Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 106

If I had written this post a couple of hours ago, it would have been much different.

I don't know what the deal was with my mood yesterday, but my anxiety went sky-high on Monday night and remained that way all day yesterday. I can feel it starting to come back down now, but dealing with anxiety like that for such a long time period is mentally exhausting.

This week only showed me that in order for me to thrive at all, I need routine. (This is nothing new.) Having a routine helps me tremendously when it comes to diet and exercise, but also to most other parts of my life. I've always wanted to be a "go with the flow" person (like Jerry) but I am the opposite--I like to know all the details about everything. And of course, I have to overthink it all!

Just about every week, I mention that I need to get back in the habit of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and possible evening snack every day; right now, I've been terrible about eating whatever, whenever, wherever. I won't get into that yet again, because I have said it a million times and I just haven't *done it already* ("it" being eating on a schedule).

I ate terribly this week. Poor choices, too much food, snacking, etc. I thought for sure I'd gained 10 pounds, but thankfully, I was only up one pound on the scale:

I realized today that I only have a couple of months until my annual physical with my primary care doctor. I can't believe it's been almost a year! I had been really excited to see my lipid profile (since I'd been eating vegan for about seven months at that point) to compare to the previous profile. I also wanted to get my ferritin checked (and I'm so glad I did!). Now, I'm excited for those things again.

There is something really motivating to me about going to get a physical. I want my health numbers to be as good as possible, especially since becoming vegan. Since I've strayed away from some of the habits that were super helpful to me last year, I'm going to try to get back to them--the biggest one being eating a lot of fiber. I put a lot of focus on fiber and I was eating healthier than ever. I also want to get back to a routine with my meals (and cook new recipes).

Finally, last week I said that my only goal for the week was to go for a single run. That's it! Well, as of noon today, do you think I went for a run yet? I was already writing this post in my head, about how I'd failed that one simple task.

Then I thought about how it wasn't too late--I could go run and then I'd be able to say on my post that I DID IT. Also, I am starting the Jeff Galloway method of running (run/walk). I set my Garmin for run/walk intervals (90 seconds running, 30 seconds walking). I felt guilty not taking Joey with me, so I grabbed his leash and we headed out.

I may save my running recaps for a weekly post (it just depends on if I actually stick with it!) so I won't get too detailed here. But we ran 30 minutes (15 repeats)--a total of 2.3 miles. I like the run/walking, but I felt like the time went by much more slowly that way! It's definitely less intimidating than choosing to go for a run, though.

As far as a goal for next week, I think I'm just going to really focus on eating regular meals--the routine will help my anxiety for sure.

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Deep Thoughts With Jerry #17

I'm having a very bad day today--my anxiety is really high--so I'm glad that it's Jerry's "Deep Thoughts" post today. Here he is...

Happy Tuesday! I figured instead of doing the ice breaker questions again I would change it up once more. Last week I named my favorites in miscellaneous categories; here are the same categories, but rather than my favorites, I'll list ones that I think are overrated...

Overrated movie:

Right off the top of my head came 'Scarface'. A lot of my friends thought this movie was so awesome. Posters hung on walls in their rooms, popular athletes during the 90's quoted Al Pacino's Tony Montana. It was supposedly the ultimate "must watch" if you were a guy. But I didn't see the appeal when watching it. There's a lot of movies that I watch over and over and over again... not this one. One and done. The acting wasn't bad, the story wasn't terrible. I almost feel like the hype around the movie kind of raised my expectations and I was hugely disappointed. 

Overrated TV show:

Out on a limb, but The Simpsons. I watched this show when I was a kid. Everyone was into it, all my friends were saying 'Cowabunga' and telling each other 'eat my shorts'. But, not me--I just didn't see the show as funny or even entertaining. Maybe it's animated TV shows. I'm just not that into them. (Well, unless it's South Park. That's a genius show that finds a way to make fun of social dilemmas and get away with it. The world has tried to cancel the show so many times and failed.) 

Overrated band:

So easy... Dave Matthews Band. I despise that man's voice. It's so cringy and reminds me of listening to Adam Sandler's character from 'The Waterboy' singing an entire album. 

Overrated sport:

Basketball. I used to love basketball. The 90's was the best but after that era ended the era of selfish players and soft athletes came in and it totally ruined the sport. The theatrics surrounding some of these players was just too much. Players got really good at making it look they were fouled and then fly across the floor like they were shot from a cannon. Lebron James, one of the greatest players ever in the game, is the king of this. He's honed this craft and has taken all the joy out of watching the game. 

Overrated video game:

I've played my fair share of games in my lifetime. When it comes to popularity and overall hype that I didn't get that into the award for Most Overrated Video Game goes to 'Grand Theft Auto' or 'GTA" for short. This game became wildly popular on the Playstation console, it was an exclusive title that only Playstation owners could play and if you had a Xbox like me you were shit out of luck.

Years later, Playstation's exclusivity rights with 'GTA' developer Rockstar Games ended and 'GTA' became available on Xbox. I was so excited when I heard the news. 'GTA' was criticized for years because of it's depiction of violence and sex. That was the appeal to teens and they loved it.

I was a young adult when I was able to play it and I wasn't that into it. In the game you could drive around and mow people down with your car, car jack someone, hire hookers and strippers, get into shootouts with the police, and pretty much do whatever you wanted. You could play endlessly. Me, I just wanted to finish it and be done. Most people say it has a very high replay value but this has been collecting dust in my collection for years. 

