Apparently when the going gets tough, I don't blog. What a crazy week! Forgive my tardiness, but trust me, you didn't miss much. I'm dealing with food so well, it doesn't even bear mentioning...except of course, I just mentioned it. So, now I've got to heat up the activity more. The summer has GOT to start winding down soon! It's getting in my way that I can't exercise outside (mostly walk/jog/move). I continue to build more time on the treadmill just to work on endurance, but I want to get outside. I'm so itchy for time outdoors that I'll do just about anything to get it, but the heat drives me back inside too quickly. I did myself a mischief once walking/jogging at about 4:30pm just on the trails in the neighborhood. I gave myself an excellent case of heat stroke and that, my friends, is something no one should ever experience. If you Google "heat stroke" and visit the Mayo Clinic site on the subject, you'll find a list of all the symptoms I had (except for the unconscious part...I did stay conscious!) and it made me sick for days afterwards. Lesson LEARNED! So, I don't do outside exercise in Austin, Texas at 4:30pm in the summer. No, don't you do it! I've got my eye on you and if you do it I'm gonna know it, so NO, DON'T DO IT!
I was going to hop on the scale here at home and see what it said the other day and the damned thing is not working. Also, no way to fix it either. So, now you're going to have to listen to me rail about how everything is disposable nowadays! There is no 'battery' to replace, no reset button, NOTHING! Every electronic thing made today is disposable. I HATE throwing things away! It makes me so cross to have to put something in the trash that on the outside, looks fine! In the case of this scale, I can't even break into it and see if maybe I can dink with it (secret passion alert! #NancyTinkers) the thing is as tight as a drum and no screws (God bless Nebuchadnezzar II, who some think invented the screw...the fastener not the...well, never mind). I don't want to buy a new scale, but that is what I will have to do if I even want the option to weigh from home. Hmmm...do I want the option to weigh myself at home? I have to think about that for awhile. I'll get back to you on that.
There's not much else to tell you about. The last couple of days have been HOT (Wow, Nancy! Who told you??) but we've made it through and I know it will end soon. I just can't wait for the ice storm (I hope we have one) so that I can take new pictures of Texans (who don't know the first thing about driving on ice) try to get up the little hill in front of my house! Always an enjoyable day, that!
Not that it matters, but here are the nails I'll sport for next week. They are a tribute to Marimekko. (Google it and you'll find out!) Inspired by elleandish on YouTube!:
So, until tomorrow, or whenever I make it back to the blog, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
P.S. Go outside...drive somewhere...breathe fresh air...see something! And when someone smiles at you, please do me a favor and smile back! *smile*
Wednesday is usually a favorite day of mine. This one was a 'back to work' day, so somewhat of a let down, as I was really enjoying my time off. Can't be off having fun with school forever! So, it's back to work for me.
I may have written about this before, but I'm going to do it again and share this BRILLIANT (you may notice that I'm surrounded by brilliance these days) idea my coworker Jennifer Austin provided to me the other day. Monday through Friday, I generally eat my breakfast at work since I get there early, but prefer to eat more around 9 than 7am. To make life easier on myself, I usually take a frozen breakfast sandwich (The Special K Veggie and Pepper Jack one is my favorite) since they pop into the microwave so easily. So, Jennifer sees me warming up my sandwich and proceeds to tell me about a better way to do it. Now, like me, you're probably thinking, "Really?" Well, here's what she says to do (by the way, take special note because this is BRILLIANT):
Take the sandwich out of it's wrap and separate the pieces.
Pop the bread pieces into the toaster. (OMG, BRILLIANT! Luckily for me my office has a pop-up toaster!)
Put the egg disk on a paper towel and a plate and put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. (My sandwich did not have any meat, like sausage or bacon, but if yours does, put that on the paper towel beside the egg.)
Then, flip the egg disk (and meat if you have it) over and microwave for 20 more seconds.
Check to see if it is hot and if it isn't zap for another few seconds until it is. (If the meat is done take it out. Don't want to over cook anything! The idea is to prep the pieces and make each one perfect!)
Next, put the cheese bit back on top of the egg disk (I fold in any corners so it fits the egg better) and zap for about 15 seconds.
Now take the bread out of the toaster and reassemble your sandwich! It will taste about 1,000 times better, I promise!
I will take some pictures of the process in the morning and add an image of the steps to this blog. So now, you have to read it a second time tomorrow! Crafty of me!! Jennifer Austin gets the prize this week for sheer brilliance! I never thought of taking the sandwich apart and dealing with the components separately. It really does make it taste better. I am forever in Jennifer's debt for this trick. Thanks, Jennifer!!
Notice how I snuck in a list! I shouldn't have pointed it out to you, but you know I love a good list. I am so enjoying my weight loss this time around. Can it be that I've just grown so wise about it that it is now much easier for me? Or is it that I'm now treating it with the correct respect that it deserves?? Or maybe I'm just so old that I can relax about it now??? I'm so not knowing! All I know is that I'm in love with the results and all I've done is deal with my particular problem. Thank GOD for a doctor who gives advise that you need when you need it.
I wish I didn't have this problem to deal with. My weight is so distracting. When I stand up in front of large groups of people to speak, I keep thinking about what they must think. Honestly, I know I don't have anything to prove to anyone, but still, I fret about this. I don't like being a distraction or drawing attention because I'm so overweight. I don't mind attention, in fact, I guess I'm one of those people who craves attention, but I'm not getting the kind of attention that I want. Okay, enough said about that. I will have what I want in the future, or I'll have no one to blame but me!
Tonight is almost over. I will walk on the treadmill at about 8:30pm for about 30 minutes and hop into bed for a lovely dream and sleep. Don't ask me to discuss my dreams, they would either frighten or surprise you! neither of which is my plan for you. So, until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
Things are really settling down into a good routine. I will go back to the real world of work tomorrow and then we'll see how things go with school. Sloan is a trooper and I know he will do well. He had his first 'live lesson' via the web today with his PE teacher. It is fascinating how they are doing PE, but it clearly will work for him because he is excited about it. Sloan, yes, he is excited about PE!
Today I learned that you can teach an old dog a new trick. As you know, I am an old dog. I am also an advocate for life-long learning and so I invest myself in learning as much as possible and it is getting harder. But new tricks? They are WAY difficult. You see, I sometimes indulge myself in the thought that I know everything. To humble me, I try to keep wise young people around me so I can hear from them about just how much I don't know and be reminded that I indeed do not know everything. One of these young people I listen to frequently is Marie Forleo of MarieTV on YouTube. On Tuesdays, she does a video she calls "Q&A Tuesday" where she answers a question from a viewer. Right now she's featuring videos in her email newsletter that are classics (to give her a summer break from making videos, perhaps?). The video today is called, "How to Recognize Great Opportunities vs. Time Wasters." Now, on the surface this seems not to be something that would help an old dog, such as myself, with her life goals. But Marie's nuggets of wisdom are cleverly cloaked to make you think they are going to be all about business and then, WHAM! you see the BRILLIANCE of how the idea will apply to another part of your life. So it goes with today's video. I've linked it below. I hope you watch and enjoy the spot. Oh, and if you're thinking straight, you'll go visit Marie Forleo and get her newsletter, watch her video, make a great life for yourself, etc, etc, etc...
Good isn't she! Naw, not just good. She's friggin' BRILLIANT! Not to mention she's just as cute as a button. Makes you want to just put her into your pocket! So, I too will be using 'filtering questions' (I'm not going to tell you about it, you have to watch the video!!) from now on to help me reach my goals. My goals are simple: 1. Be Happy. 2. Be Healthy. 3. Be Self-Sufficient. My filtering question: How does [person/place/thing/activity] help me create a happy, healthy and self-sufficient Nancy? If the answer is, "It doesn't." Then OUT IT GOES! For example, you know that I'm working to be fit and to literally fit into the smallest clothes in my closet. Well, I will use my filtering question before I eat, anything, and this should help me stay ON TRACK and NOT WASTE TIME with things that are not creating the Nancy I have set out to design. That's right! I'm living by design now, and if you want to have a great life, you'll start investing in some education on how to create it. Marie keeps saying that "Nancy's unique and has something special for this world." Well, I believe her and I want a great life that says she's right!
