Broadening our horizons...

We've had some new visitors to the site, and some new commenters, Thanks for coming and please visit often. Support is so vital to what we are all doing, both with the change of lifestyle, and the blogging itself.

It's nice to see other perspectives and other paths to the goal we all seek. From a comment here I found Jim, the Guacamole Guy's site, and from his another site which I enjoyed, Low Carb Jane's site, as well as Ms Chubby Chick's blog.

There is a lot of good information out there in 'cyber-space', and sometimes it is difficult to find it because there is so much 'crap' to filter through.

We can tend to get too focused on our own 'road' and not look-up and see what's going on around us. I plan to continue posting interesting sites I have come across on this trip. If you feel like it, take to time to check them out. Our village is growing, and our ability to support others who share our destiny, limitless!

Fun Day!!

I went shopping today with a friend. We had planned to be poolside, but thanks to the rain, I got some exercise.

I'm off to a family party tonight. I feel good that tomorrow is weigh-in day :) Confident that my loss of a few days ago remained the same, I can't wait to post it!

I am not sure what's on the menu tonight, but I'm sure I can handle whatever there is....it's just about choices and making the right ones now.

See you all tomorrow...enjoy the evening!

Summertime

Summertime is a great time to feel good...and I do. I can't wait to feel even better next year however. To be able to fit into smaller clothes, look better in a bathing suit...etc. But I am concentrating on the here and now and life is good...of course it can be better, but it's good.

Sunday will be my first day in the pool, cold or not, it's time to get in and scrub it!! I love doing it actually, and I then every day that follows is just one great swim day after another...I'm wearing a suit that Gina bought for me about 2 or 3 years ago and I couldn't wear it because it didn't fit....well now it does, finally, it may not look all that great, but it fits !!
:)

Don, Ed....pooltime!!!!

All the dough in the world ....

.... won't make me loose a single pound, unless I ignore every bit of it. I went to dinner tonight with Ed at Bertucci's (a local Italian Restaurant) and what I used to love most about the place was the hot bread 'balls' they bring to the table with lots of butter. We were deciding where to go to dinner and Ed said, 'nah.. let's not go there.. the bread there would be too much of a temptation', and at first I agreed with him, and we had decided to go to Charlie Brown's instead. Both places are in the same parking lot, and as we were pulling in and were in front of Charlie Browns, Ed saw Berticci's and said in a desperately hungry voice 'mmmmmm... Bertucci's'... so I just drove right past Charlie Browns.

It was a good exercise in commitment and control for me. They brought the bread to the table... I smelled it, felt it (it was cold, so I asked the waitress to bring some hot out of the oven), and then watched Ed eat it. I didn't drop dead, I didn't faint cold away, I just endured, thought about why I shouldn't be eating it, and focused on my salad. I love when I can put into practice some of the things I've been writing about in this BLOG!

Don't focus on the rain...

....focus on the rainbows.... I know it's a bit cliche, but, the weather can really effect our moods. Rainy days can lead to depression, I know I hate to be stuck out in the rain. I wish it would stop, I have to get into my yard and cut before the grass is up to my knees! Plus, I actually look forward to the exercise of mowing (I wouldn't have believed this a year ago!). The rainbow here is that I am actually WANTING to get out and do the yard!! The moral is, always try to find a positive in any situation.

I'm feeling good. I have kept to my commitment of going to the gym every other day for 2 weeks now... it's starting to just become 'part of the routine', which is a good thing.

I weighed myself the other day and have lost more, but will not publish how much until the next official weigh in date (Monday 15 June), it's just very inspiring to see the progress, for both myself, and Sunny (psssst.. she's lost too! and is very happy!!!). I know we wrote early in the blog about weight only being a number, and that is soooo true, but really, at the same time, it is a mark of progress, and we like seeing that needle go down, whether a little or a lot!

I plan to do a video blog later today.. so stay tuned.

Movin' Along

I went to a friend's house this past Sunday and we had a lovely time. Good food, wonderful people and desserts to die for....seriously! I'm talking home made cookies of many varieties, but there's one and only one kind that I can't even get out of my mind!!!....and that's Aunt Paula's Macaroons...PEOPLE!!! If you like coconut, you'd think you literally died and gone to heaven! I tried to find a pic that was comparable to Aunt Paula's, but these still don't do them justice. Paula's macaroons are moist and sweet and chewy, with that pretty little cherry peeking out from it's valley right in the center of all that coconut goodness!! I know, I know....I get carried away when I talk about them, sorry.

