What You Focus on Expands

SMILE FOR YOU
Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!
Everyone needs a smile!!!


Went for groceries today. A woman who was older-ish than me was behind me in line and I remarked that she was in great shape (she was) and asked her if she's always been this way. (I'm snoopy)

No, as a matter of fact, she hasn't.

• Twenty years ago ( hello successful maintenance!) she lost 45 lbs by eating less & moving more. Hardly ever weighed herself but used her clothing as a guide.
  
• Splurges on weekends & vacations but eats well during the week overall. Never feels guilty about her splurges. When the party/event/whatever is over she just starts in with healthier eating again the next day. No big deal. Keeps things in balance. (I'm not there yet)


• Never steps on the scale. NOT EVER. Said "I am not a number. I look in the mirror, if I like what I see and my clothes are fitting nice, doesn't matter if I'm 150 or 170." Gee, this is sounding familiar.


• She walks & does light weights.

I love when you embark on a new & uncertain path and people start appearing seemingly out of nowhere to provide reassurance & guidance that perhaps this IS the way to do it for you & that you WILL find success with doing it a different way that you've always done it. I've been focusing on the changes I'm making and all around me I'm finding evidence that I am on the right path for me.
Instead of always focusing on my fatness (which was making me neurotic & unsuccessful) I'm changing this to focusing on my fitness which is making me feel powerful and confident & successful. I'm working on changing my thoughts to that of a healthy, trim person and am also changing my behaviours to achieve my goals. I feel very strongly this time that I am a success story already. I just have to be patient while my body catches up.
I love that I'm not shy about starting up conversations with strangers. You just never know how a person will affect you. The next stranger you chat up might just help you change/save your life. Neat eh?

Chicken-Feed for the Soul

So yesterday I get this email from a chickenbutt named Chuck. Says he's got something for me to make me feel better. Oh haven't we all heard *that* one before.

well ...

a Phooning chicken ... it stole my heart :)

Don't let it get out that the little pecker has feelings.

Chuck has his own blog here. It is truly absurd which is why I love it :)

Tricia ... you made my day. Thank You!

at 65% today which is still much better than dead :)

It's only in the 80's but it's muggy. I'm rundown. I don't feel like eating my food today so I'm going to drink it. I'm drinking lots of green tea & water & I'm heading back to bed for some reading (Jen Lancaster's Pretty in Plaid) and rest.

Nice-n-Fatty-n-Nutty-Like-Me-Smoothie ... spinning off from the Green Monster

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop whey protein powder ~ vanilla

1/4 avocado (avocados & I share a name)

12 almonds, ground

2 generous handsful spinach

1/2 cup (?) parsley ~~ I just grabbed a bunch

banana

3/4 cup mango chunks

1/4 tsp coconut extract

I'll probably have another one later on but use strawberries & vanilla extract instead of the mango & coconut extract. I may cut out one cup of almond mik and use 1 cup of water instead with the next one as well. I drink ALOT of almond milk & I'm not sure how good that is to do.

Lots of fat & calories here. Not for the faint at heart (I'm guess-timating 500 cals and gawd knows how much fat) *don't freak ~~ this isn't what I drink every day ~~ this is a treat*

It's VERY filling because of the fat.

And yes, I like it and don't think it's gross ... *grin*

Hope Everyone is enjoying the weekend.

I Love Food ...

I'm not sure there will ever come a time when I don't.
Even after I'm done losing the excess weight, I'm quite certain Food will be a passion.
I love the taste of food. I love the thought of food. The smell. The sight. It makes me happy to take in all the colours of what's on my plate before I eat.
Yesterday, I added herbes de provence to my eggs & 'shrooms. (porcini, shitake & white)
It was sooo good how could I not swoon over my plate?
The unstuffed peppers I made for my lunches this week was so delicious. Next week ~~ lazyman's cabbage rolls made with extra lean turkey. Yes, I'm already planning for them. :)
My friend Salim brought in some homemade lentil soup his wife had made and shared some with me ... swiss chard, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, lentils, olive oil, tomato paste, broth. Simple. Divine. Real. I may make a big pot of it myself on Sunday.

Does Food have to be a four-letter word?
I think not.
I love Food!

Typical Food Day This Week

Good Morning/Afternoon!
I don't have anything to say really. Just going about my day. Thought I'd post some food pics as I haven't done that for a few days. This is how a typical food day has looked this week. I've also consumed alot of fish meals instead of the egg whites and cherries were on the menu instead of apple but they are all gone. (they were better than candy, too. so sweet & juicy)

I'm eating 2 pats of butter daily which is not typical of me when "dieting"
but I decided to get over the "fear" (!) and go for the real stuff instead of the butter spray I was using. I feel good about this decision. I buy the individual butter pats from Costco & that keeps me accountable as to serving size. No, I haven't 'cheated' and used more. I'm keeping to two per day.
Also, I'm eating before bed (!) ~~ 2 Muffets (NOT muffins as my friends thought I was saying ~~ lol) with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk & 2T honey ~~ 320 cals. The ingredients on the Muffets box ~~ 100% whole wheat. That's it. The honey adds 120 calories so without it this would be 200 calories ... I need to wean myself off of the bee nectar :(
I found that:
A. I don't like eating cereal carbs as breakfast food. They make me tired.
B. It's a nice snack before bed that is satisfying. I've been reading studies that say it really does not matter if you eat after 7 or 8 pm or before bed. It feels ok to me and this is all about what's right for me this time.
C. I'm rewarded in the morning. :)

No more following what others say is "right". (Really, do I need to base my life on the latest study? I'm smart and know what's right for Me. My 85+ years old relatives survived quite nicely without them)

I also don't say these things to make anyone think I'm pushing this on them. Whatever works for YOU is fantastic! I'm just making a record that I can look back on & if anything needs changing, I'll know where to look for answers.

Since I'm no longer going to be weighing myself other than periodically at the doctor's office, I have to be very mindful of my food intake to make sure I'm keeping within a caloric range that'll help me take the weight off. With that said, I'm going to be weighing, measuring and counting calories for a wee bit to keep myself accountable. As I said before, my diet is pretty repetitive so I don't think I'll need to do this more than a few days to give me an idea. The little bites add up even if it's from too much of a healthy food. Just want to find out if I'm on the right track with portion sizes.
I LOVE what I'm eating which is important. I seem to have found my "magic formula" for comfortable weight loss. I believe I have made the "lifestyle change" that's key in not only taking off the extra pounds but keeping them off because I'm eating foods that I love and don't feel deprived in any way. I do NOT feel like I'm dieting. I still have work to do on the movement part. It will come. The biggest changes, as I've said before, are happening in my mind. It's an exciting time to be me.

1st meal ~~ whey protein ~ unsweetened almond milk ~ fruit ~ spinach
2nd meal ~~ egg whites ~ mushrooms + herbes de provence (yummy) ~ asparagus ~ 1 pat butter
3rd meal ~~ whey protein ~ unsweetened almond milk ~ fruit ~ spinach
4th meal ~~ unstuffed peppers made with lean ground turkey ~ sweet potato ~ broccoli ~ 1 pat butter
5th meal ~~ baby cuke + tomatoes
6th meal ~~ almonds + apple
7th meal ~~ 2 muffets ~ 1 cup unsweetened almond milk ~ 1T honey ~ I only used 1T which was more than enough.

Muffets ~ not muffins ... lol