MAY 3rd Workin' on the Tude, Part 2

Hi Journal & Friends,

Still working on my attitude. I think I am making progress. 

Instead of whining about how hard it might be, I'm trying to be thankful and positive. I mentioned in this post why I felt so frustrated, and the antidote has to do with a favorite quote:

If you don't like it, change it.

If you can't change it, 

then change the way 

you think about it.

(I used to think it was said by Maya Angelou; 

but every time I see it posted somewhere, 

it seems attributed to a different person... 

so I gave up trying to give proper credit.)

We left off The Escapades of Joey with her losing interest in the treat-dispensing toy... cuz it was empty (from Part 1).   She's not dumb!

So, I took her to the backyard, to burn off some more energy.

Here's more Check-Up from the Neck-Up attitude adjustment:

BEFORE: Whine whine whine... I have to stay and supervise, or she will bark at everything, dig to China, and poop in the wrong spot, making Jim mad because I can't tell him where it is. He has a corner of the yard portioned off, and that is "Joeys Corner", where he is training her to do her business. Yeah right, HE is training her... uh huh...Sigh...

AFTER: I am thankful the weather is warming up a bit, and I get to sit in the sunshine while I supervise (sunshine is something I am short of too often). The grassy yard is drying out, and I don't get as much mud stuck in the wheels of my powerchair, which keeps the house much much cleaner. And I'm very thankful that I'm not the one in charge of the Poop Scoop patrol. 

Oh boy, stuff to chew, chase and drag around. :-)

(As always, can click any pics to enlarge)

Hey, Vevie came outside into her playpen! 

(There's a little wire tunnel out to the pen, so the 

kitties can go outside safely any time they want)

Hi Vevie!

Well, I'm all played out... what are we gonna do now??

Time to calm her down, and maybe she will take a nap.

So, off to her favorite spot to be brushed. It's on the front

porch, and she gets to watch cars, bicyclists, 

pedestrians, birdies and bumblebees.

Here is her scruffy raggedy ann before pic...

Hmmm... hard to see the difference. But she is softer, 

and all the grass and twigs have been brushed out.

Ahh, getting calmer.

Yay... she is laying down... maybe she will take a nap??

Hey! A kitty came out to the porch! Is it time to PLAY again???

Before she got too riled up again, I thought I'd see if she would

take a nap in her kennel, so indoors we went. 

Will Joey nap or won't she? Oh the drama...

Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to 

The Escapades of Joey

 and the

 Amazing Attitude Transformation 

of Joeys Momma. ;-)

From Dr Phil's book: "If you are thinking rationally positive thoughts, your body and brain are energized and primed for success."

My verse for today: "I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."

My quote for today: "If you are going through hell, keep going." --Winston Churchill

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 627

DAY 8 Protect Your Success & No Whining!

Hi Journal,

Finally! It is my first weekly weigh-in day since my big ReStart. I was so excited this morning, I could hardly wait!

And the answer is: 384, meaning I lost 4 lbs this last week. Yay!!! I am hoping to keep up a good momentum, so that by my next birthday in Jan 2010, I can finally bust out of the 3's into the 2's...that is one of my medium range goals.

Well, the next topic on my "need to be CONSISTENT" list required me to ask hubby's permission to "talk about him"...mwa-ha ha ha ha... Actually, he didn't keep the worried look on his face too long, once I explained the whole topic.

It has to do with "not letting anyone rob my success from me"...an un-eloquent way of saying saboteur, one who engages in sabotage. But I always need to drag out the dictionary every darned time I try to type saboteur, so I'll just stick to "not letting anyone rob my success from me"! :-D

Anyway, Dr Phil's book has a long chapter on different types of saboteurs, and ways to deal with them. I'll just stick to my life...and close to home, the one that impacts my life the most, MyGuy.

You see, I USED to think of him as a saboteur...and how convenient was that...my own living, breathing excuse! Don't you feel sorry for my situation?? I don't have support at home... oh poor me. And the classic: it's HAARRRDDD.

