I Feel Good!

Can you hear James Brown in the background?

I knew that I would now!

An unusual thing, at least I think it is, keeps happening to me. I had thought about blogging about it but hadn't, and then my friend Lou, one of the blog readers and a friend since elementary school possibly even kindergarten, told me it was happening to her.

People seem to wonder if we're sick.

Seriously.

I get asked all the time - how much weight have you lost? Did you mean to? Are you OK? Are you sure?

Her conclusion is that it is an age thing. If we were younger, folks would probably just congratulate us and move on, but since we're over 40 ....

It is just funny, though, because we're healthier than we've been in years. (She recently tried gluten-free living and dropped about 12 pounds I think she said, in a fairly short amount of time.) We both feel better than we have in a long time. And things are good. I recently wore a dress to work that was my traveling dress when I got married.

For those going to check the calendar, that dress is over 20 years old. But it fit like a dream and because I tend to spend my money on classic pieces over trendy stuff, it didn't look like it was 20 years old.

So, I'm in better shape than I've been in for years. Healthier. Able to do more. All that stuff.

And still you get asked the same question - Are you OK? You aren't sick are you?

All I can do is smile and say No.

The Good Stuff

Typically, I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time. Especially since we stay on it so long that I think it should be Standard Time - but that's another post. (Literally another post - it was a Random Thought). But here is the upside.

Even after working 12 hours a day there is still enough light left that I can walk Riley after supper. Which is good because I really hate eating at 7 at night.

I read an article not too long ago that said the premise of eating late would make you gain weight was a myth. I'm not sure I believe that. I am, of course, no expert but it seems to me that eating and then going to bed can't be a good thing. Now, if you are a night person and eat at 7 and stay up until midnight doing stuff that's a different story. But I like as much time as possible to burn up my calories before I lay down for 7 hours. So the walk is good.

Some experts also say you shouldn't exercise before you go to bed since that can get you all reved up and make it hard to sleep. But I've rather enjoyed the fresh night air and find that I'm sleeping better - as long as the Elite Eight sleep also.

So, with more sunshine and longer days there are less excuses available for not getting out there and getting some good, old-fashioned exercise. Do it with your kids or spouse - make it a family affair!

The benefits of exercise are way beyond just weight management. Exercise relieves, or at least reduces, stress (VERY important for me this time of year) and releases all those feel-good endorphins to make a little pleasanter to be around.

So, quit burning daylight and get out there!

Conquering Your Cravings

OK, this post was supposed to be really cool. I had read the best article about the different personality types when it comes to cravings and it even had a little quiz to help you figure out what type you are. There were also some really good tips.

Here is the bad news. I was sitting in a doctor's office when I read it (see - you guys are ALWAYS on my mind!) which means I have no idea what magazine it was or even how old the issue was.

Truly a Deanne if I ever pulled one. So I've been looking and can't find it and I'm going to wing it.

First of all, personality types. Apparently there are people that can satisfy a craving with one little bite of something and be fine and others that having that one bite unleashes a torrent of more cravings. Those are the ones that just have to say no. They need to go get a glass of water or follow one of the other tips listed below. Chemically, their brains can't get that one little taste of what they need and be satisfied. They just keep wanting more and more and that leads to any manner of problems for them.

I fall into the middle (and yes, there was a category for that. I didn't just make it up). I find that I control my cravings by controlling my environment. If I want a bite of chocolate I can be satisfied with just one bite, as long as there aren't any more than that lying around. If I have 3 pieces in my desk drawer, I'll eat all three. If I have to walk to the front counter for a piece, that is the only one I'll have and I won't go back. I'm good.

Some of the tips they mentioned - chew gum or at least sniff some mint. OK, one of my weaknesses is mint chocolate chip ice cream so I don't think sniffing mint is going to help, but I do chew a lot of gum.

A LOT of gum. I'm a chain chewer. All sugar free.

It is supposed to make your brain think you are eating and make some of the cravings so away.

