Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002

I've been hearing a lot recently about the negative effects that sleep deprivation has on the body. There's been talk that it can make you gain weight and I always assumed that the corollary was that you would eat more because you felt tired and would be seeking something to energize you. But apparently it is more involved than that. Studies on otherwise healthy teenagers showed that their body chemistry actually changed and after just six days of the experiment, the participants were showing signs of Type II diabetes and their bodies were storing more fat.

These teenagers were not kept awake for the study, but were only disturbed by sound every time they went into the deep sleep mode that is the most restive for our bodies. They were not even aware that their sleep had been disturbed. The study led the researchers to believe that some of the unhealthy side effects of aging such as the tendency to gain weight and show increases in both blood lipid and glucose levels might be a result of changes in sleep habits as much as aging itself.

I know that my sleep patterns are much different now than when I was thirty and there's not a lot I can do about it. But I can seek to at least be in bed for the eight hours or so that I should be sleeping and give into that afternoon nap that my body seems to be asking for.

I tend to fight sleep during the afternoon. I guess it's a remnant of the feeling that to sleep during the day is a sign of laziness even though my hard-working father always had a short nap after eating lunch and before returning to the fields.

I found myself getting up around four o'clock both mornings this weekend under circumstances that were beyond my control. And the same circumstances led me to go to bed later...so the result was a couple of days with far too little sleep. And the first thing I did was eat an entire pancake with breakfast on Saturday instead of the fourth or half I usually consume. And then it was an extra carb here and there during the entire weekend. It's a pattern I've noticed before and it begins an endless cycle because the extra carbs also seem to affect my sleep in a negative way.

So...I see the problem...now, what can I do to fix it?

Well, there is the obvious fact that just recognizing that there is a reason behind my seeking out the carbs will help me face them down and make better choices...oatmeal not pancakes, Kathy!

Take the afternoon nap, already! You are not lazy...you are tired! And it makes more sense than searching for something sweet to recharge your batteries.

Plan ahead so a healthy choice is there and just as interesting and tasty looking as the less healthy one. I didn't set aside time Friday to make a pot of soup or a couple of salads to have in the fridge for the weekend so when I went looking there was a half-gone bag of baby carrots, vegetables that had not been cleaned, peeled, and pre-prepped for easy use, and little else. No wonder I went looking for something more fun.The lack of sleep was making me feel irritable and stubborn and totally averse to any deprivation when it came to food.

So, here I am on yet another Monday morning replaying the game from the weekend and playing Monday Morning Quarterback.

But...I am learning and if I live long enough, I just might figure this all out!

ASPARAGUS AND CASHEW STIR-FRY

I've been getting asparagus with my farm delivery the past few weeks and am overjoyed. I've loved asparagus since I was a kid and picked it for my mother from the edge of our huge garden plot. It was one of the first vegetables we had in the spring and once established, it just keeps coming back every year all on its own.

Mom always boiled it and sometimes served it with a cream sauce over it or a bit of butter. And while it was delicious served that way, as an adult, I have learned to serve it oven-roasted, grilled over charcoal, or steamed. Today I am going to use the recipe which accompanied the asparagus yesterday and put an Oriental touch on it. YUM!

ASPARAGUS AND CASHEWS
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 bunch asparagus stalks, ends cut
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped cashews

Heat olive oil and sesame oil in wok or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and stir until slightly brown. Add asparagus and stir fry for a few minutes before adding soy sauce and cashews. Cook until asparagus is tender but still crisp and bright green, stirring frequently.

I also saw this great looking Mexican Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing that could definitely be lightened up by substituting fat-free or low-fat versions of the ingredients!

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain, Following the Equator

If you've been following my blog, then you know that my brother, Rick, visited with me last weekend. To put this visit into context, cause I'm all about context, I am one of ten children who grew up on a farm in Indiana. Mom and Dad had the first seven children pretty much two years apart and then there was a lull of about nine years...no idea what that was about!...and then I was born when Mom was 40 and Dad 44, and then a year and a half later, numbers nine and ten came along...my twin brothers, Rick and Ron.

We were the second group of children who grew up with nieces and nephews who were our age, so we were closer to each other than we were with the older group. Ron and I stayed here in Indiana and both live in Indianapolis, but Rick became an electrician and moved to New Jersey, so we don't see each other as often as we'd like. It had been about 5 years since the last time, in fact.

Now, we all have this image of ourselves that doesn't rely on what we see in the mirror every day. I may resemble a Shar-Pei in reality, but in my minds eye, I am a Greyhound!

And not an old-retired one either...oh, no...a beautiful one in her prime!

