MsBubbles: Daily Health Efforts

[Cate]

I hope that bloat goes away soon. I get the same with wheat in particular & do my best to avoid it, but am still suffering from our 2 nights away. You haven't had many choices & have done the best you can. You'll soon fix it
You could have taken just a little bit of our cold. I tried sending some your way

 

[MsBubbles]

That's exactly right, Liza3! My previous landlord at my other place passed away suddenly from a freak and strange illness. It was rather traumatic for me too as I really liked him, he was such a sweet guy. So now of course I'm worried that's going to happen again.

Llama - thank you. It's helpful to instead imagine my brain stem and appetite outrunning my neocortex temporarily.

I agree, Alligatorob! Also, there's a fine line. A little bit of oil plus seasonings help, if need be. But I love the fresh steam in the bag veggies from places like Fresh Market. It's really hard to beat how good those taste, and they don't have anything at all added to them. I'm not a fan of cooked carrots but the steam whole in the bag ones aren't like any carrots my mother used to boil to death back in the day.

Thanks, Cate! We're now in the days of 'afternoon thunderstorms' to cool things off temporarily, before it becomes a sauna again as the water rises up again off of the city. Southern-hemisphere frost gladly accepted .

My brain is happily using the fridgeless existence as an excuse to eat junk food. Last night's dinner while at the gig was fries and a coke. None of this is going to make me happy. Belly is back to former protrusion levels.

 

[liza3]

What kind of music does your band play? Have you been playing your whole life?

 

[Llama]

Do you know how long you'll be fridgeless? I'd definitely use that as an excuse for junkfood as well, but it might also be a fun challenge to try and figure out what you can make work without one.

 

[Cate]

I would love to hear more about the kind of music you play. We love going to listen to live music! I might start a new thread soon-"Bands or musicians I have seen play live".

 

[MsBubbles]

What kind of music does your band play? Have you been playing your whole life?

HAH! Finally figured out how to insert quotes. Well it's not a very serious band, in fact, silliness and making people laugh is the theme. I only learned to play trumpet at the beginning of the pandemic and all the way through it! But I was already part of this band via clarinet, which wasn't as much fun. The clarinet parts to our music aren't nearly as much fun or audible as the trumpet parts, plus all the clarinet players were 5 ft tall and I'm 5 ft 10 so I always felt like a freakish giant. The trumpet section is mostly guys, and a few of them tower above me, which I like. I can wear heels around them and not feel like an oaf. I played guitar when younger (like everybody else!) but never had any formal music training until about 10 years ago when I took up clarinet. I'm glad I started on clarinet and then switched to trumpet as trumpet is much easier to get a sound out of. It's just a very precise/finesse instrument regarding embouchure and getting a good tone.

The kind of music we play is a mix between the many 'arranged for high school or university marching bands' tunes available, our own arrangements and 'jam tunes' where soloists riff. We're a street music band, basically, with some marching band stuff thrown in. We do a lot of parades but we don't march in time. Many of us are much older and/or retired. The band is 50 years old! We are loud in volume and costumes, and irreverence is the theme!

Do you know how long you'll be fridgeless? I'd definitely use that as an excuse for junkfood as well, but it might also be a fun challenge to try and figure out what you can make work without one.

I don't know. It depends when the landlord can either get someone out here to look at it or buy a new one. After 3 days of this I already slipped into cookies and chocolate binges. It's like my brain lost all sense and went off the rails regarding nutrition. But I'm enacting a new strategy in the meantime.

I would love to hear more about the kind of music you play. We love going to listen to live music! I might start a new thread soon-"Bands or musicians I have seen play live".

I'd like to find an additional band to play in but am too nervous to ever audition.

Alright - after three days of terrible food choices and overeating, I'm going to enact some goals. I just found a free app that'll help me watch my macros (even just saying that makes me shudder). I need to be mindful of what I'm eating, here. I desperately want to reduce my stomach so I can fit into my fun clothes again! I love my fun, fitted t-shirts but can't wear them right now as they're too tight. That is, I could just wear them and not care. But I do care and am very self-conscious. I have these clothes hanging up where I can see them, but I don't think it's helping. Being able to glance at a progress bar on protein, carbs and fat levels is very helpful. I am mostly ignoring the total calories as those are a major trigger for me to binge.

Daily workouts are happening, but sanity-restoring skating is not, due to excessive heat or thunderstorms with deluge.

