Ups and Downs Over the Years

As I reflect on the past 20 years ... there have been a lot of ups and downs. In life and on the scale. During the early married life and five children, I wasn't tracking, but weight went up over the years. Our last child was born in December 2005, and mid-2006 is when my official weight-loss journey started. It's interesting to see the scale shifts laid out across a timeline. 

My high was around 175/180 (other than pregnancy) That's where I was when I started recording my first data points (weight, steps, calorie counting). I lost almost 50 pounds and hit goal weight/135. The next few years had little ups and downs, and honestly, as long as I stayed under 150, I felt pretty good.  During this time I stayed active, mostly elliptical and treadmill (some weights) in our home gym, lots of walks with the littles in the stroller, even some soccer meet-ups. Some climbs, corrections, but by the end of 2012 ... back up.  It's the eating ...

I recommitted in 2013 ... back to tracking calories in MFP.  In 2014, I added Zumba. Starting just once a week at my local church, then adding more classes until I was going Mon-Friday, with some evening/weekend classes too. Still using the treadmill/elliptical/weights in the home gym. Some early success, then up/down/up/down, with the down never really where I wanted (under 150).  I was pretty much at my high/180 (the end of 2019 had been tough, with a death in the family, a car crash, broken bones, depression/anxiety issues) when Covid hit ... and that cancelled my Zumba classes and affected motivation. Up even more ... the dreaded 200.

Snoring was actually the impetus I needed ... I'd been on the receiving end and suffered through a partner's snores at times through the years. Hubs has enough trouble sleeping, so this stressed me out a lot. This round, I added in IMF (Intermittent Fasting) as well as calorie counting and tried to up the activity/exercise. I think IMF helped, just "turning off" for a time, not allowing mindless eating. I was also uber busy with #5's basketball and helping #4 with school.  I'd just turned 50.

I almost got to goal ... and then started putting the weight back on (yes, I got lax in my calorie counting and fasting windows. And I started making sourdough...) About as quickly as it came off, it was back on again. 

As 2022 started up ... New Year and all that, time to recommit. Then I had a seizure. We didn't know what had happened, but I hit my head as I went down. Ambulance/ER and then recovery. I was okay, but my activity never quite got back to where I had been. Still getting in the quantity, but not the quality (walking slowed, less intensity/adjusted moves at Zumba).  Hubs had great success in weight loss during 2022 (and while he's had some small ups and downs, he's stayed very fit and trim).  Pickleball was an added activity ... with the family when weather permitted, and with a ladies group on Thursday mornings. 

I got a bit back into my groove ... for some reason, despite holidays/birthdays, I seem to do better during the colder months: Oct/Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb ... seriously, maybe something to do with Daylight Savings? Then in April of 2023 ... another seizure/ambulance/ER. Both times I cracked my head, requiring stitches/staples. 

At the end of 2024 ... another dip, thanks to a return to MFP and IMF. Sometimes, it just clicks. I could control my appetite. I even did some 24+ hour fasts, which I'd never been successful at before. But like the other "v" cycles ... the down was followed by an up. Starving all the time, couldn't even keep an 18-hour fast, and a 24-hour seemed unimaginable. Constant cravings. Not wanting to track my failures (giving up attempting IMP and MFP). 

And here we are. Again. Labwork from a recent doctor visit showed a high A1C, cholesterol ... not really surprising. It's the eating. If it weren't for my activity level, it would likely be worse. Considering trying the GLP-1 medications out there, it sure seems to be working for so many. I could SO use the help with the eating issues. I had let my thyroid medication lapse, so I'm back on that and as this is my cyclic "good time" we'll see how I do the next few months on my own, then ... we'll see. Reading up and getting acquainted with the options and requirements.  I'd so love to see the 150s or below, and stay there!  

2025/Q3 ~ What I Was Watching (July/August/September)

If I'm down on the treadmill or elliptical in our home gym ... I have a show/movie on to keep me entertained and motivated. Hubs and I also often wind down at the end of the day getting in a tv series or movie. I enjoy keeping track of what I'm watching, so here's the list from the third quarter of 2025.

Eleven movies. I got into a bit of a "musical mood" ...

The top three were with Hubs upstairs, eight downstairs in the gym.

