Crawling Back to Weight Watchers with my Tail Between my Legs

Back in 2016, I wrote a post about how I hated the new Weight Watchers points system. I know they need to change it up to keep members interested, but I was CHEESED OFF and didn't like how it worked! 

Fast forward a few years, and I hit over 160 pounds on my 5 foot 2 inch frame over Christmas (Hershey kisses while wrapping presents is not a good idea). My back and knees have been hurting (among other issues), and I realized I needed to do SOMETHING. 

Honestly, I feel so powerless over food sometimes that I cry, but I don't see a healthy future for myself if I don't make a change. I'm also trying to avoid thyroid medication for as long as possible, having been diagnosed with Hashimoto's autoimmune disorder in August of 2018. It's probably time to have a little less gluten, dairy and sugar and see how it makes me feel and behave.

So on a whim (which we all know is God talking to us), I signed up here (you can get a free month and so can I if you sign up using my link) and answered some questions, which determined I'm in the Weight Watchers BLUE plan (you could also do GREEN or PURPLE... they each have a different number of SmartPoints versus ZeroPoints). Then I printed off my monthly pass with bar code so I can get into the meetings and printed off my 200+ zero-point foods list.

I need to weigh in soon to figure out where I'm starting, but I think I'm going to try to stick with a Monday night weekly weigh-in. I'd love to know what I weight right now on their scale, but I should probably just start following the plan and hit a meeting in a few days for the first weigh-in.

Okay, so here are your steps:

1. Sign up (for a free month on me LOL).
2. Answer the questions to determine your plan.
3. Print your monthly pass.
4. Get the WW app for easy tracking on the go. You can also track on your PC. I do both.
5. Print the zero-point foods list if that is included in your plan. This is my BLUE list (purple has more and green has fewer).
6. Start working on your meal plan. The more prepared you are for each day, the better you'll do and the easier it will be to say NO to certain things. Don't say, "I can't have that" (because you can eat anything you want on WW) … instead say, "That's not on my plan today."
7. Figure out the weekly meeting you want to hit and go to your first one for your first weigh-in.
8. Come back here and let me know how you're doing! Or you can find me on Facebook and post on the page or leave me a message!

I'm a pretty transparent kind of girl, so I'll let you know how it goes on the sidebar every week. This is like my 5th time around with WW, so I'm praying and hopeful.

My plan is BLUE, which means I get 23 points per day to use however I like plus 28 per WEEK to use all in one day, over the week, or not at all. Very flexible. I also can eat from a large list of 0-point foods, like tuna, beans, fat free this and that, veggies and fruits. It works if you work it, no joke.

How much am I paying? About $30 a month since I got the 3-month plan. You can save more if you sign up for 12 months. If you are entirely unsure, you can go month to month.

Tips for Cubicle Sound-proofing

Nobody likes going to work. Especially if you are working in a small cubicle. It feels like an experiment has been going on all the time while you've been working. And in a few days, or maybe today somebody will come and tell you it was all a big joke. The only thing that makes people feel like this is the small space and all of the noise.

Of course, you have a bit of space, but that's enough only to take a step, and then you are out. The job itself can be great, and if it was a different environment, everyone would love it. Well, since you can't do anything about the space, what can you do about the noise?

Talk to your boss or manager first
Before doing anything, you should have a conversation with your boss or the manager in charge. By doing this, you will let them know that there is something that might bother more people. They might have already thought of ideas that they wanted to implement. This is a win-win situation if someone one else has a problem with the noise too.  And, as you read on, you will also get a few thoughts on what to recommend to them to reduce the overall noise.

Add a carpet for the floor
Most of the noise that goes on in the office is people walking in a distinct matter. If you've worked there for a long time, you already know who is going, whereby the sound of their particular walk. As well as that, high heels make a lot of noise. You can be focused and doing something important, and the tick-tock sound of high heels will make you forget it.

The solution you can suggest is to get a carpet that will cover the tiled floor. This will make a much more comfortable working environment. As well as that, that can make it feel more like home. Also, if there is a lot of noise from the floor beneath you, the carpet will block it out. The thicker the rug, the better. It also serves as insulation, and all of the noise will be absorbed by the fabric.

Raise the height of the cubicles

If you have an open cubicle, chances are that the side walls are pretty short. By standing up, you can take a peek in your neighbor's workspaces. If that's the case, you can suggest raising the height of the cubicles. This will reduce the sound from your neighbors, and everyone will gladly appreciate some more privacy. There are a lot of options, and the best one is freestanding partition walls. They are all quite well build, and they all absorb sound at a fantastic rate. You can either get them one by one, or you can just put them all together.

