Week Thirteen of REAL...

Reduce stress
Exercise
Adequate sleep
Lower caloric intake

The 16th: weigh in: 239.2 lb. Two SEAL puppy reps. Physical therapy, without weights. I am choosing to be healthy.

The 17th: weigh in: 238.4 lb. Two SEAL puppy reps. Two-mile walk. Trimming back bushes. Physical therapy with 1-lb weights. I don't need to hide behind my weight anymore.

The 18th: weigh in: 237.6 lb. I'm learning to be healthy. I don't need to hide behind my weight.

The 19th: weigh in: 236.8 lb. I am healthy. I don't need to hide. One-mile walk. Two SEAL puppy reps. Physical therapy with 1-lb weights. Two more SEAL puppy reps.

The 20th: weigh in 238 lb. Four weeks since I messed up my shoulder. It seems to be back to normal. Whew. Two SEAL puppy reps. Physical therapy without weights.

The 21st: weigh in: 238.6 lb. Two SEAL pup reps (10 boy-pushups, crunches, flutter kicks). One-mile walk, for speed. Two SEAL puppy reps (10 girl-pushups, crunches, flutter kicks). I confess that my boy-pushups aren't very deep (less than an inch), but I'm impressed I can hold the position at all. I'll work on it. Why do I not jog? The herniated disk in my back means as little bouncing as possible, please. Physical therapy, with 1-lb weights.

The 22nd: weigh in: 238.4 lb. Waist circumference: 40". Two SEAL puppy reps. Physical therapy, without weights. I'm trying regular milk, again. I went to lactose-free milk when I was struggling with my food allergies. I hadn't yet figured out how truly allergic I am to bran. Now that I'm pretty much bran free, I want to see how I do with milk. Why? $3.79 per 1/2 gallon versus $1.99 per 1/2 gallon.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing one of my inspirations for sticking with REAL. As a heads up, over at FB, I'm a harem member, and Friday is our post a favorite picture day on your wall day. So, here at my own blog, it will be Jimmy Thomas Friday. I thought about posting it, today. In fact, that was the original plan, but I changed my mind.

Permission and Chosen and FB...

Permission to be Human: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-sobriety/201109/permission-be-human

My sister posted the above article, at her blog, and I wanted to share it here.

I first came across Holly Gerth through DaySpring. This was posted on FaceBook, yesterday, and it warmed me. I needed the reminder. http://networkedblogs.com/nkxzC

For those who don't like the new FaceBook changes, go into Account, down to language, and where it says English US, change it to English UK. Like my sister, do NOT tell me what YOU think I'll be interested in, because I'm quite capable of making that choice for myself, and actually manage to do so every single day. Unfortunately, UK turned to the dark side, within hours. However, English (Pirate) is kind of fun.

And a cartoon that always makes me smile...

Part of being REAL...

Reduce stress
Exercise
Adequate sleep
Lower caloric intake

http://itsallaboutmie.blogspot.com/2011/09/umhealth-experts.html

This tied in well with some of my other REAL blogs. As I work to change my thinking, I'm noticing some significant changes, in me. I've pretty much let go of the expert advice, because I know that my weight issues are mostly in my head. My body is merely the evidence. I would eat less, exercise more and gain weight. People would always say, "It's muscle!" Actually, it wasn't. My inches weren't changing either. I had to finally accept that because I was mentally in a place of deprivation my body held onto the weight. Mentally, I was in starvation mode, regardless of my eating habits, so my body went into save the fat mode. Now, I'm trying to teach myself that I don't need to do that anymore.

R ~ I've found that routine is vital to my program. I think I've finally created one that works for me. Funnily enough, my change in my job situation is what made it possible.

E ~ Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday I walk in the morning. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, I don't walk. I do 2-4 groups of my SEAL puppy reps (10 reps of girl's pushups, sit-ups, and flutter kicks) and physical therapy all six days.

A ~ Monday through Saturday, I'm up between 5-530 AM. Bedtime varies. I use sleep deprivation to stop nightmares. So, some nights I'm able to go to bed early, like 10 PM, but other nights it has to be 11 or 12 or 1 AM, so I don't wake up to nightmares. I'm trying to learn to intersperse them better, so I have more nights of closer to 8 hours of sleep, than those that are only 4 hours.

L ~ I don't eat snacks between meals. They are guaranteed sabotage for me. It doesn't matter what it is. They interrupt my other work routines, and leave me feeling like I've grazed all day. The feeling of having to constantly remind myself to eat is annoying. Monday through Saturday, I have breakfast between 6-8 AM. It's usually Carnation Instant Breakfast, sometimes with frozen blueberries and sometimes with frozen bananas and sometimes not. Lunch is usually between 11-12 noon, and dinner is between 5-7 PM. Sunday, I sleep in a bit, eat between 9-10 AM, and then I have dinner around 4 PM. I keep meals simple, usually from scratch, or pretty close to it: Grilled cheese sandwich, hamburger, spaghetti, chicken and rice or pasta or potatoes. Occasionally, I make an easy soup, Top Roman, with veggies and chicken added. I have a chocolate chip cookie after one meal and a biscotti and hot chocolate after the other, unless I had a PB&J. I also drink 48-64 oz of water, every day, without fail. I haven't had any soda pop in... a year? Two years? Maybe longer. Yes, it's been so long I don't remember, though I may have had a cup at some event or other when that was all that was available. I'll usually choose water or lemonade. I don't miss pop, though occasionally I want an old fashioned A&W. It isn't available, so it isn't a problem. I eat out less than once a month, ie, I eat out with a group of friends at the end of the month, but I don't always make it.