But, brothers being brothers all their life, the first thing my brother said when I greeted him at the door was, "You are starting to look like Grandma Aldridge!"

Now, go back and figure...I was born when Dad was 44, so his mother was around 62 before I was ever born...in her 70's by the time we had decent memories of her! So, thanks a lot, little brother!

Pair that with the reality of the pictures coming from the wedding a few weeks ago, and I can no longer fool myself into believing that I still look young! No...I have to be realistic here...there is the evidence of the silver hair...the sagging cheeks and eyelids...the age spots on my face and hands...and, you have heard of being "long-in-the-tooth"?...due to shrinking gums...I think that describes me about as well as it does that mare it referred to originally! Yep! It's true! I'm old!

And I'm laughing! This is not a rant about how sorry I feel about it. It is just an ode to recognizing it in my mind's eye for the first time! And it's not so bad.

I read a piece yesterday about a woman who was considering who her role model should be for going forward into her "more mature years" and she was considering the actresses who have gone the plastic surgery and Botox route who have turned their faces into "weird" old faces...not even "weird" younger looking faces...Priscilla Presley, Kate Jackson, Lara Flynn Boyle...versus the women who have decided to age gracefully and with character in their faces...Diane Keaton, Sophia Loren, and the late Katherine Hepburn.

It would be no contest for me...even if I could afford the vanity of the whole thing! I love the character and wisdom that shows on older faces...don't you? Those laugh lines around the eyes and mouth that tell me that this face has known joy enough times to leave the indelible imprint of those smiles and laughter on the face for all time!

My Grandma Aldridge was a great mother, housekeeper, and cook. She lived to be 93 years old and still enjoyed her birthday cake and ice cream the last year she was with us. She and Grandpa continued a lineage that went back to Revolutionary War soldiers, early pioneer settlers in Indiana and Kentucky, and continued to the vast number of children, grandchildren, and all the great-greats that are spread out all over the country. If I have to look like someone in the family, I will take her and be proud of it.

Since this is a weight loss blog, you may be asking what this has to do with our common concern. Well, it is this...I accept myself both young and old...and I accept myself both fat and thin. I am a sum of all that history and would not be the wife, mother and grandmother I am today without that history. That's why I forgive myself the occasional lapses in my food plan and the mistakes I make along the way. And because I can forgive myself, I find it easier to face the challenges that each new day presents and I don't expect myself to be perfect...just to do my honest best. That's what my Grandma would have done!

Happiness is a way station between too little and too much. ~Channing Pollock, Mr. Moneypenny

I always feel so much better when I'm making healthy choices! So, why in the world do I wander off the healthy path into the sugar and fat-laden brier patch?

It seems so simple! I know from experience that just one day of being back on-plan and I sleep better, wake up more alert, have more energy, and feel good about myself. So, what is so darned alluring about eating stuff that I know will make me feel bad both physically and emotionally?

It's not hunger. When I eat an apple, I am full and satisfied. When I eat apple pie, I just want more.

It's not taste. What is better than a fresh strawberry? Or a perfect tomato?

It's not satisfaction. What is more satisfying than a warm bowl of oatmeal on a cold morning?

And no matter how good I think the "treat" is going to be, it never quite reaches the level of pleasure that I imagine it will. It's kinda like this:

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called." A.A.

With enough practice, perhaps, someday, I will be able to make myself remember how I feel after I've eaten badly before I actually do it and I will stop myself. You'd think, wouldn't you???

Here's to On-Plan Eating-Day 2!!!

Your stomach shouldn't be a waist basket. ~Author Unknown

Some days on this journey come easy, but then, there are the ones that are a constant challenge.
They are the ones where your brain is telling you that this is serious business, you've had your fun, but now it is time to eat your vegetables again. But that kid inside keeps whispering in your ear, "Hey! There are more bagels in there from the weekend! Better eat them first cause you don't want to waste good food!"

And that's where I was when my best buddy, Noelle, snapped me back to reality yesterday. Her note was all it took to put things back into perspective. I suddenly knew that my eating all the goodies left from the weekend was not the best plan and I packed up what was left and sent it to work with my husband this morning! Let the guys in the break room enjoy the bagels and cream cheese...I even packed up the rest of the strawberry jam for them! And me? I went straight to the supermarket and filled my basket with fresh salad ingredients and every fresh fruit that looked good...strawberries, a watermelon slice, half a cantaloupe, some bananas, and a bag of yellow apples!