*clears throat* ....Anyway, I mentioned to my friends that when I got to my goal weight, I'd want these cookies. Then tonight while I was getting the family's dinner of pasta and mozzerella cheese heated up, (Yes, I was still thinking about these damn cookies) I thought of sitting there and eating a whole bunch of them, then I thought to myself, nah, why would I do THAT??
Ok, Maybe I could just have 2 or 3 of them
...then I thought
...nah, just one would be good.

Thinking about this made me realize, that I will never truly be able to gorge myself on anything again, not even Paula's macaroons!!!
I wouldn't want to. The thought of it was incomprehensible!

It would be breaking my commitment to myself to be whole and not settle for anything less than to live as I am capable of living...and that's free of any worry about excess fat and stress on my limbs and back. To be what I need to be for me. This is a change that has already taken place. It's not going to happen by magic when I reach a goal weight....it's already happened! I know I've written about having control before, but I am really ready for the long haul....I'm still motivated, still feeling great without even trying.

This life change absolutely IS a lifetime of change! Thinking thin, the mind working together with the body to make me more healthy has already happened. But it has to continue to happen for as long as I live and breathe, I will never be unhealthy again.

And someday, I will have 1 macaroon and maybe one of my mom's chocolate crinklies, but rest assured, I will not let myself be ruled by food.

Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. :)

Reconnecting...

... I got a great surprise tonight, when I got home. I walked up to my front door and when I opened the screen, a business card fell to my feet. It landed face-up and I saw the Toyota logo and immediately knew it was from my friend Paul who I had worked with for several years until he accepted a job in Ohio and moved away.

Paul and I had kept in contact somewhat via email in the 4 plus years since he moved, but, let me tell you, there is nothing like reconnecting face to face. We met for dinner (low carb meal on my part) and had a great time catching up. It really makes me think about what is important.. connections to people!~

Thanks for the call, Paul, the meal and the conversation was GREAT.

My day was great. No problems with staying on plan. I feel good, I feel lighter and more energetic and very positive!

Begin...

Making an Effort!

It seems that every other day, I am driving to the city and when I get there, food choices are so limited. I am in the car a lot, driving to and from the facility that my dad is in and then to mom's house or to another family member or friend's home.....I have to plan better, leave when it isn't meal time or eat before I leave. Just because I am not hungry when I leave the house, doesn't mean that I will not become hungry en route or later on. It's always too late when I realize that I haven't eaten or prepared anything for myself.

If I don't see any weight loss this month, it will be my own fault, and that hurts.
I have the best intentions, never have I cheated on this plan, nor do I intend to...having said that, I do go without meals. NOT a good thing!! My body feels it's being starved and holds onto every pound! I believe this, because I can feel it happening. Today I had nothing but slim jims....slim jims = salt, salt, salt!

I am going to make a conscious effort to prepare my meals and NOT leave the house without having had anything to eat. I am suffering for no reason.

Here's to a better tomorrow!

My two enemies... Time and Gravity

... every day when I wake up, time seems to pass twice as fast and everywhere I stand gravity is three times as strong. Or, at least that's the way it seems to me.

I can't believe how fast time seems to be passing by me. It's already almost half way through June, by God.. it was just christmas yesterday, wasn't it?

I had a great day today. It was very busy... as you will see if you look at my video blog for the day. I documented little snippets from my entire day. I couldn't film inside work, or inside the gym, but you will enjoy the post!

I feel so good. I have lots of energy, my outlook on life is great, I don't even have to think about how to stay on plan, and there are really no temptations that even come close to effecting me anymore! I love this.

Space and Time can do what they want, I will enjoy EVERY minute I have on this earth, and I will not be weighed down by my body or my past!

Tightie-Whities...

Simulated Me.. In my minds eye...

