Is This Too Big?

Billy had to smile this morning, which, in turn, made me smile.

I broke down the other day and bought two new suits and a sweater dress. Belk was having a really good sale. They are also remodeling the store so they've cleaned out a lot of the areas and I could actually see the clothes for a change and it was not an overall unpleasant experience.

Some of you will remember that I have said on more than one occasion that I hate to shop. Always have. It just isn't fun for me.

Anyway, I went in looking for the sweater dress. I wanted just a plain black dress, preferably turtleneck, to go with several new scarves I got over Christmas. Sounds simple enough but that has been the task for the ages.

Spotted one, not a turtleneck but it would do.

As I was headed to the register I saw all these two-piece pantsuits.

My standard work attire.

And they were on sale.

I bought two.

I am very short so I almost always head for petites.

One of the suits didn't come in a petite so I got the regular. The jacket was just too gorgeous to pass up at least trying it.

Needless to say, there was more than enough extra material in the pants. I had them all scrunched up and they still fell below the bottoms of my high-heeled boots. But, as Billy pointed out, the pants were black and there is no shortage in my house of black pants so I just swapped them out and wore the jacket.

Which I thought also looked a little big.

Today, I have on the sweater dress. I bought a large because I don't want it to be all tight and clingy. I just wanted to hang nicely.

For the second morning in a row I walked into the kitchen and asked "Is this too big?"

After assuring me that it wasn't Billy just looked at me and said "You always used to ask if something was too tight. Now you're worried about too big."

I realized that I have come a long way in the last 3 years (January 2007 was my start month for this quest for fitness). I saw some of my charts earlier in the week and I could see the progress that I'd made.

And it makes me smile.

Am I where I want to be? No. I'm still not back under my ceiling weight that I thought I could reach so easily. I'm closer - more in the attic than on the roof, but one day this week I was on the top of the chimney so it has been a struggle but I am headed in the right direction.

But sometimes you just have to step back for a second and appreciate what you have accomplished to date. Doesn't mean you give up on your ultimate goal or get complacent with where you are - you just take a minute, or more, and recognize those accomplishments and milestones you have already made and then go from there.

Maybe you do it in a new black sweater dress.....

Simple Substitutions

This process doesn't have to be an all or nothing. With a little effort you can actually find foods that can stand in for some of your favorites but save you some serious calories, fats, or carbs.

For instance, did you know that substituting ground turkey for ground beef can save you almost 40 calories a serving (and the turkey serving is one gram larger) and 4 grams of fat? Now, if you eat ground sirloin the difference is less significant, but no everyone grabs the ground sirloin.

Whole grain pasta instead of regular enriched pasta saves another 50 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and adds 3 more grams of fiber. (Having the protein-enriched pasta doesn't really change things too much from the regular spaghetti but makes a good choice if you don't have a meat sauce.)

Now, I wouldn't share that if I didn't eat it. Although my family tree doesn't show it, there HAS to be some Italian in there somewhere! I love a good bowl of pasta (had one tonight as a matter of fact) and I wouldn't eat it with whole wheat pasta and turkey if it wasn't good.

And I almost didn't. The very first time I was served whole wheat pasta it was disgusting. It was cooked to absolute and complete mush! But it made an overall negative impression so it was a long time before I tried it again. Yes, it does taste a little different. But it isn't intolerable and with a really good sauce you don't even know the difference!

Now, Billy and I have not (knowingly) eaten red meat since the mid-90s. We gave it up for humanitarian reasons and didn't look back.

At all.

With ground turkey you may need to season it a little more during the browning process, but you're really adding another layer of flavor. And that is a very good thing.

If you're not into meat at all or want to cut down on it, there are veggie alternatives out there. Morningstar Farms makes meal started crumbles - regular and sausage style that stands in for ground beef or Italian sausage. Only 90 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates, no fat and tons of protein! (I will say that we found them to be a little bit on the salty side so we had to make some adjustments when making tacos or chili or other dishes where we needed a seasoning packet of some sort.)

Like I said, I'm trying to toss out ideas that I've actually tried and like. I'd be more than happy to get your suggestions for simple substitutes that don't make us feel like we're giving anything up.

Getting, and staying, healthy doesn't have to be a chore or a pain or an unpleasant process. We've just to look around, do a little research, make some better choices.

And be willing to push our envelopes and get outside our comfort zones and try new things.

So, add your thoughts and help me branch out! I'm ready!

Meltdown

OK, I had a bit of meltdown yesterday. Not proud of it, but facts are facts.

