Weekly Weigh-In #307 (168.4)

Well, no excuses this week. Everything was pretty standard ... for summer. #5 had a basketball tournament, and Hubs had a quick getaway.  Managed to bring the weight back down a bit. 

Here's steps and stats:

NUMBERS: Official weight down (-2.8), but the average was up (1.17) ... that higher weigh-in last Monday! Managed a deficit four days. Intake average was 1986. Burn average 2837. Deficit for the week was -3390. Three 3000+ burn days. Two 30k days. Step average was 23729 with 61.35 logged miles. Cardio minutes 902/1117/1062/1363 with 105 minutes of strength training.

Here's how the family steps stacked up ...

EXERCISE: Achieved my hour of elliptical five days. Did a half hour one other day. Five days with treadmill time ... two of those with double duty. Five Zumba classes. Two full sessions with weights, and a little extra with abs too. 

Here's the Day by Day ...

• Monday (0617) Good day for food and fitness. Kept calories in check. Hour of elliptical, Zumba w/Kirsten (different church today due to floor refinishing) and two miles treadmill. Also mowed the lawn and did a bunch of stuff around the house. Productive day. 28018 steps. 3017 burn. 1200 intake. 
• Tuesday (0618) Bad night ... feeling yucky when I went to bed and couldn't get to sleep until late. Didn't sleep well. Still had a decent day. Hour of elliptical, Zumba at the church, two treadmill times and a workout with weights. For food, kept quantity in check, even though quality needs improvement. 31235 steps. 3133 burn. 1800 intake. 
• Wednesday (0619) Often drag a bit the day after a weight workout. Exercise was down a bit today. Just elliptical and Zumba. Some shopping steps, getting groceries and gas. #5 went to Lagoon with #1 and wife in the evening. Caved on my fast, indulging in ice cream in the evening. Over on intake. 22609 steps. 2888 burn. 2400 intake. 
• Thursday (0620) Still managed 16 hours for my fast, by pushing "breakfast" until after 1:00. Got in my hour of elliptical, Zumba w/MZL and two miles treadmill.  #5 had games today, BMJ tournament. I dropped him off for the first game, then the boys hung out for several hours until their next game, at 9:00.  #1 came by and took #4 to Toy Story 4.  Hubs came home and packed, leaving on a little weekend getaway tomorrow.  Late night. 27349 steps. 2919 burn. 1400 intake. 
• Friday (0621) Hubs was off early, riding trails today. I got in my hour of elliptical, Zumba, and two miles treadmill. Did weights again! #3 went to a waterpark, but they cut it short. The weather has really cooled down. #5 had games two games again. Today several of the boys came here to hang out between games. Undefeated so far ... #1 and #4 hit a movie again.  31064 steps. 3266 burn. 1400 intake. 
• Saturday (0622) Toyed with the idea of hitting a Zumba class, but then slept in. Didn't end up getting in any official exercise. Mowed the lawn though. One final game for #5 ... they won, taking 1st in the D3. The entire team went out for ice cream afterward. Hubs got home in the evening. Broke the fast and had popcorn while we watched a show. Uber over on calories today. 10147 steps. 2223 intake. 2900 burn. 
• Sunday (0623) Did breakfast, even though I only had two of the boys home. Hubs made pulled pork for dinner (prepping some for a work event tomorrow night). I actually got in some exercise ... 30min elliptical and two miles treadmill. A little abs too. Over on intake again. Oops. Some water balloon fun, bumper balls and riding the Razor. #2 was off to the airport to welcome his GF back after two weeks! 15681 steps. 2411 burn. 2800 intake. 

What I'm Watching ... still on my free month of CBS All Access. Finished up "The Good Fight" this week. That was mainly what I was interested in. Glancing at other shows ... not really anything catching my eye. Giving "Seal Team" and "FBI" a little try, but definitely not a streaming service I "need" or will pay for. 

 Five Featured Photos ...

 ... at the amusement park 

Taking home the Trophy!

Made some homemade ice cream ... one reason for my intake overage on Saturday.

... I bought the boys some new bumper ball toys

Hubs bought a new toy too ...

Weekly Weigh-In #306 ~ Father's Day. Food, Fitness and Fasting Fails

Well, not a great week for food, fitness and fasting. It started off fine, but Sat/Sun weren't great. Father's Day activities threw the routine off somewhat, but ... that's just an excuse, I know. Also struggled with some tooth pain. Need to get into the dentist, but I keep putting that off.

