Days 320 and 321

Happy Memorial (observed) Day! It's all storms and such here today, which is fine with me. We need the rain (Central Texas has been living in drought conditions for several years now) and I need the peace and quiet that always comes with storms. You can quiz a bunch of people, but the drought has been going on here since 2007. That's 7 years now! I know that 2011 was the driest year ever in Texas, but it's taught us how to be better managers of the water we have. Here at the HumbleVoyager Homestead (I can call it that, even though it's only a house on a lot in a subdivision) we made the following changes to conserve water (I'll notate the ones that were forced):

1. Yard watering with a sprinkler - once per week, on a schedule and at certain times (forced). They will put you in jail for not getting this one right!
2. No car washing in the drive way - (forced).
3. Military showers - we only take showers on the homestead and they consume lots of water. We do them the smart way now. If it's good enough for the Army, it's good enough for me!
4. No running the sink water for any reason - kind of like military showering only at the sink!
5. Use cooking water on plants - I've reworked many recipes with pasta to not require pre-cooking, but when I do have to 'boil' something I retain the water, cool it and pour it on the plants.
6. No bottled water - we do filter water for drinking, but now we do all that at home with no waste.
7. Replaced washing machine - our old washing machine used 45 gallons of water per full load. The new front loader uses a maximum of 5 gallons!
8. Low flush toilets - replace the old ones with new water saving types.
9. Low-flow shower heads - along with the military showers we're doing our best here.
10. Capture rain water for plant - we just capture what we can for the moment, but we're looking at new ideas for capturing more. All of this water is used on plants.

So, I started this blog yesterday and finally had to let it ride so I could get to bed at a reasonable time. I was back to work today (Tuesday, May 27 (day 321)) and it was nice to be back. Several people stopped by, mentioning how rested I appeared. It was nice because I really felt rested. It was nice to be back to work. Catching up is always a bit awkward, but I'll be fine. Email will take me a few days, but I'm okay with that.

Now it's time to get back to bed again. My how the time flies when you're having fun!! Until tomorrow when I'll share more of life from the world of HV, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

Days 318 and 319

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really don't like counting calories. In fact, I'll venture to say that I actually stink at it. On top of that, I'm hungry. I won't be successful at counting calories if I don't do it and I haven't done it for the past two days. So, I'm stuck again. I don't want to chart everything I'm eating and I don't want to count calories. So, in the words of my baby son (oh so long ago) when he tried to get out of his crib and got stuck on the rail, "Daddy!!  What to do, what to do???"

I've thought about this over the past two days and here are my thoughts...in the form of a list. (And you were thinking I would do something else here? Don't be silly!)

1. I could work out weekly plans that have me eating the same food every day for that week and calculate the calories and then I'll know exactly what I'm having and the nutrition content.
2. I could work out a list (oh, goody!) of the main things I like to have for each meal type and calculate the calories and servings and then just choose each day from the list.
3. I could just stay fat for the rest of my life.
4. I could create some eating rules that when followed, keep me close to my desired calorie count each day.
5. I could have a big breakfast, smaller lunch and always salad for supper and probably get close.
6. I could cut out all sweets unless it's a fresh, whole fruit and do away with all bread, butter and cheese and probably be close.
7. I could eat what I want when I want it and exercise vigorously for 1 hour each day.
8. I could cut out all junk food and just eat sensibly from my own refrigerator and exercise moderately for 30 minutes each day.
9. I could have treat meals one or two days a month, limit my portions of whatever I wanted the rest of the time and exercise moderately 30 minutes everyday except Sunday.
10. I could just eat half of what I normally eat, making sure there is a high content of vegetables and fruits on my plate and exercise moderately for 20 minutes most days, increasing the exercise lever up to 1 hour as I'm more physically able.