Overrated food:

I may lose my man card for this, but to me the most overrated food of all time is steak. The big, juicy slabs of red meat have never been my thing. Ever. I was always envious of the guys talking about the steaks they made over the weekend; it felt like I didn't fit in because when I would say I wasn't a big fan of steak they cast me aside like a leper. It's not to say that I haven't had some good steaks though, but more often than not, just not a favorite of mine. Never really been a red meat guy, I was always about the pork or chicken. 

Overrated snack:

I can't think of any for this one. People don't really talk about snacks that much, but if I had to pick one it would be movie theater popcorn. It sounds like it would be awesome, such a great idea when you get there. Soon into the movie I always find myself picking it out of my teeth for the rest of the movie and it's just not worth it. 

Overrated beverage:

There are some beer styles that are just extremely overrated. The main one to me, that stands out, is Guinness. People love them some Guinness, especially in March. The beer calls itself the 'Worlds most iconic brewed beer' and I can't say that they're wrong because you would recognize the logo anywhere. However, stouts like this without any carbonation are just gross to me and so ridiculously filling that they're not even enjoyable. 

I was going to write something about an overrated chore but people don't really like chores. It's hard to be overrated when no one likes it in the first place. Anyways, it was kind of a short post but I love answering these kinds of questions. Again, if anyone has questions for me that you would like me to answer reach out to Katie and I will answer them weekly. You can ever ask me things like what  I'm watching or what I thought about this or that. Anyways, thanks for reading.

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Run-Walking

I really debated whether to write about this, for fear of failing (again). But I'm kind of excited about it right now. Also, I tend to work much harder at goals when I make them public. Whether I succeed at this or not, at least I'll have it documented. I like that.

As I've said many times, I haven't been able to find one tiny part of me that wants to run. I miss running! I really, truly miss running. But the thought of going out for a run just doesn't appeal to me. I know that doesn't really make sense, but it's the best I can explain.

Anyway, I've tried getting back into running lots of times now. Using MAF training, 80/20 training, all easy runs, just heart rate, with pace, without pace, etc. One that I haven't done (since 2012, when I trained for the Detroit Marathon) is a run-walk method of training.

Jessica and I were both injured (runner's knee; IT band syndrome) so we did a run/walk method. We just decided to run 0.9 miles and then walk 0.1, and do that for our entire run. Interestingly, our pace was very similar whether we were run-walking or plain running.

I believe this was a round mile 24--we were MISERABLE in the heat!

I always get excited about trying new things--the novelty of it can sometimes carry me through until it becomes a habit. A habit is what I'm hoping for!

The most common training method for run-walking is the Galloway Method (developed by Jeff Galloway). In a nutshell, you run a "magic mile"--run your fastest mile and that speed is used to determine what ratio of run:walk you should do.

Me, being resistant to running has hard as I can for a mile, just guesstimated what my time would be. If I was to run all-out, going-to-puke fast, I think I could probably run a 10:30/mile pace. So, based on that, my recommended run to walk ratios (in seconds) are: 90/30; 60/20; 45/15; 60/30; 40/20.

That's a lot of options! So, you make a choice about which ratio you want to use (the first number being the number of seconds run, the second number being the number of seconds walked). And then you do that ratio for your entire run. I think I'll probably start with the 90/30 ratio. Since I'm used to running straight through a run, it'll feel weird to talk such frequent walk breaks. But I bet it will feel so good! 

As far as a training plan, I am going to follow my own plan--Base Building for Beginners. There isn't any speed work; it starts at 30 minutes, 3 days a week; and it's meant to be done at a very easy pace. I think it'll be perfect for experimenting with the Galloway Method. 

Since I stopped caring at all what my running pace is, I think the Galloway Method is a good way to get back into running. I have no idea what my pace will be with walk breaks compared to running straight through. But I'm looking forward to trying something new and seeing if it can get me motivated to get out the door for a run--over and over ;)  I'm actually, 100% honestly, excited to get started tomorrow!

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Friday Night Photos #118

Almost all of my pictures today are of crafty stuff--I spent a lot of time over the last week with my sewing machine (and a needle and thread). Last weekend, we didn't have anything going on; and after all the crap that is 2023, I took most of the weekend to enjoy one of my favorite hobbies: sewing.

Lately, I've really been into altering my jeans. I love repurposing old clothes and when I recently lost weight, I kept the clothes that were too big--just for that purpose. I've added an extra waistband to several pairs after discovering just how comfy it is--the jeans stay over my hipbones, so I don't have to keep tugging on them. They just feel very well-fitted.

I've also added gussets to the sides of the calves to several pairs. I had a few pairs of jeans that I really liked, but they were straight-leg cut. The gussets flare them out a bit, giving me more room in the calf (I have huge calves, and sometimes jeans don't fit me *because of the calf*--not the waist, not the thighs, but the calf!).

Rather than using matching denim, I picked a few contrasting fabrics:

This one is with lace from a bedsheet. I've been wanting to use it for a while (with denim) but I just hadn't figured out what to do with it. I really like how these turned out!

I'm not sure how I feel about these ones (below). I think they'll look better once I finish them (I have to sew along the edges of the seams so that they lie flat). My mom had given me a shirt that she was going to donate; I wasn't crazy about the shirt, but I decided to incorporate it into something else. I knew I wanted to use the grommets for something, and I decided to try using them on the hem of a pair of jeans.