Steps and Stats ...

NUMBERS: Official weight up four pounds on Monday morning. Yikes! I'm sure some of it is temporary with bad eating and no exercise Sunday. The average was only up .28. I was sad to slip up into the 170s again though, and not dropping to even 165 during the week. Intake was up, with the average at 2200. Only one day under goal. Burn wasn't as high as usual, average at 2780. Two days with 3000+ burn, no 30k days, although I got really close once. Still, crunching the numbers, I did have a small deficit for the week (-510). Step average was 21447 with 46.85 logged miles. Cardio minutes 724/946/846/1230. Spent 45 minutes on strength training.

Stacked Steps ...

It's always a little ironic that my Charge2/TorsoTracker (3JenB) gets the least amount of steps, but counts the highest active minutes. The One, worn on the pocket, counted the most steps, per usual. #1 was again 120k, nice to see #3 over 100k as well. The two littles ... #4 is both not stepping, and not wearing. #5 got over 20k Monday and Tuesday, then didn't sync, and wasn't wearing it Thurs-Sunday. He had basketball games Thurs, Fri and Saturday. He isn't allowed to wear anything on his wrist while playing. Too bad, I'd like to see his steps in games (#2 straps his to his ankle, but #5 doesn't care to do that).  My dad showed up in the step count ... appropriate for Father's Day weekend.

EXERCISE: Sleeping in has been an issue this summer. Instead of getting in three 20min sessions on the elliptical early, before heading to Zumba, I'm only getting in one or two ... or none. Only achieved my hour of elliptical three days this week, two other days equaled another hour when added together. Four days with treadmill time, two miles each. Five Zumba classes. One weight workout. 

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Driving was way down this week (3hours), grocery shopping was up at bit (also at 3 hours).  Quite a bit of family time, with get-togethers Saturday and Sunday for Father's Day.  One basketball game. Lots of yard work, gardening and mowing the lawn. A couple fast food runs, to Popeyes and Little Caesars. Some driving practice with #4. 

Here's the Day by Day ...

• Monday (0610) Just shy of 30k today. Got in my hour of elliptical, Zumba and two miles treadmill. Not a good day with #4, very withdrawn. Thought I'd be running #5 to basketball camp this week, but he elected not to do it. Some gardening and baking today. The boys were watching the NBA game in the evening. 29262 steps. 3096 burn. 1400 intake. 
• Tuesday (0611) The usual exercise ... hour of elliptical, treadmill and Zumba. There was a funeral, so I'd canceled my class, and I hit the one with HeatherB, which was fun. I did weights today too. Better day for #4. Computer work, gardening, made chicken and rice for dinner. Dropped #5 off at a sleepover and hit Smiths for prescription pickup and some groceries. Hubs was asleep when I got back. 26640 steps. 3007 burn. 2400 intake. 
• Wednesday (0612) Only my hour of elliptical and Zumba for exercise today, but still felt productive. Picked up #5 after Zumba, he was right there on the way home. Did some driving practice with #4 then picked up Little Caesars. #3 had friends over in the morning for breakfast, then ... he went sky diving! Yikes! #1 came over and took #4 to a movie. As I was falling asleep, heard the beep from a fire alarm and had to get up and change the battery. 23559 steps. 2859 burn. 2200 intake.
• Thursday (0613) Cleaning day, with prepping the house I didn't get in any elliptical before heading to Zumba. Didn't get any elliptical all day! Did two miles on the treadmill, and then stayed very active with some shopping (Lowes, Sams, Walmart) then work in the yard, gardening, mowing and duck duty. Some thunderstorms hit in the evening. #5 had a late game, I just dropped him off to catch a ride with teammates. Final NBA game, as the Raptors won the championship. Hubs was home UBER late.  26792 steps. 2982 burn. 1900 intake. 
• Friday (0614) Went to Zumba with MZL, and got two elliptical sessions in. Also two miles treadmill. A quick store stop. #5 had three games, I went to the first one. 25320 steps. 2905 burn. 2000 intake. 
• Saturday (0615) Prepping for a family party today, Hubs ran some errands and I was busy in the kitchen (jello cubes and Swig cookies). Got in one elliptical session. #5 had two games, caught a ride with teammates. They dropped him off at the family party, as it was on the way home. #3 had to work, but it was his last day at KFC. 9357 steps. 2249 burn. 2600 intake. 
• Sunday (0616) Father's Day. Had a big family breakfast. Hubs got a nap, while I did some prep, more jello cubes, Swig cookies and Chex mix. Rounded up the game bag, and we packed up the segway. Got the annual family picture. Eating window was open all day today. 9200 steps. 2361 burn. 2900 intake. 