All of these are possible options. In fact most of them would probably work, except for maybe number 3, which we'll ignore for the moment. Next, I'll think through these and identify my potential options and label them as "IN" or "OUT". From there, I'll just give them a try until one sticks as the right one! So, here are my thoughts on the 10 options listed above:

1. This is still calculating calories and an option that is ripe for failure. What if I get tired of eating the same lunch? I can tell you what will happen. I'll RUN to the nearest fast food joint and we're sunk once again. This option is OUT.
2. This option does give me a great list fix, but again, I'm calculating things and I don't want to do that. This option is OUT.
3. This is the anti-option and is clearly OUT.
4. I'm not sure what these 'rules' would look like, but this might work if I make rules I know I can follow. This option could work with the right thought behind it. This one is IN.
5. Okay, this could work, too. This one is IN.
6. Okay, hands up all those who want a life without ANY bread, butter, sweets or cheese? Please notice that my hand is down. This option is OUT.
7. This would probably work, but I'm not at a point where I can physically exercise 'vigorously' for one hour per day. But because it is a viable option for down the line, it's IN.
8. This is possible, but the 'all junk food out' part kind of scares me. I'm in a world where sometimes you're stuck for eating options. If I never traveled on business and such I'd say yes to this one. For now however, this option is OUT.
9. This one is real doable. I could see this working very well. This option is IN.
10. This one would work, as well. this option is IN.

First of all, I'm really delighted to say that 50% of the options I thought up for myself are viable. Maybe I could have done better, but I'm happy with the even division of options. Next, I need to decide which of these is going to be my best option for now. If it doesn't work, I'll be fast about changing to a different way. Fail fast; change fast; recover fast. That's going to be how it goes. So, after careful thought and a desire to be both thoughtful about food and dedicated to physical activity I've chosen:

Option #10

I love list making! It really helps me think through processes and problems. My nature is to solve problems and this is just another of those that life (or maybe The Lord) has thrown my way to resolve. Yes, this is a life-long issue I'm dealing with and yes, we all have them. Even you! So, if you don't look down your nose at me about my weight battle, I won't look down mine at you about your fight. Agreed? Thanks!

Vacation is over soon (holiday tomorrow is the last official day off) and I'm actually looking forward to work again. I've had a great rest and it's time to use my problem solving abilities for the good of my company! I'm really blessed to be able to work for a great company, with great products and nice people. I thank God for my work!

The rest of today will be about laundry, (yes, I'm STILL the laundress around here...all my video making and blog-teaching has resulted in, yes...nothing!) cooking and enjoying life in HumbleVoyager-land! Thanks for stopping by and checking out the goings-on. Let me know what you think of my nonsense and if you have some ideas for losing weight without counting calories, I'd love to hear them! Just leave me a comment below. Until tomorrow when I'll share the news from HV-land, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

Days 316 and 317

Change is a good thing! I'm particularly open to change because in my humble opinion, change is a time where the playing field is somewhat level. When you make a change everyone is starting over in the new modified world and no one (or perhaps few people) have the advantage. At least, that's how I like to think of change. Today, I made some more changes to the blog and I hope they are pleasing!

As I move through life and start a new year (indeed, a birthday means a new year) for myself, I wanted to clarify a bit more of what my blog is about. It's just real easy...LIFE. That's it! I am a person with many passions. Just like everyone else, I'm just trying to live in this world and enjoy my time as much as possible. There are lots of things I'd like to be able to do, but honestly, at this age I'm certain many will not happen. This blog helps to remind me that I'm living a unique existence with a wonderful story that no one else can tell. And oh, by the way, I'm reading your blogs to see what you're all about, too!

Yes, my blog will still focus on my work to reinvent myself as a thinner, healthier person, but it will also include more of my passions:

• God
• Photography
• Tea
• Videography
• Writing
• Cooking
• Makeup
• Music
• Oh, and lest we forget...list making...ah-hem!!

Mostly I'll continue to blog about my life in Central Texas and what it's like to be The HumbleVoyager. I'm not an expert at much of anything except when it comes to me. I know all the good, bad and ugly about the subject of Nancy.

The look of the blog is likely to change frequently as I learn more about photography and editing. The images that you see on this blog are all mine and so, if you don't like them, that's okay! They aren't yours, anyway!! (Read: I'm not trying to impress...anyone.)

Okay, so that's it for today. Be sure to check up on the Food Diary and Exercise Log pages and see what I'm eating and such. I can guarantee you I'm drinking strong iced tea and enjoying life! I hope you'll be back tomorrow when I'm likely to write just about anything! Until then, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

Day 315

Day 315 just also happens to be my birthday! Woo Who or Hoo or however you say that!! I love birthdays because when I have one it means I'm still here loving the people I love and doing the things I want to do. Of course, as time goes by, I'm not exactly loving what my body is doing, but hey, we all have our crosses to bear.

