172.2 Colin and Me

Today we had a date, Jeff and I, and look who we ended up hanging out with...in my dreams. We went over to this adorable little place called the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree. They've always had a lovely cut out of Queen Elizabeth, and today they had Colin Firth there to greet us.

So things are looking better weight wise. I've settled back into my old routine, lots of fish and veges, and today I was back in my pool, thanks to the heat pump and the cover and the warmer nights. Have a great weekend!

173.4 Living The Loss

Sometimes I feel a little odd because people will talk about how difficult it must have been/was losing all that weight and I have trouble remembering it. I have trouble remembering what I looked like when I was really heavy. And when I was really heavy I had trouble imagining how I would look when I lost my 80 pounds.

Well, today I went to get my hair cut and colored (shocking I know), and my hair stylist is one of the few people who has seen me high and seen me low! She lived the loss over the 2 and a half years with me, seeing me once a month. And, every time I see her now, she looks at me and says she still is amazed by the difference.

So when I get down on myself about a few pounds, I need to remember that what I did was a big deal and that there is no way I ever want to return to that heavy weight, and it doesn't really matter how well I remember all that transpired as I lost the weight. I just need to know that I'm not getting up there again.

174.2 Keep The Weight Off

Like so many folks my age who have some form of arthritis, I subscribe to Arthritis Today, and monthly magazine published by The Arthritis Foundation. In the most recent issue there was a very brief article entitled "Keep The Weight Off".

Since this is my present and future challenge, I immediately turned to it. I must be a pretty visual person since I can hear things and not have what I hear have the same impact as when I read something. (When I taught elementary school in the olden days :), I would spend time on understanding how each of my students learned, either visually, auditorily or a combination of the two, and then try to teach to their particular modality.) Anyway, when I saw these tips for weight maintenance in print, it helped reinforce what I had floating around in my brain on some level.

Here's the gist of the article: cut way back on those carbs that cause your blood sugar to spike (high Glycemic-Index foods which means they contain a lot of sugar), and choose lean protein to help you feel full. By doing this, you'll curb your appetite and have a better shot at success. The article suggests that you eat "high protein foods [such as] skim milk, artificially sweetened low-fat yogurt, lean fish and poultry" and "low-GI foods [including] broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lentils, apples, grapefruit, peanuts, brown rice, and garbanzo beans".

I just checked out online whether an artichoke is considered a low-GI food. Last night we shared a huge one and it tasted so good. Since they take a long time to eat, they are super for slowing me down when I eat. And, I learned that they are right up there with cauliflower, broccoli, etc., so I'm off to Costco to buy a big bag of them. So good!

172.0 Eggs and Additives

Lately I got into a conversation about egg substitutes versus egg whites as options instead of real eggs. Now I really don't like eggs and have never liked the white portion of a fried or poached egg. I thought egg substitutes were pretty harmless until I read all of the additives listed on the container, so now I'm not real sold on eating them.

So this morning thought I got it right. I ordered one egg with chopped fresh tomatoes, spinach (of course :)), and portabello mushrooms cooked like a scrambled egg. It was wonderful, and kept me feeling full for about 5 and half hours. But as I'm writing this I'm beginning to wonder if the egg they used at the restaurant was a real egg or a commercially prepared egg product full of additives! Maybe I should just stay home or only order toast.