by Tish MacWebber | Aug 18, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
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 26
Struggling with a weight issue is hard. It is hard to stay motivated all of the time. It is hard to commit to making the changes needed to see results. The results don’t happen overnight, and there is no quick and easy fix.
Words matter. Whether they are good to hear and provide encouragement or not, a person that is struggling with weight issues has deep rooted insecurities that can make a little comment pack a punch that hurts so bad that you want to give up.
I am writing this week to tell you to keep going. I am writing to tell myself the same thing. Sometimes the little monster inside is making the biggest racket and causing you to doubt yourself. Other times the damage is done from someone that you would least expect it from, and when you are blindsided by hurtful words, it can cause a setback in your progress.
It is easier to give up. It is easy to blame someone else. Neither option is the right one, though. I am working on choosing my battles carefully right now. There will always be petty, jealous, mean people out there. I need to choose to be the bigger person. Yeah, I just wrote that, but it is how I am supposed to say it. I don’t mean physically, of course. If it was that easy, I would just eat so much that I would sit on the people that hurt me. Oh, that would be nasty. Fun to think about, but not very realistic.
I guess I could rephrase that into being the more mature person. Fat or old. I don’t think there is a real winner here.
Being practical about what I choose to believe is something I am working on. I am an emotional, hormonal, creative, over the top, learning to believe in my own skills woman. That is a lot to deal with, and it can all happen in five minutes or less. If my hair is frazzled, it is expressing what is going on inside. If I am quiet, I may be mulling something over in my mind, or too angry to speak without a filter. That brain to mouth filter gets a little less effective as I am getting older. Sometimes it is a good thing. Other times it is not.
As a creative person, I embrace my emotions. ALL OF THEM. Which means that sometimes when someone is mean, I OVERREACT. I over think, over analyze, and get overly upset. If it is something that is mean, I may focus on it for a really long time. This is not healthy and it is not helpful.
There will always be people who think they know more than I do and think that they are experts because of their own education, opinion, or life experiences. I am confident that I am unique and a one of a kind. If I am not an expert on me in my own life, well there is just no way that I can accept someone else’s opinion about what I am doing to better myself. I am living my life, not just existing in it. I am making changes, and not just letting things happen. I am not perfect so I will make mistakes along the way. But they are mine to make, and I am going to own them. All I can do is admit when I am wrong, and learn from the mistakes. That is all anyone can really do about it.
Tackle something with me this week. Let the inner glow out of the cage. Shine as bright as you can from the outside in. Believe in yourself, and prove to yourself that you are worth it because you can take one thing that is hindering you and just let it go. Release it.
I once did a group relaxation exercise in university. We were to go to our happy place inside our mind. Check. Then we were to imagine taking all of the negative and stress causing issues we have and put them inside something so we could leave them locked up and not worry about them anymore. I am sure it was supposed to be an imaginary box or trunk or something that we could close, lock, and throw away the key for.
I shoved it all in a blender and turned it on. Man, that felt good. It made me giggle, and that was the point. To make it all go away.
Find your blender, and pulverize the negativity out of your life. Theoretically, of course. Then dump it out and clean it so it is ready for your next concoction. If it is nasty enough, flush that negative smoothie down the imaginary toilet.
It works for me. How do you make the things that are weighing you down leave your mind to be clear?
Trust Your Gut. It knows you want to shine. Have a bright and glowing week!
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 13, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Here comes another weekend. I am relaxing with a bottle of wine on this fine Friday night. It is well deserved and has been in the wine rack for a while. I kept it so that when I wanted to indulge, I would enjoy it. I have, indeed.
What else did I do? I started an Orphan Black Marathon of season 5. It is the last season, and it ends tomorrow night. Oh, how bittersweet it will be.
Saturday will be a full on, all out Bouncing the House day. I need to get some cleaning done, and except for the washing of my delicates tonight while I enjoy the wine, I am falling behind in the housekeeping department, and I need to give it some TLC. My husband will be drafted with a “Honey do list”, and we will get some work done here tomorrow. Update: I am visiting a friend on Saturday, and I caught up with another friend while running an errand.