As it is my birthday, I will have some cake and such today, so I won't be counting the calories, except to note that I'm not really paying any attention to them today. For lunch I'll eat leftovers from last night's meatloaf (it was a huge HIT) and have something I really love for supper, Khoresh-e bamieh (Persian Okra Stew) with Rice. I'm not a huge rice fan, but Persian rice, now that's another story altogether. I've learned to prepare Persian food over the past 33 years and have come to enjoy most all of it. Yes, I'm cooking my own birthday supper. I like eating out (okay...that was me being nice...I don't really like eating out all that much), but honestly, restaurants serve too much food and I never get exactly what I want. You frequently have to wait to eat and really, the food isn't all it's cracked up to be. So, yes I prefer to eat my own cooking. I love to cook (Really? We'd have never known! **smile**).

More wildlife was captured today. Here is my little video of the scene this morning from the deck:

This is the best birthday ever! I say that every year, because it's just wonderful being alive. No, things don't always go my way and yes, I'd love to be thinner, wealthier, smarter, prettier, sexier, lovelier, etc., etc., etc,... But...I'm not! I'm just me. Exactly what God created with just a hint of nonsense thrown in, by yours truly, for good measure! Thanks for stopping by and checking up on me. I'll be back tomorrow without birthday cake. Until then, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

Day 314

What a beautiful Petunia kind of day! I'm here having a great time getting myself back on track. I'm on vacation from work this week and so I can focus totally on me. I've created Food Diary, Exercise Log and Weight Log pages so anyone can check up on me and see what I'm eating, how I'm doing with exercise and my weight loss statistics. The links to these are in the sidebar under My Weight Loss Journey Pages. Be sure to check them out and see what I'm up to!

Today, I was mostly outside sitting on the deck. Some of the time I surfed the web, you know, as you do. But most of the time I just relaxed, watched the beautiful wildlife hum of the yard and caught a Blue Jay eating from the new platform feeder built for the birds and squirrels. Here is some of what I captured:

The camera I used is a Panasonic DMC-FH20 Lumix 14 Mega Pixels with 8x Optical Zoom. I've been using this camera for a number of years and although these are not the most fantastic pictures above, I took these on full zoom using a burst feature, which means I caught the bird in full motion.

There's not much in the way of information in the new Weight Journey Pages so far, but I'm honestly on track now and we should be seeing some results soon. Thanks for checking in on me! I hope you're having a great spring!! Until tomorrow when I'll share more of life with Nancy, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

The Foundation of a Nightmare

Nightmares stink! We've all had them. First you're fast asleep in your comfy, cozy bed and then in the blink of an eye you're being chased down the dark streets of your mind by a giant 'whatever' and suddenly you're sitting straight up in bed gasping for your life!! Well, how about when you think you're living a nightmare? I've been living a daily nightmare for the past 4+ years and want to share how I finally solved the problem and found relief.

There are many things in life that can be the cause of ill tempered behavior. Everyone has their problems and most issues we simply learn to cope with and move along. For more than 4 years that's what I've done; looked for solutions, tried many with repeated failures and just moved along, until last Saturday, that is.

On Saturday I was spending the day with my sister who traveled in for the weekend. We were happily shopping (something she loves and I'm trying to love) but all through the day and into the afternoon, I had to keep tugging and pulling, yanking and adjusting the source of my nightmare, my foundation:  My Bra.  Now, if you're reading my blog, you already know that I battle obesity. Yes, it's a big fight (HA, HA!) and I'm not winning at the moment, but I'm also not down for the count, either! Anyway, I have come to this point in my life believing that Bras are INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE! In my case, the left strap will never, and I do mean never, stay up (separated my shoulder in 2002). The sides roll and droop and everything shifts when it's not supposed to. Throughout the day last Saturday, I had to keep yanking my bra up in the back and on the sides, pull the left strap up and honestly stop myself from running amuck!! Finally, at about 3pm I looked at my sister and said, "I can't stand it any more! Either I solve this bra problem once and for all, or there's going to be bloodshed!" I was being driven completely insane by an inanimate object and had thoughts of bringing the fiends who built my bras to their KNEES!!