I am healthy. I don't need to hide.

NASCAR ~ Nationwide Race: Carl Edwards came in second. Race Buddy broadcasted the Sprint Cup race at NASCAR.com. THANK YOU!!! Delayed due to rain. Carl came in Fourth. Congrats to Tony Stewart on winning, and Dale Jr coming in third! Carl is currently third in the chase. Whoohoo!

Carpe diem... change...

In the past, I've kept track of what I'd done during the day, and reported whether or not I "seized the day." Today, I'm trying something new. I'm posting what I plan to accomplish, today. Now, one of my dearest friends will declare that PLAN is a four-letter word and an invitation to said plan being disrupted. Maybe, but I want to see how the day goes. The worst that can happen is that I don't follow through on everything, but I will follow through on some things. So, where we go:

REAL ~ At this moment, I've already done my walk and SEAL puppy reps; so far so good.
Finish reading Arlene James' A Family to Share. She is on my Must-Read list.
Projects that require some attention, today.
Laundry.
Sign up for Race for the Cure.
NASCAR ~ The race was rained out, yesterday, so it's running, today. Whoohoo!

Done. :-)

Thank Goodness It's Sunday #69

This needs to be shared... http://alicelynnalfred.blogspot.com/ I hope Alice doesn't mind. It was the perfect start to my Sabbath.

~Cooler weather! At last! We will not live in eternal summer. I knew that, but it's difficult to remember sometimes, after months and months of heat.

~I believe I've mentioned the living lawn ornaments that have taken possession of the yard (feral cats). Because it's cooling down, they are playing more. What fun!

~Much needed rain, this week.

~Amazing friends that are blessedly supportive.

~GBTV

My Heroes... Casting Crowns...

Music has always felt like an entity in and of itself. It influences how I feel. I use it to inspire me. My horse seemed to enjoy when I sang to him. And I used to leave the radio on for my dog whenever I went anywhere. I discovered I enjoyed coming home to the radio being on. When no one is here but me, I have K-LOVE playing. When I am listening to music I feel a sense of completeness, a sense of peace.

Mark Hall is the lead of Casting Crowns, a Christian Music group. Their music inspires me, and always fills me with a sense of being a little bit closer to God. On Monday, at the 5 September screening in Atlanta, Mark posted on FB the following link to a Red Carpet interview for Courageous, coming out September 30, 2011. Wow. Here's the link to the movie, specifically to the video section: http://courageousthemovie.com/videos

I've been listening to Casting Crowns for a few years now. My friend Margaret, introduced me to them, first, and I've loved their music ever since. I liked Casting Crowns on FB, and have enjoyed Mark's comments and thoughts. He even hosted a Scripture study for a while. They have influenced me for good and strengthened my faith. May God continue to bless them in their calling to share their musical gift.

Do you know what tomorrow is?

Neither did I, until a few days ago. It isn't on any of my calendars that supposedly mark American Holidays. I would say that it was because it isn't a bank holiday, but they have holidays for other countries marked... September 17th is Constitution Day. It's the document that starts: WE THE PEOPLE... Here's the link to Constitution Day. http://www.constitutionday.com/



I re-read the Constitution this summer. I've also read W. Cleon Skousen's The Five Thousand Year Leap and Thomas Paine's Common Sense. The first was an easy read, the second not so much. There's a bit of a language barrier, ie, 200 years of change in the American language. The Constitution is a remarkable piece of work that reveals the hearts and souls of our Founding Fathers, men who were willing to live and die for the right to be free. Men who understood that freedom wasn't free, but required great personal responsibility. Men who understood that true freedom wasn't anarchy but the rule of law. I'm grateful for the sacrifices they made, so that I might have the opportunity to live in this country.

On a lighter note: When I first became acquainted with computers -- back in the dark ages -- I can remember thinking this:

Week Twelve of REAL...

The 9th: weigh in: 241 lb. I need to make a decision. Do I truly want to be healthy? Some of my food choices would suggest I do not. There is a part of me that is willing to be brutally honest that sometimes I'm choosing death by food. But that's far too simple. It's vastly more complicated. Unlike smoking or drinking, I cannot go cold turkey with eating. Dear God, I need a healthier way. I tossed some of the junk food, but not all. I know better than to deprive myself. Instead, I make deliberate choices about what I really want most. I love my chocolate chip cookies. I made those. I'm happy with only one. Really. I usually believe that, anyway. There are days. I'm liking: "Eat like you're healthy." I didn't stuff, today. One SEAL puppy rep. And baking cookies, I made an interesting discovery. I used the brown sugar I'd made myself, the brown sugar I'd thought tasted too much like molasses and not enough like the brown sugar I bought. I will never buy brown sugar again. That little extra was amazing in the cookies. It didn't make the cookies taste like molasses; it simply added a subtle layer of complexity.

