I always appreciate this thread as I don't watch more than one show at a time but when I finish it I'm always champing at the bit for another. Somebody Somewhere seems appropriate - I'm finishing up The Woman in the House across the Street from the Woman in the Window, which has both scared me and made me laugh. I have one episode left and then I think I'll watch Somebody Somewhere. We also finished Pieces of Her not long ago, which I really enjoyed (enjoyed as in, it also somewhat terrified me and yet I couldn't stop watching). I guess "terrified" is the wrong word - there were some pretty gory parts where I found myself with a blanket over my head. The show is based on a book by Karin Slaughter and while I haven't read Pieces of Her I've read a few others and liked them. Anyway, I have my list, thank you! :)

Thanks @skwigg . The things your FitBit tracks sound like the things I'm looking for so maybe I'll look into it. I'm curious to see if it does anything with menstruation tracking? Not that I don't already use an app for that so it's not really necessary. I definitely don't want to aim for any step goals! If I were to get something like that I'd keep mine super low 😁 I think Whoop is a little too advanced for me. Perhaps it's beneficial for more serious athletes but I don't think it's worth a $30/month membership!

I did a quick search on the forum with Oura ring and when I couldn't find anything I typed in "tracker" and found this post. I can't quite tell if it's a new thread or I'm hijacking someone's journal so just in case I will issue an apologetic disclaimer. 😬 I haven't tracked anything in years. My apple watch was a pain and I had (have?) a really old FitBit that drove me nuts. I used Polar HRM prior to that and eventually put them all aside because I was so obsessed with the numbers. Before knee surgery I was still using my OTF arm band to monitor where my HR was during intervals but I never cared about calorie burn. Since knee surgery I haven't done cardio in almost 2 months. Well, up until last weekend when the PT approved me to do intervals on the bike and I spent a day last weekend testing it out. I'm happy to say I'm loving the results of just strength training - not just feeling (looking?) stronger but mostly the lack of ravenous hunger and exhausting fatigue I felt after running and tons of cardio. With all of that being said, I have a birthday coming up and was toying with the idea of getting a Whoop band or an Oura ring. I don't really care about calorie burn from my workout or even daily steps. I'm interested more in sleep, HRV, and all of that sort of fun data. So I'm trying to decide which, if any, tracker would be worth getting. It might be that I simply don't need anything and that's ok. There are so many gadgets out there these days that I kind of don't know where to start. I know there have been plenty of conversations around this before and I'll probably toodle around the website after I post this but thought I'd ask anyway. :)

Thank you for tagging me, @skwigg! I'm not sure how much help I will be but I'll do my best. Firstly, congratulations Letizia on both the marriage and the pregnancy! Both are very exciting. I think I still follow you on IG so I've seen many of your lovely photos. Skwigg's comment about noticing new, intrusive, and obsessive thoughts and stepping back from them are definitely key. I don't know that I can offer up any specific action steps to take but I will throw in my 2 cents from personal experience in hopes that whatever resonates will help. My first pregnancy with my daughter was a slippery slope into bulimia. Thank goodness she was born (and still is healthy) but I gained very little weight and wasn't told this was an issue by any doctor until the end of the pregnancy (despite me asking if it was acceptable throughout). This doesn't necessarily pertain to pregnancy, perhaps, but I will say that after I had both of my kids I was desperate to return to exercising. I didn't have weight to lose with either of them (I may have perceived that differently back then) but I still yearned to run, teach, etc. I was so focused on the exercise component that I can honestly (and very sadly) say that I missed out on a lot. Because I jumped back into high intensity stuff too quickly I think it messed with my milk production. I had serious issues breast feeding Chloe because she was born 3 weeks early and a little small so it was hard. I worked diligently with a lactation consultant but gave up because I was absolutely exhausted. My son, however, was an eating machine. I had no issues nursing him, but again, it was time consuming and my thoughts were often elsewhere. Going places, doing things, seeing people, exercising, etc. All in all I nursed him for about 3 months before I switched to bottle and formula feeding there, too (I did pump for a while but again, exhausting and time consuming). There is absolutely nothing wrong with formula feeding and my youngest, now 8 years old, is healthy as a horse. What I am sad about is that bonding experience you get from nursing your child, those precious moments when it's just the two of you (unless you're nursing in public, which is totally doable just a little more complicated 😁) that I will never get back. Don't get me wrong - I still spent a lot of time with both of my kids. We went to parks, on walks (and jogs), met up with friends, etc, but I know I spent a lot of time thinking about my body and gaining back both my pre-pregnancy figure, stamina, and endurance. If I could go back in time I would do many things differently. I would lie in bed nursing my baby more. I would take gentle walks and put fitness on the back burner. I would still make an effort to go to parks and be with people because having babies can sometimes feel very lonely and isolating, but I definitely would've spent more time being kind with myself and realizing that the most important thing was lapping up every moment of their newness. I did do that quite a bit, to a certain extent (and many days were exhausting and very hard) but I try to think about the learning opportunities I take from those days and apply them to the here and now. I apologize for that lengthy comment and if it's completely unhelpful. I can only offer up hindsights that, to do this day, are applicable. Having knee surgery and being incapacitated (for the most part) for 4-6 weeks has completely flipped my perspective on all of this. Nourish your body (and your baby). Eat a variety of foods for various nutrients. Understand that all of this with your body - the strangeness in how you walk, move, feel, sleep, etc - it's all temporary. I always said I hated being pregnant because it felt so cumbersome. But honestly it was just different and I think I was less open to changing my perspective. I'll be interested in reading what Sheena and sunshine can offer and hope that what I wrote was ok. It's hard to tap out these words without getting pretty emotional because again, I can't get those days back, but I love my two more than anything else in this world and hope that the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly!