And these (below) are my favorite pair. These were my "goal jeans" for YEARS. They're a pair of Silver brand skinny jeans, and I was so excited to be able to wear them when I reached my goal weight in 2015. Now that skinny jeans aren't "in" anymore (I can't even describe how happy I am about that!), I was very resistant to getting rid of them. Besides the sentiment, I just really love how comfy these are. I was so worried I was going to ruin them, but I knew I wouldn't wear them if I just left them as skinny jeans. (Thrift stores are LOADED with skinny jeans right now. 

I used denim that was the same color, but I turned the gussets over and used the wrong side of the fabric on the outside. I love the contrast of denim! 

I was kind of dreading sewing along the seams (to flatten them) because it's really hard to get my sewing machine that deep inside the leg of a pair of jeans. Then I remembered--hey, I have hands and people used to sew *everything* by hand. So, I got out a needle and thread and then sewed each side with contrasting thread, which you can see better below (on the left is before sewing along those seams.

I've also been wanting to try embroidering fun things on a pair of jeans. I basically want to cover a pair of jeans with patches, contrasting fabric, and embroidery--a total mess, but intentional. I had never done embroidery before, but I browsed around Pinterest and tried to just copy the look of other ones I found cute. I was using this piece of denim as practice, but I may just turn it into a patch.

Last week, I posted a picture of the passion fruit Jerry bought for me. I had been excited to eat them, despite the fact that they looked small and probably underripe (I have no idea how to "age" a passion fruit). Well, I cut into one and I was surprised to see just how little fruit is in there! It was probably a tablespoon altogether. But it looked just like I remembered--yellow snot with ants in it ;)  The last time I'd had a passion fruit was in Punta Cana--they were much bigger (the size of my hand) and sweeter than these--but these still tasted SO good.

Passion fruits were served breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Punta Cana--I thought they looked gross so I didn't even try one until halfway through our vacation. I was SO missing out! I ate about a million and half of them after that.

Noah and I went to some garage sales this morning with my mom and Noah bought this cat-backpack. It's surrounded by mesh, so the cats can see and smell outside. (I used to have a cool-looking "astronaut" one, but it wasn't ideal for cats. It just looked fun.) This is much better! Noah took Estelle outside and she LOVED looking around. We unzipped the top so she could stick her head out and she found the apple tree fascinating.

I also bought a puzzle. It's been ages since I put together a puzzle! When I was in so much chronic pain, I had to stop doing them (it hurt my hands, shoulders, neck, and back). I absolutely love putting together puzzles, and this one is 2,000 pieces--so it shouldn't be too easy ;)  I used to do 1,000 piece puzzles and I didn't even know there were puzzles with 2,000; I'm looking forward to working on this one. I may have to do it in the garage to keep the cats away, but that actually sounds really nice. I can open the garage doors so I can feel a nice breeze while I work on it. That sounds like a very relaxing summer evening, actually! Jerry would like it, too.

Anyway, that's all I've got. Hopefully I'll have more variety next week; but despite the few pictures, this past week has been refreshing. Have a great weekend! xo

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Three Things Thursday: Wasted

I'm not sure why this idea popped into my head, but I was driving a couple of days ago and I saw something (I can't remember what it was now!) that made me think "That's really overrated." I thought it would be a fun topic (three things that I think are overrated) but once I sat down to write, I couldn't really come up with ones I wanted to write about.

Jerry started suggesting things and then I realized those fit into a different sort of category: Things that are wasted on me. Things that most people really enjoy, but I just don't care much (if at all) about.

1. Traditional Romance

I have never been a romantic. I'm talking the type of romance on The Bachelor: rose petals on the bed, ten million candles scattered about, soft romance music in the background, chocolate covered strawberries, etc. Jerry, interestingly, is 100% into the romance stuff! He hates that I'm not into flowers or jewelry, because those are "easy" gifts.

I like the idea of romance, but I always tend to think practically. I would rather have a new kitchen appliance than jewelry, haha. Jerry used to buy me flowers once in a while before he finally understood that I was serious when I said I don't want flowers. They are so expensive and they just die in a couple of days anyway. I know a lot of women LOVE getting flowers; they are just wasted on me!

Our 19th wedding anniversary... which we spent at The Container Store! Sooo much more interesting than flowers or dinner ;)

2. Music

Another category where Jerry and I differ. He's obsessed with music and I hardly ever listen to it. I've actually never even been to a concert! He thinks it's crazy that I can get in the car and drive for 45 minutes before I realize that the radio isn't even on, hahaha. Jerry, Noah, and Eli all use Apple Music because they listen to all sorts of new things; when I do listen to music, I just listen to what I already have downloaded--because it's what I like. My playlist is mostly 90's music. Probably mostly cringy.

Not being into music might have something to do with how I was raised. I wasn't allowed to watch MTV or listen to non-Christian music, so I definitely don't think I was exposed to the music scene like most teens in that day ;)  I listened to a little music in the late 90's, when I was in high school--I think that's why my playlist is from that time. It's nostalgic! (I do love my podcasts, though.)

These earbuds came with my iPhone 4 in 2012. This photo is from 2017! I really didn't want to change what I was already comfortable/familiar with. I only switched from them when my iPhone 6 died and I had to get a new one.

3. Technology

I really wish I could embrace new technology; 15 years ago, I swore I was going to be one of those parents that keeps up with modern times, but I find that the older I get, the further from the truth that gets. It feels like just when we get used to some sort of technology, it's taken away and a new or improved version takes over. (When referring to technology here, I am talking about the last 20 years or so; obviously I don't think electricity or plumbing or something like that is overrated.)

