Words Have No Calories

and it's a good thing because I may have to eat some.

I realize some of you will think this is silly. I may, also, in a week or so.

I previously stated after seeing Valerie Bertinelli on People Magazine in a bikini that, while she looked awesome, I just thought that after a certain age women shouldn't wear one.

I might have been wrong. We're all going to the beach in a couple of weeks and I was looking through my swimsuit drawer. I cleaned it out not too long ago but I kept a few two-piece suits. Not really thinking I'd actually wear them but they were still in good shape.

I tried them on this morning.

I have to say I was not displeased with what I saw in the mirror. Not perfect by any stretch, but not horrible either.

So I asked my husband if I would embarrass him if I wore them. He is brutally honest and won't just tell me what I want to hear - believe me! (I will also ask my sister when we're together since she is also honest.)

Billy said it wouldn't embarrass him but he is also the one who called me out for the whole "too old for a bikini" thing. It was pointed out that I no longer felt the same because I now had the body to do it.

And in a sense, he has a point.

Like I said, the body isn't perfect. There is still work to be finished. But there was a definite boost and a sense of pride when I looked in the mirror. Now these are not teeny tiny skimpy bikinis. I'd say they are modest two-pieces. If that isn't an oxymoron. So I don't think I'm trying to look like a teenager or anything. But I have worked hard and have achieved a major accomplishment and that can be celebrated, right?

And hey, Helen Mirren is rocking a two-piece at 60 so maybe 43 isn't too old, yet.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

Maureen McCormack is the latest celebrity to announce a major backslide. In last weeks' People Magazine she talked about losing 34 pounds while appearing on Celebrity Fit Club only to have regained 43.

My first thought, and I don't think I'm too far off base, was that she didn't do it for the right reasons. I could be wrong. I'm sure she did want to lose the weight but she wasn't really committed to making the lifestyle changes that go with it. She participated, possibly, for the attention and notoriety and a chance to get back in the spotlight.

Now, she has also recently admitted to past life of drug use and such so I applaud her for kicking those habits. It also says to me that when she is ready to tackle the weight problem, REALLY tackle it, she has a wonderful chance at success since she has proven herself in the past.

I wish her luck.

As I do all of us as we work towards our goals, or maintaining them once we reach them. If you really get your head in the game and approach this quest mentally first and then physically, I feel certain you will get there.

Now, go have a great day!

Update

Sorry, it has been a while. My June 30th deadlines are quickly approaching and I haven't had a spare minute lately!

I will finish my 30 day challenge tomorrow. I haven't lost any weight or broken through my slump - yet - but I can tell that my body is more toned. I should have taken measurements before I started but didn't think about it.

I did a little shopping lately and actually bought sizes that I honestly never thought I'd wear again. And was perfectly happy in that knowledge. I was able to wear some 4s and 6/6 petites this week. That's a long way from pushing out of a 12.

I try not to get caught up in the numbers. The day I was shopping I was also wearing pants that were a size 10 and the tank top was a large so sizes don't mean much and I don't get put much stock in the labels. BUT - it is pretty cool and it gives you a bit of a mental lift to actually see those sizes go down.

And I've always said that losing weight and getting healthy is actually mostly mental.

Hope everyone is having a great day and working towards those goals! I'd love to hear about your progress.

Reminders

Slumps and rebounds are the pits. No two ways about it. Seeing your progress slowed, or reversed is just downright depressing. Can even make you want to give up.

I know. Be there, done that, doing it again.

Now comes the purple shirt. I'm sure I've shared this story before but I'm doing it again.

Several years ago my mom gave me a beautiful two-piece outfit. The skirt is a shiny purple snakeskin print material and the top is a soft, deep purple short-sleeved button up blouse. Now, while the outfit was my size when she gave it to me it really didn't fit. The buttons were stretched across the bust and the sleeves were so tight on my upper arms that Billy would have to hold them and pull down on them to help get me out of it.

Needless to say I didn't wear the outfit very much. But the color is so beautiful and is one of my good colors so I did suffer and wear it every once in a while. Since it wasn't a "go to" outfit it got sort of buried in the closet. That closet is now under construction so I've rediscovered a lot of things that I hadn't seen in a while.

Including the purple outfit.

I wore it the other day and almost cried. I went to the kitchen and had Billy look at it. The top hangs on me and the the sleeves don't even touch my arms.

Its a reminder of how far I've come. No matter that the scales haven't moved lately; they have moved. I can't get discouraged - I have achieved.

And I needed that reminder.

It doesn't matter if you've only lost 10 pounds or 50 pounds. Every pound is a struggle and an accomplishment. Be proud and don't give up.

I also reminded myself that muscle weighs more than fat so it could be that all the toning that I've been doing is working and the number on the scale may go up for a little while. No one but me knows what that number is so what does it matter?

Sometimes it is best to not look at that daily ups and downs but to remember the big picture. Remember where you started and take encouragement from that. Don't let yourself get bogged down in the short term issues but remember that bigger long-term goal and just keep working. You WILL turn it around and break through that wall and then just start tumbling down the other side.

Trust me. Be there, done that, can do it again.

Earning Your Rewards

My cousin Darla has another blog and yesterday she mentioned her kids not needing to eat breakfast since they were getting donuts. I told her I was going to let that comment pass. She assured me that the kids, and not the adults, get donuts at Sunday School on the first Sunday of the month.

Still gonna let it go since they are kids and all kids love donuts, but eating habits are formed in the young.

Anyway, it brought to mind my own childhood. My mom and dad taught my 5th grade Sunday School class. Actually, Mom taught and Dad was "crowd control". He was kind of a big man and could be pretty intimidating to rowdy 10 and 11 year olds. My mom used donuts as a reward for learning the books of the Bible. You got a donut hole if you like 5 or 10 straight, a donut if you did a whole Testament and a Texas donut if you could name all the books of Bible in order without a mistake.

Texas donuts were the size of dinner plates.

Have I mentioned that I am an overachiever?

Food is often used as a reward. While I'm not necessarily against that in principle, you do have to watch it if your goal is to lose weight. Having a bowl of ice cream or a piece of cake or an extra slice of pizza because you dropped a few pounds or ran an extra mile or rode your bike today really can be counterproductive. Not in an individual case so much as the pattern you are establishing.

The opposite is true also. Food shouldn't be used when things are going well. You can't allow yourself to let up just because you've hit a wall. You can't just give up and say one of this won't hurt I'm not losing any weight anyway.

Food is the fuel for our bodies. No more no less. We can still enjoy it and have celebrations with it but you can't give it a power that it doesn't possess. It is what it is.

So look at non-food rewards for those milestones. New clothes or shoes or a massage or whatever. And when you hit the wall or a slump, as I have right now, then change something up. Add a new exercise, or push your comfort level a little on an existing routine. Surprising your body is usually the best way to get to wake up and respond.

Now go have a great day! (Hopefully easy on the donuts)

Inspiration

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/meet-butch-lumpkin-9477

Click here: Meet Butch Lumpkin - Golf Video Golf Channel

Find a way to watch this video (I don't think the links are working well) and I hope no one ever really complains about how hard we have it.



ANYTHING is possible if we want it bad enough and are willing to work.

Denise Austin's Thought for the Day

Some people dream about success; others wake up and work at it. You can do it!
— Denise