One thing about being a sweat-er: tonight my shirt was as wet after my walk as
it was on Monday evening when I walked in the rain! Monday was when it was just
raining lightly and I debated about going out, but decided that it would help
keep me cool. And it was definitely cooler walking in the rain than it was
walking tonight in the humidity. Walking on Monday made me think of long long
long ago when I lived in Wenatchee, Washington -- when visiting Seattle, it was
always amazing that everybody did everything in the rain. It rains so much there
that if you let the rain stop your activities, you'd spend all your time in the
house! (There was a funny tee shirt that said that people in Seattle don't tan,
they rust!)

Anyway, I'm doing pretty well with shaking off the weight of the shouldhaves and
couldhaves of the past few months. For me, the contest feels like it started on
June 1 so I'll have to keep it going until the first of December to get my six
months "done". And the first lesson to be learned is that exercise and healthy
eating will never be done (hard to learn) -- and the second lesson is to stop
thinking of the first lesson as a negative, drudgery life sentence (even harder
to learn!). This is a GOOD thing with major benefits. (repeat as needed).

Keep going!
Barb

Here's another reason to add to your "Why I Can't Lose Weight" list (book). This was on the radio the other night (so of course it's true!!?) and made me laugh right out loud! This is what was reported: a neurological study showed that obese people have about 16% less of functioning brain capacity than non-obese people. And it's the front part of the brain that's affected which is the decision-making part of the brain. So fat people just keep getting fatter because they can't decide which foods to eat so they just eat lots of everything! (Actually the last line wasn't on the radio report but that's what I was thinking when I was laughing!) I did google the report and supposedly the nerve cells get sheathed in some kind of material (fat?!) which causes them to not work as well. Anyway, just what we (don't) need - another excuse.

I've been working really hard at making sure there's exercise done every day even if it's a short walk. Trying to get my mind trained to make it a habit and a priority rather than an afterthought or an "IF I have time".

Eating is going okay but I'm still drinking too much diet pop so that's another project to work on in the upcoming summer weeks. If I try and do everything I need to be doing all at once, it's brain overload and then I get overwhelmed and feel like quitting (and see, that brain study shows that I've got diminished brain cells to work with anyway!!). One thing at a time--
Barb

Church potlucks are right up there at the top of the list for temptations galore!!  Yesterday was a brunch potluck after the worship service and even with (1) most of the food being of the breakfast variety and (2) limiting myself to a bite or two of each dish that I tried, there was still quite a full plate!!  And it was all good!! Today started the second six-week session of the exercises classes at Slim & Fit.  I can definitely tell that I'm stronger but I'm still getting used to the new snaps, crackles, and pops that my right knee makes now.  It also will still let me know with a twinge or two or three that It's not completely 100% yet.  For over thirty years it's always been the left knee that was favored and now I have to get used to checking with both knees to be sure that everything is okay -- that also takes some practice!  But I'm hanging in there -- slower than others getting up and down, but getting there eventually!   Keep on plugging away -- slow and steady progress in the right direction is the goal, keeping at it is the key. Barb

Dusted off the pedometer today and wore it as I mowed the lawn.  Decided (again) that shooting for 10,000 steps per day is one way to get me up and moving.  There was an internet article about a woman who has lost 300 pounds in three years by exercising and healthy eating - no tricks, just hard work. (She still has more work to do because her starting weight was over 550 pounds.)  Her story was interesting enough but the part that I'm really remembering is when the interviewer asked her trainer, "She's obviously learned a lot from you, but what have you learned from her?" and he answered something like, "She looks for reasons TO exercise;  she doesn't look for excuses to NOT exercise."  Keeping that positive mindset about looking for what can be done (or eaten) or needs to be done (or eaten) to be healthy, definitely helps to stay on track rather than wallowing in the "don't feel like it, don't want to do it" rut.  Sometimes it's easier to come up with a lot of reasons NOT to do something than to just shut up and do it.  I can waste more time with thinking about and making excuses NOT to do something than to just take that first step and go for it.  (And as I write this lecture to myself, I find myself thinking about when the boys were younger and were complaining about chores that needed to be done and I can hear myself  telling them, "You've just spent ten minutes complaining about unloading the dishwasher and you could have had it done by now!"   ((Another parenting and life example of "do what I say, not as I do!!" Doing something is better than doing nothing. A fifteen minute walk and choosing to eat an apple is something and a step in the right direction in the feeling that you are taking action to make a positive change in yourself. One step at a time - with or without a pedometer! Barb

