I can't remember what we were discussing in line at Aldi's.

But I do know that I said, "Well, you know this has been The Year of Living Healthfully."


And then Katie started to laugh.

and laugh and laugh and laugh.





I have continued to eat healthier.
I have not gone back to Diet Dr. Pepper.
I am still eating whole, natural foods.

It was too bad that I did not spot rule #53 until Monday. (Michael Pollan Food Rules)

"Serve a proper portion and don't go back for seconds."

Herein lies my problem as far as weight loss. With all the cooking for fresh delicious food. All those new recipes that I tried and only I wanted to eat...well...I ate and I ate and I ate.

Too much food.


Rule #45

Eat less.

Ah so now you tell me.

That homemade Chicken and dumplings was just too good. It took so long to make.
It cost so much to make.

It was too much for me. I was not able to eat less.


I was focusing on food and cooking a lot and spending more money at the store...
and I didn't see any results.

I lost interest.

I feel a little like an alcoholic who has to work in the brewery.

Yes, I remember the 'choose your hard' quote. I think I must have chosen denial.

So that is where I am at today, a few weeks before The Year of Living Healthfully ends.

Apparently, it's hilarious to some.

I love this salad dressing because it makes me want to eat a salad.

Actually I love salads, but not usually at home when I make them myself.
It's just not the same for some weird reason.

Now. When I try to make my own dressing, I never like my salad.
I can make a mean Greek Salad with tomatoes and feta and olives and cucumbers...
but add lettuce to equation and I stink at salad making.

But if I have this dressing on hand. I can do it.

So even if I do not make it myself and even if it is filled with lots of stuff....
I like it because it makes it possible for me to enjoy a big salad of greens and tomatoes and green onions
and roasted chicken.

This dressing is good with spinach and fruit and nuts too.

It may not be the best choice but it is my favorite choice.

Walking and cooking.

I have continued to walk every day. Some days a little bit.
Once around the Target. And some days more...up to 60 minutes.

I have walked over 800 minutes and my goal is 1049 by the end of the month. I am on target...ha...walking around Target.
The weather is still very cold here in Wisconsin and I don't like to walk outside in the cold cloudy weather.
I never imagined I would walk around Target. But I am and it adds up.

Then I get my Chai.

I continue to drink one Chai a day. It is the culinary highlight of most days.

I continue to cook and cook and cook.

Today I made Sherried Tomato Soup.
Takes a lot longer than opening a can, but it really is delicious and it is fun to know exactly what goes into it.

My favorite thing I have made is that old fashioned Hot Chicken Salad Casserole and Chicken and Dumplings.

Neither of the dishes is low cal and I am sure that is why I am not losing weight.

Too much fat. Too many calories.

All natural and home made. But not low fat.
When I make something I like, I tend to eat large portions.

I am the only one who will eat the Sherried Tomato Soup and I am sure I will be sick of eating it before it is gone.
I do not like to waste. so I suppose I need to learn to make smaller batches.
That is a novel idea.

Walking and cooking and waiting for spring and the farmer's market.
Good things.

And I didn't care.

I don't know where my mind was yesterday? I was totally off kilter.

I only walked four minutes and I didn't care.
I drank a diet dr. pepper with my olive cheese bread for lunch and I didn't care.
I had a handful of dutch crunch chips before I ate three pieces of cinnamon toast for breakfast and I didn't care.
I ate processed mashed potatoes with processed gravy for dinner and I didn't care.

I thought about what I was doing and I didn't feel the slightest nudge in my conscience.

I couldn't sleep because I drank a chai at 5:30pm.

And I woke up at 5:30 this morning after going to bed at midnight, still buzzed with my mind spinning.

I write in my head while I lie in bed. It's annoying.
This morning I decided to just get up and write.


As I look back on the day, I wonder why I didn't care. I was not hungry, angry lonely or tired.

I was excited about the Packer win. I was not depressed. But I was off my routine and that is just about the only thing I can think of that would send me into such a odd mood.

