Weighty Matters

Several weeks ago, a member stopped by our center for a weigh-in. She was visiting from Pennsylvania (if memory serves) and stopped in on her way to Florida. During part of her brief moments with us, she told us about a place in Pinehurst NC that does gourmet specialty olive oils and vinegars. I told some of my buddies about it and we laughed and said, "ROAD TRIP!!!" (Pinehurst is about 6-7 hours or so from here?). Alas, no road trip awaits. At least not 6 or 7 hours in cars with my coworkers. Instead, we may make a 30 minute trip. There is a similar store RIGHT near us. Dear Upstate SC friends, I present to you: Palmetto Olive Oil Co. They were at the Upstate Spice of Life Expo this weekend. I stopped by there on the advice of a fellow WW staffer. I walked out a little lighter in the wallet but with a TDF bottle of strawberry balsamic vinegar. Some of the same made its way to my salad tonight. Oh yum. I could have bought one of everything. It was that good. I also liked the...

I received some shocking news earlier this week. My best friend lost one of her close high school friends earlier this week to breast cancer, just a few weeks short of her 42nd birthday. I had the pleasure of meeting Laura just a few times in the 20+ years that I have known my best friend, and she was always a beautiful person. My BFF and I were talking about how many of our generation who are leaving us way too early. In just the last two years we have lost two fraternity brothers way too soon (ages 39 and 41). We have both lost dear friends to breast cancer: mine at age 36, hers at 42. I have another friend who is bravely documenting her battle against breast cancer -- age 42. My BFF's own brother (whose birthday would have been today) passed away at 30 from cancer. What is going on here? Not just with cancer but with an entire generation falling to diseases that should not have even been more than a fleeting thought until we hit our 60s. Now, I have my theories -- and while I...

Lately, I have been completely digging the Derek Trucks Band, especially their 2009 release Already Free ... and the song that is my go-to song has been this one: It was playing in my CD player as I got out of the car at work this morning, and somehow it was appropriate: inspiration ended up being a personal theme over and over. I had someone thank me for my gift of singing. We had someone who hit a milestone today and she was SO good to hear. There were two new enrollees during my open hours who help me remember my own first days of membership -- and how scary and yet empowered I felt to get this new lease on life. And then there was Cassandra -- yes, dear, I am calling you out by name! Cassandra is a member of one of the weekday meetings, and she stops by sometimes on Saturdays to pick up some snacks for the week ahead, or to just say hi. We spoke for a while today about the Walk-It Challenge , and I mentioned some of the discussions that helped me formulate last week's post, es...

3 Ways Exercise Feeds Your Brain AWESOME article! Please read!

If you haven't figured it out now, I love to cook. Well, perhaps even more to it, I like to experiment. On the way home from work, I had the idea that I might like to make myself a Chicken Tostada for lunch. So I stopped off to get fat-free refried beans... couldn't find those but I did find relatively low-fat bean dip. Okay, that would work. While I was there, I saw that they had Frank's Red Hot Sauce on sale too. SOLD! I had no sooner gotten to my car when the little light in my head went -- DING! WAIT! And the idea was born for my Buff Chicken Tacos! These are gonna be pretty simple, yet pretty tasty too! Ingredients 2 6-inch (fajita-size) corn tortillas (I used Great Value brand from Wal-Mart) 2 oz diced chicken breast (I used the Tyson prepackaged stuff, but .....) 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light, Blue Cheese variety Frank's Red-Hot Sauce to taste (I'm guessing I used 2 tsp, roughly) Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Very lightly spray a baking sheet with co...

(and long-time readers and friends will shrug and go, "What else is new?") Okay, so I was thinking about some things from both my own regular meeting (as a member) and at other ones where I work or attend just if I need a boost. And one of the things that I occasionally hear is the lack of support that people get when they're trying to make healthy changes for themselves, or even little steps for a healthier family. Spouses or kids who throw up roadblocks, their own self-defeating tape loop in their brain..... That first one, I don't have much experience with as a "confirmed bachelorette" (which sounds far better than "old maid"). But I definitely have experience with the second one. I have it far less these days, and much improvement over the old self-talk about my body, but it's still there. My favorite self-description is "I'm a doofus" or "I am such a geek about...." (insert favorite weird hobby). Today, as I was str...

Last night, our meeting was focused on the 2011 Weight Watchers Walk-It! Challenge …. If you are a member, or friend of a member, or complete stranger and want to take part, WE’D LOVE TO HAVE YOU!!! It’s a way to get started on activity/exercise if you’re not doing any right now – or to have a goal to work toward, if you’ve never done a 5K. I saw a factoid last week which stated that walking is the one activity that people are least likely to quit or give up on. Well, why not? It’s free! Truly, all you need are two working feet – and as a grandchild of two disabled people, trust me, I don’t take that requirement lightly. It does help if you have a good pair of walking shoes. You don't have to have the highest-priced shoe on the market, just something with the proper support. But really, that’s it. There are lots more bells and whistles you can get, but that’s really all they are (says the girl with the closet full of workout gear – all being used, but that’s not the point). When I...