The reason I chew it is because it helps you think. I read about a study that was done with kindergartners that showed that chewing gum improved their brain function. (Problem is, you can't give kindergartens gum on a regular basis since it is subject to get swallowed or stuck some place it shouldn't be!). So I chew and hope that it helps me work.

This time of year I'll take anything I can get to help me work.

So, think about your personality and watch how you handle your cravings. Like anything else on this journey, a little knowledge goes a long way.

Knowing yourself will help you help yourself.

Now, go have a wonderful day!

Peaches and Pop Tarts

I am ashamed to admit that this was my lunch one day last week.

I figure I gotta be honest, here, right?

Last week was rough.

For those that don't know me personally, Billy works out of town part of each month. We also have 8 dogs, but he takes one with him, so that leaves me with 7 to feed, water, exercise, etc, etc. And one of those dogs, our sweet Riley, is epileptic and has a very regimented routine and medicine schedule.

So, my day gets worked around Riley's needs when Billy's gone.

One of the important parts of his day is his walk - for two reasons. One, routine is important and keeps his anxiety in check which usually helps with everything else. Second, the sunshine is very beneficial (he has a holistic vet on his team and she agrees with me on that). I also happen to think that all the good endorphins and other things that get released when you exercise are good for him.

So, when you have to work 10 hours a day (or more if you can take it),trying to find time for a 30 minute walk can be a challenge.

Trust me on this.

Two days last week it was raining so I had to find a break in the drizzle - which occurred about 6:30 at night. I don't much care for walking after dark when I'm alone, but you do what you have to do.

Imagine my delight when Wednesday dawned a glorious day. That day's walk would be in daylight and dry!

Normally, this time of year my lunch is only 30 minutes, but I figured I could always work later so walking at lunch seemed like a good idea. After I let everyone out, I just grabbed a half can of peaches (in Splenda). Now I grabbed something because Riley gets medicine at 1:30 so instead of going to lunch at noon as usual I was going about an hour later. I was starving and I grabbed something handy.

So far, so good. Canned peaches, with some exercise looming.

Ok, for some reason, Riley walked just about as slow as he could without completely stopping and all I could do was keep staring at my watch. (I know a lot of people wouldn't do this for a dog but we believe that caring for these guys is part of our purpose for being here so we'll do whatever is needed.) By the time we completed our route my time for lunch was more than up so I reached in the cabinet and grabbed the first thing I could that I could eat without cooking.

Yes, I eat my Pop Tarts cold.

Horrible choice! Yes, Pop Tarts can be a nice occasional treat. They are not a good meal. There is very little of any nutritional value in them, lots of sugar, and nothing to fill you up. So I was hungry again not very long after.

A bad choice.

A bad choice made worse by the fact that I had a house full of things I could have microwaved in two minutes or less. Good choices. (If you haven't checked out Lean Pockets lately, you should. These are not your kids Hot Pockets! I tried a Lean Pocket with grilled chicken in a whole wheat crust with cheese and a garlic white sauce - very grown up! and very good! only 260 calories,)

So, even though I know all the right things to do and try really hard, I slip up. It happens.

But it was one slip. Didn't derail the train. I made good choices for dinner and the next day.

Matter of fact, with everything going on last week, I actually lost 2 pounds. But most importantly, I didn't beat myself up, didn't give up on myself. I recognized the situation for what it was - an inappropriate response to a stressful situation and a bad choice.

But it was only one choice. Not a life-altering event.

Your bad choices aren't either. Make them, but let them go.

A Potpourri

So much to share, so little time.

I find that while I think about things to add to blog all the time after spending 12 hours at the office I rarely want to sit in front of the computer once I get home and write.

Even though I love to write.

If this whole blog thing ever gets voice activated then look out!

Anyway.

First, my plan seems to be working. By moving daily exercise on to the "must" do list instead of the "I will if I feel like it" list I have seen some good results in the last week. Way back down under my ceiling weight. I also know that adding back some variety in my workouts is a good thing. I pulled out the EA Sports Active Wii game from last summer (that I did for about a month or so) and my legs were sore for three days from all the lunges and calf work I did - in just one night!

