Week 8, Day 4

Did you ever have an ordinary day in your life so beautiful and so perfect that you just had to celebrate? Welcome to November 6th Day.

Here's the story:
Ten years ago my son Adam was in the middle of some heavy-duty medical issues (read more about it at http://mysite.verizon.net/pffdvsg1/req-bestanswr.htm). It was painful and intense, far beyond what a 10 year old ought to have to endure. But on November 6 --a sunny, beautiful, cool day -- as we were driving to work (I had a job where I could have my homeschooled kids with me), Adam said out of the blue, "We ought to have a celebration today!" Focused on work and all I needed to accomplish, I was a naysayer and explained that we had just gotten done with Halloween and Thanksgiving was coming up. So clearly this wasn't a good day for a celebration. Besides, what would we celebrate? Adam thought for a moment and said, "I dunno, Mom. Just because." He thought a bit more and said, "It's a pretty day and I don't hurt. We can celebrate that!" In the usual rain-on-the-parade mother response, I told him "we'll see", and re-focused on getting on with the day's tasks.

But I had a hard time staying focused through the day. Adam's words kept popping into my head. He had been through so much pain and so much work to gain an amazing 6-1/2 inches in his once-short thigh bone. Months of daily painful therapy and turning the bolts on the scaffolding on his leg. But for a few weeks the turning had stopped and we were in the waiting stage to allow the new bone to consolidate. And today was the first day in months the kid was without pain. Why not celebrate? I felt really guilty for not saying yes immediately. It was such an innocent request. But how on earth could I fit it into an already packed day? Work until late, then an evening meeting to attend. What could we possibly do at the end of the day that would even qualify as a celebration? Would we need to invite people? Did we need to do gifts? What about decorations? It just didn't seem possible.

Then it hit me. I knew exactly what to do! I dropped the kids off at home after work and headed off to the evening meeting. When I finally got home, the boys were playing a game. It seemed like they hardly noticed my arrival. Then they saw the bags in my hand and the smile on my face. We sat on the living room floor as I explained about our new celebration. The bags were filled with all kinds of snacks and junk food, fun stuff that normally would be off-limits. Pretzels, ice cream bars, and a bunch of stuff I can't even remember anymore. And we talked about what made us happy. Daniel, Adam's older brother, had the idea that we should look at the food packages and bags for elevens and sixes ('cuz November is the eleventh month) -- he said it would be a "sign" that this holiday was good. We got goofy about it and had to stretch pretty far sometimes to come up with sixes and elevens. Twenty-four ounces was acceptable, for instance, because two and four total six. Nine grams of sodium and two grams of fiber were fine because nine and two equal eleven. The package of six ice cream bars was magical. The more we stretched to make it all "fit", the more we laughed. And as we drank from the six-pack of soda --also magical because of the six, we toasted to a happy November 6th Day. Just that simple. No need for decorations. No need for gifts. No need for elaborate plans or guests. Only a quiet, albeit goofy, celebration of happiness.

In the ten years since that first November 6th Day we have not always been together. But we three have always celebrated. We celebrate all we went through together out in Maryland. We celebrate the things that make us happy. We celebrate goofiness. We celebrate the special relationship the three of us have. And we celebrate just because another November 6th has arrived.

Healthier Holiday Today
Today our November 6th Day is taking on an added dimension. I'm making an attempt to re-define what makes me happy. Gone are the sodas. Water is my drink of choice now. A box of Ho-hos is no longer the be-all and end-all of ultimate taste treats. A cup of low-fat frozen yogurt is a great substitute. A plateful of cheese ravioli drenched in alfredo sauce is not the linchpin of an awesome meal. Instead a handful of whole wheat pasta mixed in with a plateful of vegetables seasoned with Old Bay is the new gold-standard. And a bag of pretzels, no matter how many elevens or sixes on the bag, doesn't actually have to be a part of the celebration. A whole wheat toasted English muffin has a great crunch factor with a good amount of fiber, and adding a thin smear of all-fruit spread makes it extra yummy. So this year, the 10th anniversary of the creation of our new family holiday, my November 6th Day is not only about honoring our past celebrations, but also about the exciting future ahead. A healthy future. A future filled with happiness and more beautiful days so perfect you just can't help but celebrate.

Dieting is a reason to celebrate. New beginnings and new hope are a reason to party. Taking charge of your life and your health is a reason to be delighted. No matter what day on the calendar, I encourage YOU to be happy and celebrate...just because!

Today's Tip:
Here's a great article about Danny Cahill, one of the contestants on the Biggest Loser: Danny Cahill is Feeling Like a Champ I especially like what he said about feeling like a champion again. My kids say when I was younger and battled for Adam's medical care, I was a warrior, fierce and strong. I want that back. I want to be healthy and strong again. When I saw Danny on Biggest Loser talking about getting his fire back, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

And...Happy November 6th Day, everyone!

Week 8, Day 3

Too much time in bed makes my back hurt worse, so I pretty much had to get up today, in spite of the cold I seem to have. Times like this it's no fun being an adult. I want to stay in bed and be pampered by my mama. But instead, I got up and did what I knew was best for me. I haven't exercised, but I have been upright and hoping this crap in my head starts draining soon.

