Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Yes Dear, I'm amazed at my technical ability.
My husband looks like Dennis the Menance's Dad and he often sounds like him. I figured out how to post pictures. I was very delighted with myself (wooo hoooo!!!) when my husband said in a dry tone, "I take it you're amazed at your technical ability?" I chose three of my favorite pics off my IPhone. I'll try to do that more often.
I went to the gym did an hour on the elliptical. Didn't push myself. My legs hurt from the day before. My goal is still 7 days a week. Don't ever think I over do it. 7 days a week is a goal, not a reality.
And I finally saw light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to our budget. Or, as I have started calling it, "Stay at home to exercise and be a Granny budget." The breakthrough came when I starting learning about life insurance. Over the years we have purchased several policies. It is probably common for people to purchase these without really knowing the details of the policies. Turns out I can use the cash value to pay off debt and stay home for a little while longer. Hopefully till grand baby gets in school and I lose 40 more pounds.
I need to head out to rehearsal.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
I went to the gym did an hour on the elliptical. Didn't push myself. My legs hurt from the day before. My goal is still 7 days a week. Don't ever think I over do it. 7 days a week is a goal, not a reality.
And I finally saw light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to our budget. Or, as I have started calling it, "Stay at home to exercise and be a Granny budget." The breakthrough came when I starting learning about life insurance. Over the years we have purchased several policies. It is probably common for people to purchase these without really knowing the details of the policies. Turns out I can use the cash value to pay off debt and stay home for a little while longer. Hopefully till grand baby gets in school and I lose 40 more pounds.
I need to head out to rehearsal.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
Copper King Hibiscus
This is my favorite hibiscus. They come up every year and take very little maintenance. Wizard of Oz Summer '10
The Carnegie Players. It is truly amazing what a good community theater can do. This show was the start of my weight loss. I felt so fat and so old under the heavy costume and make-up. My knees hurt as I climbed up the stairs to the castle and through the window. The witch is suppose to appear in a flash. I wasn't flashing anyone except my good friend Jennifer who was kind enough to help me up the step ladder. (Jennifer is in front in the solid green dress.) She was also responsible for the speed in which I melted. I had to squat. When you are 5'4" and over 200 pounds, squatting is not in the cards. And the bicycle scared me to death. The kids cast as munchkins couldn't believe a grown woman was afraid of a bicycle. Going head first off the proscenium was a real possibility. I sweated off five pounds and started swimming shortly after the show closed. Rainbow in Taos
This picture was taken just outside Taos (summer '10). We were staying with some very dear friends at their family home. It was a double rainbow. Remarkable to see. It appeared to be LED lights someone was shooting up toward the sky. This is very close to where the Pueblo Indian Tribe has lived for centuries. I kept wondering what the Indians thought 250 years ago when they witnessed something as amazing as this. But, then again, Indians never had any problem appreciating nature. Monday, October 18, 2010
Jams - brightly colored long shorts worn in the 80's
When I feel like a total idiot I lose my appetite. I've had yogurt and fresh figs(off of my trees.) That's it and I'm not hungry. A call from my daughter this afternoon pretty much destroyed my thoughts of dinner. She said, "Mom, there is something missing in the invitations." My heart sank cause I'm the one that stuffed them, sealed them, and mailed them. How could I forget the map? No, the RSVP card? No, the.......time of the wedding. Oh good grief. Apparently people who don't have the good taste to RSVP will simply not know what time the wedding starts. I just hope this feeling of being really stupid passes by tomorrow morning.
I did not weigh this morning. It was my first day doing part-time tutoring. I was occupied with teacher thoughts. I did pack my bag for the gym. I did go work out at lunch. Hour on the elliptical, little swimming for the stretching. Worked up a good sweat. It was wonderful to see my friend at the gym. I'm so proud of her. It takes such commitment. But, the time you start exercising is a very personal choice. My timing was perfect when I got fed up with being angry about things I could not control.
I dawned on me the only thing I can really control was my hand as it put things in my mouth.
