The Big Squeeze Day 2

Let me back up a day since I didn't really tell you about my sugar detox plan.

Day 1 was to drink half my body weight in H2O.  I was gung ho in the am and by the middle of the afternoon I'll confess: I was water-logged.  Getting all that water down was a challenge!

Also I had to travel about 45 minutes to a meeting.  I know those ladies thought I had a bladder infection or something because I kept getting up to pee.  Drinking a cup of coffee and 48 oz of water will do that to a person.

I went to visit The Momma another 30 minutes away and I was still running to the bathroom over at her house.  

thank you Google images...you can really distract a Strawberry!

The great news is I wasn't hungry AND I got my water in.

Yesterday of my Day 2 Sugar Detox was a      HUGE  success.  Believe it or not, I had another meeting.  Thanks to my successful Day 1 of no sugar, I was able to pass up homemade pound cake (the woman's mother's recipe!).  I told her I would take a slice home and eat it after my sugar detox challenge.  We all got busy after the meeting and I was able to leave without that pound cake in tow.  I know me; I would have scarfed it down before I got out of her driveway!  It is better NOT to even have it in the house.

I did not finish all my waters yesterday but I still have the cup filled with it.  My plan is to finish yesterday's allotment and then start on today's allotment.  Whew!

OH and today is weigh in day so I am not downing 24 oz of water before that "reveal."  As it is, I made myself a cup of joe forgetting that I do not eat or drink before I weigh in.  I have to go find my lucky Mexican dress and head out the door.

Wish me luck!

~Strawberry~

Day 1 of Sugar Detox

From now on I will call it The Big Squeeze!  I'm squeezing out the sugar from my diet.  Did I tell you I have a fatty liver?  

Of course!  Everything about me is fatty; why wouldn't my liver be too??
  

Hubby told me to talk to a church member who also has been diagnosed with a fatty liver; she is more diligent about researching "fatty liver" and what to do about it.  I'll give you the Reader's Digest version: basically stop eating ALL the foods (and coffee) I like!  hmmmm
In other words, what is good to my palate is killing me.  P.S. how do I know?  I had one of those package tests you do at a local church....Life Scan or StRoKe sCaN or something like that!  My friend and I were wondering how many people have had fatty livers and not known about it and have suffered a stroke.

  Well, I'm drinking my H2O along with my coffee!

All in all, good Day One.

 

Trunk or Treat!

Here's the deal: Tomorrow I'm planning to participate in a  Sugar Detox Challenge on Facebook.  I woke up today thinking I'll start today....why start tomorrow?

Two hours hadn't passed and I had already eaten a snickerdoodle cookie!

I didn't fuss at myself but decided to pick up where I left out.  I mean when you fall off the bike, you get back on.

That afternoon I had downed 3 Reese's peanut butter cups...my downfall.

Oh my gosh!!! What a mess and how disappointing, but you know, I'm still not fussing at myself because the sugar detox starts TOMORROW!!!

Tomorrow...I'll be posting daily to keep me honest.  If I don't, please check in with me.  I need the support.

As Weight Watchers always says "it's the Bermuda Triangle" time: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day.  The 3 horrible sugar days.

Speaking of Bermuda Triangle:  Happy Halloween from this Trio!

 

trick or track

I'm back to my old tricks, Grainiacs...that trick of over-scheduling-losing track of what I eat-and basic total exhaustion.  I think I have posted before that it is getting to the point where I cannot schedule anything for myself because life continues to happen and things beyond my control enter in.  Does that make sense?  Does it happen to any of you?

What's a Strawberry to do?

First I have to prioritize.

• is that meeting REALLY that important or can the meeting go on without me
• will life come to a screeching halt if I take time for me and let someone else handle x-y-or z
• who or what is most important that I can drop everything AND can someone else lighten the load and help out

I sometimes think I am the ONLY one who can help out.  I like being asked.  I like being wanted and needed but it is taking its toll on me.  Feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders is not doing anyone, especially me, any good.  

I have not tracked in several days.  I got on kaaaaa and he was not kind.

Today is a new day with new possibilities and I will make the commitment to add myself to my priority list.

So trick or track, Grainiacs.  I for one will be tracking what I eat today. 

Pointing Away

So I've been attending WW consistently since July; now I've been a member for quite a while but starting in July I brought a buddy and more importantly the buddy brings me.  I am more likely to weigh in and skip the meeting or more than likely skip the whole thing and say "I'll catch up next week" if I'm left alone.  Unfortunately 10 pounds later I have not caught up but gained.  And so my cycle goes.  Start back; lose sight; quit; rejoin; go great guns; lose sight; quit; ...... you get the idea.

Over ten years ago, I had a buddy. We met at the meeting and went to breakfast afterwards celebrating success or encouraging each other.  Weight watchers started the Points Program and we knew exactly how many points in a breakfast biscuit at Whataburger.  It was a great way to connect on those Saturdays and I treasure that time with my buddy.

Before long I was in a new town and started WW again.  On my own I fell into my -go-, -don't go-, -quit-, -restart-.  Old habits are hard to break.  I found another buddy and as long as I had a buddy to go with, I was good to go.

