Thin like French fries

"If you are what you eat, I'd rather be thin like a French fry than round like a head of lettuce!" ~ Randy Glasbergen.

I always knew there was a reason I loved McDondlds thin and crispy French fries.  Now, I know. It's because I would rather be thin like a French fry.  

Smile already

"It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown." ~Author Unknown

I wonder how many calories you burn when you smile.   I smiled a few times.  So, surely I have burned some calories working those 17 muscles. 

What can you carry?

"Physical strength is measured by what we can carry; spiritual by what we can bear."  ~Author Unknown

I carried a few baskets of laundry today and I lifted a few weights.  If I could carry less loads of laundry and more weights I might not weigh as much!

Done?

"I am so happy you ate 37 doughnuts to workout at 5:00 in the morning!" ~ Bob Harper

I didn't eat 37 doughnuts today but I did overeat today.  I got on the scale today and not a single pound. I was pissed off. 

"Done," I told myself. "I am done.". I'm not sure what I meant by that.  I was thinking no more weighing myself.  Then, I was thinking no more watching what I eat.  And finally, I was done with dieting. 

I'm still not sure what I meant but I am acted as if I am done.  I ate and ate and ate all day.  And I only exercised for fourteen minutes.  I need to get a grip!

Drying off with beach towels

“I’ve gained a few pounds around the middle.  The only lower-body garments I own that still fit me comfortably are towels.”  Dave Barry.

I've gained and re-gained my share of weight over the years.   I always know it is time to go back on a diet when my bathroom towel doesn't wrap nice and snug around my body.   It is an indication that either my gut is immensely large or my backside is enormously huge.  

I've considered purchasing a huge, gigantic beach towel instead of dieting.  

Wiping the sweat off my face

You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.
--Gatorade

My choice was using the towel!  Forty-two minutes and plenty of sweat to wipe from my face. 

Cares, weight will drop like autumn leaves

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir

For me, this quote says it all.  John Muir captures exactly how I feel about autumn.  It is one of my favorite times of the year. 

Yesterday, was a perfect fall day. My family and I spent the entire day working outside.  The yard looks fantastic. 

I was so wiped out from the time spent outdoors and my early morning workout at the gym that I fell asleep without writing this post. Today, there will be two posts. 

Moving myself

"If a man would move the world, he must first move himself." - Socrates

Lots of moving happening in our world today. 

Caleb and Logan ended their week of school with a cross country meet.  Caleb was moved to get ahead of the pack he's been running with and he came in 12th place tonight.  

Awesome and inspiring. 

I ended my week on a high as well.  I completed another 28 minute cardio workout this morning.   I weighed in five pounds lighter than I was last week this time.  I'm moving in the right direction and I am determined to reach my fitness goals for the year. 

Crazy good

"My favorite vegetable is pudding. I didn't know it was a vegetable until I saw it on a salad bar." ~ Randy Glasbergen 

I don't know where I found the energy or the enthusiasm but I worked out twice today.  I spent 28 minutes on the treadmill this morning. Then after dinner I went to the gym a second time and went all crazy staying on the treadmill 49 minutes. 

I know... Crazy! Crazy good but nonetheless crazy. 

Farewell big belly

 "I need a big belly. You can't fit this much charm and personality into a small package!" ~ Randy Glasbergen 

I really don't want a big belly.  I'd rather try fitting what charm and personality I might possibly have into a small package. 

Today, I successfully trotted along on the treadmill for 28 minutes.  Farewell, big belly. 

Only eat soft food for four weeks

"Happiness is your dentist telling you it won't hurt and then having him catch his hand in the drill. " ~Johnny Carson

I had dental work done today.  

After the dentist completed the two hour procedure, I was instructed to only eat soft food for the next four weeks. 

"Did you mean to say 4 days?" I asked. 

"No, 4 weeks," said the dental assistant. 

"Wow," I said. "This should certainly help with my weight loss goals."

