Chugging Along....

This morning as I was perusing blogs I started doing what I call "link hopping". You know, where you start out one place and start clicking here and there and forget where you started out in the first place! Actually, I've stumbled across some pretty cool blogs that way. But I've also come across some others that leave me feeling....well...glad I am where I am.

I guess I just get tired of all the "quick fix" diets out there. Not to say that I wasn't once chasing them all myself. Hey - any diet that promised me I'd lose tons of weight without lifting a finger or eating less was right up my alley. Count me in baby! But you know what? None of them worked. Because they were all focused on the quick fix and not the long term lifestyle changes necessary for true weight loss maintenance.

For instance (and I might ruffle some feathers here) the Kimkin's Diet. It promises super fast weight loss - but at what expense? Veggies are the bad guy on this diet. The caloric intake is way too low. And a significant part of the weight loss is water. The diet actually says you can lose 2-3 pounds per day! A year ago that would've gotten me very excited. But the smarter me knows better now. Because whatever I do to lose weight today - has to be something I'm willing to do tomorrow and next month and next year and, well...forever! Which means healthy choices and a more active lifestyle. That's it. Nothing else.

Of course as I'm in the losing mode - I will try to fore go some of the things that later on I may be able to eat in moderation. But for the most part, I'm trying to incorporate changes in my way of eating and moving and living that will become a permanent part of who I am. That's the only way it' s going to work. That's the neat thing about blog surfing. You read about people at all different stages. You can see by the pattern of their posts if they're serious or not. And I'm not knocking anyone here because I've been there too! But it's by reading between the lines that you see what's working and what's not. It's the ones who see this whole journey as a life-long trek that seem to be succeeding. Not the ones who are along for the ride for a while but willing to hop off and catch each new wave that promises an even quicker, easier fix.

I wish there was such a thing *sigh* I wish with all my heart that I could just will myself to be thin and have a gorgeous body with no effort at all on my part. But it just doesn't happen that way. When I decided I wanted to be a teacher I didn't just wake up one morning and march into some school and say hire me. I had to apply to colleges and get my bachelor's degree and then my master's degree. It was hard work! Lots of late night burning the midnight oil homework sessions. Lots of papers to write, books to read, internships.... It took many years. But I did it.

And so it is with this present journey. I'm making changes. Sure, some are hard to do and they are slow about becoming permanent. But they're happening all the same. And it's as I read about others on their own journeys that I glean the knowledge and wisdom I need to continue on my own. I won't be getting off at any quick-fix stops no matter how promising they may appear. I'm in for the long haul.

All aboard!

Yesterday I spent a good amount of time at the other house picking blackberries and blueberries. Each year it's always a rush to beat the birds to 'em! The blueberries are easy to pick - no brambles and thorns. But the blackberries are another story. They 're in a spot that's somewhat over grown and needs some TLC. To get to the really plump ones I have to venture in. And silly me - I traipsed over there in shorts and sandals. What was I thinking?!

Right now my legs look I climbed over a barbed wire fence! But I got a fair amount of the little black caps and we shall have jam all winter! As for the blueberries....they are just awesome this year. Fat and juicy and sweeter than I remember. I tossed a handful on my cheerios this morning with a sprinkle of cinnamon and remembered another one of the reasons I love summer!

I'll be baking some blueberry pies....and yes, I know.....lots of sugar in them. Perhaps I can try something different. Has anyone had luck with a sugar substitute in pies? It has to taste like the real deal or hubby will balk. He's nuts for my berry pies and is chomping at the bit for one.

And in case you're wondering why I'm so ga-ga over the little guys - check out this site . You'll be amazed at how good they are for you! We have 3 bushes planted and they provide enough of the little fellers to keep us supplied through the next season.

On another note, I still haven't gotten back into my journaling like I should. It's been a month and the blank pages were staring me down saying "Write something, Lora! Anything!" So the cheerios & blueberries got recorded. That's a start. I need to record what I eat! It's the only way I can be honest with myself. If no one else holds me accountable, at least my trusty little journal will.

I'm off to walk now. Perhaps I'll take some pics along my route and share the sights in tomorrow's post. In the meantime - grab yourself some blueberries and enjoy!

Building Dreams......