The 10th: weigh in: 241.6 lb. Shoulder is considerably better. Not sleeping well, but never do this time of month. Day four or five of a migraine. Ugh. Two SEAL puppy reps. Took an easy one-mile walk with my sister. Watched the Dedication ceremony of the Flight 93 Memorial. The internet is such a blessing.

The 11th: weigh in: 241 lb. On this day, I am reminded that there are only two choices: Life or Death. Good or Evil. God or the adversary. When I don't take care of myself I am choosing death. Today, I choose Life and all that means.

The 12th: weigh in: 241 lb. Two SEAL puppy reps. One-mile walk. Physical therapy, without weights. Shoulder is doing much better. Made bread. Yummy! Did laundry. Worked on several projects. Headache is much improved, still there, but better than it was. I walk healthy, and I eat healthy. :-)

The 13th: weigh in 239.4 lb. Three weeks since I messed up my shoulder. I did my grocery shopping, and endeavored to be careful with my shoulder. One SEAL puppy rep. I am healthy. I walk like I'm healthy. I eat like I'm healthy. I sleep like I'm healthy. I exercise like I'm healthy. I am healthy. Really... I'm working on it. Killed a mosquito mid flight. Good reflexes. :-)

The 14th: weigh in: 240.2 lb. One-mile walk. Two SEAL puppy reps.

The 15th: weigh in: 239 lb. Waist circumference: 40". One SEAL puppy rep. Physical therapy, with 1-lb weights. My shoulder seems to be much better. The headache is finally gone. I could be discouraged by these numbers. I'm not. I'm becoming more aware of my desire to become healthy. I've caught myself preaching about weight loss, in the past, and hope I don't fall into that nasty trap again. I want to be healthy. The numbers are a way to keep myself in check. When I see the scale creeping up, it's a reminder (not that I don't know already) that I'm falling back into old habits. I will learn to be healthy.

Sometimes, I love Forwards...

One of my friends forwarded this story to me. I remember hearing it long ago, well before emails, and I loved it then, too.

THE OLD DENTED BUCKET

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore . We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the clinic.

One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my 8-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."

He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face .... I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments .."

For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning."

I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch.. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. "No, thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.

When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her 5 children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.

He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was preface with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going...

At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch.

He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind."

I told him he was welcome to come again.

And, on his next trip, he arrived a little after 7 in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen! He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. And I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.

In the years he came to stay overnight with us, there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden.

Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk 3 miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.

When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.

"Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!"

Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But, oh!, if only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear.

I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.

Recently I was visiting a friend, who has a greenhouse, as she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, "If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest container I had!"

My friend changed my mind. "I ran short of pots," she explained, "and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail. It's just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden."

She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven.

"Here's an especially beautiful one," God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. "He won't mind starting in this small body."

All this happened long ago - and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b)

Friends are very special. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear and they share a word of praise. Show your friends how much you care. Pass this on, and brighten someone's day.

Nothing will happen if you do not decide to pass it along. The only thing that will happen if you DO pass it on is that someone might smile (because of you).

Found this on FB, posted by David Barton at WallBuilders http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1

NASCAR
I know this is late for my NASCAR update, but today seemed the first time it was appropriate. I love NASCAR, but I recognize that it's fun. Somehow it didn't seem to fit the previous posts. Everything has its place, and sometimes it's important to evaluate one's priorities. Laughter and fun are as necessary as courage and sorrow, each in its place. A time to every season.
NASCAR ~ The Nationwide Race was broadcast online, compliments of Track Pass Race View. I prefer watching the little numbered balls float around the track over watching the leader board. So, thank you Track Pass! Carl Edwards came in 2nd! The Sprint Cup was broadcast on ABC! YAY! Carl came in a close second and is seeded in the Chase at #5. Go Carl!

Never Forget...

I'm not a drinker, but this is one of my favorite tributes to 9/11. Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k&NR=1 10 years later: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww6nWmXEVeE&feature=watch_response

Ten years later, families honor lost loved ones. http://www.rd.com/family/to-honor-those-they-lost-911-ten-years-later/

Forgive and Forget (or not) http://www.aish.com/ci/sept11/911_Forgive_and_Forget.html

Trevor Loudon, New Zeal blog, gathered a collection of articles and blogs remembering 9/11. http://trevorloudon.com/2011/09/remembering-9-11-–-10-years-of-war/

My Heroes... passengers of Flight 93...

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6935757/remembering-flight-93

The passengers on flight 93 decided to choose their destiny.

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

"Are you guys ready? Let's roll." ~ Todd Beamer