Putting Things Back Where They Belong (A post for women)

Stephen and me with our four children.

Psst! This post gets very intimate. If that bothers you, you may want to move on to other stuff. Like this website full of things that make you say "Wow!"

Once upon a time, I had perky breasts, a flat stomach, and flawless skin. And then life happened. Time, aging cells, gravity, childbirth, hormonal changes. The result is that things are no longer quite where they used to be or where they ought to be.

On the Road and Off the Rails

Corporation Beach, Cape Cod, MA

I took a little road trip recently, to attend a memorial service for my aunt. It was one of those bittersweet trips where the reason for the visit is sad, but the warmth of loved ones is a treasure. But for anyone who has ever dieted, you will know that these excursions are a recipe for diet failure.

An Old Dog Learning New Tricks

Whole almonds and pumpkin seeds, packaged into measured snack-packs.

One of the things I have learned through dog-training is that you can't simply stop one behaviour without concurrently installing a new behaviour. You can try, but the drive to follow through on the dangerous or maladaptive behaviour will still be lingering in the animal's mind unless you give it a new direction.

Food Guides

The recipe for this delicious salad is here.

One of the great joys of retirement has been that I have the luxury of time -- and energy -- to prepare a healthy and tasty meal. When I was working, I would consider mealtime to be just another box to tick before everyone could get to the real purpose of the evening: R&R.

Slow and Steady

Tortoise by Pearson Scott Foreman, Wikimedia Commons

Every weight-loss program I've ever tried proposes a "reasonable" goal of 1-2 pounds per week. To do this generally means a net reduction of (at least) 500 calories a day, either consuming 500 calories less than you need or burning 500 more than you've eaten (or a combination of these).

Weight-Loss: The Plan

Christmas 1988 | A little Flashback Friday fun for you, huge shoulder pads and all.
I weighed approximately 110 pounds in this picture and was 26 years old.

Like many of you, I've struggled with my weight since my early 20s. I've done Weight Watchers (three times), Diet Center (twice), and Nutrisystem (once). Each diet worked, in the sense that I lost weight. I got down to either too slim (105 pounds) or a weight that I was happy with: 110-130 pounds. That's a 25-pound range, which reflects both the social pressure to be thin and the range of starting points.

Not Before You're Ready

My husband, Steve, and me at our son's recent graduation from his trade program. | 4 February 2016

My weight has been a struggle for, well, the past thirty years. Except for the periods when I have been pregnant*, dieted, or have gone on obsessive exercise binges, I have gained weight at approximately half a pound per month. I have an appetite that will not quit, and I have never found an exercise program that made me happy.

Well, over the past few months, a few things have conspired to push me to the point of readiness to make some changes.

Sleep Study

I feel pretty, oh, so pretty!
All wired up so the experts can analyze what goes on while I sleep.

Last night, I went to the hospital for my third sleep study. When I shared the picture of me with wires and tape and canulas draped all over me, people wondered how anyone could sleep with all that junk on them. A fair question. But the real challenge turned out to be the room temperature, not the myriad of wires.

All Dried Up

My pharmacopoeia

The good news is: I have access to excellent health care and can afford the medications I need to help me live as well as I can for as long as I can. The bad news: side effects.

Feed me, Seymour!

Poor Audrey II (the voracious blood-eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors). I completely identify with her/his appetite. Mine is insatiable. Truly. I can -- and have eaten a full turkey dinner with all the fixings while nursing an infected throat and then, half an hour later, wolfed down pie à la mode.

The Call

My father hugs me on my wedding day.

Twenty-five years ago, the phone rang. It was one of my four brothers, calling to let me know that my father had suffered a major heart attack and had not regained consciousness. He never did. Five days later, they removed the ventilator that kept him breathing; he died shortly thereafter.

Take-aways from My Trip to Europe

Winkie, me, Pat at le Château de Gruyères, Switzerland

It's been almost two months since I returned from my big European adventure with my Aunt Winkie, and three things that I discovered on that trip have become part of my everyday life.

Sinuses from Hell, Part 3

He's drowning in there! 

I wonder if I should make "sinuses" a label for this blog? It would be sad, wouldn't it? But, despite daily cortisone sprays and twice (or more) daily sinus rinses, and an almost complete series of allergy shots, I'm currently in the grips of another sinus infection.

Sinus infections are just part of my reality, it seems.

Broccoli Goodness

I haven't posted a recipe in quite  while, so I figure it's about time. And why not start with something that combines healthy and unhealthy foods in the most appealing way? This recipe includes lots of nuts and seeds (good fats) and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower (vitamins, fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals), but then throws in bacon and mayonnaise. But if you're someone like me (or have children like me) who like a little sweetness to bribe them into eating their veggies, then this recipe is for you.

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Acupuncture on my knee

'Way back in April, I wrote about hip pain that had put me on bed rest (for a day). When bed rest and continued walking didn't resolve the pain, I ended up seeing a massage therapist who also did acupuncture. I love her.

Progress

I am very happy to share that I've needed a lot fewer of these lately, thanks to massage, acupuncture, and rest. The pain in the a$% is getting better!

Pain in the A$%

One of the reasons I quit my job last fall was joint pain. In my hands, feet, hip, shoulder . . . it sort of migrated from one week to the next. I had hoped that the more relaxed lifestyle since then -- especially the daily long walks with Kane -- would alleviate much of that joint pain. Alas, I was wrong.

Face Time

No make-up, no filters, no airbrushing. Also: no sleep in the last 30 hours.

I came in from my walk with Kane today and, although it was eight degrees below zero (Celsius) and quite windy outdoors, I was sweating. The polar fleece vest had kept me mostly dry, but the lining of my windbreaker was dripping wet.

After dismantling the many layers of my bitter-winter dog-walking garb, I fed Kane his lunch then edited some photos while I cooled down.

Attack of the Broken Blender

Perfectly posed beneath a safety poster.

I had an unfortunate kitchen calamity last Saturday afternoon, and wound up with two stitches in my right middle finger. Here's the story...

Getting Fresh

Day 15 of 100 Happy Days: 

When I shared that picture as part of my 100 Happy Days gratitude exercise, I captioned it: "big basket of fruit that will last us about three days." As it happens, I was proven right -- and that is a very good thing.