The Starbucks is out of Chai. (weird huh?)
This changed my routine;
my routine of walking and eating.


I better pay attention to this and have a plan.

You can not eat healthfully and live healthfully without intent, without being conscious.

Today is a new day. Time to wake up.

I am a teeny big thrilled to be up off the couch and I am very happy for the friendly push of the Idita-walk.

I don't know why this little boy scout fundraiser in Nome Alaska lights a little fire under my lazy bottom,
but it does.

I am determined and will not fail at this puny challenge.

Today is day three and I just finished my walking for the day. For me it is best to do it right away.
I am out in the car with Katie at 7:15 and done with the morning drive by 7:30.

It works best for me if I just walk right away. So I jump out of the car and look at the clock and walk.
I have figured that in order to reach my goal of 1049 minutes in 59 days, I must walk 17.77 minutes a day.

That may seem frightfully short to you. But before Feb. 1, I didn't want to nor did I intentionally walk for ten minutes a day/month.

On a day like today when the thermostat varies between -4 and -10, I consider myself a champion.

So here is a little something I am doing. I don't want to walk at the mall. BUT when I get in the door at Target to buy my morning iced nonfat chai, I walk around the perimeter of the store. It takes seven minutes. So there you go.
Seven down.

Then this morning, I thought, I will walk around the parking lot for a few minutes. So I set my chai in the car and walked out to the back of the parking lot and back to the car. Going out was super. Coming back was frigid. Burning my face.

But. I gained another four minutes.

I jumped in the car and drove home. When I got home I went inside to grab a hat and thought I would try to get the rest of the minutes I needed for the day. I walked down to the corner and back.

Seven more minutes!

Hooray. Eighteen minutes in all.

Mission Accomplished.
For today.

Do I like anything about walking?

I like hearing the birds.
I like the way the sun shines on the mounds of snow.

I like keeping a promise to myself.
I like being done walking.

Kicking and screaming...and hanging onto the couch....


The idita-walk is coming up and I think I am going to give it a go.
The idita-walk is an event sponsored by the people of Nome Alaska. Walkers walk the same minutes as the dogs run in miles for the Iditarod. So the doggies run 1049 miles....we walk for 1049 minutes over a period of two months. (or less)
It's all about being healthy.


heavy. sigh.


I have taken this challenge twice in the past and completed it. And well....since a goal is important....

I am going to sign up.


Idita-walk





Start date is Feb. 1

If I walk 17.77 minutes a day I will accomplish my goal.

Here we go!!! mush!

I broke up with the Schwans Man.

He keeps coming by and I don't have the heart to tell him that I do not want to eat
any of the processed frozen food he has in is truck.

When I don't buy anything from him, he nearly cries.

I try to think of this or that to get from him.

Like Fudgecicles for my husband or Chicken Kiev for Katie.

But for me. There is nothing in the truck that I want.

I am cooking for myself. I am choosing the ingredients carefully and trying new recipes.

Sometimes I look at the packages of Lean Cuisine in the frozen food section of the grocery store...but then I think
about all the junk in them. I think. I will try to make that myself.

Some days we order pizza. Some days we stop at the village bar for a burger.

But most days, I am getting to be a regular Ina Garten; cooking in my pretty blouse, choosing fine ingredients and quietly cooking.

I am thankful that I have time to cook and time to shop and time to plan.
I am thankful that it gets me off the couch.


The Schwans truck used to be very loud and i could hide out in the house and not answer the door.
Now he has a quiet stealth like truck and I am fooled by it and I answer the door.

And then I have to say. No, I don't want anything today.
And her tries hard to sell me on something his little computer reminds him of...
and I say no thank you. again.

And then I feel badly.

But I know it's for the best.

Break ups can be hard.

I forgot about the egg for a moment there. It's been over a month since I made myself a hard boiled egg.
And I can't remember the last time I had a soft boiled egg.

What a perfect little healthy food.

Tomorrow I am having a soft boiled egg or two.

