Weight Loss Day 4 - Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful family dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and I estimate I consumed about 845 calories at that meal. So far this week, the calorie counts are okay. Exercise, not so much. I need to get moving!

Weight Loss Day 2

Using the Microsoft Food Diary template, I started to track my food consumption and exercise. Yesterday my calories totalled 1577, and I got 15 minutes of exercise walking the dog. According to the weight loss calculator at caloriecount.about.com, in order to lose 30 pounds by November 29, 2012 I should consume 1533 calories per day. So I wasn't too far off yesterday. If I had skipped the sprinkle of cheese on either my breakfast biscuit or lunch salad, I'd have hit the target.

I want to lose weight



Chubby Chris

In my younger days I never dreamed I could get this heavy. Guess that's what happens when you over-eat a lot and stop exercising! I'm almost 49 years old and don't want to lug around all these unneeded pounds in my 50's. Though I'm reluctant to change because eating and laying around on the couch are pleasurable, it's time to lighten the load.

My goal is to weigh 30 pounds less on my 50th birthday than I do now. I think that would be a comfortable weight that I could carry without putting undue stress on my aging body. Of course, I will enjoy looking more youthful and fitting easily into stylish clothes too.

Family and friends have lost weight successfully and healthfully with programs like Weight Watchers, TOPS, and Jenny Craig. If I need to I'll explore those options. But I want to do it using available resources, i.e. food from our restaurant and grocery stores, the free gym at my husband's workplace, and so on. So I'll try that first and see how it goes.

My doctor explained that every pound is 3,000 calories, so to lose a pound I have to reduce calorie intake a lot, and exercise much more. She also said when I eat less fat I'll feel hungry again sooner. So I need to eat more often, while resisting the temptation to fill up with heavy foods. To burn calories fast, she recommends running.

Starting today, I am officially on a self-regulated weight loss program. Here goes!

It must be Autumn because everybody's wearing red.

In Nebraska, this season has a color and that's Husker Red. Game Day is celebrated by the wearing of red, or sometimes "blackshirts" black. It's a statewide phenomenon, fans everywhere wear their team gear in droves. Parking lots and driveways are dotted with tents decorated in red and white. Smoke rising from thousands of grills perfumes the air with the smell of searing meat. Shortly before kick-off, the streets, restaurants and stores empty out. Just about everyone has gone to sports bars and TV rooms to watch the game. Here at Frank & Simon's, we provide a tailgate spot in the parking lot. We grill our Chicago hot dogs and bratwursts for hungry customers and entertain them with games of cornhole, the Husker pre-game show blaring from my 1978 boombox, and door prizes. Go Big Red!

State Fair

I love going to state and county fairs. Last year, the location of Nebraska's state fair was changed from Lincoln to Grand Island. It was controversial, but I understand why it was a good idea. Lincoln's state fair facilities were extremely run-down, and Grand Island is more convenient for most farming families.

This year Scott and I drove an hour and minutes minutes to Grand Island, then spent two more hours in the car creeping along in bumper-to-bumper traffick. At the end of that ordeal, our parking space was a one-mile walk on unpaved roadside from the fairgrounds. It was discouraging, to say the least!

After we finally made it into the fair, we had a nice time. I relished my annual corn dog and lemonade. The 4H project displays are our favorite part, and there was a lot to see from kids all over the state. The animals were beautiful, as were the many quilts. The commercial exhibits were out in force selling everything from vibrating weight-loss machines to waterless cookware. No outdoor concerts, which I missed. We didn't ride or play games, but the midway looked great. We lucked out with spectacular weather, which made all the difference. If I can figure out a better parking plan, I'll go again.

The Most Important Meal?

Frank & Simon's omelette

Because I wait until the last minute to get ready to leave the house, my go-to breakfast has always been a bowl of cold cereal. Better than nothing, but it doesn't give a body much to work with. Eating breakfast has become easier since we started serving it at Frank & Simon's. Fresh eggs, vegetables and fruits are so much better than sugary refined flour!

Drive-by Art

The World is Amazing and Beautiful and So Are You

I've been passing by this art installation in someone's front yard all summer, every time I go home from work. It caught my eye right away and made me smile a bit the first time I saw it, but I didn't have a strong reaction. With repeated viewings, I've become quite attached to it and appreciate the message more than I did at first. I find that I respond to it now, silently nodding and agreeing as I drive by. So yesterday I stopped and took pictures. Isn't it cool that someone took the time to entertain and enlighten passers-by with art?