The fashion police--How old is too old?

A lot has been mentioned in the news about when you're too old for bikinis, stiletto heels and pony tails. Well, when I first heard this, I wondered "who" said it. My first instinct was some random fashion police. Maybe women who grew-up in the age when those rules were hard and fast. The days when a lady never wore white shoes to San Francisco after Labor Day, and always wore stockings with a skirt, even in 90 degree heat.
 I grew-up with these rules and they sucked. I remember being in the throws of a summer heatwave and my mom making me wear pantyhose to some dressy function. Sweating through the synthetic nylons was awful, as they stuck to my skin and trapped my body heat. I would get heat rashes as I'm sure many women did. Even worse was the fact that I abided by these rules when I got a 'real' job working in a corporate office. One didn't dare go into an office bare legged. It wasn't long before I started wearing pants so I could avoid the dreaded pantyhose. Of course, in winter I could don tights, so it wasn't so bad. It's no wonder that women started dressing like men in the 80's. They were much more comfortable in trousers and flats, and so was I. But who wants to look like a man?
 I don't know who I have to thank for the bare-legged trend, but I'm grateful. I know European woman have been going bare-legged in summer for decades before it was fashionable to do so in the U.S. So I suspect it had something to do with them, but who was the catalyst that made it acceptable here? Some credit Carrie Bradshaw-- the character from Sex in the City. If that is true, then they are actually crediting  Patricia Fields, the head costume designer and stylist of that fashion iconic show. Patricia is brilliant and always on the cutting edge, so please give credit where it's due.
 Anyway, back to these fashion police...who are they to tell us when we have to stop wearing things? And more importantly, who are we to follow them? Wear what you want. Wear what looks good on you. Wear what you are comfortable in.
That said, there are reasons that most women over 50 shouldn't wear a bikini. Most wouldn't wear it well. Some very fit people do look fantastic. But if you don't,  and if you still want to wear it, then I say go ahead, it's your life, live it the way you want! Here's one little question: why do you want to? Personally, I think a 1 piece, or maillot, can be sexier and more comfortable than a bikini. It's also more practical for swimming, water sports and coverage. But everyone has their reasons, and who am I to tell them otherwise? Men don't seem to care as much about what they wear and they seem a lot less anxious.

It's time to start pleasing yourself. Sure, there will always be those who dispense advice. Some of it is good and valid and can enhance your image and style. Some of it just neutralizes us to all be the same or fit inside a box and that is the last thing fashion should be about. So most importantly, wear what makes you happy. Be you.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 14

You know you're on a diet when...
You click on Delicious.com thinking it's all the food that's been forbidden on your diet.

Well, if you are like most of the industrialized world, you've watched at least the highlights of the Royal Wedding of William & Kate. Her gown, beautiful. It looked like her, befitting a future Queen. We had no problem recognizing her. Her dress was classic with a modern tweak. Lace, lace lace, which is is really big this year.  It will definitely stand the test of time.
This is a good reminder that when you develop a personal style, it makes everything easier. Also, when you tend toward the classic, you won't regret those pictures in the future.

There have been a lot of pictures of the late Princess Diana in the news (naturally), and it's been fun reliving the fashion. It makes me feel better that I wasn't the only one sporting huge shoulder pads and a lot of fabric in the 80's. I blame Diana. Yeah, it was all her fault, the fashion icon that she was. Her fashion did evolve over time. She moved more toward the classic, but never boring. Of course fashion changed, as it always does, but I think Diana discovered what was right for her within the trends of the time. This is key. When you choose what is right for you: your body type, your personality and lifestyle, you will look great. You will feel great. And, if you are not completely trendy you won't regret those pictures.

I heard some great fashion advice a while back that I think is worth passing on... When it comes to the trend of the moment: pick the hot color or a the hot style, not both in one piece. So that means if today's hot color is orange and the hot style is a bell bottom jean. Don't wear an orange bell bottom jean. Well, you can, but be prepared that it's a one season item (And you'll always be known as the girl who wore the wacky orange clown pants). If, instead, you buy orange in a classic style, or a bell bottom in a classic blue denim, then you can probably get more than one season out of the item. Mix trendy style in a classic color with a trendy color in a classic style. Makes sense, right?

