I use Noom, Susan. I like it quite a lot. It is very interactive. Of course I could be better about actually doing the stuff I know I am supposed to do. I think maybe there is a discount if I send you a linky and that they give me something too, but not sure the details there, but I'll send one. Tracks food, water, exercise, steps, gives lots of lessons and stuff.

I did the 2 week free trial of Noom. It started me on a path of being much more careful about the calories I consumed, but my trial also coincided with becoming a vegetarian. I did not go beyond the free trial because I hated the fact that they resorted to name calling (e.g. the scientists who wrote the articles they cited were "geeks," "nerds," etc.) and were far too cute by half for me, and I definitely did not want to join any of the groups where they tried to get me to talk to other users. The calorie counting program I found from other sources, and that worked for me, along with the fact that I was motivated by a specific health reason. It is a program of restricting calories, and so to keep it off you do have to be willing to change your diet for as long as you'd like to keep the weight off.

Thanks, Laura and Sparky! I think I'll at least do the free trial and see how it feels.

I've tried Noom but it's was too pop science cutesy for me. In terms of how it tries to get you to lose weight, it's about the same as weight watchers. So nothing revolutionary. I really hate tracking what I eat, though, which both of those programs require. They just seem not to be made for people who don't eat much processed food.

I've been having a ton of pain the past few weeks, and just barely pushing through the pain and the brain fog to mostly be able to work. And now I've run out of painkillers and I can't get another refill for a little over a week. I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow and see if I can get a telehealth appointment. For now, basically surrounding myself with memory foam and trying not to cry.

Still not vaccine eligible. But getting closer.

House is still a mess, and I know the dust is aggravating my allergies, but also in way too much pain to do even basic cleaning. I need someone to help with this, but I don't know how to find or hire that someone. I can call Molly Maids or someoen like that for the actual cleaning, but I need help with clutter first.

{{hugs}} to Hil and msbelle.

Concur on the cleaning issues. I really really need to vacuum, but I hate my vacuum cleaner, although it's fairly new. I may blow some of the cash from my promotion on one of those fancy Dyson cordless vacuums.

Definitely want to hire a regular house-cleaner. And I want a massage. Multiple massages.

I hated the fact that they resorted to name calling (e.g. the scientists who wrote the articles they cited were "geeks," "nerds," etc.) and were far too cute by half for me

Mostly the writing style makes me roll my eyes, but there is a lot of good content, which is stuff I know but the reminders are helpful. I haven't talked with the other people, but I get that the buddy system works for a lot of people. I know lots of people who love WW, but I never tried that. My SIL uses My Fitness Pal, which is another of the same type of tracker.

{{Hil}} Yes, try and get someone in to help with the cleaning. I don't know how I would survive without help because my floors would never get done. Trust me, they are used to clutter! If you can get a recommendation from someone, or maybe from NextDoor that might work better than the services, but I have had luck with both.

Ugh, sorry, Hil. I definitely see people advertising home organization businesses in my local internet groups (FB, NextDoor), so I would start asking there.

Consuela, I love my Roomba, because I hate vacuuming. It's not perfect, and it's loud, so I'm not running it as often as I might, since I'm currently home 95% of the the time, but it's way better than vacuuming! (even though it gets stuck on carpet fringe and doorway thresholds a fair amount.)

Consuela, I love my Roomba, because I hate vacuuming. It's not perfect, and it's loud, so I'm not running it as often as I might, since I'm currently home 95% of the the time, but it's way better than vacuuming! (even though it gets stuck on carpet fringe and doorway thresholds a fair amount.)

My Roomba won't go over the black patches on the rug in the den because it thinks they are cliffs it can fall off, but it does vacuum everywhere else on the first floor which is more than I'm willing to do twice a week.

Hil, I'm sorry everything is so hard all at once.

I would love a Roomba, but I think it would freak out my dog.

I try to keep in mind that the 1918 Pandemic - for which there was NO vaccine - still ran its course in about 18 months. (with, of course, massive fatalities)

Overall, Hec, I don't think you're wrong, but you're a bit more optimistic than am I. We're just so much more mobile than we were 100 years ago, and there are three times as many of us (in the US). I think we'll be getting booster shots for variants for a while, provided they can develop them.

Me too! I got in somehow this morning when Walgreen's released a bunch of slots. They're doing 1b+, which in Illinois means certain comorbidities qualify. So while my history of PE and DVT blood clots don't get me in, my chonkiness does.

brenda, my chonkiness — and being an inch shorter than I thought — are what got me in. On my birthday, I had DH measure my height, and I'd put on 5 lbs, which put me in the minimum BMI for a shot. My very smart daughter ordered me not to weigh myself again until after I've got the shots, so I don't second guess myself out of them.