Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Body and Mind Connection

I am firmly convinced that what goes on in your heart and mind eventually ends up on your lips and hips. I don't buy the message we constantly hear that "fat" equals misery. Our culture, to make up for the fact that we consume the most and contribute the least to the planet, has to pay for the good life, it seems, with guilt. So, rather than sitting back and counting our blessings, and actually sharing our joy, we berate ourselves for eating that Nanaimo bar at a bridal shower, or actually eating a potato chip or two. We block the flow with our own negativity. Out with that nonsense I say! I am going to bring in the new year with firm resolve to enjoy every morsel of food that I choose to put into my mouth! I can no longer afford to eat what someone else thinks I should. I insist on eating what I want, and what my body needs.

Whether you count calories, or points, you have to have a plan. Like any successful budget, you have to save to spend, and when you spend? Don't settle for second best! Let the chocolate be Belgian, the bread be fresh and full of whole grains, and the wine be only the very best I can afford! We were given wonderful senses, the best of which is common. Lets use it to fuel our bodies to live the best life we can.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Jack and Jill Shower

This was the best shower I have ever attended. The baby was adorable, the new parents radiant, and the most important thing of all...no stupid shower games! Everyone had a good time visiting, and of course, there was a wonderful selection of food on the buffet. I use the "Forest Gump life is a box of chocolates" method to work through the buffet. I send the husband to gather, and then I pick and choose from his plate, taking a little bite of this, and all of that because I like it! We had a light supper of soup and crackers to allow for the extra calories, so it was a relatively guilt free evening. Actually, my hubby is very tolerant of my new eating habits, and readily accepts that he is my human garbage disposal. Everything from samples at Costco to actual boxed chocolates get my "nibble and leave the rest" approach. I like to taste different things, but I really don't want to commit to a whole sample, you know!

Back to the shower.....the highlight of the evening was seeing my son cradle his new neice to his chest and calm her with a few expert pats to the back. Within seconds, she was snuggled up and purring! Ah, my turn is coming. But I am awfully young to be a Gramma, so I am prepared to wait...maybe another month or so?

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Food, wonderful food...

Did you know that you could have 35 Jelly Bellies for only 140 calories? That is quite the sugar rush! I guess that is what WW means when they say lifestyle change! Why deny yourself the little beggars when they weigh in so lightly, and pack such a great flavour punch! Of course, I am eating the black ones first, and plan on sending the rest home with the kid. It will make the miles pass quickly, to have something sweet to munch on. And best to get them out of the house while I am still able to resist their charms! Besides, the black ones will all be gone by Saturday!

Things are very quiet on the home front today. We had leftovers for supper, and a quick baked potato made the meal fresh. Sobey's carries bison now, and what a calorie and fat bargain that is! Much better than beef. I made meatballs out of ground bison a couple of days ago, and they just got better in the refrigerator! Lingonberries made a great accompaniment, with canned corn for the vegetable. The best part of all, is that hubby reheated everything, and "delivered" it to my chair. Ah, life is good.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

I can hardly wait for the new year...

when everything returns to normal! There wasn't a parking spot to be had at the mall, and by some miracle, Costco was the quietest place to be today. So, off we went on a grocery shopping adventure.

I bought Jelly Belly Beans that are 35 for 140 calories, but will give me a shot of sugar in increments of five. And how much nicer they are than those tablets they sell at the drug store! There are some benefits to this disease, and Jelly Bellies are one of them! We found two bright polo shirts for Rick for the cruise in March, as well. Hmmmm....bread, eggs, polo shirts, Jelly Belly Beans.....what more could you ask for on the 26th of December? A PARKING SPOT WOULD BE NICE!!!!!

Yesterday, we straightened out the family room to squeeze in the old living room furniture, and to my surprise, it actually looks quite nice. Pete stopped by for a few minutes this morning to say hello. I think it is lonelier having him in town, and not with us than it is having him so far away. I extracted a promise from him to stay with us next time, as it will be our turn! You never really know what loneliness is, until you have a child and they have the nerve to grow up, marry and leave home! Life ceases to spin at that whirlwind pace, you have time to wash your own clothes first, do your nails and hair....oh my, have I come to this?

Ah well, one soldiers on. Tonight is going to be a mystery meal. It will be a mystery what it will be! Sticking with the meat, potatoes and a vegetable seems to be working for me, so I guess it will be something along those lines. I have a flat of Nanaimo Bars in the kitchen for a shower we are attending on Friday night, so it will be a struggle to keep the man's hot little fingers off of them. Ah well. Better them than me! Did I mention that for two old people we have far too much time on our hands?

