While in Rome, I became painfully aware of just how much I've slacked off from the walking and jogging routine I had established. Last Thanksgiving I injured my shoulder and after two months of physical therapy, I never resumed the exercise routine I had maintained for over a year. That lack of exercise ended this week. I'm back in the gym and I have renewed my focus to keep active. My European friends have active lifestyles and they were a great role model for me.
Theresa walking in France (I couldn't find one of me walking in Italy)
I walked, and walked, and walked, all over Rome during the week visiting my friend Mary. I've known Mary since I was six years old and we've stayed in touch all these years. I visit her in Long Beach almost every year and we've done a lot of traveling over the years. I was disappointed to hear her tell me she thought I was in better shape in Dec. 2011 when we traveled to Washington, DC., but she was right. The week before we caught a train from RI to DC, I had run a 5k. This past December, I turned down the 5k race for medical reasons. But I've been done with PT since Feb., so I've no more excuses.
This was the first part of the steps up to Mary's apartment
My legs ached every night when I was in Rome and at the end of each day, we climbed some 50 plus steps to her apartment. Then I got up again and did it all again the next day. My pain motivated me to return home and resume my workouts and to make my life more active than ever before.
ancient ruins of Ostia Antica
We walked fast and for hours, as we saw the highlights of Rome: Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navarone, Villa Borghese, Napoleon Museum, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, and after walking for hours through the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica, we did some beach combing along the shores of the Mediterranean.
This castle is outside the Ostia Antica ancient ruins
Mary and I took a 2-hour fast train to Assisi, which is a preserved Renaissance town on a hill in the middle of the country. At Assisi, we took a side trip: a 3 mile walk in the woods, which was so relaxing - the cool breeze, the dappled sunlight, the birdsong, the bells in the distance, and a new vista around every corner.
Mary and Theresa at Assisi
While trekking through the woods (shown below), we passed by a small group of "mature" hikers from Holland who were hiking from Rome to Florence. They were 50-70 years old and not a one of them looked a bit out of breath, even though they were walking up a steep hill as we passed them. They were inspirational!
This part of the 3-mile walk we dubbed "drunken woods." 
Mary and I had some great laughs during our visit. For some reason my limited Spanish vocabulary started surfacing and I made up my own international language: "Parlez-vous English? Buena!" Mary tells me that because I was so sincere and good-natured in my efforts to communicate that people took to me kindly. Throughout all our treks in Italy, Mary would turn and smile at me and say, "So who would have imagined when we were teenagers back in Rhode Island that we'd ever be seeing Rome together? Just goes to show, you never know where life will lead you."

At the bottom of the hill, we were rewarded by a beautiful scene (see below), looking back up to where we started. This of course meant we would be walking up hill all the way back. We knew this before we started the hike and it was worth every step, knowing we would reach the town and walk for a few more hours before catching the train back to Rome.
Look how beautiful - oh - and how much further we have to walk!
We don't know where life if going to take us, but I do know I want be as active and healthy as my European friends. Now that I'm home, I'm looking online at Meetup for a people in my area (including RI and CT) who have an established walking group. I may even start my own meetup group! I'll let you know how this works out for me.  Meanwhile, it feels good to be back in the gym!

BTW, if you click on one of the photos, you'll see the images larger and you'll have the option to view each of the photos that size at the bottom of the page.

May 29, 2013
TJ left this message on a post on Before Your First Session (May 8, 2012). I'm reposting her comment here so more of you can see this and provide feedback.
Anxiously waiting for my first appointment. I'm a bit "head-strong" and am hoping she can "get through to me"!!! I'm desperate for this life-change. 
Diabetes and heart disease are just a few miles down the road I'm on now. I need to drop 50 pounds. 
Your posts are encouraging, as nothing else I've tried has ever worked.
Tj, I'm excited for you that you are on the list to see Julie and that you're willing to do this program. As you know from my posts and others contributing to this blog, this program is nothing like anything you've ever done before. It's good that you see this as a life-change, because your life is about to change.
Best to you in your journey ahead.

