Book Meme Beginnings

Hey!

So, the weight loss thing pretty much petered out after 20 pounds… I’m still limping along but that’s a story for another day.

One of my bloggy friends, Judy Edmonds over at Sheep Rustling, is doing a meme about books. It’s a series of questions she’s answering day by day, as she has a chance. Since I’m a lifelong reader and my next tattoo will probably be designed around books and the word READ, this meme is right up my literate alley.

So, here’s #1:

Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)

Charlaine Harris (of the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series) had a series featuring Lily Bard, a woman starting a new life after a vicious assault. Lily had moved to a new town called Shakespeare, where she cleaned houses, worked out at a dojo and was pretty much a loner. It was interesting to see her come out of herself and start to trust people and learn to love. She and her lover made a cameo appearance a while ago in one of the Sookie books but I’d love to see more novels featuring Lily.

I’m also hoping Debi Gliori starts writing the Pure Dead Series again. This one is about a Scottish family with Italian roots, who live in a huge house with monsters, a mother who’s trying to be a witch and family members who really are. She’s great with plays on words and she’s just freakin’ clever. Sometimes she’s so funny, I laugh out loud reading in public places. I miss all the assorted characters and wild situations they’d get into. Oh, Debi, put the kids in day care and move back in with the Strega-Borgia’s!!

C’est la vie!

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Back to Basics

Hey!

Since my weight loss is at a standstill and depressing to blog about, I thought I’d go back to my Paris Dreams roots. While at the Orange County Fair this weekend, I had some Paris inspiration:

Oui, it’s an Eiffel Tower made out of bread!

And this is a table setting with a French theme. I really love the glassware!

I don’t have a picture of it, but The Husband gave me a really cool black and white poster of the Eiffel Tower. It’s taken from a neighborhood near the Tower, which rises in the background. In the foreground is a girl running across the street in a red jacket, the only splash of color on the print, with beautiful buildings on both sides. Maybe I’ll take a picture when we get it framed and hung.

C’est la vie!

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25 Pounds and Counting

So, a few weeks ago I needed to lose 23 pounds. Let me illustrate why I now need to lose 25... :

Breakfast on our anniversary weekend on Coronado Island (this was the short stack!)

Anniversary dinner

Wedding catering

Even before our anniversary vacation and our friend’s wedding reception, I’d fallen off the tracking wagon. So, here’s the plan:

Change my eating habits so they’re more trackable, mainly in the evenings. I’ve been eating more healthfully but I wasn’t tracking. Now I know I’ll be ok when I get to the point where I can maintain my loss but I have to concentrate on the actual LOSING again… So it’s back to sandwiches and salads that are easier to count points with.

And no snacking. I recently read that French women stay slender by drinking lots of water and no snacking. That sounds like a life plan--just good meals with no eating in between. NO is better than a little bit of this and a tad of that--those bits and tads add up! I’m going to do my best to develop a no snack habit.

So, here’s to a new dedication to reaching my goal. I’m fitting into clothes I haven’t worn in a long time and that’s lovely but there are other clothes (ie, the flirty skirt) that won’t go up over my butt. I WILL be able to wear all the clothes in my closet very soon!

C’est la vie!

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F-word F-word F-word

The plateau has returned. 'nuff said.

F-word...


C’est la vie!

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Plateau Bustin’!

Well, kids, it’s been a while since I blogged. That 2 month plateau was killin’ me. But I think I’ve finally broken through. My total weight loss now is 22 pounds! About half way to my personal goal, 9 pounds to where I can declare my Weight Watcher goal. I guess the switch to counting calories was a good change-up for both my mind and body.

Looking back, I see that I haven’t mentioned finally cracking open my George Foreman grille, purchased with much enthusiasm last fall. LOVE it!! So far, I’ve cooked several packages of chicken, which are then waiting in the fridge to make:

tostada’s, mixed with refried beans and sometimes veggies

rice bowls with frozen Chinese veggies and soy sauce

chicken salads with either a lettuce mix from the store or 2 McDonald’s side salads as a base, with cranberries, walnuts and green onion (and a dash of WW shred cheese)

~*~I am in desperate need of new jeans. The old lady/elastic waist jeans I have are falling off me! Isn’t that great! I don’t know that I’m ready for a zippered pair yet as I’m only halfway to my goal, but I definitely need a pair that I’m not afraid will fall off me as I’m walking. Yippee!

C’est la vie!

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What's Hunger Got to Do with It?

So, I've been on a plateau for about 6 weeks. I know I’m eating just enough to keep me there. Why??? The eternal question…

Shhh… Don't tell my Weight Watcher leader but today I started counting calories. I needed to do something different because it seems like I'm tired of doing Points. I need to shake myself up a little bit and see how much I've been eating without realizing it. I get bored. I get lazy. I get rebellious. Maybe this will be the wakeup call.

The Husband and I were supposed to start walking this week… I'm still getting in 20-25 minutes a day of exercise but I think my body needs to do something different. The body is willing, the mind is playing tricks…


C’est la vie!

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Almost Back to Square One

This year, I’ve been down .4 of a pound lighter than I am today. Weight loss this time around is so damn difficult. *big sigh* Do we get less committed as we get older? Less willing to sacrifice the double chocolate covered peanuts for the salad bar? *another big sigh*

Well, this week I really rededicated myself to eating within my points limit and truly tracking what I was eating. And it helped get me back down and took a half inch off my waist. Even when I had cake and ice cream on Friday for a co-workers 25th anniversary, I was aware of what I was eating and ate very lightly the rest of the day.

So, as the new week looms, I’m going for the same goal as last week--track what I’m eating and stick to the allotted points. It’s great when you can pick up something in the grocery store and it has the Weight Watchers points values right on the package--certain Jello products and Healthy Choice come to mind. I wish everything had WW points on the package.

My leader, Cindy, noticed that my monthly pass was a printout from the internet. I told her I almost had to quit due to finances but I felt like it was too important to give up. So as soon as I lose another 9 pounds, I can decide on my goal weight. Once I hit the goal weight, I have to stay at that weight (paying all the while) for six weeks. Then I’m declared Lifetime and can stop paying (as long as I stay within 2 pounds of goal).

I hereby proclaim that I will be Lifetime by the end of September! That’s my goal. YES, I CAN!

C’est la vie!

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