So, keep your body guessing! If it doesn't know what you're going to next, it can't outsmart you.

I did have to vary my initial plan a little last week due to weather conditions and other events, but I made it a priority to do something physical every day except Friday. That was pizza and movie and Olympics night. And this week's plan just says "Walk Riley" every day. It's my week and that will probably be the only physical activity I get until Billy gets back home.

Second item. For reasons that I don't really want to get into here, I have been asked by one of my doctors to cut back on the caffeine.

Truly not words that I wanted to hear.

In reality, I don't drink all that much, and not near as much as I used to or as much as a lot of people I know. But still.

So I started yesterday. Only one cup of coffee in the morning instead of two and a 7Up for lunch instead of a Diet Dr. Pepper or Coke Zero. I made sure the herbal tea in the afternoon was decaffeinated.

Woke up with a headache this morning.

Still nursing my one cup. But there is more in the pot and I might have to ease into this whole thing. After all, he said cut back, not cut out. We are also going to try and make the coffee 50/50 after Billy gets home. He said he was up for it. He does try to support me in every way possible.

I'll be interested to see if less caffeine has any other effects with the healthy lifestyle.

Here's the other really cool thing. This doctor is brand new in town. I'd never seen him before. I only went this time to get a second opinion - and from someone who was not tied to Natchez. So he's going through my history and all. In discussing my habits and lifestyle I mentioned the fact that I had lost around 50 pounds over the last couple of years.

50? he said.

Yes.

Asked me what I weighed now.

Told him without hesitation.

Raise your right hand, he says. Swear to me you won't get any skinnier.

Y'all that hit me like nothing else.

I had one doctor here in town that would almost berate me about my weight every time he saw me. Even if the ailment I was there for was in no way, shape or form effected by my weight he would bring the conversation around to it. I didn't stay with him long. Not because he was wrong, but his manner was. He wasn't helping me by trying to make me feel bad about myself. He did nothing, actually, to even try to help or offer solutions.

So, my next two doctors never said a word, even when I was at my heaviest, unless I brought it up first. I liked that better. I knew what I needed to do but just had to get right in my head and make up my mind to do it. (For the record they were both wonderful doctors but one died unexpectedly and the other moved out of Natchez).

But enough about that. It just felt good to think "I've arrived" as far as the medical community is concerned.

So, there are more good things to come. But I've been up since 4:15 this morning and it is time to get ready for work.

The Reasons Why

I have been deeply effected by the recent death of a childhood friend and classmate. In trying to lighten my mood yesterday after I learned of my friend's passing, Billy tried to joke that we were "getting into that age group." I told him I didn't know how old he thought I was, but 43 is NOT "that age group."

But he meant well and said it out of love so I let it go.

My friend died of heart complications arising from weight gain. He died at 375 pounds. At age 43 or 44.

It has really hit me, for a lot of reasons, but mostly because THAT is the whole reason I started this journey I'm on.

I did not want to be that person. Worried about my heart. Wondering what damage I was doing to my body.

Cutting my life short.

I will probably never share the number on the scale that was staring back at me that first day. The one that scared me so badly. No one knows it except the lady at HealthQuest and she won't tell.

But it was so much higher than I ever thought I could weigh. My 6 foot 4 inch husband no longer outweighed me by much.

It terrified me and shook me to my core.

That was the point that I realized I had to do something.

Apparently my friend had encountered some of Life's difficulties and handled them the way we all do sometimes - turning to food for comfort, withdrawing from our friends and coworkers, convincing ourselves that we're handling it when we're really handling nothing.

I have been saddened by his passing - the wondering what ifs and so on, but I'm also resolved to keep going with what I started. Keep pushing myself to make the healthy choices - even when I don't want do or they aren't as much fun. I did indulge myself a little last night, bit of a pity party after a rough day, but today the day dawned brighter and I remembered that I don't have to end up like that. I have the power to control my choices and my responses to what Life hands me.

