Food

I have been thinking about food lately.... and eating a lot of food lately. It's been hard to get back in the swing of things. Ever since this weekend, a couple of food events have stuck in my mind.

We have some picky eaters in my family and I think a sister called it "scary" food... like onions & mushrooms. A good example of picky eating was this weekend and two sisters ordered American fries. One ordered it with onions and cheese and the other ordered it without. I should say she ordered the waitress to have the cook "make mine (her fries) on a separate grill!" A separate grill that has not had the touch of onions on it. I didn't know that we could have kosher grills for American Fries. Needless to say, several of us - especially those of us that have worked short-order grills - burst out laughing at her request. What's even funnier was that she was dead serious! When it comes to onions, you don't mess around with this sister. We finally convinced her that requesting the cook make her fries first would be an appropriate request. She still really surveyed those fries before eating them.

Then in response to the comment about scary food, my hubby had to reply... "what will happen next year when you come to Texas for WWW and you're faced with menudo (stomach lining), barbacoa (beef cheeks), or churizo (highly spiced pork)?" Yes, I have tried all three of them and let's just say.... "I've tried it." You won't see me taking second helpings of the menudo, perhaps the barbacoa if it's not too fatty. But my Texan friends "love" it.

The other day one of our volunteers brought into work some sweet treats that I had not seen in a long time. This volunteer is Anglo and he brought graham cracker "sandwiches" with chocolate frosting in the middle as the filling. I had not had this treat in years so I grabbed one and devoured it. At lunch I was sitting with some of my Texan co-workers and one of them looked at the plate of treats and said, "What did Russell bring today?" The other two looked puzzled, perplexed and said as they wrinkled their noses, "I don't know what these are." I thought they were joking. I said laughingly, "What do you think these are?" I told them it was graham crackers with chocolate frosting. They said they had never heard of such a thing and they would not try them.... for fear of ....... I don't know what!

Yes, that was scary food for them. I guess there is scary food for all types of people, food that made us sick as children and we just can't quite swallow it as adults. Food that we have never seen or tried before and can not quite acquire a taste for it as adults. Food! So many different varieties and preferences.

I just wish that food was more scary and that I was a picky eater.... maybe it would be easier. You think?

Wild Women's Weekend

Well! Well, it's a deep subject. Heard that one before, have you? Again, well, it's been a while since I blogged and I have so many thoughts, it's hard to know where to start. This past weekend was my six sisters and my ninth annual sisters weekend, which we have titled, "Wild Women's Weekend."

First of all, I guess I'd have to say that I "fell off the wagon" this past weekend, I binged! I ate any and every kind of F food imaginable! I thought that with most of us sisters walking and/or in a weight loss program of some type, that the only kinds of food we would have at our sister's weekend would be healthy and nutritious. WRONG! I had to have my strawberry Twizzlers for my travel food, then we found an Amish bakery up the road that we unloaded about $60 total to them for candy, cookies, and pie. And then we went back there a second time on Saturday! I had tasted some of the candy that someone else bought on Friday so I bought two packages myself to take home. Last night as I was traveling by airplane to home, I was wondering what I was thinking buying all that candy to take home. Who was going to eat it? Me? Well, I knew that the candy was realllllly good and I was questioning myself if I could limit myself to one piece a day? Yet I promised myself that I would again eat healthy beginning today. I got home late (early this morning) about 1 AM, due to airline delays so I opened my suitcase long enough to check out the bag of chocolate chip cookies my friend, Vicki, sent with me for hubby. Everyone else, but me, makes him chocolate chip cookies.... that's a whole other blog subject. :)

Anyway, I put the cookies on the counter and left my suitcase on the dining room chair, figuring I would empty it today before work & stick the dirty clothes in the washer. This morning, after I moved the suitcase to the utility room, I felt a bite on my arm and hand. Lo and behold I had ants on me. It didn't take me more than a few seconds to figure out where those ants came from and I had a horrible thought, "They're in my candy, I bet!" Sure enough, my two packages of wonderfully, delicious candy were covered with ants! I guess I didn't have to worry about limiting myself to one piece of candy each day! Oh well, it's for the best for me, but I sure wish hubby could have tasted it.

