Whew, glad that's over...

As some of you know, I did a little rant about the holidays. Well, we had a very nice Christmas. We visited some friends and some came by our place. I was the classic enabler all week long, in that I baked homemade cinnamon rolls and repeatedly convinced myself and my hubby that "just one more" would be OK.

I sometimes don't realize how much what I do and say affects my hubby. When we met twenty one years ago, we both weighed the same. He at 5'9" was way too thin, me at 5'4" was a little thin for my frame, but still pretty good. I decided that I needed to fatten him up and in the process and over a period of 20 years, we are both fattened up quite a bit. He had a very physically demanding job (building houses) and was able to burn off lots of extra calories. Over the years, his job has changed several times, quitting the construction business to devote more time to his music and then he went back to school and got a degree in computers. My weight went up as his did, but now for the first time ever, he outweighs me by eight to ten pounds.

As you know, sitting at a computer doesn't burn a lot of calories and now that I am home full time, we are just not active enough. We aren't runners or hikers and we don't have a dog or any children to run after, and we have just settled in more than in our younger days.

The title of my blog here is "Let's lose the weight this year" and I still think it's a great title. I think we, as life long dieters, think things should happen faster than they do. That's why I am choosing a one year goal for us. I still want to lose weight, but I really do want to make some life changes that will lead to better aging and staying healthier in general.

Sorry for this super long post, what I really wanted to tell you is that I came across a cookbook by Prevention magazine that is so good. It is called Eat Up and Slim Down. It uses real food and gives you tools to decide what eating plan is best for you. This led me back to Prevention's web page, which has all kinds of good ideas on it.

I will be using some of the new recipes in this book (which I got at the library) and implementing better portion control into my meals. We eat in front of the television in the living room and that's probably not going to change. For this reason, portions that are dished up in the kitchen have to be reasonable. If we want seconds, you have to go back to the kitchen and get our own. This can sometimes be a bit embarrassing, so I am hoping proper portion control will show us how much too much we were eating.

The other thing I am going to try to do, is not be a slave to the scales. This is really difficult for me, but I think it is important to, at least, try.

So, if you want to call these resolutions, feel free. I think setting and working on achieving goals is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle.

That's it for now, I may be back later with a New Year's post, but if not, take care and stay safe.

I like this picture so much that I am posting the same thing on both blogs. Hope you don't mind.

Yes, it's finally here. Soon the holidays will be over. I'm thinking about taking a few days off from posting, but I'll still be lurking and skulking around reading your blogs and maybe stopping in to say hi and I hope you'll do the same. In the meantime, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and leave you with our official family portrait for Christmas 2008.

I think you will agree from this picture, that I have good reason to be thankful for being able to spend the last 21 Christmases with this wonderful man. So from one of the happiest and most grateful couples you know, we say Merry Christmas to you all. Whether you have friends and family to visit, or just fond memories of them, enjoy yourself and be mindful of the reason for this wonderful holiday.

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Time's A-Comin'

Yes, it's almost here and I'm not quite so Scrooge-y today. I talked to my sisters in CA, yesterday and my brother in law from WV this morning, The brother in law might come for a quick visit, so I don't feel so much like we are hermits with nobody to love us.

I weighed in at 175 today and I'm not going to go on and on about what I do wrong, etc. I was somewhat surprised with I got my first issue of Fitness magazine yesterday. I didn't order it. Now I have to wonder where that came from and was it well meaning, or just a scam or what. If I get a bill, I can eliminate the scam scenario. If not, well who know?

That's all for now, thanks to those that commented with such kind words to my grumpiness. I appreciate it. Take care and have a great holiday!

Am I a Scrooge?

I just posted this on my blog at Spark People. I hope no one gets mad if they read it here (or there for that much). It's just how I feel right at this moment, and I may come back and delete it later, as I have been known to do that, too. Who knows? Anyway, here is my rant for the moment.

I don't have children or grandchildren. I celebrate my love of Christ everyday and want all Christians to also. I am tired of the fact that some people really put themselves into debt for presents that are unnecessary and sometimes unwanted. The fact that the Christmas season arrives in the stores in October is unreal. My husband and I don't put up a tree, just a few decorations on the shelves, etc. I am not against Christmas at all, and perhaps it just makes me miss family members that have passed on. I just want to get on with my everyday life of loving my husband and talking to my remaining family on the phone with an occasional visit on my terms. Is that too much to ask? Am I being selfish? I am sensitive to the needs of the less fortunate year round and I don't need some tear jerk movie that makes me feel like I am a mean old bear if I don't go, once a year and do good deeds that everyone should do on a regular basis.

I have not been very successful on my weight loss plan. I am just waiting for the sun to shine and for me and my hubby to be able to get back to our everyday schedule.

Wahh, poor me. I'm such a whiny baby. I have a very good life and I have no need to complain about not having the basics and more. I am just so tired of everyone going so overboard every year about this season that is supposed to mean more than it actually does.

That's it for me today. Hopefully once this is over, I can get back on board with healthy habits and feel better about everything.

Take care, and if I don't see you before them, Merry Christmas. Yes, I really mean it. Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, this is obviously not meant for you, so don't go off in a huff. One huffy old blogging chick is sufficient.

It's not "real"

I am up to 175.5 today, but knowing my body as well as I do, I know it is water retention. I have been eating chips in the evening and I know that I weigh 2-3 pounds more when I do that. I have not been drinking enough water and have been drinking soft drinks. The only exercise that I gotten this week is walking around the store buying snacks and then the movement of my hand while I sit on the couch and draw.

I feel really good and my hubby and I are going in for a pedicure today. I used to think of this as a treat, but as I get older and it becomes more of a hassle to do myself, I think it is a necessary health measure. The girl that does our pedi's and mani's is very strong and in addition to taking care of what might become health concerns of the feet, she give a reflexology type massage. It almost hurts when she does it, but it helps break down the build up of toxins in my feet and legs and it feels so good afterward.

Well, I have talked enough now that you have forgotten about my snacking and water gain, so I will be off. I may find time to post some new drawings on my art blog, so if you follow that, be prepared for holiday drawings.

Take care and hang in there.

Down again

I am down another 1/2 pound. I haven't been working out officially, but I have been active. I seem to be forgetting to eat, and then when I think about it, it is usually too late at night. I have GERD and have to be very careful as to what time and what I eat. Just one more variable to add to this equation we call life.

More later on things in general. Have a great day!

Thought for today:

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
Henry Ford


Let's think of weight loss and new eating habits in small increments. Maybe it won't seem like such a daunting task.

I am weighing in at 174.00 today. Down 1/2 pound after the holidays. I'll take that.

I've got to run some errands, but I'll be back soon. Take care and think "small jobs".