 

[liza3]

Your band sounds awesome--exactly the sort of thing I love! That's so great that you took up trumpet just a few years back and found such a great fit for you with the sound of it. I took up piano around the beginning of the pandemic. it is SLOW going! I would love to be able to play fun music on the piano but feel stuck in the more 'controlled' pieces.
I also play ukulele though and play with fun groups--not as fun as the sound of your group though.

Being able to glance at a progress bar on protein, carbs and fat levels is very helpful. I am mostly ignoring the total calories as those are a major trigger for me to binge.

Best of luck with the tracking. It's too bad you can't just hide the calorie levels on these apps...I use cronometer and really like seeing the macros for the day. It's been really helpful for me.

 

[MsBubbles]

Yes Liza3, that's the one I'm using too - Cronometer. It was recommended on Reddit so I just went with that.

I have also been tempted to take up piano as it would really help me with improvisation (being able to see the entire keyboard and scales laid out in a logical fashion, as opposed to the clarinet's bizarre system or all the various trumpet registers). I am impressed! I kinda feel like if you're learning to read any piano music at all, all the single-note instruments will be a breeze for you if you took those up. Anybody who had piano lessons as a kid is already streets ahead of me trying to read music in my fifties. I mostly just cheat and play by ear as that's how I learned it when younger.

A uke group is fun!

 

[liza3]

I find reading music easier than playing by ear and always wish I could play by ear. I think that's when one can add more fun to the music! I did learn the basics of reading music as a kid and played the clarinet when I was 12 and the flute when I was 13. I also took a few months of piano when I was about 10...so yeah always had some music going...but yes learning to play piano as an adult has been challenging. Two hands doing different things while looking at music...it is hard but rewarding when I finally learn something!

But yeah I would love to be one of those people who can just pick up an instrument with no music and just jam with others playfully!

 

[Llama]

Your band sounds amazing! I have great respect for anyone who starts learning an instrument as an adult.
Best of luck with the macros: I hate tracking but I know it's a sensible thing to do.

 

[Emilyrose]

It all put me into a coma last night and I fell asleep sitting up, watching Shrek.

I don't know why but this made me giggle.

I really feel for you with the broken fridge and freezer throwing all the nice diet plans out the window. It really is an example of, 'Man makes plans and God laughs.' Anyway, I hope your new strategy works for you!

That's so cool you only took up the trumpet during Covid and are already competent enough to play in a band! Fantastic!

 

[Cate]

silliness and making people laugh is the theme.

The kind of music we play is a mix between the many 'arranged for high school or university marching bands' tunes available, our own arrangements and 'jam tunes' where soloists riff. We're a street music band, basically, with some marching band stuff thrown in. We do a lot of parades but we don't march in time. Many of us are much older and/or retired. The band is 50 years old! We are loud in volume and costumes, and irreverence is the theme!

Oh, I love your band without hearing or seeing it. Irreverence is a wonderful word, as is embouchure (I didn't know that one).
Edited at 5 pm our time. My husband, G got home from golf today & told me one of our younger friends who just turned 53 is going over to see Teddy Swims in concert & that we should listen to some of his music. We just did & we liked it. I see he comes from Georgia. Have you seen or heard of him?

 

[MsBubbles]

Your band sounds amazing! I have great respect for anyone who starts learning an instrument as an adult.
Best of luck with the macros: I hate tracking but I know it's a sensible thing to do.

Thanks Llama! We're kind of a mess but not at all serious as a band. I think we're self-correcting in that we all WANT to sound great, individually, but pointing fingers at others in the band who play bad just isn't acceptable and everybody's cool. So because of this we can sound either pretty good, or absolutely terrible at any gig . If we sound terrible, our ridiculous outfits are a good distraction.

I don't know why but this made me giggle.

I really feel for you with the broken fridge and freezer throwing all the nice diet plans out the window. It really is an example of, 'Man makes plans and God laughs.' Anyway, I hope your new strategy works for you!

That's so cool you only took up the trumpet during Covid and are already competent enough to play in a band! Fantastic!

Hah! I love that phrase about laughing at the plans. That has been my experience since I restarted this journal. D'oh! And regarding 'competent' - jury's definitely still out on that one!

Yeah - you know you're exhausted when you fall asleep sitting up watching Shrek - so much screaming and shouting going on!

Oh, I love your band without hearing or seeing it. Irreverence is a wonderful word, as is embouchure (I didn't know that one).
Edited at 5 pm our time. My husband, G got home from golf today & told me one of our younger friends who just turned 53 is going over to see Teddy Swims in concert & that we should listen to some of his music. We just did & we liked it. I see he comes from Georgia. Have you seen or heard of him?

