Another weekend win for me this week! I was kidnapped on Friday night while driving my own car of my own free will and coerced into a girl’s night out with a friend. We hadn’t had a lot of fun It had been a while since we saw each other, so I decided it was worth it to spend time away from writing and be with a friend. We went out for dinner and a movie. It was a lot of fun.
Saturday had a slow start. I watched the Remembrance Day ceremony held in Ottawa on TV. I do appreciate the sacrifice that anyone and everyone made to give me the freedoms that I enjoy today. I also watched a show on the History Channel. It was a roundtable discussion of veterans and they were sharing some of their experiences. For the better part of 3 hours, I thought about my grandfather, listened to the stories, and watched the ceremony. I also was away from social media for those hours. It was how I wanted to remember, and I am incredibly thankful that I have the choice to do it in a way that felt personal to me. I had a root beer in honour of my grandfather, he used to drink root beer.
I then took my time on social media, sending out a few things, to let people know I was back. I planned to clean my desk and the living room. While I was watching TV, I was thinking about the furniture arrangement. Roy had suggested a plan to move things around, but I wasn’t sold on his plan. I saw an alternative to it in my mind, and when I described it to Roy, he thought about it, and he liked it too. He modified the idea I had, but we are now on the same page and we started cleaning to prepare. Stores were closed on Saturday. That night he went out to hang with the guys. I worked on the cleaning.
I got up and wrote something Sunday morning. Early. I went back to bed, and I dreamed about the thing I wrote being stolen, changed, and passed off as the original work. I thought my life was in danger, but it was just my writing. After I got up I calmed down; and made breakfast. Then I waited and waited. Finally, we went to buy the DIY project supplies and a few other things we needed. Later on, much later on, Roy pulled out the saw he bought and started cutting wood. I made him stop, it was late and too noisy. He will finish another time. We want the room to be reorganized and ready for next Saturday. I am hosting a NaNoWriMo write-in and then heading out to watch my friend in a Karaoke competition. So next weekend will be busy, but I have time scheduled for writing! Finally. Once this room is moved around, then we can settle in for the winter, and enjoy living in it again.
There you have another busy weekend. I may not have things on time, but I am still writing, something, when I get a chance. How was your weekend?
#WeekendWarrior
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 37
This week I have not stepped on the scale, or measured inches. I did go to Zumba Monday and missed it Wednesday because of circumstances beyond my control. I hope to start going twice a week again starting Monday. The day I made it I had 5,187 steps. That might be the highest step count I have ever had at a Zumba class.
I mentioned that last week I was on the scale at the doctor’s office. I was up. I didn’t want to face it. Bahahahahaha! My chocolate chin is where it all went. I swear. I wasn’t going to put a number on it, but as I am sure that I lost half of it already, I can face it now. 😉 I had gone back up to 312 lbs. I knew things were bad, and not as bad as the worst, but I was right. Making small changes to ease myself back into eating more on plan than off plan is working. I am sure the 12 lb chocolate chin is 6lbs or even less right now.
If I don’t laugh at it, I will curl up in a ball and cry as I eat the rest of the Halloween chocolate and chips. I am going to have my Thursday glass of wine with some Smartfood Gouda & Chive popcorn. Maybe more wine if I want to, but not necessarily. I need to get back on track one meal, snack and day at a time. I am happy today that I made BigMac salad for lunch yesterday. It was SO good. I am probably having it for lunch tomorrow. I made a pot of chili tonight. I am trying. That is better than not trying, and I can live with that. I couldn’t live with a 12 lb chocolate chin.
I think it is time to look at a new NSV. If you are new here, that is a non-scale victory. I admittedly love chocolate. Chocoholic, right here. I can make chocolate treats on the plan. But I am thinking about something bigger. Bolder. Goal achievement status.
I keep seeing commercials that catch my attention. Something I saw tonight made me think I need to get focused, and I think I found my next reward. I am not going to have to only go to twoville for this, I am going to need to be in onederland. That big.
More than one goal. As if I am just working for the big one, I am not going to make it. If I set the goal too high, I will fail. I know it. I can plan clothes shopping trips as I need them in the short term. I am also gearing up to start wearing more makeup. So those things can be small goal rewards. This may have to be the end of the journey prize! What on earth am I planning?
Well, I think it is time to set my sights on some other forms of chocolate. The inedible kinds. There are chocolate coloured dogs. I want a dog. We aren’t ready yet…sad, I know, but it is a major decision, and I want to be sure that I am 100% ready for the responsibility of taking that dog home. I now have an idea. How do I make it bigger?