Well the walk went quite well! My foot didn't bother me too much at all. Of course all across the top I'm getting a nice array of pinks and blues and aquas...but I can live with that!

Last night we went over to the other house and all the walls are up on the first floor! The windows are framed in as well as the front door and the rear sliding door. We walked around inside and arranged imaginary furniture and tried to envision what it will look like when the whole east wall of the existing house is knocked out to allow access into the new great room and make the existing rooms even larger. It's so exciting! We've been planning this dream since we got married (Feb '04) and now it's actually coming to fruition. There was a time I really didn't believe it would. All the plans were in my head but until I actually saw something tangible - it just didn't seem possible.

Weight loss is like that. We have this dream of a new body and how it will be when we finally lose the weight. But I think it isn't until we see something tangible there too - that we actually begin to believe it will happen. Not so much a drop on the scale (though that's always nice) but when someone compliments us and notices the loss. Or when we fit into a new pant size. Or have to go to another buckle hole on our belt. When those things happen - the dream begins to take form and we are on a roll.

Just as I see now that yes, the new addition will exist someday - I also realize that it's still going to take time. If I got all antsy and said I want it done NOW - the builder would probably look at me like I had three eyes. There are certain things that need to be done and they will not be quick. Hubby has a cute sign in his shop (he's a mechanic) that says "I can do your job 3 ways - cheap, quick and good.....pick two. Cheap and quick won't be good. Good and quick won't be cheap."

So it is with our weight loss journey. We can't look for quick fixes and get discouraged if things aren't happening NOW! We need to be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. I'll admit it. I've been in a frump. Some days I just don't see anything happening and I want to quit. Which is what I've done so many times in the past. The difference this time is my blogging friends (see the comment on my last post.) It helps to know we're all out there in the same boat, swimming the same stream and fighting against the same current.

I'm reminded as I look at the progress on my house, that good things come to those who wait. When it's all built it will be wonderful. And it will seem as if it's always been there. But the builder will know the hard work that went into it. He's put his heart and soul into the place so far and will continue until it's done. So must we!

I've decided my new goal (besides the little black dress!) will be for hubby to be able to carry me across the threshold of our new front door. We are estimating that to be around the holidays. This way - as I see the house dream take shape - I'll be reminded of my own dream and work patiently and steadily until it happens. And I promise - I'll post a pic of that!

Yesterday was a busy day - doctor's appointment, nail appointment, several trips to the "other" house to monitor construction....(we have 3 walls up! though there's only one up in the picture....the other two went up shortly after that one, and my camera battery died!)) and dinner at mom-in-laws. Even though I told her gently several times to only order me a small sub - she got me a large *sigh* But good girl that I am - I only ate half. And come dessert time - I had a skinny. skinny slice of the watermelon sherbet and one very small chocolate chip cookie.

I still feel bloated today though. I have a nasty summer cold and couldn't walk yesterday. Wednesday night I dropped a 4 foot long iron rod on my foot and thought I broke it! It hurt so friggin' bad that I actually cried for 5 minutes! Like a baby! Who cries at my age over a boo-boo?? But dang it hurt! And I was up most of the night with it throbbing. I was convinced in the morning that I needed x-rays but decided to wait it out since the day was full already. Isn't that just like us women? Always putting ourselves at the end of the to-do list. Anyway - by evening it felt better. It still smarts if I touch the top of it - but I can walk okay now and the bruising is minimal.

Never the less - I didn't dare walk on it yesterday. So today I'll test it out.

Today I got a dose of inspiration by visiting Carmen over at The Elff Diet. She posted a pic of herself and she looks great! It's those "after" pictures that get my juices flowing and tell me -"You can do it!" I've got a wedding coming up in August and that little black dress I've been keeping for inspiration has me feeling intimidated. It's not going to fit me in 4 weeks which truly stinks!

Some days it's so easy to slip into the "well....I'm fat and this is how it's meant to be and this is how it's gonna' be and there's nothing I can do about it anyway so I may as well have a donut...." mentality. Can't do that! That's why the pic of Carmen got me back in the proper mindset. She could've given up but she didn't. And look where it got her! Where I wanna' be! Not ashamed to don a swimsuit or pose for a picture or bump into an old friend from skinnier days. And that's where I'm going. Yep! No matter how long - how far - how many roadblocks or U-turns - I'm going there!

