Changing Habits

You see that beast. It stares at me every single morning and has for YEARS! I decided to make some more changes in my life:

- Watch my carbs (you need some for brain health and energy)

- give up diet soda (an occasional one, I mean maybe 3 a year!)

- watch fast food consumption (sometimes it’s the only option and totally acceptable-no judgement)

- Cooking healthier at home (you’ve seen some of my posts!)

- Adding some bone strength health workouts via @osteostrongtulsa

- AND utilizing the Beast

So far I’ve managed riding the Beast 9 times in 2024, starting at a mile, then 1-1/2 and today 2 miles. Several years ago I was doing 5 miles at least twice a week. So I’m setting a goal to work up to that again. There was a time I was doing Jazzercise 5 times a week, 5 miles twice a week on the bike and walking 5k once a week (or so.) My knee had a miniscus tear and cartilage pieces floating around so it stopped me dead in my tracks. Then the dang hip. It’s time to TAKE CONTROL over all of it.

Surgery Girl

Thought I would give an update on Surgery Girl here!  Today it has been exactly 7 days since I underwent a robotic hysterectomy, a successful one at that.  Everyday seems better and better and the scale seems to stay the same, where my body usually likes to be.  It doesn't vary, dang it.  I had gained about 10 pounds the past six months but as of today that 10 is now gone.  I think if i could get the constipation thing under control the scale might go down a bit further.  I'm not eating junk food but I'm not exercising either.  I'm enjoying the many meals that friends have brought to us.  Last night was baked chicken, mashed new potatoes and salad.  It was yummy.  Most of the meals have been pasta something with cheese and I think cheese is a constipator too.  I have eaten a few salads which are good for me.  Definitely eating less on my plate!

I wake in the mornings feeling pretty good but by the end of the day my tummy just hurts like gas buildup.  I seem to remember someone saying that my bladder was attached somewhat to my uterus and that might explain the bladder thing hurting too, bruised.  I'm down to one pain pill the past couple of days and my goal is no more, especially by Friday as I have to go into the office and do payroll.  I look forward to that, getting out.  

I've also logged some time the past couple of days at my easel, successfully.  I never realized how exhausting that could be.  Yesterday it was all day which felt good.  I'm not finished yet:

I would like to send a shout for some good vibes for a friend.  Her husband is our right hand man at work and they are the nicest people you will ever meet.  Jamie has been battling stage 4 ovarian cancer for the past 2 years with all kind so experimental stuff, regular stuff, you name it but her body is just riddled with cancer at this point.  She is trying to hold on till their first grandchild is born, a boy, in July but at this point they don't think she will make it a month.  She has hardly missed a day of work up until now.   She is losing her battle and it is heartbreaking.  I feel sad that I am rid of that stuff with a fear of cancer but none was there.  They just need some time for her to hold that grandson.

Eat, Exercise and Babies

So, I'm totally stealing this photo from Rio's momma's Facebook page but how DARLING is it.  I mean reading by the fireside with Mondo, her daddy and that face, oh, that face.  Speaking of fireside, the weather she is a changing for sure.  We are just waiting for the snow to begin.  Goodness, I am so not ready for winter, for the cold mainly and the dark, dreary days.  What gets me through is that I know that in a few short months the sweet green of spring will pop out of the dead stuff and the world will be flush with color and beautiful sun filled skies.  That is what I look forward to.  What I do now is to stay very busy and that is not a problem for me.  I will kiss Rio, paint lots of pictures, read, crochet, do counted cross stitch ornaments, and cook.  I have to be careful with the cooking because I have quit my trainer and the cooking thing entails EATING!  

I don't know if I have shared about my trainer but yes I have quit him.  There were a lot of factors in my decision to be done with him.  Don't get me wrong I am not giving up on exercise but I am taking a break.  I've pretty much done it 5 days a week for years now, early, EARLY in the morning, but sleep has been a pressing need.  I am in need of a new place, a new kind, and new people.  I don't have time to check it out yet but hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will be back at it.  FYI, doing it at home on my own is not an option.  I am not self-motivating.  I will not get off my keaster to ride the bike that sits gathering dust.  Just not in my head to do.   

Ice, Ice Baby

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.  That is what the weather people were screaming yesterday.  Yes we did get some ice and areas to the north of here did too, it but it's not as bad as we had some years ago that devastated Tulsa (I think '07).  I did hear in the middle of the night the familiar sound of transformers buzzing as they go out.  Gosh, such a scary sound.  

The next year was the best year in business for us.  We do electrical stuff and the work was constant for the year.  Plus our generator installation side really took off and is still a huge part of our work.  Generator baby!

