Happy Thanksgiving

One more day and then I will be sitting with friends and a feast.  I am trying to not let the day or this whole week be about the food.  But I do love turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.  My mouth can water just thinking about it.

But I am cooking to avoid leaving leftovers, so the big meal does not become "Big Eating Week".  Used the healthy cookbook recipe for my apple crisp.  My side dish contribution is green beans.  If I can visualize what a serving size is on my plate and not believe the plate should be full, I will be fine.

And just to keep me on track, I bought the size medium sweat pants,  Not the size large.  That way, they should still fit in the spring when I keep losing weight.  Pray that I learn how to eat to live, not live to eat.  Blessings to all and enjoy your family first, then the feast.

Happy or Gorgeous?

The other morning in the shower I noticed the two choices for my body wash.  One has happy in the name; the other says gorgeous.  So every morning, I make a choice. Do I want to be happy or gorgeous?

The gorgeous body wash was actually picked out by my daughter.  She likes the scent and it has some sparkle to it.  The happy one, I picked out and it smells mildly of citrus and is very reasonably priced.  But even so, I normally pick "happy" to start my day.  Maybe "gorgeous" just seems like too much work.  Also, I figure with God's help, I can be happy every day.  Gorgeous seems to fade with age.

So every morning, with God's assistance.  I can have a happy day.  Whether the number on the scale is slightly up or going down.  Whether home schooling seemed productive or a day-long argument.  Whether the laundry gets completely done or left in the dryer.  Jesus, we are set to have a happy day!

Do they have FBC?

After shopping with my friend Bonita, we have a new acronym.  You only need this when shopping for sweaters or long shirts to wear with leggings.  Does it have Full Butt Coverage?

I really like my calves and ankles, but right around the bottom and belly area I appreciate a full coverage in this area.  Perhaps it is just another way I am lying to myself, but that is not something I want the rest of the world to see.  It was fun though to say when asked if everything on my driver's license was correct to say:  "No, my weight is wrong!"  To put it in Weight Watcher terms, I have lost 10 percent of my starting weight.

Not a good idea to slack off now.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming.  In the name of hospitality I have felt false guilt about not eating other people's offerings at potlucks, homes, parties, etc.  No one really cares whether their dish goes home untasted by me.  Just another example of my egocentric thinking.  I would like to be aware of every bite, lick or taste.  And if I have tasted it before and it is not on the Top Ten List of things I most like to eat, then pass.

Why does it feel like hibernation?

I have a really bad habit during these cold months.  I must think I am related to a bear, because I want to load up on carbs.  Breads and cake and pie and whatever is in my eye line.  Even before I was overweight I weighed more in the winter than the summer.  Of course, that could have had something to do with my increased activity level in those mild and warm days of spring and summer.  Maybe the availability of fresh fruits and veggies at a more reasonable price?

Snow days are not really days that inspire me to go for a walk outside.  But from last winter I learned that shoveling the driveway is quite a workout.  Especially when you have to do it several times a day!

Probably doesn't help that I want to find a popped popcorn recipe with dark chocolate to give as gifts for Christmas.  All that taste testing may not be a good idea.  Oh well, today is a brand new day.  And today I am going to put on my warmest sweats and go for a walk.  Later, 'gators.

The downfall of walking at the mall

It was very cold and rainy yesterday.  I decided I would get more walking accomplished at the mall. And maybe some early Christmas shopping done.  The trouble with walking at the mall is that it is like golfing:  lots of stops and starts.  Not what one would call moderate or strenuous exercise.


If I added up what I spent in addition to the time I walked at the mall, I wonder if it would add up to a gym membership...Not quite, but something to be aware of when doing my inside exercise.  Last summer, when I noticed the walking and spending trend I locked my purse in the trunk of my car.  That way, if I saw something I wanted (not needed), I would have to walk all the way back to my car, get my purse, pay for the item and return to my car.  Most days it just wasn't worth it!


But, today (even though it is November), it is not too cold or rainy to walk.  For that, I am thankful.

The Frost is on the Pumpkin

Over a decade ago, when I worked at Wal-Mart one of my co-workers remarked that almost every holiday has a chocolate connection. Let's review:  Valentine's Day, boxes of chocolates; Easter: hollow chocolate bunnies with eating- the-ears- first protocol: Memorial Day and Fourth of July: have you ever been to a potluck with no chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies or brownies?; Halloween candy: isn't the "good candy" the real chocolate candy bars?; Thanksgiving, well not everybody likes pumpkin pie...; Christmas brings us to red and green M&Ms.  Well, you get the idea!

How many years ago was the Mounds and Almond Joy candy bar slogan, "Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut; Sometimes You Don't"?  I can still hum it...

Don't get me wrong. This is not a rant on why chocolate is evil.  I love chocolate and I still eat it while losing weight.  I just eat less of it than I used to.  Sometimes it is one of those "trigger" foods that makes me hungrier after I eat it, but at least now I notice.

But on Halloween day when little children may knock on my door and ask for the "good candy" I just needed to share why there will not be any bags of "fun-size" candy bars in my house.  Because I would eat more of them than the trick or treaters.  And I am trying to change that...

Maybe a few less cheeseburgers?

Well, my cholesterol was relatively unchanged.  Except my good cholesterol number went up to 49, and the ratio is better than last time.  I did lose five pounds since my last appointment, so I guess I was not at the plateau I thought.


However, not dreading the doctor's appointment was an accomplishment and now I know that food choices do have quite a bit to do with those numbers.  So, maybe a few less trips to the drive-through and a few more baked or grilled fish dinners will help me be and feel healthier.


And a weekend of indulgence does not have to throw me off the track for the rest of the year.  I actually do like my own cooking, but my taste buds need to be trained to recognize the long-term bad choices and not get distracted by the immediate "tastes good" gratification.


They are trained to prefer diet soda and low-fat popcorn instead of all the sugar and all the fat.  Baby steps, baby steps...