Hello, Royal Blockettes!!! Her Imperial Majesty, the Amazing Empress Amarantha o' Walking Poles, hath made it (kind of) to her 15th day of this 21-Day Challenge, the Blue Moon part of her total 42-day Moon Initiative!!! She hath explaneth all this on the 5-Pound Thread, e.g., her average weekly calories are still not where she pledged them to be but BECAUSE OF NO-GUILT EXPEMPTIONS (per concept developed by Kaylets), she's calling it good and she's still on the Block!!! No weight lost but maintained this week, still in the running for the 5-Pound Challenge. Exercised away 2000 calories for the week and hope to match that this week!! SHE IS MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO LOSE THE FIVE POUNDS!!! SHE WILL CONTINUE POSTING UP A STORM AND IN CAPITAL LETTERS, YET, UNTIL THE POUNDS ARE LOST AND/OR THE 's COME HOME!!! Her clothes are very loose and her body feeleth leaner. Today she walked for 60 minutes on the Shore o' Determination, where Elbertine Pep resteth on her travels! Her Leslie-A-Day Challenge continueth unabated, as she is determined to justify the expense from the Imperial Treasury for nine new Leslie's (plus vitamins she didn't ask them for that she will not taketh because they contain ephedra!!!
Ok, just ONE more little evil dietary marketing story, if no one objecteth: Today Amarantha hath to work and craveth sugar again and it being Sunday, she thinketh, "Ah-hah! Doughnut! Then she thinketh how it is hard to accurately judge exact calories of store made doughnuts and how she would wanteth two and could be 100s of calories off the mark. So she decideth to buy a box (wait for it) o' Pop Tart Stix (chocolate-caramel) on the theory that though they be unhealthy (IMO), they are quantifiable because the calories are on the side o' the box and also that Amarantha really doesn't care whether she eatheth Pop Tarts or not, as they are not a trigger food to her, whereas :donut:s are. So she buyeth the PT and a bottle o' fat free milk and sits in car and reads the PT package. As anticipated, of course, there is hydrogenated oil high on the list of ingredients, meaning there is a lot of this stuff, which containeth the bad ol' transfat acids that one supposedly should never eat. Otherwise, the PT Stixs (three to a pop tart) are slightly better than a candy bar, as they have some vitamins, etc., and each stick is less calories than a candy bar of approx. the same size. They have a lot of carbohydrates, of which more than half is SUGAR!!! I like sugar, so that's ok, I'm just pointing it out.
BUT, I digress and will get to the marketing point. On the package is the icon of the USDA Food Pyramid and a nice little blurb about how this is the way to eat healthily. The pyramid looks the way it always does, but to Amarantha's eye those two little pictures in one corner of the bottom of the pyramid (the carbohydrate group that is supposed to be breads, grains, etc., e.g., and should mostly be COMPLEX carbs) look suspiciously like Pop Tarts. Ok, they could be crackers (big flat crackers). They are the COLOR of crackers. They could be a healthy lowfat flatbread. They just look like Pop Tarts. Maybe it's just me? Could it be that Pop Tarts are what the U.S. government wants us to eat more of? Maybe Pop Tarts should replace fruits and vegetables, which are higher up the pyramid, meaning we should eat less of them. Maybe Pop Tarts' 19 grams of sugar doesn't count as that stuff at the top of the pyramid that it says we should eat the least of?
Anyway, I ate four of the sticks, so that's my treat for today. Threw away the box. They taste like cardboard anyway!
Eydie: Hmmm, a hot dog and cottage cheese ... sounds better than Pop Tarts actually!
I've made it to Day 4, going pretty well. Yesterday I walked 3 miles did 2 circuits and went to tai chi class (hmmm... no tai chi smiley ) Then came home and spent the rest of the day cleaning house and doing laundry - still tired today, but went for a 5 mile walk and did yoga anyway.
Think I'm going to sign up for TOPS tomorrow evening. I know that having that official weigh-in once a week can be very motivating for me.
I'm going to go put my feet up -- tomorrow I hope to have the energy to post again!
I was smiling at Eydie's post but couldn't laugh out loud because I too have been guilty of doing the same thing over and over again and each time expecting different results.