You're welcome to post comments here to keep us updated on your progress. You too can be a success story who motivates others!
May 28, 2013
My European vacation offered me the opportunity to confirm that I own this program. I had opportunities with each meal to decide how I want to live my life. I chose to live life in balance and to follow the program as Julie taught me.
Tea with my friends; I declined the chocolates.
In the photo above, the sisters (Andrea took the photo) and I enjoyed the one day it was warm enough to sit out front of Andrea's house (in France). We enjoyed a pot of hot tea; I declined on the chocolates. I was amazed how they eat chocolate every day and still keep in good shape. I also realized it's not my fate to indulge this way; daily sweets led to my obesity. As they enjoyed these afternoon treats, I pushed away thoughts of indulging; "tap it away" Julie would say.

I arrived in Amsterdam on a Sunday morning and 24 hours later Helena and I were on a flight to the south of France. After a week at her sister's, we returned to Helena's home where I enjoyed three full days in Delft before I headed to Rome. We spent one day partying with all of Delft, as Queen Beatrice abdicated the throne.
While in Delft, I continued to enjoy life like a local, as we did in France. We went out for coffee in Delft a few times and the day before I left Holland, we went to my favorite place Café Vlietzicht.
Café Vlietzicht
Café Vlietzicht has a variety of places to sit, including an anchored boat, which is where I love to sit. It was so cold that we needed our to keep our jackets on as we listened to the call of birds across the water, watched ducks and sailboats sail by, and enjoyed our coffee.
Scene sitting at Café Vlietzicht
By this time  in my vacation, I was used to giving the cookies they placed on the plate next to the coffee to Helena, as I had done this the whole time while we were visiting her sister in France. This was the "cultural experience" her brother-in-law felt sad that I was "missing" out on - going to wonderful café's and not have the special treats. I didn't feel sad at all, as I've had enough sweets to last me a lifetime.

I have a couple more posts about my vacation that I'll finish and then move on, but I wanted to share photos and talk about my food choices and lessons learned along the way. I hope to help you to think about how you'll handle your vacations.

Two years ago, after a couple months of following Julie, I was going to southern California for vacation and I was nervous about how I would handle my vacation and stay one program, so I went for a refresh. I didn't go for a refresh because I was off program and needed help, but because I wanted reinforcement to stay on program during my vacation. It was wonderful to take this European trip confident that I would stay on program and returning more confident than ever that I own this program. I made choices I feel good about, as I applied what I learned from Julie.

It's been two weeks since I've been home and I feel great, but I've slacked off on my walking. After all that walking, walking, walking that I did in Rome, I've gone in the opposite direction. I can blame this on the fact that I bought a Smart TV a few days after I returned, but there's no good reason for me not to walk daily. I'll write more about walking in Rome in my next post and about how I got back into walking  again. Mind you-this is an affirmation, as I type this has not happened yet!

Meanwhile, here are some more photos I took while celebrating Queens Day in Delft. We watched the actual ceremonies on TV at Helena's, and went into Delft to join in the festivities and then again for dinner. It was wonderful to partake in a part of history that I would have missed entirely had  been at home.
What's a party without music?
The children joined in the celebration too!
Helena enjoyed the celebration too.
The town of Delft was full of treasures for sale too.
Yes, it was this cold. Yes, I still need to lose weight!
And what's a celebration without a clown?

 
May 28, 2013
If this is a dream, I do not want to wake up!!!

Let me continue sleeping, this is such a wonderful dream!!!!

I wasn't going to post about this, but decided I have posted about all the other times, so WHY NOT!!!

I want you all to look at my skirt!!

YUP, just look at it!!!

What size do you think that skirt is?

Come on now, what size?

I'll give you a hint:


DID YOU HAPPEN TO CATCH THAT HINT!!!!!!!!

Let me give you another hint:



May I show you another picture please!!!



I really have nothing more to say as I keep tearing up... an absolute miracle, that about sums it up!!