Right now I've got to get off this darn computer (been at it for 2 hours writing a paper) and get my duff walking!

Hey...f you feel a little less than motivated today - check out Carmen's blog and be sure to go back in the archives to see her before pic. I guarantee you'll be inspired to press on!

On Salads and Blueprints....

Well it's raining, raining, raining and I can't walk yet today. We're talking buckets! Which is a good thing because the ground is so crispy and brown that it hurts to walk barefoot on it. Still....couldn't it just rain at night and leave the day alone?

Last night I met a few female relatives at a tavern in the city and we had dinner. It was too hot to eat out on the sidewalk cafe so we opted for indoors (which wasn't much cooler since there was such a strain on the AC) it was 97 degrees as I was getting ready to go! I was a good girl. Sort of. I ordered a salad. It sounded healthy until it arrived. It was called a fajita salad and I didn't realize it came in a taco shell (which of course I ate...starving kids in China and all). And there was sour cream dumped on it which also wasn't listed on the menu. Probably way too many calories and fat - but I'm still proud I got the salad and not the wings and potato skins that the others ordered. The 2 beers weren't so good though. But it was SO hot! I ordered Michelob Ultra lite - no carbs. Hey...I tried.

The place is famous for its wings. At least I did not succumb to that temptation.

Then today I met my old college roommate for lunch. The one who has lost 35 pounds so far. I waited till she ordered and then told the waitress I'd have what she's having! It was a grilled chicken salad with light vinaigrette dressing. It tasted good and considering the place we met at was a hamburger stand - I was proud. No fries or burger which is my mainstay at a place like that.

Of course then I came home and ate 4 Oreo cookies before I even had time to realize what I'd just done. Old habits die hard.

But I still feel more in control. And the interesting thing was - I really wanted to eat salad both days. It wasn't a struggle. There was a time I'd never ever order just a salad. I guess my body is starting to like the rabbit food I've been feeding it and wants more!

Tomorrow we go to mom-in-law's to celebrate a wedding anniversary. (Hubby's family is weird that way - they celebrate every anniversary like a birthday.) I couldn't tell you the date of any of my siblings anniversaries!

Anyway - they've ordered subs for everyone. I told her no oil or mayo for me - and NOT a large pl-ease! Now if I can pass on the chips I may be okay. Summer, as I've said so many times before brings so many challenges to throw us off.

After I finish this post I have to revamp some of the blue print plans for the new addition. The architect made the upstairs bathroom too small and we need to reconfigure to make it larger. Which means making one of the three bedrooms upstairs smaller. It'll only be a guest room so I'm not too concerned. I need my space in the bathroom! I grew up with 4 women and 2 men and one bathroom my whole life! And I raised three daughters with a single full bath. (The downstairs powder room was all but a closet!) Of course it'll just be me and hubby now. And we already will have a full bath downstairs - but upstairs - I want space! I think I've watched too many home improvement shows!

I've included a pic of the blue print - anyone have some suggestions? (The multi-purpose room will actually be two bedrooms...we just haven't ecided how to divide them yet.)

It's Time To Hit The Road!

Today I start walking again. I've put it off long enough. Sure, I walked at the lake. It's easy to do there because it's like taking a hike - the road around the lake is primitive - very narrow - dirt and gravel - and hugs the woods on one side. Our lake is small and can be walked around in about a half hour. When you get to the south end, the road stops and turns into a path that takes you through a thick woods and down a steep hill. At the base of a hill you exit the woods and enter an old abandoned Camp Fire Kids Camp. A short jaunt through the camp takes you back to the original road that eventually hooks up where you started.

My walking route at home isn't near as adventurous or interesting. I live in a rural area so I do pass a farm when I walk. If the timing is right, the cows are out and when they see me coming the ones nearest the fence walk over and begin walking along with me for a few yards.

But once I get past the farm it's pretty blah. There are a number of big fields that are farmed and houses scattered on either side of the street. But no lake hugging one side, no smell of hemlocks and pines, no hint of campfires in the air. And I have to turn around and retrace my steps to come back. Bo-o-ring....