I've heard friends rave for years about fish tacos but somehow I never bought into the idea. Shrimp tacos, oh yeah, bring 'em on, I'm all there. And then I saw that some of the ones available at restaurants were fried fish. Well, uh, NO! But today I had a couple of pieces of leftover baked grouper, and got the bright idea to get some corn tortillas while I was in the grocery store..... and some shredded cabbage for coleslaw later this week. And an idea was born: I took 2 corn tortillas, put in 1/4 c of the shredded cabbage in each, then divided up the two small pieces of grouper (4-1/2 oz total), and 1 Tbsp of peach-pineapple-chipotle salsa in each. Folded them over and nibbled away. Oh. My. Goodness. YUMMY!!!! And only 5 PtsPlus for both. The one suggestion I have is to warm the tortillas. I didn't and ... they weren't bad but yeah, they would be better warmed. (And dry-warmed, not steam-warmed in the microwave). Toaster oven or quickie minute or two in a small ski...

Okay: when I was in 7th and 8th grade and Thriller was the hot LP, I liked Michael Jackson. By the time Bad came out, I was in college, and liking Michael Jackson was not so cool. At the same time, I was pretty involved with my service fraternity, and idealism ran through me like ExLax through a widow woman (don't ask, it's a long story but a damn funny visual). And "Man in the Mirror" was a good song to remind me that as much as I wanted to change the world, the first place to start was with myself. And so here I am .... dare I say it? twenty-three years later (23??? REALLY?) and the song is still applicable. Tonight in our meeting, we spoke about the buddy system .... and I mentioned that while I don't want a drill-sergeant "enforcer" I do need someone who will be honest enough with me to tell me when I am slacking, when I am hiding behind an excuse, who'll give me the real deal and love me anyway...... and someone who feels safe enough with me t...

"The chocolate was medicinal in purpose and for the good of all society, as it kept me from killing people. Prison orange isn't my color, but dark chocolate is." Truer words were never spoken. Today was one of those days when everyone and every situation needed my urgent utmost attention .... and I am sorry, there is only one me and only so much to give. Holy schmolies. I started the new hormone therapy regimen today. I am hoping it works and helps my overall health (as well as assisting in getting things regulated with me!). And I met with the surgeon regarding the cyst -- appointment set and in less than a month, I shall no longer be "EYE-gor!" or Quasimodo. And thank God for a great workout tonight...... it was AWESOME! I was exhausted when it was over but worn out in the good way. I came home and made Elvis Oatmeal and an egg-beater-n-cheese wrap ..... What is Elvis Oatmeal, you ask?...... 1 cup plain instant oatmeal, cooked 2 Tbsp chocolate PB2 half a b...

There is a post on this morning's PostSecret that really touched a chord in me: Notice Me I had to respond -- so here is the response I sent over to PostSecret: I used to fear losing the weight I needed to (over 200 lbs) because I thought it would negatively affect my singing performance. Was I ever wrong - my voice and everything about my singing is much improved. But aside from all that, I would say do it for yourself. Seeing myself in the mirror and loving who I am now is a far better gift. And when you love yourself and treat yourself as you deserve, Mr. Right will notice and come your way. Validate yourself, don't rely on someone else. I really did think that my vocal performance would suffer. I know, crazy isn't it? I somehow thought I would lose something of my strength if I lost my Mama Cass body. (And as an aside for the record, Mama Cass was a gorgeous person, gone too soon, and I weighed LOTS more than her at my peak weight. But I still laugh every time my ...

Last night, I had a training session for Weight Watchers, and on the drive home, I was thinking about some of what we had gone over. A few weeks ago, I did a post on the biggest change in me since losing the weight, and getting healthier. But last night I realized that even this wasn't as accurate an answer as it could have been. But I found a phrase that describes it perfectly: I have gone from 'ignorance is bliss' to 'knowledge is power'... This, my friends, is what has transpired in my life. With my health, my happiness, the old phrase of "what I don't know won't hurt me" no longer works. It's "let me find out and go from there." Once again, I am digging for answers -- not for saying "Oh I can't because of...." but to say, "Okay, so there's (this) and so here's what I have to do to compensate." I have learned of some interesting medical background in my family, and wondered if it plays into some of ...

(of sorts) I realized a couple of weeks ago that I've been working our Saturday morning meetings for over a year now. In that year, we changed locations, merged with another meeting or two, and even changed leaders twice. And in reflecting on our changes, one very sad fact leapt out at me: I can only think of 3-4 people from that original meeting who are still attending our Saturday meetings -- and even then, it's sporadic. I really, really hope that they are simply attending another meeting date or time -- and that they haven't given up on themselves. I admit: I get a little sad, a little angry, a little bewildered .... I can understand when money or time or another circumstance really is a factor. I have no problem with that. And I know how a seemingly temporary or short-term situation can so easily get us off track. The problem lies in when it becomes a handy excuse for not getting back on track. For example, I know someone who is still using an incident from 2001 as a ...

