As most of you know, I went to Texas last week to visit one of my sisters, my brother and a niece. I haven’t seen my sister and niece in along time so it was quite nice to spend time with them! I have a great husband to encourage me to do that!!!

They did notice my loss so I was excited about that!!

At the airport I got a steak, mushroom and cheese grinderless grinder! Delicious! All through the week, when I would order something without the breading/chips/bread or whatever and got a funny look or comment, I would just tell them I am allergic , then I would tell them I just blow up like a balloon!!! Good for laughs and of course as soon as you tell someone allergies, it all comes together for them

At Walmart by the check out I found beef jerky with dipping sauces. Beef jerky comes with bar-b-que sauce, beef sticks come with cheese sauce and chicken jerky comes with ranch and hot wing sauces. All are good. I had the beef and bar-b-que one on the plane! Highly recommend them!!! Great to keep in the car or in your pocketbook.

I also found in Texas at a Mexican grocery store, Salt and vinegar pork rinds!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I bought 'em all!!!

While in Texas we ate out 1 meal a day and I had a ball!!! We ate at a fried chicken place, I pulled off every bit of skin and coating and I must say it was soooooo good!!! We ate a lot at Mexican restaurants and those were easy. I got fajita-less fajitas!!! Really good!! I have not found one restaurant yet that I can not eat at!!

We did a lot of shopping and hit many estate sales. I needed to borrow a huge suitcase from my brother to bring home everything I bought.

I felt good. The heat didn’t bother me like it did last year. I could walk and breathe. BIG accomplishment from last summer.

And of course I did a lot of visiting with my family!!

A GREAT food alert: Aldis!!! If you have an Aldis nearby and you like mussels, you HAVE to get these!!! They are 1 pound frozen precooked in the chest freezer. They are either tomato and garlic or garlic and butter. OH MY!!! I got my niece hooked on them!!! When I got home I went and stocked up on more of them!! One box is a great meal and quite filling!!! The tomato garlic ones my husband puts over spaghetti, which naturally I don’t eat and DON’T miss!!! I HIGHLY recommend these. All of a sudden Aldi’s is going to be going through these things like crazy, they won’t know what is going on!!! LOL!!

Food wise, my trip was EXTREMELY successful and the best part, I didn’t have to think about food, worry about food and agonize over food!! I LOVE this plan and the freedom!!!!

May 26, 2012
Something has caught my eye, and I wanted your opinions-Has anyone heard about Seaweed Noodles? Supposedly they are considered a vegetable, take on the flavor of what you add to them, and I am very intrigued. I mainly want to know if anyone goes to a refresher, could they ask Julie about them? Can these be used in place of real noodles? I mean, are they "legal"? Almost sounds too good to be true, so, I thought I would ask around! Not sure where we would get them around here; Linda clued me in to ordering numerous different things on Amazon, and, sure enough, you can buy them from there! So, let me know if anyone has used these, what they are like, etc. etc. I am very curious!!!!!!!!!!!
May 25, 2012
This morning, I asked my friend for a reality check about my weight loss journey. It feels as if things have slowed down for me, as though I haven't lost any weight in months. My friend assured me this is not the case; my body has completely transformed and I am not the same person I was a year ago. I'm sitting here in my size 20W Talbot Capri's, the fitted style, with a front zipper accompanied by a button and two hooks, with slender side pockets and a lined waistline, and I realize she's absolutely right.  
It's been fifteen years since I last wore a dress!
May 20, 2012 (me in the middle)
It's part of my journey to sometimes get caught up in these kinds of thoughts. It's great to have a good friend who can help me step away from such thoughts and to realize just how far I've come. Success on this program can be measured in many ways, none of which include a number on a scale. 

I Think Differently
I don't obsess about dieting and I skip right past ads for weight loss programs. I know my way around a menu and I'm confident I can find healthy food choices anywhere I go. I know what to eat and I eat well. I still have difficulty with cheese, eating too much, and my meat to veggie portions are still needing more of my attention, but I have not had sugar or carbs since I started this program and that says a lot. The other stuff can only get better and for me as I continue to refine what I'm eating.

