185.0 Well, How About That!

Being active has a a lot to do with weight, loss or gain. I think I've been really busy with the grandsons, and for some reason, I'm just not so hungry as usual. How cool is that?

Tonight we went to a local Mexican restaurant and I was able to order a mahi-mahi entree that was really delicious but so spicy hot that I couldn't come close to finishing it.

I spent a lot of time at the grocery store today, two separate trips in fact. One was alone, which was good so I had some quiet time, and one was with my son, which was really nice since we are alone together so rarely.

Tomorrow Lynsey, Ted's very special girlfriend, arrives as do our daughter Alee and her fiance Scott. Things will get even more lively. I wrote a friend that we have a real Family Circus going on here and it's truly a case of the more the merrier. Did I write that I asked my husband how we ever raised three children and stayed sane? Youth definitely has its advantages.

Yes, weight is still so important. I'm having more back issues than I've had in a long time, and so I am more determined than I've been over this past year to lose these 15 pounds. Fifteen is better than 18 that I brought home from Hawaii with me. I"m wondering if that will help my back or if age is also playing a role in what is going on. We shall see, but no matter the real culprit, the less I weigh, the better.

Another great day at "The Ranch" as we sometimes refer to our small little house in Arizona. Above are picture taken early this morning. On the left is Lennox, 10, who wants to be a scientist. In the center is Alex, 8, who wants to play for the NBA and then play in a band, and on the right is Julien, 5, who is still thinking about what he wants to be after he plays in a band. Our son, their father actually is a drummer in a band so there is a reason that two out of the three boys have their dad's interest and some musical talent. Having such very different kids in one family is fun and often a challenge, but in general they get along very well - even better once we got a third Wii remote so all three can play Super Mario games together. Surprisingly, the 5 year old often wins.

Even though my weight is up way too much, I feel like I'm winning the battle of self disgust and holding everything steady. My back is giving me new challenges and that is helping to motivate me to get rid of these recently gained pounds. Life is so good and I just want to be as healthy and as good to myself as possible so I'm feeling confident about the future - feeling better, regaining control over how much I eat, and enjoying my life.

183.5 Never Sneeze Lying Down!

I did and threw my back out into a new and different planetary orbit! This is not a good time of year to sneeze lying flat on your back.

170.6 And We Ate Out Last Night

How do I do it :) ? Changes in habits, amounts, hypnosis, and happiness can account for most of it!

Now for the bad news - my back is all messed up. It's a little ironic to me that I finally get all of this weight off thinking it will help my back and my back is laughing at me saying no way! So now I have to go to a physical therapist who specializes in treating cockeyed pelvises. Oh my! But at least there are people who are trained to help people like me and I'm very grateful for that.

And, if you weren't able to see the video, here's a new link:
http://youtube.com/jscotthypnosis

170.4 All I Want For Christmas

All I want for Christmas is a super glued back! As I am getting ready for a 6 hour flight to Boston, my back has decided that it wants some attention, negative attention! I know what I did. In my wisdumb, I added a new stretch to my routine and it obviously wasn't a good idea. So I am now moving carefully and will continue to do so tomorrow as I approach that Thursday plane ride! And I want to be in great shape for shopping and enjoying my time with friends and family back there.

Maybe someday you will be able to get your back aligned and then held in place with super-glue! Now that would be some gift!

179.8 What A Difference A Friend Makes!

Maybe it's my personality type, or whatever, but it really helps me to have someone to walk with. When you know someone is waiting out in front of your house at 6:30 AM - remember, I live in Arizona so we start early around here due to the heat- you don't turn over and go back to sleep when the alarm rings. And, you don't hem and haw about whether you really want to get up and walk. The best part is, walking becomes incidental to the conversation, but walking does happen, and we pride ourselves on walking at a good clip.

My walking buddy, like so many folks who live here, also lives elsewhere part-time, or maybe she lives here part-time? It's the same no matter how you look at it. Anyway, she's here for the Labor Day holiday and we went walking this morning. And you know, my leg pain didn't kick in and my back was fine. Hmmm!

So if you don't have a walking buddy, find one! Most people just need to be asked. Walking with someone means the time flies, the focus can be on conversation rather than just the walking, and it's fun, more fun than walking alone, even if you are listening to Willie Nelson. Oh, that seems like ages ago when Willie was my walking buddy. I wonder how he's doing?