So back to Kate, the obvious fashion icon of the present and foreseeable future.  Seems like she has already mastered the rules of looking great. A fashion media darling. Words of advice: watch it Kate, stay true to yourself, don't go too trendy (no orange bell bottom jeans--you'd start a trend that I just don't want to see on the average person) and for heaven's sake don't gain weight or they will crucify you.

Weigh in: I decided to change this to weekly--reasons will be explained tomorrow.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 13

Well Easter is finally over. And like all candy-loving people who eat too much of it, I now breathe a sigh of relief that my temptations will (hopefully) lessen. Think about it. If you have a candy vice/addiction, the year is divided-up by holidays for you.
Let's start in the fall with the biggest candy holiday of all: Halloween. Most stores start marketing Halloween candy in September. So that's two whole months of taunting, teasing and tantalizing nostalgia  stuffed inside a big pillowcase (the carryall of choice for the serious-we'll-hit-everyhouse-trick-or-treater). Some people actually stretch this Halloween candy consumption to Christmas. My theory is that you are either a binge eater-- scarfing all of it until it's out of sight; or a squirrel--rationing it daily for as long as it lasts. Either way, you have a small breather until Christmas. Don't pat yourself on the back just yet--you did have that Thanksgiving pie to tie you over.
Christmas is full if candy and sweets, remember "visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads"? What are sugar-plums anyway?  In addition to candy canes, peppermint bark, peanut brittle and fudge, you now have cookies to fend-off. Once Christmas is over, you don't have long to wait before the Valentine's candy hearts and chocolates hit the shelves. After Valentine's day, it's just a skip and a hop until the Easter Bunny delivers those scrumptious eggs.
Then here we are, post Easter. No candy holidays until the fall. It's a great time to shed those winter candy pounds. Not only are the holidays cooperating, but we are heading into warmer weather. Hello fruit, salads, and exercise. Wish me luck, won't you? I have a good 4 months before the next candy holiday.

weight: sorry, still in my sugar coma--I'll weigh in tomorrow.

can I blog to lose weight?--Day 12

Cadbury Eggs made the front page of the Wall Street Journal today. See, I am not alone. ( Refer to day 1 of this blog). Although I never even thought of a bigger egg. I was just happy with what I considered the decadent existing egg. Maybe I don't think big enough.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 11

Going somewhere special any time soon? Special occasions are a great time to assess your appearance and often a great motivator to lose weight.
The Wall Street Journal had an article this week about how to dress for a school reunion.  We all want to look good, especially to people we haven't seen since our youth. High school is often a torturous time of adolescence and a high school reunion can be especially anxious for some people having to face those who remember them during a time they'd might like to forget. What I thought was most interesting about this article was the recommendation of how you should dress based of the "type" of person you were in high school. As if you are stuck with the reputation you had in high school for the rest of your life! God, I hope not! Where's the room for growth?
This article went on to recommend how the "jock", the "most likely to succeed" and the "cool" kids should dress at their reunions. The fallacy with this thinking is presuming that these people haven't changed. The jock should dress in body conscious clothes. Really? Is that good advice? How many former jocks have we seen whose bulky football muscles have turned to fat after 10 years?  Sorry, but I don't reallly want to see them in a tight tee. The "cool" kids in this article had an obvious artistic bent and they should dress like they don't really care too much. Do you really think these independent  thinkers are caring about their reunion enough to take advice about what to wear to it? The "success" kids should dress like they are ruling the world. Are they? Or do they just want others to think so?
 What about the nerds? They aren't even mentioned. These were the people you'd think that out of anyone the "experts" listed in the article, would be counseling. Or are the nerds, geeks and wallflowers still completely off their radar?
Maybe it's because the last time I looked, the nerds were ruling the world and they dress like the cool kids.

Weigh in: +.4 Obviously not a jock.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 10

