"The little dogs and all, Tray, Blanch and Sweetheart--see, they bark at me." William Shakespeare "King Lear"

OK, so the 17 day challenge got me jump started.  Down 42 pounds now since December.  Whoo hoo! Hmmm...that is about 8 grown chihuahaus & one puppy.   I see that the "average" human leg weighs 40 lbs.  Wondering what one of MY legs weigh.  And how did they figure that one out?  And, if I weighed one leg at the end of the day, with all the swelling around the ankles, how much difference would that be from the early morning weight?  So, now waiting for that Puppy to grow and make it 45 lbs!

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory" - George S. Patton

Starting a new challenge tomorrow to keep me motivated and moving. The 17 Day Diet Challenge.

 Have lost 38 pounds since mid December.  Have slowed down a bit, so hope this will get me a jump to keep going.  Have done well eating healthier and not eating sweets.

   Of course, this challenge just had be starting on the day that I am going out of town for a week!   So I must whine that there were be no wine (sniffle).)  This will be extra challenging!   I am taking hard boiled eggs and yogurt with me for breakfast, Assorted fresh fruit, some vinegar for the salads we will be served at lunch, lots of celery, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Picked the last lemon from my tree for lemon water.   

The Age of Enlightenment.....

"And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,"

                                                      William Shakespeare
                                                       Sonnet CLII

I will never be able to give up ice cream.  And, so many of the low cal versions just can't match the creamy, luscious, deeply satisfying taste and pleasure of my favorite high fat brand.

But, my eyes have been opened!  So...Haagen Dazs peanut butter and chocolate, 1/2 cup = 15 ww smart points.   ENLIGHTENED peanut butter and chocolate.....3 pts!!!!!  And it tastes creamy and good!

Please don't tell me what is in it.  I don't want to know.  I am sure it cannot be good for me.  But neither is the fat in Haagen Dazs, or the fat that is already residing on my body, and has proven to be  a tough tenant to evict!

I haven't tried the plain chocolate yet.  And....IT IS ONLY 2 PTs per 1/2 cup.   Wow, have I been Enlightened!!!!!

GIVE A MAN A FISH...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish, and his wife ends up gutting, scaling and cooking that wriggling, slippery, odiferous piscine creature.

So, these days, I do most of my fishing at Costco.  I am always guaranteed to catch a whole school of fish that way.

Or, as I did tonight...dinner at a restaurant.  No cleaning required...of either fish or dinnerware!  Perfect Steelhead with a delicious veggie mix of asparagus and summer squash.  Replaced the rice pilaf with a bowl of fruit; Voila!  Minimal points dinner.

Actually, I do like fishing. Especially when you get to go out on a boat and have a good supply of beer available.

The Fault in Our Stars

THE FAULT, DEAR BRUTUS, IS NOT IN OUR STARS, BUT IN OURSELVES.
                                                                         William Shakespeare
                                                                          Julius Caesar

Well, so I fell off the wagon.  Guess I could blame the stars, but, for whatever reason I just lost motivation. Hmmm.  Almost two years ago....Well, what goes on the internet, stays on the internet!

So, I now have a new kitchen item to add to my garage collection.  For whatever reason, I was given an Insta-Pot for Christmas.  And, along with it, a special Weight Watchers Insta-Pot Cookbook.  So, I don't know if it was in the stars or not, but I took that as a SIGN to join Weight Watchers once again.
The good news is.....I DON'T HAVE TO COUNT ALL THOSE ANNOYING POINTS ANYMORE!
Well, at least, most of them.  Ground Turkey, skinless chicken, all seafood, veggies, fruits....0 POINTS.  I've been making a game out of how many zero or near zero point meals I can make.
More good news....I have lost 11 pounds since Christmas!  Whoopee.

But I have a confession....I have only used the insta-pot once.  It did make a good zero point chili.  So, I guess I won't send it to appliance Heaven in the garage quite yet........

Up for the Challenge!

