Things that bring a smile to your face

[Biff Mayhem]

We had one that had a lot of spaces/holes (on purpose) and I’ll be danged if it didn’t keep us warm. 

not our actual afghan:

[smr-nj]

My maternal grandmother was a knitting and crocheting queen. My two sister and I had ponchos in multiple colors and patterns, and there were blankets galore in those late 60’s- 70’s popular colors- brown, orange, burgundy, cream, that Pukey green, yellow.  We never got those variations of pretty blue color ponchos. My cousins got those. I think we were told they got the blue colors and we got the other is because they had blue eyes and we all had brown eyes.
….. so, “ don’t it make my brown eyes blue”. (Crystal Gayle)

🫤

[chasfh]

On 5/19/2025 at 10:54 PM, IdahoBert said:

I lost 25 pounds going on three years ago - have kept it off - and it was almost entirely due to eating less, which is something people don’t want to hear but it’s true. It’s made a huge difference. I don’t tire as quickly and at age 73 mobility and not tiring quickly is a big deal.

I walked 1.9 miles today and that’s 186 cal burned but if I eat 1800 cal a day - which totally works for me because I’m thoughtful about what it is - instead of 2500 cal that’s 700 cal and that’s where all the weight loss really comes from. I never eat anything after 7 PM.

The ease with which I have been able to lose weight numerous times is also due to the fact that I’m a man and I don’t have the body of a woman whose ancestors survived the Ice Age by holding onto fat and we’re able to bear children. 

Without going into too much background, I have had to actively reduce the sodium in my diet. I'm kind of lucky much of my diet was lower in sodium anyway and I just had to cut out a few bad offenders, like salty snacks and Tasty Bite side dishes and cottage cheese (!). But then I found that one of the bigger challenges for me was getting enough calories. So often calories equals sodium, and at first I was bringing in around 1,500 calories a day before reaching my sodium budget, and I still work out a fair amount. Within three weeks I was down almost ten pounds, and not in a good way, necessarily. So I had to further reconfigure my diet to add calories without sodium. I tried trail mix at first, but that blew me through my fat budget. I finally came around to adding oatmeal and baked potatoes, both of which I like enough to eat basically every day. So I am close to on balance now. Thanks for asking. 😉

[gehringer_2]

18 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I never eat anything after 7 PM

that's what works for me when I stick to it.

[IdahoBert]

20 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Without going into too much background, I have had to actively reduce the sodium in my diet. I'm kind of lucky much of my diet was lower in sodium anyway and I just had to cut out a few bad offenders, like salty snacks and Tasty Bite side dishes and cottage cheese (!). But then I found that one of the bigger challenges for me was getting enough calories. So often calories equals sodium, and at first I was bringing in around 1,500 calories a day before reaching my sodium budget, and I still work out a fair amount. Within three weeks I was down almost ten pounds, and not in a good way, necessarily. So I had to further reconfigure my diet to add calories without sodium. I tried trail mix at first, but that blew me through my fat budget. I finally came around to adding oatmeal and baked potatoes, both of which I like enough to eat basically every day. So I am close to on balance now. Thanks for asking. 😉

When I was recently pet sitting for two groups of family members who were out of town on vacation, I was yanked out of my usual circumstances and “gained” 10 pounds in two weeks.

This was mostly due to bulk and water weight retention due to high sodium intakes and lots of sugar from which I had generally abstained.

After going on a sugar fast and eating under 800 cal a day I got back to my normal set weight that I’ve been at for the last couple years. Now I’m slowly eating more every day, but being careful not to break the rules.

10 pounds is a big difference for me because I tire more quickly and feeling bloated is just a yucky feeling.

My stomach now automatically winces at the thought of disturbing it with foods and drinks that were the problem. This is good. 

[chasfh]

14 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

When I was recently pet sitting for two groups of family members who were out of town on vacation, I was yanked out of my usual circumstances and “gained” 10 pounds in two weeks.

This was mostly due to bulk and water weight retention due to high sodium intakes and lots of sugar from which I had generally abstained.

After going on a sugar fast and eating under 800 cal a day I got back to my normal set weight that I’ve been at for the last couple years. Now I’m slowly eating more every day, but being careful not to break the rules.

10 pounds is a big difference for me because I tire more quickly and feeling bloated is just a yucky feeling.

My stomach now automatically winces at the thought of disturbing it with foods and drinks that were the problem. This is good. 

I try to maintain ~165 lbs. When I go into the 150s I feel weak. When I go into the 170s I feel fat (because of belly protrusion). It's a delicate balance.

When I was trying to lose weight I would cut my calories by 500 a day, so instead of the 2,250 or so I normally had taken in, I would take in 1,750. That way I could lose about a pound a week (3,500-kcal deficit equals one pound; 500 kcal per day * 7 days = 3,500 kcal). Losing weight gradually is one of the better ways to keep the weight off permanently, so you don't end up boomeranging.

But now that I am monitoring my sodium intake (via MyFitnessPal, arguably the greatest phone app on the planet), to your point, I don't retain water like I used to and now I have to focus on getting enough calories, rather than reducing calories. Good problem to have? You tell me. 😁

[IdahoBert]

13 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I try to maintain ~165 lbs. When I go into the 150s I feel weak. When I go into the 170s I feel fat (because of belly protrusion). It's a delicate balance.

When I was trying to lose weight I would cut my calories by 500 a day, so instead of the 2,250 or so I normally had taken in, I would take in 1,750. That way I could lose about a pound a week (3,500-kcal deficit equals one pound; 500 kcal per day * 7 days = 3,500 kcal). Losing weight gradually is one of the better ways to keep the weight off permanently, so you don't end up boomeranging.

But now that I am monitoring my sodium intake (via MyFitnessPal, arguably the greatest phone app on the planet), to your point, I don't retain water like I used to and now I have to focus on getting enough calories, rather than reducing calories. Good problem to have? You tell me. 😁

To maintain a 196 pound weight, and given that at my age I burn calories at a slower rate than 10 years ago even though I walk 2 miles a day, I have to stay at under 1700 cal daily. I was once able to exceed that mark frequently and not gain weight, but that is no longer the case. Banquet and celebration eating as a lifestyle is over for me.

On the positive side, the mindfulness and sense of agency required to stick to this regimen is its own reward. At times I feel more comfortable inside my own skin than I ever have at any time previously.