The negative thing about this option is that it can be a bit expensive to do for the whole office. Your boss or manager might even tell you that you can't do that to your own workspace. That's because some people will feel jealous and it will cause a lot of bickering around the colleagues. If they say no, you have a few more options to work with. Click here to read more.

Hang curtains or attach soundproof panels
Instead of going up, you can try and make your existing walls a bit thicker. A professional option is to attach soundproof panels. They absorb the noise, and they don't let it go through. This will definitely make your sitting station more enjoyable. But they can be a bit pricey. So, the next best thing is to add a few curtains on the walls. Since the walls themselves are very thin, the added textile layer will make it harder for sound to pass through. You will feel the difference immediately. The reason high-end theaters use top curtains is precise because of this quality.

Install a white noise fan
If nothing goes your way, then you can just put in a white noise fan. This is a good thing because first of all, it will keep you cool and calm. The second thing is that it's loud, and it will cancel out a lot of the noise coming from outside. It's just the right amount of loud. It's perfectly enough to make everything pleasant for you, but it's also quiet enough not to disturb your coworkers.

Get a pair of headphones

The first thought that comes to mind is that you get a couple of headphones, put them in, and problem solved. Well, yes, that can be an option. It's a pretty good option too, but it doesn't solve the problem of soundproofing. What we meant by getting a pair of headphones is switching the old phones for newer technology. Simple wireless Bluetooth headphones will work wonders for the entire office. No one will be yelling on a handset anymore. Instead, the volume of the whole office will go down. Here’s some more info: soundproofpros.com/soundproof-cubicles

Finally, soundproofing an office is a common issue to solve. There's no way that only one person is bothered by the noise from everyone else. You need to organize a meeting and acknowledge that there is a problem. This will make it easier to solve. If everyone chips in with a small amount, it can make a drastic difference in the working environment. Of course, that's only valid if the upper management decides not to interfere.

Encouraging Your Child In The Best Manner Possible

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Perhaps the easiest trap for any parent to fall into is to continually question their parenting style. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact it’s the mark of a caring and concerned parent to feel this way. That being said, it can sometimes prevent you from taking action in the best manner, and from there learning how your results came to pass. It might be that sometimes you need to put your foot down to ensure that your child understands the boundaries you deem acceptable, but in other situations, this might not be the best tactic.

Here’s a freeing fact - it’s impossible to get everything right. The best you can do is continually encourage and support your child, provided you do that in a textured manner. Otherwise, it’s easy to become an overly pushy parent. This can sound too vague for new parents to deal with, because they have plenty on their plate already. The following practical parental guidance should help you understand and consider how to approximate this in the best manner possible, and to move on from there:

Social Encouragement

Social encouragement is certainly a huge helper for many children unsure of themselves. Helping them join team sports, or perhaps join an extracurricular activity, or allowing them to invite friends for their evening meal at your home can be a great means in which to help socialize our children. Additionally, helping them see how to share, connect and try to understand others will have a massive impact on their developmental personality. It’s in this way that most parents will nurture healthy socialization. Teaching them to report conflict or mistreatment can also help them define their own boundaries.

Preschool

Having your child attend preschool can be a massively important developmental stage as their preparation for school. Here they can start to get used to the schedule, play with other children, learn to share, build those connections, and feel a little less worried about things by the time they come to their actual schooling. Preschool attendance has a marked benefit for most children, especially those who may have a nervous disposition, as offering them exposure to this new routine of life will set them up for the yearly schedule from then on.

Nurturing Interests

Nurturing the interests of your child can be a fantastic means of helping them develop their passions. They might show an interest in learning an instrument, or in performing on stage, or in playing a particular sport. If you can help them carefully and slowly become initiated into a local group suitable for their age, you may find that they have no fear about naturally moving forward with their interests, or they’ll be more likely to make those known. It’s not hard to see just how powerful that can be for a young developing mind. Remember, anything goes, and do your best to encourage while never being pushy.

With this advice, you’re sure to encourage your child in the best manner possible.

Toothpick Stuck in Foot

Originally posted February 12, 2010

Last Friday I stepped on a toothpick and got half of it stuck in the heel of my foot. Since I have to post so far in advance (no Internet at home), I could be dead right now, could have a toothpick cut out of my foot, or could have it still in there. It's a cliffhanger for sure.

Anyway, in my internet travels I came across this site, and I can't make this crap up. It is some priceless humor and grammar! 

Updated 12/8/2018: I see this post in my Top Posts feed, which makes me laugh :-) I have to wonder if a lot of people are having this problem or are maybe searching "toothpick erotica." YIKES.