I've come to realize over the past two years that no matter how good my intentions or how far I've come, that having the foods I used to overindulge in here in the house is an open invitation to go right back where I came from. All the old habits are still there and ready to lead me by the nose down that path again. Twenty years could pass and there would be no difference in the response I would have to bagels and butter. The only difference between now and eighty pounds ago is the fact that I don't keep those foods in the house any longer. And when I do bring them in, I am no more able to pass them up than I ever was.

I suppose some people find themselves "cured" after awhile and are no longer tempted by their old food favorites, but I don't think I'll ever be one of them. I don't consider it an addiction as much as a Pavlovian response! It doesn't really matter which it is...the solution is the same...keep the healthy foods handy and the foods I tend to overeat out of the house!

Thanks, again, Noelle! Here's to a good on-plan day for both of us! And to any of you who are arguing with yourselves about recommitting yourself to eating healthy again starting today...just do it! You will feel so much better about yourself the moment you make that decision. Pack up the stuff that's calling your name and get rid of it now! If you're having trouble, I know this great "heinie kicker" that I could send over!

OUCH!!! HEINIE KICKS HURT!!!

I really love having friends like Noelle:

"How are you? When you aren't posting, you are usually eating what you shouldn't be. So are you eating what you shouldn't be right now? hmmmmm????"

So, how can I keep stuffing my face after getting a message like that? Especially when she goes on to say:

"I am finally back on track after MONTHS of being out of it, so I will have to kick your heinie if you are not on plan soon."

If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution. ~Author Unknown

Still catching up from the weekend
but
I highly recommend
that you visit
DEBBIE
of
Drop the Fork
She lost 80 pounds with WW.

Her current essay is titled:
The 5 P's
Practice
Persistence
Progress
Patience
and the one to lose
Perfection!

See you tomorrow!!!
Same time!
Same place!

A friend is a brother who was once a bother. ~Author Unknown

Taking a few days off
to visit with
my brother!

HAVE A HAPPY EASTER!

My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit. ~Phyllis Diller

EXERCISE...just the word has such a rotten connotation in my mind. You know...sore, achy muscles...sit-ups...leg-lifts...gym class and ugly gym uniforms! Showering in a cold, damp concrete environment with lots of other teen-age girls who didn't want their bodies exposed any more than I did!

I grew ip in a time before exercise was the cool thing to do. We didn't join gyms...we went to Elaine Powers Studios...and we left hurting!

So, I still don't like even the word exercise.

Now, I do enjoy physical activities such as gardening and attending yard sales! Would shopping count? I don't do much of that any more either! But I do have sore thigh and butt muscles from getting in the floor and stretching to scrub bathtubs and scouring around the base of toilets! So if sore muscles is an indication that you have been working out, then I guess I've earned some exercise "cred" this week!

Now...about that chocolate!

Dust is just a country accent. ~Author Unknown

My brother, Rick, is passing through Indianapolis this weekend and is spending a couple of days with us, so I have been alternately putting a spit-shine on the house and knitting. There's nothing like having a houseguest to make you acutely aware of how dusty and cluttered everything is! I can usually dismiss it without a second thought if the book I'm reading is interesting enough or the current knitting project is engaging enough!

My husband and I tend to pick up after ourselves and the house doesn't get awful between clean sweep sessions, but magazines tend to pile up...things I want to find a place for tend to sit on the unused dining room table...and the kitchen counters tend to suffer from "I use it frequently, so I'll just leave it out!" disease.

Clutter sneaks up on you a little at a time until one day you look around and cry, "Uncle!". Weight gain is the same...it tends to lure you into thinking that a little of it is ok...manageable...and then, one day you go to the closet and NOTHING fits...overnight! You find yourself just reaching for that comfortable pair of pants over and over again and ignoring all the clothes you've outgrown until it becomes an urgent problem and you are forced to do something about the weight or to admit defeat and go buy some new clothes that fit. And we all know that once we've accepted that new weight enough to buy new clothes to support it, then we are on the fast track to serious weight problems.


As I've gone around the house the past few days decluttering shelves and removing things from tables so I can dust, I've been telling myself that I should have kept up with this process all along and my preparations for a visitor in the house would be much simpler!

In the same vein, I wish now that I had tackled my weight problem early in my life...when the first outfit became too small to wear any longer. I wish I had forced myself to face my weight gain and done something to fit back in those clothes rather than buying the next size! I have already made changes in the types of clothes I buy now that I've lost this initial weight. I no longer buy clothes that still fit whether I gain 50 pounds or lose 30! I buy clothes without all the knitted stretch built into them. If they have a fitted waist, I will feel a 3 pound gain instead of being able to ignore a 30 pound gain!

