Showing posts with label photos from my camera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos from my camera. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Dec 22nd Ending the Year with Hope & Peace


So many changes, so much to feel thankful about. 
Very busy, like everyone else. :-)

I'm feeling encouraged and hopeful. Lots to think about, lots to learn, lots to do.

Do.

That's the key. Consistently do.

I'm still working on my SERF practices. That stands for Spiritual, Exercise, Rest, and Food Plan. Simple, yes, but easy for me to remember.

In case anyone missed it, I wanted to offer a Christmas present to ya'll: 
a free e-book from Dr Marty Lerner (link below). 

It's the one that I feel God used to show me some pieces to the puzzle that I had been missing. It's not just a bunch of theory. Anyone on this journey to health very long has had it up to HERE with theory, yes?!

It's action oriented. Short. Practical. Sure... work on the Whys all you want. But in the meantime, DO. That's the book in a nutshell. In fact, in his 30-ish years of running an addiction clinic (Milestones in Recovery), Dr Lerner has been convinced that until we get our behinds fully into DO mode, we will be side-tracked and stuck forever in the WHY mode. That we will have the cart before the horse. 

So his solution: DO. Then once rolling in the right direction, we can work on the other stuff.

Highly recommended. Here is the link to the free ebook, no strings attached. 

Merry Christmas!






My book quote for today: "You make a daily choice in how the rest of your life goes, and it can be great. The rules are straightforward: exercise hard and you will grow younger. Care about other people and you will grow happier. Build a life that you think means something and you will grow richer." --Crowley and Lodge, Younger Next Year for Women

My verse for today: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

My quote for today:"Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight on limb too slight, feel it give way beneath her, yet sings, knowing she hath wings." --Victor Hugo



Retta

=^..^=



Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Aug 31st A Turning Point & Why I Was Wrong

Sorry in advance this will be long. It feels like I’ve turned a corner, and I want to get it down here.

I’m 65 years young. Put on my first diet at age 10. Fought this wt thing all my dang life.

(can click to enlarge)

I tried to do everything “they” told me to do. Spent thousands over the years, including going into debt from a hospital based Dr/nutritionist program in the 80’s. Liquid fast of 400 calories a day. Ended up in hospital with mini-stroke and gallstone attack. You get the idea. Only reason I never did wt loss surgery was my insurance refused to cover it. 

I believe “they” meant well. Most just gave some form of “eat less, move more” advice. But nothing worked for this food addict. I finally discovered, that FOR ME, I needed to let go of sugar. I went low carb and sugar free several years ago, which finally released me from the physical food cravings.

Yet… the emotional part was still there. A lifetime of using food to “mood shift”, to try to fix feelings. That ingrained habit persisted.

Over the years I’ve tried about every book/CD/video/course out there. Secular, Christian, psychology, behavior modification, power of positive thinking with all it’s various offshoots. Private counseling, various alternative herbal, alternative therapies. Investigated rational emotive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and some I can’t even spell.  

I still think there is merit in some of that. But…

I think now, I was wrong. For some issues, all that is great. For this food addict… it didn’t work. Believe me, I sincerely tried. I wasn’t playing around. I would plunge in and give it my all, with high hopes. Only to be painfully disappointed when I eventually crashed once more.

Through the private support and accountability group A Better Weigh, I was introduce to the little free e-book from Dr Marty Lerner. He has run an in-patient addiction recovery clinic for many years, and knows a few things. I’ve been studying his book for weeks. I had to be teachable, since a lot of what he says is the opposite of other stuff I’ve read! Yet as I read, then re-read, thought about it, prayed about it… I finally understood some of it.

Thank you, Dr Lerner, for showing me why I was wrong. Why I had the “cart before the horse”. I sincerely believed what “they” all said: Change your thinking, change your life. That was the whole premise of my former approach. I mean, all the big name writers/teachers said so, each in their own way. 

Yet, for the food addict… there it is again. For the addict, Dr Lerner says that approach doesn’t work, in his years of experience.

And he explains why that is BACKWARDS for the addict. His approach finally, finally has penetrated this hard head. In a nutshell, he says to obtain recovery from an addiction (in my case, using food as my drug of choice) one must DO the right thing regardless of how one feels. In his words:

“Recovery is about transcending our  need to fix how we feel and doing the next right thing no matter what we’re feeling.”

