The sun is out. It's going to be a beautiful day. Shake it off and start again. It's not the end - this is for the rest of your life so there are going to be stalls, set backs and plateaus. Banish the negative - concentrate on the positive. You can do this.  We can do this.  I can do this. Negative thoughts, like worrying, can consume your mind. "Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, and belief in defeat.  Worry is a magnet that attracts negative circumstances.  Worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles."  William Ward "Worry is like rocking in a rocking chair -- it gives you something to do but you never go anywhere with it.  Worry is filling your mind with bad thoughts of the worst that could happen.  Worry is like water.  It begins as a trickle of doubt that creeps into your mind.  If it isn't stopped, it soon becomes a stream of fear which creates a pond of paranoia which overflows into a river of distress which develops into a raging torrent of tension.  And before you know it, the flood of worry has carved a Grand Canyon of anxiety in your mind!"  Dr. David O. Dykes (from Sermoncentral.com) And the amount of actual rain we've had the month of April in Northeast Ohio makes this last paragraph even more appropriate! Hang in there, everybody - keep moving, keep thinking positively and concentrate on making healthy choices with eating and exercising. Barb (this is my lecture/sermon for the day BEFORE the weigh-in since I know that my weight gain for the past month could possibly send me into bed with the covers over my head if I'm not careful!!)

Just to clarify something from yesterday's blog - I, personally, am not training for or planning on running a marathon.  Walking everyday is the plan and the goal is still to clock a thirteen minute mile in the Johnnycake Jog Walk this year. (which means shaving three minutes off of my time set last year!) Never, never, never give up.  (right, Sue?) Barb

There was an article in the Sports section of the News Herald last Saturday about a Painesville Township woman (Cassie McConville) who competed in the Boston Marathon this year.  She's a busy mom with a very busy schedule and it was a great article. (Way to go, Cassie!)  One part that I really liked was the paragraph that included one of her favorite quotes:  "Someone busier than you is finding time to exercise right now." Memorize and repeat as needed. Barb

Happy belated Easter to everyone!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia! Holy Week for church organists is the busiest - starting with Palm Sunday, then services during the week on Maunday Thursday and Good Friday, and then special services on Easter (two for our church).  There are choir anthems and special music and extra practicing -- Easter Sunday afternoon is "whew! made it, sit and relax".  But, my un-focused and non-thinking state of mind is not restricted only to my diet and exercise program this year -- the first service on Easter was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. and I thought it was 8:30 a.m.  oh my gosh. I walked into the church at 8:02 a.m. (after "running" across the parking lot - all the while thinking, "knees don't fail me now!!).  I cannot begin to describe the feelings I had as I drove towards the church and saw that the parking lot was already full (and I was thinking I was thirty minutes early!!?).   So much for pre-service music!  And now to the other "thinking or not" extreme:  the surgery on my right knee was necessary because of torn cartilage but I had the brilliant idea that since I had to take off work for it (and would have crutches and pain meds at my disposal), that I would have a minor procedure done on my left foot at the same time AND get the orthotics from the foot doctor so that by the end of the recuperation time for the knee, everything would be in good working order.  In theory, this still sounds good, but in reality, HA!!  Breaking in orthotics is a slow procedure because basically they're realigning your feet which takes some getting used to in the walking department. After the procedure on the left foot, the doctor said it would be "tender" which in medical-speak means, "setting your foot on fire will hurt less".  Each morning as I'm getting around in a Tim Conway old man shuffle, I say not very nice things about these brilliant ideas.  Two months down the drain because of the injury and then with recuperation -- and there's probably at least two/three weeks to go before the knee is at 100%.  Fooey!! Not only do I sabotage myself in the diet department, I sabotage myself in the exercise department!!  What's up with this!!??  There's just been a sense of disconnect that I can't figure out.  The weight gain that I will be posting at the weigh-in this Saturday had better shock me into action.  Barb (AKA Debbie Downer)

Two thoughts about dieting/exercise:  Starting a lawn mower and a Monty Python Flying Circus sketch.  Sometimes when you go to start a lawn mower, you have to pull the cord several times to get it started.  Sometimes you pull the cord and nothing happens. Sometimes when it starts, it just sputters and then quits.  Sometimes it starts up pretty good, roars loud and runs awhile, and then quits.  Sometimes you pull that cord a bunch of times and end up wheeling the mower back into the shed for awhile. (after giving it a good kick).  But the grass HAS to be cut, so you HAVE to get it started at to get it done.  And you know that when you get that mower going and the grass gets cut -- the lawn looks great and you have that good feeling of getting something worthwhile accomplished.  And putting it off just makes you work twice as hard and takes three times longer to get it done. My current diet/exercise program is at the sputtering stage.  If you ever watched any Monty Python Flying Circus shows, there was always one of those weird paper-doll-looking sketches of a man whose jaw would unhinge and fall back and then he would eat everything:  whole cows, trees, cars (you get the idea).  This thought popped into my mind the other day because I've been giving him a run for his money these past weeks!!  UGH!! Here's to keep on trying to get the mower started and running-- Here's to keeping the jaw hinged-- Here's to keeping the Reester Bunnies away-- Barb Barb

