It has been 11 months since my last post? How the heck did that happen? WHAT have I been doing, you ask? EATING, mainly. Which brings me to my current blogging project. My gluttony and wanton disregard for caloric intake, coupled with the fact that “briskly stirring” and “gently folding” are the most strenuous forms of exercise I have had in months, have taken their toll. My husband and I took a trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming (reasons to be explained later) and I found myself shopping for some warm clothes in the BIG GIRL part of the store. I was either WAY down at the far end of the rack with the really BIG numbers, OR in stores euphemistically named things like “MACY’s WOMAN”, or “THE BIG IDEA.” Thanks to Coldwater Creek , where they have larger sizes in tasteful, mainly current styles, I was able to find jeans, sweaters and jackets that I liked.
But wait til you hear the REAL impetus for this horror at my weight gain. OUR SON IS GETTING MARRIED on April 3, 2010!!! This is not a surprise! I have known this for many many months!! This is an event at LEAST as diet-worthy as a High School Reunion!! I do not want our new daughter-in-law’s family to remember me as “the jolly fat one” for the rest of their lives. I actually looked pretty good at his first wedding (14 years ago) and for those people I have not SEEN since then, I would prefer that their jaws don’t drop to the floor upon seeing me in my huge, matronly, mother-of-the-groom frock.
Before you conclude that it is only shallow vanity that has gotten me to this point, I have to add that my right knee has finally rebelled at the additional load I have placed on it. After our trip to Cheyenne, which involved quite a lot of walking, not the least of which was in the Denver Airport, I returned home in excrutiating pain. I was certain that knee replacement was in my near future, but luckily it isn’t quite that bad yet. So now is the time to lose some weight and get more exercise. NOPE, you don’t have to hit ME over the head!! Crippling Osteo-arthritis and an extremely important event in 58 days (gulp) — that’s all it takes to get me motivated!!
So I am going to change the focus of my blog for a minimum of 58 days. I am going to find new, yummy, satisfying, yet healthy recipes to cook and share with you. And maybe I’ll come across the Holy Grail during my search, eh? NO, there are such things, there really are. I already have some.
My goal is to lose 20 pounds in 58 days. An ambitious goal, I admit. But anything I lose will certainly be an improvement and make shopping for a dress to wear to the wedding a less depressing venture!!
So here is my Day ONE plan: I am having a light breakfast. 2 scrambled eggs and black coffee. Then I am going to re-join the YMCA and go swim laps in their nice big indoor pool! I love swimming, always have– actually was a lifeguard during college– and lucky for me, swimming just happens to be the very best exercise for my knee.
When I get home I will have a light lunch, to be determined and reported later. I will then start the search for the best, tastiest, healthiest recipes so that I will be able to continue cooking, which I love, and still, hopefully, lose the weight I so desperately need to lose!! I could buy Lean Cuisine or join Nutrisystems or something… but that would never work for me because I would then have all that extra time on my hands to THINK about eating. I have to be able to continue to look at recipes, try new things, and COOK… it’s one of my favorite hobbies and I can’t give up that AND eating too!
One final note. I have no intention of giving up the joy of eating all those evil things I have already written about. I just have to do it AFTER the wedding AND in moderation. So I will continue to collect the delectable, the decadent, and the delicious, but add to it the previously tossed-aside healthy, nutritious, low-fat dishes. If anyone wants to join in on this fun little journey, send me a comment and we can do this together. Join forces, share ideas!!
The countdown begins…………..
