I'm at Orlando International airport, waiting for my plane, which boards in a half hour. The Internet connection was problematic at the house, the Comcast experience was the same as I've had in the past, horrific, but they are the only option available, so they torture their customers at every given opportunity. I spent two hours on the phone one night and the next morning another two hours. I quickly discover the guy on the phone the night before lied about everything he said, so I had to start all over. We left without resolving this and one less TV with cable than when we arrived. Conversing with them is not a good way to start or end a day.

My friend Lucy and her husband Rick invited us to dinner last night. I met Rick in the late 70's before he and Lucy were married. We were all quite young and they were in their early 40's, and we did a lot of sailing in Kaneohe Bay, off the windward side of Oahu. In fact, a few years later, they left Hawaii and Carl and Arlene bought their 40 foot sailboat, LaBumba, from them. It's still at the Honolulu Yacht Club and it's for sale, of any of you are in the market.

Rick and Lucy offered lots of protein and veggies and they had soda water for my vodka. Lucy gave us Christmas gifts. Inside my card, Lucy scribed "for a time in the future" and the gift was a beautiful turquoise pair of capris, size XL. She said she hoped I wasn't offended, but she had gained and lost some weight last year and the capris were too big for her and they looked like they would fit me soon.

I tried them on before I went to bed last night and they fit me now, though ten less pounds will be a better fit. This is great - now I have a new summer item for my April trip to Southern California. Most of what I wore this trip will be too big by April, so it's good to have something new to wear then.

I need to get things in order here, as I'll be boarding soon. I hope to post photos this weekend and perhaps another blog entry on vacation reflection.

December 16, 2011

It's 7 am and there's a cool chill in the air here in Punta Gorda; it's must be in the mid-to-low 50's. The sky becomes lighter by the moment, as the three-quarter moon fades softly away. I've been up for about an hour, sipping coffee and waiting for the sounds of life on the canal to begin. I have my video camera and tripod set up, and I'm hoping to capture jumping fish and birds looking for breakfast. A dog barks in the background, a bird chirps a few times, a flock of birds fly by in the distance, too far for my camera lens, an airplane passes by covering all sounds of nature.

As I wait for more action than cooing birds and a howling dog, I'll fill you in on my food choices for the past few days. Since I had stocked the house with some my food preferences, I made healthy breakfasts, which we enjoyed by the pool each morning, as well as lunches. This worked well for me when we had company, as I always had good protein sources available. It was more difficult when we had dinner or cocktails at other people's homes, such was the case last night.

We went for cocktails and appetizers at a the house of the couple who used to own the home Carl and Arlene bought, which is where we stayed all week. We had a late lunch, chicken salad and fresh veggies, so I wasn't hungry when we arrived. We had a tour of their beautiful custom-built home and then sat down with cocktails and engaged in conversation. As we talked with our host and her husband, Phyllis brought us plate after plate after plate of hot appetizers. Our one hour planned visit turned into three hours. Phyllis was a wonderful hostess and I enjoyed the evening, but aside from cheese, some of which were spreadable and contained nuts, my only protein option was pigs in a blanket.

This is real life. Finding my way in these kinds of food situation is something I need to learn how to do. This week, with a social gathering every night, has provided me with an opportunity to navigate my way around socially and maintain my food standards. Unlike my friends, who have kids and lots of social gatherings to challenge them, or weekly family meal gatherings, I don't do much of this kind of socializing, so I'm mainly in controlled food environments on this weight loss journey.

I learned to take the "pigs" (tiny sausages) out of their blankets and quietly toss the blankets in the trash -- and to drink vodka on the rocks with a whole lemon; just one thank you very much. I never thought I'd drink straight vodka, but here we are. I was not the designated driver; otherwise I'd either still be there this morning or I would have refrained from drinking at all.

I focused on veggies and cheeses, knowing my meat-to-veggie balance was off and my cheese ratio was over-the-top. I ran into trouble thinking I could push a crescent aside and just eat the mushroom filling. I ate four of those, but only tossed two crescents, which were smaller than the space between my index finger and thumb.