Now to what my daughter calls my interesting life. I'll try to recall events in my life based on the person. Since I started with my Dad, I'll continue with him. My Dad would say to my Mom often, "I'm worth more dead than alive." He wasn't being sarcastic or spiteful, just truthful. After serving in WWII, he did not seem to fear much of anything. In what most people would call a dangerous situation, my father usually just got angry. Very angry. He was only 5'9" or so. Not fat, not thin. Just average but on the short side I suppose. His anger was the quiet kind. The kind you witness mostly in the jaw muscles of a man's face. He didn't raise his voice and spoke through clenched teeth when he was very upset. Around 11 pm one night at the motel he had just checked in a customer. It was the normal practice at the motel to lock the front doors when the restaurant closed. As the customer left the desk, Dad stayed put to finish up paperwork. (I would always show the customer to the door and lock it behind them.) He looked up just as a young man in jams was entering the lobby. Dad told me later he noticed no car. In our family we always talk about red flags. No car when pulling up to a motel is one red flag. The young man said he needed a room. My father said I'll need to see your driver's license. The man replied, "How about taking a look at this," as he brought the gun up and pointed it directly at my father. I guess you could say no more red flags were needed in this scenario. The conversation stopped abruptly as my father took an instinctive step backwards and flipped over a trash can. The flip hurt my father so bad he screamed in pain and assumed he had been shot in the back. The flip shocked the robber so bad he fled after jumping over the counter and trying unsuccessfully to get into the cash register. All the while my father was crawling on his hands and knees, screaming "I've been shot! I've been shot! " so my mother in the apartment will hear him. She ran out, assured him there is no blood anywhere. He grabbed his gun that always rested by the register and he ran out to the parking lot shooting bullets into the air, cussing and screaming at the robbers. His reasoning, he informed us later, is that he wanted the robbers to know he had a gun and that he knew how to shoot it. My Dad wore a back brace for months after this. I love this story and I can picture both my parents. My Dad survived just by sheer luck. And my Mom didn't falter or stop to think what might be waiting in the lobby. She just ran head first to try to help him.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
I did not weigh this morning. It was my first day doing part-time tutoring. I was occupied with teacher thoughts. I did pack my bag for the gym. I did go work out at lunch. Hour on the elliptical, little swimming for the stretching. Worked up a good sweat. It was wonderful to see my friend at the gym. I'm so proud of her. It takes such commitment. But, the time you start exercising is a very personal choice. My timing was perfect when I got fed up with being angry about things I could not control.
I dawned on me the only thing I can really control was my hand as it put things in my mouth.
Now to what my daughter calls my interesting life. I'll try to recall events in my life based on the person. Since I started with my Dad, I'll continue with him. My Dad would say to my Mom often, "I'm worth more dead than alive." He wasn't being sarcastic or spiteful, just truthful. After serving in WWII, he did not seem to fear much of anything. In what most people would call a dangerous situation, my father usually just got angry. Very angry. He was only 5'9" or so. Not fat, not thin. Just average but on the short side I suppose. His anger was the quiet kind. The kind you witness mostly in the jaw muscles of a man's face. He didn't raise his voice and spoke through clenched teeth when he was very upset. Around 11 pm one night at the motel he had just checked in a customer. It was the normal practice at the motel to lock the front doors when the restaurant closed. As the customer left the desk, Dad stayed put to finish up paperwork. (I would always show the customer to the door and lock it behind them.) He looked up just as a young man in jams was entering the lobby. Dad told me later he noticed no car. In our family we always talk about red flags. No car when pulling up to a motel is one red flag. The young man said he needed a room. My father said I'll need to see your driver's license. The man replied, "How about taking a look at this," as he brought the gun up and pointed it directly at my father. I guess you could say no more red flags were needed in this scenario. The conversation stopped abruptly as my father took an instinctive step backwards and flipped over a trash can. The flip hurt my father so bad he screamed in pain and assumed he had been shot in the back. The flip shocked the robber so bad he fled after jumping over the counter and trying unsuccessfully to get into the cash register. All the while my father was crawling on his hands and knees, screaming "I've been shot! I've been shot! " so my mother in the apartment will hear him. She ran out, assured him there is no blood anywhere. He grabbed his gun that always rested by the register and he ran out to the parking lot shooting bullets into the air, cussing and screaming at the robbers. His reasoning, he informed us later, is that he wanted the robbers to know he had a gun and that he knew how to shoot it. My Dad wore a back brace for months after this. I love this story and I can picture both my parents. My Dad survived just by sheer luck. And my Mom didn't falter or stop to think what might be waiting in the lobby. She just ran head first to try to help him.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Motel trash
Ok, I have to admit something. I don't blog everyday cause when I sit at the computer, I usually do online banking first. Check in with the ole bank account, just to see how my budget is going. Lately the checking in part has been so depressing I don't feel like writing in a journal. But, I need to get over that. It's a weight loss journal. And I honestly believe having no money has encouraged me to lose weight. The dollar menu at Wendy's is great. A whole baked potato with small chili and water is $2.14 and a great meal for someone who is low on funds, on the go, not wanting to eat fried food. If God works in mysterious ways maybe this is one of them?