Again, we moved!  By then WW was online and my membership moved with me.  I attended....alone and yep you guessed it.  YoYo-ing again.  I brought Hubby with me (remember, I need a buddy).  It's not always the best to bring a man with you as they tend to lose weight lickety-split and yeah, that's what happened.  He lost; got annoyed with a certain woman (not me, promise!) who dominated the meeting, and I was alone again.

I wish I was the type that could do it on my own; the type that could go to a meeting and then go home, but I like the socialization.  I WANT to go have breakfast with someone and talk and laugh and have girl time so I am on a buddy system.  My buddy is losing at a faster rate, but that is O.K.  I have a back-up plan in case I'm alone again.

Shhhhh, he doesn't know it, but I'm pointing at my hubby buddy! After all, he promised "through fat and through thin," right?

Hello, Friend

I was looking in a cabinet and found an old WW weekly that caught my attention.  On the cover is a woman smiling and hula-hooping.  I must confess I'm not quite sure I can even hula-hoop or even get the hula-hoop over my hips!  The title on the cover is "Befriend your Body" June 12-18, 2016 issue.  

I have horrible body image.  I never liked my body even when I got down to my lowest at 118 in high school!  Here's the sad part- a man/child I was dating at the time made me feel that way.  I was dating a child in a man's body.  I mean who keeps telling their girlfriend "It looks like you've been eating again?"  Or grabs a small bit of a love-handle and jiggles it.  No matter what I did (starve myself/ exercise/ give in to advances/ etc etc etc....ad nauseum...) I was never good enough. And the even sadder part was I KEPT PUTTING UP WITH IT!!!!

Do you ever have moments you wish you could have a do-over? 

Thankfully we do have do-overs.  It's called waking to a new day, Praise God!  True, we can't go back in time and redo past mistakes, but we sure as heck can make sure history does not repeat itself on our part.  That's the clincher- our part.  We cannot control what others do or say, but we sure can control how we will respond.

My older and wiser self will befriend my body and it's bumps and lumps and squishy parts.  I'm still blaming childbirth on those squishy parts and I will till I die, but I have 4 beautiful, wonderful, loving, made my life complete children who I wouldn't trade for the world and if it means I have a not-so-perfect body in the eyes of the world....well just go to hell.....that is if I believed in hell....which I don't.....so just go to Wal-Mart!  ;)

Pop Quiz Time...pull out a sheet of paper and number 1-10....hahahaha....just kidding, but really, let's take a body image test brought to you by the above mentioned weekly with a little tweaking from Strawberry.

1. Overall, your feelings about your body are:
A. "Eh. It'll do."
B. "Yay! Weight loss will make me more confident." (really? Who says that?)
C. "Yuck. I won't be happy until I'm thin."......mints, that is.  Oh man, I'm craving Girl Scout cookies

2. When friends compliment your appearance, you think:
A. "They're loyal and kind" (and I want what they are smoking)
B. "They're right!" (pretty full of yourself, eh?)
C. "They're lying to make me feel better" (we do think this sometimes, don't we?)

3. You don't plan to get into a swimsuit until...
A. you have to.
B. your next trip to the pool/beach/lake
C.the bathtub (Okay, I added the bathtub...in which case, you have terrible body image!...just saying)

So how'd ya do?

Mostly As- the article says your body image is neutral so show yourself a bit more love!

Mostly Bs- You, girlfriend, love yourself. Way to go!!

Mostly Cs- "Your body image skews negative" and believe me, there are too many negative nellys in the world and you don't have to fill that role.  

Love the body...love the mind...and let's love each other and show compassion (especially now that we are in such a divisive election year!).

As for me, I'm heading out to purchase a hula-hoop.

Peace Out, Grainiacs

Back from wherever

Good morning, Grainiacs!  It's been a while, I know.

Let me re-introduce myself.

My name is Strawberry and I'm a food-aholic and a hater of exercise.  Truth be told I love Netflix and popcorn but decades of sedentary living and overeating have left me fat and out of shape.

Years ago I started a blog to help keep me real.  I shared ups and downs and all-arounds (yes, I AM talking about my hips!). I lost almost 20 pounds...maybe 20 pounds...it's been so long I'm not sure anymore.

What kept me going was talking daily to you.  I received "kudos" and "hang in there" and "I know exactly what you're talking about" in response to my posts.  I needed that; I needed you; and I still do.

Life keeps happening.  I schedule (and you all know I am NOT a scheduler) and blockades keep getting in the way: seminary classes, a move, an ailing parent, yada yada yada.

You know what?  Yes! Life does happen, but there are plenty of svelte people out there who have lost weight while attending to "life" matters.

Life is gonna keep happening-- that's a good thing, right?  The alternative? Not so great if you aren't ready to die.  I need to stop with my excuses and get on board the "lose weight while life is happening" cruise ship.  Otherwise I will be buried in a grand piano box.

So, are you ready to walk this bloggy road again with me?  I sure need you if you will come along.

Getting back with it, Strawberry