Not much left to the day, but it's all good...supper...light chores...take care of yourself stuff...bed...
Man, I'm happy! Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
School is off and running! While others were piling into yellow buses, pulling on backpacks and hiking through miles of hallways, we were navigating the halls of virtual high school at ConnectionsAcademy (AKA: TCAH) via an iMac and loving every minute of it. Sloan dug right into Algebra and has been learning all morning about how to navigate the lessons and move forward through the work. He will learn very quickly that the work is hard and that he has to be efficient with his study time and focused in all his work. This is good since he struggles with distractions. Today, there have been many as he's been learning so much about the online learning format. It will all get easier as he goes along. I've been busy programming all of the teacher's phone numbers into our house phone, adding live lesson times onto the calendar and making sure that all systems are GO! That's my job; make sure everything runs smoothly. On top of it all, it's really nice outside! The weather provided a bit of a break in the temperature this morning and I've been able to be outside a bit. I ate my breakfast there and just spent the time I needed checking books out of the virtual library, on the porch. Lovely!!
The rest of the day will involve me cleaning a few areas (for instance, this messy desk of mine) and just have some 'at home' fun. I also posted my first 'Tome Time' blog! It was supposed to be posted yesterday, but bless my heart (something I say when someone has just done something stupid; i.e. 'bless their heart' or 'bless her heart' when the person just fell up the stairs or something like that...stop laughing! I've done that!!) I forgot. I love to read and by planning to share a bit about what I'm reading with the world via this blog, it keeps me on track and reading more often.
I'm learning that no matter how busy I am, food is harder to deal with when I'm at home with it all the time. When it is really available, it's almost too easy for me to start thinking, "I need a snack!" when really I don't. Today was no exception. I think I went into the kitchen more than 3 times trying to talk myself into a snack. I was successful twice. Who the heck am I kidding? I'm the least likely person to need a snack. So, today here is what I ate and this is one of the last times I'm going to do this (list food, that is! Sure, Nancy. We believe you! *sigh*):
Breakfast - Special K Veggie Breakfast Sandwich w/Turkey Bacon (210 calories) Snack - Small Banana (70 calories) Lunch - MFF Lemon Turkey (medium size) (350 calories) Snack - 1 oz. Low-fat Cheese (90 calories) Dinner - MFF Killuh' Chili w/Backed Tostito's, Salsa and fat-free yogurt (425 calories) Total for the day = 1,145 calories! Right on target!!
So, again, even with snacks if I stick to portioned foods as much as possible and keep it balanced, I do pretty well. But I don't want to get into the 'snack' habit. I don't really need them. Today's afternoon snack was just because I was full of nervous energy.
Besides walking on the treadmill for about 30 minutes (which I will do at about 7:30pm) there aren't many other tasks to complete. I'll spend some time on me and get ready for the doctor in the morning. Since I don't believe in 'luck' I won't ever ask you to wish me that, but I will ask that if you are a praying person, say a little one for me. God knows, I need every bit of the help I might get from the people who care about me! Until tomorrow and the next update on the events of this voyage, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
So, you can officially kick me! I forgot to post this blog yesterday. That's okay, I'm allowed to make mistakes...once, anyway!
The purpose of these 'Tome Time' postings is to talk about what I've been reading over the past couple of weeks. Mostly, I've been reading anything having to do with ConnectionsAcademy, which is the school my son attends starting today! Yea!! School has officially started and he's in there doing Algebra as I type this. I love virtual school!
The book I read over the last 2 weeks is: Agatha Raisin and The Haunted House, by M.C. Beaton.
This was my first Agatha Raisin, as well as M.C. Beaton book. I am a HUGE fan of mysteries and one of my favorites is Agatha Christie. Her Miss Marple character is top of the heap for me. Agatha Raisin is what I would call Miss Marple-like. Although I started in the middle of the series, (the library had only this tome available on the virtual shelf) I will likely go back and read the series from the start. Agatha Raisin is a middle-aged professional woman who, at the time of book #14, had been married several times (unsuccessfully), had recently sold her Public Relations firm in London and now resides in a small village elsewhere in England. From my reading I discovered that she is a terrible cook and that everyone knows it. Needless to say, I can relate to Agatha Raisin. I am middle-aged, professional, married and have a cooking history. Additionally, I love to research and uncover answers. It's central to what I do as a problem solver and is the basis of all good detective work.
In this story, Agatha starts out trying to solve a mystery: Who is 'haunting' an old lady's cottage? But the woman at the heart of the mystery is hated by everyone. Ultimately there is a murder to solve and Agatha then falls into her element. She teams up with her handsome new neighbor for this mystery and there are clearly recurring characters all through the book. I love a series where I can get to know central characters and I really enjoyed this book. I went back and read some information from Wikipedia on the character and learned that in the first book Agatha is 53 years old, but that the author is aging her as the series moves along. There are 24 books in the Agatha Raisin series and I will likely read or at least attempt to read them all. The author, M.C. Beaton also writes several other series:
Hamish Macbeth Series
Edwardian Murder Mysteries Series
The Travelling Matchmaker Series
The Six Sisters Series
School for Manners Series
The House for the Season Series
The book, Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House, by M.C. Beaton, is well written, nothing too heavy and just an enjoyable read on the front porch. Now, go read a book!
Today was a mad rush to make sure all preparations have been made before school starting tomorrow. I'm glad I took a few minutes to review things just to be on the safe side, because I found that several software items had not been downloaded onto the computer! YIKES!! It took awhile, but all is complete. We are ready! (I know, I keep saying that and it's true this time!) As a learning coach, I want to help him in every way possible, but I know he has to do it on his own and he will. It's going to be great!
While sitting in his new learning space working to get the computer fully ready, I found that his room gets a little warmer in the middle of the day than I realized. No worries! I'll put a small fan in there and he can control the breeze. So, I went to the garage and there was a small (9" maybe) fan! I grabbed it and noted that it was quite dusty. I didn't want to bring something in the house that would spew dust all over the place, so I took the fan outside and disassembled it so I could give it a quick cleaning. I had a little help getting the screws off that held the front cage to the fan, but after that I was on my own. I used a small, clean paintbrush to brush away all of the dust and reassembled the fan, brought it in the house and plugged it in. Now, do you think that this nice clean fan had the decency to turn on!?! If you think, "Yes!" you'd be wrong. It never dawned on me to plug the bast**** in and make sure that it worked! I squirted the bearing with WD40 and Poof! it works!! Mommy melt-down avoided!!
The rest of the day I spent doing laundry, reading, playing solitaire and just enjoying the great afternoon outside. It really was a nice day. My meals were all MFF except for breakfast and I allowed myself red wine with dinner and a treat of some chips (very small portion) with my supper. It was delicious! I ate outside and apparently my dinner was very interesting to a single bee that would not let me alone. He drove me from the table more than once and I finally had to abandon my place at the table for the safety of indoors! He (maybe a she...who knows) was a FIEND! For someone who likes to be outside, you'd think I would be more tolerant of creatures, but I don't like stinging things. Like spiders, they frighten me. Something else I typically do on Sunday is I give myself a manicure. I'm not good with toes at the moment (need more belly gone first) but nails are one of my creative outlets. I wanted to do something special to celebrate our son's new school year, so I painted up nails I'm calling, "Don't Be Late For School!" nails. Here they are:
Thumb and ring finger are black with white writing and a matte top coat, so they look like chalk on a blackboard. The pointer is dressed up like an A+ graded paper. The middle finger has the teacher's apple and the pinking is a dinky ruler! I enjoyed painting these nails no end. I probably had 30 bottles of nail polish out trying to work my best magic on these. The matte top coat was tricky since the first one I used didn't like the black or white polish and caused streaks. The nails aren't perfect, but I'm not a machine and as I've said before, I've got nothing to prove!
There were tons of things I could have done today, but I chose not to do them. I'll be off over the next two days making sure school gets off to a great start. Plus, I have the doctor on Tuesday. With my promotion to 'Once every 6 months' appointments, I'm glad to have had a long break from seeing him, but I'm always afraid of what I might hear. After all, the sole purpose for seeing me is to make sure there isn't any cancer hiding anywhere inside of me. I love my doctor. He really is great, but I'm always nervous before going in to his office. I'm sure this time will be no different. I gave it all to God a long time ago. I just have to get better at leaving it there.