I interact Differently
I interact with my doctor differently too. When I was  at my doctor's office today, a nurse called my name and led me to a scale. As I stepped onto the scale, I told her I didn't want to know my weight. She then asked if I wanted to know if I had lost any weight. "No thanks," I told her, "I know I've lost weight and I don't need to know how much I've lost."  This is my standard protocol at the doctors office, I let them know what I need and they are happy to accommodate. It's the same at restaurants!

I Dress Differently
Last weekend I wore a dress, which I haven't done in fifteen years and it felt great! I look at myself in the photo (above) and realize I look "normal" - not obese. I can in see in this photo just how far I've come down in body size. My mind knows I dropped from a 30/32 to a 20, but I was still seeing and feeling larger than I really am. I had forgotten, until my friend reminded me this morning, I no longer need to wear pants with an elastic waistline. It's fitted pants for me from now on -- and dresses are now a new option.

I feel Different
This journey has been so solid, that I often forget I'm on a weight loss program. I feels so natural that I don have to give it much attention. I just need to remember to look up once in a while and see myself  in my transformed shape. Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to be a smaller size and how much further I want to go, that I forget how far I've come. Just a few days ago, I moved a half dozen tops and pants from my middle closet, which contains clothes that I'm currently wearing, into my eBay closet, which is where I put the clothes that are too big. How quickly I forget, that those clothes fit perfect in December and now they are several sizes too big.

How About You?
What's different in your life since starting the program? Is your energy level different? Is your wardrobe different? How about your self image? Can you really see your progress in the mirror or are you too only seeing how much more you have to lose? How do you stay real with yourself? Tell us about your changes since starting this program.
May 25, 2012
I am posting this for anonymous who posted this question today on another post. I thought it was worth a separate post. I hope you get the answers you want. Please keep us posted and let us know how you make out.
Anonymous wrote:
Hi there- not really sure how to post this so hope it gets moved where I can get more input. I started the program on Valentine's day and in less than 3 months, I've had great results. I don't know what I've lost, but do know that my BMI is now down in the low "normal" range and I've dropped a solid 3 sizes.

My question is health related. I had to go to doctor today with palpitations, headache and jitters and, when she discovered what my diet was, indicated that it did not sound healthy to her and she ordered lots of blood work and urinalysis to rule out ketosis. An EKG was normal, as was my blood pressure and pulse. I've also had a real problem with nigh time foot and leg cramps so have been taking potassium (when I remember to). Can anyone advise if they've had similar issues?

May 16, 2012
Here's a question posted as a comment, that I thought would be better answered if I post it for everyone to see. . .
I have been following your blog since I have been put on the waiting list in December. I received the call last week and I will be going to see Julie for my first visit on May 24th. I am a bundle of nerves about everything. I am nervous because I have been overweight most of my life, and I want this to work. I am worried because the person I live with has very bad eating habits, and I am worried about spending all of this money and not being successful.

Do you have any advice for someone like me who has not yet been to a session and is very nervous? Thank you.

Anonymous
May 08, 2012 
My  advice: ask Julie for help with your roommate mojo; she may be able to help you with this. Say it upfront when you first start talking and then answer the questions she asks, so you don't forget or run out of time.

I try to remember, I can only change me. I can't change anyone else.

Have a great first (second, and third) session - and please come back to this blog and tell us about your story

May 08, 2012
My dad, who was a professional painter, always said painting is the easy part, the hard work is all the preparation you have to do before you paint.
Last week, I started a really big home project: painting my kitchen. I've been thinking about my Dad all week, as I remove the cupboard doors and the hardware, as I move my china and tea pots from the shelves to the kitchen table, and as I fill the holes with wood glue. All this and I haven't even sanded or cleaned. Never mind that I have yet to open a can of paint! My dad was right: the hardest work is the prep.