*** What I'm Watching ... still watching "The Good Fight" ... finished up Season 2 and moving onto Season 3. Just have a month "free" ... I'm not willing to pay for CBS All Access. Hubs and I watched the first episode of Chernobyl, and an episode of Mad Men (ironically, both shows have the same actor in them).  No movies this week. Sticking with series for the summer, when I'm in the gym a little less.

*** Five Featured Photos ***

So I ordered this black, racerback, pullover compression workout tank (pictured on the left). What I received is on the right ... um, not even close! Come on Groupon Goods, you can do better than that! At least they offer free returns, and you can bet it's going back. Just not sure if it was a mistake in what was sent, or if I attempted to order again if the same thing would happen?

#3 went sky diving!

 Hubs and a big ol- piece of meat at Saturday's family BBQ

 ... and a Sunday nap on Father's Day. Zzzzzz... 

 Funny Father's Day games on Sunday ...

TV Tuesday - Keeping Current w/a Couple

Time for another TV Tuesday.

Normally, I like to watch a series quickly. Watching while working out, so not really a binge per se ... but sometimes, only a week or so to get through a short season. It's made me spoiled. I don't like waiting between weeks. I want to watch when I want. But, there are two shows that I stayed current with, still generally not catching them as they aired, but ones I'd wait anxiously for and get to as soon as possible. Both because I wanted to see what happened ... and to avoid spoilers.

One of the two was GOT. This one was one Hubs and I were watching together, so I was NOT working out (although there were times in the past when we would watch an episode together in the gym, but it's been a while). Lounging in bed while viewing. Only six episodes in this final season ... and now it's done. In addition to enjoying the episodes, I'd love to check out the memes made after each episode aired. Some funny stuff there!

I didn't watch Grey's "live" from the start. I came into it when there were four or five seasons finished. But from then on, this was one I'd wait for and watch week to week. 

Grey's Anatomy would air on Thursday nights. Friday I'd record the episode using my PlayOn service. Then I can cast the recording to any of the roku devices ... including the one in the gym. I could also skip the commercials. Big plus!

While I had a really good routine Monday - Thursday when the kids were in school, my motivation would slip up over the weekend. Knowing I had an episode of Grey's waiting for me would make a Friday or Saturday session in the gym much more appealing. I was sad when the season wrapped up. 

I've been meaning to make some posts featuring the movies I've watched, but other than including a quick "What I've Been Watching" on my weekly reports, I haven't gotten around to that. As summer is now in swing though, I think I will be sticking to series. Just featuring one series at a time, watching a season from start to finish before moving on to something else. I won't even have my two week-to-week episodes from  GOT and Grey's to break things up.

What are YOU watching lately?

Weekly Weigh-In #305 ... First Week of Summer

First official week of summer ... unlike on the school schedule, I wasn't quite motivated to get up early and get my full hour of elliptical in early. I still got in some before heading out to my Zumba classes. Without "latestart" Fridays, I can now hit a Friday Zumba class. So now, the kids are around all the time. Hubs however, was gone. Left Tuesday and was back Friday. Work trip. I faltered a bit on the food ... had a couple high intake days, a couple days where I didn't quite get in my full 16 hour fast. Exercise was okay.

Here's my steps and stats ...

NUMBERS: Official weekly weigh-in was down a little (-.7) putting me back to where I was a couple weeks ago. Never got down as low as the previous weeks, so average was up (1.49). Three days with intake at/under goal. Did have a deficit for the week (-1380) with intake average 2186 and burn average 2886. Three 3000+ days, two 30k days. Steps average 23455 w/54.93 logged miles.  Cardio minutes 805/1103/1000/1362. 40 min w/Weights.

Stacked steps from my three devices ... #2 had 126718. The younger three ... some didn't have many steps, didn't wear theirs or just didn't sync. Fitbit fails.  My SIL got knockoff Fitbits for her two young boys, and they've been motivated, here for the first few days at least.