There are all kinds of diets. Why is that? Everyone wants a magic cure to weight loss. New breakthroughs are happening everyday. People get bored, impatient, frustrated when they don't see progress. I think I'm going to start a new career: diet creator. I will make-up random and crazy food combinations, that will keep you from eating all the high calorie junk that you really want to eat. You are bound to reduce your calorie intake. You will also have to increase your movement, so that you burn more calories than you are used to. Try it, shall we? We need catchy name. How about The Nut Diet (you'd have to be nuts to try it).
This diet will have 3 phases. (don't they all?)
 Phase 1: It will completely restrict you from eating whatever it is you usually eat.
The first week you have to eat nuts. Allergic to nuts? Sorry, this diet is for nuts, oops, I mean people who can eat nuts. If you are allergic to nuts, then I recommend you try the No Nuts, Nut Diet which we detail on another day.You can have any kind of nut during the first phase. You must have no more than a cup of nuts at each meal. "Just nuts? Are you crazy?" you ask. No, of course not. In addition to nuts, you must have flax seed and blueberries. Blueberries are a superfood. You must eat a 6oz of blueberries twice-a-day in between the nut meals. Why 6oz? because the act of having to measure out 6oz will be enough of a distraction that you won't mind that it's not even a cup. "What about beverages?" I'm glad you asked. You must have 8  8oz servings of water a day. 4 of the glasses must be ice cold, the other 4 must be very hot. You must alternate the hot and cold in order to modify your body temperature and burn more calories. In the hot water you must add cinnamon. Cinnamon will help you burn more calories. During phase one you must do special exercises. You must side-step for ten minutes then turn around and side step back to your starting point. This exercise is best done outside so that you can increase your natural vitamin D, which we all know if very important to our health. You will notice a 4-10 lb weight loss during this phase. Once you have gone through Phase 1 you are ready for Phase 2:
On Phase 2 you get to reintroduce some previously restricted foods. During this phase you may add in any green vegetable and red vegetable. Sorry no yellow, purple, orange or white vegetables until Phase 3. Why? Because we are obviously missing pasta by this phase, and the red and green remind us of the Italian flag which is on a lot of pasta related products. We use this technique to trick our mind that we are actually eating pasta and other delicious italian dishes. You may also add lean meats and apples. During this phase you must also increase your activity level. You must walk 10 minutes 4 times a day. You may do this all at once or break it out to 4 sessions.
Phase 2 will last until you drop ten pounds or until you just can stand it anymore and move on to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Phase 3 you get to reintroduce all vegetables, all fruits, all meats--except bacon. Everyone knows that eating bacon (or simply smelling bacon cooking) stimulates your salivary glands and the Nut diet is completely blown if that happens. In addition to these foods you may have one of the following: 1 slice of whole grain bread or 1 cup of brown rice or 1 cup of whole grain pasta or 1 cup of oatmeal twice a day. The following foods are completely prohibited during Phase 3: Anything with sugar, dairy, anything with flour unless otherwise listed, anything processed. You must stay on Phase 3 until all of your excess weight is lost. Exercise: continue with the ten minute walks, you may drop the side stepping as you have obviously mastered side stepping your weight loss problems by this phase.
I guaranteed you will lose weight on this diet. Before starting any weight loss program, please check with your physician to make sure this program is right for you. Please let me know if it works, I 'll write a book with all my secrets, launch a worldwide Nuts Diet movement and lifestyle. This will lead to my reality series, talk show, motivational speaking engagements....you get the picture.
Weigh in: -.2 it all adds-up right? Maybe I should try the Nut Diet? I hear it's great...

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 9

Good Monday morning. Is there such a thing? New week, new expectations--at least I hope so. I spent a beautiful weekend at the beach. The weather was spectacular. Much warmer than my weather.com ap reported. It's these warm days in spring that remind me of the dreaded horror of not being able to throw on a jacket to cover the winter's eating binges. When the weather warms, the layers come-off.
As I was sitting on the beach, soaking-up the sun and lazily watching my 10 year old dive into the waves, I thought about the pressure to look good on the beach. I'm not talking about looking perfectly coifed and styled, in fact if you are wearing clothes, you can look as sloppy as you please. Nobody will take a second glance. I'm talking about wearing a swimsuit.
In California, the pressure to look "healthy" in a swimsuit is palatable. By healthy, I mean toned, slim, little or no cellulite, no spare tires. Why this pressure? (I don't think men feel it. Maybe some do. This is primarily a female thing). It begins when you're a teenager. As a teenager you're a freak it you don't wear a swimsuit at the beach and you're considered an even bigger whale if you don't fit the above healthy definition.
This is not universal. On other beaches around the world, yes even in the U.S., this standard doesn't seem to hold. You see women in all shapes and sizes and levels of fitness, frolicking in the waves and having a grand time.
As I was lounging in my beach chair, Sapporo in-hand (we figure we'd support the Japanese recovery--every bit helps) a couple in their 70's, well if they were life-time sun worshipers--they could've been in their 40's, started putting-on wetsuits. The woman was about 50lbs overweight and had visible cellulite all over her arms and legs.  Her grey shoulder-length hair was billowing around her face. She struggled into her suit, grabbed her boogie board and merrily followed her husband into the icy waters of the Pacific.
My first thought? They must be European. Why? Because Europeans don't have the body hang-ups we have.
My second thought? Good for her! I admired her willingness choose the experience of having fun, over the fear of looking literally like a chubby seal. She obviously never saw Jaws, which haunts me to this day. I have to admit that when I do get in the water, especially while wearing a wetsuit, in the back of my mind I am afraid of getting bitten by a great white shark. People say that we don't have the right amount of bodyfat for sharks to mistake us for seals. That's exactly my fear, what if I do?
I do have a wetsuit, but it takes me about an hour to get into it. When I was buying it, it took forever to put it on. As I struggled in the dressing room, I asked the salesman for a larger size and he assured me it was supposed to be that tight. I bet every time I put it on, I burn 1,000 calories. Hey--maybe I just discovered my new work-out?
Weigh in Day 9  no change, damn Sapporos!