(....is not just a Donna Summer song) I just signed up for the Little River Bridge Run/Walk in less than 2 weeks (the 5K portion). Luckily it's an evening race.... gasp, don't get many of those, so this time I don't even have to find a sub for work. I guess it's official: I'm one of those crazy competitive ... um, athlete? types. It's a tag that I don't often -- or lightly -- toss around: ATHLETE. I was a klutzy kid, always falling head over feet and elbows over rear ends. If you had a betting pool on who'd suffer the first "game injury" I'd be an almost-sure-thing. Even now, I cannot wrap my brain around "me" and "athlete" in the same room, let alone the same sentence, or the same space. I laughed at the doctor's office when the nurse told me my pulse rate was low enough that they called it "athlete's rate." Maybe I shouldn't have laughed after all. So give me a sec while I do a happy dance and a Y...

Old man in restroom: "What are you doing?" Fletcher Reade (Jim Carrey): "Do you mind? I'm kicking my own @$$!!!" (from the beating-himself-up-in-the-bathroom scene in Liar Liar) For the first time in forever, I have managed to actually get more than one workout in within a 7-day span! I'm aiming for a 3rd if I can get it! :D And let me tell you, this new workout is kicking my butt six ways to Sunday and I'm loving it. Good Lord, I am exhausted during it and shortly after it's over, but it's a great workout! And it tied in so well with David Kirchhoff's Man Meets Scale blog post today.... it's about competition and how that sometimes is a motivating factor in our workouts or weight loss. For me, it is. Don't know why, but as much as I appreciate teamwork, for workouts I have to go it alone. I need the solitude and yet I need people around me when I work out -- not as "buddies" but as benchmarks. Saturday, I was pretty much t...

As part of National Nutrition Month, one of the items that is suggested is to eat a variety of foods from a wide variety of colors. That's the nice thing about healthy eating -- you can have a very artistic plate! I was thinking about my own day today and wondering just how well I did myself..... Breakfast: brown, yellow, blue, white (multigrain cereal, banana, blueberries, milk... and coffee!) Snack: purple (grapes) Lunch: brown, red, green, orange, white-ish, pink (a turkey stew with black beans and tomatoes, a huge salad with orange pepper strips and mushrooms, and a whole grapefruit) Snack: white (popcorn) Dinner: brown, yellow, red, green (a lovely homemade cream of mushroom soup, half of a veggie frittata with red peppers, broccoli, tomato, mushroom and cheese, and an apple) Pre-bed snack: orange, blue (vanilla-mango-blueberry smoothie). Yeah, I pretty well hit the rainbow on that one! And the amazing thing is that it didn't take all that much effort to put it together......

In the meantime, while I'm formulating my next post, you can learn more about healthy, nutritious, delicious eating ideas, activities, etc. at this website..... National Nutrition Month

There is a post coming, I promise. I have been busy this weekend, but not the harried-and-hurried usual kind of busy for me. So hang tight!

If you don't know who Margaret O'Brien is, she was a child actress of the early 1940s. She appears as "Tootie Smith" in one of my favorite movies, Meet Me In St. Louis . It's a very charming film taking a nostalgic look at a family in 1903, living in St. Louis as preparations swirl around them for the 1904 World's Fair. One of the scenes from the "Fall" vignette features young Margaret telling her older sister (Judy Garland) that their neighbor -- the boy next door for whom she carries a serious torch -- tried to kill her. It's the weak, sad little voice, "It was John Truett. He tried to KILL me." (Later on, she reveals that it was all part of a scheme that she concocted to try to get a trolley car to derail... he actually pulled her to safety. Long story - watch the movie). About 3:00 this afternoon, I was doing a MEAN impression of young Margaret O'Brien.... only it would have been, "It was Dave. Dave my trainer. He tried to ...

This is yet another week when exercise simply hasn't happened. It's all on me, and I admit it. I could have stopped by the gym on Wednesday night -- in fact, had the bag in the car -- but I was just too tired, and I mean truly tired. As in, head was bobbing at my desk, and all I wanted to do was get home and rest. I do not rest enough. I know this. I don't know how to fit it into my day, short of taking sleeping pills to knock myself out at 9:30 and trying to rewire my body to actually fall asleep before 11:00 (good luck breaking a lifetime of being an late-evening owl). Getting up later than 5:00 AM isn't an option for getting to work on time; and I'll be danged if I get up any earlier than 5:00 to fit in a workout. Like I said, I don't sleep enough as it is. So with that in mind, I am 90% there at letting my current gym membership go, and finding a gym or workout closer to work. I figure at the least, I can try to get it in on my lunch hour (if it's close ...