Oscar Mayer Has A Way

. . . with b.o.l.o.g.n.a! I've always loved that little tune. And there are plenty of other little ditties that I love to sing along with. I don't really wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, but I love singing about it. All of my favorite foods have the best commercial jingles. Oreo? Oh yea. "O, O, O, ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie. They forever go together in a classic combination." I know it's odd, but some of my favorite commercials are the ones for food! Crazy!

Well, this all comes up after a sloooooowwwww start to the week in terms of my weight loss. I was exercising like gangbusters last week and it put my weight down at 189+. Sadly, I let myself down for the next couple of days and shot right back up again. So I'm steady as she goes at 190.2 -- and hoping to get below 190 and stay there for good by the end of the week.

My overeating right now is an extra large bowl of Cheerios, string cheese, maybe too many pretzels. It's not BAD food. It's just too much of it. Too many calories. Period. But honestly, all day Sunday I just kept thinking, "sometimes a girl's just gotta have a bologna sandwich." I didn't, but boy oh boy did I want to! Or a hot dog. Or something Oscar Mayer! Add to that my lack of motivation to exercise on Sunday and Monday, and it equals ZERO progress. I'm not beating myself up over this. I am disappointed, but not enough to give up. Besides, you know me. I am not exactly Motivated Mindy when it comes to busting my butt doing exercise. If there's an excuse to get out of it, I'm all in. Lol.

So okay - back to the reality today. I made some egg salad and had some of that. Tasty, tasty! And of course my protein shakes, almonds for a snack. I also made some chicken vegetable soup that's reaaaalllly good. So I had that too. And I walked. Twice! Once for an hour with a couple of friends and later by myself for about 40 minutes. Pattin' myself on the back for that one. And of course it pushes me forward to where I need and want to be. And perhaps, just perhaps, I will see results by the end of the week -- which is also the first of May. WOW!!!! May already. I can hardly believe it. The time just flew by. And September 1st is going to come just as fast. So I have to keep working. Stay focused. Move forward.

Today I am just so thankful to God for the grace of how far I've come. I pray for the continued help to keep going. And I pray for all of you -- that you meet any goals you have too. Ya. All of us together. Amen to that, eh??? I'm off to bed. Back again soon . . . .

P.S. Those Oreos up there? I DON"T want those. 56 calories each. Totally fat-filled. YUK! I used to love 'em. Not any more. Just thought you should know! :)

Lucky Me

I'm wondering if I am starting to get a little obsessive about the size of my jeans. Ya think? I don't mean how big they are. We already know they're huge! lol. I'm talking about the size number on the inside of the tag. People keep telling me that the number isn't what counts. Same as the scale. I've been told over and and over that the scale number isn't important. Well, I beg to differ on BOTH of the points. They matter to me. A LOT!

Today I put on a pair of jeans that are size 16. They were very tight. Too tight for me to wear around anyway. And it's the same pair I try on every time I want to see if I've finally hit that magic size. And then I had a scathingly brilliant idea. Try a different pair. So I did. And guess what??? They fit perfectly!!! And so did all of my other 16's. So I'm thinking that the first pair I tried are some bizarre anomaly. Don't know for sure. Don't care. I put them on my pile of 14's for another day.

Okay so I already know I'm old. I'm not interested in trying to dress like some hottie fresh out of college. But I dooooo like jeans. Wear them all the time. They're my first choice -- always. The day I put on a pair of pink twill slacks is the day someone needs to whisk me to the doctor's office for anti-psychotic medication.

I definitely have favorites in brands too. My all-time favorite for both comfort and look are Diesel. You can only get them in a few locations nationwide. N.Y., Chicago, Orlando, LA and Vegas. They are seriously the most comfortable jeans I have ever owned. Sadly, I haven't fit into a pair for at least 5 years. I can't WAIT to go to Vegas and get a pair. By that time I will even be able to pull a size right from the rack. No sales clerk to smirk and sneak a HUGE pair from the store room. Hahaha. Oh yea. That's happened before. Sooo . . . . character building. :)

Coming in a very close second are my Lucky You jeans. Lucky for me, they are super comfortable and there's a fairly decent selection of styles. I don't HAVE to buy the ones that nearly expose my lower . . . uh . . . ab muscles. Yea. Ab muscles. And I bought a pair of white ones just before I gained all this weight. They're a size 12 and I cannot wait until I can wear them. I am really, really hoping to put them on by August. Pretty aggressive, but I want it bad.