I haven’t seen Yellowjackets but my husband watched it and gave me a very detailed synopsis. It did sound REALLY good. We finished the latest season (I think it’s split into 2 parts) of Ozark, which never fails to completely blow my mind. Jason Bateman is my favorite - his level of calm in the face of total chaos is astounding. We also recently watched Stay Close, which is another Harlan Coben series on Netflix. We watched The Stranger and really enjoyed it, this most recent one was decent. I’d marked in Goodreads that I’d read the book “stay close” but couldn’t recall anything about it and I didn’t rate it very highly. I thought the show was pretty good. Other than that I’ve been watching reruns of Modern Family, Friends, and older movies like The Hangover and This is 40 to keep things light. Paul Rudd is also my favorite. He always makes me laugh 😊

I'm still finishing up Nine Perfect Strangers (which I'm really enjoying...Nicole Kidman plays creepy well) and loving it. I read the book in early 2020 so I can't remember how closely they align but it's entertaining. I still have the Brittany documentary (as well as others) on my list to watch, but @skwigg your mentioning of control and finances made me think of Britney Spears and the whole conservatorship debacle, which I am (somewhat sadly) intently following. I still think some of the stuff she posts on IG is whacky (either that or really creative and I'm totally missing the deeper meanings) but I'm happy she's gaining her "freedom" if it really is as awful as it sounded. @sarah too I, too, am looking forward to something uplifting to watch so I think Ted Lasso is next. A friend approached me the other day and said her husband convinced her to start watching some totally messed up show. When I asked her for the name she said, "White Lotus." It was like a knee-jerk reaction for me to jump up and down yelling, "I LOVED that show! I could not stop watching!" My friend looked at me as if to say, "What is WRONG with you?!" I told her it made me feel better about myself to watch so many dysfunctional relationships 😂 I also enjoyed the acting.

I want to watch: Nine perfect strangers (read the book and thought it was ok but willing to give the series a try) Ted Lasso season 2 Morning Show season 2 The Brittany Murphy documentary (when it premieres Thurs) So far all I’ve watched lately was Bohemian Rhapsody (for the 4th time) and cried. Again.

@jalapenocheese LOVED mare of eastown! Such a great show!

@jalapenocheese my husband said to me this evening, “I heard about this new show on Netflix called ‘clickbait.’ Sounds really good.” We are watching episode 1 now and I’m hooked!

I’m so excited to start season 2 of Ted Lasso! I also just saw that The Morning Show season 2 is premiering. I haven’t watched anything on TV for almost 2 weeks now so I look forward to both.

We finished White Lotus the other day - it was crazy good. We also finished the second season of Dirty John: The Betty Broderick story, which was also crazy good. Mostly crazy but still good.

I love when this thread gets updated - I always appreciate recommendations! I'm waiting for Ted Lasso episodes to accumulate before I start watching, but now that I've thought about it I'm tempted to re-watch the first season. Has anyone seen White Lotus? Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, etc. It's on HBO or HBO Max (or both?) and I'm completely addicted. It's about a family, a single lady, a couple on their honeymoon and maybe some others who all vacation at an island resort in Hawaii. They, along with some of the island employees, all have different backgrounds and stories that they bring to the table that get complicated. I've laughed, cringed, and champed at the bit for each week's episode. Tonight's is the last one but it's been a ride.

@Joyce I was hooked after episode 1 I just haven't had time to watch the second. I love the acting! Kate Winslet is great.

@Joyce We just watched episode 1 of Mare of Easttown last night! It was excellent.

I'm actually getting together tonight with some Friends to watch the reunion show! I've seen snippets and I'm SO excited! Some of my pals were bummed they weren't doing the continuation thing, but I'm happy the cast is going to be reuniting and rehashing. My one friend that's hosting is actually wanting to do a get-together to watch the 90210 follow up (I guess where the original cast members return to do several more episodes?) and a bunch of other stuff. In all honesty I haven't watched anything since "A Teacher" (which I posted about above) and 1 episode of "Shrill" which I enjoyed.