Well, there isn't much else to say about the day. It was quiet, as usual. Family members play their games and so I get lonesome sometimes, but I play lots of solitaire and there is always something to do, music to listen to and songs to sing. So, until day 45, I bid you sweet dreams, Sweeties!
What is the best way to spend a Saturday? Clearly it is not in stores. I did finally make my trip back to the two stores I was in yesterday and did purchase the items requested and yes, I have to return something. Ugh! So, Sunday or Monday I will be back at the local department store exchanging one of the items, since I can't seem to remember that my son is now 6' tall! There was much discussion about the color I selected of another item, but there was agreement in the end that the color is acceptable. Whew! That was a close one. It would have meant returning to both stores. The item that has to be returned is for my son, so yes, I'm the one who has to do the returning. RATS!
Me + Shopping = Disaster! #StupidWasteOfTime #HateIt #RescueMe
Actually, the best way to spend a Saturday is outside. Typically Saturday is a day off for most people and even if it isn't for you, stick with me a second. Saturday (or whatever day is your 'Saturday') is for decompressing from the pressures of the work week. The best way I know to accomplish this is to get outside, enjoy nature, breathe deeply and rest your brain from technology and everything artificial. Everything is temporary, I know that, but outside is at least, real. Saturdays have become 'errand' day for me, but I try to use it as get outside day, too. While on the errands, I put my windows down in my car and let the blow through my hair, until it gets so hot I can't stand it any more. I park my car some distance from store entrances just so I can walk in the fresh (car exhaust filled *cough*) air. Once I'm home, I like to spend time on the front porch just watching/listening to the people in the park across the street, the birds, bees, cicada and etc. The mosquitos are kind of bad right now, but I don't really care. Being outside really makes a difference to the quality of my life. If you're not currently finding your way outside at least on a weekly basis, please give it a try. It will change your life! As I lose weight and become healthier, I have a greater ability to be active outside. That's a great thing since where I live there are TONS of outdoor activities in which to engage. I'm actually looking forward to next summer when I'm hoping to be at least half-way finished with my progress. Okay, so I'm really hoping to be just short of normal weight, but I know it will ultimately take as long as it takes.
Food this week is likely to be a bit different than it has been lately. I am really missing hamburgers, so I've come up with a way for me to have, at least, the semblance of a burger. It is better for me to perhaps have a 'veggie' burger patty instead of beef and I'm okay with that. So, I have purchased a package of Morning Star Grillers burger patties. I'll use that with either one slice of bread, for an opened-faced burger or split between two extra-thin corn tortillas for burger tacos! I had burger tacos for supper tonight. There was some lovely cucumber, tomato and onion salad, thanks to my husband and I really enjoyed it. I was going to have some chips (baked tortilla) and salsa, but I'm saving that for another time. I did not eat breakfast this morning, so my calories might seem low. Here is what I had:
Breakfast - nothing (Calories = 0)
Lunch - Lean Cuisine French Bread Pizza + 1 oz. low-fat cheese (Calories = 430)
Snack - Starbucks Grande Moca light Frappuccino (Calories = 130)
Supper - Veggie burger tacos + Cucumber, tomato and onion salad (calories = 310)
Total for the day = 870 calories! WOW, very low indeed!!
I wasn't hungry early and I had the grocery shopping to complete. Since there were lots of household items and frozen items to locate, it took me longer than usual. By the time I got home, got everything into the house and into their rightful places, it was really time for lunch. Now, I do not advocate skipping breakfast and I shouldn't have done it. Please DO NOT do as I did today! Breakfast is very important and I promise I will do better.
We are still having My Fit Foods for some meals, but I've had some difficulty with freshness, and so now I'm worried that I can't keep several days at a time in the fridge. So, when I have their meals, I will go and get them only for today and tomorrow. I did buy meals for tomorrow and Monday for myself. So, I'm all fixed up for the next couple of days. I know, I know...I go on and on about food, but that really is my biggest issue. As I work to get it under control, maybe I'll talk less and less about it. You can at least hope, anyway!
I guess that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with the blog. I wish there were words of wisdom other than, "Don't skip breakfast and get outside and play!" but really, that is the best common sense I can offer today. So, until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
I am hopeless when it comes to shopping. Forget what you ever heard about women and shopping when you think of me. I do not fit the mold, at all. Today I had two coupons for stores in my area which are not far from each other and not in malls (I don't like malls). So, I thought, "It should be easy to find shirts or something for the family at both of these stores." Now, I did go to both stores. So, let me just say that I made it that far. The problem is I become overwhelmed in 2 seconds if I don't have my sister with me to hold my hand and calm me down. I know what I want, but do you think I can find it? Also, there are 10,000 things that shine and blink at me and oh, MG, I'm in trouble very quickly. I stuck it out for over an hour, but I ended up going home only to have someone say things like, "Why didn't you just pick something up? We can always take it back!" OMG, AGAIN!! Take it back? I hated every second of the shopping event to begin with! In the end we made a deal. I will go and purchase 'something' and if he doesn't like it, he will take it back and exchange it.
Friday has also become my 'sushi' lunch day. However, a friend from work wanted to have lunch together and she doesn't like sushi. So, we ended up at The Fire Bowl. I like that place and I had a cup of the Spicy Coconut Soup (a favorite) and a Soft Thai Summer Roll. It was really good! Lunch was under $5 and I was perfectly satisfied. Good choice! I may have to have Friday be sushi or Fire Bowl lunch day from now on! Actually, I will just take the days as they come. More fun that way!
The rest of today is just to be spent enjoying my interests, writing my grocery list and getting some rest. I can't think of anything better! Someone asked me today if I ever went out with 'friends' and I thought that was a strange question. Of course I spend time with my friends! I have lots of acquaintances, as well, but real friends are few. Some of my friends are not where I can spend lots of time with them, but I never judged the size/depth of a friendship by how much time they spend with me anyway. I know they love me for just the fact that I'm me and it's the same for me. I love them because they are GREAT! Do we really have to be in each other's pockets all the time? Can you imagine me in your pocket all the time!?! What a crazy picture that puts in your head!!!
Okay, enough of "Nancy Expounds on Friendship." I wanted to share a picture with you today that represented the day for me. I've thought and thought and this is what I came up with:
Mr. Rockwell didn't know he was depicting my day when he painted "Couple in a Rumble Seat" in 1935. The fellow doesn't look too excited, but I give him credit for sticking with the crazy lady with a smile. Stick with me here, it's likely to a bumpy ride! Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
Blog Update:
Walked on the treadmill 31 minutes to the following play list from the group Viva Brother (love these guys!)
New Year's Day
Still Here
David
High Street Low Lives
Electric Daydreams
Darling Buds of May
Fly By Nights
False Alarm (my favorite! "I'm doin' it on my own!")
Shoot Like Lightening
Time Machine
Otherside
Okay, so that's really the Viva Brother album titled, Famous First Words. I think I listened to a couple of the songs while I was warming up and cooling down, but it's a great album. Check for it on iTunes and enjoy!
Sorry to have missed blogging yesterday. I didn't get home until late and I needed to get to bed in order to be well rested enough for work today. That means that blogging was off the list for the day.
It went fine yesterday and I took my boss to dinner last night. We ate Japanese and I ordered WAY too much food, which shows just how NOT resolved my problem is. I did, however, leave about half of everything except the sushi roll. I did eat all of that. No, I have no clue how many calories there were and I'm okay with that. It was lovely to see my boss and good to eat out, but I can't delude myself into thinking that I've got my problem licked, because I clearly do not! I was successful at getting my walk/exercise in before going to dinner last night, so I can claim some success. The rest of the day was just work. Thank GOD I love my work.
Today was good, productive and busy. An interesting day and I loved it. I had my usual type foods and I'm glad not to be stressed over food. I sat outside for awhile after getting home from work and it is warm, but not scorching. It was just a bit still, which is not nice when it's warm. I would have loved a breeze. After supper tonight I will be finishing my book I've been reading. I'll share all that information in my reading blog entry I've promised every two weeks going forward. The first one is next Sunday. I hope people will share with me their reading suggestions. I love to read!
