Goodbye Maryland

We're headed home after a great and wonderful holiday weekend with the family. In terms of doing anything special like sightseeing or things like that wasn't in our plans but we were kept busy doing things together and keeping pretty active and that was my hope.

We ate out the entire time we were there and I proved to myself that could be done with no adverse affects. Yesterday our meal destinations were set for the day and I knew what I would be ordering. However when I got to California Tortilla for lunch what I wanted wasn't on this location's menu ... so all I could do was punt but still did okay and didn't let the sitation influence me to get something way too high in calories. After lunch we dropped off Erick and Katherine, so they could take a nap and went to the mall to get new tennis shoes for Evan. While Kim, Evan and Brandon were in the shoe store ... Gary and I went in a nearby music and video store. The song that was playing over the intercom was one of my Zumba songs and I was looking for a Zumba video ... was this an omen? Guess not ... they had a couple of Latin dance ones but I had one of those and specifically wanted Zumba. I ended up getting a Richard Simmons Sweating to the Oldies. I used these before and enjoyed them but the ones I have are on VHS and I wanted something to do in the privacy of our bedroom. I'll try it out tomorrow.

When we got home from the mall, all the kids played outside before dinneer and I, again, was one of the kids. This time I actually jumped rope which I hear is good exercise, but I could only jump about 9 consecutives times. Gary's right I don't know how to jump ... well not very high anyway. When it was time to go to dinner, Kim and I walked to the restaurant which was a little bit more exercise with the walk being about 1 1/2 miles. I'll have to check out where I can walk to instead of driving at home. I started this on the way home on the kindle but when I saved it, I could find it again so it's 9:00 p.m., we're home and I'm ready to crash

On Top of the World

Yesterday it was about time to go to lunch and Erick said to me "We were planning on going to Joe's " and then he hesitated, I knew he had some concerned about me watching my diet and I said that's fine, they have salad and fruit and I can have one slice of pizza and be okay. I also added "I'M IN CONTROL". So off to Joe's we went. Well, I didn't see any fruit but I started with soup and ate mainly the broth and then I went back for my salad. Those two prior to my treat of a slice of pizza did the trick of filling me up. Awhile back on my "Class Blog" I posed the question of which is best ... the first bite or the last? I wonder if knowing if I was only going to have one slice of pizza made that slice taste so good or if it was just really, really good pizza but it was awsome from the first bite to the last bite.

After lunch we made a quick stop home so the kids could put on their tennis shoes and then we were off to the park. I felt terrific and just like a little kid. I was going to be active in the park, not just sit there and watch the kids play. I was going to run ... jump, even though Gary says I don't know how to jump ... and play on the slide, swings, etc. It was fun keeping up with Katherine as she scurried from one place to another and it was a little exercise too. I'm posting a couple photos of my fun day.

Still a Kid in Some Ways

Yesterday was beautiful here in Maryland. We had mild temps and a nice breeze (maybe compliments of Earl). Kim and I, along with Evan who was riding his scooter and Katherine in the stroller left for the flea market and it was even a little chilly in the shade but I knew things would heat up on our walk. Kim is much shorter than me with shorter legs but she certainly has a good stride. She said she has learned to walk fast to keep up with Erick who is about a foot taller than she. It was truly a workout on our minimum of 1 1/2 miles to the train station where the swap meet is held. Erick and Gary took the van and met us there. Erick is training for a marathon in January and in his training he will be running 11 miles tomorrow, so he didn't need to walk.

They say that one person's junk is another one's treasure. We only found one piece of junk we'd consider bringing home and that was a wine decanter and glasses that had a sailing ship etched on them but the gal wanted more than the two offers we made initially and our FINAL offer as we were leaving. We left empty handed and I wondered if everyone was going to ride back home in the van. Kim asked if I was going to walk back and while I could really feel it in my back from walking all the aisles at the flea market, I knew it was something I needed to do, so we headed back. The hills seem to be optical illusions. When you were on them there didn't visually seem to be any incline but you could feel it and see it way ahead of you. We approached "Killer Hill" as we got closer to the house, and it made me use the mantra of ... I can do this, I can do this, I can do this and I DID!