“The cart is placed before the horse when we get it backwards by insisting we fix our feelings first. Believing our feelings and thoughts must be changed before we’re able to change our behavior can be a very costly mistake.”

I still believe in the truths about the power of our words; of what we choose to consistently think upon… all that. But thanks to Dr Lerners explanations, I can see that for this food addict to obtained and KEEP recovery, the answer lies first in the DOING, regardless of feelings. AFTER recovery is when those therapies have merit. I had the cart before the horse.

Feeling very thankful today. 

If you would like to read Dr Lerner’s e-book, he is generously offering it free online HERE. Just put in your first name and email addy, and they will send you the link. Truly, it’s life changing.

Still on the Journey,


Retta


Friday, May 27, 2016

May 27th Me n My Little Yellow Car - back on the road again!

Time to return to my original blogging purpose:

1) To help keep me focused
2) To keep a record of things I'm learning and/or thinking about

If anyone is still reading, I sincerely hope no offense is taken that the comments are disabled. It's not meant to be unfriendly or unappreciative of you. But for now my focus needs to be on the writing part. Thanks for understanding. :-)



Okay. I just completed what feels like the healthiest thing I've done in years: I finished all 10 weeks of the online support group I mentioned here a few weeks ago.

And it was fantastic! 

In a nutshell: I learned a bunch of stuff, and also lost 13 pounds. Yippee!

The Group is co-facilitated by online blogger Sean Anderson, from Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. Also Life Coach Gerri Helms, and soon to be certified Life Coach Kathleen Miles.

I can highly recommend it... The Coaches will be starting another session soon. Watch Sean's blog for details.

Overview:

-The group runs for a specific length of time, in my case it was 10 weeks. 
-We had a weekly tele-conference call with the Coaches and members. We went over our week, found ways to improve our progress, addressed any trouble spots, learned from one another.
-There is a private Facebook page, which was so valuable. We could share anything in private, and get feedback and encouragement from the group and Coaches.
-Most of us posted our daily goals on the private FB page, which lent a strong degree of accountability and helped me start to re-establish good habits. It really got me going again!
-We could call, text, or PM each other any time we wanted/needed to. The members were terrific; all there for the same reason, to get healthy, and to encourage and support one another. They made me feel welcome, even though some had been there before. There were no cliques; they were open and supportive to all.
-The group was not so large as to "get lost" in, and not get to know anyone. Yet enough members so there was always someone to contact if you needed to talk. I think that was wise on the part of the Coaches (about 23 participants that time, I think).


For the next few weeks, I plan to review things  from my time with the group. To refresh my memory. I don't want anything to slowly evaporate. I want to apply the things that are right for ME, and not lose them.



To visualize this leg of my journey, I used the analogy of a little yellow car on a road trip to Health. I had been stuck in a ditch, stalled out, and this group pulled me out and got me going again in the right direction.

Still on the Journey,


Retta

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

JUNE 26th My Weird Workout Buddies


My little pool is finally up and running this year, and my new workout buddies are birds, bumblebees, crickets, dragonflies and the wide blue sky! How cool is that?!

Last year I showed you photos HERE   of the iPool I bought and was all excited about. 




Well... I didn't write much about it after that because everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. By the time the pool was going, the summer was almost over. And I couldn't get in by myself, which meant I could only exercise either before or after my husbands work, both of which were colder times (my muscles seize up in the cold).

But THIS year MyGuy built a hoist thingie so I could get in and out all by my little lonesome... and I finally got to start my new pool exercises a couple of weeks ago... yippee!! It is heated to about 85 degrees and my muscles are loving it. 

Here's the ramp leading up to the pool... it is still covered here; I have a pulley system that I use to remove the tarp and solar blanket:




My "chariot" that I ride in and out of the pool, suspended from a hoist motor above :






I LOVE my dumbells and noodle! Those little dumbells are super bouyant and it gives my muscles quite the workout to hold them underwater and do exercises. I can sit on the noodle, which takes pressure off my knees, yet still allows me to do water walking and a dozen other exercises:





Ha ha, tried to show me using a dumbell, but couldn't get the camera aimed right (almost dropped it in the water!)