I have a friend who sends me great stories (I love a good story) via email each week. They are short and meant to motivate you in some positive way. Last week she sent one that talked about a guy who was concerned about the amount of time he had left on earth. So he calculated that he had about 1,000 Saturdays of life left, if he lived to the 'average' age of 75. He then took a jar and filled it with 1,000 marbles and every Saturday he would take a marble out and throw it into a nearby pond. The dwindling of the marbles helped him keep on track and do the things that were important to him (i.e. play with his kids, go fishing, ride his horse and etc). It was an interesting idea; having a visual to keep you motivated. I don't know why I'm telling you that, except to say, don't waste time. Please do what you love and be happy! For the most part, I do what I like/love. It is the beauty of living in this free land. I take full advantage of my freedoms and enjoy them fully. I've had my share of scares in my life that have made me remember how short it can be. Therefore, I try to live life happy.
There are many things to interest me or make me happy and if I tell them all here, I won't be mysterious any more. I do love me a good secret! Anyway, you know enough about me, but thankfully, you don't know everything. There are only a few people on this earth who know ALL about me and even they are not sure they do! I'm a Gemini, after all! Not that it means ANYTHING to me, but for those of you who believe that it does, there you go.
That's it for today. All is good here and I hope it's the same for you, where ever you are. Until tomorrow, when I might bring you another subliminal message about being happy, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
What a great day! I'm happy for it to be drawing to a close soon, but it was a good day. All except for the part where a coworker who visited my office yesterday emailed late in the afternoon to say that he has Strep Throat. Oh, goody!! I sanitized everything he touched...probably too late, but there you go!
I'm working my way to the end of the week as I have a long weekend coming up. Our son starts school on Monday and I always like to be around for the first couple of days to help get him off to a good start. Also, I have my check-up with the cancer doctor to make sure I'm still free of that beast! I'll let you know how that goes a week from today on day 46.
We continue the work here to renovate Nancy. I'm feeling good and trying to find more alternatives for meals that make sense (nutritionally), are not loaded with preservatives and that I don't have to cook/prepare. So far, my options have been My Fit Foods (which, I love) and the freezer section of my grocery store. I started out saying, "No!" to he frozen food, but now I'm rethinking that. There are products that I haven't seen before now available and I don't want to overlook things that are good. I purchased one such meal that my husband ate for dinner tonight. It was from a company called Cedar Lane. He said it was delicious and tasted like something I made and froze for him; tasted like real food. One swift scan of the ingredient list confirmed for me that it was a good buy. The only things listed in the ingredients are foods. No preservatives or things that I couldn't pronounce. The calories were okay (420 for an enchilada meal), but he says the real important thing was, it was good! I looked at the cost and at $4.46, it was definitely better than My Fit Foods. So, this will now be an option. I hope my HEB carries more varieties of their food. I took a look at Cedar Lane's website and they seem to have some good options!
Today I tried to eat a few more calories. Here is what I had:
Breakfast - Special K Pepper Jack and Veggie Breakfast Sandwich w/2 thin slices of Turkey Bacon and a Banana (280 calories) Lunch - My Fit Foods Chicken Parmesan and a Banana (410 calories) (Chicken Parm was HIGH! I probably won't pick this one up again.) Dinner - My Fit Foods Fit Nugget Nation w/Laughing Cow Cheese and Pretzel Crisps (400 calories)
Total for the day - 1,090 (Ohhhhhh MG! Still low and I added two fruits, cheese and chips AND a higher calorie lunch!) At least I'm over 1,000 calories. I did okay...I guess.
My sister noticed right away that I was counting calories in my blog. I explained, very quickly, that I was just doing an experiment to see how close I was getting to 1,200 per day, by just eating what I thought were the right things. She listened (and I could hear her shaking her head) and at the end she said, "Uh, huh...Well, I'm not doing that!" I don't blame her one little bit! I don't want to do it either, but having the already portioned meals makes it so much easier to calculate! The numbers are right there in front of you. Also, have you noticed how many restaurants are putting their calories right on the menu? I noticed this at Starbucks. The drive-thru in my neighborhood now has the calorie counts for it's breakfast sandwiches right on the menu in big bold numbers. I like that!! It made it real easy for me to know I was making a good choice for me....AND I enjoyed the sandwich (350 calories) that I ordered on the day I had it. I think that was day 35. Anyway, I know there have been lots of people complaining about seeing the calorie counts, but I'm honestly happy seeing those numbers on the menu. To me, it makes sense. I know that 400 calories per meal is pretty much my limit. If I have a lower calorie breakfast I have a few more calories to work with throughout the day. When standing in front of a menu at Starbuck and there is an option for a 350 calorie hot egg sandwich or a 550 calorie cold chicken salad sandwich, what do you think I'm going to have? Now, I love a chicken salad sandwich and I might have chosen that in the past. But now? No! See, knowledge is a powerful thing!
Tonight is not exercise night, so I'm enjoying a bit of a break for my hip. Yes, it still hurts. I think it's just going to hurt for awhile. Hopping from one subject to another, as I do, I wanted to give those who care, an update on the mascara trials going on in this house. I really LOVE the Ioni Cosmetics Phatlash mascara (the red one seen below). It kept my lashes curled all day (and I have defiant lashes!) and when it goes on your lashes it's sure enough staying there! I liked to have never gotten that mascara off last night! I used two kinds of makeup removers and it barely budged! If you want REALLY waterproof mascara with a staying power beyond belief, you want Ioni Cosmetics Phatlash mascara! A REAL $2.25 bargain!
I also made a video tonight to update, again, those who care, on the final view of our son's room. Besides a few things I'd like to get done before school starts (like cleaning the wall around the light switch plate...he is a boy, after all) it is finished. Here is the video tour:
No, I didn't do a great job, but what do you expect when I have 10 seconds to shoot and edit a video. You want Nancy "DeMille" films? We'll need a bit of time for that. :) I shot this in less than 10 minutes and took about an hour to edit and upload. That's all the time I had so there you go! I hope you enjoy it.
I guess that's it for today. I'm feeling good and I hope looking good, well, as good as possible anyway. Tomorrow will be another great day...my boss will be in town! But for now, I know a light switch plate that is just begging to be cleaned! Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
Believe it or not, I finally got my company carnival day video done!! Post-production video editing is not easy folks and I'm not a machine! The day was a lot of fun, but it was also a work day for me. That means I only saw a little bit of the activity from about noon to 1pm. I work in a great place! Enjoy the fun!
Yep, I'm a pretty fantastic video producer. Okay, just let me wallow in my delusional existence for a minute...okay...I'm done. So, not the greatest video taping ever done, but I think you get the picture. I work with some fun people and most everyone had a great time. I did lots of crazy cheering for the boat racers and I must say that my favorite vessel was tug boat #1 (nicknamed: 'Tug-Boaty').
I didn't partake of the food that day (you know...I have issues) but I heard that the food was great! The whole thing was tons of fun. There were clowns, which I missed and all sorts of activities...that I missed! RATS!! I hope we have it every year, just in April or May next time! It was 107 degrees on the day they held the event last week. Crazy!!!
The days continue to tick away as I work the extra a** off of me. There are days when I start to think I'm doing pretty well, then I remember that getting comfortable is a bad thing for me. It is important that I remember how I got here and how I can never be here again. Conscious eating is the only eating I can ever do in my life going forward. Just eating whatever I want, whenever I want does NOT work out for me. I clearly do not have the metabolism nor the genetics for it and thus, I must remain thoughtful about my eating.
As it is Monday, it's time to walk on the treadmill. I've eaten my supper so food is done for the day. Today I had the following:
Breakfast - Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Delights breakfast sandwich and a banana (320 calories)
Lunch - My Fit Foods Turkey Meatloaf and a small orange (310 calories)
Supper - My Fit Foods Wes Country Dinner Med. Size (320 calories)
Total for the day - 950 calories!
