Gobble, Gobble!

It is Thanksgiving morning here and I am about to go into the kitchen to start preparing some more of the food we will have today. I just got back from a half hour walk. It is cool and cloudy outside! I feel better for having walked too.

I plan to eat smart but I also plan to not worry about overeating a little bit.

I like the thought that my diet is a lifestyle and if I were a skinny person, I would enjoy the day. I just don't have to gorge myself sick! I feel that the 90/10 rule works pretty good. I eat right and exercise right, 90% of the time. 10% of the time I might miss a day of exercise or have foods that are a bit on the indulgence side. As long as I go right back to the 90%, I can live, eat, and enjoy life without guilt over that extra smoked oyster, pickled herring, cracker, slice of cheese, piece of dark turkey meat, dressing (or stuffing as many call it), glass of wine (or two), or anything else I might have!

I DID make some changes for today. I have some low fat cheeses, crackers, and a very low fat pumpkin pie (using phyllo dough for the crust). I have lots of 'nibbles' in the form of healthy veggies. No one will go away hungry. Those that don't care as much, will eat the more fattening foods. I won't make THEM feel guilty because I am sitting there all mopey faced, depriving myself of the feast!And I won't chastise anyone for eating as they wish! Why ruin a perfectly good meal and wonderful day? It doesn't have to be such an ordeal to eat smart and to enjoy a 'foodie' day like Thanksgiving! In this house, it won't be an ordeal, but a celebration!

I hope you enjoy your day today. I love having family around and like Thanksgiving almost better than Christmas. It is mostly because there are no presents involved...it is all about family and sharing, not keeping up with the Jones or who got the best or most presents. (Although, if my husband reads this, "Honey, I really DO like presents, any time!")

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
(and no, that is not me in a bikini!)

She's All Wet

This morning, I thought I would talk a little about water. We've all heard it..."Drink gallons of water every day!" No? Ok, I suppose gallons would be a bit of an exaggeration. Did you know you can kill yourself by drinking too much water at one time? I doubt most of us will ever have to worry about that.

It is obvious that when you workout and sweat that you need to rehydrate. It might not be obvious that if you workout in the pool, you need to rehydrate too. I am not the best when it comes to drinking water as much as I should. I do keep a refillable bottle of water near me all day though. As soon as I think I am thirsty, I drink some!

I have heard all the suggested amounts and ignored them for years. One of my goals is to strive to be better about re-hydrating my body. These are my beliefs about water:

1. You don't have to drink eight glasses of water per day.
   
2. If you are thirsty, you are dehydrated.
3. If you need to use a lot of lotion, you are dehydrated.
4. If you need to use a lot of chap-stick, you are dehydrated.
5. Water flushes out your system better than anything else.
6. When I wake up, I try to remember to drink at least one glass of water, before coffee, before eating breakfast, before brushing my teeth. I need to start the day with a drink of water, as soon as I can.

Step number six above, is a new goal of mine. I have made it a point to drink as much as I can, as soon as I can, after getting out of bed. My refillable bottle is on my nightstand, and I grab it as I head off to the kitchen to make coffee. I don't want ice cold water, first thing in the morning. My bottle of water is just the perfect temperature to have then! The photo above is the actual type bottle that I own. It is made by Rubbermaid and is readily available in many grocery stores or department stores. They are BPA free too. We have a built in filtration system for water from our fridge. That is what I use to fill my bottle. (This is one thing you can do to help the environment too...the amount of plastic water bottles in the landfills is enormous!) I own several bottles and change them out every few days. I wash mine in the dishwasher to disinfect them. I used to reuse regular water bottles. Then I read about the chemical reactions and that they are not as sanitary as these other ones that I bought. Whether it is true or not, I prefer to use my own refillable bottles over the store bought bottled water bottles.

How much do we need to drink per day? Do you think it is something like eight, eight ounce glasses per day? Would you be surprised that you might not need so much???
It is true! Although most of us never drink enough water, thinking that we have to drink a half gallon or more per day is not true either. Just keep it in your brain that if you ARE thirsty at all, don't ignore the feeling. You do NOT have to go get a full eight ounce glass either! Four ounces at a time is a lot easier to swallow.

• Make it a point to get a few ounces down before, during, and after exercising.

• Don't forget to get a little water in your system before and after pool exercises too.
• Drink a few ounces, before anything else, in the mornings.
• If you even have a hint of thirst, be sure to get a drink.
• Strive to take a sip or three, every time you can, throughout the day.
• Don't worry so much about the amount of water that you think you have to drink in a day. Listen to your body 'more better', as it will tell you when it needs water.

Let's raise our glasses for a toast! CHEERS!
Until next time, bye for now!

RACE DAY!

I set out my outfit for race day, the night before. The rain was supposed to hold off until later in the afternoon. I got up early and had my usual oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. Husband and son were ready on time and we headed out to where the race was going to be run. We'd never been there before, but found it just fine, with time to spare!

The starting line had pretty balloons. They announced they had 125 people who signed up for the 5K. I was a little nervous. Mostly I worried about being last! When they said "GO" I was at the back of the pack. About fifty people starting running off down the street. NO ONE ELSE was walking!!!

I had planned to walk for the first ten minutes or so, just to warm up. I lasted five minutes. I had to start jogging or I was going to be last for sure! I was pretty much alone. I did pass a few folks around the first mile. I ran as best I could and then walked when I was breathing too hard and hurting. Soon all the runners were coming back, passing me by. I counted as many as I could because only the first 75 finishers were getting medals of completion. I really hoped I could be in that top bunch so I could get a medal too. I soon realized I had no worries about that. I would not be finishing in the top 75.