Well, the first thing I had to eat was a 700 plus chocolate shake, so maybe not so much. 

Try, try again

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  Then give up.  There's no use in being a damn fool about it." ~W.C. Fields

Perhaps I am being a damn fool.  I haven't given up yet.  I talked myself into getting up early to exercise and once again I am counting calories. I'm trying and trying to get back into tip top physical condition. I'm trying and trying and trying. 

"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you." ~Arthur McAuliff 

I didn't go skydiving today, but I did complete a 49 minute workout at the gym.  I did a little cardio. Lifted some weights. Walked the track. Did some situps. 

Boiling order

"Pray that success will not come any faster than you are able to endure it. " ~Elbert Hubbard

Boiling order for our water district.

After getting drinking water from my Mom's house, we were set for the day. 

So, we thought!

Later in the day Logan had to get ready for his night out.  Tailgating and MU football.  

"How will I take a shower?" he asked. 

We assured him the shower was not raining down poison and he could take a shower despite the boiling order. 

"But what if I get some in my mouth," he asked.  

Anyhow we got him showered and on his way and we made a warm healthy pot of chili. When I mean we, I mean Paula. Health nonetheless.

Something wrong with the scale

“Self delusion is pulling in your stomach when you step on the scales.” – Paul Sweeney

I pulled in my stomach this morning and it didn't do a thing for me.  Unfortunately, the number on the scale has gone back up again. What's up with that?!

No fun

"Fun-sized Snickers? Who’s this fun for? Not me. I need six or seven of these babies in a row to start having fun." ~ Jeff Carlin

I'm fresh out of Snickers.  So, no fun for me!

Gettin' my priorities straight

"Health and intellect are the two blessings of life." ~ Menander

I should have went to the gym to exercise but instead I baked cookies and watched mindless television. I seriously need to get my priorities straight.

Bug in the bag in the freezer

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack.  We give it orders which make no sense.  ~Henry Miller

While reaching for the ice cream bucket I found what appeared to be a sandwich bag. When I picked it up, I realized there was a small critter in the bag. It was a tiny green grasshopper. 

I realized the bug in the bag was for my oldest son.  Derek's been collecting bugs and leaves and a number of other things in nature.  His little brother Logan has been more than happy to help him out with the project.  He's been collecting ants and worms and other tiny living things for weeks.  He finds it, bags it and in the freezer it goes.  

It is totally disgusting.  You would think that it would repulse me enough that I wouldn't want to eat the ice cream from the freezer.  It doesn't. I still topped my brownie with chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate syrup.  Don't judge...after all it is International Chocolate Day!

We live in a fast paced society. Walking slows us down. ~ Robert Sweetgall

Today remained fast paced and I didn't walk!

Wiped out by lawn mowing

It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them. - Mark Twain

Some days I should go back to bed and start all over.  Today is one of those days. 

I cut the grass for the first time all summer. My oldest has refused to let anyone else cut the grass. Since he was busy this weekend, I decided to do it. 

Why I got on the lawn mower is beyond me?!   I had no gas and had to go back to town for gas.  One wheel was flat and the other one fell off and rolled into the woods. Once the wheel was back on, I couldn't make any right turns. I had to borrow the neighbors lawn mower. 

I got in a workout at the gym earlier today so it has been an exhausting day. 

Making it to the finish line

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." 
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

I thought this was a perfect quote for all the men and women, boys and girls who ran today.  

I'm very proud of my two boys who ran their first cross country race of the season. The boys and the rest of the Saint George team had a great run despite the mud. 

I'm also really proud of all my friends who ran today during the Roots and Blues Festival in Columbia, Missouri.  I admire anyone, any age who slips on a pair of running shoes and finds the courage to make it from the starting line to the finish line, no matter the distance. 

Awesome work everyone. 

New dish, bad choice

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." - Federico Fellini

Have you ever went to a  restaurant with the intention of ordering your favorite dish only to talk yourself into trying something new on the menu and later regretting your decision?

