188.0 Taking Care Very Carefully!

Yes, I know it popped it again, my weight that is. And yes, I can explain it with tales of entertaining and going out. But that's life, after all, and I'm trying to learn to live with the stresses and joys of life along with the challenges of dealing with food.

Here's some good news: my body mass index is now at the lowest it's been in years, a measure of 28 as of a couple of days ago. I remember it being 35 at one time, high enough to make me eligible for gastric by-pass surgery. I was considering that as an option when I decided to use hypnosis and awareness to help me gain better control over my out of control eating, and to become aware of why I was eating too much, etc., instead. Recently I learned that a large percentage of folks who have the gastric by-pass surgery regain the weight they lose after the surgery, and I can imagine being one of those people with my history of regaining lost weight. I totally believe that understanding why you have gained weight and why you are too heavy are as important to success as cutting back on how much you eat.

So,I have to continue to take this seriously and slowly and not think I'm failing somehow because I still bobble up and down. I've kept daily records of my weight loss for the last year plus, and I'm winning in spite of the bobbling.

I just came home from a Kentucky Derby Party and shocked and amazed people who hadn't seen me for a while. I was asked several times how I lost the weight. In a social setting like today's, I usually smile and answer "Very carefully!" Taking care of my body has been the primary motivation for me.

187.6 TLC

I keep driving by this poor cactus. Actually, it's not so poor. It is being well cared for in spite of its issues. The issues the saguaro (pron. sue-are-o) cactus faces are familiar. If it takes in too much (water is its nemesis, and we had a very rainy winter this year), it begins to lean and will eventually topple over if not given support. It touches me to see how much TLC goes into protecting these very special plants.

These plants weigh between 3200 and 4800 pounds, depending on their size and the number of arms they have. While being held up, the job of the cactus is to stabilize itself by drying out so that it weighs less and can eventually support itself. What's really amazing is that each of these mighty plants has one tap root that grows down about 2 feet, and then has another root system that is only 4"-6" deep that spreads as wide as the cactus is tall.

I've been thinking that we all need to take care of ourselves with TLC, just like these plants receive when they are in trouble. So if you are struggling, get some help, either from a professional, a good friend, or perhaps, me. You can always email me at smbmiller@cox.net if you have questions or want to chat about what is going on with your weight loss. I'd love to be a part of your support system.

And by the way, if you want to read more about these majestic cacti go to http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Saguaro%20Cactus.php.