Isnt that Susan Powter's credo? You know who I mean, the STOP THE INSANITY lady!!
If only we knew then what we know now-
and if only I knew now what I'll know later!!
Sounds like everyone gets a round of applause for activity done- I only rode the bike 10 minutes and walked thru a store we had never been in. We were pricing Breadmachines- Anyone have one? to make Wheat bread? Any thoughts??
Yes, its true Empress A-- the poptart people and the govt are developing a special forumula in Area 54 -- and as you pointed out, because the poptarts are really made from cardboard, the fiber content makes them a VEGETABLE---
sorry, I just got silly- really have nothing against them and the above was all said in jest and the management will NOT take responsibility for the content. Not sure why we were told this everytime we saw commercials for the aforementioned product but I do have my suspicions it was Parental Anti- marketing. We were always told " that's what poor people eat" .
Congrats Empress A on throwing away the box-- Wasnt that a liberating experience!! ?!!
anyway, there is water to be drunk and floors to be washed!
Yes, Kaylets! Throwing away the box was fun! But since they really taste quite awful (in my opinion, if someone here works for the Pop Tart folks, please forgive me and do not sue me), it wasn't much of a sacrifice. What your parents said about this product relates to another problem ... many people think it's cheaper to eat unhealthy junk food than just to buy basic food like fruit, vegetables, brown rice, lean meat, even potatoes if you eat some protein with them and don't fry 'em or load 'em up with fat. I used to be like that and that's why my body thinks I can get more mileage from some sugary thing than from a healthy meal.
Re bread machines, I used to have one. It was nice but impractical for one person and lots more trouble than it was worth. But for a family, it might be nice. I'd only say buy the most expensive one you can find and use from scratch recipes. The boxed stuff tastes (IMO, again) like cardboard.
Babette: You are doing great! Your exercise rounds are really comprehensive and I bet you feel great! Joining TOPS sounds like a good decision! Rest up so you can post tomorrow!!! P.S. I think this could be a tai chi smiley !
At warp speed, perhaps, but donyus anyway....Actually, I think is doing toryus, too. So: yesterday I walked 3 miles did 2 circuits and went to tai chi class
Eydie, I was just looking at the Jamie Leigh spread (oh, sorry, no pun intended, but then why am I leaving it in? Maybe because DH thinks she's hot ) I do admire her for insisting on putting herself out there like that. And hey! I'm pretty sure that I would look at least 100% better if I spent 3 hours getting ready, even without a SWAT team of stylists. I have one sister who rarely appears in public looking anything other than her very best. She used to get up an hour before her husband did every day to put on her makeup and do her hair, so he wouldn't see her au naturel.
Kaylets, isn't it amazing the way we do that - suddenly realize that we've somehow put on weight, as if we were in a zombie state and were completely unaware of what was happening. I know that when I start to pay attention, suddenly it all begins to make sense: underwear that doesn't fit, sweaters suddenly not covering my butt anymore, wobbly lawn chairs, and on and on...
These things work on so many levels, too. For me, to some extent, gaining weight is something that insulates me from life. But more than anything else, I think that eating substitutes for really living life. Substitutes for fun, spirituality, sexuality. But it just numbs me rather than actually enriching my life.
I'm really going to make an effort to do all those things that I know I should do, instead of putting them off. I DID actually sign up for that painting class I was talking about, after 2 days of not getting around to it. It's a start...
Well, I did a set of tai chi and perked up for a bit, but now I'm fading again.
I'm going to tuck myself into bed with my novel (I was already tucked in with DH for a little conubial nap this aft so there's one thing not sublimated today )
I know I definetely was in denial about weight for a long time ... to the tune of 247 pounds and probably more than that. Like Guinever's roommate (per the 5-pound thread), I only counted fat grams bought into the calories don't count and throw away the scale thing. It was easy not to notice that wasn't working.
Definetely, too, weight issues serve as insulation from life for me ... when I am heavier, it is easier just not to do or think or be ... and filling the void with tons of dulce de leche milk, doughnuts, candy bars and once in awhile something healthy to eat.
Hmmm. Tai chi at warp speed! Babette, you could get rich marketing that as the newest mind/body/aerobic workout. Tapes, CDs, studio classes.