Sunday, December 23, 2007

5:30 AM

And another day started with a sugar crisis. I am getting so tired of this! It seems I can't do a thing without encountering low blood sugars that lay me flat. Having to eat around a disease is such a pain in the neck. I don't see how I would eat any differently if I didn't do Weight Watchers as it is pretty much a habit now. But it is scary to wake up in a cold sweat and find out that your sugars are so low that the glucometer goes off like a fire alarm in a bathroom at a ZZ Top concert. What a pain.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

A new year is around the corner - which makes this

the time to clean out files, tidy the office and purge old magazines. A lot of the magazines deal with "diet" tips, which I find quite useless. I know the tips. Have I not read them a million times? But still, I have been in a holding pattern for a long time now. Nothing is shifting. It is infuriating to say the least. But I am determined to stay the course, no matter what.

Perhaps shaking things up a bit will do the trick. Since bread is a killer for me, out it goes. Whether it is within points or not, it just doesn't seem to do this body good. So, more vegetables, less bread. And salt. Oh how I love salt. Say goodbye. Sigh.

This is not going according to the flow chart that I set up at the beginning of all of this!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Busy Day

Doing nothing in particular, and everything in general. We even had time for a nap this afternoon!

Our big outing was to Staples. I love stationery stores. Could spend hours in there ! But, this afternoon, for some reason, my sugars dropped like a stone while I was shopping. I grabbed a can of cookies, so I could have a quick snack in the car, but wouldn't you know it? They were sugar free! Now, those were no use at all considering the circumstances. It took me awhile to figure out why I wasn't feeling any better, but by that time I had eaten four of the useless things. A bit of gleaning in the car turned up a chocolate in the glove box, and that was enough to see me home, where I snacked on some nuts in the shell and a banana. Have no idea how many points the nuts had, as I have no idea what the nuts were called! Just regular mixed ones that come out this time of year. I really have to learn to carry something with me for emergencies that won't kill the points for the day. Any ideas about portable sugar boosters that won't throw me off the rails for the week? Ah well. It is a great life if you don't weaken! I will live to fight another day.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Tuesday past...

in a flurry of relaxation! We had a leisurely breakfast, then ventured out to shop. We came home with a bottle of bitter lemon for my Tanguaray Ten and a "fizz keeper" cap for opened pop bottles. We are the wild ones!

Our mission was checking out the prices to have some paintings reframed. I was blown away by the cost of this. Out of curiosity, I checked the internet to see if the artist ever amounted to anything (to merit the hefty price for the reframing!) and WHOA NELLY! The man has done incredibly well. So, looks like the framer is getting our dough in February because these babies are definitely not duds! They say that you should buy paintings that you love, and this really was the case when we stumbled across Michael Zurowsky's work in Ottawa in 1981. We bought everything we could at the time, because it was impossible to choose which I loved the most. For years, they have languished in storage as they were watercolours that couldn't be hung in direct sunlight. I didn't want to risk losing one bit of their brightness and I blush to admit that they didn't "match" our decor. Since I have a policy to "use it" or "lose it" I thought it was high time to use these! With the expensive month we have had, I can't really spring to have them reframed now, but I will do it when the framer has a sale in February. There are four paintings, and a 30% savings will really help the shock when the bill is totalled! I think it will be worth waiting for!

Anyway, after checking out four framers, and finding out the best one is right in our backyard, we went to supper. Fish and chips. I couldn't stop myself. Sooooo good. We had scallops for an appetizer, a side salad and the biggest portion of fish and chips I have ever seen in my life. Three large pieces of halibut. My favourite fish. So, I decided to throw caution to the wind, and just enjoy the moment. I munched my way through half of it, and have half sitting in the frig to feed the hungry hubby for supper. I will be good and make myself a bit of chicken, and stay within my point levels to atone for blowing them out of the water yesterday!

I wonder if changing to the core plan would work? I am a little tired of all the counting, but I really can't feature living without bread, butter, or treats, as you must when doing core .....but I wonder...okay. Done. Can't do it! Just have to pull up my socks and behave!

Monday, December 17, 2007

How could I have forgotten...

that Rick has holidays this week? It is hard to tell because he is down working in his office...sure seems like a regular day to me! But we are planning on being footloose and fancy free this week. We will be able to eat all of our meals at home, and on program. Whoopee! The only major outing I expect in the next little while is our anniversary supper on the 29th...which, if I have my way, will be a lunch at the Keg! Love their steaks, but too rich for an evening meal for me. I need to walk it off after eating!

I am still stuck in this plateau...still working the program, but nothing is happening. I have been really active (for me!) lately, so activity levels are good...don't count the points though!