EXERCISE: While I didn't get my full hour in early, I did achieve my full hour by end of day four of the seven days. Also elliptical-ed two other days (30min each). Five days with treadmill time, but didn't get in any double duty. Five Zumba classes. One workout with weights.  

OTHER ACTIVITIES: The usual driving and grocery shopping. Non-grocery shopping this week, was at IFA picking up plants. Thus gardening was there for a big chunk this week. Probably more than that what got recorded, especially if I actually included all my duck duties too. Lawn mowing. #5 had several basketball games for a clinic he was in, but they were up at the university, and I just sent him with teammates. I went to watch his Saturday game when they won the lower division championship. Ignore the eating out ... that was last Sunday that I forgot to edit out (LifeCycle runs Sunday-Saturday, but I personally calculate my week Monday- Sunday. I wish the app would let me edit that!) I did grab pizza/Popeyes and donuts and took the boys bowling.   Here's the day by day ...

• Monday (0603) First official "summer" day ... not that different for me. Still up early and hit the elliptical. Didn't get my full hour in early, but did by end of day. Zumba w/Kirsten. No drop-off for school ... but I still dropped off/picked up #5 from the high school for basketball practice. Treadmill time and some shopping/errands. Steps 27695. Burn 3006. Intake 1950. 
• Tuesday (0604) Fun Zumba class at the church today with a few extra people. Added energy for me. I got good numbers anyway. Also my hour of elliptical, treadmill time and a weight workout. Ran to Smiths to pick up a prescription and gift card, had to go back with some issues with it.  Picked up pizza. Mowed the front lawn. Hubs left for his business trip. Will be home on Friday. Steps 30580. Burn 3218. Intake 1200. 
• Wednesday (0605) Awake uber early today ... and that was without Hubs here leaving for work. Got two elliptical sessions and a treadmill time before heading to Zumba. A little later today, as I was hitting Southziders (MZL had a funeral at the building and had to cancel). After Zumba I went to IFA and got some plants and a bale of straw. Picked up some donuts from Dunford. Dropped #5 and teammates off at basketball practice, then hit Sams/Walmart and picked up Popeyes. Got the boys from practice then went out back to get my plants in the ground and transplant some seedlings and work in the duck area. Finally got my final elliptical session in before a late bedtime. Steps 33174. Burn 3492. Intake 2200. 
• Thursday (0606) Thunderstorm in the a.m... woke my up, and apparently was quite the visual show. Lots of pictures posted on social media. I got in my hour of elliptical and Zumba with MZL. Took the boys bowling ... I hadn't been able to find my shoes (yes, I have bowling shoes) before, so I sat this trip out. My right shoulder has been hurting too ... maybe the weight workout from Tuesday, or the mega-arm song at Southziders yesterday.  Not sure bowling would have been feasible for me anyway. Made some Swig cookies. #5 had a game up at the U ... I don't drive there, or even go there, so I sent him with teammates. They lost both their games. #1 came over with Popeyes (again) in the evening. No late tonight, I was ready for bed early! Steps 22191. Burn 2759. Intake 2800 (oops ... also outside my eating window).
• Friday (0607) Scale showed my splurges! Just 30min of elliptical today, but glad I was able to hit Zumba w/MZL.  Also got in a treadmill time. Dropped #5 off to get to his games again. #3 took #4 out and ran some errands. More work in the garden and duck area. Hubs got home in the evening ... and was craving Popeyes. So fried chicken for the third day in a row. I didn't have any tonight. Steps 21550. Burn 2799. Intake 1950. 
• Saturday (0608) Got 30min elliptical in today. Hubs went into work to try and catch up after his trip. #1 came over and made waffles, then made brownies, then made tinga. I dropped #5 off early to get to his Jags basketball game, then met up with him in the afternoon for his Wolves basketball game. They'd lost all the games with the Jags, but won with the Wolves, got a t-shirt for taking the championship. #5 wanted to go hang out with friends after, and #2 dropped him off. #2 also dropped off his girlfriend at the airport, she's gone to Kenya for two weeks for a humanitarian trip. Mowed the front and back lawn and tried to patch some holes in the lawn. Got distracted by a fledgling Robin looking for his mommy. Steps 17569. Burn 2724. Intake 2300. 
• Sunday (0609) French toast breakfast today. Hubs prepped some ribs and put them on the smoker. I got in a walk on the treadmill. NBA basketball on in the evening. Steps 11423. Burn 2207. Intake 2900. 