We had lunch at Chick Fillet and I checked out the nutrition page BEFORE we left. YEAH ME! I opted for the 4 piece chicken strips and fries and only ate two of the strips. I shared the fries and was fine. Brandon wasn't feeling good, fighting a stomach bug, so we decided just to order in for dinner. A place suggested was Lido's which is a pizza and pasta place and when the decision was made, I immediately went to their webpage and checked out their nutrition page. Yep, pizza and pasta dishes have lots of calories and I wanted to remain in my target for the day, so I decided to go with a kids meal. When the order was made no one at the restaurant could say, "she ain't no kid" since it was a carry out and I felt comfortable asking for this portion. When Erick and Gary brought the food back, I thought the portion was a little small ... but it was enough and I knew I still had enough points for some ice cream later in the evening.

I'm pretty proud of myself for making the choices I'm making away from home and still enjoying what I'm eating. I know I'll be happy about the results on the scales when I get home too!

Enjoying Our Time

Not much happened yesterday to report. Just enjoying being with family. It didn't take long for Katherine to warm up to us and before we knew it she was feeding us from her kitchen. It was great because her food didn't have any calories.

All my talk about checking points ahead of time was both good and bad. We went to a local place that serves rice bowls for lunch and they didn't have a website or were on any website to help me with the points. Kim helped out with her smart phone by looking up comparable food items and I think I did okay with the sesame garlic chicken with brown rice. I only ate 1/2 the serving. The good thing is here in Maryland their law is already in effect that places with over and now I can't remember if it's over 3 or 5 locations have to have calorie counts available on the menu. I can't wait until that is a federal mandate. Anyway we went to Red Robin so dinner and WHOA ... calorie laden menu. I finally decided on the grilled chicken bunless but I did order the fries and enjoyed.

I didn't get any exercise yesterday. I thought about taking a walk after dinner but got involved in "Hi Ho Cherry-O" I won the first game. Wonder how many calories that burned. We're suppose to go to a flea market tomorrow and the location is about 1.5 miles with sidewalks along the way, so we're talking about walking there, so walking there and back along with the walking we'll do there should be "just the ticket". Got to continue to make wise choices.

Check Before ... Not After

Yesterday I worked until noon and then we were off to Maryland for the holiday weekend and to spend time with the family. I wasn’t worried about eating properly. I had already proven to myself this could be done when I came back from our Wisconsin vacation with a loss. I feel better that I have a little confidence under my belt and determination to stick to the plan. After about an hour on the road it was time to stop for lunch and Gary asked me what I wanted. I said something from a dollar menu somewhere, so we could save on money and calories. The dollar menu items are always the small portion. We ended up at Wendy’s and I could have sworn that the dollar menu chicken sandwich was grilled … I thought I had it before but maybe that was McD’s or Arby’s. I thought even though it was fried, since it was small it would be acceptable. I failed to look ahead to see what other choices I had and ordered the sandwich and a baked potato.

My new Kindle has the WhisperNet feature that I can get the internet on it. After we left Wendy’s, I downloaded www.dwlz.com to check points and found there were several menu items with less points than the chicken sandwich. Gary recommended I write those down in a notebook so I have more informed choices the next time I'm faced with what to order.

I thought what a great way to pass the time while riding in the car but to check out blogs but OH THE DRAMA! No, it wasn't Stephanie’s blog (www.immyfavorite.blogspot.com), although hers was thought provoking with the question of what to give others when it comes to food, both as gift choices and guests in your home. What really got to me was this one site where a person’s comment was pretty direct to someone that was struggling with the right choices. It was to the point of I’ve tried to tell you and you aren’t listening and now I’m out of here. Pretty direct stuff. I went back to read some of this commentator stuff and it was odd to see that she had posted something a couple days prior asking how to handle the situation of a friend not getting it and how to approach her on the subject. The odd thing was the person getting the rant yesterday had commented on the commentator’s post. It was odd, I don’t know how I would have reacted if someone was so blunt with me. I probably would have been hurt at first but still would listen. I’ve always said that I need a coach more than a cheerleader.