My head hurts too much to focus very much today. But I did run across a really interesting article about high fructose corn syrup. I have read bits and pieces over the years about how bad it is for us and how it seems to be in everything. But this article seems to sum it all up and give good advice for combating its ill effects nutritionally. I highly recommend it: Metabolic Danger of High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Today's Tip:
When I posted on my Facebook wall that I wasn't feeling well, here is the advice I got from my friends:

1) Beth Dickson Neuhoff -- a proponent of clean eating who has given me some great advice along the way says:
Emergen-C!!!!! We have used it for 8 yrs and it's amazing!

2) Mindy Soranno -- one of my heroes, she is a triathlete, marathon runner, and amazingly strong woman in every way, says:
Sorry you don't feel well. Drink hot water with honey, lemon juice and cloves- it works!

3) Ann Marie Krahulec -- a powerful and healthy woman with great common sense says:
Just take care of yourself. Get lots of rest, plenty of fluids.

Thank you, friends! I am implementing your advice pronto and am happy to be able to share it with others. :)

Week 8, Day 2

Ugh. No weight loss yesterday, and now I think I might have a cold. I can't tell if it's a cold or just sinus problems. Either way, I feel really rotten. No exercise today and I don't care. Egg salad sandwich and a yogurt for food. And now back to bed.

(Maybe next week the Biggest Loser will tell us what to do when this kind of crap hits?)

Week 8, Day 1

I don't get it. Two weeks ago I weighed in at 248, and that's exactly where I sit today. All that extra running and playing with my grandson, all the biking, walking, and work on my arms, and not one pound was lost. How frustrating! Really, this is Week 8 and I'm doing everything right; I should be further along than this.

I'm tired of being fat. I'm working hard to change that. I miss being young enough that hard work equaled weight loss. Surely sooner or later the scales will begin moving downward again.

Chocolate sure would taste good right now. But that's how I got big...medicating my blues with food. Today is one of the days when I can practice finding other ways to be happy again. I need this too much to give up.

If you're dieting, too, please don't give up either. Surely we're strong enough to beat a Hershey bar, right? Right.

Week 7, Day 7 part 2

I don't usually do two posts in one day, but this time I have two things that warrant a second posting. And I really hope people read this because it's important.

There's a scientific study that has just been released that shows junk food can be as addictive as heroin. Great. I left drugs and alcohol way in the past along with my misspent youth, and now I find out all those ho-hos over the years may have altered my brain chemistry permanently. Here's where you can read more about the study, and I STRONGLY recommend that you check it out: http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-claim-junk-food-is-as-addictive-as-heroin/

There is good news I want to share, too. Sean was one of the contestants on this season of the Biggest Loser. He got voted off a few weeks ago, but still went on to lose quite a bit on his own. Just in time, too, because at 1:09 this afternoon his little baby girl was born. He named her Jillian, after one of the trainers on the show. Congratulations, Sean!! If you want to see a photo of this beautiful little girl, here's a link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2732141&id=127882247420

Week 7, Day 7

The Grand Plan is not dead! Back when I started this journey, I had the great idea to spend 10 minutes every hour riding my recumbent bike, figuring that at the end of the day I would have spent considerable time exercising but without feeling like it. I haven't done it every hour today, but I have exercised for 10 minutes an hour for four hours. Not always on the bike; some of the time I worked on my arms. And the day is far from over. I hope Adam and I go out and do some walking later. We need to go to the store anyway for some bread and milk, so it would be a great time to get in a half a mile or so of extra walking. Yayee!!

I've eaten a half a cup of yogurt and a sandwich so far today. I don't know what we'll do for dinner. I want to go light tonight so my weigh in tomorrow is good. It's been a quick week since the last episode of the Biggest Loser. I hope I've done enough to drop at least a little bit of weight! We'll see....

Week 7, Day 6

Tonight I live. Not just exist, but actually live. It's been awhile. And I like this. I'm eager for more really good days like today where I am able to get out and participate amongst the living. What a happy feeling to know it's coming!

Adam and I went to a fairly large auditorium to see a concert, and I got in and to our seats without having to stop and catch my breath and without feeling like I had just walked a million miles. Our seats were about as far from our car as possible, too, because the short route was blocked off by the extended stage. So we walked all the way around the concourse, only the stage-width difference from where we came in. And I did it. :) I don't think I could have done it without Adam to lean on a bit as we walked, but still....I've made so very much progress!

I had a couple of sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. And for dinner Adam and I stopped at the only place we could find open after the concert -- a greasy-spoon truck stop. We probably should have just come on home to eat, but we just weren't quite ready for that yet. So I ate eggs, hash browns, and toast. Probably blew my diet. But that's okay. Tonight was an awesome night. And I'm happy.

Week 7, Day 5

I hope everyone had a healthy and happy Halloween. We don't celebrate the holiday, so it was easy for me to stay away from the sweets. Thanksgiving and Christmas will be the hard ones for me.

It's been kind of an uneventful day. I got a lot of work done on a media list I'm creating for a client. Some exercise, the usual chicken and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread for breakfast and lunch, and some yummy garlic chicken with veggies and noodles for dinner.

Tomorrow is the day I'm excited about. A sweet friend of ours gave us tickets to go see Trans-Siberian Orchestra. (Thank you, again, AM!) Awesome group! The last time I saw them, they weren't big enough to fill arenas. Now they're huge. And they've got a new album out, so I'm eager to hear the new stuff, too. There should be a fair amount of walking to get from the parking lot to our seats, and I'm so glad I'm in shape to make it. I feel like I'm beginning to join the land of the living again!