*** What I'm Watching *** I didn't turn on any movies this week, but stuck with series. Watched What/If on Netflix. Ehhh. Pretty over the top eye-rolling. I finished it, but had to push to do so and was relieved when it was done. Now starting the second season of "The Good Fight" taking CBS All Access up on a "free month" offer ...

*** Five Featured Photos ***

 Love having a nice edge to the lawn ... love our edger and that I know how to use it. I always think "Oh I don't need to edge today, it hasn't been that long" but then I still do it, because I love the look.

 Home from Zumba, changed, hair done ... face still red!

Oops ... the pin came off with the tab. 

Got the giftcard fixed finally.

A couple boys bowling.

T-shirts for the champs!

Robots - Recent Reads and TV Too

This is a TV Tuesday post, mixed with a Recent Reads. Topic? Robots. I ended up reading LifeL1K3 around the same time I was watching Season 3 of Humans. I really TRY not to read such similar books back to back, or watch something with the same theme ... just so I don't confuse things in my brain. But it does make for a good themed blog post *Ü*

I first discovered the BBC Series HUMANS in Summer of 2015. It was showing on AMC, and I recorded the episodes using my PlayOn service so I could stream them to my gym TV. I ended up rewatching the first season w/Hubs upstairs when it hit Amazon Prime.

When the second season started to air on AMC in the Spring of 2017, I was anxious to watch again ... again recording and streaming to the gym. I'd heard the third season was coming out, but this time I just waited and watched for it to appear on Amazon Prime. When it finally did, it was next up on my "to watch" list.   Just eight episodes each season ... two years is TOO long in-between. Sometimes I just wish I'd been more patient, and watched all three seasons back to back. I just watched a preview from season 1 ... I didn't remember a lot of it! It's been too long. It is an intriguing series. Robots, made to help with labor, replacing much of the human workforce, and gaining consciousness.

The movie I-Robot. 

The television series Battlestar Galactica. 

The  "Partials" book trilogy.

All robot related stories I've enjoyed in the past.

For more recent reads ...

 

I borrowed Lock In from my local library. It was a random pick for me. I loved it. Rather than featuring complete robots with an AI consciousness, the machines here are actually connected to a human body/brain. One affected by a futuristic disease called Hayden's Syndrome, which leaves the victim unable to move or communicate, even though they are fully conscious within their body. They are "locked in" per se. While there is no cure, scientific discovery leads to robot bodies that can connect and house the consciousness for those with this disease.  It's such a unique idea. Where do authors get such imagination?  The machine bodies are called "threeps" by many, as one of the first users looked in the mirror and stated "I look like C3PO" (from Star Wars). 

Lock In is technically the first book ... and Head On is a sort of sequel. Lock In can be a stand-alone, but as I loved the characters and the world created here, I was happy to read another installment. What I didn't know going in, was that there was a short story, called Unlocked that really introduces everything. I would absolutely recommend reading it to start (you can find it here on Tor for free. I prefer a Kindle copy, but it was worth reading this web-based presentation.)

This was one of those books that I could "see" ... my imagination made it into a movie. Loved the idea of the consciousness being able to hop from one mechanical body to another. No need to physically travel, just rent a new body at your desired destination. Just know it will cost you if you don't return it in good shape. That's something our protagonist struggles with ...

Even with the horrid disease, and people/robots walking around, the Lock In world was still very familiar. Not post-apocalyptic, not super-futuristic. Recognizable and relatable.

Not so for the LifeL1K3 world. As the story starts, it totally reminded me of the movie "Real Steel".   A big arena, with robots fighting, programmed by their human counterparts. But that not what the book is really about. At the very beginning, we are given definitions of the different types of robots (Automata, Machina and Logika), the three rules (and some thoughts on those) ... and a memory. We aren't sure whose memory or what it is all about. Those memories continue to surface throughout the book. They are written in italics, so they are easily identified. I was listening to audio, and still the different distinctions were quite clear. Also (I was glad I was able to download the Kindle copy in addition to the audio, as I like to have a visual of some of the story) Cricket's robotic "voice" was in a different typeface, which I liked, it added a distinctive note to the Kindle copy, the narrator did a good job with the different voices on audio.