I may end up making a lot of lemonade with the lemons I get handed, but I don't have to drink it.

It's all up to me.

Having a Plan

I've been a little disappointed in myself lately.

Not necessarily because of what the scales do or don't say. But in my approach to things.

See, when I set out to lose the weight I did so like I do everything else in my world - organized, planned, thought out.

I set alarms so I would get up and go walk at the local mall in the morning. I did research on how much I should eat at a meal and devised methods of tracking it. I attacked the "problem" like I do anything. I developed a plan and I executed it.

Well, I might add.

Then came maintenance, though. I got pretty haphazard. And, let's face it, maintenance is really the biggest part of the whole overall plan. I mean, really, what is the point of losing the weight if you aren't going to work to keep it off.

So, after a year of just "doing" I have started back on developing a plan. I am an extremely organized person but I don't want to take this to the extreme. It is still my life and still supposed to be fun. I'm not looking to obsess about anything, either. (Very often, though, I envy Martha Stewart and her need of only 4 hours of sleep. I could get so much more done with just a few more hours in my day!) I have worked out a fitness calendar for the next few months to follow. It doesn't leave the day's workout to my whims and how I feel. It is on the To Do List and should be checked off accordingly.

It will mix the different tools I have on different days - some days cardio or strength or yoga or a mix, with 3 Friday nights a month off for a break. Hopefully, that will shake my body up a little.

Get it back jump started.

Because as much as I love my games, and I do LOVE my games, it is easy to get complacent or de-prioritize the fitness piece of the puzzle or just do the really fun ones and skip the ones that may actually be doing the most good.

And I know that for me, exercise is really the key to keeping the weight off. Not so that I can eat more but so that my body will always be surprised and keep using the fuel I give it efficiently. So that really is the area that I have to focus on the most.

I know that every body has its "happy place" that it settles into. I'm fine with that. But I know that it settles there when I'm doing all I can to be healthy. So if I'm not doing my part I can't reasonably expect my body to hold up its end of the deal, now can I?

So, I'm on Day 3 of my plan. Today will be a bit of challenge to get in since it is bunco night, but I'll figure it out. Somehow.

Because I love checking things off the list!

The BLTS

Wish I could take credit for thinking of this one, but I am not quite this creative.

I have written a few times about one the tools that has really helped was to write everything down that I ate.

If you bite it, write it.

On more than one occasion that process has stopped me from eating something. I simply didn't want to have to write it down and see it staring back at me.

I am no good at inserting links into these things but I'll try, separately, to see if I can link up to a blog that my aunt passed along to me. On this particular day, the author was talking about all the decisions we have to make all day, especially when it came to weight control.

She said it wasn't the things she was actually eating that were causing her problems, it was the BLTS.

Bites

Licks

Tastes

Sips

The little things that we do, sometimes out of habit, that can add up when you aren't looking. I mean, really, who doesn't want to lick the beaters if you've made a cake? Any good cook will tell you that you need to taste the food as you're cooking, to adjust the seasonings and all.

But it is that unconscious behavior that can be the most damaging.

Every bite counts. Every bite of everything, pretty much, has calories so if you're watching and keeping track of what you're eating, you've got to include those as well.

Notice, I didn't tell you not to do it. Would not dream of that. Life is to be lived and cooking and eating is fun. No doubt about it. People love to eat and it is very much a social activity.

But I am reminding you to be aware. Trying to keep your calories under a target goal is a tough challenge in and of itself. Trying to convince yourself you've stayed under that target when maybe you're being less than honest with yourself about what you have truly eaten that day is an even tougher challenge. We can sometimes easily look for excuses for failure, reasons to give up trying, without really looking honestly at the situation.

So, go have a wonderful day, and try to save those BLTs for the summer. When the tomatoes are homegrown and the bacon is turkey.

Too Good to Be Real

This is kind of a crazy society we're living in. I've been thinking about how to best approach this subject.

You see, I'm a little mixed on some of it.