BLING! I make beaded jewellery, and I am working on my website to launch it. I am not expecting it to be an instant source of income (although I wouldn’t have a problem with that), but I rarely make jewellery for myself. Bigger. Have you figured it out yet?
Diamonds, my friends. I am going to talk to my husband and set some realistic goals, and buy myself some diamonds. But not just any diamonds. For this plan to work, it has to be chocolate diamonds. I want Bling rewards!
I might be too far into the wine to be rational at this point, but I don’t think so. I am planning to up my game and work hard for something tangible. Something that won’t affect my blood sugars, and won’t cause me to be morbidly obese anymore. I have been saying that I am worth it, and it is high time I start planning to show it. So there you have it. I am setting the chocolate bar for myself, 😉 and you know what? I am looking forward to saving up for something really special.
#TrustYourGut
P.S. I am on time with this one!
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 36
Well, I have good news, and bad news this week. I went to the Doctor. Not because I was sick, but rather because it was time for a checkup. I met my new doctor. Finally. If first impressions are worth anything, I knew in the first minute I found myself a good one. She seemed meticulous and genuinely wanted to get an idea of my plans in relation to my overall health before my checkup. I needed to find a doctor that I could trust, again. My last doctor was good, but I think this one is going to be great.
The bad news is that I got weighed. I am not at the all-time high from before, but I certainly am not in as good a shape as I have been in the past. I am not following the plan, and I am visibly showing that to the world.
What is wrong with me? Why do I eat things that are bad for me? Why can’t I just lose weight and eat whatever I want to eat, like skinny people do?
I have health issues. I have reasons, and I know that realistically, it didn’t add up overnight, so it will not be removed overnight, either. I know in my mind that junk food is bad for me, and healthy food can taste good. But sometimes I pick the lazy way. Other times I self-sabotage. There are times when I just create excuses and choose to believe them, even though I know they are lies. Chocolate and the monster have been prominent in the last few months.
I don’t know how long I am going to be in this slump. I do know that the number on the scale made me take notice. It is a real number, one I can’t pretend isn’t an issue anymore by refusing to weigh myself. Avoidance is not a valid option when it comes to Diabetes. I know that. I am having difficulties in other parts of my life, and something is holding me back from being the best version of myself.
Sometimes, you have to hit rock bottom before you can climb out of a slump and rise up to your next level. Whatever I am going through in my personal life, I can’t eat it away. I have to face it and deal with it. Head on.
That is not an easy thing to do. It is not an easy thing to think about, let alone to write about, to share with people. But it is going to help me break free and move forward.
Change is hard. I have been pushing my limits with my writing and my blog while keeping a day job and running on coffee. I have been out of the multivitamins for a few months, now, and I plan to buy some again asap. They do help.
I got the doctor to change one of my prescriptions. One of the side effects of the other medication was drowsiness, and I was having a hard time with it. I know that I am a night owl, but I used to be OK with keeping up with my current schedule. I am starting to not do as well as before.
Maybe that was me tapping into the mystical energy people talk about having when they lose weight. I have gone in the wrong direction on the scale, again, and that is definitely a factor. Being heavier means it is harder to do everything because you weigh more. It doesn’t mean I am going to stop and give up.
I need to do some soul searching, and find a reason to get things back on track. I know I felt better, had more energy, and was happier. But if things are not Ok on the inside, and I am spending some of the precious energy I do have in keeping up the appearance of being happy for the world to see, then I need to get to the root of the problem, so I can find a solution.
It isn’t easy, but it is necessary to propel me into my next level. The fear of wondering how bad my weight has become is not holding anything over my head anymore. I know what it is, and I know how it happened. Now I have to find out why, so I can take the next step to working on my goals. I have to keep telling myself that I am worth the effort, that I matter, and that it is important to make my health a priority. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Time to deep dive into my issues and make some changes.
#TrustYourGut
Happy Halloween Treasure Seekers! I am writing at the end of my day. I got up and put on my costume and makeup. I came home and handed out treats. It is so much fun to open the door in costume and see the reactions of the kids, and even some parents. I got a few compliments and was swarmed by a mob of little, costumed people as they didn’t want to miss out on their treats. It was not scary, most of that crowd was under 5 years old. Their parents had a small bit of panic that they were being rude, but I am from a small rural community (this is a hint about my trilogy-the location-not a real place, but a familiar one) and we used to go into people’s homes for our treats when we were kids. It was how things used to be, in a small, rural community.