179.6 Like A Broken Record

Today I was talking to a dear friend who has followed this blog since its inception. Recently she became quite ill and was unable to read it for about 2 weeks. She said when she asked her husband how I was doing, he said I was stuck! I admitted that he was so right!

Remember records, scratched records on which the needle would move a little this way and a little that way, but it was stuck in the same place and a few words or just sounds would continually be repeated? I'm like an old scratched LP record!

My leg pain is stuck, too. Ever since my encounter in New Hampshire with the big flying bug, my back has not been right and leg pain is the result. Leg pain makes it hard for me to think about jumping on the elliptical or even taking a long walk. Today we went shopping and after standing and walking through the racks of gorgeous clothes for about 20 minutes, I needed to head home because of the pain. So, in order to move forward, I think I had better check out what's going on with my back doc. Plus, I've got to get it all together for my 50th high school reunion in Palo Alto that's coming up in a week. Go Paly! Go Sue!

179.0 Love Your Body!

My back has been acting up or acting out ever since the hornet tried to nest in my hair in New Hampshire. I've iced it, I've rested it, I've put heat on it, I've ignored it, I've exercised it and the truth be told, it is not responding. Often I move like an old woman with a bad back, reminiscent of pre-surgery days. But I am loving my back. Seriously, my back has been through everything I've been through and it is still supporting me and I know it will for the rest of my life. And, I know that my back and I will figure out how to help it heal.

I didn't used to be so loving toward my body parts. You faithful readers know that I've not liked the ankles and legs that I was born with. When so much emphasis is put on good looking legs and ankles, it's been hard for me to love them. In fact, until recently I hated them. I was venting to Jennifer about my G D legs and ankles during a session about 3 months ago, and when I referred them in such a negative manner, her eyes grew wide and she admonished me to never refer to any part of my body in such a derogatory way. A more conventional therapist would probably asked me to talk about the issue, but Jennifer doesn't work that way. She confronted me about my attitude and I am glad she did. What's really amazing is after we had the conversation about loving all of my body, every cell, I started wearing bermuda shorts with ease and quit judging every little and/or big flaw. Focusing on achieving a healthy body on this weight loss journey instead of being obsessed with its imperfections has resulted in an interesting change of attitude. I love it. It is me. Thanks, Jennifer!

181.4 Putting Things In Perspective

Hmm...what shall I write about today? I don't think I've ever started a post this way, with that question, although everyday that question floats through my mind.

I did go over and "hop" on the elliptical this afternoon and stayed with it for 20 minutes. I did a 15 minute mile and then did my cool down. Tomorrow I'll add more time and work back up to the 40 minute range. It is unbelievably hot here in Scottsdale. It's 108 degrees up here where we live, which is at a an elevation of about 2000 feet higher than downtown Scottsdale and it rarely gets this hot up here. In fact, it's too hot to think about going into the pool. I'm putting off the water therapy until it cools down a bit.

Today Loretta had cochlear implant surgery which is why she is down here from Prescott. It really puts things in perspective when your friends have health issues. She experienced sudden onset deafness in one ear about 6 months ago and is determined to live the best quality of life that she can. I really admire her for getting the information and making the decision to deal with the problem instead of just talking about it or putting up with it.

Life throws us all unexpected and undesirable experiences and problems. From my perspective, facing things, getting the best help possible, and moving on is not always easy, but is essential to living a fulfilled and abundant life.

182.4 Chico's Withdrawal

Pictures of beautiful, green New Hampshire taken by Scott.




I'm sitting in Chico's (and writing this on my iPhone) waiting for my friend Loretta while she is trying on some clothes. I've decided to not even look at the clothes because I don't want to be tempted. It's fun to keep needing a smaller size, but it has been getting very expensive. In fact, I've decided not to buy any new clothes until I reach my weight goal, since I've got only 12 pounds to go.

I got the go ahead today from my back doctor to start doing my water therapy and the elliptical, so tomorrow I'll be back at the gym. I did try to work out while on vacation but after falling (did I write about that?), and then hurting my back trying to escape the attack of the killer wasp in New Hampshire, I lost momentum and really want to get back to exercising. Loretta is a good role model for me. She exercises 2 to 3 hours everyday, 6 days a week and she has lost a lot of weight as a result. I've never thought of doing that much exercise in one day, and I'm not sure how my back would like it, but upping the amount of exercise I do is certainly on my screen now.