***********************************

I need to go buy some bananas cause I am ready to try this baked banana oatmeal from Kath.

NO CHEATING HERE!

I promise I'm not eating!!!

I'm knitting these!!!

RECIPE FROM CLEAN LIVING MAGAZINE

Just got this free recipe from
Clean Eating Magazine
in my newsletter from them.
Thought you might be interested...enjoy!

Sweet Potato Chips with Honey-Ginger Yogurt Dip

Sweet Potato Chips

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sweet potato, peeled
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste (optional: if using salt, use less than 1/8 tsp)

Makes 2 cups.
Hands-on time: 10 minutes.
Total time: 17 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a mandolin, cut sweet potato into extremely thin slices. If you do not have a mandolin, you can use a vegetable peeler or knife. Spread slices on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving:
Calories: 58, Total Fat: 0 g, Sat. Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 14 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein:
1 g, Sodium: 41 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg Honey-Ginger Dip

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (1% milk fat)
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Makes 1/2 cup.
Hands-on time: 5 minutes.
Total time: 5 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with chips.

Nutrients per 1/4 cup serving:
Calories: 55, Total Fat: 2 g, Sat. Fat: 0.5 g, Carbs: 9 g, Fiber: 0 g, Sugars: 9 g,
Protein: 3 g, Sodium: 43 mg,
Cholesterol: 3 mg

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. ~Donna Roberts

I've frequently said that the time to dig in and put an end to an eating spree is NOW, but there is something to be said for the rejuvenating effects of a Monday morning, isn't there? Drawing an imaginary line in the sand on a Sunday evening gives your psyche a chance to catch up with the idea and the overnight fast allows you to wake up and declare that you haven't made any poor choices for at least 10 to 12 hours, so you already have a head start on any recovery efforts! (Starting to sound like "Hello, my name is Kathy", huh?")

I've been at this long enough now to know that simple carbs are my downfall. Any time I lean in that direction, I find myself in a downward spiral. Thank goodness, the lessons I've learned allow me to put an end to it more quickly than before.

Consumption of simple carbs not only messes with my weight loss efforts...it also messes with my body chemistry and I begin to suffer physically. The effect I notice more than any other is fluid retention...my hands, legs, feet, and face swell and I begin to have difficulty with my breathing and sleep patterns. It happens every time and within 24 to 48 hours...there's no doubt that they are related.

And, of course, there is the effect on blood sugar levels and my past problems with hyperinsulinism. So, for me, this is not a vanity issue...it is a health issue...and one that I take seriously. There is little room for messing around with my eating patterns without my health suffering for it. If I'm to remain free of all the medications I used to take, I have to maintain a healthier eating style.

So, today, I'm hauling my butt back to the healthy side of the street and ending my flirtation with simple carbs one more time! Will it be the last time? Probably not...that's why I'm here blogging and working at this on a daily basis. This is my source of strength when I know I have to do what is difficult. This is where I come to profess my dedication to a healthier lifestyle. You are my "Peeps" and I draw strength from you! Amen!

And, Noelle, to answer your question...yes, that is probably why you didn't hear from me as much last week. I don't even realize it at the time, but there is a pattern of having nothing to say on a blog when you're not following your own advice! Can you spell hypocrite??? When we need the encouragement of blogging or a meeting the most, we stay away trying to figure it out on our own! That's the way we're made. We crawl off and lick our wounds in isolation cause we don't want to bother all those nice people with our needs and ask for help! No...unless we can present ourselves as strong conquerors, we will just stay home! We are a generous lot who love helping others, but we despise the idea of needing to ask for help ourselves...part of the reason that overeating is a problem for us in the first place!

*****************************************

Just had to draw attention to this great post by Cammy: JOLT yourself to better health. Her idea to get things moving in the right direction is to concentrate on Just One Little Thing at a time and then keep adding to your successes. Great idea!

At Down Home Dieting there is a recipe for Black Bean Brownies that makes 24 2-pt brownies that look delicious in the accompanying picture!

And Jonathan does it again with this great piece!

Reason: The arithmetic of the emotions. ~Elbert Hubbard, The Roycroft Dictionary

I pride myself in being a logical person most of the time. I speak with reason. I weigh the positive and negative consequences of most actions prior to taking them. I am disciplined for the most part. But when it comes to eating...there is a different system that takes over my thinking.

There is the measured reasonable person who makes the decisions about my food intake 99% of the time. And then there is the complete idiot with **** for brains who decides one day that if you are going to leap then there is little difference between a quick jump from the curb and the free-fall you might take from the top of a twelve-story building! Go ahead...jump!!!