Speaking of voices ... the book/characters had a distinctive tone. In their slang ... such as "no way a bot this beautiful is getting bricked by some fritzer" ... fizzy, smoked, true cert, and ALL the nick names and ways characters were referred to... LemonFresh (that's not even a nickname really), bestest, Riotgrrl, Freckles, Dimples, BrainTrauma, "the lifelife", almost-boy, dead girl, the Preacher. I liked it, although sometimes it got a little overdone (the "her bestest" and "the lifelike" ... a LOT of that).  Everything came together in the end. Even the title, with the numbers in there. The author did a good job and making the characters (and us) care about some of these machines (like Cricket and the little robot dog.)  There is a sequel coming out this year. Like the series Humans ... I'm wondering if it would have been better to wait and read the books back to back.

Any other robot/android TV, Movies or Books I should check out?
(I have seen WestWorld ... HBO Shows)

Weekly Weigh-In #304 (168.4) Memorial Day, Graduation, Wedding Weekend

Up just a titch this week, but that is with a three pound gain from Sunday morning to the official Monday morning (after a Tepanyaki dinner). Managed to keep the average about the same, and almost hit the "low" from last week. My Monday was off, as it was Memorial Day. Off schedule without school in session. Then Thursday was Graduation - much sitting still. Then a family wedding reception on Saturday. It was the final week on the school schedule ... we'll see how I do shifting to the summer schedule. Sleeping in? 

Steps and Stats

NUMBERS: Official weight up.5, average weight stayed about the same (-.14). I did have a deficit for the week (-3418) ... where's my one pound loss? Average intake 1971 and average burn 2688. Kept a deficit five days. Just one day with 3000+ burn. Two 30k days.  Step average 22706 with 60.23 logged miles. Cardio minutes 835/1071/995/1378 with 40min w/Weights.

 Here's how my steps stacked up ... and how the boys came in on their Fitbits.

EXERCISE: Achieved my hour of elliptical five days this week. Got in some elliptical one other day. Just three days with treadmill time. Two of those had double duty. FIVE Zumba classes ... I was able to hit a class on Friday too, which should be the case all summer long, and even when school starts, as #5 will be attending a different school with a starting time that works with class.  No bike. One weight workout.  OTHER ACTIVITIES: Driving and grocery shopping were down just a bit this week. FOUR hours registered for school graduation. That was getting there a little early to find a seat, the program was just over 2 hours, some mingling/photos afterward, then over an hour to exit the parking lot. Uggg!  One basketball game. Mowing. Family time ... and the walk was to/from the reception, as we had to park a little ways away. 

Here's the Day to Day ...

• Monday (0527) Memorial Day. Hubs off work ... well, he went into work still. Kids off school. I still went to Zumba w/Kirsten. Still got my hour of elliptical in, but no treadmill time. #5 had a couple basketball games, but I just sent him with teammates (crowds and cost intimidates me for that tournament). Mowed the front lawn.  Late night to bed, for me anyway. 21484 steps. 2661 burn. 1800 intake. 
• Tuesday (0528) Hour of elliptical early, Zumba at the church, two treadmill times and weights. Good day for fitness. Also kept food in check. Rain. 32667 steps. 3147 burn. 1700 intake. 
• Wednesday (0529) Started the day with my hour of elliptical. Zumba w/MZL and two treadmill times. More rain, but a little sun earlier in the day. 30488 steps. 2986 burn. 2200 intake.
• Thursday (0530) #4 didn't go to school today. It was Lagoon Day anyway, but he didn't want to go. #5 went, but he and friends ducked out early. He stayed with friends as Hubs and I and Maga went to #3's graduation. Looooong. Hubs was stressed, as he needed to get to a derby after. He had #1 pick up the trailer and head out to set up, then picked up #5 on the way and had the munchkin help. 29685 steps. Did get my hour of elliptical in early, Zumba w/MZL and a treadmill time today. 2931 burn. 1800 intake. 
• Friday (0531) Not a great night for sleep. Technically #4 had school today, but I didn't make him go. So I could go to Zumba, and I did. Also 30min Elliptical in. Supposed to go to my niece's wedding dinner, but Hubs wasn't making it home on time. I was checking to see if #1 was available to be my date, and ended up sending him and his wife to represent our family. 15714 steps. 2375 burn. 1950 intake. 
• Saturday (0601) Tried some elliptical but it felt HARD, quit after 10 min. Tried to mow the lawn, twice, but it started raining both times! #5 had a basketball game. They got the win. Sun came out, so I mowed the lawn. Went to the wedding reception in the evening. #1 and #4 went to a movie, then made cookies. 13673 steps. 2284 burn. 1850 intake. 
• Sunday (0602) Got three 20min sessions on the elliptical in. One early, one mid-day, one at the end of the day. Took the whole family to Tepanyaki for dinner to celebrate #3's graduation (as we hadn't been able to go out on Thursday). 15228 steps. 2430 burn. 2500 intake. 