Julie if you happen to read this post, from my heart, the words Thank You just don't say enough...
May 24, 2013
Linda shared this recipe and I went right home from work today and made it. It's not French cuisine, but i really enjoyed it. It's simple ingredients and easy to make. Be careful that your balance of meat and veggie is good when you make this.
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 - 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2-3/4 cabbage, chopped
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
Preparation
  1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. 
  2. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. 
  3. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
  4. Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. 
  5. Bring to a boil. 
  6. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
May 22, 2013
While on vacation with my Dutch friend Helena, I spent a few days in Holland and then we went to her sister's farm in France for a week. I had a cottage all to myself and I went to a  car show where you park along the side of the road and watch 200 plus antique cars speed by! We went to the car show in her brother-in-law's 1948 Bentley. Life was good in France.
I stayed in the cottage on the left
The food in France was good too. My friends were accommodating and provided the right foods for me. We went out to eat a few times, but most meals we made together and enjoyed at their beautiful dinner table. When it was warm enough, we ate outside.
We picked these wild flowers on the farm.
Helena and I wanted to treat her sister and brother-in-law to a special dinner to thank them for sharing their home and hospitality. They talked about wanting to go to a special place where the main course is duck, but I don't like duck.
 This is how good 66 and 76 years old looks
One day the sisters and I had lunch out and I took the opportunity to taste Helena's duck. A mere two years ago I didn't like meat, but this program changed all that. I figured it was time for me to give duck a try. I took a bite and I discovered it was delicious!
Abba restaurant where I had lunch with the sisters

In fact it was at this same meal that I had my first taste of celeriac - from Andrea's plate. She had been worried about what I would have with her beef stew, instead of rice, and after she discovered I liked celeriac she bought some at the fresh market to serve with her stew.
Andrea's beef stew with celeriac, roasted eggplant, and tomatoes

Having confidence in my taste for duck, a few nights later we went to their favorite place for duck. It was an incredible dinner, duck and all.
The main duck course was served on a  platter with roasted veggies. Potatoes are for maintenance.
Top: Andrea and Jen (pronounced "young")
Bottom: Helena and the Chef

 This is where we had our duck dinner
Now that I'm home from my vacation, I'm at a loss for what to eat, as my usual foods taste bland. Before I left I was focusing on switching up my meals to avoid repeating the same meals again and again. It seems my taste buds have changed and the time has come to put these words into action by finding some new recipes.
Coffee served after our duck dinner
Even my home brewed coffee doesn't taste the same to me. I had some wonderful cappuccinos while in Europe. I didn't like cappuccino until this trip, but I am hooked now. I'm not sure if I need to buy a cappuccino machine or just give it a few more weeks for my taste buds to adjust.
Coffee at the fresh market
At our last dinner, Jen commented that it's sad I couldn't have the real cultural experience in France, because I didn't have pastry with my cappuccino a few days earlier, or the first strawberries of the season with them that night. I didn't say anything, because I didn't know where to begin. I understood his meaning, but he didn't understand my way of eating and it seemed futile to try to explain.
Jen may not understand a sugar-less diet, but he sure knows how to drive a Bentley!

I've have had a lifetime of (over) eating sweet things. I know what they taste like. I know what I'm missing. I know this way of eating is how I'm going to reach my goal size and then learn how to maintain my goal size. Someone who has never had a weight problem can't relate to they way I eat or how I became so obese. People who do have weight problems don't always get this either. 

Here's a 15 second video from the car show. Click in the bottom right corner to view it full screen size.
And what's a vacation without a little shopping...Helena and I bought this same blouse and Andrea took a nice photo of the three of us having a good laugh...

May 21, 2013
I'm back from my three week vacation of visiting friends in Holland, France, and Italy. I walked so much every day that my legs ached every night, but then I got up and did it all over again the next day!
On the shores of the Mediterranean, Ostia Antica, Italy.
Thank you Linda and everyone who contributed to this blog during my absence. Linda's great sense of humor and her "tell it like it is" style of writing was entertaining and right on point!

I promise to post stories about my discoveries and my journey soon.