I have quite a few size 12's waiting for me. Thankfully they're still in style and I won't feel like the waist band comes up to my ribs. And for those of you still wearing that style, have someone take a picture of your butt. Adds YARDS to it. You think you're wearing Levi's, when you're really wearing Leeeeeeeeeeeeeevi's. Get the picture? Goes for you men out there too, so you can chuckle, chuckle all you want. We're all singing the same song. The only thing that has changed from my years past is that all of the jeans have a name. Every style has it's own - like Madison low rise, or Louvely's, or Ashley Mid-rise. So odd. And I still haven't figured out why they're called a "pair" of jeans when there is only one . . . . . . Puzzling.

Anyway, I am off to fold clothes and sort socks. Hate it, but it has to be done. Then I'll swim, since the weather is rainy and cold here. I know we need the rain badly, but I don't have to like it, right? Besides, it's a day of rest. So I hope all of you get some of that today. And relaxation. And peace.

I'm over and out.

190.2

What a week, what a week! I had more drama in my life this week than a Broadway play. But I got past my early breakdown and got busy with other things. Of course, the drama continued, and actually escalated, but I stayed with my program.

The weather was outstanding, and I got out walking on the local bike trail. Walked with my long-legged friend. She's not intentionally trying to kill me, but I am definitely half dead when we are finished. We walked about 6 miles yesterday AND today. I got new tennies to handle all the stress on my feet, and they worked out pretty well. So I was happy about that. But my feet were soooo tired after our walk today that I had to wear my soft, squishy uggs to the grocery store. Nice.

And I had a friend fill the tires and tune up my bike last night. I didn't get a chance to ride, but took it for a little test run and its all set to go. I am really looking forward to riding on the bike trails. Fortunately for me, my bike seat is a really good one and I will most likely avoid the painful butt bone I normally get when I ride any distance. Hurray for that! Sadly, it's looking like we are going to get rain, and quite possibly snow, over the weekend. Booooo! I'm ready to roll and that will keep me from it. :)

Might be just as well though. I'm feeling a wee bit funky tonight. I reeeaaaallllly hope I'm not getting the stomach flu, but I feel a teensy bit nauseous. I thought maybe I just didn't get enough to eat today, so I tried to figure out what I should have to eat. I finally settled for my latest happy meal - multigrain cheerios. Love 'em. 110 calories plus soy milk. Filling but not heavy. Perfect. Especially at night. Cripe I feel like a spokesperson for General Mills. Haha.

Well anyway, I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I won't wake up sick. Pray, pray, pray. I do NOT want that. Not at all. And as for you, I hope you sleep peacefully and I hope you get to sleep in tomorrow -- if you want to, that is. I love Saturdays! God Bless.

Back in the Game

Well after a pretty off-kilter start to the week, I have settled back in to the rhythm of life as a loser. lol. I got going right away this morning and walked 4 1/2 miles. I forgot my new and funky pedometer at home, which really ticked me off because I love that little thing and seeing those numbers go higher and higher during the day. I am averaging about 8900 steps each day, but one day last week hit almost 19,000. That was pretty cool to see.

Anyway, I got in a super walk, and put in an additional 2 1/2 throughout the rest of the day. I also got back in the pool for an hour. And of course that feels like easy exercise to me. It's not - it just feels that way, so I'm always ready to top off my day with that. My skin takes a beating from the chlorine, but I can deal with that. Plus, some friends gave me the gift of some great repair cream for my face. It's fabulous! Regenerix by Oil of Olay. LOVE it (and them)!

So tomorrow is my weekly weigh-in for the spring Weight Loss Challenge. I don't expect to be down any, particularly in light of my crazy binge the other day. But I'm good with that. I am just happy to be back on track so quickly. Ate right all day. I made some outstanding chicken on the grill tonight. Marinated skinless breasts in Italian dressing all day. Discard the dressing, grill the chicken. Sooooo tasty. I love having it in my fridge for a quick protein meal -- either wrapped in leaf lettuce, in a low cal tortilla, or in pita bread. About 200 calories and very filling. Good stuff!

Alrighty then. I HAVE to go to bed. I am so tired. But I wanted you to know I am doing great today. I'm back. I'm eating right. I'm exercising. Tomorrow is another shot at a loss, and I'll take it. So off to beddy-bye for me. Good night all. And thanks for your support. Sweet dreams.

193

Well that's it. I have managed to stay the same weight for one full week. I imagine it must be a longer - by a few days at least. I hate that. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Oh sure, I know it's my own fault. But that doesn't change how much I hate it.