My TSH levels have never been that high, but when they were around 3-ish I had a homeopathic (or naturopath? Can't specifically remember) tell me that this is sometimes a sign of hypothyroidism. But please don't quote me on that! This was just a situation specific to me and I'm not an expert. :-D

Did anyone happen to catch "A Teacher" on Hulu? My husband and I finished the series the other day and I can't seem to let it go. I've mentioned in my journal that I'm sort of an emotional wreck lately, but for some reason this show really made me cry. I thought it was a true story but I think it's just based on events that occur quite often. I'm also thinking about watching Shrill, which is also on Hulu. Maybe I need more comedies in my life 😂

I know it's only a start but today I opted to walk instead of run or do any other structured cardio. I taught the last 4 mornings so I know my body was ready for a rest and I'm glad I listened to it. It wasn't like I did a brisk walk even because I was with a friend and our dog and he likes to stop, smell, and pee on every blade of grass. There are still moments when I know (like this afternoon) when I may want to be active, but I'm focusing on the ideas that running on hamster wheel is only going to increase my appetite and I really want to try and even out the hunger and cravings. I know I keep mentioning Jade Teta, but he talks a lot about HEC (hormones, energy, and cravings) and if the way in which you're eating and exercising is throwing HEC out of check then something isn't working. I have to agree that lifting super heavy or slinging weights around in a gym stimulates my appetite. I really don't love weight lifting right now so, as I mentioned before, most of my strength work comes from specific Jazzercise formats that incorporate weights. My abs, arms, and legs still get sore from time to time so I feel like I'm doing something, but I just can't fathom going back and doing 3-5 sets of one exercise of anything. Anyway, I'm happy this thread has been rejuvenated and I hope to keep reminding myself that structured/formal exercise usually does more harm than good. I'm enjoying walking on the days that I'm not teaching - I'm catching up with some great podcasts and audiobooks.

This is hugely helpful @happyme and I appreciate you taking the time to write. I think the thing for me is that I LOVE exercising, I love movement (stretching, yoga, walks, etc) and because I have the extra time (when the kids are at school and I'm not on Zoom calls) I feel 'obligated' to exercise. Or I use it to fill my time. Or (and this is probably the biggest "or") I get to the point where I feel a giant urge to eat all the things (usually like 4 bananas w/almond butter) or I eat 1 banana w/almond butter and then stop myself by doing something active (usually the elliptical). So far every single time I've attempted NOT to go on the elliptical in the afternoon I've ended up eating a time. I know it doesn't have to be black/white/all/nothing but that's sort of what it feels like in the moment. Anyway, my point is that I'm really starting to understand that exercise does nothing in the way of weight. Or at least it doesn't for me. Maybe a ton of working out works for some, but for me all the extra cardio fuels my appetite. Unless I'm replacing eating with working out and even then my weight doesn't change.

Thank you for bumping this! I'm going to copy and paste what I wrote in your journal: I am 100% on board with the idea that exercising increases hunger, throws hormones out of whack, induces cravings, and overall messes with your body (and mind) in really bogus ways. Even though I logically know this I still can't freaking stop the train wreck I hope on every. single. day. For 2 weeks I maintained my Jazzercise teaching schedule 2-4x a week and only walked Koda on the days I didn't teach. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching to run when I saw others jog by, but for 2 weeks I kept at it. I can't say I noticed any difference in hunger, cravings or fatigue (nor did I expect to because, hello - 2 weeks) and before I know it I was back on the cardio wagon. I truly believe your body adapts to whatever you put it through (tons of cardio? Ok...you need to do that PLUS more to maintain weight AND you're pissing me off so I'm going to make you feed me more and throw hormones out of whack) and yet, as I said, I can't stop. Perhaps this was a better post for the "Exercise for weight loss" thread but I got a little carried away. :-D I actually love Jade Teta and he recently did an awesome IG post on this same subject. I'm also going to copy and paste something Jade Teta made on IG the other day. Perhaps not everyone agrees with his ideas, but I personally think he's very knowledgeable and since this falls under that topic here you go: "I am going to tell you something about exercise you aren’t going to believe and yet research is absolutely clear on. Exercise does not add calories to your TDEE expenditure the way you think it does. If you burn 2000 calories at rest and then burn 300 calories in a workout, you wrongly think you burned 2300 calories. You also might think that if you worked out intensely with weights you’ll get a substantial after-burn effect for several hours or days. In fact, we are starting to learn your metabolism does not exactly work this way. It does not work in an additive fashion, but rather constrains energy use in the days and weeks that follow. In other words, it’s more like a rubber band. When you exercise you burn some calories and stretch out the rubber band. If you exercise intensely and get some after-burn you stretch it out a lot. But like any rubber band it recoils back. In the case of the metabolism, it shrinks back even more than it was before. So you think you burned 2300 calories or more. In reality, you burned much less and TDEE did not change much. See other slides for a graphical representation taken from the work of @hpontzer PHD author of the book BURN where he highlights much of his research in this area. Also, exercise makes many people hungry. In one study on menopausal women I often use, 60minutes of jogging 5 times per week resulted in no weight loss in 50% of the women. 25% of those women actually gained weight. The other 25% did lose a small amount of weight. That’s a lot of activity for a 75% failure rate. And imagine doing all of that work and gaining weight? That’s because we misunderstand how exercise works. Does this mean don’t exercise? Of course not. It’s exceedingly healthy, it just won’t do a damn thing for most people trying to lose weight. Think of diet as the weight loss part of the equation and exercise as a means to maintain lean body mass. This is why weight training may be the best bet for weight loss. It MAY have less negative impact on appetite and it helps shuttle extra calories into lean mass development."