I kept on going though, and hoped that I would be going fast enough to beat my previous personal best (unofficial) time of 18 minutes per mile. That is the speed that I do out on the trails I like. Oh, and asphalt is very hard on your knees and legs! I missed my softer trails!!!
As the finish line finally came in view, I dug down deep and talked myself into speeding up for a strong finish! I didn't want to embarrass myself or my family!
I heard my son and husband cheering me on and it was also nice that there were others in the crowd who were clapping too. I thought there must be a bunch of people behind me. (there wasn't)

Here I am, at the finish line! The time was 48min/15sec. I had beaten my old time by three minutes per mile! Yay me!
I wasn't in the top 75 finishers, as I had realized when so many passed me by as runner after runner went by me on their way back. So I didn't get a medal. Oh well, I wasn't last. I passed others. I went faster than I've ever gone before. And I have the tee shirt and photos to prove it all! hahahaha

I don't know if I will be brave enough to do a competitive race someday or not. This one mixed walkers, runners, and run/walkers all together. I was the 85th person across the finish line. This means I was faster than about 40 other people! (IF they had all showed up and run the race too)

Ok, ok, truth be told, those other 40 included a lady with a walker, an old man, a young girl that was heavier than myself, and others that were physically challenged! But you know what? I finished and a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to make it from the parking lot to the start line. I think that is the most important thing to take away from this...along with smiles and a great sense of accomplishment!

Guess What I Did Last Night?

I walked the Big Dam Bridge from North Little Rock to Little Rock, and back again! It was at night and my husband and son went with me. They really have lights that color up the bridge like this photo too! It was a free event to promote fitness and community. We all got t-shirts. I was kinda tickled that I fit into a size L instead of XL. It took us 25 minutes to do this. We were walking really fast too! It was fun and I hope we can do this again next year!

Approaching the One Year Mark!

Next weekend will mark a full year since I started on this lifestyle change! As of this posting, I've lost 82 pounds. The graph above shows the pounds lost over this past year.

A safe way to lose weight is to aim for one to two pounds a week. My loss averaged out to be 1.9 pounds per week. WELL within what is considered safe and healthy for weight loss. It will also be easier to maintain the weight loss, for the rest of my life because it is gradual. New habits take time to take hold!

I really am feeling the move into the transition phase of my journey. I've used Sparkpeople.com for their tools that include calorie counting, figuring out calories in recipes, motivational articles, fitness tracking, and many many other tools. It is a vast website with almost too much information! I can usually find answers to most any question I might have though. Regarding food or fitness or recipes, this site has an unbelievable amount of information on it.

I also really like the podcast that the Fat 2 Fit guys have. I love their motivation. I am not sold on their methods just yet. They advocate eating like the thin person you want to be. Generally this allows for more calories than I would be comfortable with eating! I am trying different things they are suggesting because it is more like a lifestyle, rather than a diet. Why am I not totally sold on it yet? Well, it is just too easy to follow their ideas! There is little to no suffering that I have always associated with weight loss or even with exercising. Can it really be THIS easy? Time will tell. For now though, I am sticking with these guys to see if this really does keep working as it has so far!

Next week I will be getting ready to run/walk my first official 5K. This also marks the one year anniversary of the beginning of my new life. I think it will also be the time to change when I jump on the scale. I think I should try to do this every other week for a while. Once I can prove to myself that the weight is still coming off, slow but sure, I can get rid of that crutch of a scale! To flip this around, because I AM at the tail end of the journey, weighing in every two weeks will show more pounds lost than every week would. I might only lose a half pound a week now. If I weigh in every two weeks, that will show as a pound loss.

Everything in moderation seems to be the ticket I need. Whether it be food, exercise, or most anything that touches me in my life, if it is in moderation, it seems to be the best way to go. Slow and steady might be boring, but it really seems to be the wise way of doing things!

PS: I gained .4 pounds today. I am not worried. Annoyed? YES! But not really all depressed about it. It will be two weeks before I weigh in again. See ya then! (or probably sooner!)

Don't Tell Charlie the Tuna!

If you are old, like me, you will remember the Starkist commercials that featured Charlie the Tuna. Don't tell him about what my lunch was today! There are two ounces of tuna, canned in water, in this mix. The rest is filler. I added chopped onion, pepper, tomato, and bread and butter pickles. There is also some fat free cheddar, low fat Miracle Whip dressing, honey mustard, and seasonings. (the tuna comes prepackaged in two ounce cans...very helpful to have a pre-measured serving!)

I took about half the mix and put it on a few slices of french bread and then broiled it a bit.
The rest was put in lettuce cups. Remember that lettuce that I like so well? The artisan romaine? I love putting tuna salad or egg salad in them and eating them like this:

The lettuce is so crunchy! It really satisfies the mouth.

As I move into the maintenance phase of this lifestyle change, am I finally getting it? Sometimes I really don't understand why this is all working like it is. It has been too easy! Yes, there have been challenges, but they were all surmountable. Mind you, I am NOT complaining!!! I just feel, if I could grasp why this worked this time and never had in the past, I could help others, even more!

If I ever figure it out, I will be sure to share!

Really?

It has been two weeks since I last weighed in. Since we were out of town and eating on the road, I didn't expect to see much of a change, other than perhaps a gain of a pound or two. I did not expect a loss. Really? TWO - OHHHH - NINE???!!! I'll take that!
What a wonderful feeling to be validated that I CAN work a maintenance program and live like a normal skinny person. What a wonderful weight to say out loud. Two O nine. Not two-ten, or two-twenty, or two-insert all numbers other than an O, but two O nine!

I'll take that. Thank you very much!