can I blog to lose weight?--Day 7/8

Okay, I guess technically this is day 8. Trust me you didn't want to hear from me on day 7--not a good day. Just one of those days when everything you try to do just doesn't go right.
So now here we are, a week later from the birth of this blog. One way to see if change is happening is to see how the clothes are fitting. In fact, this is my primary way of keeping things in-check. Everyone knows that scales never tell the whole truth--muscle weighs more than fat etc... This is also why you should never wear elastic waistbands. Living in those yoga pants? Very dangerous. Oh come on, unless you are a yoga instructor, you are just inviting trouble no matter how comfortable they are. Oh sure, so easy to grab, very functional for hanging-out, but do that for a a couple weeks and then try to wiggle into a pair of tight jeans without cutting-off your circulation.
I love clothes. In fact, being able to wear them well is one of my primary motivations for losing weight. When you feel good in your clothes, you can project a whole other attitude to the world. Just watch a makeover show and you'll know what I'm talking about. The transformation of taking a frumpy-looking woman (or man) and putting her in something current and flattering is equivalent to giving her a shot of energy, youth and confidence all in one.
It is so easy to let yourself fall into frumpiness when you don't feel good about your body. It's depressing when your clothes aren't fitting well and shopping can get you down. Who wants to invest in clothes in a larger size? It's like resigning yourself to being bigger. But you must have something to wear while you are slimming down. It is imperative to feel good in order to keep you motivated.
We've all seen women poured into clothes that are about 5 times too small. Doesn't she realize what she looks like? Is she in that much denial? Just because you can button the waistband doesn't mean that it fits. I welcome the return of styles that are a bit more comfortable, more wearable for most people. Think MadMen. Sexy but livable.
When I had the body to wear these revealing clothes, the style was pretty conservative and covered up. Remember pantyhose? I try not to. I look back and think how boring looking I was in my 20's. Well, sure, you could argue that I was always "in style" but that doesn't mean the style wasn't really bad.
I didn't even look as young (hot, sexy) as I could have in my youth. Now I want to look youthful, but not like I'm trying to look young. Trying to look young (like a 24 year old) just reveals how old you really are. It's really tricky, especially if you are larger.
 I guess it's all about dressing for your bodytype. Knowing your perfect hem length, neckline and silhouete. Embracing what makes you, you and hiding what you don't want the world to see.
I ran across an old photo from college, and the dress I have on makes me look like a cast member from Big Love, not quite in the Morman polygamist cult, but maybe a recent escapee. And I wasn't a prude or   sexually repressed. Then about a week after trying to put this image out of my mind, I see the exact same dress showcased in a different color on The View by Tory Burch! Styles really do get recycled.
Recently while shopping with my daughter, she was drawn like, a moth to the flame, to something just like I wore 25-30 years ago!  She thought it was so cool...I couldn't stop from shouting...Do NOT go into the light. Stop where you are. Turn away from it. Don't even look at it. ... 
Weigh in Day 8: -.5.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 6