Boredom sets in with the food I've been eating and I decide that I will substitute a 100-calorie high-fiber English muffin with a little peanut butter for the bowl of oat bran I've been having. That sounds reasonable and of little consequence, doesn't it? But not for that portion of my brain that jumps off cliffs! No, that part decides that it is open season on carbohydrate intake and goes foraging! And once that imp is loose, it takes a mighty big net to catch it and put it back in its cage.

The reasonable part of me just stands back shaking its head and wondering what in the world the food crazy part of me is doing! Part A says, "Stop that right now!" Part B says, "OK...but not until tomorrow!" What's a mother to do?

A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS

Just wanted to drop in long enough to recommend a few things. Here goes:

TB mentioned it the other day, but I'm going to give it a second shout-out...I just got my second issue of "CLEAN EATING" magazine...the best I've ever subscribed to. I actually read every page! It has lots of recipes, menu plans, nutritional discussion, and exercise recommendations. Check it out!

I just rediscovered this site...I used to check it out frequently. "I Ate a Pie" reviews various "diet" foods and rates their cost, nutritional values, taste, and overall appeal. A couple of the recent reviews were for MorningStar Farms Chick'n Nuggets and Snapea Crisps. They also have a Healthy Diet Food Forum where I checked out a discussion of oatmeal and how various readers were preparing theirs.

Here...an interesting article which begins with a fun little deconstruction of a Twinkie and then slips into the politics of farming...I found it fascinating reading.

And from the Happiness Project blog site: "Thirteen Tips for Dealing with a Really Lousy Day"

And a fun recipe for "Fruit Sushi" over at the Green Chef's site.

Hope you'll enjoy checking these things out!

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather

HOW DO YOU TURN THIS:

INTO THIS???

ONE STITCH AT A TIME!!!

And don't we have to approach weight loss in the same way? I could have looked at the box of yarn shown above and been overwhelmed by it and believed that I was not capable of turning it into a completed sweater. I could have quit the first time I made a mistake in knitting from the charted pattern. I could have grown weary of it and tossed it aside for something easier. But I didn't.

I looked at that yarn and saw a challenge worthy of my time and effort. When I made a mistake, I calmly went back and corrected it. And on the days when I grew weary of the challenge, I forced myself to work on it for at least an hour whether I wanted to or not. And soon the results of my labor were so attractive to me that I couldn't wait to finish it.

Did I follow the pattern exactly? Come on! I never do...it's not in my nature! Was I proud of my effort? You betcha! I know the labor that went into it...I know the minor flaws that are knitted into it...I know that you can get a sweater in an easier manner! But I wanted to say that I had accomplished it myself...one stitch at a time!

Weight loss? Yes, it can look overwhelming. It can be frustrating when you make a mistake or two. And there are definitely times when you want to toss the whole idea and go do something else!

But, like the sweater, the results of all those individual efforts are pretty attractive and something we can be proud of. Yes, we may know that the path was not always smooth, that our efforts may have been a little messy at times, but when we step back and look at the finished product, isn't it worth it?

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. ~Mary Jean Iron

Celebrations and vacations are so much fun and they allow us a break from routine, but there is so much comfort to be found in returning to the familiar rhythm of a "normal" day.

I was still feeling kinda "shell-shocked" yesterday and sleeping in made the entire day feel a little "off" and my eating followed suit...nothing terrible...but not ideal. And that can become a pattern so easily if you let it. I went to bed last night wondering if today would be better. What could I say to myself that would make me want to get back in the game today?

Three things did it for me. First, I looked in the mirror while I was brushing my hair this morning and saw how far I've come already. I never take that for granted. I am well aware that this success is only transient if I don't continue to follow a healthier course every day. I don't want to lose what I have already accomplished!

Second, I thought of how I will feel at the end of the month when I step on the scale. I don't want to be disappointed in the number I see. I don't want a few days of undisciplined eating to ruin an entire month's effort.

Third, I read TB's comment on yesterday's post: "Here's to a regular week. Back to oat bran, fruits and veggies." A regular week...that's all I need! Nothing extraordinary...nothing exciting...nothing that requires a lot of bravery or hand-wringing...just a regular week. I've already put a string of them together to get where I am and I've worked hard to get to the point that a regular week for me includes a lot of healthy eating!

So, my goal for today is to return to normal. I'm so grateful for my new normal!!!

The best cure for insomnia is a Monday morning. ~Author Unknown

Between being exhausted from the wedding and the switch to Daylight Savings Time, I decided it was a good morning to send the Hubby off to work by way of his favorite diner and the dog and I slept like morning didn't matter at all! And it was a beautiful thing!

