Weighty Matters

Okay, not really.... more of a "guest post and she doesn't even know it." I don't know this author from Eve, but she has an awesome message and lesson for each person who deals with food issues. But my dear friend Angie of "Successful.... Together" passed it on to me. Definitely worth your time to read..... even if you don't profess a particularly religious bent. The message is still good. And so....... from "Living a Changed Life" I am happy to share: Don't Eat Your Way Out of the Pit

Sometimes you're the Louisville Slugger, baby Sometimes you're the ball..... -- Mark Knopfler And today was just such a day. I was SO proud of myself because I'd really struggled last week. This week, I worked out hard (including the 5K) and was down big at this week's weigh-in. After work this morning, I headed for a meeting where my best friend is involved... and lunch was KFC. Not just KFC, but KFC Original. Forgive me if I break into "Precious Memories" but KFC doth provide. My maternal grandmother lived in a nursing home, of her own choice, for the last five years of her life. Her one indulgence each month, when she got a small refund check after her care was paid for, was to call us to come visit and stop by KFC and get her a two-piece meal. I'm telling you, it's been 35 years, and I can STILL smell KFC from the 70s and it's a sweet, pleasant memory. So there I was, faced with a powerful memory -- and hunger too by this point (1:45 PM). So I ...

But this one I'm shouting from the rooftops! Yesterday was the Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge. Our local one had over 500 registrants and 444 finishers....... I was #91 . HOLY COW!!! I'm almost always in the bottom third at every 5K I'm in, so to finish in the top 25% was astounding. Better still.......... I have a new Personal Record!!!! 45:56 ! Yes, I finally broke 48 minutes. Even more impressive given that the temperature yesterday (even after 6:00 PM) was just a little cooler than the inner circles of hell. But even more impressive were all the people who showed, who walked, who competed against themselves and their limits. I was so proud of so many people for whom it was their first ever organized event. I hope it spurs in them a desire to try again, and to do more. Now they have a benchmark, a starting place -- a bar to be lowered. I'm so proud of the people who have taken their health into their hands and decided to make things better. And I'm proud that ...

Okay: I admit it. I watch The Biggest Loser . I'm not a rabid follower, and I mostly just watch the weigh-in portion of the show (last 30 minutes) and that's it. If I miss it, no biggie, I go to MSNBC.com for the synopsis. But over the years, I have had some issues with the show in general. Yes, I realize that it has inspired people to take charge of their lives. And yes, there are some people who have had continued success with it -- Phil & Amy Parham from my area of the world come to mind. They are the kind of people that I root for, the ones for whom it was more than just a contest. They really did change their lives, their outlooks, their futures. My biggest issue is that for many who sit on their couch, it provides unrealistic expectations. I was plenty ticked earlier this season when a contestant -- who'd lost 100+ pounds before she got on the show -- was sent packing because she fell below the yellow line. They frickin' did a "slow clap" because she...

On May 11, 2006, right around this time of day, I was driving home and thinking, "This has got to work. It just has to. Things cannot get any worse. I cannot get any heavier. This.... this is it. I have to make this work." I had just left the doors of the Greenville SC Weight Watchers center. I was nervous, and yet oddly excited. I had the feeling that I'd just taken my life back. I had no idea what lay five years out -- only the potential that if I didn't do something, then all my friends might be standing around a pine box going, "Why? What happened?" Everything in the universe clicked together that day and made me say, "This is it. It has to be tonight." I believe very strongly that there are no coincidences. I was meant to be there that night, because fate/God/the universe had me there the same night as Debbie and Bev. Debbie and Bev were two guardian angels with precious golden hearts and nerves of steel, and enough love and care for me and ev...

The air was crisp and the sun brightening this morning as I left -- not for my work at WW, but for a special event. It's a long story, but to sum up, I was asked to please come share my story as part of the 3rd Annual Tigerville Trot 5K. Tigerville SC is a small town in the northern part of the adjoining county. It is home to a small university (NCAA Div II), and families looking to live outside the bustle of the main towns of the county. Outside an Einstein Brothers Bagel shop, I didn't see any fast-food place for quite a while. It's about 10 miles or so to the town my best friend lives in, about 8 from the nearest Wally World, and it's a whole different world. And I mean that in the absolute nicest way possible. The run is a great event for the kids and the town, and serves to raise additional funds for health and wellness programs at the school. Just a thought......... do not even get me started on how warped our culture's priorities are when teachers are compel...

So last weekend, I got in a frame of mind that I have rarely ever found myself in: Green Thumb Mode. I am not joking -- not in the very least -- when I tell you I can kill cactus. I could almost kill kudzu. Clemson's ag professors might do well to consult me on this little problem that's plagued the South forever..... but I digress. I've never had even a passing interest in much more than an herb garden. And I should note that I tried that once already: epic fail. But something came over me a couple of weekends ago, and I started a tomato mini-greenhouse, a strawberry pot, a lavender mini-pot, and a pot of sweet peppers. While the strawberry and lavender haven't quite taken off, the peppers and tomatoes are doing well! So.... last weekend, I really got on a tear. Two more mini-greenhouses for seeds of eggplants and rosemary. More lavender seeds, and more plants of sweet peppers, zucchini and cucumbers, along with oregano and other herbs, thanks to the Spice of Life Exp...

I had TOTALLY forgotten about this particular magazine!! Check out Edible Upcountry for more information about local food in Upstate SC.