The view out the back side of the pool:




With my Noodle, wearing my Scuba vest... it really keeps me warm on cooler days! (ha ha, bags under my eyes; need to get more sleep!):





What a view!





This is the other side of the pool, the tarp canopy; when the weather gets cooler, I plan to leave it half closed to keep in some warmth:





Wet faced... yay, the sun broke thru the clouds!





That's what I've been up to these last few weeks. 
Were there days when I didn't "feel" like exercising? Sure. 

My commitment was tested several times, believe me. The only time I skipped was when I was actually physically sick. I'm just now starting to see a little progress from the regular exercise, and I feel encouraged. :-)

Never, ever give up.
 

My book quote for today: "God's love contains the power to heal our emotional wounds. His love strengthens us to press on in difficult times, and it softens our hearts, enabling us to show more love to others." --Joyce Meyer, from Love Out Loud

My verse for today: "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."

My quote for today: "Don't waste your time looking back on what you've lost. Move on, life is not meant to be traveled backwards." --Jack White, artist/author

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta
=^..^=



PS: As of April 2013, the Comments are turned off. 
Please enjoy just reading, no pressure to respond. 
I hope something Encourages you, or sparks Hope or interest. Or not. 
But either way, I want to continue to document my Journey to Wellness. 
The "numbers" do matter, since they are the result of Consistent good choices.
But it's not ALL about the numbers. 
We are more than that... we are whole people! 
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12/12/12 Bluebirds & The End of the World

Well, it would appear we are still here. It's not the end of the world today, as some interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar predicted. Whew... that's a relief. ;-)
(Edited to add: it was pointed out to me that most people thinks "it" could happen on Dec 21st... so we still have plenty of time to enjoy the holidays! ha ha ha)

I recently bought myself a little Christmas present (since I assumed Christmas would, indeed, arrive). They are a vintage set of little glass Bluebirds of Happiness.



They are symbolic to me... they remind me of several things. Life is fragile (glass), handle with care.

My favorite color has long been blue. My wedding cake was decorated with blue roses, and my wedding dress had little blue forget-me-nots embroidered on the bodice. I have a small collection of blue glass bottles.

Part of the lyrics to the song "Over the Rainbow" are:

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?




To me, it's about hope. About believing in your dream. About never giving up. These little guys make me smile when I look at them. They remind me that with God, all things are possible. To keep believing, to trust, to never give up.

This has been a tough year for me. Physically, medically, emotionally. I ended up the year heavier than when I started it. I experimented with several different things, and most were... ahem... mistakes. Or maybe I just didn't do them right. And part of the time, I just got plain discouraged and didn't try hard enough. That's just the truth.  

All I know is... to keep going. To keep on keepin' on. 

To learn from my mistakes, and to make changes where necessary. Some of those changes might be hard, but one of the things I've learned is: respect yourself, respect others. And even when you goof up on this journey, learn from it and go on; don't treat yourself with disrespect. And don't let anyone else do it, either. 

Like I said, life is fragile, and so are people. We are all going through "stuff". We might not know what the other guy is going through, but life being what it is... you can bet that sooner or later, we all need that soft place to land, that benefit of the doubt, that bit of kindness.




If anyone is reading this, I wish you the most wonderful Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, then I bless you with a wonderful winter!



My book quote for today: "The basis for this book is the advice of the apostle Paul as recorded in Philipians 4:8, where he challenges us to seek out and dwell on the positives in our lives. When we look for places where God's character is revealed, we are reminded of his presence in our lives, and we are blessed." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way."

My quote for today: "Speak only when your words are more beautiful than the silence." Arabic proverb


Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta
=^..^=

DAY 1208

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

NOV 6th The Wall & The Pig


Smack!! 


What was that?? Oh... the Wall I ran into. sigh...

I realize that it's not acceptable behavior in "motivational" circles to admit struggle. But unless I face a thing and am honest with myself, how can I deal with it? It feels like I hit a wall recently... got so far, and then splat! Can't seem to regain my footing and continue.

I say "seem" because I know that's not true. It just feels that way. And while my feelings have been bouncing all over the place lately, a part of me is still determined not to be ruled by them. Not to let them dictate my future. They are good for finding clues, but not for making decisions. I suppose it's these kind of times when I see if I truly believe the stuff I spout on this blog, eh??