When first hubby was alive, we walked all the time but took the longer route which went 4 miles and made a complete circle. It didn't seem that long because we were talking to each other the whole time and the scenery was constantly changing. I know in theory I could take this longer route alone but it would be pretty boring all by myself and truthfully - I wouldn't have the motivation to do it solo. It's enough to try to muster the drive to do my 2 mile trek alone. Present hubby doesn't like to walk. He's on his feet all day fixing machines and gets enough of a work out lifting and hauling. He'll walk at the lake If I nag him enough but not at home. First hubby was a teacher so come summertime - he was off too and enjoyed the walks.

Yesterday it hit 97 degrees and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I hate to sweat! Today looks like it'll be another scorcher but if I let the heat hinder me I'll get nowhere.

So now that I've stacked up my excuses I guess it's time to make a commitment and just do it. It's seems like lately every magazine I pick up has an article about how important it is to walk for at least 30 minutes daily. They tell you to carve out a time slot and schedule your walk so you won't put it off. Makes sense because that's exactly what I do. I put it off all day and then it's too late. You know, the old "tomorrow" syndrome (which is a dangerous slope to slip down...)

So my new plan is to walk when I get up. Before I shower...before the sun gets too high in the sky...before I can think up a gajillion reasons not to walk. And I guess there's no better time to start than right now.... Besides - I think the cows have missed me :-)

Home Again.....

Well I'm back! I wish I could say my 9 days at the lake were wonderfully relaxing and stress free...but Mr. ImAnAss was in rare form and truly put a damper on the week. But aside from that - spending time with my family was oh so nice! It often seems that time stands still at the lake.....one can come back after several decades and not much would have changed. Oh, maybe an addition here or there to a cottage or a new deck, but the dirt road traversing around the lake would still be too dusty and too skinny for two cars to pass each other without one pulling over, the hemlock trees would still grace the shoreline giving the place an Adirondack feel, and the laid back aura of yester-year would still be hovering in the air.

I think cottages are like that. Perhaps because they hold the fondest of memories of happy times with family and friends. You can almost feel them rush to surround you as you unlock the door for the first time each season. When I'm there, my mind always drifts back to past summers...when the girls were young and no one had jobs or families to rush home to. We could spend endless stretches there - and leave all the cares of the world where they belonged - which was anywhere but the lake!

So I guess I spent this past week in a somewhat melancholy state - watching my grown daughters interact with their husbands - and seeing my grandson delight in roasting his first marshmallow, or squeal as he sat perched on the side of the sailboat as it skimmed across the lake. He's the next generation of lake kids and he's building memories that will serve him a life time and come rushing back to surround him as he opens the cottage up each season...long after I'm gone....

On the other side of this long winded coin - I didn't think too much about what I ate this week. Some of it was pretty fattening...but I didn't eat all that much either. And I actually lost a pound. Go figure! I'm not complaining!

But I do know that I have to buckle down now that summer's here and get on a walking regime every single day! I'm not near as far as I'd hoped to be at this point.

As for Mr. ImAnAss....I have to tell you. We finally nailed the jerk. This time when we arrived he has put big rocks (I'm talking too big to lift without struggle) in front of the stairs leading down to our place. So I went down to the lake front where I have "so graciously" let him grow his lillies for the past 8 years(on OUR property) and ripped them out. Then I put a twine fence across the area with a no trespassing sign. I mulched the area and put 2 large conch shells on the much. It looked pretty nice. He didn't think so. He came huffing and puffing down with his shovel and ripped the fence down, threw my shells in the lake and shoveled my mulch in after the shells. Not to worry. I got it all on video. Up until now the b------d has done everything on the sly. We knew he did it but never had proof. Now we do. A DEC officer is coming by to get the tape next weekend and is turning it over to the District Attorney. It was an interesting scene. Gave the lake something to talk about the rest of the week. I haven't met anyone yet on the lake that has a kind word for the doofus or his wife. Even his Aunt & Uncle who live on the lake don't speak to him. Do I sound consumed by all of this? I guess I am and I'm not too proud of that. In any event....I'll keep you posted.

Okay - now I need to go and catch up on all my favorite bloggers. This could take a while!