This journey is about living and learning, and making choices to allow me to live a balanced life. I did a great job this week in keeping the balance. Nothing sweet touched my lips and there were sweets in my environment all day and every night at a party. I inhaled and appreciated the sweet aromas and presentations, and had another drink instead. That's what I did at my birthday dinner a couple of nights ago. Another troubled areas was when I told them to hold the Spanish rice, but Arlene wanted it. When my New York sirloin stake arrived, sizzling with with onions, fresh parsley, and lime juice, I immediately move the rice from my plate to her. I later found two bites of the rice hidden under my steak and because it was on my plate, I ate the two bites. Next time I will ask for the rice on a separate plate.

December 16, 2011

It turns out, I don't have Internet access at the house I'm staying at, so I'll write and then posts my blogs on my way home. I also can't upload images to the blog from my iPad or iPhone, so I'll add photos when I get home. I'll have to find a way to add photos when I'm traveling or find a better blog system. I also noticed there are no paragraph breaks in my last entry I'm not sure what's up with that either.

I have a few hours to myself (well Carl's mother-in-law is here, but at age 92 and a half, Rita is pretty quiet). My brother Carl and his wife Arlene went off to run errands at Home Depot and Walmart. I opted to stay home and blog, even though I'm not sure when I'll be able to post; Internet access isn't set up yet.

It's 11 am and I'm sitting on the patio, in the shade, listening to the gurgling of the pool a few feet away, pools of fish jumping, and watching pelicans and other birds fly along the canal. It's too late for breakfast, the birds feed on the canal fish early morning and are done by 9 am. Each day has had a great start: a 2.2 mile walk with my brother, cooking breakfast for all of us, and then enjoying our coffee and eggs watching the birds successfully pilferage for breakfast. Then we're ready for a full-day of planned and unplanned activities.

The patio (or as they refer to it in the Hawaiian island "lanai", is completely screened in; locally they refer to this as a cage. It seems an odd concept to me, but it really keeps the bugs out and a neighbor who came for drinks last night told stories of birds getting into her house after a hurricane took down the cage screen. She really started to panic when she saw a Pelican looking in the house with serious determination; screens were replaced the next day. I've a few photos to add here in a few days.

My first morning here, I stocked up on foods to meet my needs, as the kitchen was full of processed things I no loner eat. I share my food along the way, but I needed to make sure my nutritional needs were met, so I bought a whole chicken, mayo, ham, cheese, coleslaw, lots of lemons and limes for my vodka tonic and plain drinking water, eggs, half and half, fresh corn, cukes, and a few other veggies. Grapefruit is growing in the yard, and since I'm not having any, I am enjoying using the hand juicer I bought them and making fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for them. I like the juicer so much, I'm going to get me one when I return home. I'll add a photo here when I have that feature option.

For breakfast this morning, I browned up small round sausages in one pan and made English style eggs in another. I chopped up a portion of a red pepper and as it cooked slightly, whisked 6 eggs with a fork, added small pieces of Swiss cheese, add the eggs to the peppers and then spooned the mixture until everything was cooked.

Early this morning, I read a blog by Michael Hyatt "How a shift in your vocabulary can instantly change your attitude" (12/12/11). He talks about the power of words and the I impact words have on others and on us. For example, we talk about things we have to do, rather than saying we get to do something. For me, it feels better to say "I get to exercise" rather than "I have to exercise". When I say "I have to do something" it feels more like a punishment than a good thing; exercise is not a punishment. The real punishment is not being able to exercise. I was happy for this reminder, to stay positive: I get to exercise! I'm especially grateful that while I'm here in Florida for the week, I get to exercise every morning with Carl, who only a few weeks ago finished chemo and radiation to treat a squamouscell cancer in his neck.

We've had a couple of small parties, which reinforced my decision to bring in healthy foods, and there are more visitors at the house as I type; it's almost 3:30 pm. I asked to borrow the car and made a run to Barnes and Noble for Internet access and because it's getting really hot today and I can't stand the heat. If I stayed home, I fear I would have gone to bed for a few hours, it's cooler in my bedroom and I wouldn't have to hold back on my urge to fall asleep. Tonight we go to friends for a holiday party and we were ask see to only bring ourselves. I have food options at home to fall back on if they don't have healthy option, but I suspect they will have good choices for me.