So, I'm writing before I look at my bank account. Happy to report I was down a couple of more ounces this morning. I did not exercise yesterday. Parties for the upcoming nuptials are taking up some exercise time. And I miss the gym. The optimal day is three lovely hours to spend there. One hour on the elliptical, one hour in pool and sauna and one hour to shower and do make up and hair. Seven days a week. I wrote once that losing weight is like taking on a part time job. So this job would be 14 hours a week. It would be so much easier if I could get my fat butt and menopot out of bed at 5:30 am and just go. It would be a mini miracle if I could ever get into that routine.
A bright spot to report is I wore a belt that was a present from my husband last Christmas. My daughter reminded my when I unwrapped it last year she and I both looked at it then looked at my husband ( who by the way was clueless.) The belt did not even fit my daughter who was four sizes smaller than me at the time. It was one of those awkward moments. The "how in the world did you think I could fit into that?" moment. Which, once again, proves my point. My husband stopped looking at me after baby weight came along. I'm not saying this fact is bad. It's probably one of the reasons we stayed married. He became very happy with the lights off and he has a great imagination. SO, I wore the belt around my waist and not hips. It was not uncomfortable. I'm thinking it is the elliptical. I'm not too sure how that machine works on the waist though.
And, in the car today, my daughter wants me to start writing down stories from my childhood and life so they won't be forgotten. Since this is my journal, I'm going to start adding them at the end of each weight and exercise portion. Who knows, it may offer some insight into weight gain or habitual eating.
Humph.................................................................It's almost like forcing someone to look at slides of family vacations. I'll start with the motel stories. Besides, I remember these the best and they still make me laugh. Owning an interstate motel was a dream of my father's. He wanted to have a business with "non-depletable inventory." After my father passed away I can't say I ever wondered what he would say about any given situation. His voice seems to ring through my head. My relationship with my father is probably one of the reasons for the weight gain. But, I need to make one thing very clear. He was never mean or cruel in any way to me. In fact, he loved me very much. I have no doubt. Working beside him was hard. My daughter ask me why I was not a millionaire like my father was. I could never work as hard as he did. And he could never truly understand why other people did not want to work as hard. When he died, I will admit to being relieved. I felt like I could breathe for the first time ever. It is still odd to me that I feel that way. He died with his running shoes on....literally. On a treadmill. He ran four to five miles each day on a treadmill. He had his first heart attack at 55, starting running and never quit till the age of 69 when he had his second heart attack that killed him. My family knows he would have never stopped any other way. So to say, "he stopped dead in his tracks," makes me smile simply because he was a force of mental energy. God knew this was the only way to get him to relax. We owned a motel for about 20 years. It was the Texas version of the BBC series "Faulty Towers." Adjacent to the motel was a restaurant and on the other side a little store. We owned both of those also. The store we leased out, but the 300-seat restaurant we ran seven days a week. Dad lived full time at the motel in an apartment, so he could manage it 24/7. Mom lived in a brick ranch style house just across a pasture and a pond behind the motel. My two sisters and I worked alongside our parents for most of our lives. In Dad's previous restaurants in the 70's when we were teenagers and his retirement business when we were all married with children. One of the things that amazed me most was the perception by the public that things done at an interstate motel were somehow private. To this day I am very conscious of what I put in the trash at any motel/hotel.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
So, I'm writing before I look at my bank account. Happy to report I was down a couple of more ounces this morning. I did not exercise yesterday. Parties for the upcoming nuptials are taking up some exercise time. And I miss the gym. The optimal day is three lovely hours to spend there. One hour on the elliptical, one hour in pool and sauna and one hour to shower and do make up and hair. Seven days a week. I wrote once that losing weight is like taking on a part time job. So this job would be 14 hours a week. It would be so much easier if I could get my fat butt and menopot out of bed at 5:30 am and just go. It would be a mini miracle if I could ever get into that routine.