So, what do you do when your underwear is to large? Squirm and squirm as they creep and crawl into places you didn't know exist (EVER)! This is how I experience my weight loss changes today... I could have lived without this discovery, and learned, I should not dress in the dark anymore. I need to go through my drawers (figuratively speaking) and get some smaller sizes. This is exciting!

Today was a great day. I'm working longer hours for a while (11.5 hour days plus 2 hour commute total) but I have still saved my fridays off. It's worth it. It'll be interesting to see how I feel after tomorrow, though, with a plan to work, then go to the gym. I'll get home an hour before bedtime!!

Sunny Girl.. Hope you feel better.

Just Plain Ol' Sleepy...

I want to be back in my bed today. Not feeling well at all. I think the stress and work finally caught up to me. I had a party to go to yesterday at a restaurant and basically it was very relaxing for me, so I don't really understand it, but I am tired and my stomach seems to be on the blink. That's all I will say about that!

I am so glad Don has decided to video blog, he looks so amazing, so different, so good. He looks even more amazing in person, but you can really see the loss when he speaks, because his face and neck are so much thinner, it's just nothing short of astonishing!! Me?...I don't like the way I speak on camera, my voice, facial expressions...etc., so I don't think I will be doing much of that, but great idea, Don!!

I'm getting a little frustrated at the length of time it's taking to get this weight off, but there is nothing and no one that is going to stop this girl from succeeding. I just feel like my body doesn't match my mind set, ya know?.......I think like a thin person, want to move like a thin person...etc. but I'm still so far from my goal.

10 at a time......right? Yes....let's take it slow and savor every loss.

I think I will put myself to bed early tonight and hope I feel better in the morning. G'night all.

Innovative changes in the air...

I love when we are able to change, both in life, and in this blog. I'm so excited about the video blog addition. I did 2 video blogs just today. Doing this will really 'bring you in' to some of the things I do on a daily basis, things I don't write about. I know you may think you've already learned way more than you ever thought you'd like to know about me/us, but, hey.. it's all about sharing! It's healthy and I LOVE IT! Besides just downright dedication to the journey, the sharing is what keeps me up and going from day to day.

I hope everyone will view / comment on the videos.

Today was a great day. I got a lot done and I'm tired and ready to get to bed. I am going to start working longer hours (11 hour days) starting tomorrow. I'm on a project that just requires more time than I can give, so I have to give more... and I WILL NOT give up my fridays.

If I haven't said it lately, thank you so much for all your ongoing support... we love our growing village.

Two Cousin's become 'Media Rich'

Well, welcome to the 21st century. Note the new ICON in the left side bar for 'Video Blogs'. Click there to see recorded video blogs that I'm sure I will add several times a week. There are 2 there already for today!

I bought a FlipVideo camera today so that I could start putting some video on our blog. I went to Sunny's for a party today for her daughter's graduation from college. It was so great to see her ... and she looks WONDERFUL.. it's so apparent that she has lost weight!

It was so nice being at a party arranged by a fellow lo-carber.. she had some great choices. Roast pork and beef, peppers and sausage, provolone cheese, and of course, she made the shrimp slaw from the recipe portion of our site! And what a nice mix of berries for desert.

Of course there were the regular foods, potato salad, baked ziti, Wings (breaded and then sauced :( ) and all the deserts you can think of. Because she planned for us, there was no suffering, only enjoying.

Anyhow, I asked Ed to film us so we could do a video introduction to the site (which is now in place). LOOK AT US!.. Then compare us now to the first pictures we posted early on in the photo section of our blog! WOW !!!

I'll be posting much more video in the future.. until then, I'm psyched-up and excited!

Busy Cooking...

So the party is tomorrow, almost 100 people to cook for! :) I love this, I always have. I talked to Don yesterday as I was making 10 lbs of potato salad and we laughed about it. No one on this plan should have to touch a potato, let alone prepare 10 lbs of it!! Not one morsel made it to my lips by the way and it didn't bother me a bit. Well, maybe a tiny bit, but I am looking forward to the shrimp slaw I prepared as well, it's in our recipe section and I can tell you, it's worth it to look it up and make it....it is amazing!! Plenty of meats to choose from and other low carb sides as choices too.