Here's what happened: I was too big of a baby to let anyone dig it out or to do it myself so I put on Neosporin, slapped on a Band-aid, and waited overnight. When I took the Band-aid off, the toothpick LITERALLY slid out of my foot by itself.

Voila. Something to be said for being a big old baby.

I can't tell you how many times since then I have found toothpicks on the floor. Life with kids.

Here's a photo of my husband making fun of the toothpick in my foot. There was huge drama around this situation, friends. Don't worry, it's only ketchup.

What to do About Those Aches and Pains

If you’re suffering with aches and pains that are getting you down and stopping you from getting the most out of your day to day life, it’s time you did something to combat this problem. There are so many things you can do to handle these aches and pains a little better, so there’s no need to suffer in silence and put up with the problems that you’re going through.

It’s all about finding the techniques to beat the pain that work best for you. Some of the ideas we’re about to discuss below will work well for some people and other ideas will work for other people. You need to take a trial and error approach because aches and pains are experienced and dealt with differently by different people. Read on now to find out about the things you should try.

Always Stretch, Warm Up and Cool Down When Being Active

If your pain and aches come about as a result of you exercising, it’s important to make sure you start and end your exercise sessions in the right way. You first need to stretch and do a proper warm up before getting started with your activities. You should also make sure that you take the time to cool your body down with some gentler exercises before you finish completely. If you do all that, you won’t be as likely to suffer injuries, aches and pains afterwards.

Try Strength Training to Ease Lower Back Pain

Strength training can be really helpful to people with lower back pain. When people have pain in this part of their back, it’s often because the surrounding muscles are not offering the support needed. Therefore, by strengthening the muscles in your upper body, you’re able to prevent that kind of pain becoming a problem for you. Bench presses are particularly useful for this kind of issue. They’ll strengthen the right muscles and give your back the support it needs.

Talk to Your Doctor About Medication Options

There are lots of medications and painkillers that are used to treat pain and chronic pain. If you think that this is something that would help you too, you should talk to your doctor about it. They’ll have the answers and options that’ll work for you and they’ll be able to prescribe the medication that provides you with the best outcomes. You can find the one that offers the benefits you need without too many troubles eon side effects. There are plenty of options out there.

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Consider Surgical Solutions if Necessary

There are many options out there for people who are experiencing more severe cases of pain. There are many types of spine surgery that can help with this issue, for example. This is something that you’ll need to talk to a doctor about if you think it’s something that could actually help you to deal with pain better going forward. If they agree that you’d benefit from surgery, you can move ahead with it. Follow the guidance of the doctors and surgeons you trust if you decide to take this route forwards.

Get Regular Massages From a Pro

Massages can be a huge help when it comes to dealing with aches and pains. If you exercise a lot, it’s vital to have regular massages to help your body recover and stay in good shape. It’s not just about making you feel a bit more relaxed in the moment; it’s also about achieving long-term benefits to your body and muscles as well. If you can, get regular massages from a professional because it’ll make a real difference if you’re someone who tends to experience muscle pain.

Stick to a Good Sleep Pattern

Sleeping is really important but it can also be really challenging when it comes to dealing with pain problems. People with chronic pain often find it difficult to sleep, but if you can get a good night’s sleep each night, you’ll find that those aches and pains reduce. Your body needs sleep in order to recover and repair, and that includes recovering from the things that are causing you pain. Try to keep a regular bedtime and get up around the same time each day. It’ll be likely to have a positive impact before long if you do this.

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Combat the Mental Health Problems That Can Result From Chronic Pain

Another thing that often gets ignored is the impact aches and pains can have on your mental health. When you fail to combat mental health problems relating to the pain issues you’re experiencing, it simply makes everything more difficult to overcome. That’s why counselling is something that can so often help people with chronic pain and the mental health issues it causes them. It can be hard to open up and talk but it can help a lot.

Use Breathing Techniques

Breathing techniques can be really helpful when you’re experiencing a really overpowering and overwhelming sense of pain. It helps to calm the body and focus more, and this can help you get past the feelings of pain that you’re experiencing. It’s easy to get started with this and it might have more of an impact than you imagine. Lots of people benefit from it, especially chronic pain sufferers.

Do Gentle Exercise

This might sound counterintuitive, but exercising can help your pain. Of course, we all need to be active in order to stay healthy. But gentle exercise is a great way to deal with some of the underlying problems that cause pain, especially when it relates to your muscles. Get walking and enjoy the natural environment in order to get your body moving. You might be surprised by the outcomes.

If you’ve been struggling with pain problems, be sure to give these ideas a try. Not all of them will be successful for you. But even if just one of these ideas helps you to beat the pain you’ve been experiencing recently or even just reduce it, you’ll have moved in a positive direction.