Sunday involves a volunteer event. I am working with the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group again. I am an official volunteer, and we will have a booth at the Fredericton Pride Parade. I have signed on for the walking time in the parade because if I am going to be there, I want to get some exercise. Walking is good for me. BTRC needs fund raising by people like me to help the non-profit group rescue more dogs in need, foster them, and hopefully place them in homes where they will be adopted.
Volunteers ready to walk in the parade
These t-shirts are hilarious like the bandanas
Flags and phone covers and bling!
Magnets and information about the BTRC Recycling program
Bandanas for the dogs
One of the BTRC bandanas.
The chocolate cupcakes were delicious. They also had popsicles and pup-sicles!
Just like MasterChef! Hands in the air! All done setting up!
Action shot! There were a lot of people out, it was the best turnout ever for Fredericton Pride Parade day!
The Booth is ready for business!
Katie and Sally, all dolled up and riding through the parade in style!
I made it after walking in the parade.
I met some new volunteers today
Face painting success!
As a Catholic who believes in science and that the unexplained mysteries of how science and religion mingle will not be fully explained to me until I reach Heaven (which I sincerely hope to do, but realistically I expect to land in purgatory because nobody is perfect) I try to live my life guided by the church and the bible. That being said, I have spent many years in conflict with myself.
I have come to terms with how I am able to be friends with different people. That is the secret. They aren’t fat or skinny, male or female, black or white, young or old, gay or straight. They are people. And as people, we all have our own belief systems. Mine happens to be based in the Catholic Religion. It teaches us to love one another, and also not to judge. With these simple rules, I leave the rest to God. I am able to be friends with some wonderful, incredible people, and because I do not judge them, I think I am a better person for leaving the judgements aside and letting more friends into my life. Like I said, nobody is perfect, and when it is not up to me, I am free to be true to myself. I am able to open my eyes and see people as they are, people. Like me.
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Lynn showing her t-shirt and flag she wore for the parade
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Truck for the parade
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Ambulance for the parade
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After the Parade, before the Thunderstorms
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They must be at the start!
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People in the parade
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Fire in the parade
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People in the parade
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Matty & Me
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BTRC Group!
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BTRC group!
I don’t usually write about my faith and religion. I am not attempting to erase the past wrongs done by the Church, or by other Catholics. I am only responsible for myself and my own actions. I do try to be a good person, and live my life by example, with the 10 Commandments as my guide. When I think about the state of the world today, I feel concerned. I am not confident that humankind will survive the future of what might be. I decided to write about it because change is possible. It starts with one person. I am putting this out there and making it known that I do not tolerate evil, no matter what form it takes. Hatred is evil, and there is no room in my life for it. If I had my way, there would be no room in the Universe for it.
The weather is iffy for tomorrow. There is a chance it will rain, and maybe there will be thundershowers. Not the best forecast for a parade. It will happen, rain or shine. I will try to dress for any weather (that will be challenging) and my sneakers are the best I’ve got for walking. I am thinking about wearing something fun, in support of my friends. I don’t have a costume, like some people, but then I am an ally. It’s not about me. It’s about allowing people to be true to themselves and to celebrate their acceptance of themselves and each other. Together. The way people are supposed to be. United in a common cause and belief, in a peaceful celebration. I hope it does not rain on the parade.
It poured! There was a thunderstorm indeed, complete with rolling thunder and lightning. This happened after the parade, though. People packed up as quickly as they could and ran for cover. Imagine it, if you will. I went to the Fredericton Pride Parade, and I left all wet! A little (or a lot of) rain never hurt anyone.
Laughing in the rain!
YES!
Before heading home, we stopped at the Tiki Iced Tea Bar. Yes, it was shaken, not stirred, and wonderful!
The city has implemented a rainbow crosswalk downtown. I think it is nice, and living in such a diverse city, and country, it fits in very well.