So, for awhile, I am considering going on the meat, veg and potato plan. That always does this body good, and it is easier to fill the old fella up on that menu too!

The kids will be here soon, and I am fighting the urge to bake up a storm...of course, that will change as the day draws closer. Glenda likes oatmeal raisin cookies, and Peter can be bought off with anything chocolate, so maybe just two things....

I love this nesting time of year!

Friday, December 14, 2007

I love my new and improved chicken sandwiches...

I have learned to double the filling and halve the bread since starting this program - with six slices of smoked turkey and a tablespoon of light mayo on whole wheat bread, my total comes in at five points for a very pleasing taste bud experience. It is good to have a comforting food today, because I am in dire need of solace! We have a dying furnace. The tragedy. This came completely out of the blue. Who would have guessed that a twelve year old house would have the furnace die so soon? Seems to me that these energy efficient things wear out sooner than the old types, so is it really energy efficient to have to replace a frig, stove or furnace after a such a short life span? Hmmmm. But like Rick says. It isn't a problem if you can throw money at it and it goes away. This has been one expensive month, that is for sure, and we are developing great pitching arms from exercising our problem solving abilities!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Moxie's

Was our destination for lunch today. The music was far too loud, the service was below standard BUT the salad was pretty good! It was the 'house' feta and cranberry with balsamic dressing. There was a touch of basil in the dressing, and a tomato flavour of sorts, just enough to make it pink! I must say that when I had this salad in Ontario, it was twice the size. When we finally were served, two people asked "how is your salad" before the first forkful went into our mouths. Good grief. Next time I am going to say "terrible" just to see if they actually bother to listen to replies to their inane queries.

Talk about disappointing. To lift our spirits, we wandered over to Wal-mart to buy goodies. I picked up some Weight Watcher caramel clusters. Little hint here folks. Don't eat six of them. They rank right up there in digestive tract effects with sugar free York patties and licorice sugar free drops...my oh my. I won't be leaving home tonight, I tell you!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Thirty five years ago today...

We met. Where has the time gone? And wherever it went,why did it take our figures with it? I have been having a hard time lately - I am 18 points over "budget" for the week. That is roughly 900 calories. Not earth shaking, but I am sure it will keep me from losing again this week. Sigh. At this point, I am trying to "maintain" and will be content with that. The weather is so cold that all we want to do is hibernate!

We are in for a flurry of activity during the next couple of weeks. The new furniture is coming on Saturday, and hopefully all will be well. We were very disappointed in the green plushy set, as the colours on each piece were very different, and drove me crazy. The new outfit is leather, so the variations in colour are expected. In the store, I assumed the nap position on the couch and it was heavenly! It will be delivered on Saturday, and we will be able to use our living room once again. It is hard not having our own furniture in the living room, and not being able to sit down after dinner to enjoy our tea! I don't want to damage it in any way until it is returned to the store, so that means just walking by it, until Saturday.

We have a few little renovations to do in the house this year, that I have been putting off. It is time to bite the bullet and make the mess. I am not looking forward to it at all..... but hopefully, the end results will justify the mess. We have some drywalling in the living room to do, and both bathrooms need new fixtures. First, paint from top to bottom, and then new flooring and appliances. Oh joy. But it will never get done if we don't get started. I like to pay as we go, so obviously progress will be slow! On the other hand, the way to eat an elephant, is one bite at a time, and a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.... remind me of that, will you? I can see being certifiably insane in the midst of all the coming commotion!

Oh, whatever. I need a nap.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Let them eat cake...

Whether she said that or not, it is likely this sentiment that kept Marie Antoinette able to zip up those tiny dresses. When there are so many goodies around in the stores this time of year, it is hard to pass by the ladies handing out samples of tasty high calorie goodies - turning this little phrase around in my head has helped me pass by a lot of temptation! Let them eat it! LOL

The weather is bitterly cold, but they say it will be warmer in the coming days. Who in their right mind, except people on the prairies would think of - 3ยบ as a heat wave? I find that my body is having trouble keeping warm these days. I have taken to wearing socks (in the house and out) and layers under my coats. The coats are miraculously large enough to accommodate the extra layers these days, although the numbers on the scale refuse to budge much. None the less, I am staying the course. It will come off eventually. Day, after one more day, will pass. I started with high hopes, and a spreadsheet that calculated where I would be at certain times, and of course, I haven't been able to keep a steady loss. I am wondering if I should delete the "goal" column, or leave it there to remind me that you can not predict the future! The thing is that I am working the program, and doing what I can, when I can. That is good enough for me. And it does look like I will need the full 104 weeks to reach goal...and if it takes another 104 weeks after that, so what? It isn't like I ever want to eat another way. This is a great way to live, and once you get used to the point system? It really isn't complicated! Just time consuming, having all this food to consume in one day!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Baby Picture