After an entire life of eating WAY too much, now I have this ongoing (okay, more than twice) issue with eating too little. The funny thing is, I'm completely satisfied. Except for around 3 to 3:30pm, I was fine. I didn't have a snack handy at that time, so I just went on with my work and you know, I did just fine and the desire for a snack went away. That tells me that it wasn't real hunger I was feeling. Also, I looked at the clock just before 6pm this evening and thought, "Isn't it time for supper?" when clearly it wasn't (I'm eating supper at 7pm now). I took up a task and that got me through to the proper time for a meal. This probably sounds elementary to most people, but it's a big deal to someone like me; learning to eat when you're really hungry and to stop when you're full. I have to learn to eat normally, in order to be normal.
Like I said before, it's time to walk. I want to get that done so I can spend some time reading. So, until tomorrow when it will be another day of learning to be normal with Nancy, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
Post Walk Update: Loved the walk, as usual! I thought I'd share my walking play list (sneaky list making...tee hee!) Here you go:
Happy by Pharrell Williams (This is the best song on EARTH!)
All I Need by Natasha Bedingfield featuring Kevin Rudolf (That's why all I need is all I got!)
Love 2 C U by Goldfrapp (Electro Dance ON!)
Dramaphone by Caravan Palace (Electro Swing. These guys are HOT! I love their sound.)
Rumor Has It by Adele (She's fantastic!)
Strict Machine by Goldfrapp (Electro Dance...need I say more?)
What Is Life by George Harrison (Released in 1970 and one of my ALL TIME favorites.)
Skyfall by Adele (Bond, James Bond 007 and Adele...match made in heaven!)
That's just over 30 minutes with the transitions. I love the mix of Rock, Pop, Electro this and that and what-not. A great mix of what I call "Walk Me!" music. Update over...night, night, Sweeties!!
This can't be August! It was really nice again this morning so I wasted time enjoying breakfast and lunch outside. Mosquitos be hanged! I didn't care. Let them dine on me and I hope they choke!! I didn't even spray myself with repellent!
I spent the morning filming, editing/producing and loading a new video onto YouTube. My channel there is just under my name, Nancy Hemati. I post what I like there. I'm not driven to make only one type of video. I believe in allowing myself to be creative however the mood strikes me. Today, it was makeup. It is the first thing I did out of bed this morning, aside from washing my face and brushing my teeth. The house was quiet and I wanted to review two new mascaras that I bought on Saturday (day 36). The brand is Ioni Cosmetics and I've only started seeing them here where I live in the past few weeks. I've bought a blush (quite pigmented) and now these two mascaras. The names are Phatlash and Lashaffair. The Phatlash says that it is volumizing and waterproof and the Lashaffair says that it is lengthening and waterproof. Here is the video of my 'pilot' of these two mascaras:
(Note: Fair warning! I did not narrate this video, but instead added a peppy song. If you don't like music behind your YouTube videos, you're going hate this one!)
I wore the mascaras all day and I really liked both of them. The Phatlash did a better job of keeping my eyelashes curled, but the Lashaffair did okay. Both were better than some of the brands I've paid LOTS more for. I didn't notice any smudging on my face, but when I had to 'dab' my eyes (allergies you know) while outside, I did notice some black on the tissue. That was from the Lashaffair side. These mascaras were $2.25 each at my HEB (grocery store). I really liked making the film, but I've got to get some better lighting for the bathroom. It's terrible!
The rest of the day has been spent doing laundry and generally enjoying the day. I did not read today, but I will tonight after folding all the clean laundry and getting that put away. Eating was fine and here is how it went:
Breakfast - Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Breakfast Delights sandwich with an extra 1 oz. of light cheddar on the side (340 calories)
Lunch - My Fit Foods Blazin' Cajun Shrimp (medium size) (340 calories)
Snack - Pretzel chips and Laughing Cow cheese (170 calories)
Dinner - My Fit Foods Killuh' Chili w/1 oz. Baked Doritos (330 calories)
Total for the day - 1,180 calories! Much better!! I need to try to get close and stay close to 1,200. To make that happen the snack is critical. Also, I haven't been eating fruit, so I need to make sure I do that. I'll put some fruit in my lunch box for tomorrow!
I'm getting really excited about day 60, which is when I'll put on my black dress and my husband takes some new pictures. I haven't cheated and tried the dress on, but I really do think it's going to look okay...maybe even good! Someone has to take me out in it...that will probably be my sister, since no one around here likes taking me out. Eating out is a misery for my husband. He HATES restaurants. I'm good either way. It used to be something I looked forward to, because I didn't have to cook. Since I don't cook anymore, it isn't such a treat. I just would like for someone to want to be seen in public with me. I know he isn't ashamed of me...really...I hope not anyway. Okay, that's enough! He doesn't like going out and I do, so there! My sister will take me out!! After almost 32 years of marriage, what do I expect?
The rest of the day will be me getting the laundry finished and put away, reading and resting before the busy work week ahead. Week after next is the start of school and I have a couple of days off. That will be nice. I believe we are ready for the start of school. Let's just hope we're all ready...if you know what I mean. Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
What a fantastic day it was here! A much cooler start to the day made it really nice for running around doing errands getting the final preparations done for school starting in about a week. I should have photographs of our son's finished room, closet and desk area, tomorrow. I still want to do some more painting in there, (his trim really needs painting) get some of his art and dad's art up and replace the light fixture. Those will take a little time to get done and so, more pictures in the future. But keeping busy like this is important for me. I need stuff to do to stop me from thinking about my stomach.
One of my errands today was to get all of the food for the week for me and the family. We are doing My Fit Foods, but we are also using some frozen meals and other options from the grocery store. I believe I have enough for the entire week, with few leftovers to worry about. Besides the grocery and MFF errands, I had to take care of a return/exchange at Stein Mart's, (love them) pick up some nail art decorations from Michael's and make a trip to Walmart. Okay, I don't really like Walmart much, but they just happen to have what I needed for school supplies, a rug for our son's room, underwear (oh, those are supposed to be unmentionables!) and other do-dads! It was a very busy day!
I mentioned nail art items above. You may or may not know, that I am a lover of all things nail art. When I was sick/recovering from surgery in 2011, my husband encouraged me to watch videos on YouTube as a way to occupy my long hours on my back. Up until that time, I had never watched a YouTube video in my life. I took his advice and quickly found things like nail art, makeup and fashion videos! All stuff I needed (still need) help with! When I saw the nail art, I was hooked. I consider myself creative, but without an outlet. Cooking has been my creative outlet in the past and you can see where that's gotten me! So, I decided to give nail art a try. Here are the first nails I ever did:
My nails were short and cuticles a mess, but from the moment I created these, I was hooked. Usually I do my nails on Saturday or Sunday. This week was no different, as today was Saturday and I was inspired (see inspiration video linked below) I did a manicure dedicated to the Marc Jacobs perfume, Daisy. This is one of my very favorite perfumes and I wear it frequently. Here are a couple of pictures of my recreation of Janelle's nail design:
I didn't come up with the design myself. (Wow! My hands are really showing their age!!) I subscribe to a great nail artist on YouTube named, Janelle. Her YouTube channel is "elleandish." I love her videos and recreate the nails she shows in her videos on my own nails all the time. Here is her video of the Marc Jacobs Daisy nails. I hope you enjoy it!
The main differences between her nail design and mine, besides the fact that her hands are about 30 year's younger than mine, is my nail surface area is a little smaller and her studs are smooth gold and mine are textured. Otherwise, I'm pretty close! Great design, Janelle! Thanks!!!