Good Morning, Blockettes! I am very happy to report that I've made it to day 5 after an awful lot of day 1s. I think my points have probably been over 35 most days, but since I'm not counting it really doesn't matter. And I KNOW that just changing the behavior works for me - better slow loss than none at all, right?
Amarantha, it occurs to me that I am even now struggling with denial. I mean, I see my mom being more than 100 pounds overweight and not dealing with it and I think she's in denial. At the same time I still often "forget" that I want to lose weight, and don't realize that I'm significantly overweight until I see a photo or something. I'm doing the same thing that she is, maintaining a particular degree of overweight. Time to let that GO! I believe it was the prophet Yoda who said
"Do not try - DO!" I have been "trying" forever. Time to do.
I think I've got to really fully realize this before I'm going to be able to change it, so I intend to make a brave effort. Like Kaylets said, "give up" making excuses, indecision, not being in control, and the guilt associated with all that.
My goals, for every day, are to eat only when I'm hungry, only at the table when alone, to try to eat very healthily, get exercise every day, drink the water, and get the fruits and veggies in. I know that I also need to plan some fun & spiritual components into each day if I really want to succeed.
Here's to SUCCESS!!! Let's make this a great day, Blockettes. Love to All!
Can you believe I've gone 5 days without chocolate and binging?!?!?!?!? A-MAZE-ing...
Thursday of last week I reported that in a "shock value" weigh in that I was up 4 pounds... well, I knew that weight wasn't a true one, but I'm happy to report that I did loose the 1 pound that I truely DID gain last week. So, I'm back to where I was with my sights set on just 1.5 pounds this week to make into uncharted territory...
I have to agree with you guys about age - there was just an article in the paper last week about a 78 year old man who climbed Mt. Rainer in Washington on his birthday! Young people die on that mountain because they can't make it and here's this old dude who, with 2 guides, summits in 2 days! I hope to be that spry!
Eydie - LOL! I would've laughed at the "I've done it before" diet joke too! As for the hot dog and cottage cheese - if that's all I was allowed to eat I'd be thin as a rail! I worked in a deli at a golf course when I was in high school and couldn't eat hot dogs or doughnuts for almost 3 years after I quit because I smelled them all weekend for a year or so - YUCK! Too bad it didn't last....
Amarantha - Yes, there is a government conspiracy to feed the masses Pop-Tarts - the crack of breakfast foods. The pyramid picture is simply subliminal messaging.... Do not attempt to avoid the brainwashing - resistance is futile!
Oooh, hey does anyone remember breakfast bars??? They were like brownies! My Dad used to get SO peeved at me when I was a kid because I'd devoure a whole box in a sitting! Yea, my binging goes waaaaaay back...
Kaylet - I have a bread machine, but since carbs are my downfall, it's not something I use often. Can you imagine me, one person, making a loaf of fresh, hot, wonderful bread and expecting it to last????? Not gonna happen... I did use it to mix cookie dough before I bought my Kitchen-Aid though!
Babette - Congrats on your 5 days!!!
I had a little non-scale eye opener this weekend. I bought some kitty litter on sale at Petco and when I was carrying it in the house I realized what I was carrying was just a bit more than what I've lost. I stood there for a moment and felt the weight on my feet, my legs and hips. My back actually hurt worse and my knees popped when I walked up the stairs and they creaked!!! I guess I didn't appreciate just how much of a difference loosing almost 30 pounds makes! I was very happy that was the kind of weight I could just set down and have it GONE!
Hi All. Having a sad day. I came home from work and found one of my cats had died. She was 16 years old and it appeared that she passed peacefully because I thought she was just sleeping--quite a shock. Garry was able to come home early so we spent some time reminiscing about her while preparing her grave. It's hard when you have old animals--you never know when something will happen. No regrets though--she slept on my head last night and had 2 little dishes of milk this morning and she knew she was loved!
I'm so sorry- Almost 9 mos ago, we came home and found our 16-17 yr old beagle had had a stroke. We had only had him about 10yrs but since he was a pound rescue it might have been 10yrs
extra.
Its amazing how we rely on our pets as much as they rely on us.
And you are right, she had a good life with lots of love.
