Getting out of the house...or not....

It has been an entire week of project after project! The deck skirting is on, a years worth of basil pesto is in the freezer and the garage is now a thing of beauty. There is not a scrap of laundry in sight to be done. I have been chained to the house but I am amazed at my ability to spend money without opening the door!

I really love online shopping! No lines, no hassles...and the best part is, that your purchase is delivered right into your hands. My mail person is a bit miffed about the number of deliveries to our house, but mehhhhh. Deal with it!

Over the years I have discovered that pretty much everything you need in life eventually can be purchased at Costco, or online. The rest goes onto a list to be bought "whenever", which around here, is more like WHEN??? NEVER! I sooooo hate shopping. There are too many choices, and none of them ever seem to be exactly what I want. Usually we end up buying the least offensive thing, and not being happy with it at all. So, my mindset now is, that 'nothing' is better than the 'wrong thing', so I hope that eventually I will find what I want, need, and yes, love. Life is too short to compromise.

Back to the delivery that arrived this morning. It was a tiny wallet that holds all of my credit cards, money and driver's license in the smallest configuration imaginable! I can slip this little number into a pocket, and leave my purse at home. Which, when you think of it, really borders on heresy for a purse fanatic. But the thought of being able to use both hands and save my back was so appealing! As a result, I am ready to shop today - hands free! Maybe it will be more pleasant. In the same package, came a dandy little "Rubba Scrubba" brush...silicone bristles that are purported to dig out dirt like no other! I have a never ending battle with the line between baseboards and carpet, so I am hoping that this recent gift from modern science will help me win at least one battle if not the war! I realise this has absolutely nothing to do with being on program, but it is all part of my general mental health and well being. If you can buy a smile with a wallet and a 'Rubba Scrubba', why not?

Back to food. This morning, I tried the Simply Whites from Costco in a mushroom omelet. Not bad at all. Not appealing to the eye at all though...sort of made me think that Dr. Seuss was inspired to right Green Eggs and Ham after his wife presented him with an egg white mushroom omelet. A sickly greenish hue, possibly from the mushrooms.....but tasty, and so convenient! If you have a flavourful filling, you really don't need the richness of the egg yolks, and it is somewhat kinder on your points to use just the whites. The important part of eggs in the morning for me, is the protein. The bonus? Very little space required to store 32 egg whites in the refrigerator! Two small cartons in a package (contain 16 whites each) were about 3.99 at Costco, as I recall.

So, off we go into the day.

Breakfast: omelet, milk, Prebiotic toast - if you haven't tasted the barley and sunflower, you haven't lived. So worth two points a slice, for more reasons than one! Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Love that fibre.
Lunch: Top Dogs - Whoo Hoo! Mystery meat! yogurt
Supper: roast pork tenderloin, potatoes, tomatoes, cream-style corn, raspberries & cool whip for dessert
Snacks: plums, orange, Smart Pop Mini,

I think I am 'getting' this lifestyle thing...

It's like I have been running to catch a train for years. After finally catching it, I can sit down, and draw in that first deep breath. I realize that I have a long journey ahead of me, but I can now just relax and enjoy it. After all, I am on the right track...it is only a matter of time before I get to my destination.

This program has worked for a lot of people, so why not me? Why reinvent the wheel for everything in my life? Although I find it difficult to imagine that eating this much can actually help me to lose weight, I have given over all control to the program. I track my points diligently, and record every morsel. If I bite it, I write it. In the almost six weeks I have been on program, I have only gone over my weekly budget once. In the grand scheme of things, going over a few points, is not a big deal. But it would have derailed me, if I had thrown my hands up in the air and given up! I am hoping that unclaimed activity points will absolve me of any food sin that I may inadvertently commit.

In the end, I think this is about commitment. Just like I eventually found the right man, I have finally found the right 'train'! Now it is all about sticking around and making him work! Errr....I meant "it"! Ehhhh, whatever.

Deprivation

It boils down to whether you view life in general as a cup half full, or a cup half empty.

It seems to me, that when we have so many foods that were created for our enjoyment, how can I ever feel deprived if I make an effort to explore this world full of tastes and textures? Falling into the rut of eating the same ol' same ol' is impossible if I allow myself to indulge while shopping the "edges" of the supermarket! What can be better than strawberries in February, corn on the cob in January?