In my lifetime, we went from collections of VHS tapes, only to have to replace with DVD's; only to have to replace with Blu-ray; only to have to replace with downloads to stream.

I miss buying something and having it last forever--I still have the same stupid alarm clock I had in high school! Since technology is constantly improving, it seems like electronics are meant to be disposable now. I can't imagine buying a new cell phone every time a new model comes out. I hold onto things until they truly can't be used anymore (or fixed), no matter how outdated they get. I'm stubborn! I'm set in my ways.

My alarm clock that I've had probably 30 years.

Usually, after several updates and/or new models of something, I stop resisting and give it a try. Then I realize what I was missing out on all this time, haha. I resisted getting a Kindle Paperwhite for YEARS, and when I finally did, I wished I'd tried it ages ago. I think I'm just very resistant to change, even if it's something that truly improves the old way or the old version. 

I'm super old-fashioned, and it gets worse by the day, I think. I like things that are straight-forward and simple; the less bells and whistles it has, the less parts there are that can go wrong with it.  Well, except when it comes to power tools versus hand tools. I don't have the patience to do woodworking by hand! Also, most of my injuries came from hand tools--my hands have way less control than power tools do.

I do absolutely value a few modern technologies, though: 1) Google Maps. I would still be lost in New York somewhere if I didn't know how to use Google Maps. 2) Being able to Google anything, anytime with a cell phone. 3) Kindle Paperwhite. I wouldn't read, if not for the Kindle. (Here is a post that explains why I love it so much.) 4) Power tools. It's hard enough on my carpal tunnel as it is, but if I had to use only hand tools, I wouldn't be able to make anything out of wood!

Okay, well those are three things that are wasted on me. I'd love to hear some things that you think are wasted on you! Please share.

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 105

I love the way these jeans turned out! I've been super into altering my jeans lately, customizing them exactly how I want them. These jeans are comfy and I wear them frequently, but I didn't like the straight leg cut.

Today, I added a very skinny triangular gusset to the side to give them a little room in the calves (my calves are huge and that's why I can't wear straight leg jeans). I have several pairs that I added a large gusset to, because I like a big flare (bell bottoms are the best!), but I really wanted to use the hem from another pair of jeans (and the hem is only so long). I cut off the bottom hem of these jeans I'm wearing, added the gusset to the side and then added the bottom three inches from the other pair of jeans.

Anyway, I didn't think much about my diet at all this week--not a good thing, but not necessarily a bad thing, either. As for the scale, there isn't much to tell:

I was at 141.2, which is the same as last week. I feel like I'm holding onto a ton of water weight. I drank a ridiculous amount of water yesterday and the day before, hoping to drop some of the water I'm holding onto, but it didn't help. I'm going to continue to pound the water and hope that I start feeling less puffy.

Something I've missed lately is experimenting with new ingredients and cooking new recipes. When Eli started baseball, I got out of that habit because I was going to baseball games several nights a week and I just started cooking familiar meals out of convenience. Now that we aren't doing baseball, I have time to cook dinner every day; I just need to pick some recipes and try them.

I had a pretty relaxing week, overall. I felt kind of guilty about this, but I spent a lot of time sewing; I really needed the mental break from everything. And now that we're down to three cars (indefinitely) and four drivers, I have to plan ahead of time when to run errands. I forgot how disappointing it is when you get all ready to go somewhere and then walk out to your car only to remember that you don't have one!

Speaking of, the insurance company said that since Michigan is a "no-fault accident" state, we aren't entitled to compensation for any damages (i.e. the totaled car) like I'd hoped. The accident was 100% the other driver's fault, but with Michigan's laws, our insurance pays for us and the other driver's pays for her--but since we only had liability insurance with Eli's car, we don't get anything for it. Our insurance will pay for the x-rays Eli got of his wrist and knee. Other than that, we don't get anything from the insurance. 

I feel like it's so unfair--someone with a suspended license causes a bad accident, totaling Eli's vehicle (as well as her own), but she doesn't have any responsibility to pay for the damages. (At least that's how we understood it.) We're not hoping to get a brand new car out of this--just something comparable to what we had. We can't just go buy another car (even a cheap used one) right now.

Anyway, I had an appointment with my psychiatrist this morning and regarding my anxiety, we talked about the book he recommended to me ("When Panic Attacks" by Dr. David Burns). I've had a hard time doing the exercises in the book because it's hard to think of specific scenarios that cause anxiety--I have anxiety 90% of my time spent awake! Haha. So he came up with some examples and I'm going to give the exercises a try. (It's basically a LOT of introspection and identifying cognitive distortions.)

We've had gorgeous weather for the past couple of weeks, so I think for next week, my main goal is going to be to go for a run at some point. I know that sounds like nothing--a single run in an entire week--but I really just need to get started. And if it's just once this week, maybe it'll be twice next week!

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Deep Thoughts With Jerry #16

Today is Tuesday! You know what that means... you get me (Jerry). Usually I answer a bunch of icebreaker questions that I find online. Today, a change of pace. I figured I would write a list of some of my favorite things in random categories. Here we go...

Favorite movie:

I think I answered this a couple months back. It might come as a surprise for some that know me a little bit. It's not a comic book movie, it's not Ghostbusters, and it's not Star Wars. It's TOP GUN. Shocker, I know. I've seen this movie so many times and it dates back to my early childhood. I was a military brat, so to speak.

My dad served in the Air Force for a combine 30 years between active and reserve duty. Seeing the fighters and bombers in the air left me awestruck and of course I would gravitate to the closest thing I could get to getting into the cockpit.  A couple years ago I was able to visit my friend John in San Diego and was able to take a car ride out to Miramar, home to the real Top Gun until 1996. 

