Month: July 2015

Viva la France

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Now that I am eating a low fat diet on my weight loss program, I don’t think it was a good idea to go to a cooking school in France.  It was wonderful and amazing but I came back with a whole different attitude about butter, cream and cheese.  You see in France they are a staple in their diet.  They are not afraid of fat.  And I came back not afraid of fat anymore also.  Because of course everything taste better with butter, cream and cheese.  But it doesn’t quite work for the American lifestyle.  In France especially in the countryside the French don’t eat fast food.  I don’t remember seeing one fast food restaurant in all of Provence.  They eat much smaller portions, no supersizing there and they get much more exercise than we do.  They walk everywhere.  They walk to visit friends, they walk to the market to get their butter, cream and cheese, they walk walk walk walk walk.  You will see very elderly people walking everywhere.  Are you getting the picture?  So because I don’t have the luxury of living in the South of France, I need to go back to tailoring a more healthy diet for my lifestyle.  It doesn’t mean I will never be able to enjoy the occasional buttery, creamy French entrée.  It just means those fatty delicious foods cannot be a staple in my refrigerator anymore.  Merci.

Wednesday Weigh In

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imageOnly 1 1/2 lbs. Okay, I am a bit bummed out.  I expected more but at least I didn’t gain 1 1/2 lbs.  And that is still a total of 40 quarter pounders lost so far.  And on the bright side, I’m not craving a Quarter Pounder.  It’s all about perception.  Now I could have gotten so bummed out and said “Screw it!  I knew this wasn’t going to work!”  But I’m not even feeling the least bit tempted to say that.  When I look at the big picture and realize that is 10 pounds in 3 weeks, that is a milestone for me and I should feel proud.  Sometimes we have very unrealistic expectations.  Gone are the days when I was young and could skip a couple of meals and lose 5 lbs.  Those L B’s just don’t come off that easy the older we get.  So today I will feel good about myself and proud of myself that I was able to rid my body of 10 extra pounds it does not need nor will miss.

Out Of The Mouth’s Of Babes

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One of the first times I realized my weight gain was becoming noticeable came from my then five-year old son.  It’s funny how body type dysmorphic syndrome works.  Some people look in the mirror and see themselves as being extremely over weight even if they are not.  Others see themselves as thinner then they actually are.  I am the one who see themselves as thinner than they actually are.  I don’t know how I’ve missed it.  I’ve looked in several different mirrors all my life.   Anyway out of the blue, to my absolute horror and surprise, my precious little son says in the sweetest, most innocent little boy voice, “Mommy your pretty but your Butt is big”.   Are you kidding me?   Who was he comparing me to.    Snow White?   Cinderella?    He was only five for God’s sake. I was stunned. I was speechless in front of a child, my own child.  I don’t remember how I responded, I’m sure I immediately put him down for a nap so I could lick my wounds with a bowl of ice cream or something.  He is much older now and I have forgiven him but I still look at him in a funny way when I think about that story.

My Exercise Buddy

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This is my best piece of exercise equipment.  Even when I don’t feel like exercising my dog  Dexter won’t accept that.  The best part is when I take him for a long walk it doesn’t even feel like exercise knowing how much he lives for his walk and seeing how much he enjoys it, it gets me out there practically every day.  They say a dog going for a walk is the same experience as a human going to a rock concert.  Wow!  That is wild!  How can you deny them that experience.  At the same time every morning Dexter lets me know it’s time to get going.  He immediately starts following my every move, brushes up against my legs, whines a little bit and I know what he’s trying to say.  “Are we gonna go, it’s time, are you gonna put those shoes on, we better hurry, there’s lots of lizards and squirrels out there today, come on, let’s go, hurry hurry hurry”.  And think of the benefits for both you and your best friend.  Now some of you might be thinking “well I don’t have a dog”.  I bet your neighborhood is full of them that are just sitting home being all latchkey and stuff that would love to go with you.  Just think of how lucky that family would be to have their dog walked while they are at work.  You’ll be doing an extraordinary thing for that dog and in return will have a new best friend.