It is so hot here!

I am taking a break from weeding in the garden... This is our 19th day above 90 degrees, and no rain where we live at all. The runoff from the mountains is really good this year, though, or we would be in trouble. I know some of you would not think it is hot right now because it is so dry!

How are you all doing on your self control this week?? I feel like I have been partly successful and partly not. Probably a little less eating and a little more exercise, which is moving in the right direction. The only thing is, I have been trying to chew more gum as I deal with work stress (I can do that since no one can see me sitting at my computer here at home!), but since it is almost impossible anymore to find gum that does not have Nutrasweet in it, I am going to try to cut that out until I can find something more healthy. I'm going to go visit the health food store and see what they have.

The doctors I transcribe for are having a light week with vacation and stuff, so I have been working in the garden (that's the "more exercise" part!) Last evening I picked and froze some beans, and today I have been weeding the eggplant and peppers. We have the worst bindweed that wraps itself around the plants and up the stem and then on to whatever it can hang onto, so that is time consuming because you have to unwrap these annoying stranglers. If you just pull on them, they will bring the whole vegetable plant with them or rip off its leaves while hanging on for dear life.

I'm really glad for the very healthy environment around our house. The earth is dark and rich in the garden because of all the composting and so forth that Barry has done. Worms are everywhere. Daddy-long-legs, beetles, ants, bees, flies, and who knows what all scurry out of my way. What a blessing to have so many bugs! (Not that I am personally in love with them or anything...)

Do I have to go back out there? It is so nice and cool in here... but duty calls!

Introducing: Michelle!

One of the most fun things in my summer thus far happened yesterday! Michelle sent me an email and put down her authorization to be signed up as a Winner! So here is her official introduction!

Although she lives in B.C. and is married to John ...

... the happy Mama of Isaiah ...

... and of Baby Hannah ...


... when Michelle and I first met, she was three years old and living in Ontario! She and her Mom came walking into our church during choir practice (as I recall) to ask when the Sunday services were held. I won't go into all the details now, but further on down the road (when Michelle was all grown up and in Grade One), she and her Mom invited me to live with them for a year while I saved up to go to Bible College. During that year, I discovered that little red-head could sing harmony! Can you believe it?! She was just adorable!

Welcome to our blog, Michelle, and the introductory blessing we bestow on you is: may you be the biggest loser!

Oh, by the way ...
I'm not sure if I have spoken yet on this blog
about my daughter: Kinza Michelle.

Anniversary Week!!

Barry and I have spent the week celebrating, and you know what that means! On Monday night, Paula had a delicious spread for us at her usual Monday night open house with Chinese food and several pies. On Tuesday, which was our actual anniversary, we went out together to have a lovely meal. That would have been way more than enough, but for some reason I kept telling myself that the whole week was for celebrating, so there you are...I'm scared to get on the scale! And what's more, I might just plead "anniversary bloat" and skip the weigh-in tomorrow. I'm giving that some serious thought!

Pat has had some really good suggestions, though, and I have been trying to follow her good example, and that is to be more active. The fact is, I enjoy being at my computer, so even when I am not working, I might be blogging or emailing or researching...all great things, but not necessarily in the best interests of my health. So...

• I have added in some hiking with Trent. We have been hiking in the mountains twice and once closer to home. This is good for both of us, and it is really nice just to spend time together.
  
• I have done significant weeding outside (Andrea, my flowers still don't look as good as yours!) which made me stiff and sore, but I was really pleased to realize that my low back did not bother me with this activity as it has before. I'm sure this is due to my weight loss thus far.
• Barry usually does all the laundry, but since he has so much work in the garden in the summer, I have taken it back over (at least for awhile) and have been running up and down the stairs. (Surely that counts for something??)

I might just give in and weigh tomorrow just to make the rest of you feel really good! Do we get an award for gaining the most?








Me eating -- 30 years ago!

Writing it all down...

Yesterday we all decided to write down what we eat, as the experts agree this is the only way to really keep track of what we are doing. I decided that I would not change my eating habits today but would eat whatever I felt like eating, just keep track of it, just to see what I need to change...

You know where this is headed, right? Breakfast was good...2 scrambled eggs, fresh tomato slices, and a cup of coffee (sweetened and milked...ah, generously). Lunch was okay, and then the rest of the day was a total loss...well, actually, I'm sure it was a gain, if you know what I mean!

Today was definitely an object lesson for me. I am getting out a fresh notebook (don't you just love writing on that first clean sheet??) and starting a serious diary of my eating habits. I have done well with this method before, but after a few days I seem to get lazy or think I have it all in hand or something, and then before I know it, I have lost all track of what goes into my mouth. I've decided that what I need most is a good dose of self-control!

How about the rest of you?

Ideas, anyone?

Well, everyone, what are we going to do? Carol-Ann has not weighed in yet, but she may be like me -- scared to get on the scale today! So far, we have not had any huge gains, just little ones that keep adding up, so I'm hoping we can come up with some ideas that will help all of us get back on track. Perhaps we could compile some of these and post them all together. I'm going to start us off. Andrea and I have a distance to go, and Carol-Ann and Pat are not all that far from their goals, so maybe the approaches need to be different.

1. Set mini-goals of 5 pounds. My last goal was to have the scale give me a number under 180 no matter what time of day I got on it. I met that, but now I will have to work on it again.
2. Come up with strategies that work to divert our attention. For example, I find that chewing gum sometimes helps me forget about chewing on actual food. I once knew a lady who decided that, instead of eating when she shouldn't, she would pray for her children until she forgot about the food. I thought that was very creative and served a very good purpose, as well. That might not work for all of us, but can we think of something helpful like that?
3. Is there a competition we can have going among us that would spur us on? Most weight loss in a month? At least a pound a week? Could we have a rewards section on the sidebar or at the top somewhere where we can earn (or lose??!) stars or points? Maybe several different kinds of little medals for different things, like consistent exercising?
4. How about giving ourselves a non-food reward for reaching our final goal, something we can look forward to? Maybe for reaching significant interim goals, too.

What do you think? We have to push each other somehow, but how? Tell me what you are thinking!