You don't have to be a millionaire to be inventive with what is at hand. Take risks. Even if it doesn't turn out great, at least it will be a change! It feels so good to indulge myself by buying the 'good' stuff - in the long run, it isn't nearly as expensive as fast food meals, or the medical issues that follow eating poorly.

Here is my plan for the day!


Morning
Omelet, consisting of:
1 item egg
2 item egg white(s)
1/2 oz German Swiss Cheese
1 cup mushroom(s)
onions

1 serving Safeway Stone Ground Thin Bread 2 slices
2/3 Tbsp butter
1 cup fat-free skim milk


Midday
8 oz plum(s)
Chicken Sandwich


Evening
green leafy salad, with Creamy Caesar dressing
3 oz Pork, tenderloin done on the barby - it looks like another scorcher here

1 cup of steamed potatoes

1/2 cup cooked carrots

barbecued zucchini sliced and sprinkled with
1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Diet Jello, 2 T cool whip

total points use? 22

This is hardly deprivation in my books!

When things come together....

in a natural progression, it makes life so much easier, doesn't it?

I have been thinking about joining Curves, and this weekend, I stumbled into a lovely woman that told me all about it...first hand. She works for curves! This lady was not shy about saying she was sixty five, and man! Did she look good! She wasn't a skinny minny, but she was stylin'!

My fear of physical activity started when I was a child. I have two eyes that don't cooperate, so I found PT to be one painful experience after another. Baseball meant being repeatedly bashed in the face by the ball while my usually protective limbs were engaged in a futile attempt to catch it. To this day, when I hear a the hollow boinking of a dodge ball on pavement, I assume the fetal position. I don't want to even discuss "hop, skip and jump". As one specialist explained, I see well, but slowly! So, of course anything that requires my eyes to focus quickly results in the same predictable outcome ...pain.

Curves doesn't sound painful. Unless you count the walls I will inevitably walk into.

Now, moving forward. My adventures in food land this weekend included a trip to MacDonald's. We never go there, but for some reason, it was just the thing to do on Friday. Did you know that it is completely possible to have a Big Mac and Fries, and stay on program? Who knew. No wonder people love Weight Watchers! Before, I would have eaten the burger, and beaten myself up for days about it. This time? No guilt. And I still have Flex points left for emergencies before I lose them on Wednesday. Life is good.

I think there are two ways of approaching point counting. One, is to never take your Flex Points but be lenient with yourself when it comes to counting, or the other is to be miserly with your points, counting down to the last fraction. Well, I am a natural when it comes to bean counting, so I choose to track every morsel that goes into my mouth. How many points is that tiny tip of the pie wedge you steal from your husband? I mean tiny, not a fork full. 1 point. It had better be good for that, is all I have to say! Most of the time it isn't, but I still need to steal it!

Often I find myself dishing out my food, eating what I can, then passing it over to my husband to finish. He informed me this morning, that he has lost four pounds this week. Life is not fair.

There is definitely something to be said for eating every three hours. I am eating much the same kind food, but eating more of it, more often. It has never made sense to me, why Weight Watchers works. I found a couple of articles written about this, and apparently, your body does better with frequent feedings. I have found this great for my sugar levels, although it is a nuisance to be eating so often. Eventually, I will get used to it, I am sure. Tough job, but somebody has to do it! The upside is, that I am never hungry, and the down side is that I find myself working out food values for fractions of servings that I need to fill my point requirement for the day.

After almost one month on program, I am amazed that I am still so enthusiastic about this process, perhaps even more so than at first. It has not been difficult, but the progress is slow. It seems that this is just right, right now.

Welcome to my universe...

For years now, people having been trying to shut me up. They do it nicely, of course, by telling me that I should write a book. Will a blog do?

There is nothing particularly special that I have to say, but I do feel the need to say it...often. This can lead to very animated conversations with myself that I am sure you will find entertaining, if not enlightening.

My latest interest is shallow. Only skin deep, in fact. I have joined Weight Watchers online. No more middle aged arched eyebrows if my body rebels and gains a pound. Nope. I am accountable to my Dell, and my Dell alone. But you are very welcome to take a peek into my little corner of the world, should you have the inclination.