• Come From Away: On AppleTV. Hubs and I had gone to the touring musical and really liked it. This is a filmed version of the stage play, so exactly what you see if going to it live (but you can also have subtitles and closeups!) Several of the actors here were the same ones we saw. 
• RENT: I'd watched this before, and I'm very familiar with the music. Made Hubs sit through it with me ;) 
• Nonnas: Hubs and I didn't have anything picked out, and I recalled seeing an ad for this and had noted it had pretty good reviews. Cute.
• Extract: Several big names here ... weird story. Didn't love it.
• K-Pop Demon Hunters: I'm not sure where I heard the song "Golden" but it was STUCK in my head and I love it! I figured I needed to give the movie a go ... I enjoyed it. 
• Matilda: I'd watched the original movie not long ago. Here I went with the musical version ... not one I liked that much. 
• La La Land: Rewatch ... like it, don't love it (so why did I rewatch it?)
• Waitress: I'd seen the movie version and ... struggled with some of the storyline. I hadn't thought I'd watch this musical version, but I decided to give it a go. I actually quite enjoyed this (even though I still struggle with the infidelity storyline). 
• Dear Evan Hansen: I've heard the title but really didn't know anything about this ... I liked it. Maybe one song hit home. 
• Legally Blond: I have seen the original movie, thought it was cute. Had to turn to YouTube for the musical version. Glad it still had subtitles. I really enjoyed this!
• Oklahoma: Back in my high school musical days, I played Laurie in Oklahoma. That was 35+ years ago. I was surprised that some of the lines/music was still totally in my head, and other parts I'd forgotten. Surprisingly darker than I remember ...

Television Series ... We still had AppleTV for most of this quarter. I'd gone to cancel after our 3-month promo (from buying a new phone I think?) was up, and was offered two more months at $6.99 I think? I did cancel it before being billed full price, although Hubs is interested in the latest season of The Morning Show (episodes still dropping ... I prefer to wait until all episodes are out before starting). 

• For All Mankind: Seasons 2, 3, 4 ... I'd already watched the first three seasons, I hadn't realized there was a fourth. I introduced it to Hubs, and we watched the first season together last quarter, and finished up the series (so far). The first two seasons were the best. 
• Wednesday: Hubs and I had watched Wednesday (S1) last year, and he cued it up as the second season dropped. I wasn't feeling it though, and he picked up on that and was okay dropping it. I'm not sure how far we got into it ... just a couple of episodes I think. 
• Sugar: I hadn't heard much about Sugar but saw it was rated fairly highly on IMDB. Interesting and fun "detective noir" and ... I totally called the twist (even though I was half joking when I said it). While we liked it, I don't think we'll be watching a second season (if there is one). 
• The Couple Next Door: I got a little deal on Starz, and tuned in to this show getting a bunch of buzz ... I didn't make it through the season though, gave up on it.
• Acapulco: This was super cute! A little bit of a "Princess Bride" feel with the telling of a story, then shifting into the story. Just so many fun things. I started S2 and I'm not exactly sure why I didn't continue on, I guess I just needed a change (and then cancelled). I think I'll come back to this at some point.
• Bad Sisters: A murder mystery ... definitely making us watching suspect everyone. I wasn't really surprised at the reveal. It was good.
• The Buccaneers: Definitely felt like this was playing off of Bridgerton's success. I liked the first season okay, but had to push a little to finish and am not planning on continuing on. 

So, that's a What I Was Watching wrap-up!

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/Q2 ~ What I Was Watching (April/May/June)

What I Was Watching

April/May/June ~ 2025 (Q2)

I never just sit and watch TV/Movies ... either I'm in the gym, with a show on while I workout (some are more motivating than others) or it's "TV Together Time" with Hubs. Both have been a little lacking this last quarter. I just haven't been making it down to the gym as much (still struggling with plantar fasciitis in my right foot).  During this quarter we added Paramount+ for a bit, as well as a 3-month AppleTV deal.   More series than movies ...