I had just enough points left to stop at Cracker Barrel. Yes, I returned to the scene of the crime. The place where I lost all my motivation last weekend and that which started my spiral to end up with a gain at my last weigh-in. One thing that I did on this drive was to drink water constantly. In the past, I could go the whole trip without a potty stop. This time was different and once we got to Cracker Barrel, I had to go. I ran into the “john” and closed the stall door and then it hit me … why were their urinals in the women’s restroom. I immediately ran out thanking God no one else was in there or coming in there. I just assumed all Cracker Barrel’s restrooms were layed out in the same manner with the women’s on the right but this wasn’t the case in West Virginia.

I had my Chicken n Dumplin’s as Stephanie pointed out were less than the grilled chicken salad and a double of green beans since I had used too many points for lunch. Oh, I did have enough points left for ½ biscuit with butter and I was fine with that. I felt in control, I was in control.

I Have the Power

Yesterday my boss called in on his way to the office and asked if I'd go pick up some lunch for the two of us and a couple of other co-workers. He asked that I go to Shapiro's. Indy's great Jewish deli. They have huge sandwiches and macaroni and cheese to die for (and you probably would if you ate enough of this artery clogging cheesy delicacy). My initial reaction was panic. What was I going to do? I had my day planned out with exactly how many points I was going to write down which even included a treat in the evening. I thought about the mac n cheese and my mouth started to water ... I could probably work all this into my plan and have a light dinner. Gary was fixing pork chops, au gratin potatoes and green beans It was going to be a very nice dinner and if I had my usual from Shapiro's, it meant that I could have ONLY the green beans. Is that how I really wanted to eat? Just because I was the one picking up the lunch didn't mean I had to participate in it ... and I chose not to for a change. In times past, I would be screaming ... it's not fair. I find today that I don't care if it's fair or not. It's what I wanted to do and I had the power to do it and I'm proud of that.


The following is something that a friend on my TOPS loop sent that I need to keep available for times like yesterday.


Life is NOT "Supposed to be Fair." Know that there is no single way that
life is "supposed" to be. Demanding that life meet our expectations is a
sure fire recipe for a miserable existence. Life is a game with no rules. Life
just happens to us regardless of our best intentions. Our only path to
happiness lies in being open to receiving whatever life throws at us - with
Gratitude. Have NO Expectations of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I'm back in the saddle and excited to be back on the trail. I checked in with the scales this morning and saw that I was down 2#. That was what I needed to see, to know that things can be reversed in a short period of time. I won't need that confirmation for awhile and will probably avoid them until the day of my next weigh-in.

I've always believed in the KISS method (keep it simple sheilah) but I think I lost sight of that when it came to trying to lose weight. It has always been fighting cravings, analyzing emotions, avoiding temptation, competing for the top spot and I found that I get lost in all of that. All it really takes is something as simple as a plan. A guideline, something to lead you in the right direction. It helps you stay on the right road and gets you where you want to go in the best timeframe.

I know for this to work I have to track my points by writing them down and preplanning my daily intake as much as I can so I can enjoy what I'm eating and have no regrets. I remember a time when that was so easy and become as second nature as breathing. It's hard to get in the habit at the start but it won't always be that way.

Last night Gary and I were met a classmate of ours that we haven't seen since we graduated in 1967. We weren't friends in high school but in my role as trying to bring our class closer together and promote our reunions that didn't matter. We had a great evening getting caught up with things that happened then and what was happening in our lives now. When I found out what restaurant we were going to, I immediately pulled up their website to see if they had their menu posted. They were a little pricey, so I decided what I would do was order one of their sandwiches that came with a side. I ended up getting the grilled chicken which I dismantled and put the bun on the bread plate that had been empty all night (no problem on passing on the bread ... I learned my lesson) and my side was a baked potato. The focus wasn't on the dinner, it was on the conversation and it was a great evening.