Almost a week has gone by and what do I have to show for it? Well I haven't gained weight, so that's something. I have started to exercise more, so that's positive.  I'll give it a few more days and then I just might have to get serious. Well not really serious, just more diligent. Maybe. Let me have another glass of wine while I think about it...
Wine... Has anyone made a zero calorie wine? If so, has anyone made a zero calorie wine that tastes good? Well if not, someone should get to work on that right away. They'd make a fortune. I know there are low calorie beers. They come-up with a lighter beer every year. I might have to start drinking those if someone doesn't invent a decent zero calorie wine--that won't kill you with the presumptive artificial garbage it is bound to have in it.
 With summer around the corner, it makes me think of a hot Saturday on the deck and a refreshing drink in the late afternoon. There is nothing like an ice cold beer on a super hot day, after you've watched someone else work-up a sweat.
 Unless it's a Margarita. I know, not the same, but just as refreshing. Are Margaritas a girly drink? I know a lot of men who won't turn one down. Who named a Margarita? Was it someone who wanted to get a girl drunk but couldn't afford the flowers and the liquor? Here have a Margarita, my love. Or was it named after an easy woman who couldn't hold her tequila?
Ever notice how drunk people don't care how they look? Oh sure, they might start off [sober] caring a great deal, but get a few Margaritas in a girl and she doesn't care what is hanging out. She'll just giggle and tuck herself back in--if she even notices. Ah-ha! The secret to not caring about your weight, or much else for that matter.
I have a friend who swears by wine spritzers. Where's the fun in that? You stay sober enough to see how ridiculous all the people who are actually having fun, look--and there's no way you are catching-up.
I'm not advocating getting sloshed, and definitely against drinking and driving.  Just invent that zero calorie wine would ya, so we can all eat more cheese and french bread.
Weigh in Day 6: -0.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 5

   Today the Wall Street Journal had a big article on the cover of the Personal Journal section entitled The Battle of the Office Candy Jar.  Okay, I have to admit that the huge picture of the candy caught my attention. It's a story about how the candy jars and other sweets that people bring into offices are contributing to people's weight gain. I have to ask--Is this really news? It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out if you offer people high calorie, yummy stuff all day long, most will, at some point, indulge. Here's the big surprise...are you ready?...that people will eat more candy displayed in clear glass jars within reach of their seat, than candy stored in opaque jars out of reach. Who woulda thought?!
"'The proximity and visibility of food can consistently increase an adult's consumption', says the study" done by a professor at Cornell. I'd like to get funding to do a study on children's behavior, I'm sure it would be sooo different! Really, "Mindless Eating" I could have written the book myself, without a study. It just goes to show you how obsessed with food and eating we are.

I used to think that working from home was the bigger challenge--the kitchen is so close. But this is making me rethink that. If you do work in an office where people are constantly bringing in treats, you have temptation everyday. I know I was guilty of this. It was a good way of getting temptation out of the house and foist it on others. Today, I guess the only thing that would keep me from eating it, would be the peer pressure: wanting not to look like Winnie-the-Pooh going after his honey pot. Oh inside, I'm thinking it...
But now I have new resolve, as long as I'm working from home, I can, for the most part, control what food I bring into it. But here's the other side of that issue...
If I have a craving for something--say chocolate and I deny myself it. I will eat and eat and eat everything else around it and still not be satisfied, until finally I will give in and have some. Now I ask you, wouldn't I be better off having exactly what I am craving--even a little of it , than eating 12,000 calories trying to avoid it?
Okay, I guess I just won't leave it out... in a clear glass jar...on my desk...on my counter...on my coffee table...
The big weigh-in: -0 no change. Oh well at least it didn't go up.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 4

Okay the internet gods are toying with me.
 Like a lot of people, I subscribe to groupon, living social, and Yelp, for all of their great coupons and discounts. If you don't do it, I highly recommend you do. It's like getting free money. I have taken advantage of many offers --from mani-pedi deals to sailing on San Francisco Bay. I have even signed-up for deals in other cities where my family members live, so I could get deals for them too.  It stretches the gift-giving dollar and they have been delighted.
 Anyway, as I pulled-up my email this morning, I received deals on Southern Baked Goods (pies) and Krispy Kreme Donuts. It's just not fair waking-up to a life-sized photo of a scrumptious looking glazed donut. Thank God, it is not in my house or I would be typing with very sticky fingers. 
Okay, to be completely honest, I also received offers for a motorized bike tour and exercise classes at an exclusive state of the art gym. Funny how my fingers automatically hit the delete button on those. But it does lead me to comment on how there is something for everyone, yet most people just stay in their box and I'm not just talking about a bakery box.They stay with what they know, what they grew-up with. This makes them comfortable, secure. Maybe it even makes them very good at something. In order to master a skill, it helps to learn it when you are young and agile, especially an athletic endeavor that takes years to master, such as horseback riding, martial arts or tennis. 