Time to get back on the road. As I said, I 'll keep writing and post when I can.

Are you doing well at getting through the holiday parties?

December 12, 2011

Dec. 2011

A few hours ago, I drove from South Hadley to Providence airport, and I'm now waiting  at Charlotte airport for my connection to Ft. Meyers for a week of Florida fun.

After clearing airport security in Providence, I went looking for dinner and  found a nice looking burger place called Johnny Rocket.  As I approached the cashier, a pilot got in line behind me and since I  had two hours before I needed to be at my terminal and he seemed to be in a rush, I told him to go ahead of me.  While I debated over the menu, I heard him order  a double rocket (cheeseburger), no bun, and no French fries, which  is exactly what I chose as well. It was delicious.

Because the healthy looking pilot ordered the same thing, I am officially over being embarrassed for ordering off-menu. Really, the only ones who seem to think ordering a sandwich without the bread is abnormal are the restaurant owners, who don't offer a discount  for ordering less food. Sure, they knocked off fifty-cents, but come on...if I ordered fries they'd cost me more than that.

I usually  plan my flight meal ahead of time, but that didn't happen this trip. Usually I buy beef jerky, pepperoni, or deli ham, and add in some fresh cut veggies and cheese. It's good to plan ahead. Today I discovered that I can find and choose healthy options wherever I am, without having to be obsessed about what I will eat. There is planning and then there is planning so much that it's an unhealthy obsession. Today, I found a balance.

I had a plan for what I was going to bring for the plane, beef jerky and dried green beans [06/21/12 update: dried foods, including dried green beans, are not on program] from Whole foods. While in the store a few days ago, I bought the green beams, but I forgot the beef jerky and I ate the whole package of green beans with my dinner all last night.

Side note here about the beans. The dried green beans are delicious and crunchy like potato chips, but I eat the entire container if I'm not careful. At the movies,  I bring in a portion of beans, a package of beef  jerky, and a bottle of water. At home, sometimes I get carried away with them and don't have equal meat. When that happens, I stay away from the green beans for a few months. I have the same problem with dried carrots. Anything in large amounts can be unhealthy. This is a reminder that I have more to learn about a balanced diet.

You may be wondering what's wrong with green beans? Nothing when you have an equal portion of meat with them. A whole package alone is off-program and is over 1,000 calories.

I have some exciting news to report - the seatbelt buckled without my needing an extension and I was able to make my food tray was fully flat! I can't remember the last time I flew without needing a seatbelt extension. Another silent embarrassing act behind me.

I haven't work this shirt since 1992

One more piece of great news. I was freaking out a few nights ago about where all my beautiful capris went, only to recall I sold them all on eBay last summer. I found a handful of capris and packed them, but the exciting part - I also packed my beautiful summer blouses, which fit perfectly. I wore these blouses for a nano second in the early 1990's when I had dropped weight and didn't get to wear them a even third time, as I gained the weight back quickly. Theses are bright colored tropical prints that are timeless in the tropics.

This means that when summer 2012 arrives, I will need all new clothes, as these are the smallest clothes I have.

December 09, 2011

Total of 5,500 ran or walked

5k Run

What an incredible day - I completed my first 5k since the 1980's and the results are in ... my running time was 45:11.95 and my pace was 14:3.

The race was wonderful. During my training this past week, my pace was 16:24 and the longest distance in my c25k was 2.02 miles, so I definitely kicked it up for the race. My target goal was a 15 minute mile and I beat my goal. Yahoo!

For a 56 year old woman, who wears a size 20, I think this is pretty amazing. I'm proud of myself and my friend Aime who trained with me and ran along side me for most of this race; she was kind enough to keep a steady pace with me for the first two miles. Aime jogged the whole race and it was inspiring to watch. Me, I had trouble breathing, because of seasonal allergies, so I alternated between jogging and fast walking, and kept her in my view.