Staying Motivated As I Go Into Transition

Staying motivated is always a problem when "dieting". It doesn't get easier, just because I call it a "lifestyle change". In the beginning I was a fanatic about food, especially the fat calories. It has been almost a year now, since I started relearning how to eat better and exercise regularly. I honestly never thought I would still be working my program this long! Now I am gradually moving into maintenance mode. I still have 20 pounds to go before I reach my first goal of losing 100 pounds. I hope I can reach the 170's someday.

The closer I move towards that first 100 pound loss, the more I am trying to "live like the thin person I want to be." I had my first taste of this life, this past weekend. We went to a renaissance and fantasy festival out of town, where my husband, son, and I performed as minstrels. I took a bag of apples along and some sandwiches that I had made. We supplemented this with foods from the performers' kitchen and fast foods. We also had wine one night, after the show closed down. It was a two day show where we did a lot of walking around the fairgrounds where this was held. We also performed on stage twice a day. We had a great time!

It was scary to not be using my old crutches, faithfully. I did not count calories but did keep mindful of what I was putting in my mouth and how much of it I was having. I had funnel cake! Yes I did! But where I would have eaten the whole thing in the past, I had little bits of it as my young son scarfed it down. I think I might have eaten a sixth of the whole thing. In the past, that would amount to ONE whole bite! I nibbled little bits and was more than satisfied because not only had I enjoyed the sweet treat, I had enjoyed it sensibly. NO GUILT!

After our last performance on the second day, we collapsed into the car for the long ride home. We had slept in a motel for two nights and been outdoors for the festival for two days and we were spent! We got supper on the way out of town, at a fast food place. Mind you, I have not had a fast food hamburger for at least a year now. I was ready to indulge and enjoy one! I actually had given myself mental permission to do this on this trip.

We stood in the short ordering line at the restaurant and I kept looking at the menu over the counter. That hamburger didn't look all that great. I recalled that I read somewhere that the chili was better for you than the fries. I ended up and got the grilled chicken sandwich with veggies and no sauces or cheese, the chili, and a diet soda. Not only did it taste better than the burger would have, I again, had NO GUILT! I think not having guilt makes the food taste better.

Here is a before and after photo of me in the costume I wear for performances. They were taken about four years apart. It is the same dress in both photos, but in the one on the right, I had taken the dress in, over eight inches!!!















I am going to have to totally remake my costumes if we do many more of these shows next year. You can only alter them just so much before they start fitting really weird.

I remember in the beginning of my lifestyle changes I stayed motivated because I had a lot of support and no excuse to not keep on trying. I had access to a gym and exercise classes and swimming pools that I could afford to utilize. I also had over 45 years of 'training' in how to lose weight! I had the full support of my family to keep me on track too.

The middle part of my saga was filled with challenges of my child being home from school for summer vacation, and the hot summer weather, making exercise time a challenge. If I slipped on my eating or exercise, I would not let it become an excuse to quit though. When I wavered I would look at how far I had come and how long I had been working on this. Why would I want to throw all that away? Why would I want to have my knee hurt again, so badly that I needed a cane to walk? Why would I want to find ugly fat clothes to wear again? Why would I want to risk dying too early due to obesity? How could I give up the new-to-me clothes that I had been buying as I shrunk? How could I want to crawl back into my hole and hide from the world? Slowly but surely my mindset is changing. The rewards of keeping on with my changes mean more to me than eating a candy bar, or a cheeseburger, or a bag of donut holes. (You know donut holes don't have any calories, right?)

If I feel myself wavering I make it a point to address that feeling. I might listen to something motivational. I might go to the support group meeting and address my feelings, if need be. Often I find that helping others to be motivated, helps me to keep motivated. It is important to not let any slip become an excuse to quit. It took me 56 years to become the way I was last year. I am only one year into the new me. I need to remember this. And if I do slip, I don't wait until tomorrow to get back on the right path, I get back on the minute after the slip happens. This is my new way of living for life.

Don't wait until tomorrow to begin changing your life. Do something, anything, to change right now, today. Even if it is eating one less bite or walking out the door and around your house and back inside, that is one more thing you are doing right now, that you were not doing before.

Baby steps lead to toddler-hood. Toddler-hood leads to child. Child leads to teenager. Teenager leads to young adult. Young adult leads to adult. Adult leads to mature adult. I am not sure, but I think I am somewhere between child and young adult. I am still impulsive, but I am starting to 'grow up' a bit.

I hope you are growing up (not out) and learning how to live the best life you can. We really have only one chance at life that we know of, for sure. Why would we want to squander that?

I'm Working On It!

Next time we talk, I will be a year older!

I was down about half a pound today. It has been slow but steady, and I am thrilled with that! I am eating well and exercising right. It all is working...just like they said it would!

It might be a while before I post again as we are gearing up for a musical performance that happens next weekend. Next week is also my birthday and my oldest son's birthday is the first weekend in November! Life has gotten so busy!!!

I wanted to tell you that I have officially signed up to do my very first REAL 5K! It is in a nearby town called Maumelle, here in Arkansas. This happens on November 19th.

I am still going to do the Spark People Trick or Treat Trot Virtual 5K right after we get back from our weekend gig too. This is kinda fun! Who would have EVER thought I would say those words when talking about walking and running in a race? Not me! Well, not the old me, anyway.

I hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy this wonderful autumn weather and go for a walk! See you next time!

October is a GREAT Month!

I love October. It is my birthday month. It brings cooler weather. It ends with Halloween! It is my favorite time of the year!

This morning we are getting some badly needed rain. The high temp yesterday was in the mid 80's. The high temp today is supposed to be in the 60's. This is quite a cool down! I am waiting for the rain to stop so I can do my run/walk today and I am really looking forward to enjoying the cooler weather out there!