Favorite TV show: 

Friends. By far. It's my go-to show for background noise in the house when I'm doing any kind of housework. I've seen all the episodes so many times that I don't need to be 'watching' it to know what exactly is going on.

However, there is a small outlier to this question. I've been an avid professional wrestling fan since I was very young. I don't remember where my love for it originated but I've been watching every single Monday since 1993. It's the longest episodic show on television with over 1,500 episodes, and I've seen them all. But, still, it's gotta be Friends. 

Favorite band: 

Very debatable. But I think that Rage Against The Machine is my all time favorite. I say it's debatable because the music bands put out changes with the times. I was a big fan of the Smashing Pumpkins and after their album 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' their sound went way downhill.

Many of my favorites did that, but not Rage. They broke up before it happened to them. LOL. Nowadays, I focus more on the genre. And it also depends on my mood. Currently it's 4:30am and I'm listening to 'Rise and Grind' on Apple Music. It's a punk playlist that's updated weekly. Punk brings me into a good mood when I'm feeling down, which has been a lot lately. Music is a life saver. 

Favorite sport:

Baseball. Hands down. I'm not one of those stats guys who can tell you how the Atlanta Braves center fielder hits against right handed pitchers in open air stadiums. I just love watching the game. I can sit and watch the entire game, all 9 innings without even complaining about how long it is.

Obviously I am a fan of the Detroit Tigers, my hometown team. Across Lake Michigan is my adopted 2nd favorite, the Milwaukee Brewers. My friend Rik is a huge fan of the Brewers and we are determined to get to a game. I go out there once a year for the annual Milwaukee Brewfest and every single year the Brewers are on the road.

Favorite video game:

I've played so many video games over the years. So many. I'm a little particular when it comes to games. I was a Nintendo kid growing up, Katie was all about that SEGA. Mario was king for a very long time but my video gaming experience was turned upside down with the release of the Playstation, a disc based console.

With the Playstation came Final Fantasy 7, mind blowing. I spent so many hours in that world. When I finally beat the big bad boss at the end, Sephiroth, my console crashed and I never reached that point again. My disc was scratched so I was very lucky to make it to that point to begin with. So, to answer the question, Final Fantasy 7. The best. 

Favorite dinner:

I know I am eating plant based but I have to be honest about this... pork chops and rice. Hands down. I grew up with it and before I started eating plant based Katie used to make it, especially on my birthday. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

I don't know if there is a vegan option to replace the pork chop, cream of mushroom, and cream of celery... I should probably look into that. Katie has made a lot of delicious plant based dinners, and we are still finding really good recipes. 

Favorite snack:

This seems to change all the time. I love pretzels and potato chips, plain for both. 

Favorite beverage:

Just saying beer is too broad of a stroke. Even narrowing it down to a specific style is too broad. I love IPAs, a lot. My absolute favorite, and go-to, is Norm's Raggedy Ass IPA from Griffin Claw Brewing. As a matter of fact, I'm enjoying one as I'm writing this. 

Again, every year I go to the Milwaukee Brewfest. Breweries from all across the country come out to give out samplings of their new concoctions and their favorited brews. I experience all kinds of different flavors that weekend, but they never quite equal my Norms.  

Favorite chore:

LOL. Now I'm just adding shit to keep this post a little long! But, in all seriousness, I like cleaning up around the house. I can't explain it. Maybe Katie is just lucky, but I don't mind doing dishes or cleaning up anything. And I love vacuuming. There's something so satisfying about it.

My favorite:

[Katie here. Usually, I don't jump in on Jerry's posts even when I want to argue something or give my opinion ;) I wanted to just remove this "question" that he made up because of his response. Anyway, I swear on my life that I did not write this; nor did I prompt him to write it. Haha]

This is simple. My favorite (favorite=favorite out of anything) is my Punkin Pot Pie, Katie. She's my favorite everything. I love her sense of humor, her kindness, her compassion, and her squirrelliness. We have built quite the life together. A life that no one else will ever understand. A life of familiarity, compatibility, comfortability, love, and support. 

We have both been through a lot, her more than me. But through thick and thin and thick and then thin again we have persevered and beat the odds. I can't imagine my life being any other way and can't picture doing this with anyone else. She's 1/3 of my everything, but she's 100% my partner in this life. And, I'm so grateful.

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Iron Deficiency (symptoms and an update)

I've written only a little about this because I never knew, until August, that I had an iron deficiency--for years. Because I've had symptoms of low iron (the most prevalent being ice chewing--I'm talking the equivalent of a gallon of water in ice EVERY DAY--my doctors would check iron levels, see that they were only borderline and tell me to consider taking a multivitamin with iron. (I could have sworn my symptoms were very noticeable at least a decade ago, but going through photos for this post, it looks like it wasn't until around 2016 that they got significantly worse.)

This lists a lot of the common (and less common) symptoms of low ferritin. (source)

My symptoms: There are a lot of symptoms that overlap with numerous other issues that could be causing the problem, so they aren't necessarily related to iron--things like fatigue, brain fog, and sleep problems. My "unusual" symptoms that made me stop and think a bit:  swallowing problems/lump in throat; shortness of breath; feeling cold (not just hands and feet); swooshing and pounding sounds in my ears--I can hear my heart beating and blood circulating a lot of the time and I always thought that was normal; restless legs--especially at night; brittle nails; sore tongue; (possible hair loss? I may have only imagined it after I realized how old I am getting, haha).