His name isn't familiar to me but my kids almost surely know of him. I see he grew up in Conyers, which is about 10 miles from where we lived when my kids were small.

Liza3 - you're multisectional! Clarinet AND flute! And piano! Great stuff.

Today's attempt to calm my body image/fitness/diet flailing...

I am back solidly to all-or-nothing binges due to the fridge/freezer situation throwing me into a scarcity mindset, which despite my being aware of it, always triggers me into binge eating or overeating. Bugger it. This is REALLY messing with my head. I was aware this morning that anxiety and depressionwise, I'm in survival mode. Get-through-the-next-hour mode. I won't have a fridge/freezer for some days yet. Don't know when. Out of my control (control! Another reason to binge!). It's ridiculous. Nobody is making me buy this bad stuff.

I didn't do any exercise at all yesterday, and this is NOT going to do me any mental health favors.

Ok - yesterday is in the past. Let's go forwards.

I sit here post-binge, with lots of sugar and fat giving me a nice calming high. In this state I can assure myself that in the future between now and whenever I get my stomach back down to a size I like, I will not have any desire to eat unhealthy food at all. I hate that I keep doing this to myself.

Today, as soon as this overstuffed belly goes down I will do my lower body workout. I did go for an hour's walk earlier. I was upset, crying and raging, but by the time I was finished I felt much better. I have just checked the forecast and it looks like tomorrow morning will be great weather to finally get out for a few hours' skate. Oh man. I cannot wait. I just want to feel normal again. I want my brain to be healthy again. Got to make it through the rest of the day today without any more anxiety fits or binges. What an idiot I am. I don't understand how I can't control myself any better than this.

 

[Llama]

If you're an idiot then so am I. I say we just have a specific weakness which we're better at regulating some times than others. We still deserve kindness (ha! I was totally writing "you" there but mayyybe I should get it into my own brain as well) and compassion. And good, healthy-ish food! Do you have any take-out or store cupboard options that are easy, satisfying, and halfway health? It doesn't have to be perfect, just better than a binge

 

[MsBubbles]

Thanks, Llama. You're right, of course!

Well...I decided to be healthy and go to a local healthy food store for lunch, as opposed to say, McDonalds, etc. But the problem with the healthy food store was that they sold my comfort foods of choice too. As soon as I have that stuff in my hands, it's all over. Everything was going pretty well when I had a fridge and freezer. I limited my times in stores and didn't bring the stuff home.

 

[Emilyrose]

Oh MsBubbles, I really feel for you. I think just keep up the exercise for now and give yourself a break with the unhealthy stuff for the moment. When the fridge returns, order will prevail. He's like an AWOL general that was keeping a close eye on proceedings, lol.

 

[Cate]

Oh, Bubbles. You have been thrown off track. You'll get back on there soon

 

[Llama]

Grocery stores are so tempting when the binge demon is on the loose! For me it helps to go in very early in the morning when I still have hope and energy - of course that's not helpful when you have to source three meals a day. Maybe something like canned fish and crackers could make a reasonable shelf stable meal. Tomatoes, cucumber, and a bunch of other (botanical) fruits don't need refrigerating so they might be good to have at home to pimp up simple meals. Nuts if you're not inclined to overeat on them. I don't like salted nuts and while I do like unsalted they don't tempt me to binge. Hardboiled eggs are good to keep at room temp as well. When we went camping we sometimes brought processed cheese products as well and as long as they're far enough off real cheese they won't spoil at room temp. I'm sure you have better ideas that better fit your preferences though!

 

[liza3]

I have just checked the forecast and it looks like tomorrow morning will be great weather to finally get out for a few hours' skate. Oh man. I cannot wait.

I hope you get out for that skate. I know I feel similarly so much better when I can get a proper run in.

I hope you can get your new fridge and freezer soon to help make those choices easier on you. It is tough being faced with temptations--I am the same with when sugar is around me!

 

[alligatorob]

Well...I decided to be healthy and go to a local healthy food store for lunch, as opposed to say, McDonalds, etc. But the problem with the healthy food store was that they sold my comfort foods of choice too. As soon as I have that stuff in my hands, it's all over. Everything was going pretty well when I had a fridge and freezer. I limited my times in stores and didn't bring the stuff home.

I have found "health" foods just as easy to binge on as any. In fact some of the so called health foods are pretty calorie rich...

What an idiot I am. I don't understand how I can't control myself any better than this.

You are no idiot, and you are trying your best. I am impressed with your insights and the progress you are making. More than a lot of folks. Go easy on yourself girl!