Halloween is full of fun, adventure and maybe a scare or two. Some costumes are scary. Some are fun! I like the creative ones, and one boy liked my costume. He was wearing all black, and used glow-sticks to decorate himself, had them as glasses and different parts of his outfit. I returned the sentiment. Being dressed as a leopard, I was more tired tonight than I have been in other years. I know this because when the kid in the Scream mask asked, “Whassup?” My reply was a cranky sounding “Me-yow.” I listened to music, asked preferences of chips or cheesies, and ate the bag of microwave popcorn I got at work today so I didn’t get too hungry before supper.
Before I washed my face, I made a short facebook live video to say hello to people and show that my makeup lasted for the whole day. I was glad to be able to wash my face. I never noticed how many times a day I wanted to scratch my nose before. LOL. Then I made some sandwiches, and I am preparing to go to bed. On the Eve of NaNoWriMo.
I am going to be writing a book in November, with a lot of other people. I am going to need to edit after because I don’t think slamming 50,000 words in 30 days will be the kind of writing that is ready for publishing. I do want to write 1,667 or more words every day in November to win and get to the 50,000 word goal for the month. I have tried before, but I have not won. This year, I have the inspiration generated from thinking about the loss of a friend, who regularly participated in NaNoWriMo. She will be featured. I was originally going to write the whole book about her, but it is less pressure and research if I write about what I know. So the concept has its origins but has evolved. That is how I roll.
This week I am writing about writing. I am preparing to embark on a journey to test my skills in a new format with goals and ideas. As I wrote this I had to stop and make a note. The thoughts are percolating. The ideas are coming out in bits and pieces. This year I am going to win!
I have also made an arbitrary decision that November is MY month. It is the month when I get things together, make changes, try new things, and move forward in my life. It happened last year, and although I am not launching my new website yet, I am getting ready to do it. A year ago I started blogging. This year I am writing books, and building a website. ME! By myself, with coaching and guidance from friends I know or have met on this journey.
What are you going to try this November? Let’s make it a winning month together. I told you what I am doing. How can I help you? Let me know below. Have a great week!
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
Treasure Seeker Tuesday: Photo by Tish MacWebber; Photo Edited by Noa Price
Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues. It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on. Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real. The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale. If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog. I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 35
Another week, another story. Here I sit, planning a million and one things in my life all at once. I have chicken breasts cooking with greek dressing as a marinade. I have 3lb of ground beef to cook. 2lb for spaghetti sauce, and 1lb for Big Mac Salad. I will use my spaghetti squash and zucchini when I eat my spaghetti. Roy will have pasta. He isn’t following the plan with me, but I must get myself back on track. So I am planning meals again.
I am not making it to Zumba as much as I would like to be able to. Transportation is my biggest issue causing me to miss it. And a stomach bug this week did NOT help. I am feeling better tonight and starting to look forward. The weekend is busy, and having food prepped will help me be ready.
Big Mac Salad is something I love to make and eat.
It is really an easy recipe and can be found all over Pinterest. I cook the ground beef, then add onion soup mix. I use iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar, thousand island dressing, dill pickle relish, and to give it the BigMac without the bun garnish, I sprinkle sesame seeds on top. When you want a BigMac, and you are trying to eat healthier, this is a great way to do it.
The idea is not mine, and like I said, there are many versions online, including the THM Trim Mac Salad which is found in the THM cookbook. There are recipes that are completely from scratch for the dressing, but I prefer to just use the Kraft Thousand Island dressing. It does the job. They even have BigMac sauce for sale now in grocery stores now, if you are a hardcore BigMac fan.
The other thing I like to have made for the burger cravings is Cheeseburger pie. That is a THM recipe that I make frequently.
You can find a recipe for Cheeseburger Pie at this link: Cheeseburger Pie Recipe
I am not the creator of either recipe, but I can recommend them both as delicious. I like to add tomatoes and dill pickles after it is cooked. The recipe link shows it being served over lettuce. I have yet to try it like that. ( I usually eat it straight up.) I also add ketchup and mustard. One time I made my own THM ketchup. I would like to make it again sometime. I am working on finding time to cook again, as I am not happy with the way things are now.
I will make cheeseburger pie another night, as I am going to do what I have to do and compromise. So I am making spaghetti sauce and going to have it on my vegetables. I am going to keep moving forward on my plan because I need to get going in the right direction again.
If you try the recipes, let me know what you think!
#TrustYourGut