I was pleased as punch yesterday morning that 2 of my unwanted pounds had dropped off. Moving me from the roof to the attic, so to speak. One step closer to my ceiling.

Back in December I bought several bags of candy for the office. We keep a candy dish on the front counter for our clients and we all will occassionally take one from the dish. I liked having to walk all the way to the front of the office, in full view of everyone, to get one small piece of candy. Felt like it was keeping me honest.

For reasons that I have yet to understand I decided to keep one bag in my desk drawer. It was the bag with all my favorites in mini size. You know the size - less than 1 inch square.

Should have moved it after my post about the 3 Ds, but I didn't.

Anyway, we had a bit of a rough weekend with Seizure Dog and Billy told me that he would not go to Arkansas as scheduled yesterday if Riley wasn't doing better. I would have thought that having a completely unexpected seizure on Sunday afternoon and the period of blindness and pacing 6 hours later to qualify as "not doing better".

Side note - the blindness and pacing are considered part of the post-ictal phase and do typically signal the end of the whole seizure episode, which in this case had been since Wednesday last week. But we'd had a much smaller similar episode on Saturday morning which is why the Sunday afternoon seizure was such a surprise to us. So, in Billy's defense all indications were that there would be no more seizures, which would qualify as "doing better".

So when I called home to check on everything mid-morning yesterday and found out he was planning on leaving, I turned to the chocolate. This got progressively worse as the financial statement I was working on yesterday just refused to work.

I was really not doing well.

A serving size of these mini candy bars is 5. 5 pieces, 210 calories.

I counted 17 wrappers in my trash can last night.

17.

Half my daily calories yesterday came from candy bars.

I tried to salvage the day by eating soup for supper but I was still over on the day by 300 calories.

And it showed on the scale this morning. Back up 4/10th of a pound.

On the bright side - and there is always a bright side, you just sometimes have to really search for it - I am still down a net 1.6 pounds from Sunday morning; today dawned much brighter after a good night; and I actually have gotten things accomplished and off my desk so far this morning.

There. We all have set backs. No I haven't moved the candy, yet, but I think I need to leave it there as a lesson. A reminder that the answer is not wrapped up in that little square of chocolate. Might make me feel better temporarily, but won't actually solve anything.

Only I can solve my problems.

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Turn Out The Lights

This party is over!

I have SERIOUSLY overindulged this holiday season and it must stop. Simply because bad habits are soooo much easier to establish than good ones.

I have in my mind a "ceiling" weight that I try to stay under. It is pretty much just below the borderline of "normal" and "overweight" on the BMI chart. So it really isn't unreasonable. It is just a mark that I keep in mind so that I stay aware of where I am and what I'm doing.

I'm now on the roof (meaning I'm over the ceiling).

Not by much, but still. I have totally enjoyed myself, and I wouldn't change that part of it, but it is time to get back on the wagon and engage in some "clean living". I honestly think that is all it will take to get at least back to the ceiling mark. Not to get back to where I was - that will actually take work. But it can be done.

Time to bust out the 3 Ds again - Dedication, Diligence and Discipline.

Dedicate yourself to your goals, no matter what they are. To exercise every day, to lose 10 pounds, to run a marathon, whatever.

Be diligent about your environment and how you are working towards your goals. I probably don't need to bake any more cakes and pies to have sitting around if I know I need to cut back on extras.

Use your discipline, especially if your find yourself in tempting situations. Tell yourself your goals are important and you need to work hard to stay on track. Remind yourself of how good you feel after a run to help you get motivated to get out of bed. Hang that dress in plain sight that you want to get back into.

We can do this! We can help each other make 2010 the year we hit the goals we set. We can make it our finest hour!

So, I'll keep you posted on my progress and I'd love to hear from you with yours. We're all in this together!

Let's go get 'em!

Success Stories

Denise Austin's Newsletter of 12/28/09:


There's a reason why people like hearing and reading success stories. These feel-good tales are constant proof that others have had similar struggles - and, most important, that they've gotten through them!

Especially moving are stories that begin with someone who's made unhealthy choices that lead to such life-threatening diseases as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, or cancer. And when that person is a friend or relative, the message is all the more powerful. Fortunately, what these accounts teach us is that by eating right and exercising regularly you do have the power to turn your life around - and prevent these ailments from happening in the first place!

So on those days when you're lacking willpower, think of those success stories. That formerly obese 40-year-old mother of three who now looks and feels like she's 30, that 60-year-old woman who runs marathons, that 55-year-old man who was able to reverse his type 2 diabetes by adjusting his diet and hitting the gym. They all made it to the other side, often emerging stronger - physically, mentally, and emotionally. That can and will be you!