The hard boiled eggs I had today were fantastic.

Oh! little nuggets of flavor and protein...I wont forget you again...

The first diet food I remember is cottage cheese. My mom would watch her weight and I remember her eating cottage cheese.

I think of her when I eat cottage cheese. I eat it with scallions/green onions, salt and pepper.
I can't remember if she taught me the scallions trick.

But every time I eat it I think of her.

Funny thing is, my husband eats cottage cheese almost every night at dinner.
He does not eat it for dietary reasons. He just likes it.
In fact, he often asks for cottage cheese when we are at a restaurant to replace his salad.

My grandma always had peppermints in her drawer in her kitchen.

So does my husband.


Weird.


My mom went to Jack Lalane's exercise studio. She wore a pink leotard.

My husband has never worn a leotard.

That I know of.

1-11-11

People tell me all the time that I need to start exercising. They are wise and they are right.

But it is so hard to get up out of this chair and go do something.
It's like my ankles are chained to this spot.

Emma got me outside for a nice long walk (30 min) once over Christmas vacation. It was not unpleasant. I felt good when we got home.
But when she asked me to come along the next day, I said no thanks.

I wonder if I should join a gym?
I wonder if I should sign up for the Idiar-walk this year?

I wonder what will get me moving???

I wish I knew how to motivate myself in this area.

Jan. 6, 2011

If you want to read just about the best thing I have read on taking care of yourself,
go read the short essay over at Mental Multivitamin.

but if you don't have fun doing this

That's all for now.

Jan 5, 2011

I inadvertently stepped away from the Living Healthfully writing for longer than I ever thought I would.

I have not quit. I have only taken a break.

In the last few weeks, I has slipped and failed and broken a healthy living rule every day.
I have not broken every rule every day. But I have not been perfect.

And like Lizzy's father says in Pride and Prejudice.

I am heartily ashamed of myself, Lizzy.
But don't despair, it will pass...
...and no doubt more quickly than it should.

Truly, with a house full of company and entertaining and going here and there and out to eat I could not live the spartan, disciplined, healthy life.

I did not start drinking soda again. I had perhaps one Diet Dr. Pepper and I did not like it. I tried a little Sierra Mist and found it too sweet. That was a happy note. My taste buds may have changed and I like that.

I ate many too many candies. We are given delicious candies over the holidays and I ate them little by little.
The whole box of toffee took a week to eat instead of 24 hours. That's an improvement.

But I think eating the candies has awakened my desire for sugar so I will be watching that carefully.

I did not eat only when I was hungry and I will try to establish those wise and healthy eating patterns again.

I am not hungry when I wake up and find it is easy to wait for hunger.
Now I just need to start making better choices again.

My head feels clear and most of my heavy thoughts have lifted.
This may be because I have not gotten on the scale.

That DAN scale.

So it is back in the saddle I go.

Cooking and choosing healthy foods and eating small, appropriate portions.

It can be done. It shall be done.

Dec. 17, 2010

There is a package of salami sitting out on the counter because I didn't put it away after making
Katie her sandwich for school this morning. I am oh so tempted to take a little piece of salami and eat it right up.
But I said to myself. 'That is definitely not healthy.'

And then I walked away.

I will venture into the kitchen in one minute and put it away in it's little drawer.

I am just happy to say. That for this moment.

Disaster has been averted.

Dec. 13, 2010

Rule One.

Mostly I share rules from Michael Pollen's book, Food Rules, but today
I will share my own rule I made up while I way lying in bed this morning. Not sleeping.

Rule One.

Never, never, never take seconds.




I guarantee that you did not take too little the first time.
Last weekend I made myself a plate of food for lunch. Leftovers.
I finished my plate and without thinking went right back to take another piece of chicken pie.

And then I stopped.

I was not hungry.
I wasn't stuffed.

I talked myself out of seconds.

A remarkable achievement for a Sunday afternoon.

A rule was born.

Never, never take seconds.



***


Never eat more than you can lift.
~Miss Piggy