About a quarter of a mile from the finish line, Aime's friend Kathy, who finished the race 15 minutes earlier, jogged along with me. That was great. She encouraged me and taught me about Chi running.

"Lean your upper body forward", she said, "and the rest of your body goes faster to catch up. It's just like when you were a kid."

This must have been just what I needed, as my breathing got easier. I pushed myself and jogged as fast as I could towards the finish line.

Before the race: me on the left and Aime on the right.

After the Race

Breakfast for Champions, photo by Theresa

I felt incredible after the race - no aches or pains - totally energized. It's now nearly 6 pm and I still feel great. At the finish line, we were offered free hot chocolate, baked goodies, and fruit, but I was not at all interested. I proudly accepted my mug and filled it with cold water.

After a bit of socializing, we went to the East Village Cafe, in Easthampton, and had a breakfast for champions: egg scramble with red peppers, onion, spinach, and broccoli. Note my 2011 hot chocolate run mug in the background.

I feel so good that I'm ready to sign up for the in April 1, 2012 Carlsbad 5k (in southern California). As soon as I have plane tickets, I'm registering!

December 04, 2011

'Tis the season to enjoy our progress - moving forward and staying on program despite all the holiday parties. I had my share of temptations, but I'm happy to report that I was able to stay on program and not dip into the sweet holiday treats.

damaged tree from the Halloween snow storm

Halloween

Halloween wasn't an issue for me this year, since I don't have kids and Halloween was cancelled due to the freaky October snowstorm. I didn't have candy to hand out and I managed to avoid the leftover candy people brought to the office.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a challenge, having my hands in the preparing and avoiding licking fingers; I ran water over my fingers instead of putting them in my mouth. Stuffing was hard to stay away from too. In the end, a kitchen situation happened and I ended up not being their for dinner. My sister-in-law lost her balance pulling grandma's corn pudding from the oven and the bath of water it sat in spilled onto her thigh and stomach. I took her to the ER, and we told everyone to go ahead and eat without us. (She has a second degree burn on her thigh, but she'll be fine. I talked with her today and it's healing well.) Those food items were not so tempting when they were no longer hot. Pies weren't temping either; homemade pies were not to be seen - this made it easier too. Not to say there weren't times when a store bought pie did the trick; it just didn't flip my switch this year.

Having foods that work for me on Thanksgiving was the trick. I made butternut squash, I ate lots of turkey, and grandma's corn pudding. The day after Thanksgiving, I warmed up leftovers for my niece and her family and I stayed on program again; serving whipped cream and ice cream and all! I didn't feel deprived at all. I had a the same items I did the day before and once again and desserts didn't interest me.

To make things even better, I dropped more this week; I can feel it in my clothes and I've heard comments from friends "Wow - you lost more weight - it must be all that exercising?" Yes, and eating lots of meat helps too!

I'm heading to Florida the next of next week for a week of vacation. I have a bathing suit that I found in my closet, which I am hoping to fit into; it's a size 1X Junonia. I leave in 6 days, so it either fits or it doesn't, I can only keep doing my best.

The 5k

Tomorrow morning is my 5k. I'm nervous and excited. I've trained as best as I can and I'm working on keeping the negative thoughts out of my head (like: what are you thinking?). I'm going to follow Nike's advice: Just Do It! I'll report back on my results.

How are all of you doing? How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Any problems staying the course?

December 01, 2011

What's for Dinner? Sausage and Eggs

Sausage and Eggs

Tonight I made one of those quick dinner meals: sausage and eggs. I bought small sausage patties a couple days ago, thinking I'd have them for breakfast yesterday and I never got around to it.  While the patties were cooking, and they cooked fast, I scrambled an egg in a bowl, chopped fresh basil, and added the basil and a small cube of cheese that had hot red and green peppers to the bowl. Once the sausages were done, I plated them and put the scrambled egg mixture in the hot pan. I served both items on a dinner plate with an equal portion of coleslaw. Cleanup was also quick, especially since I only used one pan and it was teflon.