In 2010 let's hear some of YOUR success stories. Small successes or really big news, let's share them all!

Good Things - 12/28/09

The Gift of Forgiveness.

OK, if you are like me, forgiveness is a big deal right now. I love the holidays and all the baked goods. Love to be in my kitchen making new things and feeding others. I also love college football and Bowl Day has turned into weeks but you can't watch the bowl games without snacks.

Lots and lots of snacks.

So, I am cutting myself a little slack. Only a little, let's not get crazy here, and enjoying the time left before I have to totally and completely get back on the wagon.

Life is for enjoying and I get so little time with some of my family and friends back home that I wasn't going to not do something or try something simply because it didn't fit in that day's calorie count.

So, I forgive myself for the extra cookies, and the Punk Pink Cosmo at TGIFriday's, and the birthday cake for my mom, and so forth. January is just around the corner and a new month is always a good time to start, or restart, new habits.

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Good Things - 12/21/09

The Gift of Love.

Love yourself.

Remember, if you don't love yourself then it will be almost impossible for others to really love you. I say that because when we don't love, or even really like, ourselves then we put up subtle and subconscious barriers to others. We close ourselves off and don't let in the people that we need the most.

I had someone tell me once, after I'd lost all the weight, "you are so beautiful now!". I know the intent was to pay me a compliment but I looked this person in the eye and said "I was beautiful before also."

And I meant it. Not in a completely physical way. I would never dream to call myself "beautiful" in that kind of way. But I never really considered my physical appearance to be a hindrance to anything I wanted to do.

I believe myself to be basically a good person. I try to be kind and helpful and considerate and all other manner of positive attributes. I like to think that spilled over into a positive mental attitude that wasn't concerned with the size on the label in my clothes.

I loved myself. I loved myself at my heaviest, and I still do. I loved myself enough to make the changes I needed to help improve the odds that I get to enjoy this life for a long, long time. I know that none of know how long we'll be here on this Earth but you can certainly do things to help make your journey as long as possible.

So, love yourself. It is one of the most important steps you can take.

Now, go have a great day!

Too Good Not to Share

Sums up everything I try to say:


Success isn't determined by pounds, pant sizes, or inches. It is determined by your ability to make positive lifelong changes every day.
- Denise (from Denise Austin's newsletter 12/17/09)

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Good Things - 12/14/09

The Gift of Freedom.

Freedom to try the egg nog or just one more appetizer.

Freedom to not worry, for just a little while, about one extra cookie.

Freedom to enjoy the holidays, secure in the knowledge that you'll be back on track in a a couple of weeks.

But not to run hog wild and pig crazy, as my daddy used to say. Everything in moderation. You can enjoy your holidays and still maintain that healthier lifestyle you've been working so hard on.

Now, go have a great day.

Good Things - 12/6/09

Words of Encouragement.

In the spirit of Christmas I thought for the next few weeks I'd try to focus on what we can give to others rather than just what we can do for ourselves.

Words of encouragement sounds like an easy, no-brainer kind of thing but it can sometimes be more difficult that we think.

I'm not really talking about compliments here; I'm talking real, honest-to-goodness encouragement. Helping each other when we're down. Boosting each other over the humps that we will inevitably hit.

Still sounds easy, doesn't it?

Here is what I sometimes find. Even though women all talk about sisterhood, we can be each other's worst enemy. Sometimes we start to view someone else's success as a reflection of our own failure. We go from "Boy you look beautiful" to telling someone else "I can't believe she wore that dress!" We compare ourselves in negative ways so therefore we start to not truly encourage but to secretly hope for failure.

We don't tell someone that they shouldn't eat that cake because we don't want them to lose more weight than us. We don't offer to go on a walk with them and help them with their exercise because they might look better at the Christmas party next week.

That kind of makes us ugly on the inside, doesn't it?

We should, instead, help each other. Confident in knowing that we will be the recipient of that same help when we need it.

Wars are not won by individual soldiers. Football games are not won just by the quarterback.

This is a team effort I'm talking about. Everyone reading this does, or at least should, have someone that is supporting them. You know you've got me at a minimum. Likewise, I know I have all of you.

So let's remember to help not only each other, but everyone that we come in contact with. We don't always know what someone may be struggling with, but if we can somehow lend support, then we should do it.

So, my words of encouragement to each of you are these: Love yourself. You look marvelous no matter where you are in your quest for your goals. Don't give up hope when it seems impossible. Be fair and honest with yourself.

And above all, enjoy the ride. Life is a journey, after all.