3 Pounds Down

Keeping my calorie count to 1000 or below worked! I lost 3 pounds! I'm still categorized as obese - DANG! I liked overfat better. But my BMI is 34 - it started at 42, so I'm on my way. I'm back at 184, which is the lowest number since I started this journey. How many times have I been here? Anything I lose from now on will be new territory. It's really exciting to know that I'm making a difference in my body, health, and resolve.

Losing the 3 pounds really helped my resolve. I now know that I can't cheat. My body knows. That's what our Weight Watchers lecturer told us once, and as many times as I repeated it to myself, I still try to prove that statement wrong. I thought about what I ate two weeks ago when I gained that one pound; it's surprising that it was only one pound! I ate a whole bag of Dove dark chocolates, 2 orders of cheddar peppers, and at least 2 ice cream cones, a couple of the Dove dark chocolate bars, a package of broiled chicken thighs, sausage. Well, no wonder!

It's actually empowering to know that I can control what I eat and make better choices. My goal is to lose 4.5 pounds this week so I can go into Thanksgiving at 179.5. I might even add exercise to help boost the loss. I celebrated the loss last night by having a shredded chicken taco salad (and I ate the bowl) from a Mexican place on the way home from work. Then I was miserable the rest of the night. My stomach was so uncomfortable. I kept looking for Tums to help settle it.

It'll be a while before I do that again. I'd been craving a chicken taco salad lately. I guess I'll have to go to Alamo Cafe for theirs or make my own (what a good idea!). If I make my own, I can control everything.

Cecilia talked to me about keeping my foods separated (food combining). Fruit stands alone. Never mix starches and starchy vegetables (which I shouldn't eat anyway) with protein. Vegetables can go with starches or protein. So that means I can eat a tomato and lettuce sandwich (Ezekiel bread) or protein in my salad. But I can't have a grilled cheese sandwich or fish taco, or my new favorite pizza - Ezekiel tortilla with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. So, I bought a head of lettuce and used it as a wrap. This evening for dinner, I had a fish salad taco wrapped in a lettuce leaf. I've also had tuna salad wraps and chicken salad wraps. It's the protein with salad wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Very tasty, very nutritious, very filling, and very healthy. I'm still trying to figure out what I can put on that Ezekiel tortilla that would be like a pizza without the cheese. I could use portabello mushrooms with cheese to make a burger of sorts. Tomatoes and mushrooms on the tortilla would be the beginning of a pizza.

Well anyway, I have a vegetable soup recipe from a friend that I'm planning to make. I guess I'd best get to the store to get the stuff to make it. This is perfect soup weather - brrrrr.

I volunteered to work at the SwRI Turkey Trot tomorrow morning. What was I thinking? It'll be just about freezing, and I'll be standing around. If I was at least walking in the Trot, I'd have a better chance of being warmer. Oh well. I keep telling myself that next year I'll run in it. I walked it 2 years ago, and I thought I was going to die of embarrassment because I almost didn't make it up the first hill. People were actually on their way back while I was still going up the first hill. I think I was second last to cross the finish line. But I did finish. Everyone encouraged me as they walked past. This year I'm going to work the registration table and the finish line. It's my chance to connect with others.

I just finished a book called "Younger Next Year" that talked about the importance of exercise. Three-fourths of the book was about exercise and body health. The last quarter was about spiritual health. They had a chapter about connecting. The main audience of the book is folks my age. People who are about 50-60, who plan to retire. The authors say, barring a freak accident or disease, we'll all hit 80. We have to decide if we'll be healthy at 80 or weak and sickly. We can make the difference right here and now by the choices we make. Exercise will help with stamina, strength, brain power, etc. When people retire, some of them disconnect. They don't have plans, they don't have anything to look forward to, and they spend a lot of time alone. Those of us who are single may be doing the same thing - staying at home and watching TV. At least I do. My only social outlet is my daughter's family every Thursday.

It's time to reconnect with others. So, I chose the Turkey Trot to start connecting - hopefully, I won't freeze.