For several years now I've related to the image of the Flying Pig. I once posted this picture: 



The idea of a flying pig is such an over-the-top figure of speech as to imply the impossible. But to me, it speaks of POSSIBILITIES.  Of overcoming the impossible. Of a hope so powerful that is acts like fuel for my determination. I LOVE the idea of the little pig defying all odds, and FLYING! He's sort of been my little mascot, sitting above my computer.



I see him every time I come to the computer. And I remember that all things are possible with God. So I refuse to let the discouraging thoughts put down roots into my mind.  I just can't dwell on them, and let them grow; it's too dangerous. 

All I can do is to DO what I know to do, and trust that eventually I will be back on track and see progress. I WILL fly. I refuse to let go of hope, to let go of my dreams and give up.


Sometimes we get so close to that edge. You know that edge... the drop off of despair... the cliff of total discouragement... the gulf of giving up. I don't know about you, but it's scary to me. While it's tempting to just give in and take the easy way out, full of excuses and self-pity, it's also terrifying how easy it is to slide back and go the wrong way!

So no... I refuse to go there. I don't care what anybody says... even my own mind. I WILL fly. I get to choose, and that's my choice. I wish I could say, like some do, that "it is easy". Well, right now it AIN'T easy for me. 

I admit that sometimes I whine "it's not fair". But remember what they say? The fair only comes once a year, and usually out in the country. (Ha ha on me; I just read that this morning, and said "ouch!")

Some days we just have to choose to keep going in spite of "life". And eventually, it gets better. I really believe that. No, I don't "feel" that right now... but I do believe it.



My book quote for today: "Unfortunately, most people struggle to change or renew their circumstances (lose weight, fix their marriage, make more money), when they should be asking God to help them renew their minds." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!"

My quote for today: "There is no use trying," said Alice; one can't believe impossible things."  "I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." --Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland


Gazelle photo courtesy of Stig Nygaard
Wings & Poster courtesy of Moi


Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta
=^..^=

DAY 1171

Thursday, August 30, 2012

AUG 30th My Choice & My Bracelet

Some people call it delusional.
Some people call it pollyanna.
Some people call it spin.
Some people call it denial.

I call it MY CHOICE  to view the world with optimism and hope.

I call it MY CHOICE as to which colored glasses I will view the world:

Dark and dismal... or... light and bright and open to possibilities.

My belief: optimists have more fun

(Joey always has a party goin' on!)


We optimists may have the same amount of junk hit us as everybody else, but we choose not to wallow in it or stay focused on it. Learn and move on is my current mantra.

We choose to focus on things for which to feel thankful.


"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power 
to decide how anybody or anything 
outside ourselves will affect us." 
--Stephen Covey




All this "choice" talk brings me to the other part of this post: my bracelet came! 

In my sidebar is a pic of Sean Anderson's book (which I totally loved) called Transformation Road (can click on the book to go to his website). 

Sean is the real deal. He's not some slick phoney out to sell you a manufactured "story" just to make a buck. I've followed his journey ever since I started my blog, about 3 1/2 years ago, and I trust his heart and his motives. Sean lost about 280 lbs, and is passionate about encouraging others that they, too, can choose to change.

Sean made it. He busted out of his self-made mental shackles and CHANGED. He CHOSE to change, before the change came and chose him.  

That's his mantra: 
Choose change 
before change chooses you.

So as you can see, Sean is big on this idea of Choice. I clicked with that right away. I may not be as lickety-split fast on this journey as he was (ha ha, what an understatement!), but I understand what he's saying, and agree. That's why when he offered his leather bracelets recently, I snapped one up from his website HERE!  

Here's mine:



It's stamped with: I'M CHOOSING CHANGE

I rarely buy or wear bracelets because they are usually too small. Heck, who needs to be reminded that they still have a fat wrist, right?! Well, Sean made his bracelet a generous adjustable length, and it fits great! If you're dinkier than me, you could even wear it as an anklet, LOL!