While out today, I discovered that my HEB is now carrying (limited selection, mind you) the Ioni makeup brand that Emily Noel (channel: emilynoel83) talks about in some of her YouTube videos. It is an inexpensive brand, but I'm seeing some good quality. I purchased a blush a few weeks ago and it's so pigmented I have to be careful when using it, lest I begin to take on that 'clown' look! Today they had some eyeshadows (I don't need ANY of that) and mascara. Now, I have a little 'thing' about mascara. First, I ADOREdinky mascaras. If I can smell one within my vicinity, I will have to have it. (We can all thank Sephora for that addiction! Bless their hearts!!) But I also like trying out new full-sized mascaras. I've tried just washing my face and putting on mascara and I instantly look better. So, the HEB had two Ioni mascaras and one of them was the last one, so you know I had to have them both. Each of them was $2.25:
Both are waterproof and both very black. I have short, sparse eyelashes, so I'm looking forward to the effects of both of these. Of course I've opened both and I'm dying to try to try them out. Sunday will be FUN makeup day around here. The boys will probably hide from me. Neither of them is wild about makeup to begin with and I think these are SCREAMING, "Do a smokey eye, do a SMOKEY eye!!" They HATE smokey eyes on me; say it's not my nature to have all that dark makeup on. I love it! It's so different and sometimes a girl just likes to be different. Anyway, I also found two types of false eyelashes in the 'demi-wispies' style that I love so much. You'd be surprised how hard these are to find. I bought two pair:
I've never had false eyelashes from either of these brands (my bathroom lighting is horrible - sorry for the glare), so one of these will be tried tomorrow, as well. I'll do pictures of whatever I come up with. You'll humor me because you want me to stay out of the refrigerator and playing with makeup does that for me! :) I can't wait to try these out!
So, for eating today here is what I had:
Breakfast - Jimmy Dean Egg Whites, Spinach and Cheese Breakfast sandwich w/a slice of ham (220 calories)
Lunch - My Fit Foods Cobb Salad (300 calories) plus about a half ounce of baked tortilla chip crumbs (60 calories)
Snack - A Grande Mocha Frappuchino Light w/an extra shot of espresso (130 calories)
Supper - My Fit Foods Almond Crusted Chicken (small) (360 calories)
Total for the day - 1,070 calories! (Oh, MG I did it again!) I under ate yet again, without EVEN trying! I'm sorry to sound so excited, but you just really don't know how fantastic this is. I mean, I know I can over eat without thinking about it, but I've NEVER been able to just eat what I wanted and it would be LESS than I was supposed to eat! The neat thing is, I've been really satisfied all day, as well. This is just so GREAT! I hope I'm getting the hang of eating the right amount.
Be sure to watch Janelle's video up above and subscribe to her on YouTube (if you're interested). Her nail designs are pretty easy to recreate and really cute! I love her work. If everybody watches her, she'll do more!! For now, it's time for me to go walk on the treadmill (I didn't walk last night, so It's make-up time). Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
In previous episodes, you'll recall I agonized over the food for this day and as it turned out, I didn't need to. It went fine. However, I'm completely bad because I didn't take any pictures of what I ate (which I promised to do...I'm sorry), so here is the list instead...and NO this was not a ploy to write a list, but I should have thought of that! ;)
Breakfast - I stopped at the nearest Starbucks and got a tea (um...my favorite) and their Bacon and Gouda Artisan Breakfast Sandwich (350 calories)
Lunch - Sushiya Hawaiian Roll (from HEB) (320 calories)
Dinner - Jimmy Dean Delights Spinach and Egg whites Sandwich with Mozzarella Cheese (and I added a slice of HEB pepper ham) (200 calories)
Snack - 1 package of pretzel chips and Laughing Cow Cheese (160 calories)
Total Calories for the day = 1,030 (that's it!) Oh, MG!! I ate out, was on the run and completely UNDER ate for the day. (Excuse me while I 'happy' dance!)
I really like the Starbucks breakfast foods. Calorie wise they are great, as long as you avoid the 500 calorie 'classic' sandwich. I like the one I had and the one with the veggies in it. Sushi is a good option at lunch and I was totally filled up with my Hawaiian Roll. My local HEB does a great job with Sushi and I think I chose well. Those little containers keep me honest and I checked the label thoroughly before choosing my option. I watch the salt and the calories. The thing that is still hard for me is how small a right portion actually looks. Will I ever get over this? Since I was out of My Fit Foods options for dinner, I had to make do and I did fine with the frozen breakfast sandwich (who says you can't have breakfast for dinner?), adding a slice of ham. It was a good day!
I'm still working on getting my son's room ready for school. Dad did all the hard work; cleaning out the closet, painting and hanging the new floating desk. The work area is all set up and now I'm just trying to get new bedding in place to make it look more like a teenager's room instead of a little boy's room. Also, I'm working to get his school supplies in place I have everything, I just need to organize it so that he can easily get to everything. Our son has a tendency to be disorganized, so I want to make this as easy for him as possible to be orderly. Since school is now virtual, I have to make sure that all systems are go with his school computer, as well. They use Adobe Connect for the classes, so I have to make sure all of that is set up. We're all very excited about this new way of doing school. I'm sure he is going to love it!
I'm still working on the carnival video. I should have it done by Sunday night. People don't realize what kind of investment an artist makes in their work. I always think of my videos as art...nonsense art sometimes, but art all the same. Thanks for your patience.
I love that I feel healthier everyday, but I sure do want this fat off me. Day 60 is coming up fast and I'm worried that my pictures won't show how much I've lost. I hope they do and regardless of what they show, I know that I'm doing my best. It will all be okay in the end.
Now it's getting to be time for a walk. I have a new knee brace that should make that a better experience for me. It just really stinks to get old. So, until day 36, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
P.S. Anyone who knows me well, knows I love nails and nail art. Here is a video to surprise and delight you. Oh, and it's Chanel, of course! Enjoy!!
Today wasn't Friday. I knew that right away when I got to the office and saw all the people dragging around with that, "It's really not Friday" look on their faces. I don't care! I love Thursday and it was a great one in my book. Someone made me laugh today; I had to give difficult feedback and the person understood and took it well; it was just a really productive and good day. I like to feel I earn my money (I don't want freebies at work) and so it always feels good to know I had the kind of day that gave value to my company. Solve problems and add value; that's what I do.
I had a mixture of My Fit Foods and frozen today. Food is a bit of a mixture at the moment. I've looked at the nutrition and there are some frozen options that I do like that fit into my plan. Being a person who avoids throwing babies out with bathwater, I hated to say completely "NO" to frozen options when some might work well for me. Having eaten my last available MFF and frozen meal option, I will have to replenish supplies tomorrow...or Saturday...maybe. You see, I'm trying to not have to stop somewhere tomorrow because I have some things I want to do tomorrow and food wasn't one of them. I have breakfast covered and I think I would like some sushi tomorrow for lunch. So, dinner is my issue. I don't know what I'm going to do about dinner, yet. I'll write about that tomorrow. So, in case you can't see the real problem here, let me identify it for you: It is Thursday night, 7:58 PM and I am totally consumed and yes, worried about food for tomorrow? There is so much wrong with this that I don't even know where to begin! This is why I don't want to go to the store or MFF more than once a week. So, the idea of using MFF and some frozen will keep me from having to do that. I will eat the MFF for the first 4-5 days after I pick it up (when it is fresh) and then do the last couple of days frozen. This will keep me to a schedule of only having to go deal with arranging for food once a week on Saturday. I'll take pictures of what I eat tomorrow to document how I make out. After all this, I better do GREAT!
I'm still working on editing the video and pictures from my company carnival yesterday. It was a truly fun day. The group of employees who put it all together did a great job. It was HOT out, so the only thing I ask is to put the carnival next year in May instead of August. That's my feedback! Otherwise, GREAT FUN! I'll get the video up as soon as possible.
Tonight I want to share a video of some lovely products that I'm currently enjoying in my own makeup bag. Have I told you how much I love Chanel?
The powder, mascara and lipstick are perfect. The only one I don't currently have is the blush. It will be making an appearance in my makeup bag soon! Chanel is the best and I deserve the best! (Lisa Eldridge is so talented, knowledgeable and beautiful. I follow her videos and blogs and they have changed my life.)
So, that's it for me today. I am going to start my 'go to bed' process and have some spa fun with my skin. Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
It was an interesting day here. My company held a carnival for the employees and although it was hot I shot lots of video showing people having a GREAT time. I'll be editing for a while, but it will make an appearance in a future blog and on YouTube. I'm always busy at work and that made the day great. I was glad to get home and just chill out for awhile.