"Probably nothing in the world arouses more false hopes than the first four hours of a diet." ~Dan Bennett

Started a Spring Challenge today, to "Put some Zing in my Spring!" The plan is to lose 10 pounds in the next eight weeks. Let's hope these aren't false hopes! I'm ready. Have been on track all week, so I'm already wayyyyyy past the first four hours!        

Been Gone Too Long...

"Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment."
                                                                                                   --William Shakespeare

OK, Vacation in Hawaii is not conducive to weight loss.  Neither is my granddaughter's successful Girl Scout Cookie Campaign, which came just before I left...but the cookies were waiting for my return!  Why didn't mice or ants attack while I was gone????  I think Grandma was her best customer.  Yikes.  But, I didn't blog while I was gone either.  My test as too whether that makes a big difference won't work if I don't blog!  So, an open box of Tag-alongs, and another of Samoas reside in my refrigerator.  Then there are the unopened thin mints.   Everyone I know should come over and we will have a cookie party!  Just don't let me eat any more!!!!!

"Tempt not a desperate (wo)man".

<sigh>
Was doing well all week.  Even did great all day...I passed up the peanut butter cookies, the rice krispie squares, the chocolate bars.  But the chocolate covered pumpkin seeds gave me an excuse to try something sweet and "healthy."   But it was worth it....!

"A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal." --Pat Conroy

 

 

 

So what could be easier...good food delivered straight to my front door.  Too bad a chef didn't come with it.  Hmmm..."Prep Time: 10 min."   I think they were referring to the time it took me to read the recipe.  "Trim off and discard the end of the radishes; small dice."  I think it took me 10 min just for that part.  Luckily I didn't dice a digit or two into the mix.  "Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems; discard the stems."   Another 5 minutes. 

 

I use cilantro a lot, but I've never really worried about getting the stems into things.  It is soooooo much easier just too cut it all up with a pair of scissors.  But....I was true to the instructions, and followed the directions step by step...

 

An eternity later, I had a wonderful dinner!   What a shock!  It even looked just like the picture.  I wish I had taken a picture of this delectable work of art, but starvation had set in and I didn't want to pass out from hunger before I could partake of this latest delicacy.

 

I have to say, it was absolutely fabulous.  What a sense of accomplishment!  I have tried two of these meal delivery services, and if you don't like to go shopping  and want to try different things, this is a pretty cool thing!  A real plus...no bunches of left over ingredients that you end up playing "guess what this was" weeks later while cleaning out the refrigerator!  Or, like with my recent Vegetable Curry recipe experience, TWO jars of curry and garam masala, because I had forgotten that I had already bought it for another recipe that I never made (and most likely ended up trying to identify the unused ingredients weeks later in the fridge!)

 

Tonight's dish:  Seared Cod & Date Vinaigrette.   One of the best meals yet. 

 

 

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;"

Oh, I wish that time did creep!   Almost 2 years since I last posted here.  Journaling kept me on track, so now I am starting over again, hoping that I won't put off til tomorrow...again, and again, and again.  I got so busy with the new job that I took, that I found myself not taking time for myself.   And so many things have happened.....!  Some good, some bad, some terrible.  but...."to the last syllable of recorded time;" day, by day..Life goes on!

"Thou seest I have more flesh than another man, and therefore more frailty."

So, wow, it's been a long time since I 've posted!  Started a new job, and all my good intentions of staying/getting healthy....out the door!   Now that the new job is over a year old, I guess I can't use that as an excuse to procrastinate and avoid the hard work it takes to be fit.  Actually, not being able to zip my pants up kind of gives some incentive....time to give myself a kick in those pants!  Started back with "My fitness pal," and got Hungry Girl's new diet book.  Hungry Girl's tips/recipes give you huge guilt- free servings.  Do you know how hard it is to eat 4 cups of veggie slaw in one meal????? (Next time I will cut it in half.)  I tried her girlfredo....didn't use the tofu noodles, but cooked up "rainbow slaw" (made primarily with broccoli and cauliflower), and added the laughing cow cheese and light sour cream, along with a serving of chopped up chicken breast.  I wasn't able to eat the dessert I had planned afterward!  Go to Hungrygirl.com for this recipe and lots more.  

