Grateful

Today on the way home from my Mom's house I went a little out of the way to a state park. It was mainly to use an outdoor restroom because I had the dog with me. But it ended up in a nice nature hike with the dog. And a great picture taking session. I enjoyed it very much. I need to learn more about my camera so I can use settings to get better pictures in different light, etc. But for now I just enjoyed taking pictures and walking in the woods. We came upon this waterfall which was a real treat. I have a therapist appointment tomorrow. I had lunch with friends yesterday. I am appreciating my body more but still hoping to get on a better food/exercise program. For today I am grateful for the hike. And the dog.

Still Here

I'm still here. I appreciate the comments and support. Not much time to write but wanted to check in. I went to help my Mom get ready to move. I also took pictures of the property and my Dad's woodworking workshop and tool shed. I am thinking of art projects related to things that represent what he did in his life. I took home one of his manuscripts and started reading it. Unfortunately the first chapter described a soldier's funeral. So the detailed description of the military honors was just like his own funeral. I felt really weird after that. I stopped reading. I find I am sensitive and prone to depression the past couple of days but then, maybe that is how I always am.. I miss how I used to be. Happier and confident. I seem to have lost some confidence somewhere in the job loss, new job adjustment, death, illness and other things going on in the past year. I remember what it felt like to be excited about life and feel like I had things to look forward to. I hope to get that back. Today it is not here but I will get some sleep tonight and hope for the best. I know I need a therapist and I have one but I have been afraid to take time off of work and she only sees people in the day. flimsy excuse, right?

More will be revealed.

Saturday

I am glad I did not delete my blog. I came up with a nice dream to satisfy my desire to escape. My new exit plan is to move to Belize. A nice little tropical country. It makes me feel good to dream of it. I need to start thinking of dreams without limitations so that I can get to know my own wants and needs. I have spent most of my life thinking of the wants and needs of others. That's not a bad quality but I have to balance it with taking care of myself and all that good stuff. Speaking of which I have eaten less today. I have slept more. This week my food volume was too high but my food choices were good. I felt better about my job, too.

I went to my Al anon group this morning and then had coffee with a friend. Sitting and talking with someone who understands is so, so helpful. She and her husband have much in common with me. I need to hear how other people deal with things. I know I am not alone. They, too, experienced a death in their family recently. It was very unexpected, a nephew in his forties. Then my other close friend's son in law died very suddenly in an accident just a couple of weeks ago. When I talk to about what they are going through it gives me perspective and allows me to exchange kindness and support.

I am thankful for the nice comments and support that I get on here. When I thought of deleting my blog the first thought was that I couldn't do that especially because I know that Vickie checks in on me regularly. After all these years I would feel like I was walking out on good friends even though we don't see each other in person.

I am going to help my Mom get ready to move. She is moving next weekend. I am going to see her new place now that the rehabbing is finished. I am going to help her shop for some furniture solutions and also figure out what she is not taking with her. It is a bit overwhelming to go there, but this weekend and next will most likely be the last time I see the property which they have owned for 25 years. I want to take some photographs of the place and some of my Dad's stuff, like his workshop. I have a mixture of emotions about it all.

I promise to be kind to myself. After I wrote my post the other night I was able to get up and do some things that made me feel better. It helped to be honest instead of hide out.

More will be revealed.

Getting Desperate and Drastic

I almost deleted my blog today. I was going to delete myself from facebook and blogger. Some form of electronic suicide or something. I am frustrated with myself. Kind of disgusted with myself, too. I start and stop on my fitness efforts. I have never felt more tired than I do lately. A couple of my friends lost weight doing the HCG diet. I decided to order some. I waited to see if their weight stayed off and if they had any adverse reactions but so far no complaints and one of them lost the weight back in January I think. I only need or want to lose 20 pounds at the most so it seems like a short targeted program like that would be perfect. I have pondered this for some time now. So now that I paid for it and it is on its way to me I am committed. It is 26 to 30 days long. I feel desperate right now because I keep losing interest and trailing off when I start something. I just want to drop a chunk of weight and be done with it. I feel like I am getting back in the cycle of self loathing where I eat and hate myself and eat some more. Geez. I thought those days were over. How did I get here? Too much time alone isolating perhaps. But not motivated to really do much else. I feel like I could sleep for a year. If I get up and clothes feel tight I don't want to leave the house. That sort of thing. Anyhow, I don't post because I don't want to write stuff like this but thought I'd be honest instead of committing cybersuicide and deleting my blog. So the HCG seems drastic to me but I am going to go ahead with it. I spent too much money on it. I still have icky shakes from Body for Life, too. I feel a tad silly.

Short Report

I went to the gym five times last week. I feel like I have some momentum now in the right direction. I made good dietary choices, too. But the scale did not budge. It has been a while since I have had such a stuck scale but I am not giving up. I will just make more dietary changes and keep on visiting the gym. Today all I had time for was a short bike ride up hill before we went out of town but I did it in the morning to get my brain going. I am not letting the scale get me down since I know I am making changes that will take me where I want to go.

Gaining insight

The underlying causes of my overeating - I just read my little profile blurb for the first time in a while. I have gained much insight since 2006, and I did lose weight. I also gained some of it back, but have kept most of it off. My lowest weight was maintained for a few months. Then I fluctuated in a range I could live with and now I am at the scare weight, in fact I do not consider this weight a part of a range I can live with. I want to get back to that lowest weight and stay in a lower range. I feel sluggish and slow. Maybe I am just too old to carry this much around with me. I want to feel more energetic. Lighter. It has to be easier to carry 15 less pounds. I want to finish what I started.

What are the underlying causes of not sticking to a plan?- right now I think I just give up easy because I don't feel motivated. It seems too hard for some reason. My momentum turned to the wrong direction and stayed there a little too long. Too many things happened in too short of a time and I got overwhelmed. But I can do something now.

So I am relying this week on small actions every day. I took another short lunch hour workout at the gym today. I appreciate it even though I tell myself it is way less than I used to do. But it is more than I have been doing. I used weights in the morning at home and a little bit this evening for upper body. I am turning myself around and pointing myself in the right direction. Maybe I am not moving fast, but I am moving, and moving toward the goal.

I feel like I am recuperating after being stricken with a serious illness. I feel weak, but I know I have it in me to do this.

So that is the focus for this week, turning around and facing the right direction.

Wow its been a while

Didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. What have I been doing? Well, not losing weight. But I have been going to the gym again. Thank goodness!! And hey, its day two again! Sort of like groundhog day. I need to get my groove back. Or get a new groove. I keep wondering what happened to my peaceful, go with the flow, grateful, Zen-ish attitude. My backyard is a jungle this year and I have not sat out there once. Maybe I should just sit in the jungleness of it and enjoy it for what it is. Natural. My little nature spot. Like out in the wild. I could do that. I will try it tomorrow morning. I have had a decent attitude toward my job. I work hard and try and look at the good in it. I have sent a couple resumes, but I am also trying to make the best of the current situation.

I took a quick workout at the lunch hour today. I tire easy lately and it scares me. I feel very out of shape. But I am still showing up and doing whatever I can in whatever amount of time I have. It always makes me feel better. Food is going good this week also. I hear thunder outside and I think I will go on the porch and listen to the night storm. It is bedtime but I have been having trouble sleeping lately so I will take in some air first and see what happens.

More will be revealed...