I am about to make 8 lbs of baked ziti as well, and then off to my pedi/mani appointment! I need a little pampering after spending all this time in the kitchen, don'tcha think?.... ;)

Enjoy this rainy Friday and have a wonderful Saturday, see you all on Sunday!!

Life gets crazy...

Hi all! Sorry for no posts the last couple of days. Life has been crazy... I've been working so hard that at night all I want to do is vegetate (not couch potato'ishly) and go to bed. I know Sunny has been nuts too, preparing for her daughters college graduation party this weekend. Anyhow...

I've been 100 percent on plan, both with food and exercise (I went to the gym Wednesday night and I'll be going again today!). It has been so easy to stay focused! I read somewhere it takes two months of change to rid yourself of old habits and develop new ones. I've already made a habit of how and what to eat, now I'm working on developing the habit of going to the gym.

This weekend includes 2 parties in a row on Saturday. One is Sunny's party, so I'm so excited about that, can't wait to see her and I know there'll be plenty of low-carb choices, the other.. em.. I'm not so sure, but really, It doesn't matter.. because I'm under control! Crazy, but controlled life, it's a good thing!

My momma always told me...

"Life is like a box of chocolates...' except, I CAN'T EAT NO STINKIN CHOCOLATES~! No, really, I choose not to have chocolate. I LOVE chocolate, but it's not in the picture for me, at least not in the short term.

Now, taking that phrase a little bit further, yes, life is full of choices, and you don't know what choice will work for you until you bit into it, own it, live it.

Sunny and I have been going along on this journey for a few months now, and for us, it is WORKING. There are a lot of misconceptions about low-carb dieting, but, there is a safe, correct way to do it. We are both very educated on the steps because we did it before. We're not eating tons of fat and bacon, not eating tons of eggs, we're making protein choices and low-impact carbohydrate choices to keep us going to our destination.

So, even though I can't eat chocolate right now, I'm happy with my choice of plan. I'm conscious of the pitfalls and proceeding purposefully. Today was a great day!

Today's Thoughts...

I've been doing well on our journey, staying the course and losing more weight (yes, I've weighed myself) and feeling physically fine. I haven't thought about it much though, to be honest. I just sort of do what I know I have to do to succeed in finally losing all this fat....I haven't even had the time to blog about my meals because sometimes I can't even recall what I ate that day. And this is because I have my dad to think about a lot of the time. Lately, it's been he who permeates my thoughts, and this is something I wrote while thinking about what's going on right now in my life, my mind and soul. Sometimes it helps to write down what I am feeling and I thought it would be OK to share it.

Saying good-bye to my dad has been very very hard.....But I thought about it and I see now that I can actually feel good about being witness to the process of his death. I feel as though I have been privileged to be a part of this process, as it was my privilege to be a part of his incredible life!!

Right now I am being thankful for the times we shared, the love we shared and the laughs, I will always he thankful for the laughs. He's not gone yet in body, but I believe his spirit left us already, he's teetering between earth and heaven and I am coming to terms with the fact that I will miss him with all my heart. And I will love him, ALWAYS.

Floating on dreams of the future me....

Simulated me.. (I wish)...

Today, when I was working out in the pool (isn't that cool, that I can actually form a sentence which includes... working out!!!), I had a 'reality' moment. I've thought of this before, but not really quite in this way. As I was walking in the water, I realized, hey, this is what it's going to be like when I reach my goal... easy to move around, light on my feet, not weighed down by the fat... IT WAS WONDERFUL... I floated on my back for a while just thinking about that!

Of course, reality had to rush back in, as I was walking up the steps out of the pool, the 'weight of the world' landed directly back on my poor two little feet! My body is grateful that I'm on this journey, and so am I!~

Glad I Got That Out...

...of my system! I am back to normal. No, I didn't touch a piece of chocolate. I'm a lot more dedicated than that. But I must admit, I was tempted to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich of all things...Ha! Of course, I decided the weigh-in on the 15th would be much worse than it is now if I actually did it, so no deviation from me. Besides, I really have no desire for anything that will hamper my success.

It is back to basics for me though. No veggies besides lettuce for a week at least. And then only those that are suggested in the Atkins plan. Maybe Mr. A knew what he was talking about after all?!! ;)

I am thankful for,
My children
My perseverance
Music
Friends
Life!!!!