Coats for Sale on Ebay

I'm up really late tonight because I'm selling all my coats on eBay. All that is except for two: a red wool jacket that I'm having altered and a blue leather jacket that fits me just perfect.

I tried on each of the coats before taking photos and posting them on eBay. I thought for a nano second that I could keep them to wear the res of winter, but no...they really are too big! This is exciting, but I have a couple that I really love and I will miss them.

I plan to use the money I earn from these coats for my next shopping spree. The coats  I'm keeping are short, so it's possible I'll be bargain hunting later this winter for a longer-length and smaller size. That's exciting as well. Plan B, if my coats don't sell: donate them to Safe Passage.

November 22, 2011

Last night, a friend told me she was feeling depressed and overwhelmed. I told her to take a hike. Well, I didn't say it quite like that, I suggested she go for a 15 minute walk. An hour later, I took my own advice and found the results were as I had suggested: my mood and energy level shifted.

Why would I want to increase my energy level at 8:00 pm? Because I had fought off taking a nap most of the afternoon, something I often do on the weekend, and I didn't want to go to bed so early. I figured fresh air would be just the thing I needed. Who cares if it took me an hour to get outside...I took the walk and the rest of my evening was far enjoyable than going to bed at 8 pm.

I took my c25k outdoors today. Aime and I met at 8:30 and did our program in the crisp morning air. It's a harder program for me outdoors and today I tried to figure out why. One thing that might help is  take something for outdoor allergies. I also realized something happened a couple times that slowed me down: when we encountered other people, I lost my momentum. I need to learn how to stay focused so this isn't an issue during the race.

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and stocked up on foods I need for the next few days: bacon, eggs, ground sirloin, sausage, coleslaw, cheese, fresh herbs, and butternut squash. This afternoon I'll make meatballs. I'm creating a new recipe, in which I'll add ground sirloin with ground Italian sausage, and I'll make the sauce from scratch, with crushed canned tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh basil, parsley, and garlic, and I'll grate fresh parmesan.

I was hungry when I got home from exercising, but I had shopped with a quick meal in mind: coleslaw, black forest ham rolled with a small amount of sharp cheddar cheese, and seltzer. This meal hit the spot. I had cottage cheese with chives and toasted onions in the refrigerator, but I wasn't hungry before I left home. If I'm not hungry in the morning, I just have coffee.

This week I realized that when I make coffee at home, it's far better than any place I can drive-through. I poured skimmed milk into a pan, brought it to a frothy boil, poured it into a stainless steel frother, and then pumped the milk until it was nice and thick. I filled half of the cup with coffee and the second half with thick-as-whipped-cream-froth. Yummy.

In looking ahead at exercise goals beyond the 5k, which is two weeks away, I looked for inspiration by previewing books on Amazon about fitness, running, marathons, half marathons, and yoga. I read a little about kayaking and I found something called "orienteering."

I went to Wikipedia to find out what that's all about:

"Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they use to find control points."

Kayaking is something I have wanted to do in recent years, but because my body feels so stiff and inflexible, I didn't dare. When I was in Alaska this summer, I had the opportunity to kayak, but the fear of not being able to pull myself back into the boat if I fell out, stopped me from trying. In spring 2012, I would like to give this a try in warmer waters. As far as, orienteering goes, well, one thing at a time.

The book about yoga led me to this inspiring video (below) about Pilate's and Brooke Siler, leaving me to contemplate Pilate's as the next type of exercise to add to my life. I'm enjoying this new found energy and attitude from c25k, and I plan to continue running and walking after my 5k, but I want to work on making my body more flexible too. About five years ago I fell and when I hit the ground, my full weight was on one knee.  Stretching is supposed to help keep away the pain, but I haven't felt comfortable sitting on the floor since that fall. My fear for falling is intense, and walking down slopes with leaves, snow, ice, or mud, causes my whole body to tense up. The thought sitting on the floor, brings tears to my eyes. I fear I won't be able to get up, because putting my weight on my knees to get up is excruciating. Pilate's seems like a good next plan for  me.

November 19, 2011