On top of those, I have the more common symptoms as well. I think the only thing on the list that I don't really relate to is the chest pain. Several of those are also symptoms of anxiety, so if the anxiety goes away, maybe those will clear up, too. But I can't ever picture my anxiety going away ;)

I've never been able to tolerate iron pills--even half of a multivitamin makes me SUPER nauseous for half a day. Since my iron was "borderline" through the years, I wasn't too concerned about it. I wasn't anemic--the blood tests showed that.

I wrapped myself up every evening like this inside of a sleeping bag because I was SO COLD all the time. A big symptom of iron deficiency.

However, I am severely lacking iron. I specifically asked for a ferritin test the last time I went to the doctor (August 2022) because my iron-deficiency symptoms were really bad. Ferritin is a good indicator of long-term iron levels rather than the shorter-term ones that the iron tests check, and is a better indicator for diagnosing iron deficiency. Nobody ever tested my ferritin until I asked!

Ideally, the ferritin number would be over 100. Mine? It was 9. NINE.

Over the next several months, I tried a lot of different iron supplements, trying to find one that didn't hurt my stomach (and was vegan). My sister suggested I join an iron-deficiency Facebook group (she has low ferritin as well) and someone in the group mentioned that she was having a really hard time finding a supplement that worked AND was gentle on her stomach. She said she finally found one called FERAPRO and she posted her updated iron bloodwork, showing normal levels--I was so interested because it just happened to be vegan as well. (The FAQ's from the FERAPRO site are helpful with a basic understanding of iron/ferritin and supplementing.)

(This is not a sponsored post, by the way. I'm not at all affiliated with the supplement or pharmacy.)

Unfortunately, it is only available in Canada--I had to order it from the website and it took a while to ship, but it eventually got here (and the price isn't bad at all--$65 for 100 days' worth. I think shipping was about $20, considering it's from Canada. I'm not sure if Canadian drug laws are similar to the U.S., but according to the pharmacy site this supplement is considered a schedule II drug and has to be obtained from a pharmacist, although you don't need a prescription. (You can get a telehealth consult with the pharmacist that you order from--here is the site that I ordered from.)

I am not at all affiliated with the company and I don't get anything for sharing this, but I am so excited because it seems to actually be working. My symptoms are continuing to get better. I've been religious about taking it the supplement--I take it every evening at dinnertime (I'm afraid to try it on an empty stomach). Because I have fortified cereal and soy milk every morning, I don't like to take the iron until later in the day. 

I haven't had another blood test (I think I'll ask for one when I finish this first bottle of iron). But I will be shocked if this is simply a placebo effect. The first change I noticed was that I stopped craving ice. Almost immediately! Over a period of a few days, I went from eating ice all day long to not craving it AT ALL. In 2017-ish, I remember Jerry would go out of his way after work to get 10-pound bags of ice from Sonic--almost daily. Then he and the kids gave me an ice maker for my birthday. Best gift ever, haha. 

The next thing I noticed is that I'm not freezing cold all the time. In the fall at cross country practice, I remember Renee gaping at me because I wearing long-sleeve thermal underclothes and jeans and a hoodie on top of it. And I was *still* cold, while everyone around me was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I wore hoodies all year long--literally. I even slept in hoodies and thermal pants! I would sleep inside of a sleeping bag under the covers on my bed--that's how cold I always was.

Jerry took this horribly unflattering photo of me when I was sleeping. My lower half was inside of the sleeping bag, topped with a comforter and duvet cover. I was wearing a hoodie--with a long sleeve shirt underneath. And those tumblers in the background? My chewing ice, of course!

After being on the iron supplements for a while (maybe a month?) I noticed that I wasn't getting cold at night. In the evenings, I was able to sit without a blanket--which is unheard of for me. I'm used to dressing extremely warm, so changing this habit hasn't been fun. I get super hot when I go places sometimes! When we were at Cedar Point last week, I wore a jacket on top of a t-shirt--even though I'd been warmer lately, I couldn't imagine the thought of not being freezing to death. However, I almost immediately regretted wearing it. The rest of the day, I kept wondering if I should just ditch it, because I was kind of hot wearing it. (The temp was mid-70s, I think... a few months ago, I would need a winter snow suit.)

Cedar Point in 2015

I'm back to sleeping in a t-shirt and no extra blankets. And I'm actually sleeping! I've mentioned having chronic insomnia for as long as I can remember; for the last month or so, I've actually been sleeping for 5-6 hours a night--*real* sleep, not the tossing and turning kind I'm used to.

I still have some symptoms, but those may or may not be caused from the low iron. It's hard to say whether "brain fog" or "fatigue" or symptoms like that could be caused from one particular reason--it's a symptom of numerous possible issues. I'm actually deficient in Vitamin D as well, and I'm not as good about taking that supplement (I can't take it together with the iron, and I tend to forget to take it).

Now that I've gotten very consistent about taking the iron, and I've seen how effective it is, I'm going to try being just as consistent about taking the Vitamin D. I don't have any other deficiencies, so I'm curious if correcting my iron and Vitamin D will curb those symptoms.

Anyway, I just wanted to update in case anyone else is iron deficient and hasn't been diagnosed (by ferritin check) and/or you haven't had luck with other iron supplements. I can't say if it will work for everyone like it has worked for me, but I'm so relieved to have found a supplement that is clearing up my symptoms AND that my digestive system can tolerate. I'm grateful that someone else posted their experience with it; otherwise, I never would have heard of it or given it a chance.