A recent cover of People Magazine showed a young (23) television personality who underwent 10, yes 10, plastic surgeries at one time.

And this was not her first time under the knife.

Nor will it be her last. She still wants bigger breasts.

Ten surgeries.

This, to me, is 1) having more money than sense, and 2) such a sad commentary on how people (male and female) can view themselves.

Who, at 23, truly and honestly needs 10 plastic surgeries? She had her ears pinned back, chin reduction, liposuction, nose job, breast enhancement, you name it. And y'all, she looked wonderful to start with.

She was already a television celebrity.

I don't get it. But she said she wanted to feel "perfect".

I say perfection starts on the inside.

And there are no surgeries for that.

But it shows you some of the issues that we all face. She has a career that many people dream of, she is newly married (for the record, her husband was very much against the surgeries but supported her right to do it), and is living a life that many would envy.

Yet she wasn't happy.

Now, what part of this am I mixed about?

I don't agree with what she did, but I respect her right to do it.

I understand what it's like to want to look different. I wish I were taller, but there is no surgery for that. High heels are the best I can do on that front.

I do color my hair when I get dissatisfied with it.

I'll try every product that Oil of Olay can make to try and get rid of bags under my eyes or wrinkles.

And while the impetus for me to work on losing the 50 pounds I've dropped (so far anyway) was for health reasons I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the way I looked.

But I have never suffered from the confidence problems that this young woman obviously does. I never really associate what I look like with who I am.

I am me. Wife, daughter, sister, friend, "mother" to the puppies, CPA, partner. Doesn't matter if I'm blond, brunette, short, tall, whatever. All of these I accomplished because of who I am on the inside, who and what I was raised to be (thanks Mom and Dad!), how I view myself.

Unfortunately, though, that kind of self-awareness doesn't always translate. So, I actually feel sorry for this young lady.

Sorry that she can't see how beautiful she was before. Not that she isn't beautiful now, but it just isn't the same.

Sorry that she didn't opt to work on the inside first, before spending all that time on the shell.

Because, in reality, our bodies are simply that - shells. Delicate, fragile shells that hold an even more fragile and delicate soul on the inside.

And, like so many other things in this world, it is only the inside that counts.

Motivational Monday Get an Appetite for Life!

This post is from Denise Austin's newsletter this morning. Thought it was worth sharing.

When you take the focus of your life off food, it sometimes leaves behind a big (doughnut-shaped!) hole. So much of life revolves around meals and eating - shopping, cooking, entertaining. In a given day, you might go to a restaurant for lunch, meet your sister for coffee (and cake), then plan a special dinner for your kids.
Suddenly, when you can't eat all the goodies you'd normally buy or make, it's hard to know what to do with yourself. It's difficult to make fried chicken for everyone but not have a piece yourself. When the aroma of your cobbler or cookies fills the house, how can you not break down and take a taste?

Challenge yourself to get out of the way of temptation! You need to decide that until you meet your fitness and weight-loss goals, you'll let someone else whip up the goodies (even if they won't be as great as yours!). Furthermore, it's all right if you bring fruit salad instead of layer cake to a family cookout, or a plate of cut-up veggies and some light dressing instead of a baked macaroni and cheese to a party. You have the power to take charge of every situation, so use it! Don't be afraid to suggest buying coffee to go instead of sitting near all those muffins and scones at the coffee shop. Your sister or friend will understand and support you - she might even thank you!



There's no time like the present! What healthy choices will you make today?
- Denise



My favorite line: You have the power to take charge of every situation, so use it!

I have a hard time getting others to understand that and it wears me down sometimes. I control my insulin problem through both diet and medication. I don't know how many times I've declined birthday cake at work or a dessert at a family function only to be told "one little piece won't hurt you". You know what, its my call not theirs. I try to be polite. I never want to offend my host. But it is my health and my body and no one else can take care of it like I can. So I have to stand firm.

You can also. Don't let anyone bully you into making a less than perfect decision for you. Take charge!