When I made the big decision to switch to the Low Carb way of eating, the advice was the same everywhere: get the stuff OUT of your house that might tempt you. But they don't address the "mixed" households...ones where one or more persons--of voting age--are NOT eating low carb. Umm...he's not a child...I can't order him what to eat...he is a grown man with his own preferences.

We sat down and had a talk, and I explained to my husband that I was going to eat low carb, and why...that this was life or death for me, and I NEEDED to do this. After some thought, he looked me right in the eye, and said: "I LOVE my carbs...I am not giving up my carbs!"

Though I kept it to myself, for awhile I felt sabotaged (yep, I looked in the dictionary again). I was such a martyr...I told my doctor of my new plan, and the "lack of support" at home, and the RESISTANCE I felt I always got when trying to change...and oh! what sympathy I got!

But the more I thought about it...and whined to God...the more I realized that I had no right to expect him to change just because I needed to, or even that HE needed to shed a couple of pounds himself. Did I like someone else imposing their plan on ME?? Did I like the feeling of subtle criticism that comes when you know someone else doesn't approve of your choices??

I think God finally got through to me one day after I was whining to Him about it, and I suddenly thought about exercise...and resistance training. You know...the kind with rubber resistance bands. It takes RESISTANCE to build muscle. No resistance, no progress, no increase in strength. I then remembered what Maya Angelou said:

If you don't like it..change it.

If you can't change it,

change the way you think about it!

So, I could look at MyGuy's resistance to my new way of eating as

an OPPORTUNITY to get stronger!

He has actually been very patient with me, as I have made the switch. There were foods--and still are some--that I just can't be around without feeling them call my name! He has not complained about the sudden cessation of homebaked desserts...and I am determined not to complain when he brings "stuff" home, as long as he doesn't wave it under my nose. :-)

I have had to learn to live with the "enemy" right in my own home...no, not MyGuy...I mean the carbs that I overate all my life, that were the reason I ended up at 460 lbs at one time! It took me a long time to see the pattern...that ALL of my problem foods were heavy in carbs, whether they were sweets or savory. The common denominator was carbs.

But this has made my resolve stronger in the long run. My struggle now is not the carbs...I am doing pretty well there. No sugar or flour type stuff since March 09. Now I am working on portion sizes of the things that I AM eating. For awhile I fell into the trap of thinking "it's okay, it's low carb", and eating way too much!! Gee, wonder why I've been slow to lose weight....Ya think??

Anyway, it's all about choices. I don't want to use ANYONE as an excuse to be robbed of my success...not family, friends, doctors...anyone. So I chose to change the way I thought about the resistance. As Michael Beckwith says:

"In every life circumstance,

look for the Blessin' or the Lesson".

It turned out to be a Blessing that MyGuy offered what I perceived as resistance...it made me stronger.

It turned out the Lesson was that "one size does NOT fit all"...meaning that just because low carb is for ME, does not mean it is for everyone. And I have no business expecting a grown man to follow MY choices just because that would make it easier for me, or even because I think it would be healthier for him.

I have learned a lot from Lisa at her 24-7 Low Carb Diner blog. She cooks for herself and her "boys", but they are not all low-carbers. She does NOT make two separate meals, but has learned how to make a couple of add-ons to the main meal, or a simple tweak, so they are all happy. And she shares all that in her blog and her wonderful e-book cookbook, which I bought. She designed it so she would not have to spend her LIFE in the kitchen cooking, and the recipes are geared so that you have stuff already made for a couple of more meals...planned left-overs if you will. I appreciate all that I have learned from her.

And shock of shocks...MyGuy asked me last night about the jellos that he has been having me make for him to take to work. He said "they are actually just jelled sugar, right?? Is there a way to make them without the sugar?" (we don't use sugar-free-full-of-aspartame products in our house... if you'd like to know why, click here ). So I get to make him some of MY jello, using knox gelatin, and see what he thinks...baby steps, baby steps. :-)

So, Week 2 is off an' running...I feel encouraged.

From Dr Phil's book: With routines..."you design your life so that it pulls for you when you're weak, when you're not pumped up, when you don't feel like behaving maturely, when you don't want to tell yourself 'no'."

My verse for today: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

My quote for today: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

Enjoy the Journey...one good choice at a time,

Loretta

=^..^=