Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lunch at Montana's

with a good friend this afternoon. I had two skewers of shrimp and a baked potato with sour cream and butter. MMMM good! The waitress was a sweetie, and brought me a little dish of pickles for dessert. Now this is living! Good service, good friends, good food...what else does a person need?

So, that took care of two meals today. Breakfast was the usual omlette, but I was out of milk, so I missed that little addition. Lunch was Montana's and I can't even think about supper! By the way? I also had a red lollipop for dessert! MMmm fine dinin'!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

After all

the record keeping of calories and points, for how many years now? I have managed to lose and keep lost 44 lbs. That is it.

It is a struggle, and not always does the weight loss come when I have been "good". In fact? The other night, we had ribs for supper, and thinking I would have a five pound gain (water, and pure fat!) I woke up to a scale that was the lowest it has been in months. I have come to the conclusion that to spite what WW and any other weight loss outfit claims? You can only lose when your body is ready to shed, and not a moment before. I am hoping that my body is gettin' ready to shed a whole whack o' weight soon, because frankly? I am soooooooo losing interest in the whole process!

I have formed some habits to keep my calories low...automatically. For instance? My breakfast always includes two eggs. No longer do I eat toast, and lately? I haven't even had a gluten free cracker. I am just fine with an omelet with a bit of creamy Havarti to start my day. The odd day, when I am expecting to expend more energy, I have a couple slices of bacon ( an extra eighty calories)

Lunch is usually a salad or soup, or beans of some sort. Supper? Well, here I fall down. When I am on my own, it is fruit, and a nibble of salty somethings. If dear hubby is home, it is protein and veggies. The poor man has realized that big meals are just not coming his way any longer, and if he wants more than cornflakes and fruit for supper, he has to learn to rustle the pots and pans on his own. After all these years, he now knows how to produce pancakes, frozen pizza and various barbecued delights with a minimum of fuss. The really nice thing about this shift in meal planning and executing, is that we have a standing rule. If I cook, he cleans. And now that he cooks? He still cleans! Life just works sometimes.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Yahoo! Remember way back when....

my goal was to fit into a Cotton Ginny denim skirt and jacket? Well, while cleaning the closet today, I tried it on. The jacket is too big and yep, the skirt just fits! Oh the joy of having a belly! I would be two sizes smaller if it weren't for the protuberance under my bosom!

The irony of it all, is that now I have it on the giveaway pile, and have never worn it once. Time and tastes change. Lesson learned is to never buy anything you can't use RIGHT NOW. Just as there is no point in keeping old styles around gathering dust, there is no point in watching a style grow old waiting for it to fit!

Sale! Sale! Sale!

Now doesn't that title just get your pulse rate up? Who needs a treadmill!

We're having a heat wave so it will be a good day to try out some of the summer things I found while we were travelling through the States. We drove from Fernie, BC home through the US, and shopped when we could. It was a long journey although the scenery was breathtaking, to say the least. We hopped out of the car every few hours and shopped to stretch our legs..there you have it. Shopping is good therapy on every level! Rick managed to find tons, while I was forced to wade through a lot of the brown stuff to find my ponies!

The summer things were gone from the stores, leaving pretty poor pickings...but the few things that were there, were marked down to almost nothing. I found a formal black dress for the cruise this January reduced, reduced, reduced and reduced again to a rediculous 6.99! It fits like a dream and is very packable fabric. Every once in awhile, you find a sleeveless dress that actually was made with the chubby in mind...this little bargain has shoulders that come down far enough to cover that fish belly part of the upper arm, yet tuck nicely up under the arm, if you get my drift. With the right jewellery, I think it will do quite nicely several nights for dinner!

Miraculously, I also found a pair of Bermuda shorts, and a pair of Capri's...both JMS, and made of the softest, nicest white cotton. They were the only ones left on the rack, and were just waiting for me, it seems! We went from store to store, finding little treasures as we went. At Dress Barn, I found two piece dressy pant outfit - remember the baby doll pj's from way back? Well, this is what the top looked like to me! A short double chiffon top, sleeveless but with good coverage of the fish belly and a rhinestone clasp at the bottom of the V neckline, with a bit of tie. The pants fit perfectly, and actually were long enough! When the clerk first showed it to me? It looked a bit too ruffly, but when I tried it on? It was made for me. Unfortunately it was full price, but that just tells you how much I liked it doesn't it?

I found a sundress for seven dollars, too. And a white cotton dress that will be perfect for our trip to Mexico. Very light cotton with its own slip attached, with Battenbug embroidery around the neck. It will be difficult to iron, but so worth it. I try to wear as much white as I can in hot countries, so it looks like I too have a bit of colour! I a little purple number as well as a black straight dress with white embroidered trim on the neck, sleeve and hem in Lane Bryant on on a 60% off rack! The new microfibres are so lovely on the body, and make the most of what God gave you. Finding these things was a thrill, but sharing the details of the hunt? Priceless!

