THE NEW ME

Well, here we are seven days later, and at 186 pounds. I did see 185 some days ago, but didn't weigh after that for a few days, because I didn't want to see it go back up, but of course it did, and on the 26th I weighed in at 186.

In reading the preface for this diet book, I saw that the woman who wrote it lost 150 pounds in two years. She was much younger, but my height, 5'2". She seems to have followed no precise plan, but just changed the way and amounts she ate, and started moving. I figure that she basically lost 1 pound every five days, so I decided to only weigh myself every five days. I don't for one nano-second believe that I can lose 1 pound every five days, but I can try, I guess. So that on the 31st, when I will weigh again, I should weigh 186. What I weigh now.

Perhaps I am too caught up in numbers. She said that she learned to enjoy the whole weight loss process, a concept I can't quite wrap my mind around. But eating better, and getting in shape is a goal all by itself. Even if you weren't overweight.

And to top it all off, this morning's Trib had a small article down at the bottom of a page, that said that as an eating partner, you should never ever eat with a thin person who eats a lot, because you eat as they do, thinking they're thin. Hah!! Guess who has lived with such a person for 41 years. No wonder. I do remember that in the year we dated before we got married, I gained 20 pounds. And I knew it was because I ate as he did.

And I've been skipping exercise. Not because I don't want to do it, but because yesterday it was raining, and today, my knee hurts, and I am reluctant to either dance around the basement on it, or do the weight and stretching exercies which involve my knees totally. It's the humidity, I think. Haven't yet decided about today, but tomorrow, unless it's pouring, I will get up and go trooping down the Path. When the weather is like it is today, damp, dreary, dark, all I want to do is read.

I am trying to remember something I learned when I watched a lot of tennis because I had a thing for Stefan Edberg, the Swede who eventually was #1 in the world for a while. I had started watching him long before that, in the early days, when he was not quite yet in control of his game. And when he made a mistake he would let it get to him, and so of course he would lose. But after a while of this, he began to learn not to obsess on the flub, but to immediately put it behind him and play in the very next moment. And that is when he began to win, and win, and win. I think it must be the formula for all winners. I have never forgotten it, and have tried to apply it to my life, and exercise and weight loss. Sure, it's the old stand-by "Live in the moment", but with the added caveat of "forget your mistakes, or at least learn by them and move forward". Easier said than done, I will admit, and requires great strength of willpower.
So today. I am still rising 30 minutes before dawn, well except for Wednesday night, when for some inexplicable reason, I went to bed at 8 PM, not being able to stay awake one more moment, and did not arise til 7:20 yesterday morning. And slept all that time, except for when the alarm went off, but it was raining, and I wouldn't walk then anyway, as the Prairie Path would just be a mass of puddles. It was odd.

Still eating right. The gram portion of my scale broke, and I have decided not to replace it. Most of this world does not weigh and measure things, and I must learn to do that too.

Still trying. 27 days down.


And I must report on Macy's Glamorata. It was such fun. Would definitely go again next year, and pony up for the more expensive tickets, figuring it goes to a very worthy charity, The Ronald McDonald House. We were in the nose bleed section, but still could see that all the models' legs looked like horses' legs, so skinny we wondered how they could hold them up. Most of the clothes were good, being things that Macy's would sell here, and not so haute couture as would be seen in Paris. The men's wet swimsuit show was a hoot. Generally speaking the men seemed to be having a good time, enjoying themselves, while the women took themselves much too seriously. And they all walked just like you would expect models to walk, slouched forward, and thrown back.
The very best part was just hanging over the entrance balcony and watching all the arrivals, what they wore, how they looked. There was far more of a mixture of humanity than I had supposed. Not at all just the rich and famous.
We watched them all leave too. It was only an hour, and thank god I had my ear plugs, and a spare for my friend, or we could not have endured it. The bass was so turned on you could feel it in your bones. I had never seen or even heard of Ne-Yo but I can now easily understand why he is a Grammy winner. He was terrific. The other two performers were forgettable.
I did wish one of my sons were there to see one of the designers shows. The light design was incredible. I have never seen anything like it.
All in all, a really fun evening. The Chicago Theatre, by itself, is worthy of many pictures, and alas, I had no camera. That place is the very epitome of grand old palaces. Don't die without seeing its insides.

Sunday I went with my daughter-in-law to a Greek festival held at a Greek church way up by Foster and California. I had not realized it was so far. And had thought there would be Greek dancing. We found out that the dancing would only be in the evening and we were there for lunch. I had a Greek salad, which I dearly love anyway. Lots of nummy feta cheese, and yes, I poured on the dressing they gave me, but only one portion. And some whole milk plain yogurt. The church was quite beautiful, in great condition.
Rides and games for children, and a craft fare. Of course I bought some stuff. But I dearly would have liked to see the dancing.

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.