If you didn't grow-up doing something or, at the very least, being exposed to something, how likely are you to take it up later in life? I think that takes a bit of courage. A willingness to look foolish for a while.
I've always been on the rather adventurous side, trying many things... (okay I have my limits-- I have yet to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and I will not go bungy jumping no matter how cute the guide is)... but I am master of none. I never stuck with anything long enough to get really, really good at it. Maybe boredom set in, maybe it was just too challenging, maybe something else caught my interest. No matter, I'm pretty happy going from this-to-that and it gives me a lot to talk to people about.
 An easy way to make people feel good about themselves is to admit your difficulty doing an activity that they have mastered. But I think that is exactly what I was exposed to as a kid: trying new things, exploring, going places.  So in a way, I am like most people. I operate in my comfort zone of trying new things and moving-on before I truly master them. 
I think this is also true when it comes to food. We eat what we are familiar with--comfort food when we are feeling particularly vulnerable. And we are more likely to step out of our comfort zone/the familiar when we are feeling confident or are just unafraid of appearing foolish. So try that creepy looking sushi, those slimy looking vegetables, that, that... tofu.  Courage, my friend, courage.
Day 4 weigh in:  -.2lbs. Oh well tomorrow is another day.

Can I blog to lose weight?--Day 3

Having spend a relatively (okay, extremely) sedentary weekend, I realize that I must get-up and move on a regular basis. I don't think carting laundry up and down stairs really counts. So this leads me to explore the best methods for exercise that are right for me.
I hate to run. So that's out. Walking's okay. The only problem I have is the weather. We're heading into warmer weather so that shouldn't be a problem.  I also like to bike and there is a fabulous biking/walking trail near my home that follows the San Francisco Bay from Redwood Shores all the way to Coyote Point in Burlingame. The only downside is the wind on my ears. Note to self: wear a hat. But I am an admitted wuss, so I better have a plan B. No gym membership at the moment. Hmm I may have to explore this as a plan C if my plan A & B proves fruitless.
 Okay Plan B. I am open to suggestions. It has to be something indoors. I played a Wii baseball game with my son today ( does that count?). I think both of us got a really good ab workout from laughing at my hysterical errors. I'm really quite incompetent at it. If you've never played this game, you must see it. It is remarkably realistic.  You control all the players on your Major league team. It's quite entertaining to watch my players run in circles, throw the ball to the wrong base and collide in center field. My son took such pity on me that he started having his pitcher bean me just so I could get on base. I think he had 8 pitchers thrown out the game for hitting batters (the game does this automatically and the announcers scold you accordingly). Anyway, this reminds me that we do have a dance wii game that I need to dust off. So maybe that's my plan B or at least one plan B...
 Oh I do have another plan B that is much more intense. I've used it before with great success. It's a video program called slim in 6 . Yeah, now that I think of it I should incorporate that into plan A. I"m pretty sure I'll need several things to keep me moving and so I'm open to suggestions.
okay it's time for the weigh- in...Day 3...-1lb
better than yesterday, so at least it's heading in the right direction and I'm armed with motivation for Monday.

Can I blog to lose weight--Day 2

New discovery: Cheese puffs taste horrible with coffee. I know what you're thinking...now she's having cheese puffs for breakfast! No, not really, at least not today. Okay I had one. I told you I am pretty lazy, and the cheese puffs just happened to be on the counter. Well I did have to pry open the container to get one out. But, trust me, have one with coffee and you won't want any more. So, no I did not succumb to a bowl of cheese puffs for breakfast. Nor did I indulge in the sumptuous pancakes I made for my son and his friend. (Being the last of three children remaining at home--he often has a friend sleepover).
Hmmm...maybe this blog is working? Well I confess it did cross my mind and so I decided to make scrambled eggs too. I heard recently that you should always have a protein when you are eating carbs. Pasta with meat or fish, pancakes with eggs or bacon, bread with peanut butter...
Anyway so it crossed my mind to have the pancakes with my eggs (the real kind today), but I resisted--for now. The day is early after all.

