Trials of a Long Haired Girl

April, while more on plan than previous months this year.  I think I am feeling more positive going into May than I have for quite some time.  This is truly a process for each of us.  The thing I am thinking about now is my future.  Honestly, how do I want to spend it?  In pain because of my weight?  No, I want to be able to hike mountains and walk around and enjoy the scenery.  I don't want my weight to hold me back from the things that I want to do.  As was once said to me by a friend, if I am not happy with myself or something about myself, then I am the only one that can change that.  Well, with a little help from above.   My weigh in yesterday put me at 195.  I am the same as I was 2 weeks ago which is a good thing.  I've been yo-yo-ing and it can be frustrating for me.  My goals for May: Move more; Track consistently; Plan my meals accordingly. How am I going to make that happen?  Well, I have not...

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I start trying to figure out what or how I should eat, it really gets confusing.  Recently, I have been reading How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D. with Gene Stone.  There is a wealth of information in there.  At one point, Dr. Greger mentions that he was asked to help with Oprah Winfrey's defense against the cattle industry.  As the book progressed (no I have not finished it yet), it sort of occurred to me that perhaps Weight Watchers is leaning the same way that his book suggests eating.  He advocates a primarily plant based diet.  There was a time that I would have completely balked at the idea of eating a primarily plant based diet.  I mean, I grew up on eating meat and potatoes.  Here is something that I noticed personally though...when I am on plan and eating the way that Weight Watchers recommends and focusing on more fruits and veggies, I feel better.  Drinking more wate...

My Sousin (Sister-Cousin, for those that don't know) and I were talking a couple of weeks ago about things that our kids will never experience.  One of the things that came up was a rotary dial phone.  I did see a YouTube video of a teenager trying to figure out how to use a rotary dial phone which was pretty funny.  These seem to have gone by the wayside now.  The funniest part of the YouTube Video to me is that this poor child had no clue.  I don't really remember being taught to use a rotary dial phone, but I am sure I must have been at some point.  The blue phone below is what I remember my Memaw, my dad's mom having, but I didn't spend so many hours on.  My Nanny, my mom's mom, had a black rotary dial phone.  I spent hours sitting in her hallway after church on the phone talking to friends and making plans.  It was always so often just in that hallway because you couldn't go any further than the cord would allow.   Thi...

Do you ever have moments where something gets started in your head and you just can't shake it?  Just me?  Here's what's been on my mind... As a little girl, I was so thin that you could count my ribs.  I remember my Mom telling me that she had taken me to the doctor to make sure that she wasn't starving me.  Clearly, I had a high metabolism and could eat pretty much anything and a lot of it.  I remember feeling comfortable in my own skin.  However, all that changed somewhere between 2nd grade and 3rd grade.  The school district decided to close the elementary school I was enrolled in and merge those students in with other schools within the district.  I was just a child at that time so I didn't understand much about the reasons behind it.  I only knew was that I might not still be going to school with friends that I had grown so accustomed to seeing each day.  Funny that it seemed to really cause me problems at that point, but di...

Last night's dinner was baked potatoes.  It's simply, but oh so tasty!   Tomorrow's meal plan for me?  A spin of this recipe:  Crockpot Enchilada Quinoa .  I made it before and my family really enjoyed it.  However, I believe I changed one of the cans of diced tomatoes to Rotel and that worked well for us.  What's on your meal plan? 

I have been thinking a lot about things lately.  I feel like I have been recycling my weight losses and weight gains pretty much since I accepted my husband's proposal of marriage.  I know that life gets in the way at times.  Honestly, I have recently noticed that my focus has changed.  My focus has been    on planning dinners for my family or planning and preparing lunches for my family in stead of focusing on seeing the number on the scale go down each week.  It makes me feel good knowing my family has lunch, even when I haven't taken the time to make one for myself.  I have felt pretty good so far this week.  Why?  I know it's only Tuesday, but I've managed to get my breakfast smoothie prepared, as well as lunch for my husband and I the night before.  Lunch for the kids was pretty well done before bed.  I guess I didn't realized how much it frees up my mornings to do these little things at night.  I know now and am of...

  This  picture is me from Easter last year.  I have been thinking a lot about Easter holidays and how important and special they were to me growing up.  The fact was that I almost always had a new dress and new shoes for the holiday growing up.  I knew that was not what the holiday was about, but it was always special.  Aside from the new outfit, someone always did something different with my hair.  I grew up with impossibly straight hair and it would get put in pink foam rollers for special occasions.  The other fond memory that pops up for me is going to church with my Nanny.  Afterwards, we would go to my Nanny's and have a special dinner and hunt for eggs.  I have fond memories of coloring eggs and going out in her big backyard to hunt for them.  Things were simple then...more so than now, it seems.  I am trying to bring back some of those traditions with my family.  All of my children were together in one house for...