Is it just me, or is the prep work the hardest part of this weight loss program? For me, staying on program isn't the hard part, it's having things lined up ahead of time: planning my meals, making a shopping list, going grocery shopping, preparing the meals, getting up early enough to have breakfast and pack my lunch before I start my day, and having something lined up for dinner before I get home. If I do the prep work, the program is so much easier.

During my prep work this morning, I had an "ah ha" moment. After filling holes, where the hinges used to be and a number of holes inside the cupboards, I climbed up and down the chair to clean the top of the refrigerator. As I quickly climbed the chair, I realized that I'd been up and down that chair for over an hour effortlessly! It wasn't until that moment that I realized why I had put off painting the kitchen for almost a year: it would have been  too much for me physically.

I never thought about all the restrictions that my weight placed upon me when I was heavier. It's when I encounter moments like this, that  I am reminded that this journey is a process of self-discovery. It's so easy for me to focus on not losing weight "fast enough" and meanwhile miss seeing the many positive ways my weight loss has affected my life. An hour of climbing the chair didn't draw my attention to how I could not have done this a year ago. It was when I climbed up and down from the chair four times quickly that I suddenly realized: hey - last year I couldn't get up on the chair once, never mind several times in a row - or repeatedly for a hour!

I look forward to many more new discoveries in my life!

Another great discovery - reconnecting with my inner runner. Last weekend I ran another 5k (which is a little over 3 miles). This one was in Amherst and it had killer hills. My total running time was the same as the Hot Chocolate Run in Dec., which was just under 45 minutes, but given the hills involved - this is great progress!

Here are some photos I took before and during the race...
Warm up before the race
I need to get a better running outfit!
Me on left; Aime on right.
Coming up to Emily Dickinson house and the last of the hills.
Self-portrait while running; me in yellow, Aime in pink. My favorite photo of the day!
May 05, 2012
Quick question: I have a flight coming up soon and it will be at an awkward time during the day, I don't eat breakfast, but get hungry around 11:00. I will be on a plane. Any suggestions as to what to pack to eat? Obviously I can't bring deviled eggs, I think I would get thrown off the plane!! LOL

I am afraid of beef jerky with all the sodium and then just sitting. Just looking for some ideas for a light meal that won't smell up the plane. My sister suggested ham roll ups but again, the sodium problem. Just wondering what you all would have in mind!
May 05, 2012
Like many of you, I have times when I am impatient with my weight loss process. I feel like my hips are not changing at all. I just had this photo taken of me so I can compare how this blouse looked a few months ago to how it looks today. I can't deny the change that has happened!
05/05/12        |        01/16/12
I'm still not happy with how big my hips and belly look, but I know this will change if I keep doing what I'm doing. I try to focus on my success rather than wishing to be my ideal size. Being present is an important part of my journey. If I can accept where I am today, I can and will move forward.

Recently someone asked about having vivid dream while on this program. I've always been able to recall my dreams and they are quite detailed. That said, I definitely see a correlation to going in for a session and vivid dreams.

Speaking of dreams, I've been dreaming about fitting into three pair of size 20 blue jeans, which my friend Aime gave me many months ago, but each time I tried them on I couldn't pull them above my hips. The night before last, I had a dream that I tried on the blue jeans and they fit. I had forgotten about my dream until I was getting dressed; I decided to give them a try.

I tried on the first pair. I pulled them up over my hips (YAHOO), zipped them up, and then I sat down in my office chair for a few minutes.

They did not pass my "can I sit in a chair and be comfortable?" test, so I tried the second pair.

I was uncomfortable sitting in the second pair as well.

I moved on to the third pair and (drum roll please) they passed the test! I wore them to work and I felt fabulous all day!

Patience pays off. If  I keep moving forward and doing the best I can to stay on program, regardless of how much time passes, I will reach my ideal size. This doesn't happen on a calendar that I have control over, in as much as I want that kind of control. So, I let go of the controls and keep moving forward.
May 04, 2012