Earlier this morning, my thoughtful husband offered me a slice of toast. I don't usually eat right away, so I declined. Later, when I offered him coffee, he asked for the last piece of toast. ( Note to self--grocery store trip later). Boy that sounded pretty good, now that I was actually awake and starting to get hungry--but alas, he had claimed it. I'm sure he would have offered it to me had I wanted it, but that's not the point of my story... get to the point...
The point is having food available when you are ready to eat it.
 I grew-up with 3 brothers. (We are all close in age). They were eating constantly, especially in high school. In my house, if you didn't eat when food was available, i.e. when the grocery bags were brought in from the car, you didn't get it. They were like vultures swooping-in on their prey. So consequently, I learned to eat when food was available rather than when I was hungry. I blame some of my poor eating habits on this (sorry Mom). And as I have gotten older and become a mother myself, I noticed that this behavior was not exclusive to my brothers, but to most members of the male persuasion.

 Have  you ever hid food? Or put your name on something so it wouldn't be eaten?
If I don't do this with something I particularly like, it is gone before I have a chance to taste it.
Case in point? Lemonade. I don't drink much juice. Not apple juice or OJ, not milk (unless it's in coffee). But I do like lemonade. I buy all kinds of juices and drinks for other members of my household. You think they could save some lemonade for me? Why don't I just buy more you ask? I've tried that. It doesn't work, it's gone too. Anyway, I think I need to go back to writing notes on it. But I just hate doing that...it so territorial. What the alternative? I know, I know, drink more water...I'll have to...
the lemonade is gone.

Okay the big weigh in... Day 2
+3lbs. Maybe I need a new scale? I know-- not good. But before the panic sets in, I must remind myself that I'm tall and a 5lb fluctuation is hardly noticeable. So, hello motivation...time to take a walk.

Can I blog to lose weight? Day 1

Okay so I had a random thought...Can I lose weight simply by blogging? I hate diets. What I hate most about dieting is that while dieting I am constantly thinking about food. All day long. Breakfast? What's on my diet? Mid morning? oh --I'm 'supposed' to eat a snack...etc..etc... that's all I do ALL DAY LONG is think about food. What can I have? What can't I have? I don't even like food that much. I mean, sure, I eat like everyone else, and if you look at me, most would say I eat more than I need to. But I'm bored by food. I'm not a foodie. I like a nice meal, but maybe its because I've had to cook for my family for 22+ years that I rarely enjoy cooking. That, and the fact that I've never had a great kitchen. But I digress, the kitchen issue saga is for another day. Back to this blog...
I had two eggs for breakfast. Not bad. Except they were Cadbury Eggs .
 You know, those delicious chocolate eggs with the yellow and white cream filling that looks like the inside of an egg? Yeah, they do that so you'll believe it's good for you. At least that's what I tell myself every spring when the stores start stocking them in the easter candy aisle and I'm drawn to them like a vampire to a fresh neck.
Anyway, so I don't eat great. Well sometimes I do. I do love Veggies and fruit and fish and generally healthy things. But I know this about myself: 1) I'm a lazy eater and 2) I have a horrible sweet tooth. So at my laziest I'll eat Cadbury eggs for breakfast. You don't have to cook them and they are sweet, plus they go great with Trader Joes French roast coffee.
So here is my premise, an experiment if you will...I am going to blog everyday about weight, food, image, clothes and other related topics to see if merely by being mindful about it-- I will lose weight.
Like most American women, I have successfully lost weight on a diet before. And like most women, overtime I have gained it back. One of the things that help me to lose weight is accountability. The weigh-in. I know that when I did weight watchers  the weekly weigh-in was a big motivator (at least the night before). So I will weigh everyday and report-in on this blog.
Okay, here goes. Wait while I peel-off all my clothes...(oh I know they don't weigh that much--I want to accurate from day-to-day).
Yikes! That much? Wait, let me take off my watch and socks... Hey the scale went up a pound! How can that be? Hold on, maybe I have to reset it... What-- another pound?! This can't be right--why does it go up every time I step on it?!
Hold on, breathe, turn it off, then try it again. Here goes...
Okay it's a couple pounds less. I'll accept that. That weight will be my ground zero. Sorry, not telling. Just know that I should lose at least 25 pounds. 35 would make me really slim and my face gaunt and people would be telling me to gain weight, so I'll settle for anywhere between 25 and 30. And if I do, I will publish before and after photos. Really, I will. Afterall the experiment will have succeeded and I will no longer be ashamed of my exaggerated curves.
 So I have my baseline...now all I have to do is stay away from the Cadbury eggs...

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