Ten Percent!

FINALLY made my 10 % weight loss goal at weight watchers...Yipppeee!  Still on track with my wagers.  Ah, but would the Weight Watcher Gods be upset if the knew that I don't count points?  Don't they know how crazy it is to transfer everything you eat into points!??   I still count calories.  Easier.  I use my fitness pal to track, because it has a terrific food data base.  I wish weight watchers had something for those of us who just can't take the point thing!  Well, they do sort of.  I'm eating primarily "power foods" that don't have to be counted with points.  Just not eating any junk food.  Makes a difference!  So now it is bedtime.  No time left to eat tonight, Thank Goodness!

A Great Wager on my head!

Diet Bet! Make dollars to lose pounds!
http://bit.ly/PXFjmB

	"But my lord, his majesty bade me signify to you that he has laid a great wager on you head"   (Hamlet, Act V, Scene II) So my favorite celebrity these days, Hungry Girl, (Lisa Lillien) has stirred up excitment about making money to lose weight!  Of course, I am already a fan, and on my way with my small wagers.  So check it out!  For less than the cost of a month at Weight Watchers ($25) you might even lose to win!
	http://bit.ly/PXFjmB

'Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall.

Ah yes, I keep being tempted!   All those yummy looking brownies at work the other day.  And tonight, candy addicts surrounded me!  But I didn't fall!  In 4 weeks I've had 2 mini hershey bars and 2 andes mints.  Holding off the chocolate cravings with a daily dose of Chocolate Protein drink.  How do all those other girls stay so skinny?  Back on track with healthy wage, but it will be close!  Need to lose about 2 lbs a week until 11-22 to win my bet.  Need to get friendly again with my Jillian Michaels 3 in 1 stepper! 

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff

Got off track a little with my Healthy Wage when we went on vacation.  But rafting down the Green River in Utah put some of that ambition back in me.  Ah...what a vision....me with the paddle in my hand...weighing down the back to keep us steady...(Good thing I didn't fall in---the thing would probably have flipped!)

Unsteady steps to see the petroglyphs on the McConkey Ranch in Utah.  Ran into strangers from Ohio who asked "are you OK."  Face red as a beet, gasping for air as if it was my last breath.

Ran into the SAME COUPLE the next day.  Hundreds of miles away hiking in Dinosaur National Monument from the Colorado side.  There must be a reason for coincidence!  "You look better today," he said.  He was obviously pleased that he wouldn't have to employ any CPR skills.  But, I made it too the end of the hike!  (And got back, too)  Several strangers along the way didn't get that far.  Wahoo!  I think i can, I think I can, I think I can...I KNOW I can!

Gold that's put to use more gold begets...

Foul cankering rust the hidden treasure frets,
But gold that's put to use more gold begets.
~William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis, 1593

So I am following good ol' Will's advice and putting my money to work.  My 401K certainly hasn't done well, so I've made a new investment....I joined the 10% Healthy Wage Challenge.  For $100, I will double my money if I lose 10% of my weight within 6 months.

Piece of cake...oops, maybe I'd better say, "bunch of broccoli..."

At least I have some control over this.  So, I need help from all my friends and family.  Encourage me to blog...it keeps me focused.   And please don't bring me any peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.  Keep me away from the snacks at work!  Don't take me out for Mexican food for dinner! 

Now, to sleep, perchance to dream!

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble

"Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

Yummmmmmy!!!!!  Is this what I'm conjuring up?.... into MY cauldron went the left over tomatoes, beets, red and yellow peppers, carrots, cilantro, onion, garlic, and a bit of Worchestershire Sauce and Tabasco.  Had some broccoli too, but I'm feeding that to the rabbits outside.  Nix on the old romaine...the rabbits can have that too.  Having the mushrooms for breakfast with eggwhites.  Almost have the fridge cleaned out!  Have the crockpot on low until morning.  I will do those witches proud!

(Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1)

Doesn't that just "beet" all?

OH, so today i find myself with apricots, strawberries, tomatoes, and beets that all need to be eaten verrrrry soon.  Memories of the vitamix guy at the fair blending up everything that could have gone down the kitchen sink (through the disposal, of course) came to my mind.  Hmmmm....why not a beet-apricot-berry-tomato smoothie?
So, I chopped up the apricots (actually mashed...they were getting a little mealy), threw in some strawberries, cut up a beet....my little Magic Bullet was getting pretty full, so I added a little milk...no room for the tomatoes.  I added a little ginger paste and some stevia...Viola!  Breakfast!  Yes, the beets made it a bit earthy.  I checked for ideas online.  Looks like oranges might be the fruit of choice with beets.

Well, I didn't need to get rid of my oranges.  They are hanging happily on the tree.  Maybe tomorrow!

Stay tuned for this afternoon.   Still have more beets and have to do something with those tomatoes!

Steppin' with the Stars

I used to love to dance....not the dancing that came with Jr High and High School (Friday Nighters anyone?), but the ballroom stuff I learned at Call's Dance Studio.  Unfortunately, there were never too many people to dance with.  Guess I was born 20 years too late, and now, it seems, 40 years too soon!

I used to dance the Swing and the Cha Cha with Daddy.  His dance was the Jitterbug...the swing was close enough for me.  In college, I used to dance at the Officers' Club with my friend Bill North of the Air Force ROTC.   Wonder what has become of him?  

So, I watch these folks dancing with heels yet!  I get winded walking up the stairs, and there they are dancing and jumping over the treads.  So, I got out my trusty Jillian Michael's 3-in-one stair stepper, and stepped along during the dances.  A long way to go before I could dance again......

"I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Well it's easy to pretend
I know I'm not a fool"

Well, since I know I'm not a fool, I guess I'd better Keep On Steppin'!

Eternal Celebrations

So, after Christmas, vacation in Puerto Rico, Valentine's Day, Easter, Delegates' Conferences out of town, and the National Genealogical Conference in Ohio, I have now found two whole Chihuahuas back on my body!  Using the excuse that I would get back on my diet regime "after....this or that..."  I found myself just gaining more weight. Obviously, that tactic does not work!  There is always another vacation, another business trip, another wedding, another birthday, another (insert name of celebration here). 

I also wish to honor here the memory of my dear little brother, who left us in March.  This stark reality of human mortality should have made me much more attuned to my own errant ways, but I'm just now taking the time to ponder that.

So, recognizing that I am not super-human, and need to practice self control both in eating and daily practices, I continue with this life long quest.  I say continue rather than begin again, because it is obviously an "always" thing!  Need to change that old thinking (like, if I mess up one day, it's all over....so, what the heck....who cares....etc).

So, off to Claim Jumper today, to see how I do....Yep, it's another celebration.  A  gathering of the sibs with Ma for a  late Mothers' Day Celebration.

Hmmmm....should I send the link to this post to my fellow celebrants  BEFORE or AFTER dinner?

Excuses, excuses

OK, so why haven't I been blogging????  Because I fell into one of those traps that seem to catch all of us chronic dieters..I broke a body part, and just couldn't find some alternate way to exercise.  I broke my toe.  How could such a small, usually ignored little digit cause so much pain!!!  I must have subconsciously blamed my Jillian Michaels' 3-in-1 aerobic step, because I've sure been ignoring her (She has taken on the persona of the real Jillian Michaels).  I had been faithfully doing my stepping, and, after reaching a point close to death from heavy breathing and muscle fatigue, I took a break with a speed walk around my living room.  With a wide round around my coffee table, I managed to collide with a recently purchased case of two-buck chuck from Trader Joe's stacked with a case of EAS protein drink (You know, a little red wine provides those necessary anti-oxidants!).  So, thus ended my 100 day exercise challenge,  on day 68.