 *** What I Watched While Working Out ***

As school wraps up this week ... my morning elliptical may be impacted. Not having to get up early and get the boys off to school, I'm not sure if I'll keep it up. Sleeping in is temping! So I'm not positive I'll be spending enough time in the gym to watch a full movie in a day. We'll see.   I got in a final three.  1 Mile to You (2017. IMDB 6.3) was good. I even ran during it, instead of my usual walking. Hard not to be inspired by it ;)  The First Grader (2010. IMDB 7.5) was also good and inspiring (although it didn't make me want to run). 23Blast (2014. IMBD 6.5) felt a little low-budget. Recognized the mother from old soap operas my mom used to watch. It was fine though. I don't think I'm as picky when I'm multi-tasking.  When I wasn't motivated by movies, I was watching "What If" and it's kept my interest.

Five Featured Photos ...

 #5 wrapped up his Memorial Day tournament on Monday.

So much rain ... so many mushrooms. All over!

There is fungus among us!

#3 ... The Graduate. Class of 2019.

Wedding Weekend. My brother's kids.

A car full of trouble ... off to Tepanyaki.

May 2019

May ... there was Mother's Day, friends from out of town, basketball, some sunshine/LOTS of rain, the end of the school schedule, including graduation for #3.   As for as the scale goes, another nice loss this month. At the end of April I incorporated Intermittent Fasting into my daily routine. Going the 16:8 route, eating between the house of 11:00 am and 7:00 pm was the plan. I found myself starting early (well, 7:00 would roll around and I'd realize I hadn't eaten since 5:30 or so), and often extending longer than the 16 hours. Staying flexible. Some days when I didn't meet the 16 hours (a couple weekends) but overall, it's been pretty easy. Keeps me from mindlessly eating in the evening or morning. Still counting calories and tracking during my eating window, but it helps with calorie control too. For the first time in I don't know how long, my intake average was actually under my 2000 goal. 

NUMBERS: Weight started at 170.70. Ended at 164.90. High was 171.9. Low 164.20.  Average 168.53. With intake average at 1997 and burn at 2825, I had a nice deficit for the month (-13219).  Kept calories under goal 18 days. Had a 3000+ burn/30k day 14 times. Step average 24,111. Total steps 747,451 with 255 logged miles. 

EXERCISE: I achieved my hour of elliptical twenty-two days this month. Got in a little extra two other days. Twenty-two days with treadmill time too. 10 days with double duty. Nineteen Zumba classes, with some extra on my own. Just one time on the bike. Four weight workouts. 

OTHER ACTIVITIES: The usual driving around and hitting the store for groceries ... shopping steps, except the wrist trackers don't do well when you hold onto something like a shopping cart or stroller. There's enough vibration that my lawn mowing gets picked up. I love mowing the lawn. Quite a bit of yard work too, as well as duck duty. Quite a bit of basketball, watching #2 as well as #5 this month. Friend time. Family time (bridal shower). School stuff ... graduation. Yes, four hours, that was including attempting to get out of the parking lot! A couple of times eating out. A walk. Other shopping. A visit to the doctor with #4.

*** What I Watched While Working Out ***

I got involved in some series, so I didn't get in a ton of movies.  12 ... three over last month.

Weekly Weigh-In #303 (167.9)

The scale shifted again this week ... it bumped up a bit for my Monday morning weigh-in, so only showing a tiny "official" loss, but the average went way down! It was a good week for food and fitness. Hubs had three derbies, there were multiple basketball games and basketball camp, friends in town, lots of rain and quite a bit of baking. 

Steps and Stats

NUMBERS: Official weight down a smidgen (-.2) but the average went way down (-3.25). New low. While I was in this area about six months ago (Nov2018) this dipped a little beyond that. It's been encouraging. I've been sticking with the IMF and had some longer ones ... also skimped on Sunday. Stayed under goal five days this week, with an intake average of 1993. Burn average was 2833, with a deficit for the week (-2925). Four days with 3000+ burn, three 30k days. Step average was 23958 with 58.03 logged miles. Cardio minutes 838/1104/1088/1462. 