Although I had heard many times about being fitted for a bra, I had resisted this notion as just another sales gimmick.  I asked my sister to go with me to a local store called Petticoat Fair, where they do this kind of work. They've been in business for 50 years and are a locally owned and operated business. So, off we went to Petticoat Fair. Let me just say that in less than 5 minutes of being fitted by Kerola, I was in the first bra of my almost 55 years that has EVER fit me, perfectly! The experience was wonderful. I didn't have to disrobe in front of anyone (except my sister...poor girl) and Kerola was the most helpful of fitters. I thought I had been buying the wrong size around (band size), but I was not. I was buying the wrong cup size! All these past 4 years (and longer, really) I thought I was a DDD cup. I'm not. Turns out I'm an L cup. Go ahead, ask me if I knew that an L cup even existed! No, I didn't!! I was ready to pay any amount of money to stop my nightmare, but as it turns out my new bra, in the right size costs just about the same as the wrong bras in the wrong size! Who knew!!!

So, my goal is to get EVERY WOMAN, no matter what size you are, to go to a similar establishment in your area and be PROPERLY fitted for your bra. If you have a tortured soul, like mine, you'll feel immediately better. In fact, I'm all but certain that if you were to survey all of the really hateful, angry women you've ever known, you'll find that they are tortured by their bras every single day of their lives. So, do yourself and those around you a big favor and go get fitted for the right size bra. It will change your life! I guarantee it!! Until tomorrow when God only knows what I'll share, Godspeed, Voyagers!!

Days 294 - 313

Forgive me, but I've again been AWOL for 20 days! This is what happens when you are far, far away from where you should be; doing things you shouldn't be doing. What has Nancy been doing for the last 20 days? Short answer:  Working and not caring much about what she eats. Clearly, I've tested every, single one of my crazy weight loss theories and only ONE of them has EVER worked. After a year of trying, like the devil, to make something else work, I give up! I'm finally going back to the root of what works: Counting Calories - Logging What I Eat - Exercise.

Yes, that's what I know works for weight loss and I'm convinced it is also what will work for weight maintenance, too. So, this is a lifestyle change this time around. This is just how it's going to work from now on. It's focused and completely doable no matter where I am or what I'm doing. However, I'm a person who doesn't function well without order. I need a plan. So here it is:

The Plan

• Limit my daily caloric intake to 1,500 calories per day
• Consume the calories in this approximate way:
• 520 calorie breakfast
• 100 calorie snack
• 430 calorie lunch
• 75 calorie snack
• 325 calorie supper
• 50 calorie snack
• Total = 1,500 calories
• Log every thing I eat in my blog, daily!!!!!
• Exercise on the treadmill (for starters) for at least 20 minutes per day
• Rest at least 7 hours per day and drink as much water as I can

It's really a simple plan. The idea is to keep to 1,500 calories and move the larger portion of food to the earlier part of the day. By spreading the calories out over the day, I shouldn't feel overly hungry at any one time, but it will take time for me to be comfortable with the amount. I've been eating indiscriminately again and that means I'll have to shrink my stomach down and endure a couple of weeks of hungry feelings until that process is complete. I'm not afraid of it, but when I feel hungry that's when I tend to forget (how convenient!) that I'm a fat person who HAS to watch what she's doing! I'll bump the exercise up as I build my stamina. The logging of what I eat will keep me honest and the weigh in each week coupled with posting the progress will keep me honest. Although there aren't a tremendous number of people reading my blog, there is someone out there who is watching and they will keep me on the straight and narrow path.

What's the goal, I hear you asking? Firstly, to be healthy feeling and then to have the healthy blood work results to prove it. Next, I have set a goal of losing an average of 2 lbs. per week. (This is a guide, but it helps me to work toward the number.)

So, it starts over today! I weighed on Sunday and here is what I weighed, sadly:  300 lbs.

Food for today:

Breakfast: Breakfast Sandwich and Tea = 488 calories

Snack:  Slice of Havarti Cheese and 1 small dill pickle = 85 calories

Lunch:  Night Hawk Salisbury Steak and Starbucks Moca Latte = 430 calories

Snack:  1/2 oz. Almonds = 95 calories

Supper:  Cucumber, Tomato and Onion salad topped with Tuna Fish = 218 calories

Snack:  Buttermilk = 100 calories

Total = 1,416 calories

I think I did pretty well. It will take me a few days to get back on track, but I know I'll be fine. I know this works. The only thing keeping me from reaching my goals is me. It may be a bit harder this time due to the fact that I'm older, but I don't care. This is who I am and if this is what I have to do to enjoy my life, then so be it!

Now it's time for me to end the day. I hope you've had a great time today. Until tomorrow when I will share what I ate and what I did to stay on track, Godspeed, Voyagers!!