(from the '07)

Last night as the temperatures began to plummet I told The Hubby that we were going to go off the diet a bit and have beans and cornbread for dinner on Saturday.  Perfect chilly weather for it.  Speaking of the diet, I am down yet another pound, that would be 26 pounds.  It may be a slow process but at least I lost a pound during the holidays!

Yesterday we took our employees out to a Christmas lunch to Olive Garden.  In the past we have done a rib place but last year the service SUCKED!  The Hubby decided OG and it was a great decision.  One of our guys, when he found out where we were going, was like a kid he was so happy.  He had NEVER eaten at OG before.  Really?!  

It was a nice lunch and we were glad to do it.  I was very good there, as I did have pasta and a half a piece of bread but I only ate half the pasta dish.  It will be my lunch today.  Really, as long as I stay on he moderation side I can eat out and anything I want.  This no bread, pasta, potatoes or rice thing has been awesome for me.  We don't miss it and eat tons of veggies.  

Extra Fabric

Tuesday and good morning all.  Guess what, guess what....I decided that I was tired of hitching up my jeans that had begun to sag.  I realized on Saturday that something was hanging off of my backside and it WASN'T my ASS.  It was the extra fabric of the seat of my blue jeans that was hanging!!!!  WOOT - WOOT!!!!!  So this morning I started trying on the plethora of jeans that are in my closet and found a size smaller that FIT, that means zipped up and buttoned!  How exciting is that!  I say very, very exciting and I am continuing.  I'm making better choices nearly every single thing that goes into my mouth.  Now don't get me wrong, my weakness lately is Payday candy bars that seem to call my name.  Since June I have had 2 and that is 2 too many but it is what it is and I'm still losing and that is what counts.  

This weight loss thing is for me obviously for my health but it's also for this little light of my life.  I want to be around to see her children!

Wordy Wednesday

I had planned on this being a Wordless Wednesday but it turned into a Wordy Wednesday for me and it is not even 9 am.  

And the tale goes like this:

I groggily climbed out of bed a five this morning after spending the evening trying to finish a book on my Kindle that I just couldn't put down, all the while watching (sound off) the OKC Thunder lose yet another game.  Finally, the eyes were getting bleary and and overworked so I shut the Kindle off, rolled over to drift off to sleep to Two and a Half Men at the late hour of 11:30 or so.  Let me tell you I could hardly open my eyes and they did not want to focus but off to workout I went.  

I told Wade I had to get home about 15 minutes early to pick up the house a bit before the cleaning ladies came and have my shower.  While loading the dishwasher and putting pot holders in the drawer I spied this little lady at the bottom of the drawer, peeking her little bonneted head out.  Wow, I haven't seen her in a while...Holly Hobby.  Remember her?  This potholder was part of one of our wedding gifts, 37 years ago.  I thought it would be a great Wordless Wednesday, but I was so wrong.

Yesterday the demolition crew was supposed to show up and start the tear out of the old back porch but the only crew that showed up was a guy to deliver a dumpster in front of the house to go along with the orange port-a-potty that has not seen a worker open its door in two weeks.  

They started today though and the first thing that happened was as I stepped out of the shower I heard lots of clanging and banging and power tools and then a huge CRASH of something falling and glass banging around in the living room/kitchen.  I hurriedly threw clothes and shoes on, in case of broken glass, all the while remembering the fiasco of the bathroom demo when the nails broke through the guest bedroom ruining a wall.  What I found was the picture in the kitchen that was over the sink had fallen and knocked over a small glass, unbroken vase. 

Then I thought of the shelf in the living room that has some of The Hubby's collectibles.  I rushed to find my step ladder and started taking down some of his stuff.  See it over the doorway there.  Let me tell you I almost needed another shower.  WHEW.  

Finally, I was able to go back to finish the dressing part of my day.  Make up on, hair blow dried, and ready to make my nutrition shake for the morning.  (Oh, I had to look a bit better than usual because I was to have lunch with my bestie and later dinner with my other bestie.)  I found on one of the new blogs I follow called Veronika's Kandy Koated Dreams, a fabulous green smootie for weight loss that included spinach.  I started my smootie and it took forever to get it whirred up.  All ready and very green I tried to pour it in my glass and look what happened.  The darned bottom broke out. 

What a mess...

Luckily I had another blender under the cabinet, a hundred years old, but another blender.  It did the job the second time around but the motor was a bit smelly.  Today I'm on the hunt for either a blender or juicer.  

Oh, and on the garden note...danged critter, not sure whether it is a rabbit or squirrel ATE one of my red tomatoes!