Grilling is great!  My oldest son ends up doing most of the grilling and he does a really good job.  Steaks, chicken, hamburgers and foil packs of potatoes and veggies make cooking a lot easier (for me anyway!).  I'm really the only one in the family who eats the veggies but it's so easy to slice up a zucchini or sweet potato, add a little olive oil, and foil it up -- any kind of veggies work.  Sometimes the rest of the family eats the meat and potatoes and I fix up just the veggie packs for me - that way I can add the onions and peppers and mushrooms! (all the GOOD stuff!) Nutrition is going pretty well right now - sticking between 1200 and 1400 calories per day, eating five or six times a day, eating a variety of real foods from all of the food groups.  I just keep hammering this home to myself every day and stressing the calorie count, the frequency of eating, and the variety of real foods -- this is what's going to get me to a healthy weight and then will keep me at a healthy weight.  Keeping the bag of apples on the kitchen island helps me reach for one of them first for a snack.  Putting them away in the refrigerator puts them in the "out of sight, out of mind" category and I "forget" about them.  And the apples sit next to the oatmeal and almonds! There really is no easy way or quick fix -- this takes time and work and those are the other points that I have to keep hammering away to myself. (and with a hard head it takes a lot of hammering!!).  It's like a project that needs to be done that you keep putting off and putting off -- there gets to be a time when you say "enough is enough" and you have to start tackling it in order to get it done.  One step at a time and one meal at a time -- Be mindful! Barb

Sunny days definitely help with the motivation to be active -- whether it's mowing the lawn or doing other yard work or taking a walk.  Of course, this afternoon was also good for sitting on the back porch, in the sun, reading a book!  I didn't start with the laps after work yet like I wanted too this week -- but I did get a walk in most evenings. Eating has been pretty good -- even if I have to talk out loud to myself (which sometimes really helps!) about which foods to choose to eat either for a meal or a snack.  "No, don't eat that!" is also something that has to be said out loud quite often--- This was also Week 5 in the current session of the Slim & Fit exercise classes and I signed up for another 6 weeks after that - I really like them and they're a really good work out.  Even though I end up modifying some of the exercise to allow for the knee, it still is a good work out and I can tell I'm stronger than the first week when just doing a few push ups was difficult!!  Liking the classes and looking forward to the workouts is also the key for me to sticking with any program and for right now, this is really helping me to stay positive.  For me, a big hurdle to get over in the mental battle of exercise/dieting is being unrealistic in a time frame.  For some reason I think that if I stick with eating right and exercising for, say three weeks, at the end of that time I expect many pounds and inches to have melted off.  ("What??!! There's still arm flab??!  But I've been working SOOOO hard!!")  Never mind that it's taken over 20 years to reach this point.  I have to remind myself over and over and over again that I have to be in this for the long haul;  it's going to take a long time no matter how much time I spend wishing it was going faster and wishing for a quick fix.  Jogging is not in the picture yet either but I'll definitely be walking in the Johnnycake Jog Walk -- last year my time worked out to be about 14 minutes per mile so this year's goal is 13 minutes.  (The ultimate goal of the JJW is to be in the top 100 finishing walkers but that won't be for awhile!) Hang in there!  One day at a time, one meal at a time, one snack at a time!  ("Don't eat that, eat this instead!) Barb