• Shrinking (S2): I was glad to get back to this series, I'd really enjoyed the first season. Watched with Hubs, I think I liked it more than he did. 
• No Good Deed: I saw some buzz about this, and Hubs and I watched it and enjoyed it. 
• White Lotus (S3): We'd watched the first two seasons together, so we'd been watching for the third season to fall. 
• Loudermilk: Hubs brought this one, and we watched all four seasons.
• Landman: Hubs was watching Yellowstone (I'd watched the first season and had no interest in watching more, so he was watching that on his own during his workouts) but this is by the same director. On Paramount+ ... Hubs watched this on his own, then I watched it too (during workouts).  I actually liked this/interesting.
• The Pitt: I've always enjoyed ER/medical dramas. This was good. 
• Zero Day: Another "parallel" watch with Hubs. Watched around the same time, but while working out individually. 
• Why Women Kill: I'd heard quite a bit of buzz about this one, and I liked this. I've heard that the first season was the best, so I'm not planning on continuing. 
• Four Seasons: A little "ouch" in watching this, just some of the heartache. 
• Dark Matter: I'd read and enjoyed this book, and had this on my list for the next time we had AppleTV. I thought they did a really good job with the adaptation. 
• Disclaimer: This was too graphic for me, I didn't really like it ... but at one point the main character "made the weekly call to her mother" and that just clicked something. Since watching this show, I too have been making a weekly call to my mother. 
• Your Friends and Neighbors: Entertaining enough to watch while working out.
• Murderbot: I had read the book, and hadn't really liked it ... but I liked the series.
• Presumed Innocent: I'm positive I saw the original movie at some point, but it was long enough ago that I didn't remember the storyline/twists (and this changed things some). This kept my interest, had some "ouch" moments. 
• Stick: I really enjoyed this, even though I'm not interested in golf. It was dropping episodes, so I had to wait a bit (and the final ones actually came out in July, but I'm including it in Q2).
• Others: Hubs and I (on my recommendation) started For All Mankind. I'd watched S1-S3 previously, so a rewatch for me on those. There is a S4 now. I think we got through S1 during Q2 and are continuing on. Hubs is giving it a thumbs up.  We tried Beef (Hubs recommendation) but I didn't like it, so we didn't continue. I watched the first episode of Smoke ... it just started dropping, I'm not sure I'll continue with it, we'll see. 

• The Gorge: The one movie Hubs and I watched together this quarter. #1 son had said he really liked this. It was "ehh" for me. 
• Mickey17: I'd read the book, and was looking forward to the film adaptation. I thought it was pretty good, although the leader characters were over the top (were they that bad in the book? I can't remember). Fun premise. 
• Little Man Tate: Saw a little reel, and it caught my interest enough that I looked up this film. I enjoyed it. 

I try to keep a record of what I'm watching on IMDB, but these posts here on the blog are actually the best way for me to remember what I was watching and when ... and that was Q2/2025. 

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.

What I Was Watching ~ 2025/Q1

 It was college basketball season January/February, and my youngest had games twice a week, which I'd catch on the NWAC Sports Network. I'd walk while watching ... helps keep my anxiety at bay, and I'd get in four+ miles during his games. On non-game days, I watched TV series and movies, and Hubs and I got in some shows together before bed. Here's what I was watching...

• Younger: I thought this was a new show, but it started in 2015 and had seven seasons! I got hooked and ended up watching all of them. I love books, and the peek into publishing was fun (even if it isn't all that accurate). 
• Arcane: My son(s) suggested I watch this. I'm not big into anime, but I liked it. Watched both seasons. 
• A.P. Bio: Hubs picked this one, when we needed something light and easy (and short). It started off pretty silly, and then ... went off the rails! I guess it was cancelled, then picked up again. The last two seasons were crazy. The image shows Season1, but we watched all four. I was glad to be done though. 
• Workin' Moms: Watched season 2.
• Detectorists: Heard some good things, enough to check out the DVD from the library. It was okay. Finished season 1, I don't think I'll continue. 
• American Primeval: Watched this with Hubs. I didn't really care for it.
• Running Point: Just a silly, lighter one. Basketball, some "Succession" vibes ;) 
• Squid Game: I'd already watched S1 some time ago, Hubs and I watched it together (his first time) so now I'm refreshed and can watch S2 ... if I want.