While waiting for the rain to end, I made myself some breakfast. I have NOT been a breakfast eater, in the past, but I have been trying to change that. I fixed myself some oatmeal and an organic grapefruit. I have a 'thing' about grapefruit. The first diet I was ever on was the "Grapefruit and Boiled Egg" diet. YUCK!!! I was about 11 years old then and in 5th grade. To this day, the thought of those two flavors together can make me gag!!!

But still, every once in a while, I will try grapefruit. Most of the time it is not a pleasant food to eat. They are supposed to be very good for you, so I keep trying to like having them ... but not more than about once a year!
Lately I have been trying to buy a few things that are organic, in the fresh produce section of our store. I saw the organic grapefruit and thought, "What the heck, let's give it a try!"

When preparing breakfast, I cut the grapefruit in half. I then got the little knife, with the serrated edges and curved blade, out of the back of the knife drawer. I realized that this was the exact same knife that Mom and I used on all those grapefruits, some 45 years ago! I resisted the temptation to dowse the top of the grapefruit in sugar to make it sweet and edible. I even made myself sit down at the dining room table with my oatmeal and grapefruit and spoon. (Usually I would be in front of the computer). I ate the oatmeal first and kept staring at the grapefruit. "How sour was it going to be? Why did I buy this stupid fruit anyway?"

Finally it came time to spoon out a segment of the grapefruit. I put it in my mouth and was ready to cringe and pucker up from the tart and sour flavors that I knew were coming.

What's this? It is almost sweet tasting?! It doesn't have that sour aftertaste that reminded me of the aftertaste of vomit! It isn't tasting like the grapefruits I have been getting for the past ten years or more. It isn't full of watery, tasteless, lip puckering, liquid! There is actually a substance and a full bodied taste that is releasing the most amazing flavor! Why, this thing actually TASTES GOOD! Even the juice was like dancing droplets of cool goodness on my tongue! I was amazed. The juices were so full of a delightful flavor AND I didn't need sugar to mask any sourness!

My guess is that the organic factor might have made the difference. I have found the organic apples have more flavor in them too. There is something about the natural flavor of a naturally grown fruit that brings out the sweetness. I recently had found the organic apples in the store. I bought a bag of non-organic Red Delicious apples at the same time. The non-organic apples were woody and flavorless. The organic apples were sweeter and much tastier.

Not all organic foods taste better enough to warrant the added expense. I have not found lettuce to be better or worse, for instance, so I buy the cheaper of the two in that case.

I wonder if kids growing up now a days, will ever think that these foods from the past, taste better? I am reliving my childhood when I find naturally grown stuff that is rich and full of flavor. My children don't have that in their upbringing as much. Would something I find delectable, taste funny to them because they never had it as they were growing up? I wonder?

Well, the rain has stopped and it is time to grab Ziva and head out. The air is so fresh and crisp and clean! I can hardly wait to hit the trail. I will leave you today with this photo:
That is me on the left, from about five years ago. That is also me on the right, taken just last week. I am wearing the same costume in both photos. The brown dress had to be taken in, over eight inches to fit the new me. I kinda like this new me, even if she is a challenge to fit clothes and costumes on!

Bye for now dear readers! Go do something and get away from your computer for a while!!!

Book Reviews: The End of Overeating, and In Defense of Food

This book, "The End of Overeating" took me a long time to finish. It is not an entertaining gimmick laden book. It IS loaded with a lot of really great information. To me, this book points out the enemy and how it works. It also offers tools and ideas on how to battle the enemy. The biggest tool is knowledge and as they say, knowledge IS power!
The enemy seems to be the food industry here. They actively seek the right combinations of fat, sugar, and salt, to entice the consumers' taste buds. The better the food tastes, the more the consumer will buy it. It is in the best interest of the manufacturers to make their food mixtures taste the same whether you buy the item in California or in New York. Fast food restaurants rely on this constant taste from coast to coast.
After this book talks about how food is made to lure us, it also talks about how to fight those inner cues. Knowing WHY we have an inner cue to want to eat a particular thing, often makes it easier to fight temptations.
I can see myself re-reading this book. It is the first book I've written in, in the margins, since my college years! Thank goodness I actually own this book! I would never do that to a library book!

Speaking of library books, the next one I read was from my local library. I was appalled at how many dog ears there were in this book. How dare people fold over the edge of a page to mark where they left off!!! I guess I have a healthy respect and love of books.

Rant over...on to my review of "In Defense of Food"

This book has been seen on TV recently, as the author tours to promote it. I agree with many others who have reviewed it. The phrase "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" is written on the front of the book. That sums up a lot of what the author is wanting to convey.

He says the current Western Diet is the cause of many of our diseases, obesity issues, and a whole lot of other health and medical problems. As the Western Diet invades other countries, their populace sees the same medical problems develop that we currently have here, now, in the United States.

This book was an easy read, has some valid points. It has led me to go in a different direction in my reading. I went to the library today and checked out some books to do some research with. Of course you will be able to read those reviews in the future!

Overall, I am doing pretty good! I was down, almost a pound last week. I was able to duplicate the one mile run again, on Sunday. I had a little health scare regarding my mammogram this year, but that thankfully turned out to be cysts and not cancer. Life is very busy these days and I am looking forward to the holidays. For me, life gets a whole lot more relaxed during the holidays. I know...I am strange that way. Deal with it! My family has to, so you do too! hahaha

Cold weather is coming soon and I can't wait to wear all my new-to-me winter clothes! I hope you are all doing well today too. If you've read this far, you need to get busy doing something else! Have a great day!