And ferritin? I almost feel like it should be a regular annual blood screen, especially for higher-risk people. (Menstruating females are especially susceptible. As are pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with gastrointestinal diseases, people who have had bariatric surgery, even kids who drink a lot of cow's milk! Cow's milk doesn't contain much iron and it can decrease the absorption of iron. (source)

I never would have asked for my vitamin levels to be checked if I hadn't become vegan in 2021. I wanted to make sure I was covering all the bases with my diet. Being vegan didn't cause any deficiencies, but I never would have discovered the low iron if not for getting my ferritin checked. (The Vitamin D deficiency is super common and I've known about it for ages--I just never really took supplementing seriously.)

I had no idea that I'd ever feel "normal" again when it comes to my body temperature. And I always thought that even if my iron was totally normal, I'd still chew ice all day long because I love it. (Now, after only a few weeks or a month or so, the thought of chewing ice kind of hurts my teeth. Once in a while I grab some out of habit, but I can't really eat more than a few pieces. (Maybe that's why I've been snacking more--not having the ice to chew.)

It's so funny that the thought of wearing t-shirts this summer (or even long-sleeve but airy shirts) is thrilling to me!

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Friday Night Photos #117

I know I say this pretty much every week, but holy smokes, this week flew by. It's Friday already?! It's been quite an eventful week, to say the least. We had a great weekend--Jerry and I went mini-golfing and to an escape room. Then on Monday, we let Eli play hooky from school so that we could all go to Cedar Point (Eli's girlfriend got the go-ahead as well). I took less than five pictures! As I get older, I take fewer pictures but at least try to taken in the moments as they are happening.

I lost (very badly) at mini golf. Why do I never get a hole-in-one?! Because I always hit it in the rocks somehow. Jerry was nervous about this shot because if I made it, he would owe me $1 million. (Clearly, I did not make it from the rocks into the hole.)

This picture is just of Noah and me as we were waiting for the others. They'd gone on a ride we didn't want to, so we went on a different roller coaster while we waited. (Noah and I like the very twisty-turny rides, but it's a big no to the big hills. I get vertigo going up and down the hills and it is a super uncomfortable feeling.)

The only photo of the four of us

I was pretty proud of myself for going on a new-to-me coaster called The Gatekeeper. I like rides that are familiar to me so that I know what to expect, and I was terrified to go on The Gatekeeper because I didn't know what it would be like. I always worry about 1) vertigo, and 2) will it mess up my back? Haha, I'm 100 years old. Some of the older rides are a bit rough, and I'm pretty sure I shrank a couple of inches when I went on the Mine Ride and the Blue Streak several years back.

On the way home, Eli and Ava fell asleep in the back seat. I feel like that's the normal teenager reaction after a day at Cedar Point. I remember how exhausting it felt! (Well, it's still exhausting; but every teen around here has a story of a super long, hot day waiting in lines at Cedar Point.) It's funny--considering how impatient teens are, they are all very patient and well-behaved while waiting 90 minutes in line for a 2-minute ride. Several times, I noted that Jerry and I were (literally) the oldest people we could see in line. I never really realized that Cedar Point is mostly crawling with teenagers.

After such a great day, it was more than a little upsetting to get a phone call from Eli just an hour or so later, saying he'd been in an accident.

A friend of mine sent me a picture of her toddler making a "Jerry face", so we took a picture to send back to him.

After the issues we had with the dishwasher, I noticed that the silverware was looking really dull. I've never polished silverware in my life--I've only ever washed it in the dishwasher (or by hand). So, I read online how to get silverware to be clean and shiny again. Basically, you line your sink with foil and mix baking soda, salt, and vinegar right on it. Spread the silverware on it. Then add boiling water to cover it all.

It worked pretty good. They definitely look much better than they did before.

Jerry surprised me with passion fruit yesterday!!! I adore passion fruit, but I haven't seen it anywhere since we were in Punta Cana in 2014. These ones that Jerry found are tiny and they don't feel ripe, so I have no idea if they will be any good, but I love that I get to try them!

Yesterday, I made a double batch of seitan patties (kind of like chicken breasts) to marinate and put in the freezer. I also made a quadruple batch of sesame sauce and put it in these 8-oz jars. I like having sauce in the freezer, so I can just pull it out and heat it up for a fast dinner--rice with tofu, veggies, and sesame sauce--so good!

If anyone is interested, this is my recipe (this one is doubled; I used two times this recipe for the jars above). One jar is a good size for a block of tofu (or equivalent volume). (You just shake everything in a mason jar, then pour into a pot and bring just to a boil, then lower heat until the sauce is thickened.)

1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt (hold off on this if you want to taste before salting)
1 Tbsp. corn starch
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (or brown sugar)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I use about 3/4 tsp because we like it spicy)

I laughed when I saw this tweet... I definitely remember the owl pellets!

I absolutely love this pair of jeans, but the big hole in the knee was growing every time I stepped into the pants and caught my foot in the hole. Also, when I went to garage sales a few weeks ago with my parents, my knee bumped against the trailer hitch on my dad's truck--and left a big brown spot. It didn't come out in the wash, so I figured I'd just make the hole a little bigger and patch it. I just used dark denim on the inside and then, because I really didn't feel like getting out my sewing machine, I used embroidery thread to attach the patches.

I also took in the waist with darts (bottom right). It used to say "AMERICAN EAGLE", and now it just says AME. These are heavily altered, but I love these jeans! The button fly and mid rise make them perfect.