Hip-hip-hooray!  It's D-Day!!  Drive Day, that is!  The doctor gave the clearance for me not only to drive but to go back to my morning job with Meals on Wheels at the Madison Senior Center. (starting tomorrow even!)  I am SO ready to get back into my morning routine - the last two weeks have been lost in more ways than one. The knee isn't 100% and I will have to do physical therapy for two to three weeks to regain strength and balance.  I go back to the doctor in another two weeks and hopefully then I will get clearance to get at least part of my night time job restored - the stocking part of the job will be the last to add since there's so much more lifting, bending, and twisting involved. But I'm definitely not complaining as long as progress is being made!! Progress in the diet and exercise department has taken a back seat lately so hopefully I can move them into the front seat and get with the program.  I was really nervous the past few days that I had probably overdone activity and wouldn't get the okay for driving or work, so, of course, I try and squash those feelings down by adding layers of food. And, of course, that didn't do anything to calm the jitters and only made me more disgusted with myself for choosing to pig out.  I just have to start again and remember how good it feels to be in control and make healthy choices.  Think positively - positive thinking! (and do not buy Froot Loops!!) Barb

Last year I remember blogging about an eye-opening experience at Sam's Club when there was a traffic jam in one of the frozen food aisles with two or three really large ladies driving (or trying to drive) the scooters.  I remember thinking (1) the way everyone is getting bigger, there will be more scooters than carts in stores which will be a nightmare and (2) I definitely didn't want to be one of those really large ladies that had to use a scooter since I couldn't walk because of my weight.  Well....armed with the doctor's note about the knee surgery, I did indeed have to use a cart at Sam's Club on Friday (and it went so well that I then went to Giant Eagle and zipped around in one of their carts too!).  My words from last year didn't taste so good when I had to eat them.  Granted, I'm not as large as I was last year and the weight wasn't the real reason I had to use the scooter, but it still felt like it.  I had to use my tried and true "don't look at anyone and they can't see you" method of getting around the store.  I asked my husband. "Are you embarrassed?" and he said, "Not any more than usual."  (what a comedian!)  But I did notice that he was conspicuously absent when I reversed really hard into the back meat counter and when I asked another lady on a scooter if she wanted to play bumper cars.  I'm really really hoping that on Tuesday that the doctor says it's okay to drive a real car and that I can get back to one of my jobs ASAP.  Not being on a schedule is really really throwing me off any kind of diet and exercise plan.  Let me re-phrase that - I'm letting it throw me off. Barb

Jaime is absolutely right about the fork and spoon part of the workout plan BUT it's the finger foods that can quickly blow the calorie count to infinity and beyond! That actually might be a good plan of attack - put the kabosh on those grab-and-go foods and concentrate on eating the healthy foods that have to or can be eaten with an actual eating utensil. (But don't take it as a challenge to see how many Pringles you can balance on a spoon!!) Barb

Jaime from Slim & Fit says that the two best pieces of workout equipment is your fork and spoon and I definitely have to keep reminding myself to watch what I eat, especially now that the physical activity is limited and will be limited for awhile. The knee is doing pretty well and I can definitely see why the doctor cautions about using it too soon because it feels good enough that sometimes I forget about it -- but it's quick to send a reminder! The crutches are gone and so are the pain meds (Saturday night I didn't sleep at all because the faces in the bedroom ceiling kept talking!!??) but since I don't see the doctor for the follow up until next Tuesday, there's no driving (UGH!!), no work, and no pushing it until I find out for sure what's allowed.  The negative voices in my head keep saying "eat whatever you want - you can't really exercise now so it doesn't matter.  You have to be able to at least walk to burn calories. Just take this month off and hit it hard next month."  The positive voices have to keep pounding away that calories IN do count a lot and there are a lot of exercise that can be done that don't involve the knee.  Wheelchair athletes are in terrific shape so there's really no excuse to not look for something to do.  Excuse-making can be a pretty involved pastime and time-waster and one of the biggest obstacles for losing weight.  You may think you have really good reasons not to eat right and exercise but you really don't if you're truly honest with yourself.  (My husband thinks most of my blogs are preachy and they probably are - but the lectures are mainly for me, to help get the thoughts straight in my own head.  And getting thoughts straight and focused in my own head can be pretty difficult.  oh look! a chicken!) Continued good luck to everyone!  Here's to fork and spoon exercise! Barb

Ouch. Ouch. OUCH! (but getting better!) Surgery went well on Tuesday and I'm coming to the end of the 72 hours of keeping the leg elevated and packed in ice.  The doctor denied my request for prescriptions for thin mints and samoas and despite that, so far so good.  I'm supposed to use the crutches for a couple more days and I'm hoping the pain pills can go away at that time also.  It makes me nervous to have so many days of inactivity but the goal is to be able to be more active by getting the knee fixed so that's what I need to remember.  Since this blog is supposed to be how we're doing on the diet and exercise front (for the most part) -I will tell you have I earned an F- on Monday afternoon and evening.  The directions from the surgery center said that I had to fast from midnight on Monday until the procedure took place on Tuesday afternoon - no food or drink.  My husband asked me on Monday evening where it said that I was supposed to eat non-stop until midnight!!??  I was really packing it in from 2:00 p.m. until I went to bed:  true confession time for snacks - 2 regular candy bars, 2 small bags of potato chips, 1 large bag of microwave popcorn, 11 chocolate chip cookies, 3 pieces of cinnamon toast, 1 pack of graham crackers, YUCK!  It was that "give an inch, take a mile" thing again. BUT I didn't load up a secret stash for a later time AND what I did end up eating, while something, is nothing compared to what I used to put away!  Still, there's no excuse or rationalization that makes it better.  (and I can rationalize with the best of them!!)  And, bottom line, eating all of that didn't make me feel better or less nervous. I know I'll have to watch the amount of calories going in more closely since I'm limited to the amount of activity (calories out) that I can do for the next few weeks.  Should be interesting-- keep going, everyone! Barb P.S.  to Cheryl from K-Mart - please send an email again (the first one didn't go through--)