So here's the deal: I didn't abandon you for a week. I have a good excuse for being gone so long. And for the unchanging weight. I lost my Grandma last Thursday night. I am not going to load you up with all sorts of details. I'm simply going to say that losing her, coupled with an excruciating migraine headache on Saturday, kept me from exercising and from healthy eating for four days. Bugger!

What is it about emotions that makes us overeat? Why does anger, depression, sorrow, loneliness --- name your affliction -- give us "permission" to binge? It's so odd. I wish I understood the connection between feelings and food. And to think I used to believe I wasn't an emotional eater. Ah . . . wrong!!! I'm a joke when it comes to sudden and unexpected emotions. I get specific cravings. High calorie ones. And that's the interesting part. I don't experience hunger. I experience a desire for a specific taste in my mouth, like chocolate or other sugary treats, macaroni and cheese, deep dish pizza. It has absolutely nothing to do with being hungry.

So yesterday I was driving back from the funeral. My first mistake was putting left-over food in my trunk. My second was stopping my car. But that was the emotional part. I pulled over at a rest area to get rid of the tears that had plagued me the whole weekend. Next thing I know the trunk is open, food is out. I'm sitting in the driver's seat with tears streaming down my face eating 7 layer bars and BBQ potato chips. lol. Thank God the Rest Area was empty. I am quite sure some good Samaritan would have knocked on my window to ask if I was okay. Yup. Unfortunately though, that little food fest caused a spike in my blood sugar later, and I continued to indulge myself.

It would be one thing if I finished all of this overeating and felt great. But I don't. Ever. I always feel worse. And puffy. And bloated, because I didn't drink the water I needed to in order to flush it out. Ugh! It's torture. Self-inflicted. BUT, until I can stop any unexpected emotional trauma in my life, I have to just work through it and plow ahead. So although I suffered through a bit of withdrawal today, I am back on my proverbial horse. I ate pretty well, got in the pool tonight, and I am walking first thing tomorrow morning. So maybe my weight will be down a bit by Friday. We shall see.

In the meantime, I thank God for the food that I DO eat. I am not starving. I am not struggling to put food on my table. And I am grateful for that and all the other gifts He gives me. Tonight I will sleep well knowing that tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning. And I'll take it.

Sleep well all. God bless.

193

Cellulite. It's what I am made of. :( My legs are all about that. I know that the only way to get rid of it is to tone, build muscle, and tone some more. But I must say, I have become somewhat accustomed seeing it. I keep waiting for some incredible breakthrough that addresses that issue, but alas, I don't think that will happen in my lifetime. In fact, I don't imagine it will happen until it becomes the affliction of 1 in 3 men instead of just women. Boo hoo for those of us who have it though. We'll just have to keep hitting those weights. And that's not the worst thing, right? Burns more calories too. I have to look at the bright side. Life is good. Life is very good.

And what an amazing day God provided for me today. The sun was shining, I woke up motivated and stayed that way. I headed to the rink and skated for an hour. After that I walked with my friend to get a protein shake - a little less than a mile each way. And we had to climb under a fence to get there. Under. Not over. The top was barbed wire. I told my friend she had to go first because if she didn't fit there was no way I would. She did, so I hit the dirt and scooched under. It's been a loooong time since I've had to navigate a fence that way - either over or under. I felt like a little kid. And it lifted my spirits tremendously. Then it was on to the pool for swimming tonight. One hour. Not a killer workout but very good. I am not completely spent, but I am WAY beyond satisfied.

And . . . and, and, and . . . I got a new pedometer yesterday. Little gadgets always thrill me (a strange little aside, I know), but this sucker is super accurate. It won't record bumps or jerks. In fact, it won't record your steps until you have been walking for a least 4 seconds. It resets itself at midnight every night - not so good for you young people out there but it works for me. So I got in 8200 total steps today. That's 4 miles. Woohoo! Vegas, here I come. I can keep a more accurate record of my walked miles, so I'll be getting there a lot sooner than I originally anticipated. Told ya. Life is good. :)

So, tomorrow I'm going to try a spin class. I'm a little worried that it's going to be a killer, but I'm looking forward to it. A little. I'll let you know how it goes. Until tomorrow then, may your guardian angel be one step ahead of you and keep you safe. And as always, may God bless you. Night.

Swimming Myself to Skinny

The first thing I did when I got home on Sunday was hit the pool. I felt great after an hour of my water aerobics. I always do. Then I walked 3 miles yesterday and for an hour today, but got back in the pool tonight. It's such a fabulous workout and is so easy on the body and the joints. The only downfall is the attire, God help me.