I only walked one time in six days and that was an "accomplishment!" The small hamlet of a town that we were staying near had their first annual "stroll in the park" fun 5K run/walk on Saturday. All seven of us sisters participated and finished under an hour. It was fun as five of us had never done a 5K before. We even had our picture taken for the local newspaper, we all love attention.

Being with family can sometimes bring out the best in us and the worst in us! Why is that? Why does it seem sometimes that reason and logic go out the window when it comes to family? Is it because we know what "buttons" to push? Is it because we know each other so well that we don't think we have to be civil or tolerant of one another as we would with a stranger? Don't get me wrong, we didn't argue or fight all weekend. We just ..... had our moments.

I said something that one of my sisters took as sarcastic and/or accusatory and/or condescending .... and off we went to the "races." The race of which person can tell their side of the story and get the most other sisters to side with them? Yes, all of us sisters are thin-skinned in one way or another, another person can easily pierce our serenity and our sanity. In some respects I felt balanced this weekend being with family and in other respects I was way out of balance. It sure made home and hubby (and even work) look and feel wonderful after six days away!
Peace with you! Peace with me!

Spiritual Experience

Last week I wrote about weighing myself every day through last Saturday and the ups and downs of doing that. So this week I decided to weigh myself twice a week, but as it turned out it was a weekly weigh-in. Truthfully, my food choices have not been the best this week and I was scared to get on the scale. I did not want to see another 3-4 pound weight gain again! So I avoided the scale all week until today.

I have still been walking daily for two miles and I am trying some "jogging" sprints and "race" walking. It's getting my heart-a-pumpin'! It even affected my muscles in my legs, they were sore. But it feels good!

This morning I was the same weight as last Saturday. To me, that's success considering how I ate this week. I have lost a little bit over 13% of my body weight. The weight loss is slower now, but I'm still determined to lose 30% of my body weight.

This coming week I will be traveling to join my six sisters for our annual sister's weekend. One of the activities that is planned is to answer a dozen questions that will basically inform the others what's been happening for the past year in each of our lives - "all about you!" One of the questions is "Did you have a spiritual experience you wish to share?" I left that question blank until the end, because if you've been reading this blog, you know I have struggled spiritually. After reviewing my other answers, I came up with this response in referring to this PES Project.

At first I wondered if I would continue on this journey and when I passed the 25 pounds weight loss and then the 90 days mark, I felt like I had a spiritual experience. Because I thought "only God could keep me going with this."

It's not my will be done, it's His will be done. If it was my will, I would be sleeping in the morning and eating all my F foods- favorite or forbidden!

I am getting close to a weight that I got-down-to about 3-4 years ago, just before a Caribbean vacation. :) I am wondering what it will feel like to get one pound below that mark? Will I shout for joy or cry tears of joy? Stay tuned, it may happen this week or next week or the next week. I just know it will happen, if the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise!

Normal

Just a quick note in my blog. October is here and now maybe life and blogging will get back to normal. September flew by with a week's vacation and then a week of not feeling well and trying to get caught-up at work (a never-ending feat)j. Then two weeks with hubby in the hospital & rehab for double knee replacement surgeries. Hubby should be able to come home today, so maybe life can get back to normal. But a person has to be careful because isn't "normal just a setting on the washing machine"? I'm not even sure if that's the case anymore. This morning I threw a load in the machine and there are so many choices of settings for load size, water temperature and spin speed... that it's truly enough to make your head spin.