Run, Run, Run, Away!

I've been trying to train for a "Virtual" run/walk that takes place during the first week of November. During the first two weeks of training you go out three days a week, with a day of rest in between. You warm up, then run for a minute, then walk for about four minutes, and then run for a minute. You do the running part about four times in a half hour workout. (give or take a few minutes)

In five weeks of training I haven't managed to make it for more than 45 seconds, maybe three times per session and that on a good day! My knees hurt, my lungs were screaming for air! It has been very discouraging! I read that you should run slowly and I thought I was. I compared my total miles per hour on my run/walks and usually go at about a 3mph pace. I looked at times that others have turned in for 5K run/walks (3.1 miles) and I was SO SLOW in comparison!

Then yesterday happened. I had researched the proper form tips for running and jogging online. I decided I would do a fast walk for the first ten minutes or so, of my usual route, in order to be really well warmed up. Then I would run for as long as I could, once I hit the train track trail. To my amazement, I was able to go for a long time! I slowed WAY down. I noticed my breathing wasn't as labored. I was breathing hard, but not labored. I was running, not walking.

I made it as far as the downed tree and kept on going. I made it to the first street crossing and kept on going. I made it past the first church driveway, and kept on going. I made it over the next street crossing and the one after that, and kept going! When I came to the end of the trail, I dropped back into a walk. My legs were a little rubbery, but not sore. My breath was heavy, but not labored. I headed up the long hill towards home and was breathing harder going up that hill than I had been while running.

When I got home, I mapped my route and took note of the distance that I had run, continuously. I had run just over a mile. Really? Yes, really! I don't know if it was a fluke or not. I don't go out until Thursday or Friday to try this again. I'll let you know the results!

(Really? A whole mile, plus? ME???)

Thinking Thoughts

I didn't gain or lose any weight last week. My life has been a bit topsy-turvy for a few weeks and it looks like this will last throughout the month of October. I won't bore you with the details and so far, nothing is bad, just a titch stressful.

Anyway, I've been contemplating the notion of NOT weighing myself every week. I am starting to see it more as a crutch that I should maybe give up. I all too often let the numbers on the scale, sway the highs and lows of the week following, until the next weigh-in. Once a month weigh-ins should be sufficient.

Now, as to why I think I should do this...I tend to focus on certain things and hang on to them like a bulldog! I've done this with foods, such as the mini rice cakes last winter and the Dannon Greek Vanilla fat free yogurt this summer. If I didn't have my Creme Brule' rice cakes or my yummy yogurt, I was feeling deprived! Even accounting for the calories, I just don't think it is healthy to have a whole bag (about three servings) of the rice cakes after supper. Nor is it really all that great to have three or four servings of yogurt each day, with at least two of those after supper.

These foods are not bad necessarily for me. It is the obsessing about eating them or over indulging with them, that is bad. Part of this new lifestyle is to conquer some of my bad habits. Fixating on a particular food, to me anyway, is not a good habit. Eating after supper, was not because I was hungry, but more-so because I had the extra calories to burn and I convinced myself that I had the munchies.

Old habits. that are still with me, that I plan to tackle are things like eating too fast or eating in front of the TV or computer. I think I should put "scale-watching" in this list. (Is scale watching a fat person's idea of whale watching? ha-ha-ha!)

I keep working on the mindset of how I want to live my life as this new person. Would she exercise daily for one hour? What would she eat in a normal day and in a normal way? Would she still socialize the way she's been or would she retreat or would she expand her social ties?

Some of these questions won't be answered until I've reached a steady weight for several months. I am not sure at what point the work I am willing to put into this life, balances with the work I am NOT willing to put into this life. In other words, I don't know how far down the numbers will go, with me doing what I am doing right now, food and exercise wise. I guess I will address that bridge when it manifests itself!

I am headed out the door for a walk. It is a loverly fall day and I plan to start out right and make this a great day to be alive, healthy, and in good spirits! I hope your days are as bright! Bye for now!

Foodie Type Stuff

I made a collage from photos of all the foods I ate last Sunday. I often have more calories on the weekends because the guys are home. The only thing that you probably wouldn't see during the week, would be the apple fritter. I will have one of those every few weeks, when the guys get their donut fix on Sunday mornings. It is a family tradition...or so says my husband! This time I only ate half the fritter. I was JUST as satisfied as I had been with having a whole fritter! It is very true that the first bite is the most satisfying. The rest of the bites are never as good, so why eat the whole thing? I can utilize those extra calories in yogurts or fruits, later in the day. I felt better about not having eaten the whole thing too. It was a win-win moment!

The coffee cups are representative of the cups of coffee I had that day. I use a powdered creamer. The rice cakes are those mini ones that are more satisfying, to me anyway, than the big rice cakes you can get. The dinner plate has steak made the way I tend to have it now, shish-kabobed. I eat less meat this way and the grilled vegetables are divine! Adding a loaded romaine salad makes this a huge meal without the guilt!

I am still without a vehicle. I don't know what to expect from this week's weigh-in. I feel like I've eaten way too much and exercised too little! I am also on day three of no cigarettes! I am more determined to make this 'quitting', last for more than ten months. Damn smokes are SO addictive!!!

I am making changes for my family this week. I started making my son's lunches to take to school. I know the school says their lunches are nutritionally on track, but when you see things like "chicken rings" on the menu, you gotta wonder what planet those chickens are from! The thought of finely ground chicken parts, from parts of the chicken we normally don't think of as edible, creeps me out. I know these are breaded and probably fried and it does not instill a lot of confidence in what the school says is healthy! So far, my son is eating everything I send with him too. Well, almost everything. That one carrot stick. I snuck into his lunch bag, did come back.