My new baby is here! Love it, love it, love it.
December 3, 2007 4 PM
Weight: 1470 kg
Length: 4325 mm

Up Down Up Down

Sigh. Up this week. And my sugar levels are misbehaving. Time to go back to the drawing board and see what I can do. Yesterday was not a good day...drove all the way to Costco and had my sugar drop like a stone. So, 4.5 point bottle of orange juice to the rescue. After analyzing the day, it was because I had WW cereal in the early morning when I woke up to that unpleasantness of low blood sugar. It would be so easy to manage sugars if I wasn't trying to keep the calories down! But, this is life as I know it.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Supper was....

a stir fry served over Basmati rice. M MMMM good. And best of all, easy on the points. Stir fry around here usually means "frig gleaning" with a saucy attitude. Amazing how a little of this and a little of that will provide supper with very little effort!

Tonight, a chicken breast made a reappearance from last night - crispy coating and all. When not so gently tossed in a hot pan with six quartered mushrooms and a few bites of cauliflower, it made a very filling supper. Of course, it was topped with some toasted almonds and chunks of pineapple. The sauce was easy too...chicken broth thickened with cornstarch and jazzed up with staple sauces from the refrigerator. A little Hoisin, a little Rooster sauce, and shot of soy sauce can make anything taste wonderful! I don't know why I don't make this more often, as it really tickled my taste buds.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

My Northern Experience

We are home from the north. There is no one in their right mind, that will travel to Thompson without a winter coat in December. So I am officially an idiot. When we left Thompson on Friday, I was wearing the same thing I had come to town in. My baggy grey track suit, and my little quilted jacket that is sooo comfy to wear in the car. To add warmth to this totally inadequate outfit, I added my fluffy microfiber blanket that thankfully I had tossed in the car at last minute in case of emergency. To add to the comfort level of this ensemble were my lovely chunky boots worn with thick athletic sox purloined from my son. They deserve special mention as the extra amount of material in the toe folded into the boot and formed a pleasant wad of cotton that applied pressure to my big toe for the entire seven hour car trip home.

We stopped at Timmy's on the way out of town, and I am sure passerbys thought there was a big pile of laundry in the front seat of our car! LOL But we did make it home in good time on Friday, and the weather was noticably warmer in Ashern when we stopped for lunch. I could actually eat without my mittens on! Mind you, we were in the restaurant.... I thought I would never be warm again.

Now, my big news is, that I found a new car! A socially irresponsible SUV. At this age, I can handle the criticism much easier than I can road hazzards. Of course, I am not planning on doing any off-roading...the closest I get to roughing it is to venture into Transcona to go to Costco. By the way? They opened the new Costco on Waverly, but the crowds are ridiculous at this point. December is a bad month in the stores, but add to that madness the element of a "NEW" store, and you have mayhem. We couldn't even benefit from Rick's handicap status on Sunday....let the cripples walk a mile is Costco's new motto, either that or every cripple in town was there....come to think of it, I think I was behind a few of them judging by the speed of molasses that they moved at!

So, now. This is supposed to be all about the WW experience. After a month of traveling, and the stress of shopping for a new vehicle during every waking moment, I didn't do very well. But this is all about behaviour mod right? And I did make good choices...just a few too many of them! I tried to remember to eat at regular intervals, but I haven't been good with water intake, or the oil thing either. Two areas that I really must improve on.

I am now safe and sound in my own well-stocked kitchen. Time to really buckle down and get going, plan a few menus and actually stick around home to eat them. Rick is off to a conference of some sort, so I am on my own for the next three days. I have so much to catch up on in the house, that I am not forseeing any free time for awhile yet. There are six more loads of laundry to do, and as soon as I get some Pledge, the dusting will begin. Whoo hoo! A reason to leave the house today!

My goal is to get out of the house every day, to actually join the human race. I have a tendency to cocoon to the point of becoming a hermit in the winter. So, I have made the commitment to take the car out at least once a day, for an errand near or far. I park as far away from the store door as possible. Exercise. Seems to be the key to it all, as I have really stalled of late. I was too cold to do a thing last week in Thompson, and I don't think there are many activity points in TV watching. Anyway, I hope that the new vehicle will make it easier to do local errands by myself. I sit higher up, and the visibility is great. I can actually see the front end of the car, so parking isn't a guessing game like it was in the Impala. Hitting the recycling box in the garage was the sign to me that I was in the right position!

So, there you have an update. I hope you are all staying safe and warm!