect, so, new scale (Renpho). I'd just been looking for an excuse. It's been HOT HOT HOT! 

May 2021

 

Mayday Mayday! My motivation is under attack. Food and fasting are falling/failing this month, a slight hit on fitness too. Numbers on the scale hit a low, but then also bounced back up. 

The month started at 155.4, ended at 162.26 ... oops! Up over six pounds! That ending number was the high for the month. The low was mid-May, 153.28. I was able to keep my weekly averages all in the 150s, but just barely. Average for the month was 157, which is up a tiny bit from last month.

Intake vs Burn ... the goal is to keep the blue line under the orange line, to keep calories burned over calories consumed (understanding that both are just estimates, Fitbit data and MFP manual entry). Started off the month with a couple high eating days, and only stayed under 2000 for ten days. Generally the fasting hours have helped keep calories in check, but as mentioned, the fasting was under fire as well. There were several days where there were late meals and family activities. And there was SO MUCH FOOD. I've been going a little crazy baking sourdough bread ... and eating sourdough bread. I tried turning the dough into pizza crust, with wonderful results. Used my sourdough for pancakes and waffles and donuts! We went out to dinner as a family (Mother's Day) and had a big Memorial Day BBQ. Graduation and birthday for my DIL, with a chocolate fountain and wacky cake. I made "Swig" cookies, and Hubs tried out a new popcorn. It was a month full of family, fun and FOOD. 

So, MAYDAY ... May has been the hardest month in a while! Ironically, I had one of those Facebook Flashbacks, showing me May of 2019. I had tried Noom, and was starting IMF two years ago, and lost a little, May/June/July being pretty good months (hit 164.3 which was my lowest in a bit). August/September is usually when school schedules help me focus even more, but Fall of 2019 is where things went downhill... when I gave up on the fasting, gave up on tracking food, let up on the exercise. Put on the pounds, and that was before Covid hit.

Anyway ... back to present day. I actually had MORE Zumba classes in a month than I have in a while, as I went to Friday classes with MZL. Still not a full class, just instructors doing a live stream for people to watch at home if they want. I did some Zumba practice at home. I was on the elliptical 21 days this month, treadmill time 16 days. A half hour of ping pong 13 days. Several lawn mowing sessions, and four weight workouts. Four 30k+ days. Over 10k every day. 

What I Watched While Working Out ...

Ah streaming services ... I think we'll likely always have Netflix and Amazon. The others we'll just take turns with as they offer deals or shows we really want to see. I was offered one month of Hulu for free, so I took advantage of that. Watched some movies and a couple series. We still have complimentary AppleTV, so when Hulu expired, I switched to a series there. ET and Dead Poet's Society were ones #4 was watching in his Film Studies class, so I re-watched them as well (had to rent DPS, it wasn't streaming anywhere). Without Remorse was a new release on Amazon that Hubs and I watched together.

My books for the month ...

... and a peek at family life!

April 2021

 

Weight average for April was 156.3, which was down 5.2 from last month. The month started at 156.2, the high was 159.7, the low was 153.72 and it ended at 155.73. Happy to be in the 150s for the full month. The goal is to be under 150, so I'll keep working toward that. The weekends are a challenge, and that is really reflected in the weight graph for the month! Up and down, peaks and valleys!

 

I created a graph to show my calories in vs calories out ...

Need to work on the eating, especially on the lower exercise days.

My lines crossed twice during the month.

From the StrideKick app, I get a good graph & stats from Steps & Minutes. There is generally a pretty strong correlation between steps and minutes, but it doesn't always line up perfectly (on one day I beat #4 in steps, but he beat me in minutes). My step average was up a tiny bit from last month, although the total steps were down (March had an extra day over April). My minutes were down a bit in both average and total.

 

My sleep graph ala Apple Health  (imported data, previously it was from my Oura, but I switched to my Fitbit using the "Sync Solver" app). Last month I got a little extra sleeping in with Spring Break for #5, but it was back to the routine. I can stay in bed a bit longer on Fri, Sat, Sun and I often do. 

My fasting was on track for April, I only missed goal one day. I had some longer fasts, although I was a little under my total hours for last month. 

For Fitness, there were nine Zumba classes. We missed one Wednesday Zumba class as the church was being cleaned. I got in a Thursday class, as #5's school has testing which pushed his pickup back, so I that I had a little extra time. I also hit MZL for Friday, and I'm planning on continuing that. I did some Zumba practice as well.  Elliptical 27 days, treadmill 22 days. Four times on the bike, and six weight sessions. Plenty of ping pong, back to mowing the lawn, a little wii fit.

 

What I Was Watching ... still a few Disney shows, then HBO - movies and WestWorld. I'd watched seasons 1&2, but it had been a while. I watched Season 1 again, then just watched a recap of Season 2, before starting Season 3. 

 

 

 

 

Here's a peek at pictures featuring the family activities ...