I sure miss shopping more than once a week, for fresh produce! Apples are coming in season and the organic ones have a LOT of flavor to them! This is one of the foods that I really notice the differences in flavors when comparing organic to non-organic. I am also really enjoying the new romaine lettuce packs at our local grocery store. They are in the "artisan lettuce" area of our store. There are two perfect romaine lettuce bunches in each container. I use mine from the outside in. First the outer leaves are used in sandwiches. As I work my way into each lettuce heart, I can make perfect lettuce wraps filled with tuna or black bean and salsa salad. The lettuce heart is made into a very wonderful chopped salad with grape tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced peppers, and whatever else I am enjoying that day, for salad fixin's. (grapes, Craisins®, raisins, mushrooms, etc.)
This lettuce comes in a hard plastic tray, with two to a package. They never wilted and kept fresh for a whole week! They are crisp and crunchy and very satisfying! They store in my fridge in the plastic packaging they come in. I really like this new product! I do not like the pre-chopped stuff. I end up throwing away half the lettuce in the pre-packaged, three-to-a-pack romaines, and I throw away too many outside leaves in the single loose heads of romaine. I found this pack to be just right for one person. Currently it is selling for $2.99 a package. Since there is so little waste, it turns out to be the most bang for my buck!

Well, that's it for today. I am off to walk the child to school and then come back and do some yoga on the Wii. I hope you are having a wonderful day too!

Transportationally Challenged

Sorry I have been absent of late. Life has taken a turn for the busy and I just find it hard to wrap my head around a cohesive blog posting!

Long story short, I have been without a vehicle since last Thursday. I have one on the weekends though. Because of this lack of transportation, I am not able to go to the center during the week!

I am working on keeping up with things here at home, but I miss my friends and yoga classes! Yes, I can do the yoga at home, but it isn't the same.

I was down again last Saturday and will be VERY curious to see what happens this Saturday, after a full week of no vehicle! I hope I don't gain and really don't think I should!

As of this morning, I have gone 24 hours without a cigarette too. I am getting so many things done in the house! Idle hands want to smoke, so I keep them busy with sewing and major house cleaning.
I don't do spring cleaning but in the fall, I seem to go through periods of major dust bunny hunting! Related to this is when I tackled a super deep cleaning of the bathroom. As I was on my hands and knees, reaching behind the toilet to wipe down the wall, I realized that the last time I tried to do this, it was a LOT harder! Not only could I do it, but I could get up off the floor without using a forklift!I hope you are having a great day! I plan to go for a walk today and do some yoga stuff at home . What will YOU do?

I Made It!

Finally, I made the 75 pounds lost mark! I was down 3.2 pounds this week! These plateaus are sure stranger as time goes on, but thank goodness they ARE plateaus! Now to celebrate! No time to post more today. I hope to be back later next week though! See you then!

Anyone for Breakfast?

Here's a little quiz for you. Which cereal is healthier? Which of these is a good choice? Which is a bad choice? I've saved a few empty boxes of several cereals that have recently been in our house. Remember, we have a ten year old that lives with us. He eats 99% of these cereals and I have them once in a while for the other 1% of the mix.

Honey Nut Chex: The box says it is "Gluten Free" and whole grain but it has honey and nuts, so it must be too sweet and higher in fat because of the nuts, right?

1. The serving size is 3/4 cup
2. Calories are 120
3. Fat is 1g
4. Sugars are 9g
5. Fiber is 1g.

Corn Chex: This is also "Gluten Free" and is "with Whole Grain Guaranteed". It is CORN though. That can't be good, can it?

1. The serving size is 1 whole cup
2. Calories are 120
3. Fat is only a half (.5)g
4. Sugars are 3g
5. Fiber 2g

Not bad!


Life Cinnamon: "Made with Whole Grain". This stuff tastes good without adding milk!

1. The serving size is 3/4 cup
2. Calories are 120
3. Fat is 1.5g
4. Sugars are 8g
5. Fiber 2g

It is also "Heart healthy" and "an excellent source of B-Vitamins" according to the package.

Mom's Best Naturals - Honey Grahams: Now this should be super healthy! It is in the specialty isle with all the health foods and is a lot more expensive than the others. It too, has whole grains and is made with "all natural ingredients".

1. The serving size is 3/4 cup
2. Calories are 130
3. Fat is 3g
4. Sugars are 10g
5. Fiber 1g

Wait a minute?!? The health food is the most in calories, fat, sugars and lower in fiber than most of the others? What's up with that???

It gets more interesting when you read the ingredients. The health food cereal has corn meal as its first ingredient. The other three list different whole grains as their first ingredients.

By the way, the Honey Nut Chex, and the Mom's Honey Grahams both listed two types of sugars in the first five ingredients. The Corn Chex and Life cereals listed one sugar as the third ingredient. (I only went through the first five ingredients for this)

When looking at all the ingredients:

• The Life cereal listed ONE source of sugar in its ingredients.
• The Corn Chex cereal listed TWO sources of sugar.
• The Honey Nut Chex listed FOUR sources of sugar.
• The Mom's Honey Grahams lists SIX sources of sugar.

The FDA doesn't make manufacturers list all their sugars together. The more types of sugars you can put in a product the lower down the list they appear. The Corn Chex would be lowest in sugar because they actually use less overall sugar than the others. Clear as mud? Of course not! It seems the more of a challenge it is to figure these labels out the more we are kept in the dark. I hate having to do my homework, but I need to, in order to put the best foods in MY mouth for ME!