That was two weeks ago.  Today, my toe is much better.  Still taped up, but I can now walk on it.  A few 12-hour shifts prolongued the pain a bit...it didn't like being shut up in hard toed shoes (The doctor didn't tell me the whole top of my foot would turn purple.)

What's that?  Oh....I think I hear Jillian calling!   Gotta go!

A New Day, A New Year!

So it's time for the yearly weight watcher program change.  Also a good time to get back with blogging again.  When I don't take time for myself, I'm not successful in losing weight.  So, to start of with the first step of "Power Tracker" that I got tonight, I need to think about "Smart-Choices Spaces."  What do I remove from a space that can be replaced with something  to help me succeed.

The first spot is labelled "kitchen."  Well, that one is easy.  I just have to remove the refrigerator.  Maybe I could live with a cooler.  Of course, another choice is the pantry.  I could fill it up with all the clothes I have that I can't fit into.   No food, no fat!

The next spot is labelled "car."  Don't have anything to remove in the car.  Could take the wheels off and walk, but I'd never make the 58 mile trek to work.  I probably need to add things like healthy long lasting snacks for those times when I "gotta have something...."

And then there is "workplace."  I would have to remove myself from the workplace in order to avoid all the holiday goodies that are sure to be there for the next few weeks.  Hmmm.....maybe I should take the wheels off the car!

The Cat's Pajamas!

Now, this is really weird.  I found a 6-8 week old kitten today.  Literally.  Not weight wise, but a real kitten.  Haven't written for a while, because I went out of town without my computer, and haven't had time to catch up.  So, I weighed this little thing, and guess what...it weighs 1.4 pounds.  Exactly what I lost at weight watchers this week. 

So, not a chihuahua, but another sign?  Guess it was good that I didn't stop at the drive through for that hamburger I've been craving (Actually thought about it, but resisted the impulse).  Now, what am I going to do with another cat????  It is locked up in my bathroom right now, temporary litter box at the ready.  It's already climbed up the door, hanging on my robe on the hook at the back of the door.  The three-too-many cats that I already own are going crazy in the rest of the house. 

Friendly little thing, acting like it is starving.  Someone must have just dumped it.  I tried to get it to run back to whomever it might belong to, but it kept circling around my legs an meowing a pathetic little cry.  Too friendly to be one of our wild ones out here.  Destined to be road kill  or coyote bait if left out to fend for itself.

So who wants a kitten????  It's so adorable, but I absolutely cannot keep it.   Helppppp!!!!

¡Ay, Caramba!

Ok Daddy, you must have sent the Chihuahuas.  I know you always wanted the best for us kids, and nurtured us  so we would all grow up to be “productive” adults.  So now you must still be sending messages.  You really must want me to get in shape.

As I drove into my driveway after visiting you today at Riverside National Cemetery, there was a pack of Chihuahuas darting about the yard.  Really!  I’d never seen such a thing!   As I got out of my car, three of them ran around behind the garage and five more ran away down the drive.  I whistled and called to them, and they all came running back, each stopping a few feet away, yipping and yapping at me.  I grabbed my cell phone and called my neighbors, thinking they might know where they came from!  Stupid me, I should have taken a picture with it!  The pups managed to stick around long enough to share some leftovers from my fridge.

OK, I get the message.  I’ll keep losing Chihuahuas.  Eight times approximately five pounds each is 40 pounds.  I need to lose more than that.  But, I’m glad you only sent eight!

Just don’t send any thing bigger.  I don’t think I could handle a pack of Great Danes!

Little Lost Kitty!

I lost an eight week old kitten this week.  Actually, I didn't lose a REAL kitten, but I lost 1.8 pounds this week, and that's about the size of a kitten.  Seems to put a better perspective on the hard work of weight loss when the numbers are transferred into tangible items.

WOW!!! Last week I lost a full grown Chihuahua!!!!!