Day 7 - The Battle Continues

As of yesterday I finished seven days of the colon cleanse.  That was 2-3 shakes a day (I only did 2), with added nutrition stuff, fiber and 7 cleanse capsules with each shake.  Then dinner I would have plate fulls of veggies and all day long, water, water, water.  I'm done with the nearly starvation part.  Just kidding, it really wasn't too much of a starvation kind of thing and I have not been perfect.  On day 5 I had a piece of pork tenderloin and on day 6, at the family/Father's Day event I had some brisket and my Grandma's dip on a chip (several times).  All in all though, I am down 6 pounds and The Hubby is THRILLED!  I will continue on but adding the lean meats, chicken and fish, brown rice and legumes.  Really, this is how I eat mostly and should not be a problem.  I am going to finish all of the product I have, the full 21 days but won't continue with the shakes after that.  ICK!  Not my favorite thing.  They don't taste bad, really but I am not a fan.  I think what is going to continue to work for me is the changes I have made.  I have given up diet pop and creamer in my coffee and fast food.  Those are my biggest offenders.  A little secret here is that my carpel tunnel has hardly bothered me and my creaky knees have stopped.  I have a BIG feeling that the diet pop was giving me the problems, had built up in my system and tearing my body down.

Now my thoughts about The Hubby being thrilled on the weight loss.  I am so torn inside with my emotions about that.  He seems so invested in my succeeding with this mission that I catch his eyes on me if there are obstacles in the way and I have the feeling that he is just waiting for me to fail, yet again.  Really, this is my thing and not his.  When I was taking those few chips at my aunt's on F's Day I was sneaking them, yes sneaking.  I've reverted to sneaking the food because he will be disappointed in me and I feel like a parent is watching me, ready to slap my hand (which he did many years ago.)  In the back of my mind I'm afraid that if I really do loose a lot of weight and look good, it might not be enough, that he'll want more and more and more.  When I was only about 20 pounds overweight some 30 years ago he would harp on me so what is the difference.  Maybe it's the health thing, but I'm healthy, according to my doctor.  I exercise and am in good shape.  Oh gosh, I am just making myself nuts and self-defeating myself.  This weight thing is such a huge battle.  I really would be happy to loose 50 pounds but 100 would be nice.  That's a scary thing to write here because in reality 100 pounds is just awful and I don't want to face it but if I want to be around for my granddaughter, and to enjoy playing with her I have to keep up at least giving up the diet pop and fast food.  Those two things alone which I did not have as a child should be of great benefit for me.

(Thought:  Maybe if I lose lots of weight I will feel more comfortable on the dance floor with The Hubby and enjoy myself.  Right now I just feel like a cow spinning around.)

100

I'm pretty darned excited to reach the 100 mark for followers.  Pretty cool and it only took me 6 years.  In a few days it will mark my 6th anniversary spilling my mind on this blog for all the the world to read.  

I'm also happy to finally get my art on the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition website in the gallery area.  YEAH!  I've been reluctant to do that because I did not have enough confidence in myself or my ability to put myself out there.  Last week I emailed several of my paintings, a little bio and there you go, I'm out there.  Excited!!!!!

Still doing then cleanse but by golly this dang throat is driving me crazy.  I have no fever but there is definitely white junk in the back of my throat, so I know it is a virus and should go away, I hope, soon.  Four days of nothing but fruit and vegetables and shakes I am hungry for a bit of meat of some kind now but I will continue.  

Day 1 - Back to Health

Today is day one of the colon cleanse.  I could have started yesterday, Monday, but I had a girlfriend birthday party to go to and I didn't want to sit out of the champagne and fun, so today is the day.  I got up this morning and instead of a protein bar as my usual thing I had a pear and my coffee, black.  Wade put my arms and shoulders through the ringer and I thought I might "DIE"!  Not really but I was really, really hungry and a bit light headed when I got home and a bit worried.  It was fine after a bottle of water and my first shake.  I did frozen blueberries and a bit of pineapple for some sweetness, the shake mix (nutrition), and ice cubes.  Not bad, not sweet but hey, I managed it just fine.  Before I even started though my tummy was doing some somersaults for some reason this morning and I have not been far from a ladies room.  I do that though and it's probably because I have been eating a lot more fresh veggies the past few days anyway.  Another shake for lunch and some veggies and I will be good.  I'm thinking about purchasing a juicer so I can do some carrots but not sure I want to invest if this is a short term thing.  I do have a challenge this weekend, Sunday.  My cousins that Daddy stayed with in Arizona a couple of years ago are here for the weekend and my aunt (Daddy's sis) is having a BBQ!  EEK!  Luckily I had planned on having my shake and taking veggies to munch but then she asked if I would bring a veggie tray!  Works perfectly for me.  That will be my 6th day of the shakes and stuff and then I will add the brown rice, legumes, chicken, fish and lean meats.  I can do this thing, I can do it!