I did just that this evening.  My family and I made an impromptu trip to the Olive Garden this evening. I was going to order my favorite dish - the Chicken Scampi - 2700 calories of pasta, chicken, bell peppers and onions smothered in pure butter.   Instead of ordering the Scampi, I opted for a new dish - the Mediterranean Chicken - a combination of pasta, grilled chicken, spinach, tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese.  It sounded good until I had my first bite.  The sauce overpowered everything on the plate.  It was a bad choice, one I won't make again!

Gray hair, expanding waistline

"Worrying about gray hair when your weight's soaring out of control is like mowing your lawn while your house is on fire. " ~ Edward Ugel, I'm With Fatty: Losing Fifty Pounds in Fifty Miserable Weeks, 2010

I'm not sure what else I can say. This quote says it all.   No sense in worrying about my gray hair as my waistline grows larger and larger.  

I've been working on shrinking the waste line most of the year.  If you read this blog, you know I had extraordinary success in the beginning of the year.   Then Dad passed away, and the dieting and exercising didn't seem all that important.   

The summer was brutal.  Busy at work, busy at home.   Little exercise and excessive eating, quickly put the pounds back on.  And now it's autumn.  

Perhaps I should go back to worrying about the gray hair!

A stick of butter, stick margarine... does it really matter?

“As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists.” ~ Joan Gussow

Be it a stick of butter or a stick of margarine, it really doesn't matter to me.   It really makes my fried potatoes taste really, really, really good.

Tonight I prepared a big skillet of diced onions and potatoes.  Before I diced the onions and sliced the potatoes, in went the stick of margarine.   I even added a dash of extra virgin olive oil.   It was like being Paula Dean and Rachel Ray all at the same time!

There wasn't a potato left in the skillet when we got done with dinner this evening.  It's a good thing the pork chops were grilled! 

God has other plans

"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. " ~ C.S. Lewis

I am comforting myself with a big bowl of ice cream.  I had big plans to exercise this evening but instead I am helping my boys do their homework.  I suppose God has other plans for my evening. 
 
No steps today, just scoops and scoops of ice cream.

"We never repent of having eaten too little." ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1825

Fifty minutes of walking the track led to one big blister on my foot.  Oh well... No pain, no gain. 

Beautiful weather

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are." ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Beautiful autumn-like day.  Overnight it rained and with the rain came cooler weather. It's only 78 degrees.

The cool breeze combined with the baby blue sky was so inviting, I had to go outside for a walk. It was a quick, brisk walk.  Nonetheless it was a walk. 

Beautiful indeed. 

112 crunches while watching a movie

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar


I completed 112 crunches today.  I didn't run 112 miles.  I didn't climb 112 steps.  I didn't lift a 112 pound barbell.   All I did was 112 crunches in my living room while watching a movie. 
 
Better luck tomorrow when the weather will be more autumn like!  I can't wait!

No more diet books

“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.” ~Dolly Parton

I have sworn off diet books this year. 

I have a huge box of diet books in the basement. I even have a few in my bedside table and I might have a couple in the trunk of my car. Even with all these books, I am still overweight!

After buying two diet books in December of last year, I told myself that no matter what this was it. I wasn't going to buy any more diet and health books.  It is September and so far I have not purchased any diet books. I have picked some up, carried them around in the store, but I have always put the books back or I have left them at the checkout. I have not purchased them. 

Soon we will be having a rummage sale and those books are going on the sale. I'm done. I am finished reading and ready to follow what we all know is the answer - eat less, exercise more. 

How many calories burned pitching a tent?

"How many packs of gum would I have to chew to burn as many calories as two miles of jogging?" ~ Randy Glasbergen 

I wish I would have jogged two miles today. I would have even settled for two miles of walking.  Instead I had to spend an hour watching my three boys argue and fight while putting up a tent for the weekend. 

Instead of losing weight this evening, I might have lost my sanity, maybe even my religion.