By the way, good old oatmeal is a tad higher in calories and fat. It has 150 calories per serving and 2.5g fat. It wins in the sugar category with only 1g of sugar, and in the fiber category with 4g of fiber. One more note about oatmeal is interesting when comparing it to these other cereals. The total list of ingredients in Life Cinnamon cereal was a whopping 27! Mom's Best had 18 ingredients (so much for "all natural" meaning simple), Honey Nut Chex had 12, and Corn Chex had only 8! But, oatmeal has ONE ingredient.

The moral of this story is that you really can't judge a book by its cover much less a cereal box by where it is located in the store, or what it says in bold print on the box. You have to read the ingredients too. Everyone needs to decide what is best for themselves. I look at calories and fat first and always prefer simpler foods with fewer ingredients.

Please pass the oatmeal!

(note: all these figures were without adding milk)

Book Review: Water With Lemon

I just finished "Water with Lemon" last night. The book is written in a fictional way with the main character, Karen, coming to terms with her life, marriage, and her battle with weight loss.

The eight habits that are introduced in the book are great common sense ways to incorporate in your weight fighting lifestyle.

Overall, it was a fast read. It was hard for me to combine the thought process of fictional story with non-fictional facts.

I liked some of the ideas to help with weight loss in this book. Although I got tired of reading "water with lemon" that was almost on every page of the book! I exaggerate, but it sure was mentioned a LOT! hahaha

I will take away some of the ideas from the book, like making large batches of meals and freezing some to make your own 'fast food' meals easier. I might slice up a lemon and put it in a container in the fridge. Then when I get water, I will put a slice in the bottom of the glass before adding the water. It sounds refreshing!

I went to the web site that is mentioned in the book. There I found the "Lickety-Split" cookbook. I thought this was an old ancient book that the character, Fowler, had found. It isn't. It is a full blown cookbook that the author made to go with the book. I didn't like that the prices for this cookbook are, what I consider, very high.

If you can wrap your head around the story parts of this book and keep it separate from the diet plan, I think you might enjoy it. It is a predictable and easy plot to follow. I am sure the plans, the habits mentioned, would help out some to tackle their weight loss methods.

I will take away from this book some 'food for thought' and possibly incorporate it into my regime. I won't spend the money on their web site, for any of the companion books or DVD's though! I will subscribe to her newsletter to see if it is a helpful thing. If it is more a sales gimmick, I will not keep using the newsletter though!

I still like sparkpeople.com the most. It has been a good fit for me and my style of making healthy changes in my life. Everyone should read or look at all types of different things to find what fits or what works best for them, personally. Everyone of us is unique. Our plans of attack should be unique too!

I hope you enjoyed this book review. I am working on another one already! Be kind to yourself today. We are all so lucky to have another day to live!

Dagnabit!

Well piffle! I gained this week. I am not sure why. I am up 1.8 pounds though. I looked at what I have been doing this past week and nothing jumps out at me yet as a direct cause for the gain.

Oh well. This has happened before and I am not going to let it get to me! I am still happy about where I am at and excited about where I might be going!

In the past I've gone up a tad and then dropped a huge amount. Maybe this is one of those types of plateaus? They say the body does not give up metabolism changes easily. It hangs on to every fat cell it can, keeping them nice and plump!

The only things I can think of that might affect me is that I have been making it a point to eat breakfast. I have added a tablespoon of sugar a day to my diet. I have also added a pat of butter a day. I honestly would like to think that this would not pile the pounds on so easily! This week has been different, exercise wise too. Next week I will be back on a more normal routine as there are no meetings or appointments going on that might slow things down for the week.

NEVER GIVE UP!!! That is the motto for this week. See you back here soon! I have more book reviews coming and maybe some recipes.

I still feel great! So no sad frowny faces today! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!!

Walking is too much fun!

I've been walking that trail I found, instead of going to the gym. The weather is so cool out and I just couldn't resist walking instead of going inside a building! Tomorrow I will go to the pool though, as I need to do some stretching and pool workouts that don't jar the joints as much.

This morning I did a hair over three and a half miles!!! I ran a little bit too, so it was quite the workout. I've felt invigorated all day. This is just a smidgen over 5K, so I think I can start considering entering a race someday. I don't want to do it to win, but I want the tee shirt! hahahaha! I might even do something like the Run for the Cure. I wonder if I would look good in pink? I wonder if I could get sponsors? There is a lot to think about and hope for, next year. I think this is added motivation for me to continue on this new life I am leading!

I had such a treat today! I have needed a pair of in-between jeans. I am right between fitting into the skinny jeans I have in the closet and drowning in any of the larger sizes. Today I took all those baggy saggy fat jeans to the thrift shop and bought myself a pair of perfectly fitted jeans. I also found a gorgeous two piece light sweater set for spring. I can almost wear it now, but would feel better if I were still smaller in the hips and waist before wearing this new set. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a 20% off coupon to use in exchange for the donated jeans. My purchases today were less than ten bucks.
I tried everything on at home and then started looking in my winter closet for a light weight long sleeved shirt to wear for the rest of the day. I found my old Halloween witchy tee shirt and put it on. The last time I wore it was over a year ago and it was too tight on me then. It hangs on me now! It is comfy though, and I will keep it to wear around the house when I want to wear comfy stuff. (I still think it is SO cool that this shirt just hangs on me though!!!)

I love being skinny(er)! Even if I am still overweight, I don't care what others say, I FEEL skinny!

Fish tonight and weigh-in tomorrow. I hope I've reached that big goal weight that is just a hair's breath away!!! If not, I will try again next week!

See ya next time!

LOOKIE What I Found in my Back Yard!!!

They have closed down some railroad tracks near my house. I now have a new route to add to my walking. It is fun to not always be on asphalt! I even saw a fawn! This is sooooo cool!