Then I began the day with a cup of coffee and a strong determination to rid the house of any goodies from the weekend that were still hanging around because my body is in dire need of a return to oat bran, fruits and vegetables, and reasonable hours.

I've found with these celebratory events that it is not so much what I do eat that messes with me but what I don't eat...I miss out on the fiber and nutrients in the raw whole foods that I eat normally and I always feel worse for it. So today is "get back in routine" day.

The wedding was great! The Walsh's are off on their honeymoon! And we have a wonderful new son-in-law...and a fisherman to boot! Hubby is so happy about that!

The food for the reception was praised and eaten...I took my bows, danced with the Hubby, had a sip of champagne, and went home to kick the shoes off my weary feet!

The most popular foods at the reception were an Antipasto Skewer which consisted of a chunk of cheese, a chunk of salami, a black olive, and a tortellini placed on a little skewer and marinated in Italian dressing; a chicken casserole that had evil amounts of mayonnaise, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, green chiles, and slivered almonds topped with more cheese and crushed potato chips (the WW recipe points calculator would explode trying to figure points on that one!); and a hand of bananas that I decorated the base of the fruit cup bowl with!!! Go figure!

Hubby took all the leftover brownies to work with him today so he will be the most popular man in the plant this morning...well, except for the WW girls he works with. They are probably sticking pins in the Voo-doo doll right now!

Thanks for all the well wishes...and I did force myself to sample the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and it was just as good as it sounds. I did it for all of you who suggested that it was the dessert to take with me as I did the "WW Stumble"...the most popular dance of the evening!

Lead me not into temptation; I can find the way myself. ~Rita Mae Brown

Have I mentioned there will be a
Chocolate Dessert Buffet
at the wedding
Saturday?
Three kinds of brownies?
Red Devilsfood Cake?
Black Forest Cake?
Eclairs?
Dove Chocolate Hearts?
Oh, my!

I EAT BECAUSE I CARE!!!

My daughters and husband can back me up on this one! When I say that I enjoy a neat and ordered schedule what I really mean is that I want nothing staring at me from the calendar as I turn the page to face a new month...no doctor appointments...no jury duty...no commitments at all!

I know that sounds crazy to all of you who face hectic schedules every day because I was you a few years ago. I was working full time, raising a family, and looking after my parents who were entering the beginning stages of declining health. I was seriously busy.

I had to carry a pager at work and was constantly being called to go from one area of the hospital to another to perform my duties. When I had a day off, it was spent trying to bring order back to my home and also taking my parents to the grocery, bank, and doctor appointments. And I still had to fit in time with my daughters and husband.

While others were happy to carry around pagers and cell phones and to make themselves available 24/7, I wanted nothing but distance between me and anything that made even more demands on me!

So when I finally reached this point in my life where I am no longer working, the daughters are managing their own lives, and I have only myself and my husband to care for, I guard that appointment free schedule like it is a precious gem.

Even pleasant tasks like preparing the food for this weekend's wedding, take their toll on my serenity. I have every confidence that I know how to produce great results...I just get the jitters wondering if my body will keep up with my desire to do so. The truth is that I wear out long before I want to and Saturday will be a long day! So I worry that I will fail to deliver what I consider my best.

So the tension starts to build inside me...the stress level subconsciously builds...the feeling of unease builds as Saturday grows closer and closer.

And you know what that does to someone who has always used food to soothe her uneasy feelings! All of a sudden the serenity is lost, the cravings begin to grow, and a volcanic eruption of "I wants!" is flowing into my consciousness! My inner voice is screaming at me to do something to make this feeling of unease go away and do it now!

At least I have the ability now to recognize that this is happening and why.

Most people who know me would never believe that I have anxieties about any of this. I hide it behind an air of confidence most of the time...we overeaters are good at hiding our true feelings! And I am a planner extradonaire! I have the lists and timetables drawn up so I can proceed in a leisurely manner to get the job done and preserve my stamina at the same time. I've arranged for help when it is needed. I've prepared well.

But I have to convince that little voice inside me that I have. The one that keeps wondering if I've done enough...if this is the time I will collapse into a pool of self-doubt and fail everyone who relies on me! And while I'm indulging in all this...why not indulge in a little eating as well!

This will pass...it always does. Saturday will come and go in a blur and we will have a great time celebrating the wedding of two such wonderful people! Everyone will eat, drink, dance and wish them the best! The food will be great! The work will get done! And I'll return to my usual state of calm and reason. I just need to convince that Joker inside me that I don't need to eat my way through to the other side!