I'm down to 1 MFF meal and 1 Frozen Lean Cuisine meal and I don't want to go buy food until Saturday morning. I have oatmeal for breakfast, so I'm covered there, but I have to figure out what I'm going to do for lunch and dinner on Friday. When I get that worked out I'll add it to the blog. Probably tomorrow night I'll have an answer. I love this 'running out of food' thing! My house has always been stuffed to the gills with food, but to become fit I really do have to embrace new ways and that means everything has to change. The way I see food has been so wrong for so long, I can't believe I didn't know the level of wrongness involved here! No one likes to hear they are 'wrong' and I'm no different, but like an alcoholic, I had to get to a point where I could say, 'My thinking is messed up about food and not at all right. What is right?" The answer that question is so very simple. Fresh food, portioned correctly, made of quality ingredients that has a low glycemic effect on my blood, is right. That is why My Fit Foods is so good. Did you know that MFF can help people who want to gain weight, as well as lose it? I talked with a coworker today who has been told by her doctor that she needs to gain weight. She doesn't want to, because she has been thin all her life and is sure that adding 10 extra pounds would be too hard to do and hard to carry around. Wow! I wouldn't know what that problem is like. She seemed very upset about her husband and doctor wanting this. I didn't know what to say. As we talked, she asked me, "Don't you get uncomfortable when you are full?" I had to ask, "What does full feel like?" She couldn't understand that I didn't really know what full was. I can say that now, I some what do, but really my life has been spent full to over full. Most of my life, I just did STUFFED. Hungry, now that's something I really didn't understand. Now, I do wait until I'm hungry to eat. It is much better for me and less likely to crave food when I allow myself to become naturally hungry.
I continue to spend time thinking about what I really want out of life. My sister gets what I mean when I say, "Experiences." It's not things I want, it's experiences. I just have to think through how to make them happen. As I've said before, this is NOT a bucket list. I want to live consciously and with purpose. My life's purpose is to solve problems and encourage people. I need to do that for myself now.
It's time for me to go for a walk. Wish you were here! Until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
P.S.
Saw this video on YouTube and am fascinated with the technique used to make the short film. Not to mention the fact that I too, love Chanel. Enjoy! Music is Goldfrapp "Strict Machine" (downloaded the tune from iTunes for my drive to work...love it!)
Another great day in the neighborhood! I haven't talked about it much in this blog, but I am a cancer survivor. I am a very blessed cancer survivor. My stage 3 Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma was discovered (I had no symptoms) on my left kidney while my physician was checking up on something else. It really was a miracle. I had a complete nephrectomy in January 2011 and am doing just fine. I have the best doctors in the world who take really good care of me and family/friends who are so very supportive. One thing that has to be done regularly is a check-up, for my doctors to make sure that there is no recurrence of the cancer (this will go on for 10 years before I'm called 'cancer-free'). It seems that Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma is a nasty cancer that likes to take up residence in other parts of a body it has once inhabited. That means that I have to see my doctors regularly for them to look for this nasty beast in my lungs, kidney (it's sister is sadly gone) and liver. It started out being once every three months, but I've been promoted to once every 6 months! So, two weeks ahead of an appointment I have to visit a radiologist and a phlebotomist to have x-rays (or CT Scans or an MRI) done and blood drawn. All that to say, today was the radiology/blood day! This appointment required x-rays, so no problem there, they go quickly and are focused on my lungs. But the Phlebotomist! Oh, MY!! If they don't listen to me, we have problems. I can turn into a pin-cushion real quickly. The one today, did not listen. I would have given her an 'F' grade had she not redeemed herself in the end by saying, "I should have listened to you, the client!" Because of that, I gave her a 'C'. Lets just say I'm not an easy draw and I'll sport the bruise from the draw I asked her not to do for more than a week. And where did she finally get the blood she needed? From right where I told her she'd get it! When you know; you know.
I went into the office early today so that I could get through all the appointments this afternoon without any problem. Thanks to my boss for being so flexible with me. It helped in other ways, since traffic has been really bad lately. Going in earlier was very helpful. I considered officially changing my schedule, but honestly, as long as I get my work done and keep my boss in the know, she doesn't care what hours I do! I love that and so much more about my work.
Progress continues to be made getting ready for school and we're all very excited about 'virtual high school'. That gets underway in less than 2 weeks. So the bottom-line is that we are all doing normal things around here. I'm sure many people saw a doctor today for various reason, drove in traffic and are getting ready for school, I just choose to write about it here. It helps me...I don't know why it helps me, but it does. I love to write and it keeps me away from food and eating.
Thanks for humoring my need to share. I'll spare you a list and haven't shot any video today, so you're free to go, now. Except...until tomorrow, sweet dreams, Sweeties! ;)
Clothes are falling off me! Okay, maybe not to the floor, but I had to yank my skirt up all day. Excuse me while I dance and giggle...thanks, I needed to do that. My Fit Foods works; in so many ways, it works. As you recall, I'm using how I feel, look in the mirror and how my clothes fit to tell me how I'm doing. Today, I know I'm doing GREAT!
I've found myself doing some extra thinking about food the last few days. I'm not sure why, but I'm keeping myself busy with life and etc. to help divert my thinking. It would be nice to not have this food problem, but at least I'm so satisfied I'm not giving in to it. Also, I know I can have a cheat meal if I want it. I just don't want it. The experience of having your skirt falling down because your hips are smaller is worth not having the taste of a hamburger! Like I've said before and will say again, "Nothing tastes better than losing this weight feels."
So, I may be lying a little when I say I don't know why I've been thinking about food. I've been struggling with breakfast. I got kind of tired real quick with the MFF breakfasts. I don't like their eggs, really and also, I don't really want eggs every day. So, I've had to think a little more about breakfast and thinking about, watching, handling, or doing anything with food MAKES ME WANT TO EAT!! I know I should cut it out, but I have to solve problem, so that just means that I have to get this solved quickly so I don't have to think about it any more.
We have two weeks left until school starts. That means we're putting the finishing touches on our son's room and new workspace. It is really looking great! As soon as the new bedding comes in and the room is fully dressed I'll do a collage. He has a newly painted closet with new closet system just like his mom. After a little rest, dad will be next! I'll get this family organized and clutter free or die doing it!
It's getting late and I need to walk. Did you hear that? I NEED to walk. That's right I really do. So, see you tomorrow when another of the days will be done. Until then, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
Virtually a month has passed since I started this new journey to FINALLY be right; normal...HEALTHY! I've wasted more than half a century fiddling around with something that is really so simple, that I'm just totally ashamed. This isn't nuclear science! It's eating correctly (clearly, something I wouldn't have recognized if it had bit me on my nose) and getting proper exercise. I've been studying healthy, fit people and there are some things that are very common about these folks. So, yes I've made a list (I'm so happy!) of the top 10 things that I've noticed, so far.
Top 10 Things Fit People Have In Common
Fit people are not afraid of, nor do they dislike sweat and they do it regularly. I had to make friends with sweat. I hated it and now that I understand what it does, how it works and how GREAT I feel after sweating, I am doing it more and more regularly.
Fit people care about what they put in their mouths. Okay, maybe unfit people do too, but most of the unfit people I know (pretty much my whole family) will eat whatever as long as it was prepared properly and doesn't eat them first!
Fit people have a proper understanding of what food is and is not. I, on the other hand, had a weird relationship with food (the subject of which will be featured in a future blog. 'smile')
Fit people don't care how far away from the door they have to park their car. Yes, I was one of those people who would drive around trying to park close to the door. Why? Because I'm stupid and lazy. Was! Sorry...was stupid and lazy. I'm reformed!
Fit people play sports! I've always wanted to have a sport to play, study and talk about. Most people wouldn't know it, but I always wanted to learn to play golf. My dad taught the boys, but he wouldn't teach me. Chauvinist! My dad was that and so much more. Sorry dad, but the truth is the truth! (Don't worry! He's dead and has forgotten all about it.)
Fit people keep physically busy. I've noticed that most of the fit people around me are always doing something active. Cleaning, yard work, volunteering and etc. People like the former 'Me' spend a lot of time saying things like, "I can clean the house later...I'm just too tired!"
Fit people don't catch as many 'bug' illnesses. The fit people I know at work (yes, there are a few there) don't call out sick much. Neither did I, but I also worked when I was sick, because even though I don't call out, I catch lots of stuff! I'm hoping that will be better now.