I found out that walking on this type of terrain is a real workout too! My knee didn't hurt but I was huffing and puffing as if I were running! As soon as I was back on the streets, my knee was twinging again. I will be utilizing this trail a lot more on future walks!

I hope your weekend is going well. We started the morning off with a moment of silence to recognize the day. We are so lucky. Those folks that passed away on 9-11 didn't have the choice to improve their lives and to finish living them to their potentials. We have no excuse to abuse ourselves. Let's keep getting healthy and remember just how fortunate we are.

Almost There!

Less than a half pound to go and I will have lost a total of 75 pounds! I thought I had reached that today at weigh in but when I went back and redid the math, I found out I was wrong. lol I was NOT upset about this though because I had lost two pounds since last Saturday!
I hope to write something more witty later this week. It has been a busy day. One little thing I want to mention though, is that I just found out there will be a new walking trail so close to my house that I can use it often! I am very excited about this!

Hang in there, and don't EVER give up!
See you soon!

More than just a book review

How about TWO book reviews? (and more) After getting yesterday's post done, I decided to come back today and do more! First up is:

"The 17 Day Diet" by Dr. Mike Moreno

I am always a skeptic when it comes to these types of books. This book was no exception. Does it work? Yes. Is it magic? No. This is just another example of the latest fad diet out there. They've launched this book with a full media blitz on TV and the Internet. CBS News, ABC TV, Dr. Phil, The Doctors and more have had stories about it. There is a web site you can join up with. There is a workbook and a DVD you can buy, to go with the book. With promises of rapid weight loss and astounding results, it is easy to see the lure.

Save your money.

It is basically a low calorie diet (one day's suggested menu was under 1200 calories for the whole day). It is heavy on veggies, light on fruits, and low on carbs. You can eat a lot of proteins, as long as they are chicken, fish, and other lean meats. You don't have to actually count calories, which will appeal to many. It is divided up into three - 17 day chunks that change up your foods a little. (quote) "But you do have to accept that this won't be a pleasure diet. You've got to stop eating unhealthy crap." This is nothing new, but rather just a different way of stating the tried and true, 'calories in, calories out' that ultimately works for most people. They also have exercising in the program, so it really is not anything new and ground breaking.

The "maintenance" plan is: (quote) "....a program of eating that lets you enjoy your favorite foods on the weekends, while eating healthfully during the week."
Well duh! Doesn't this amount to cutting calories? And don't you think folks will read into this that they can do fast food all weekend and still lose weight?

So I would not spend the money to buy into this, even though it does work, it isn't anything new or special or magical. If you are looking for something to follow that is laid out for you, then this might be for you. Just be aware that it IS brand new and comes across as being the diet fad of the year...next year will bring a new and different plan with a catchy name. I am sure it will make money for the doctor and might help some folks out as well. Most of these fad diets will work to some extent, but they are not a new miracle cure for obesity.

Speaking of obesity...someone said to me this week, "You don't look obese anymore!" I suppose some folks would take that as a slam, but I took it as a full blown compliment! My mind's eye still sees a fat woman. It is only when I glimpse the hall mirror, in passing, that I see this stranger looking back at me! Who IS that woman???
Before the next book review, I wanted to mention something else to you. I've been enjoying my Dannon vanilla Greek yogurt a bit too much. I was having two or three a day, mostly after supper, as my dessert. Heck, I was buying this stuff by the CASE! I finally figured out why. It has 18 (that is EIGHTEEN) grams of sugar in it! That is TWO THIRDS more sugar than plain yogurt. (Plain has 6 grams of sugar) No wonder it tasted so good! Guess who isn't buying this any more? I still like Greek yogurt the best, but it will be Yoplait or Dannon PLAIN Greek, from now on. I will add the flavorings myself and not the sugars!!! I hate when I have to give up my indulgences!!! I hate being fat, more!

Book review #2:"The Skinny- What Every Skinny Woman Knows About Dieting

(And Won't Tell You!)"
by Patricia Marx and Susan Sistrom

What a fun book this was! Patricia Marx actually is a prolific writer, usually with a wicked sense of humor too! This book has a lot of funny material, interlaced with real truisms! Some of the chapters are:

• Making It Look Big
• Calories Per Minute
• The Best Way to Look Skinny
• What to Do if You Really, Really Need to Lose Five Pounds in Five Minutes
• Naked Eating
• Space Travel
• What to Do if You Accidentally Drink a Coke Instead of a Diet Coke
• No, Really, what to Do if you Accidentally Drink a coke Instead of a Diet Coke
• The Outside vs. the Inside of a Food
• Why You Should Never Tell Your Mother You're on a Diet

There are many, many more chapters.

In the "Calories Per Minute" (CPM) chapter, I took this excerpt: "The difference in calories per ounce is marginal, but the pistachios with shells are unquestionably the Skinny Choice. (The CPM for pistachios can be even lower than 80 because you are likely to get stuck on a particularly hard-to-crack nut or even break your nail and have to stop eating nuts for a while. If you are very lucky, you will slice open your finger on a shell and have to go to the hospital, where you will cause the CPM to go down even farther. We advise, therefore, to buy the pistachios nuts that must opened with power tools.)"

I would get this book and have it by your nightstand to read. The chapters are short and funny. You would go to bed with a smile on your face! Your partner will wonder what you're thinking, so share the book with him or her too.

That is it for today and for the rest of this week! I am still working out the kinks in my new routine and trying to decide the best plan of action. I see my doctor on Tuesday and will be asking him questions too.

Enjoy your day and have a safe and fun filled Labor Day weekend y'all!