We load up on oat bran in the morning so we'll live forever. Then we spend the rest of the day living like there's no tomorrow. ~Lee Iacocca

One of my favorite people in the world is my oldest granddaughter, Audrey, who will be eight years old in June.

I call her my little miracle because she was born premature at 26 weeks (that's 14 weeks early!) weighing all of 1 pound and 12 ounces! I was there when she was born and the nurse in me was scared to death and fearing the worst. I was already starting to grieve the loss when I caught sight of her tiny body for the first time. She was not capable of crying out...she would not do that for quite some time...but I saw her little arms and legs flailing around as the respiratory therapists quickly began intubating her and I had renewed hope. It was obvious from the beginning that she was a fighter...an exceptional child...and I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her!

Fast forward to the remarkable person she is today...bright, witty, and seemingly spared any negative effects of being born before her time. And ALWAYS HUNGRY!

She's coming to visit with me during her school's spring break the first of April and I asked her if there was anything she wanted to do while she was here. I expected her answer to have something to do with Hannah Montana or shopping...two of her favorite things...but she has a one word answer delivered with relish: "EAT!"

She loves searching through my refrigerator and pantry for all the different and "exotic" items she finds there. She has to at least sample any new fruit or vegetable, yogurt, pita, or muffin she might find. She always asks me what I'm going to order at a restaurant and then copies mine. She has a fondness for foods that a lot of adults won't try...mussels!

I bring this up because I read an interesting article yesterday about how to create a fussy eater called the "Macaroni Syndrome". The jest of the article is that parents actually teach their kids to prefer bland processed foods from the very beginning by choosing baby cereals and jarred and packaged foods rather than feeding them well prepared foods from the family table.

This then leads kids to expect their food to be "different" than that of the adult members of the family and sends them on the path of eating bland tasting macaroni type meals, exotically packaged and flavored cereals, and "kid's meals" at restaurants.

The article encourages families to take their kids to the farmer's market and letting them participate in choosing and preparing the fruits and vegetables once you get them home. And to introduce those same whole foods in the beginning, allowing them to eat the same nutritious meals (hopefully) that the rest of the family eats.

I remember as a child growing up on the farm and being one of ten children that there was no time or patience for a "picky" eater. We were presented with good wholesome food and it was up to us whether or not we ate. We could choose to not eat but we were never offered another meal in it's stead. We would just have to wait for the next meal and hope it pleased us more. None of us ever went hungry or were considered malnourished. Food was not pushed on us and we were not scolded for not eating.

We were definitely involved in both the growing of the food and it's preparation...that was part of our contribution to the family. Now I didn't instantly love every item of food that was presented to us...I kinda agreed with Audrey about the undesirability of peas back then...but I did find plenty to eat, so I can definitely see the wisdom of this theory.

So, then to us adults! There are a lot of us who have kinda settled on the pre-packaged, processed, pretty box, single-serving foods too! And a lot of us have fallen into the "macaroni syndrome".

My eating used to revolve around a lot of sandwiches, pizzas, and pasta meals...just a grown-up version of macaroni! It wasn't until I began this process that I began to regularly include fresh vegetables and fruits in my meals.

So, maybe we all have a lot of maturing to do when it comes to our eating patterns. Most of us are not in an eight-year-old growth spurt that demands constant stoking! At least she eats her fruits and vegetables and is easily entertained! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get into anything with "Hannah Montana" attached to it???

Get your facts first, and then you can distort 'em as much as you please. ~Mark Twain

I prefer being informed on issues and then make my own decision based on the facts I have gathered whether that decision has to do with politics, relationships, or my own health. I have little patience with people who prefer to stay ignorant of facts so they can go on believing in falsehoods...I give you conspiracy theorists, "Elvis is still alive folks", and people who base their votes in presidential elections on the reinactment of a debate on SNL rather than taking the time to watch the original! Believe what you want, but, at least, base those beliefs on facts and not theories that sound best over a beer with your other ill-informed buddies!

Now, this article reflects the battle that will continue to be fought between those of us who seek nutritional information from the restaurants we frequent and the businesses who believe that informed folks, like us, just might beat a hasty retreat from their unhealthy menu items if we are made aware of the facts before we order.

A new requirement in New York City for any chain restaurant with 15 or more restaurants nationally to post the caloric content of menu items either on the menu or menu board is set to take effect at the end of this month. But this ordinance is being challenged by some "experts" with ties to the restaurant industry.