Fit people are more favorably thought of in social settings than their unfit friends. I know this because, one, I have eyes and can see and two, because I was unfit (okay, still am but changing my ways) and can clearly see the difference between how people treat me vs. my fit friends.
Fit people have LOTS more options for fun and adorable clothing.Man! I can't WAIT to be able to wear cuter clothes!!
Fit people don't scare the neighbors when they go outside in their bikini top and shorts! It will be over 100 degrees presently, so yes, I'll be scaring the neighbors some today. 'smile'
I wrote earlier in the week (Day 27) about some of the things I want out of life. The above, I suppose, could be just more of that. I want what fit people have. This work I'm doing to renovate me is going to get me what I want. In the meantime, I need to be busy. As I've noted, fit people are busy people! So, besides doing more 'active' things like keeping my house and car cleaner, I will be writing more in the blog. I will start a bi-weekly blog posting where I'll write about the book(s) I read over the previous 2 weeks. I think I'll call the posts: Tome Time [Date]. This will help the readers know that the posting is about what I've been reading for the two weeks ahead of the date listed. I LOVE to read, but it is amazing how the unimportant, urgent (usually urgent for someone else) things of life can squeeze the things you love right out of your day! This will keep me focused and making time for reading knowing I need to write about that. There are other blog subjects that I want to start writing about and I'll be developing these ideas as I move along. I hope you'll enjoy them all! By the way, if you don't see a blog about what I've been reading in exactly two weeks from now (Sunday, August 25) please kick me in my a**! :) I've been playing with some pictures today, comparing what I looked like just 30 days ago and I'm pleased with the results so far. I won't be taking any new pictures until next month, but until then here are some pictures from long ago that show me (more fit and more fat) than I am today and provide a glimpse into what I think fit vs. fat looks like. Enjoy!
FAT
Okay, so above is me, FAT! And what did I care about? Eating mostly. Food I cooked and food I bought already made and you can see that that got me! Oh, and the MESS in the garage was there because I was "too tired" do clean it up! Shameful!!!!
FIT
And here we have my representation of fit, or at least more fit than fat. All of the 'women' in these two collages are me. In the fit representation above it was 2008 and I had worked off 107 lbs. of nasty FAT, only to allow illness and other stresses put it back on. I want to avoid this in future...been there; done that!
In the collages above there are some random pictures of food which probably makes sense to you, but there are some rooms that probably don't make sense. Well, notice that the room depicted in the 'fat' collage is a MESS and the one in the 'fit' collection is beautifully uncluttered and clean. Also, I can get my car in the garage because I had the energy to clean it out!
So, fit vs. fat. What does it mean to you? To me it is the difference between living the life of a defeated person and a person who has great experiences. I want to be the later of these two people. Please, GOD! Help me be fit!!! Until tomorrow and another beautiful day in my world, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
Saturday is always such a wonderful day! This one being day 29 in my fight to get fit is great because we are working (I keep saying 'we' when actually I'm not doing any of the work) to prepare our son's room for virtual high school. He has a desk in the communal office where he plays his computer games with his friends, but he also needed a place where he could be on a different computer and study. We (there's that 'we' again) decided to build his learning space into half of his 10' closet. The project is no where finished, but the desk is up so I wanted to share how that looks. Here are some photographs and a short video for your viewing pleasure, or not if you HATE poorly made videos...which this is...
I think this desk area is going to work perfectly for him. The whole family is looking forward to this new way of accomplishing school! In fact, I'd gladly go back to high school, if I could just be 16 again! No? Okay, well I'll stay where I am. Mind you, I don't really want to get any older either. Oh, the ins and outs of life after 50.
Enough about the desk. I decided to do a little test and put some My Fit Foods side by side with some frozen meals. I want, very much, for there to be multiple options for feeding myself that does not involve fast food or eating my own cooking, which are both DANGEROUS! So, I had a frozen meal for lunch and taste wise it was pretty good. I then compared calories, and they were comparable to a MFF meal. Then came the preservatives and salt. Okay, colossal fail for the frozen meal. This was even a Healthy Choice meal! So, in a pinch would I buy that meal, probably, but I need to avoid pinches.
The day has been nice, but it's time to see it's end. Supper is over and as it has been extra hot, so I think an extra shower is in order. As it is Saturday, I think I'll make it a personal spa night. I can watch something on the iPad while I give my skin a good pampering! It will be nice. So, until day 30, sweet dreams, Sweeties!!
How long does it take UPS to deliver a box? If it is a 5' tall, 37 lb. box containing a Rubbermaid Closet Organization system, it takes FORVER! Apparently my box that was put on a delivery truck at 6:29am Tuesday morning, is lost. Amazon has kindly sent a replacement, but I had to push for it. They wanted me to wait another week to see if UPStupid finds the box. You must be joking? Find it! They don't even want to talk to me about it. I started trying to think of how in the world they could have LOST this package and I suppose there are lots of places for a breakdown, but honestly! I wonder how much merchandise is lost (read 'stollen') just through shipping? I'm terribly afraid I would choke on the number. Thankfully, this is the first time this has happened to me, but I feel sorry for Amazon.com. They are out of pocket for two systems. I hope they can get some money back from UPStupid. (If you can't tell, I don't like UPS. Please use FedEx or USPS if you ever want your package to arrive.) So, that's been my afternoon; talking to UPStupid and Amazon.com about a missing shipment. Just what I wanted to do on my afternoon off. Well, not really, but I'm all about finding the happy in everything.
For the last couple of days I've been stuck in some terrible traffic and around some pretty bad drivers. I'm probably going to change my schedule again so that I can avoid these people. I really liked the 7-4 schedule, but sometimes I find it hard to get out of the office by 4. I'll just have to do better!
As day 28 is winding down, I can say that I'm happier than ever with MFF. I do want to stress that I'm still trying to figure out the best combination of foods for different days and am doing better at figuring it out. With snacks, added fruit and the meals, I figure I'm eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. Some days it is actually less than 1,200 calories! Before I started this I did a little calculating and found that to be gaining weight at my then weight of 270 lbs. and at the rate I was gaining, I had to have been consuming more than 4,000 calories per day. It was easy to see that most days were more like 5,000 calories. So, when I say I can eat VOLUMES of food, please understand that I know what I'm talking about.
One of the things I'll be doing this weekend, is going through my local grocery store (HEB) and looking for all of the food that is pre-packaged in a single portions and determining if it is something I can use in future. For example, I really love salsa and chips. You can buy salsa by the jar and a bag of chips, but then we run into the Nancy problem: Portion Size. (My what big portions you have!) So, I learned that a company called Sabra produces a single serve salsa and chips with total calories of 120! If I can't get that I'm going to look for just single serve chips that are okay for me to eat and get some salsa and create my own single portion setups that I can keep in the fridge. A snack of 120 calories of chips and salsa would be real satisfying sometimes. I know there are other options out there that I've just been missing. I love the MFF, but I also want to be able to function nicely when MFF isn't available. That means I need to be a bit more savvy. So, I'll be working on that this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I'll also be stocking up on MFF to cover Saturday-Tuesday!
Funny to think that we Americans have always had to be reminded to keep fit. The poster above is from WWII and even with all that was going on back then, I'm sure there were people just like me who got out of control. I really do think I have a duty to get and stay fit for my family, friends, coworkers and others around me. It's real easy to think of obesity as just MY problem, but it isn't. It affects all of the people around me. Just like their smoking, drinking and other bad behaviors affect me. Now, I'm not saying that everyone should look at this like I do, it just helps me to think of the people around me. That's just how I'm wired. Honestly though, can you guys quit smoking and drinking, please? Remember, I asked nicely!
Today is walk on the treadmill day! I have a new mild brace for my left knee (the one I shattered 15 years ago) and I'm hoping that will help reduce pain in the left leg. My left hip is not as sore today as it has been over the last week, so I don't want it to wake up and start hurting again. As I walk I'll think of all you out there working along with me to get and stay FIT! Until day 29, sweet dreams, Sweeties!
Update: Walked 31minutes and 48 seconds tonight on the treadmill! Happy, happy, happy...