I fell down the denim embroidery rabbit hole on Pinterest yesterday--people do the coolest things with embroidery thread! I want to try something fun, but it's intimidating to even know where to start. I'll try practicing on a scrap piece of denim.

And finally... Jerry and I have been playing Trivia Crack again. Remember when this was popular several years ago? I have NOT ONCE beat Jerry! He's super good at trivia, and I am clearly not. I still have fun trying to answer the questions, though. And one of these days, maybe I'll get lucky and actually beat Jerry. (We also play Boggle, and he's never beat me at that! We each have our strengths and weakness.)

And that's all I've got. I am dog-sitting for Nathan this weekend; I'm going to bring Joey over there to hang out with his cousin ;)  Have a great weekend! xo

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Three Things Thursday: Running Advice

This is kind of an unusual topic, considering I haven't been running (at least not regularly) for a while now. That's not to say that I don't think about or read about running, though! I still love the topic--I just don't love actually doing it right now, haha.

Anyway, I thought I would write the three best pieces of advice I've received in regards to running. They are invaluable to me!

1. If it feels too hard, slow down.

I used to think that there was no way I could run. I always skipped out of the mile in gym class and I didn't do sports in school. I didn't run a single step until I was in my late 20's.

When I first started running, I couldn't go far at all--which is to be expected, considering I'd never run before. It just felt SO HARD. I couldn't understand how anyone could run for three minutes, let alone MILES at a time. It seemed impossible.

When I told my brother about how hard it felt, he told me to slow down and he guaranteed that I would be able to run for at least twice as long. He said even if you're running so slowly that you could walk faster, it's totally fine--just go as far as you can and it will get easier. That sounded very far-fetched--twice the distance?

Well, lo and behold, it worked! I was able to run much farther and I wasn't miserable the whole time, either. I ran so slowly that I'm sure a turtle could beat me in a race, but I went the distance.

2010, before I discovered sweat-wicking clothing. I can remember exactly how a cotton shirt feels when it's plastered to your skin.

It got much easier after that. Now, as a certified running coach, I give this same advice--always. Especially with the kids on my cross country team! They come up with ten billion excuses about why they can't run, and I just tell them that cross country is all about running, so they have to run. If it feels too hard, though, then just slow down. No stopping. And *all* of the kids on the team were capable of running a mile without stopping--just by slowing down.

2. Run your easy runs EASY, and your hard runs HARD.

This advice is everywhere--look at any running website, magazine, book, etc., and you'll see that an "easy" run is meant to feel EASY. There are physiological and biological reasons for doing slow runs, which I won't get into, but the slow runs are super important to become the best runner you're capable of. And running slowly 80% of the time can make you a faster runner in general. It certainly worked for me. (A book that I found very informational about this is '80/20 Running' by Matt Fitzgerald.

One thing that I do slightly differently from a lot of running plans is that I suggest walking for recovery between interval speed work rather than a "light jog"--I find that when I walk, I'm able to recover much more quickly and then I'm able to run much harder on the speed interval. I put everything I have into sprint workouts--while walking the recovery periods--and I think it makes a big difference in training.

I love how strong and determined I look in this picture--that look was totally fake! Inside, I was thinking, "Don't blink, just stare ahead. Hurry up and take the goddamn picture already! Don't blink... and go ahead and exhale." (In just about every race photo I have, my eyes are closed, so I was determined to keep them open for this one.)

A "middle ground" type workout would be a threshold (or tempo) run, which is run hard (but not an all out sprint). Basically, when doing speed work I run as hard as I can WHILE STILL BEING ABLE TO FINISH at the same/similar pace. So if I start sprinting for 60 seconds but I can only make it 30 seconds before I feel like I'm going to die (and then my pace drops off), that's too fast. I want to be able to run for the full 60 seconds as fast as I can without slowing down. It takes a few intervals to really get the feel for the correct pace (almost always, my first interval is too fast).

3. Every little bit "counts".

My running has evolved over the years (from existent to non-existent--hahaha!) but something I remember in the beginning was that I believed my run didn't "count" if I stopped to pet a dog or say hello to a neighbor or chat with my parents while running by their house, etc. I didn't stop for *anything* because I thought it wouldn't count as a run.

A spectator offered Jerry and I a shot of bourbon during the Detroit Half-Marathon in 2015. Our run still counted!

Later, I also didn't really "count" a run if it was less than three miles--I have no idea where that number came from or why I chose it, but the thought of going for a two-mile run (well, there was no thought of it because it didn't exist in my mind at the time).

For a long time, I believed that run-walking didn't "count". When I was injured and was run-walking frequently, I realized that it's not necessarily easier than straight-up running. Regardless of how hard it feels, though, I think run-walking totally counts! (Jerry and I ran/walked the race in the photo above)

These days, I think it all counts. A short jog around the block that includes a walking break and stopping to tie your shoe? Totally counts. Stopping midway through an out-and-back run for a Slurpee before turning around and running home? Absolutely counts. Running with a friend whose pace is much slower? Still counts.

Stopping to dig your purple thong out of an icy sidewalk, then having to collect your own unwanted underclothes all along your route? Definitely counts.

Also, and this should probably be its own category, *nobody cares what your pace and/or race times are*--so don't compare your running to someone else's. It took me a LONG time to stop caring about my pace, but running was so much more enjoyable when I was doing it slowly!

And there we go... three pieces of running advice, passed along, that helped in my own running journey. I think I'm finally starting to feel some running inspiration... 

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