Saga

The saga continues. Since I last wrote this week, I lost 3 pounds one day, lost 2 more the next day, gained 1 pound the next day and now lost that pound. So now I'm at the same weight as last Saturday, however if you go by my daily weigh-ins I think I gained 7 pounds this week and lost 7 pounds. Go figure! Like I said before, sometimes you just have to laugh. :)

Yes, sometimes you just have to laugh with or at family too. The saga continues there too. First of all my six sisters and I are anticipating our annual sisters weekend (10/11-10/14), this will be our ninth annual Wild Women's Weekend. The first major decision is where are we going to stay? We found early on that we prefer to have a separate house so that we can whoop and holler and laugh loudly. Rather than get every one's fingers in the pie - which we ALL like to do- we designate two sisters to locate the place and the rest of us agree (read "keep our mouth shut"). It usually goes quite well and we get pictures and websites of the location so that we "dream" about it. Then the next decision is who's going to drive (carpool) and who's going to be in charge of food and activities. Well, it's two weeks away and we're still trying to decide who's going to drive. I think I drove six of the first seven years and I don't mind driving at all, however this year I will be flying in and have no car, so I'm trying to stay out of that decision.
Oh, I forgot, what time are we going to leave? Don't even go there, Rayna!

The other saga that our family is going through is planning my dad's 80th birthday party. We sisters thought we would keep it simple, just kids (8 of us) and our families for a total of around 30 of us, give or take an absent grand kid or step-grandchild. Since I was going up North two weeks before, I was not planning on going up for my dad's birthday, just spending a day after the sister's weekend with he and Mom. Then about two weeks ago, we all got the message from my dad, "It's my 80th birthday, I think that's a big deal and I want to celebrate it with lots of people." (read "with ALL my kids and grand kids"). In our family that means a big party! So then more discussion occurred between Mom, Dad and most of us kids. We are all so opinionated and certainly not afraid to voice our discontent if others don't agree with us. So with the first couple of rounds done, we have knocked-out some ideas and opinions. Now Dad is not feeling well so there are questions about what route do we continue on? I think Dad will rally round and knock us all out on the day of his party and be crowned champion! Oh yes, I made another plane reservation to go up for that weekend.

With both of these sagas, the e-mails have been flying over the computers. You can barely get one read before a response comes from another angle. One of my sisters has a saying she quotes that goes something like "Who took the FUN out of dysfunctional?" Family, you just got love them and laugh. Oh yes, as the oldest child, I usually throw my weight around with the best of them. I try to be witty (read "sarcastic at times"). Oops, one of my faults showing!

All-in-all, we always have a great time at our sisters weekends and I'm sure that this year will be no different. And we always have a nice, fun party for our get-together and I'm sure that Dad's party will be no different. It will be great.

Let me weigh the situation

There are two schools of thought on how often to weigh yourself. One requires a daily weighing so that you can see how what you've eaten and drank affects your weight. I'm trying that one right now. The other school of thought is to weigh yourself once a week, tried that too.

This morning I referred to my ups and downs on the scale. The more I thought about it, the more I realize that I like to "push that envelope." If someone says go right, I go left. I've done that since I was a small child. I am pushing-the-envelope by seeing how much or how little I eat affects my weight. So far, I don't see enough consistency in my diet or in my weight gains or loses to make a judgement call on the results. Except to say that the scale will go down, then up, then down again. Maybe I need a new scale!

Laugh

Sometimes, you just have to laugh!

Sometimes I enjoy watching AFV America's Funniest Videos and I laugh. Sometimes I reflex in pain at some of the videos! I laugh when I read my sister's "light-sided" blog about the antics and life of her and her family. I know laughter is good for a person, so today I just had to laugh! I know it's early and I already had a good laugh.

My weight has been all over the place the past week. I have been trying an experiment in weighing myself every day so that I can really see how my eating and drinking affect my weight. Last week I lost a pound on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday, I gained 3 pounds and Sunday I lost 2 pounds. Monday I gained 4 pounds! And no, it's not time for my "monthly." Now, I also know why they (the diet experts) tell you NOT to weigh yourself every day. It will drive you nuts!

I guess I can laugh because I know that I will lose this weight again! I can't say for certain, what all does and does not affect my weight loses and gains, but I'm getting better ideas. Alcohol is a culprit, full of empty calories. Salt is a culprit, causing me to retain fluids. Being tired and/or bored is another culprit for me. Now if I could just maintain a steady food plan, but I still go up and down, back and forth in eating well and in eating not so well. I never have been very consistent.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh... or you may cry.