STACKED STEPS: My steps .. and my sons. Still need to work on #4, both wearing his Fitbit, syncing, and getting in steps. But pretty impressed with his brothers. #5's steps would be a little higher still, but he doesn't wear his device during basketball games (and he had three of them). #3 commented that Friday morning, he had 20k by 6am (nighttime shenanigans). 

EXERCISE: I achieved my hour of elliptical five days this week. Treadmill time five days, with three days double duty. Four Zumba classes.  OTHER ACTIVITIES: Driving was about usual (7hrs), with the usual grocery shopping (3hrs). I attended two basketball games, didn't make it to three of #5's due to crowd/cost issues. Mowing and other yardwork/gardening for several hours this week.   Here the day by day ...

• Monday (0520) Not a great night for sleep, but still managed to keep fitness and food in check. Started the day with my hour of elliptical. Zumba w/Kirsten. A store stop on the way home. #4 was in good spirits after school, having passed another Microsoft test and getting an art award. #5 had his first night of basketball camp over at the high school. Got in two treadmill times and did some vacuuming in the house. Steps 31246. Burn 3035. Intake 1800. 
• Tuesday (0521) Started the day with my hour of elliptical. Taught Zumba over at the church, and got two treadmill times in. Hubs and #3 did a derby in the evening. #5 had his basketball camp. Ended up making Ziti quite late for #1 and wife, who stopped by hungry. Very rainy day! Steps 30459. Burn 3130. Intake 1900. 
• Wednesday (0522) Same exercise as yesterday - hour of elliptical, Zumba and two treadmill times. My usual MZL Zumba had canceled with a building conflict, so I went to Southziders. Fun to see everyone again and check out the new building. Costco stop on the way home. #4 had a friend come home with him after school. Did Dominos for an early dinner. Hubs and #3 did a derby again, and #5 had basketball camp. Made graduation announcements for #3 and got them printed off so he could pass them out to his friends. Steps 32064. Burn 3182. Intake 1800. 
• Thursday (0523) #2 had a late shift with work, didn't get in until 3:00 am! My morning was a bit off, I didn't quite get my hour of elliptical in early, but did by end of day. Zumba with MZL and some errands after. Rain in the forecast, but the morning was okay, so I did some work in the garden, until the hail hit! Long fasting day today ... not planned, just stayed busy and didn't eat early. No treadmill time, and didn't quite hit 30k, although I was very close. Vacuuming. Went to watch #2 play in the alumni tournament at one high school, while dropping off and picking up #5 at the other high school. He won the top spot at the camp, and #2's team took the tournament. Hubs and #1 son did a derby. Steps 29261. Burn 3282. Intake 1400. 
• Friday (0524) #3 was the one to stay out all night ... Senior "prank" and such. Missed his first couple classes catching some zzzzzs, super tired after school. Some errands after dropping the boys off at school. Got in my hour of elliptical, but that was it for exercise. I mowed the front lawn. #5 had a basketball game. Steps 17320. Burn 2447. Intake 1850. 
• Saturday (0525) Some friends from California were in town, so we had them over for breakfast. Fun to see them again! #5 had a couple of games later in the day, and #3 had to work. Hubs worked.  I hit the treadmill for a couple miles, and mowed the back lawn and did some additional yardwork. #1 and wife came over to cook, made Tinga and some brownies. Then they took the two littles to a movie. Steps 14418. Burn 2455. Intake 2400. 
• Sunday (0526) Broke my fast early, food temptations from last night I'd resisted were too much in the morning. Hubs went to work again, but took a field trip to check out Pineview Reservoir.  #5 went to a movie with some teammates. #1 and wife were over again, to partake of the steak dinner Hubs cooked up (past my window, but I ate). They made brownies and cookies, and then #3 and a couple of friends made cookies too. Busy kitchen ... messy kitchen! Did get in two+ miles on the treadmill. Steps 12938. Burn 2297. Intake 2800. 

Five Featured Photos ...

 Graduation announcements for #3

 ... a long fast

A camp shirt, a champ shirt, and a game ball for "camper of the week" as well as an invitation from the head coach for some training during the summer ...

 #2 and the 2016 team ... 1st place in the alumni tournament.

 The DiFran family ... Friends from California in town!