I'm so sorry about the loss of your beloved cat. 16 years is a long time! You must be very sad. The death of our dear "Kitten" is still pretty fresh for me, although, as is the way with grief, it doesn't take as big a piece of my life as it once did. I have no regrets about The Kitten, either, except I still miss him so terribly...
We love these little creatures so much! I was surprised by the depth of my grief when The Kitten died - there are only a few people whose death has affected me more deeply. And - although I'm ashamed to say this now - I always thought that I didn't feel akin to cats in the way that i do to dogs, and that I couldn't have that level of attachment.
I know a man who has decided to never have a pet again, because he knows the odds are he will outlive it, will have that grief again. And he doesn't want to go through it. But grief is the price we pay for loving mortal creatures, and what would life be without love?
Eydie: Adding my empathy on the loss of your cat. Sixteen was a venerable age for a kitty and it sounds like she enjoyed every minute of her years.
Punkin: I do remember those breakfast bars. Another trap was "Figurines, famous for their crunch; crunch, crunch, crunch; they're the most unquiet kind of DIET lunch!" A box of those was something like 1100 calories ... you were supposed to eat just one a day. They had flavors such as vanilla, s'mores, chocolate malt. If they were still around, I'd devour a box right now!
I am on to Day 6. I think I may have heard that elusive "click" that signifies logic sinking into place. I know what I want to do, and how to do it! Went to a family birthday party last night, knowing that there would be my mom's fabulous homemade rolls and chocolate cake. I decided in advance that I was NOT going to have either (wasn't even really tempted ) and I didn't, even though my mom pouted. She's such a brat! I had turkey, along with the herb vinaigrette potato salad and mixed green salad that I brought I had some mussels beforehand, but eschewed the melted butter. I did have maybe 6 or 7 mini nacho chips with a teeny bit of dip, but that was the extent of my perfidy
This feels significant to me. I'm going to do it this time!
Eydie, sending thoughts and prayers your way. I agree with Amarantha, it sounds as if your cat had a lovely and long life - and also died peacefully in her sleep, which is just about the best you could ask for.
This morning our favorite cat, Dickens, is suddenly passing blood in his urine. I expect that it's the usual urinary tract problem that cats get, but I'll be glad to confirm that it's nothing more serious. I'm taking him to the vet in a little while.
Kaylets, I think the bread machines make pretty good bread, and it certainly is easier. I do like to knead bread by hand, but I don't do it very often - I expect that we would have fresh, homemade bread more often if I had a machine. I think that having really good, healthy, tasty food makes this process a lot easier and more satisfying. I still think about food, but mostly how to get the absolute best and healthiest meals together. I actually enjoy food a lot more this way. Plus it's so much better anyway when I'm hungry -- who knew!
Punkin, that is really inspiring about the 76-year old climber! Let us emulate him! When we were on our recent hiking trip, I was very conscious of being grateful that I was capable of climbing long, steep paths and of clambering over huge boulders, and doing all of that for several hours a day.
The worst thing we can do as we get older is to stop doing things. My MIL has started to avoid stairs and to intentionally walk more slowly, and she has really declined. She still keeps really busy, but she could be in fabulous shape. My mother had 10 kids and worked full-time, so she used to be very busy, but since she retired, she's become almost completely sedentary. Now between that, being 100+ pounds overweight, and arthritis, she can barely walk to the end of her block. It drives me crazy! I try so hard to get her to exercise, and she will do it if I go do it with her, but otherwise she just sits. Too bad she didn't have a bit of the climber's spirit...
Amarantha, re: filling the void -- I used to buy tons of sweets and tuck myself into bed with a good novel. I knew that what I was doing wasn't healthy, but I never understood where the compulsion came from. Now, when I'm on track and feeling hopeful and positive, that doesn't appeal to me. Although certainly I remember days of thinking that I didn't want to do anything but go back to bed with a bag of doughnuts I should remember that usually signifies that something is out of kilter in my life, and that I probably have needs that are not being met.
I've been doing so much better, but I still have to plan some fun and spirituality. I always focus on what I HAVE to do and give those short shrift, as if they were non-essential. I declare I will attend to my needs today!
Yo!!! s and Wood Nymphs!!! I'm traveling again today ... first exercise, feed animals, then off! My challenge today is to do as well as yesterday, which was 1670 calories and 80 minutes of exercise, including pole walking around the lake in the town whose council I covered last night. Very proud of making that extra effrort!