A bright spot to report is I wore a belt that was a present from my husband last Christmas. My daughter reminded my when I unwrapped it last year she and I both looked at it then looked at my husband ( who by the way was clueless.) The belt did not even fit my daughter who was four sizes smaller than me at the time. It was one of those awkward moments. The "how in the world did you think I could fit into that?" moment. Which, once again, proves my point. My husband stopped looking at me after baby weight came along. I'm not saying this fact is bad. It's probably one of the reasons we stayed married. He became very happy with the lights off and he has a great imagination. SO, I wore the belt around my waist and not hips. It was not uncomfortable. I'm thinking it is the elliptical. I'm not too sure how that machine works on the waist though.
And, in the car today, my daughter wants me to start writing down stories from my childhood and life so they won't be forgotten. Since this is my journal, I'm going to start adding them at the end of each weight and exercise portion. Who knows, it may offer some insight into weight gain or habitual eating.
Humph.................................................................It's almost like forcing someone to look at slides of family vacations. I'll start with the motel stories. Besides, I remember these the best and they still make me laugh. Owning an interstate motel was a dream of my father's. He wanted to have a business with "non-depletable inventory." After my father passed away I can't say I ever wondered what he would say about any given situation. His voice seems to ring through my head. My relationship with my father is probably one of the reasons for the weight gain. But, I need to make one thing very clear. He was never mean or cruel in any way to me. In fact, he loved me very much. I have no doubt. Working beside him was hard. My daughter ask me why I was not a millionaire like my father was. I could never work as hard as he did. And he could never truly understand why other people did not want to work as hard. When he died, I will admit to being relieved. I felt like I could breathe for the first time ever. It is still odd to me that I feel that way. He died with his running shoes on....literally. On a treadmill. He ran four to five miles each day on a treadmill. He had his first heart attack at 55, starting running and never quit till the age of 69 when he had his second heart attack that killed him. My family knows he would have never stopped any other way. So to say, "he stopped dead in his tracks," makes me smile simply because he was a force of mental energy. God knew this was the only way to get him to relax. We owned a motel for about 20 years. It was the Texas version of the BBC series "Faulty Towers." Adjacent to the motel was a restaurant and on the other side a little store. We owned both of those also. The store we leased out, but the 300-seat restaurant we ran seven days a week. Dad lived full time at the motel in an apartment, so he could manage it 24/7. Mom lived in a brick ranch style house just across a pasture and a pond behind the motel. My two sisters and I worked alongside our parents for most of our lives. In Dad's previous restaurants in the 70's when we were teenagers and his retirement business when we were all married with children. One of the things that amazed me most was the perception by the public that things done at an interstate motel were somehow private. To this day I am very conscious of what I put in the trash at any motel/hotel.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Fat cells
I heard something very interesting on the radio last night. During one of those call-in shows. This particular one was on AM radio and always comes on locally 9-10 pm on Saturday nights. It's a medical doctor answering questions about health etc. Does it make me sound weird that I like to listen to this guy? Here's what I heard. A new study about fat cells was published. It's been proven that there are different kinds of fat cells. That is not new. What he was pointing out is a study about skinny people who agreed to try very hard to gain weight all for the purpose of studying fat cells. It was discovered that as they gained weight new fat cells formed on their legs and thighs, but the fat cells in the mid-section simply stretched and got larger. When trying to lose the weight gained, it was more difficult to lose the weight from the stretched cells than from the newly formed fat cells. Ah ha! I really don't know why it is rewarding to have science prove what I already knew. My menapot seems destined to be with me. Yet, the study indicated all weight gained was eventually lost.