Meanwhile, I just read Things to Do When You Find Yourself on a Plateau, which is a perfect piece to share with all of you as it uses "being a tourist" as a metaphor to stay on program. It's an inspirational read.
May 15, 2013
I talked a few days ago about fad diets, today I am hitting the crazy exercises that were and are out there.

Again, I admit to falling for many of these. The concepts were great, the promises were wonderful, but, again, if it is to good to be true…

Wrap your self up in saran wrap, exercise and you were supposed to loose inches fast! We went through a lot of Saran wrap, and it didn’t work.

I never bought a Mark Eden’s bust developer. BUT my steno teacher did. She was teaching us about check book registers and passed her’s around. Need I say more! LOL! The poor lady didn’t live that one down!! Anyway, lots of good advertising there. Showed lots of women with beautiful busts. But never showed the product or even explain how to use it.

How many had that small wheel with the 2 handles.? You would put your feet under the couch and hold the handles and roll out from the couch and roll back to the couch. VERY HARD!!! Many times, fell flat on my stomach as I couldn’t control the wheel to stop. Quite hilarious!! Even funnier was my sisters and mom and I would use that green face mask stuff and then exercise with that on. As the mask dried it would harden and we couldn’t talk to good! We were sights to behold!! My dad would just walk by and shake his head.

Another exercise I remember growing up, one my mother taught us. We had a long hardwood floor hallway. And we would sit on our butts and butt walk down it. Your legs would be on the floor and you would use your butt and legs to propel you to walk. At different times during the day myself or one of my sisters would be butt walking down the hall. I do remember my mom doing it at times, but mostly us girls. I often wonder now if this was supposed to be a legitimate exercise or was mom just getting the hard wood floor cleaned and polished!!!

Hopefully my sisters and my mom don't read this post!!

People had machines or went to places like a gym that had machines with a belt. You would put the belt on around your waist, turn on the machine and it would jiggle you like crazy. Not a pretty sight if someone had a lot of jiggly fat on them. Was supposed to shake your weight off.

sauna suits You could buy a suit that would make you sweat. Or we had an inflatable belt thing. We would put the belt on, blow it up and exercise. Was supposed to melt the fat off. Another hysterical moment in our house when we were growing up!

All the ads for 6 pack abs in just 8 minutes of exercise - YEAH RIGHT!!

Exercise in a bottle, don’t I wish!! Take a pill, will make your body re-act like you just exercised, the fat will melt off! Without sweating!!

toning shoes, came in a few different styles. I remember as a teenager the Doctor Scholls sandals. Tuning up your legs as you walk around with these special sandals. They were quite the rage. He made a lot of money!! He has nice stuff, but those shoes were something…

I have to say, in my adult life I bought a Suzanne Somers thigh master. I am embarrassed, but I did! I wanted thighs that looked like hers!! I can dream can’t I! The concept was good, but, well, lets just say that I still don’t have Suzanne Somers thighs!

The electronic Ab exerciser would send an electrical current into your abs which would make them contract and release. That was supposed to make them burn body fat. OUCH!!!!

Phiten Carmelo wouldn’t lie— would he? These celebrity-backed titanium bracelets are supposed to reduce pain and fatigue, improve strength, and aid “bioelectrical flow” Don’t even know what bioelectric is? Am I supposed to have it?

Dumbellutensils look ‘em up on google. Yup, dumb bell utensils. You get a work out while eating. Forks, spoons and knives that are dumb bells. The only dumb bells I can figure out are the ones that bought them. ( sorry if you did! I fell for many promises too!)

Then there is the face trainer. Technology Face Training, and endurance based high repetition form of resistance training for all 44 bilaterally symmetrical muscles of the face and neck. The face trainer fits firmly against the skint o provide resistance and help to build muscle and tone. Ooookkkkkkk….hmm

There are so many to good to be true exercises out there, always have been and always will be. Just like all the fad diet plans.

I am thankful Julie isn’t a fad diet or a scam!! She is an answer to many desperate prayers!!

Do you have any funny exercise stuff you want to tell us about?
May 11, 2013