Babette: I used to do that reading in bed with food thing for hours also. Now I still read in bed and sometimes have a snack but there's not the compulsion to eat whole bags of candy, boxes of ice cream bars, etc. If I snack, I like Kashi Good Friends, which takes some effort to eat. Hope all is well with your kitty!
To All!!! Have a wonderful (OP) kind o' day!!! Let's see how many bananas the system will allow!
Yo!
Her Imperial Majesty, the Amazing Empress Amarantha o' Walking Poles, hath made it (kind of) to her 15th day of this 21-Day Challenge, the Blue Moon part of her total 42-day Moon Initiative!!! She hath explaneth all this on the 5-Pound Thread, e.g., her average weekly calories are still not where she pledged them to be but BECAUSE OF NO-GUILT EXPEMPTIONS (per concept developed by 
Kaylets), she's calling it good and she's still on the Block!!! No weight lost but maintained this week, still in the running for the 5-Pound Challenge. Exercised away 2000 calories for the week and hope to match that this week!! SHE IS MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO LOSE THE FIVE POUNDS!!! SHE WILL CONTINUE POSTING UP A STORM AND IN CAPITAL LETTERS, YET, UNTIL THE POUNDS ARE LOST AND/OR THE 
's COME HOME!!! Her clothes are very loose and her body feeleth leaner. Today she walked for 60 minutes on the Shore o' Determination, where Elbertine Pep resteth on her travels! Her Leslie-A-Day Challenge continueth unabated, as she is determined to justify the expense from the Imperial Treasury for nine new Leslie's (plus vitamins she didn't ask them for that she will not taketh because they contain ephedra!!!
Then she thinketh how it is hard to accurately judge exact calories of store made doughnuts and how she would wanteth two and could be 100s of calories off the mark. So she decideth to buy a box (wait for it) o' Pop Tart Stix (chocolate-caramel) on the theory that though they be unhealthy (IMO), they are quantifiable because the calories are on the side o' the box and also that Amarantha really doesn't care whether she eatheth Pop Tarts or not, as they are not a trigger food to her, whereas :donut:s are. So she buyeth the PT and a bottle o' fat free milk and sits in car and reads the PT package. As anticipated, of course, there is hydrogenated oil high on the list of ingredients, meaning there is a lot of this stuff, which containeth the bad ol' transfat acids that one supposedly should never eat. Otherwise, the PT Stixs (three to a pop tart) are slightly better than a candy bar, as they have some vitamins, etc., and each stick is less calories than a candy bar of approx. the same size. They have a lot of carbohydrates, of which more than half is SUGAR!!! I like sugar, so that's ok, I'm just pointing it out.
Could it be that Pop Tarts are what the U.S. government wants us to eat more of? Maybe Pop Tarts should replace fruits and vegetables, which are higher up the pyramid, meaning we should eat less of them. Maybe Pop Tarts' 19 grams of sugar doesn't count as that stuff at the top of the pyramid that it says we should eat the least of?
!
Day 4. Uh-huh.
did 2 circuits 
) Then came home and spent the rest of the day cleaning house and doing laundry - still tired today, but went for a 5 mile walk and did yoga anyway. 
I was just lurking but Eydie made me post!!
P.S. I think this could be a tai chi smiley 
!
) I do admire her for insisting on putting herself out there like that. And hey! I'm pretty sure that I would look at least 100% better if I spent 3 hours getting ready, even without a SWAT team of stylists. I have one sister who rarely appears in public looking anything other than her very best. She used to get up an hour before her husband did every day to put on her makeup and do her hair, so he wouldn't see her au naturel. 
so there's one thing not sublimated today 
)
A new week!
I am very happy to report that I've made it to day 5 after an awful lot of day 1s. 
I think my points have probably been over 35 most days, but since I'm not counting it really doesn't matter. And I KNOW that just changing the behavior works for me - better slow loss than none at all, right?
Time to let that GO! I believe it was the prophet Yoda who said
) and I didn't, even though my mom pouted. She's such a brat! I had turkey, along with the herb vinaigrette potato salad and mixed green salad that I brought 