It's just a little tangible reminder to make those good choices. Yes, I struggle at times. I lose focus and zone out. Or get discouraged and lose sight of my goal. So this is a good thing for me to wear. It reminds me I am NOT a victim. I DO have a choice. And I will never EVER quit, til I get there.

Thanks, Sean... I love my bracelet!






My book quote for today: "What you persistently think eventually but inevitably crystallizes into the words you speak and then the things you do." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart."

My quote for today: "You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself." --Jim Rohn

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta
=^..^=

DAY 1103


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

AUG 15th Choc-O-Licious!


Hot diggity dog! I think I've finally found a nice homemade sugar-free chocolate candy recipe!



Why make it myself?? 

Because 1) I can't afford the nice but expensive ones that I used to buy online and 2) The cheaper local store-bought sugar-free brands contain a lot of chemicals, including sweeteners like maltitol, which causes... um... icky tummy disturbances.

I've been playing with recipes on and off for 3 years, determined to make an affordable but nice version. Sorry, I'm not in the all-or-nothing camp who say you can never have sweets or dessert if you want to be healthy. 

This is for life, folks. I'm in it for the duration, so I've converted lots of recipes to low carb/gluten free/sugar free versions. Especially a few old family favorites that are wrapped up in tradition and memories. :-)

But I also refuse to eat sugar, knowing how it affects me, personally. Hence my search for THE perfect chocolate recipe.

Here was my previous attempt; it's taste was nice BUT it was a tad grainy/chalky:






 Eek! See the grainy spoon??
The splenda just refused to dissolve. grrr


I didn't share that recipe for obvious reasons. :-}



And so the search continued... until now. 
And the joke is on me! 
This newest recipe is not even mine!! :-D

Well, it's actually a modified version of one from Linda Genaw. She has been generously sharing low carb, sugar free recipes online for years. Here is her Website, and the original version, Truffle Cups, in case you prefer hers. 

Anyhoo... here is my version, that I'm pretty happy with:




I doubled Linda's recipe, made a couple of ingredient changes, and used a silicone candy mold. It made about 42 little Chocolates (I included some links to sources).

My Chocolates 

8 ounces sugar free semisweet chocolate chips (I used Nevada Manna Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, from Netrition. They cost more, but don't have maltitol. If you can tolerate a little sugar, you can use regular semi-sweet choc chips) 
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon cocoa butter (My first cocoa butter was from Amazon;  but Netrition also carries Food grade cocoa butter. Just make sure to get FOOD GRADE cocoa butter, not just moisturizer! It MUST say so.) 
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (I buy 1 gallon tubs locally of Aunt Patty's Organic Coconut Oil; Netrition also carried Nutiva, a nice brand) 

Melt all above together (you can do it in a microwave like Linda suggests in the original recipe. I used a great little chocolate melting pot by Wilton, Here. It's not necessary, just efficient, fun and cute. And it keeps the chocolate at the right temp instead of hardening too fast while filling the molds). 

After melted, stir in the following ingredients til smooth:

4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (as per Linda, you can vary the flavor; this was my favorite)

Dip or pour into molds (or paper cups) immediately (I use a long handled mini-ladle from Amazon.  If using the chocolate melting pot, you won't have to rush. I appreciated that, since I doubled her recipe and had more chocolate to get into the molds before it hardened).

Now just put in the fridge til firm. You can keep in fridge or freezer. I've done both, and it's fine both ways.

I added the cocoa butter to my version to make it silky, and the coconut oil to help make it firmer. But they still need to live in the fridge til served, or will melt.

For variation, next time I might try dropping in a nut, or a tiny bit of dried cherry, or?? :-D

I don't have the nutritional data for my version, but you can check out Linda's link above for that; they should be similar, depending on what ingredients you chose.

Bon appetit!

This is my very own well-worn apron!

My book quote for today:  "Do your part now so that God can honor your faith and empower you to live a life of excellence. Think the thoughts you would think if you trusted God's promises completely." --Tommy Newberry, The 4:8 Principle

My verse for today: "Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved."

My quote for today: "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." --Charles M Schulz, creator of Peanuts comic strip

Enjoy the Journey with a little chocolate,

Loretta
=^..^=

DAY 1088

PS: Just so you know, I am not affilitated with any products I recommend here; I just like them, and wanted to share the love, no strings attached. :-)

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