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The rainbow crosswalk
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The other end of the rainbow crosswalk
Feeling the love after the rain at Fredericton Pride Parade, 2017
That’s a wrap for another weekend! I won today, but the house did not get bounced properly. I will say the weekend won Saturday, even though I still had a great time meeting up with friends, I did not accomplish what I set out to do. This weekend, it was a draw. What did you do this weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 11, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
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 25
I had a rough week last week. It was one of those “hard on my head” kind of weeks. I am struggling to dig out from under the stuff that was dragging me down. It is hard to focus on living a healthier lifestyle when the world is crashing all around you, and pulling the rug out from under your feet. This week was not much better, but I am turning things around. I have made some decisions.
Sometimes there are too many things to deal with and I get overwhelmed. Or frustrated. Or angry. I did some thinking this week, and I made some decisions. My anger may have got the best of me in the last two weeks, and I am still finding ways to deal with it. Eating is not one of them. I have struggled to make healthier choices when it comes to food. I went to Zumba. In Zumba, I realized my abs were not going to be happy with me the next day. I decided that was OK, because I am really not too pleased with my abs, either.
Instead of spiralling out of control, I spent some time dealing with my feelings. They are not all resolved, but I decided that I was not able to control some things. I also realized that there are some things that I can control. I did some cooking. Tonight I made Bangin Ranch Drums. THM is a source of healthy recipes and food. I have been making some of the recipes over and over, and I need to get back to it.
Tonight was a good start. A week from tonight, I will meet my new doctor. I finally made an appointment. It will be good to get it over, and I am hoping that it will be a good experience. If not, I will ask for a different doctor in the clinic I go to. I am really hoping that it works out.
I do not have a lot of information or inspiration this week. So I will just encourage anyone that is reading this to keep going. Keep fighting for yourself. Keep working to let your inner beauty shine so bright that the monster doesn’t stand a chance. Because it is a never ending struggle, and no matter what your issues are, we can only tackle the ones we have a chance at winning. That doesn’t mean that you should throw in the towel and give up. What it does mean, is that sometimes you have to choose your battles. This week I took my time about it, but in the end, I picked me. And that is the best choice I can make.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 4, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
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 24
Life is funny. Today when I got up I expected good news here on my blog, as I had published an introduction and my second guest blog post on another blogger’s site. I was not wrong. The day turned dark on me this afternoon, and I came home and posted on social media that I was having a hard time. Friends asked if they could help. One person sent a friend request. That person I had never chatted with before helped me turn my night around. I am not saying that I am not still having the feelings I had earlier, but just having a cry wasn’t enough, either. I had to do something different.
I have been using this blog to help myself and to try to help others. Whether it is to share a laugh, or tips, or explore my inner thoughts and demons, I have a purpose here. It has grown since its beginnings under a different name until I was challenged to rethink things and make it better. I like to write, that is obvious, and I have rediscovered my passion for writing since I started this adventure last November. I am working hard at it, to set and keep deadlines, and practice my writing skills. I am proud of what I have done so far.
I am working on myself too. On a day like today, there were too many emotions to keep under the cork. The cork popped, and my tears flowed. I was sitting here unashamedly crying my beautiful blue eyes out, trying to understand why I wasn’t good enough for something else I wanted to do. I am working on a lot of me and there is a lot of me to work on. I am trying to find my gumption every day, not every other week. I am trying to maintain the cleaning I have done thus far in my home, and improve on it. I am doing well with the Blog writing, but not so well in the book writing. I am busy socially, both online and in real life. I am going to Zumba when I can. I do some prep cooking, but admittedly not enough. As I am often told, sometimes I am too hard on myself. The truth is, and I think I have shared this before, I don’t know how to be any other way.
I have issues with self-esteem. I often feel like I am good, but not good enough. This is part of what happened to me today. When I am rejected, it is like I am taking a kick in the teeth. I try not to let things show all the time, but there are days like today that I am frustrated, and my only way to get it out is through my tears. I try really hard to not speak out impulsively in anger. I lost that one today, on both fronts. I really feel like I am being treated unfairly, with a few different things that are happening in my life. All of these things added up, and in time, they have to be let out. Some people yell. Some people become quiet. Some people hide. People like me, well we cry and eat. Trying to fill the hole caused by whatever triggered the feelings. I am trying to change that.
