Still Doing OK

I'm still using Sparkpeople and doing well on the Double Dog Dare diet. I've been doing this diet for going on four days, and I haven't gone over my alloted calories. That's a first for me.

I'm worried about Halloween, however. My nephew is bringing his kids over to go Trick or Treating in my neighborhood.  All of the candy. Ugh. Well, I guess temptation will always be there. So I need to get used to it.

I've been sick for a couple of days now. Big time sinus problems. I'm waiting for my doctor to call something in for me. So this is where I'm signing off for today. Best of luck to everyone. And be a blessing to someone.

Decision to do Double Dog Dare Delightful

 Allan's Double Dog Dare may have been the thing I've needed to get me on track. I consumed 1,443 calories yesterday, and this morning I was .6 pounds lighter. I'm glad I decided to be accountable for what I'm eating. I'm still using Sparkpeople.com. It's really a great site.

Well, I have to make this short. Have a wonderful day.

New Hope

I joined Allan's Double Dog Dare weight loss challenge. For all the details, go to his blog. I think it's a great idea. Having a lot of people to count calories with is somehow comforting. I think I'm going to go to Sparkpeople to keep track of the calories. I get 1584 per day—no cheating. (Allan has a formula so you can figure your calories.)

Yesterday I raked leaves for two hours. As I was raking them, I kept saying, "I'm not going to let this pile of leaves defeat me." The pile was huge—I have a huge poplar tree in my backyard. If I don't keep up with it, the leaves will literally get ankle deep. Anyway I took me two hours to rake them up. I figured out this morning that's about 950 calories.

This morning I walked around the neighborhood for a little more than a mile. Actually walking around the neighborhood gives me better exercise than walking on a treadmill (not that there's anything wrong with walking on a treadmill.) It just that all of the hills and dips force me to move beyond my comfort zone. I'm not sure how I will keep up with exercise. There was a time in my life when I walked every day. I worked out somehow at least five times per week. I'd like to get by without feeling like I have to continue to pay a gym membership when I can do it on my own.

Anyway, I beginning this week with new hope.

I'm Still Here; Just Contemplating Where I'm Going

I know I haven't posted in a while. I do apologize. I'm just trying to get myself together. I'm trying to make some decisions. I did make a few changes. For example, I'm not going to label myself as fat anymore. That just gives me permission to stay fat. And allows me to undo all of the progress I've made.

As for my 60 pounds in 365 days challenge, it's not going well. Last week, it looked like I had lost two more pounds. But now it's all back--that two pounds plus three more. I've never had such a difficult time losing weight. I'm blaming menopause, but I know I could be doing better. That's why the name change and the reevaluation of, well, my life.

So that's why I've been missing in action. I'm doing a lot of soul searching. I'm looking for answers. I'm still trying to follow the law of attraction. I watch Joel Osteen every Sunday morning. I'm trying to figure out why it's easier for me to hold onto the fat than to take a positive approach and let it go.

Also, I was sick last week. I had a virus that lasted most of the week. You'd think I would've lost weight, and I did. Two pounds. But this week I gained it back plus three more pounds. That's because I haven't been exercising. Not once in almost two weeks. Oh I played with the dogs a couple of times. But that's it. I never did work up a sweat.

Well, I'm running short on time. Gotta go to work.

Minute By Minute

Dr. Oz is promoting a Just 10 Pounds Challenge. He proposes that you lose just 10 pounds to receive enormous benefits. This sounds like a program I need right now. Go to his website for more information about it and to get a cool Dr. Oz bracelet.

Thank you for all of your advice. I think setting small goals is something I need to concentrate on. My friend Ann is achieving amazing success using this tactic. She's lost more than 30 pounds thus far making "one decision at a time." I think I will try her strategy. At this point, I will need to concentrate on this type of thinking minute by minute. There is no day to day yet.

Ann asked me what it was that got me started. When I first started, I couldn't even pick up something I'd dropped. If it fell on floor, that's where it was staying. I can now pick up dropped items with relative ease. That's a big motivator. I never want to go back to being what I was. When I started that was an issue. I hated being so unhealthy. I think I may have felt like I was going to die. Fear was what got me started.

OK. So I'm no longer afraid. Now I hate the way I look. But I hate the struggle to lose the weight just as much. It's frustrating. It's defeating. It's like trying to roll a boulder out of a pit, getting it to the top, only to have it roll back into the pit again. I'm at a point where I don't know if I can roll the boulder back up again. There has to be a better way.

I think the one minute at a time solution is the only thing I can do. So here I go again.

The Agony of Defeat

I've been feeling kind of defeated lately. My weight loss isn't going at all like I planned. Menopause is making an already difficult task virtually impossible. But I'm going to steal an idea from a fellow blogger and start setting mini goals rather than big ones that feel overwhelming. So my first mini goal is 10 pounds.

I'm still six pounds down on my 60 pounds in 365 days challenge. But I've been stuck there. And I'm letting the lack of progress defeat me. I have to rise above this. And I will.

Does anyone have any suggestions for losing weight after menopause? I'd love to hear what works for you.

Whadda You Know? It Worked

Yesterday I was queasy all day. Ever since I had the gall bladder removed, I often suffer from a big bile dump directly into my stomach. The bile sits there, making me want to puke. I didn't take the Colonix fiber supplement for a while because I didn't know how I would react to it. Finally, before I went to bed, I decided what the Hell. I'll take it. I wish I had taken it sooner. Within 10 minutes, the bile must've been absorbed, and no more sick feeling. Now, I don't know if this will happen every time. But it's good to know that it might work. I'll have to try it again to see if this really is a remedy that works. I will let you know.

I was running late this morning, but I did get in 35 minutes on an elliptical. The diet is going OK. I'm still careful about the amount of sugar I eat.

Life is crazy.

I Create My Own Future

I've made a pact with myself that I will look at life from a positive point of view. I have the ability to predict the future my own life. I intend to do just that. From here on out, I will be the one who makes decisions about my life. I will not leave it up to fate.

I created a menu plan I can live with. I used foods I know I like. I will stick to this plan everyday. I worked out on an elliptical for 40 minutes this morning. I will work out five days a week.

The Colonix is going OK. I think it will come out OK. Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Somedays I wish I had as much to say as other bloggers seem to. Ahhh. Oh well.

This month marks the fifth anniversary of Al's passing. October 28. The pain is still with me. But I feel more comfortable being alone now.

Take my word for it. Life as you know it can change in a matter of seconds. One minute they're here, the next they're gone. Live life to its fullest. Do the things you want to do now. There may not be a tomorrow—there wasn't one today.