THE NEW ME

Saturday, August, 15th, 10:00 am

Well, I am still continuing. This morning I weighed 188, yesterday 187. Yes, I do weigh every single day. And I have read that those people who manage to keep their weight off for five years and more do the same. It helps me somehow to do this.

I did no exercise at all on Friday, the second time in two weeks. Thursday was my Chicago Art Institute Day and I walked my feet off, starting with walking from the train station to the Harold Washington Library on Congress because I was early and wanted to see if they had any back issues of Woman's Day magazine. There is one with a scrumptious yellow kitchen pictured in an ad, but damn, I can't remember what issue or even what ad, so I'll have to scroll thru microfiche. A real pain.
Then I walked to the AI and walked all over that place and up and down stairs til around noon, when I left and walked to The Chicago Theatre at State and Randolph to get tickets to Macy's Glamorata. Now at my age this would seem silly, but I have never in my life seen an honest-to-god fashion show, and I would like to. Plus it's a fund raiser for The Ronald McDonald House, and I figure it might give me incentive. Then back to the AI, more walking and up and downing, and a bus to the train station, and back to pick up my car, which my husband leaves so I don't have to walk home. A feat I'm not sure I could have done at that point. Miles and miles that day.

But I did have the cheapest lunch and stuck to my diet at the AI's cafe, which does have really good food. I looked at the salads, but of the three offered, two had cheese and other stuff, that I shouldn't eat, at least not now, so I opted for just the garden salad, then walked over to the sandwich station, and asked for two pieces of sourdough bread (I think it was just plain white) and some turkey breast. When he said "You want that on the bread, don't you?" and I replied "Not particularly", he plopped what was at least a quarter to a third of a pound if not more of meat on my plate. Wow! It was a lot. And I treated myself to a pat of butter for the bread. Plus I got some fat-free Italian dressing, which was like water, but it did the job. I had a huge salad with low-fat meat, bread and butter, and coffee. Lunch was $6.32, and coffee alone was $1.85. I do save the taxes because I am a member.

I felt good about that lunch. Sticking to the plan. This morning I got up at the normal thirty minutes before dawn, and trooped down the Path. My knees are bothering me now, and I'm not sure what to do. I suspect a lot has to do with dancing around the basement, but I truly love to do that. Everything I do involves the knees, whether walking, dancing, or the exercises I do. And I must do them in order to lose and then maintain weight. A Catch-22 indeed. In fact, yesterday I went to see a terrific flic, "Bandslam" and loved the music so much I came home and bought the CD off of Amazon, because I know I can really move to it.

But I am reading while eating. Period. I don't think I can give that up. I do weigh and measure my food, something that perhaps someday I can get away from. Not now.

14 days down.