I am trying a new routine to care for my skin. With an eye geared towards simplicity, I am now using Neutrogena Gentle Cleanser or Dove soap...yes, S O A P - and it works. I have asked countless women with good skin exactly what they use on their face, and the ones with the best skin inevitably say "soap and water". So to heck with the lines the cosmetic companies feed you! The cream cleanser is a necessity for gentle eye makeup removal, though! A pump bottle of Olay moisturizer with SPF 15 works as both a day and a night cream. Those moonbeams will get you every time! Of course, I have found out that the eating gluten was making my skin break out so that is no longer a problem. Thank goodness! Healing skin is one of life's greatest joys!


As the days passed, I found little treasures here and there. NO shoes though. Good thing I have enough shoes to choke a horse! Could always use one more pair though....

The downside is that I now have to weed through my closet and discard, discard, discard once again. Closet cleaning is never done! So, hopefully, I will get to that little chore sometime this week. My experience has shown me that fashion mistakes do not get any better if you leave them in your closet. For instance, I have a dress that I have only worn once. It is just too short and too wide. I don't feel comfortable in it at all. I remember thinking that it was too short and too wide when I bought it, but I loved the material. Well, one out of three just isn't enough! My dream is still to have a pared down wardrobe with only things I love to wear at my fingertips. A girl needs to dream.....

Friday, September 4, 2009

What on earth can I take for lunch?

Without the good old sandwich, lunches are a lot more difficult to plan. Maybe a bit of roast chicken, some baby carrots and some pickles? Maybe baked beans? Nummy but, hmmm not so good for obvious reasons....

For some reason, sitting all day makes me ravenous, so I don't think an apple and 28 gms of Cheetos will do for lunch...maybe a salad? Too messy. Veggies and a bit of dip, and some meat, or cheese will have to suffice. And fruit for dessert....lots of water, too. Have you tried the Chrystal light packages for water bottles? They are pretty good, so one bottle of water will have that little treat in it. I could always put some egg salad in a bit of lettuce, like a cabbage roll. That would be good. Hmmmm....you could also put a bit of Feta, some chicken, cucumber and black olives with a bit of dressing, roll it up with a couple of leaves and hmmmm....a pita pocket without the pocket!

I guess I will make out okay with the lunches after all! Just wish there was a website for making lunches when you can't rely on the standards. "Weird Ways to Deliver Fillings" would be a catchy title...

Friday's menu:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, glass of milk

Lunch: Apples, plums, peanut butter and crackerbread

Supper: Taco Soup with tacos and cheddar cheese - an odd time to make soup because it is so hot out...I might rethink that...no. I have my heart set on Taco soup!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

It sure is hot and sticky today!

So for good reason we will have salad, deli potato salad and roast chicken tonight. There. That bit of planning is done!

This morning we hit the ground running, as we both needed to check in with the Dr. to get our prescriptions. Still managed to have two scrambled eggs, and two slices of bacon for breakfast though! Just no time to munch through my gluten free crackerbread. Turns out that my readings are not good to spite my efforts, and insulin dependency looms in my near future. Time to go see the endocrinologist. I guess it was bound to happen, as I have been fighting since 1985 to keep my sugars level with diet, exercise, and about five years ago, finally going on meds. Sigh. This getting old is for the birds. There is a part of me that really wants to keep trying to deal with this through sheer determination, but frankly? I do think it is time to give in. I will have to learn a whole new set of life skills...including math! Well, there are thousands that can do it, so I guess I can as well.

I just finished my lunch of champions. 35 gms of Cheetos and an apple. Okay, okay...I never said I wasn't lazy!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Holding my own...

to spite having blueberry pie for supper last night! Who knew gluten free could be so exciting! It was a nice ending to the t-bone steak and salads that made up the main course. We ate out on the deck to spite the visits from wasps and assorted bothers. This year it seems that we didn't spend any time out there at all, as it was raining most of the time we were in town.

This weekend will be busy, and I have no idea what to prepare for lunches during the assembly. Sliced meat, pickles, and veggies are always good, and very portable. Salads have a nasty habit of locating themselves on my chest, so not a good idea. Best to have dry, easy to eat things that are DRY!

I am still waiting for the clothing I ordered before we went away, and really hope it gets here before we leave for BC. Since a lot of the stuff I will want to take with me on vacation in January, I would like to give them a trial run before we leave. This is the tail end of summer and it will be the last time I could break in summery clothes!

Shopping our way home will be fun, even though we will be hitting the hot spots in Montana and North Dakota. Would so much rather be heading east to the land of multiple Avenue stores! You just never know what you will find, or where. I still remember finding my favourite black turtleneck sweater in an out of the way Wal-mart at midnight for a mere five dollars. Like an idiot, I left the store with only one. DUH Things like black turtlenecks need to be purchased by the gross. As it turned out, this thing washes like a dream, is 100% cotton (which may have been the red flag that stopped multiple purchases) and next to the skin feels like nothing! Cue Frank Sinatra.....regrets, I've had a few....

So, lets talk food!

Breakfast: two scrambled eggs, one piece of crackerbread with butter, ketchup and three slices of bacon (the 2 slices for 80 calorie kind)

Lunch: not interested at the moment. If I get the munchies, I will hit the fruit bowl, and pair with a mini bag of cheetos. Yep. Lunch of champions.

Supper: a chicken breast in lieu of road kill meat my hubby wants to grill..not in the mood for it tonight, after last night's t-bone steak!