The new friend I made today said to write a gratitude list. Write down five things that I have gratitude about in my life. In a private message, she also invited me to write down 3 things that are causing me to have my issues I posted about. I did. I shared what was going on with a few close friends. My new friend agreed with me that I had a reason to be upset. I didn’t need the validation, but there it was. Without telling this person everything that was setting me off today, they still saw that there is a lot going on for one person to deal with. Keeping those three things inside was a part of what made it so hard for me to cope today.
I need to make some changes. I can’t fix every problem that I am facing right now, but I am trying to work on the ones I can. Tomorrow is a new day. I will try to face it with my best foot forward, but right now, I am feeling a little nervous about that. People that know me know that I am not good at hiding how I feel. It’s going to be a bad day tomorrow because what happened today was bad news for me, and it will be good news for some other people tomorrow. That is going to be hard to swallow. Considering I would rather avoid it all and just make poor choices for what to eat and drink avoid real life tomorrow. I am going to end with my gratitude list. It didn’t fix my problems, but at least it got me thinking about something else. For a little while.
1. Discovering my passion for writing and realizing it is what I am meant to do.
2.My husband is my rock and my hero.
3. The joy I get from working on my blog and watching it grow.
4.My stubbornness.
5. Friends and family.
6. My blue eyes.
7. My sense of humour.
After I calmed down a bit, my final entry to the list for the day was:
8. I still have my teeth. Nobody actually managed to kick any out yet.
My new friend was right. It’s all about perspective.
#TrustYourGut.
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 20, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
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 22
Well, folks, it has been a fantastic day! I didn’t start off too well, I started the day with a sugar low. I didn’t let that stop me, not for too long. I ate my banana in the car and had a juice box when I got to work. My sugars, of course, went up from there. As usual, I chased the banana with a black coffee. That’s how my days start. I don’t usually have the juice box, and I don’t usually have the low at that time of day. So what is going on?
I have worked hard this week to find my way back to working on me. I have had to make some decisions and some changes. I have started cooking meals that are on plan this week, and I am letting myself enjoy what I make. That is how Trim Healthy Mama is supposed to work. I’m not an expert, and I stray a little here and there, but I am getting my groove back, and the scale is responding the right way.
I am also happy to say that I am sitting here melting in my living room. It is said to be the warmest day of the week, and it is more than warm. I am not just warm because of the temperature in here, but also because I have made it to Zumba twice this week. So when I write that I am melting, it is literal. I worked out in this heat, hydrated, and now I am relaxing in my little almost sauna. It sounds better than it is, but I am not here to complain.
I am here to try and help people. I have been lacking in that department, lately, because I was not trying very hard myself. I have had enough of that noise! I am back and working hard to make more progress than before! I am seeing it, and when I see it, I know it is real. I am cooking. I am planning. I am working with recipes that I really love because that is what keeps me going back to this plan.
My sugars are coming back around. That is one of the most important things I can do for my health, is to monitor my sugars, and eat so that they stabilize. I am working on that, and THM is the way for me to do that. When I add in exercise, it is a remarkable difference in how I feel, and how I attack every day. Planning is so important for me when it comes to food. I have worked hard this week to make food that is on plan so I can start winning this thing called life we all play at here.
I am breaking away from the bad habits again. Only I can do that, I have to believe that I am worth the effort. Now that I am back in my routine, and back from vacation, it was time to start working on things that help me feel better, and live life better.
After my on plan supper, I was wanting a little something extra. I tried the new Good Thins Beet crackers. They are OK, but I saw the ingredients and decided to not eat too many. I was debating making an on plan shake or smoothie when my husband showed up. He had picked up his own supper, and cinnamon rolls. But the best thing he brought home was a bag full of fresh cherries. I indulged in a bowl full of cherries. Because let’s face it, life really is based a lot on your perspective, and in what you make of it. I am making the most of things tonight, and having the bowl of cherries, because who wants to choke on the pits? Not me. I’m back, and I am feeling great!
#TrustYourGut