I've been too old to wear a bikini for a long, long time. lol. Styles have changed a lot though, and they now have swim suits that do a good job of covering the rough spots. In fact, they nearly cover your entire body. It's a swimming dress. Seriously. Its a dress that has a swim suit sewn inside. But in my case, the dress part is so flowing and big that when I'm in the water I have to tuck it in to the under part of it so it doesn't look I'm wearing a big deflated inner tube! Hah! So in Florida, one little person in our group told me there was no way I was going to get a tan because my swimming dress covered up too much skin. Jeez! Funny, I know. But it's true. And when a swimming dress gets wet, it weighs nearly a ton. In the ocean I thought the odds were pretty good that the weight of it would drag me down and I'd be sucked in by the undertow. Obviously it never happened, by I'm sure it's by the grace of God alone. :)

Anyway, I am back into the swing of life at home. We brought the sunshine home with us and that is simply thrilling. I love being outside. The wind and sun really do a number on my skin though -- especially my face. If I sweat and the wind dries it my skin feels like sandpaper. So I am open to some recommendations for a good facial hydrating lotion.

Tomorrow I'm going to get back on my scale again. I didn't get on today (honestly!) but two days off and such a long hiatus is just too trying. And I'm also getting back on the ice. They take it out next week and I won't be able to skate again until June, so I'm anxious to do it while I can.

I'll let you know how that all goes. In the meantime, I just want to thank God for making my journey so easy right now. It's all grace, and I don't always deserve it -- which makes me all the more grateful. Yea. So okay -- g'night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

194.2

Can you believe it????? I actually LOST a pound while on vacation! I can't even THINK of a word that describes my relief. Joy is an inaccurate description. I was genuinely relieved! Pheeewwww!

Vacations are like a little death trap waiting to take you down. They're meant to be all relaxing and wonderful, but then you get back to the real world and it's like being zapped with a taser gun. Hello??? Don't you remember how great your regular life is? Hahaha. And then you play "catch up." But at least I don't have to work backward on my weight. Happy, happy day! And I got the extra added bonus of finding out at my Weight Loss Challenge meeting tonight that I won the 12 week challenge. Oh yea. $145.00 and a big old ego boost richer. I am all in for the next challenge, which starts on Thursday. Whoopie for me!

So I can give you bits and pieces of my amazing Florida vacation over the course of the week. Honestly, God is good. We had a fantastic trip. No blips . . . on the surface anyway. One of our activities was indoor skydiving. Let me tell you, this was a complete and utter adrenaline rush. I love, love, loved it, despite starting out on the wee-bit precarious side. That happens when you become suddenly aware that you have to fit into a one-piece nylon get-up in a place where the signage warns you to let the staff know if you weight more than 225. I'm thinking, "Oh Lord let me squeeze my 195 pounds into one of those ridiculous suits!" And in order to fit me into one that could accommodate my fanny, I ended up with the extra long legs and the very, very, very blousy top section. It could have substituted for a parachute for God's sake! But who cared? The butt fit and I was going flying.

This experience is inside a massive wind tunnel that is powered by jet engines. You step out onto a metal grid and just sort of fall over and let the wind take you. There was a cute little lady in front me -- about a size 4. When her time was up I stepped up to the tunnel door. I could hear the whomp . . .whomp. . .whomp of the engine. Then the operator saw me. Only a moment passed before that engine was doing double time -- whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp . . . Okay, can someone please tell me exactly how many jet engines it takes to make a 200 pound woman airborne? I have NO idea, but it worked and it was, hands down, one of the funnest things I have ever done. I drooled and couldn't stop it, laughed and whooped. It was a lot of work for the little man who was our "flight instructor" but it was sooooo worth it. And if you ever, ever get the chance, I highly recommend trying this.

Despite the fact that I probably didn't burn any calories, the big deal for me is that 3 months ago I probably couldn't have, and definitely wouldn't have tried this. I would have been too self-conscious. So even the 30 I have lost so far have had a huge impact on me. I know I have a long way to go, but I'm on my way. And I'm flying!

I'm off to bed. God bless all of you real good. I hope your Easter was wonderful! See you tomorrow.

P.S. I added the miles that I walked on my trip, plus those I walked today, onto my Vegas walk. :)

Day 5 Without A Scale

I can hardly believe I have gone so long without getting on that little box to check my weight. I am going through withdrawal, but only because I'm not in a place where I can easily gauge how I am doing with my weight. Sound ridiculous? It's not. It is hard to count calories for menu items you're not familiar with. You need to break everything down, and even then you might miss an ingredient in a sauce.

