The Double -sided Coin

It's easier for me.
It has to be good.
Let me do what is convenient for me.
It has to be good.

It doesn't cost me a thing.
It has to be good.
I don't have to look back.
It has to be good.

It won't cause problems for ME.
It has to be good.
I'll have things my way.
It has to be good.

Weight Loss Goal

I can't believe another year has past. Oh, how time flies. I thought once I had retired it would slow down. I was so mistaken. It's quite the opposite. I realize I haven't done half the things I've wanted to do. As I do each of them, new interests develop which still leaves me with less than half done. I'm not complaining. In fact, it's really a joy. There is so much to experience in life, I don't think it's possible to tackle them all. I'm having fun doing the "To do list" I've made for myself (in pencil). The priority of things changes as the days progress.

I can't ever see myself as a couch potato. I realize people that have limitations...that could be a goal for them...so I'm not knocking that either.

This weight loss goal will always be there. It's position also changes on my priority list.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Praying God blesses us all.

Arm Exercising at an Auction

Today my husband and I went to an estate auction. It consisted of all the items from ceiling to floor in the old sports store in town. It was something to watch the eyes of young boys (8/9 yrs old) light up when their dads won their bids for guns for them. I didn't realize they made such little shot guns.

We won several auctions consisting of various fishing rods and reels. We figured if anyone came down to visit, we would have extra poles in case they would be interesting in fishing the great lakes and rivers near our place.

We were at the auction from 10 am until 6:45 pm. I spent much of the day bidding on stuff we didn't need. I'm expecting my left arm to be sore tomorrow from raising the card up and down all day. I had a good time and met lots of nice people.

Although there are still many boxes to unpack, I'm enjoying our new home. Mom likes it as well. I'm so glad!!!

I seem to be holding steady with my weight. No loss...no gain. For me, that's pretty good considering the holidays. I'm fixing greens tomorrow for the first time. A lady in the grocery store told me that was a tradition with southern folks. We'll see how mine turn out......may be a first and last time.

Losing the Battle

We have finally moved. I feel like I'm losing the battle. Although we can finally walk through the house, there are still tons of boxes to unpack. I'm running out of space. I'm such a collector, it's hard for me to get rid of anything. We still have to go back north and get the rest of our stuff and get the house ready for sale. The longer I'm here, the more I'm dreading the trip.

I haven't got to the scale since the move. I haven't even found most of the pans. I've got 3 frying pans and a dutch oven that have surfaced. We've been eating out quite a bit since we've been here. I'm sure that food is not conducive to weight loss.

It's a strange feeling knowing you aren't going to have anyone coming over during the holiday season. I'm happy I have my husband and mom with me. I talk to my youngest son on the phone on a regular basis so all is well. He's still as happy as a lark and that makes me feel good.

My sister-in-law sent us some home-made fudge. I told my husband and mom to eat it
all. I don't need that to sabotage my weight loss.

Time to get my water and take a walk around the yard. God Bless and Happy Holidays!!

Losing Weight......Helping Your Flabby Tummy

As we get older, our skin loses it's elasticity. We've all seen those horror stories of excess skin after a dramatic weight loss. I've lost over 100 pounds 3 times. (I know, I know, how could I be dumb enough to gain it back.) Each time I lost the weight, I was able to maintain my skin tone. The last time I lost all this weight, I was 48/49 years old.

The key is to lose the weight gradually and exercise as you do it. I started with walking about 35 minutes a day. We had a track near my home and I use to do it at night. I remember, eight times around the track was two miles. I gradually worked myself up to an hour a day after about 3 weels (two separate walks am and pm) I then moved on to jogging. I started that on a treadmill. (I didn't want people to see me trying to jog in the neighborhood.) I use to speed up then slow down until I felt comfortable enough to jog for any length of time. I finally was able to add an incline to my jogging. In addition to toning, it also burns more calories.

Your best bet is to check with your doctor first to see what he thinks is best for you in terms of exercise. There isn't a blank routine out there that works for everyone.

Aerobics is another way to help in toning all the muscles and help the tummy shape up. I have a few videos I use for my aerobics. (I've never been brave enough to take a class.) I must say, my form isn't anything like the video but I sure feel more energetic when I'm done.

Althoug I've never tried Pilates, doctors say this is another good way of toning up your muscles. I found a great site called Healthy Weight Forum. This site is chuck full of information. You can read about the history of Pilates as well as the benefits of this form of exercise. It also displays various weight loss programs and tools to use to help track your weight loss. There is something for everyone at this site.

Walking in the Winter

I don't mind walking when it's cold but am afraid to walk anymore than I have to in the snow. I already fell once getting to my car. There was ice under the snow and I couldn't catch myself. My injury consisted of a small cut on my knee. Needless to say, I'm hesitatant to walk much in the elements unneccessarily.

In order to increase my steps in the house, I've been making extra trips to the basement. The good thing is, I'm getting the basement cleaned out for our move. Hauling some stuff out for the garbage and packing other stuff.

We plan to take mom down to our new house this Friday/Saturday. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees the property and her room. She loves wildlife and there is so much right out the back window. My husband even racked the leaves in the front part of the woods so mom could walk with out tripping on sticks or slippery leaves. I know the dog is going to love all that space to run in too. (She doesn't like snow either)

Walking in the Winter is going to be a snap once we move. It rarely snows the

Another Connection......24Years Later

My husband and I ran to WalMart this morning to pick up some Christmas cd's. (I'm finally getting some Christmas Spirit) As we were exiting the story, I looked at this guy and took a double take. I finally couldn't help myself, I had to ask, "Did you ever work in Joliet?" He said, "Yes." Wow...it was Gary. He recognized me as well and said, "Chris?" I couldn't believe he recognized me because I weigh at least 60 lbs more than I did when we worked together. I hadn't seen him since about 1982.

We both got promotions and moved to different areas. It was nice to reconnect and share the experiences we had during our careers. We were both glad we retired. He moved back here from Arizona because of his kids and grandkids. He's just realizing they have their own lives and don't get to see them much. He and his wife are going to move back to AZ. He said they saw more of them when they lived there.

We said our good byes and Happy Holidays. I figure I'll never see him again as we are moving south at the end of the week. Who knows.........perhaps our paths will cross again in anther 24 years. Hopefully by then...I'll have lost that weight.

Losing My Connection

We got hit with a snowstorm this past week. I've been busy shoveling since our snowblower is now in Tennessee. The other day mom and I went shopping and when we got home I was unable to get online. I open the back door to go to the garage and check the connection when I let out a be yelp. The awning that had been over the door, now laid in a crumpled heap on the sidewalk leaning against the door. On the way down, it had snapped the wire that connected my computer to cable.

My arms are killing me from all the snow shoveling. I had volunteered my husband to snowblow a friends driveway. Plans changed and my husband couldn't come home as expected. Needless to say, I had to go do it myself with my trusty shovel. We didn't even have a shovel here. I checked at the hardware store and they wanted $30 for one. I thought that was too expensive. I went to the second hand store and found two very nice shovels for $5 a piece. I like the curved handles, it makes it easier to move the snow.

Since I've been shoveling so much the past few days, I haven't used my weights to start working on my arms. I've also been doing more packing. I'll sure be glad when we are done moving.

I've lost 3 pounds since my last weigh in. All though my weight loss is like a yoyo...I always feel better when I've seen a loss.