And, I did it again at a wedding yesterday. I ate the cake and I really don't like cake. I need to give this some thought. Going to a wedding shower today. I need to tank up on a HUGE salad before.
Sincerely,
I'm not Oprah
And, I did it again at a wedding yesterday. I ate the cake and I really don't like cake. I need to give this some thought. Going to a wedding shower today. I need to tank up on a HUGE salad before.
Sincerely,
I'm not Oprah
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Gym Part 2
Yes, I'm still alive. Yes I'm still on track towards my goal of 140 pounds of resplendent beauty. Ha! I'm the smallest I have been since I started. It's about two - 4 ounces daily gone, vanished from my body. I checked my records, from Sept. 4 to Oct. 4, four pounds disappeared. I am now really anxious to go back to the OBGYN for the weigh in. That's the place I consider my official weight record.
Ok, on with Gym Part 2. Things I like about it....................
1. It's close. Five minutes and I'm there.
2. Salt water pool. Much better than chlorine.
3. Priced right through my husband's insurance.
4. Has a kid's zone. I took my granddaughter once. She loved it. It's $1.80/hour( if you purchase 25 hours in advance with no expiration. )
5. I've now done two days on elliptical and did not kill myself or hate it. Those people on The Biggest Loser make it look awful. It was NOT awful. Of course, I only did level 2, 30 minutes. AND, you can charge your IPhone, watch TV, listen to your IPod. And, these machines have built in fans that blow in your face. Pretty darn cool.
6. Reconnecting with several older people from our community.
Things I do NOT like...............
1. Exercising next to men of any shape and size. Call me a complete weird-o but this bugs me.
2. Sitting in the sauna where countless sweaty guys have sat. The sauna is clean. It's just the thoughts that bug me.
3. Walking in. Yep this bothers me 'cause EVERYONE stares at you. And I normally look like crap to go exercise.
4. The general noise of a gym. I exercise for peace of mind. I have always enjoyed walking. With no headphones. The pool is peaceful. The gym is noisy.
5. The $35 monthly I'm spending for the privilege to experience numbers 1 - 4.
I'm absolutely positive this list will grow. As it grows, maybe my butt will shrink.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
Ok, on with Gym Part 2. Things I like about it....................
1. It's close. Five minutes and I'm there.
2. Salt water pool. Much better than chlorine.
3. Priced right through my husband's insurance.
4. Has a kid's zone. I took my granddaughter once. She loved it. It's $1.80/hour( if you purchase 25 hours in advance with no expiration. )
5. I've now done two days on elliptical and did not kill myself or hate it. Those people on The Biggest Loser make it look awful. It was NOT awful. Of course, I only did level 2, 30 minutes. AND, you can charge your IPhone, watch TV, listen to your IPod. And, these machines have built in fans that blow in your face. Pretty darn cool.
6. Reconnecting with several older people from our community.
Things I do NOT like...............
1. Exercising next to men of any shape and size. Call me a complete weird-o but this bugs me.
2. Sitting in the sauna where countless sweaty guys have sat. The sauna is clean. It's just the thoughts that bug me.
3. Walking in. Yep this bothers me 'cause EVERYONE stares at you. And I normally look like crap to go exercise.
4. The general noise of a gym. I exercise for peace of mind. I have always enjoyed walking. With no headphones. The pool is peaceful. The gym is noisy.
5. The $35 monthly I'm spending for the privilege to experience numbers 1 - 4.
I'm absolutely positive this list will grow. As it grows, maybe my butt will shrink.
Sincerely,
I'm Not Oprah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)