• Wicked: I'd seen the touring play and really liked the music. I was excited for the movie, to have subtitles and be able to catch all the words! I thought it was well done. Actually watched it twice, once downstairs in the gym, then once with Hubs.
• The Descendants: Watched upstairs with Hubs. It was okay.
• IF: I didn't really care for this one, just silly, showcasing a lot of well-known actor's voices. 
• Conclave: Hubs watched this while he was working out ... I gave it a go too. I didn't really care for it. 
• Fall Guy: Another that Hubs and I watched separately. We both really liked this one though!
• The Big Short: Repeat, for both Hubs and I (watched separately). A good one.
• Sing Street: Kind of cute, but ultimately not that memorable.  Accents. 
• Fly Me To The Moon: Xfinity offered a week of access to Apple+ ... this looked interesting. It was good. 
• Adrift: I liked this one.
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: A rewatch for me. I'd read the book recently. Had to borrow the DVD from the library, as it wasn't streaming on any of our services.
• Kinda Pregnant: Not great, honestly a little embarrassed to say I watched it ;) 
• Quite Place Day One: I'd like the first two Quiet Place movies. I didn't really like this one though. 

What will I watch during April/May/June? Stay tuned ...

Word Cloud Header

On my Facebook page, I'd had a graph of weight through the years for my banner image ... but it was pretty out of date. While I do still weigh in daily, I don't input my stats in excel, which is where I'd created that graph. As my scale stuff has been less than successful for several years, I figured I'd update the cover photo to represent all my interests.  I found a site to create Word Clouds (wordcloud.com) and typed up a list and  ...

#JenBsBooks ~ 2024 Reading Recap

 

Another year in the books ... my highest yet. I don't set a reading goal per se, I just enjoy books. I do TRY to get in a couple non-fiction each month, switch up genres and topics. Popular and obscure. Various lengths. While I am dominantly audio, I get the ebook also for 95% of my listens. I like having the text for reference, and to see if there's anything (author's notes, discussion questions, pictures, setup) that isn't available or or doesn't translate to audio.  I do try to read a little (with my eyes) as well. 

45 of my books on Goodreads got a 5* rating from me (fewer on Storygraph, as they allow half/quarter stars). The ratio of ratings looks quite similar to last few years. Mostly 3 and 4*, with a few 2* and at least one 1* ... I'm not afraid to DNF (did not finish) either ... so many books, so little time!

The Storygraph stats are slightly different ... showing 300 books (to GoodReads 307).  I guess Goodreads went ahead and put the DNF books (unrated in the chart above) in the total, when Storygraph did not. Honestly, I'm not sure which I feel is "correct" or which I prefer. Storygraph actually indicated I had 10 books that I started but didn't finish. 

It's interesting to compare the starts from year to year (I just started Storygraph last year/2023) ... the Mood Map is very similar, the pie charts for fiction/non-fiction, page# and format look almost the same. I like to track WHERE I got the books (library, KU, Audible, etc), and then a few other items.

 

Some additional Storygraph Stats ...

• Average length of books was 326 pages
• 24 5* reads
• May had the highest average rating (3.91)
• December had the lowest average rating (3.17)
• August had the most pages read (10057)
• New authors ... 196
• 86 books part of a series 
• 7 books were re-reads
• 10 books were DNF

Other 2024 book memories ...

• Continued on with two local book clubs, only missed one month 
• Had Audible, cancelled Audible, joined again when they had a sale, cancelled again, joined again. Have MORE than enough in my library (in addition to using the actual library) but ... deals! Sales! I don't use the PLUS catalog that often, but I like having access ;)
• Grabbed a KU deal (3 months free), then paid for one month(December).
• Did a few "tandem" reads with Hubs
• Book Notes - as I listen to audio, if there is something ... one of the words I track, a thought I want to highlight/remember, etc ... I'll pull up the NOTES app on my phone and jot it down (if I'm able to stop quickly to do it, not always possible, if I have more time/I'm home, I might pull up the Kindle copy and make the note there instead). I try to remember to check my notes when writing up a review (sometimes also adding the notes into the Kindle copy). But I thought I'd transfer my notes here for reference too, a quick reflective look at the year. 2024BookNotes. 
• Added a Little Free Library in front of the house. I HAD switched almost entirely to digital (audio and ebook) but now love shopping library and thrift stores for books. Had to buy some more bookshelves for storage, and love frequenting other LFLs. It's affected how I pick what to read next (if I have a physical copy, it gets moved up my TBR, even if I still go with the audio). 
• Room re-arrange at home, so we now have a little book nook/library ... book shelves, a comfy chair and lamp.

I continued to create my "cover collage" each month ... I would share those on Facebook and I created a compilation of them for the family blog (JenBsBooks ~ 2024). Here's a look from Storygraph ... it's fun to just look back over the covers, see which ones I really remember.