2 Per Week---I Can Do That

My doctor told me I need to lose 20 pounds! Sounds impossible.

My son told me to set a goal of losing 2 pounds each week. I can do THAT!

So, today I started cutting back on the good things I like to eat. I plan to do some walking later today, and work up to half an hour every day. By Christmas I should meet my goal. I'm going to check my status on Wednesdays and try not to over focus on my weight on a daily basis. That fluctuates too much, and I think it will be best to treat this as a lifestyle change instead of a diet.

Wish me luck!

Favorite Way of Starting My Day

This morning I feel so incredibly blessed. I slept in till 7am, fed my cats and then sat down with a steaming cup of blueberry-flavored coffee. Within minutes my favorite cat cuddled on my lap, my second favorite cat curled up by my knees, and my least favorite cat sat on the back of my recliner, slapping me gently with his tail as he watched the droplets of rain running down the window behind us. My 9-year-old puppy laid next to my chair, hoping for a little attention. My son is taking care of the truck stuff I used to have to do, leaving me free to just sit there, enjoying my morning and the adoration of my little furry friends. If I had a laptop, I would be sitting there still.

Bad Habits Hard to Break

I was feeling great for several days, so went back to my old snacking habits. As I fix the lunch for my husband to take to work the next day, I often nibble on the cookies or leftovers I'm putting in his lunchbox. That seemed to be fine, so I progressed to a sandwich for lunch and toaster streudels for breakfast.

Someone please slap my hands if I ever start to put a cookie in my mouth again. And don't let me go near a toaster streudel. I feel wrotten. No, I feel worse than wrotten. That yummy toaster streudel was not worth the nausea and fatigue that has moved in to my body this morning. I think I'll just go back to bed and never get up again.

Diet Tips That Don't Work

One of my friends recently told me she keeps her weight under control by brushing and flossing her teeth right after she eats dinner. That keeps her from snacking before she goes to bed.

I tried it. The only good that came of it is that I brush my teeth a lot more often.

I Love Hoarders

I don't watch much tv, but there's a new show on A & E that I've become addicted to this season. It's called "Hoarders." It's on at 9pm on Mondays, but I never get to watch it until later as my husband controls the tv. It gets recorded automatically, and I watch it whenever he's not around.

This morning the episode I saw was so sad it made me want to cry. Unfortunately that's because I could totally relate to the old couple who had let their love for animals destroy their lives. Other people dumped their cats at this home, and the old lady took them in. When Animal Control came in to clear out their house, they found over 40 living cats and over 30 dead ones. My goodness, it was horrible. The people had no idea they had so many, and didn't realize there were dead ones hidden in their house. It was terrrible.

Several of the live cats were so sick that Animal Control said they'd have to be put down. They didn't even look healthy when they were captured, but I don't understand why they couldn't be saved. It was heartbreaking. And the old couple felt like their family was being taken away from them. So sad. All they wanted was to provide a home for unwanted animals, and yet their good intentions resulted in a situation that was worse for the cats. And it certainly made living conditions for the couple unhealthy.

I guess the moral of the story is that there must be a fine line between doing good and doing harm. That applies to many things in life, and I hope I'm wise enough to see when that line is getting close.