It has been a fabulous trip so far, but our dinners have gotten completely out of hand. Went to downtown Disney the other night. It was beautiful, but jammed with people and there were long waits for a table. We were finally seated at an Italian place at 9:00. GREAT waiter. Slow kitchen. An hour and 1/2 later we were still waiting for our food. Two of the people with us got theirs - personal size margarita pizzas. Cold. Awful. The rest of us would be waiting another 20 minutes, if we stayed, that is. We gave our waiter $30.00 and left. Onward to Mickey D's. I had a hamburger to tide me over, then two bowls of multigrain cheerios when I got home. I was starving! Just one of those things you don't anticipate, so there it was.

Last night we went to Tommy Bahamas. I was really looking forward to baked chicken with asparagas. . . but alas . . . it was not to be. The manager came to my chair with a frown. "All out of chicken." Waaaaaa!!! I settled for tortilla soup and a salad. It was fine, but I went to bed hungry. Not the first time, but that's a bitter pill to swallow after footing a big chunk of change for a dinner bill. Oh well. Maybe tonight will be better.

Okay, so my first few days here were spent walking. The weekend was spent in the water. I didn't walk on Saturday, but I did laps and laps and laps in the pool here. All the skinny travelers watched the big mama. Hah! But you know what? I think I have courage to do what they don't. Exercise regardless of what people think. There's not a doubt in my mind that people could figure out I was trying to get some. And of course the leg lifts near the edge of the pool were a solid give-away. Lol. I didn't care. It was gorgeous and hot and sunny and wonderful.

Yesterday's "exercise" was a little less rigorous but really, really fun. We went body surfing in the ocean. Now that's what I call "resistance" exercise. It isn't possible to stay in one spot. The waves just barrel you over. VERY fun. Even in my big swimming dress. You know . . . the swimming suit that looks like a dress so everyone doesn't have to view my chubby legs. Hahaha. I love the suit. It's perfect for me. But it does look like a dress. :)

Today I got up and moving and walked around the lake. Put in 30 minutes. Now it's time for shopping, and I'll get in a little more walking. Not power walking, but it's not sedentary either. SO. That's the scoop here. I will keep you posted as I can. For today I just thank God for the opportunity to take this wonderful trip. I am so grateful for the break and the warmth and the company. God is good. God bless you all too.

Holding Steady

Hello, hello! I'm finally able to grab a minute and post here. It's been busy but wonderful. I feel like I'm on another planet here in Florida. I left 2 feet of freshly-fallen snow and landed in green, palm tree-lined Orlando. As I write there are fireworks out against the night sky. Must be from Disneyworld. Crazy what a few hours in the air can change!

Well it has been a relatively easy transition from home to vacation in terms of both eating and exercise. I stayed with my sister in the Twin Cities overnight prior to flying out, and true to form she allowed me no vacation from exercise. The night I drove in, and then again the next morning, we headed out into 30 degree temps to walk. She's like my friend from home -- long legs. So I was huffing and puffing to keep up. But it was definitely worth it. We walked an hour both times out, and probably covered about 3.5 miles each time. Today, our first full day in Orlando, we walked around the lake in front of our vacation condo. Got in about 50 minutes worth. Probably 3 miles after twice around the lake. But tonight I am sore. My knees are pretty achy, so I'm going to say hello to some Aleve and see if that gives me some relief.

My diet has been pretty good too. Got in my protein shakes both yesterday AND today to kick things off. Soup, a banana and some low fat crackers got me through the flight yesterday. Then it was yogurt from Mickey D's and later a roast beef sammy on whole grain bread. Tough beans, though. Didn't get to eat until almost 1:00 in the morning because of flight delays, hotel check-in and then a grocery store run. The saving grace on this trip is that I get to work from a full, lovely kitchen for the next week. Stocked fridge and cupboards and we are good to go! There's even a toaster and a blender here. That means I won't be worried sick over constant temptation or extra calories. A few dinners out won't be too terrible. C'est bon (this is good). :)

So, all of the happy, happy aside, I can tell you I had a very HUNGRY day again today. I ended up eating about 1500 calories, and I'm still looking for a little something. As you know, I have those kind of hunger-spike days periodically. I seriously wish I knew how or why they come on so suddenly. Hoping tomorrow will be better. And I think I'll get on the treadmill or bike tomorrow in the super-fantabulous exercise room here. Not prepared to do water aerobics in the middle of a gazillion kids - so don't expect too much there! lol.

Alright - I'm off to bed. I am very tired. The heat and humidity today took me off guard. Sleep tight everyone. I'll get back on when I can. God Bless.