I don't know about you, but I love going to a restaurant and seeing the nutritional information printed next to the menu item. Most of the time it is limited to items in the "Light" section, but it is helpful when I am sitting there debating whether it is better to choose the salad with chicken on it or the Boca Burger. I want to have the facts before me so I can make an informed choice. Anyone not interested in this information can just choose to ignore it.

There will always be people who will choose the less healthy items...look at the success Hardees is having by boasting about how unhealthy their burgers and breakfast items are!

And there are times when we all want to stretch our range a little and order the "fattier" item on the menu...that is our choice.

And my hope would be that there will always be diversity on the menus...let us choose onion rings if we want to...but just maybe, the restaurants would feel a little more pressure to increase the number of healthier choices available alongside those onion rings! Wouldn't we all benefit from that? I would love to see beautiful and well-prepared fresh fruit cups offered as a dessert.
I would love to have a choice besides which fried potato item I would like with my breakfast. Why can't chains offer McOatmeal as well as McMuffins? I think there would be a market for that.

Once in a while the chains will bring out a less than desirable menu item and then blame us when we refuse to buy the poor excuse for a "lighter alternative". They scream that they offer us what we say we want and then we refuse to buy it! Pah! Who taste-tests these items, anyway?

And I'm also aware of our culpability in this equation. We have had a history of dietary whims ranging from low-fat to low-carb to points counting and we have expected the restaurant industry to keep pace with our ever-changing requests.

But don't offer us silly reasoning for not doing it. Don't tell us that we "can't handle the truth!" I don't want to be insulted by the restaurant industry...do you? I don't want to be told that if I make a healthier choice at their restaurant that I will go home and binge because I have done so!

I think we have all demonstrated our desire to stand by the chain restaurants. We do have an affinity for McDonalds! So I think it's time for them to stand by us. Give us good tasting healthy choices and we will stay true to you. We will spend money at your restaurants and keep your doors open. Just treat us with respect and keep us informed.

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. ~Raymond Lindquist

I was reading Summer's post this morning about being at her weekly WW meeting and one of the members there celebrating her loss of 100 pounds. That is a great accomplishment and I congratulate this woman. In a few more months, I hope to be her...I'm certainly moving in that direction.

And then Summer went on to say that she was still working on losing the six pounds she had put on over the Holidays.

So...here's my thought...and I am speaking from the viewpoint of someone who had a lot of weight to lose when I began this journey in December of 2005. I was fighting for my life at that time...most of my options were gone. I could no longer ignore my weight problem or delay tackling the problem for one more day. I don't think I began my journey out of courage as much as I did from desperation!

I salute those of you who begin working on your weight problem sooner. I know from experience that the pressure to lose ten pounds is far less than to lose 100.

When I announce that I'm changing my lifestyle and improving my eating habits, I am greeted with encouragement and a group of people thinking to themselves, "Yes...it is time!"

But the woman or man who wants to lose 10 is often met with scorn and branded either vain or the office "health nut". It is hard to get people on your side and making them understand that you mean it when you say, "No, thank you." to the offer of birthday cake or Girl Scout cookies.

And it is also difficult to get people to understand that you are thin because you work at it every day and choose to be thin, not because you were made that way.

And those last 6 or 10 pounds bother you just as much as my last 50 or 80 bother me...maybe even more!

So hats off to all of you who are fighting the good fight at the other end of the weight loss spectrum! I support you and appreciate your battle just as much as you do mine. We are in this together and I know how much courage you are exhibiting every day!

THIS AND THAT...THE SUNDAY EDITION

"The scale is a beady-eyed, lying menace!"

Read more in "Why the Scale Lies"
*****
Read why Sarah is not a food blogger
and get a great recipe for
Carrot and Raisin Salad with Pistachios
at
Fancypance
*****
Want to use brown rice in your recipes
but don't want to cook it?
Don't want a lot leftover?
I found these at the supermarket!!!
Take a look!
*****
How about a gluten-free whole grain
pizza crust mix with
1g fat, 4 g fiber, and 200 calories
for 1/4 of a 12" pizza?
Bob's Red Mill
has a new one.
Look it over!
*****
Fennel!
Have you tried it?

You eat the white bulb.
Close your eyes and take a big sniff
and it smells like black licorice.
It tastes sweet and crisp.
I made a salad from one by
slicing it very thinly,
adding orange segments,
salt and pepper
a tablespoon of honey
juice from a lemon
and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Even the Hubby loved it!
*****

"Give a man a fish and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend. ~Zenna Scha"

It works for me!
*****
Have a relaxing Sunday
and
if you find yourself with
extra time
on your hands,
drop by and visit a fellow blogger
and give them a word of
encouragement!