Size 12 by St Patrick's Day!: March 2012

145.4 Break Your Fast

When I was fat, I often skipped breakfast. I couldn't be bothered to buy strawberries ahead of time or to keep milk in the house. As a result, I gorged myself on donuts whenever someone brought them in, or on whatever pastry snacks were available in the vending machines at work.

For me, it's a fact: eating breakfast protects me from binge eating until lunch time. It's part of my lifestyle change from fat person to fit person. Yesterday, I passed right by the donut holes some well-meaning teacher left in the teacher's lounge. Sadly, another substitute only had a credit card and the cafeteria only takes cash. Those donut holes were all he had to eat. I shared some of my carrot sticks with him.

This photo was my breakfast today. I had a little Special K with my strawberries, hehe! I meant to go to the indoor farmer's market on Thursday, but I got called in to work -- which is fine! I got these at Costco yesterday, where strawberries are once again cheaper than blueberries. I got 4 pounds of strawberries for $6.49!

Yes, by myself I will eat 4 pounds of strawberries before they spoil. I cut them up into tightly sealing plastic containers right away and discard any moldy bits. I soak the cut up parts in water with a few tablespoons of vinegar for a few minutes to kill any remaining mold, and then drain the water. I learned that trick from Pastor Garry Oliver of Lincoln Heights Community Church. Thanks Garry!

I lost 1.6 pounds yesterday that I had gained Wednesday and Thursday. I did this by walking as fast as I could for 90 minutes and eating only the minimum:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan Spinach Dip
Leftover baked chicken, cauliflower, onion and carrots
Two strawberries

Regarding the saying, "Break Your Fast:"

I was taught the etymology of our noun, 'breakfast,' in college English literature classes and in workshops to prepare us to work at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Originally, people would tell each other, "Break your fast." They meant that over night, you had been fasting, not eating. Whatever you ate in the morning would break the fast you had started the night before. Gradually, this saying morphed into the noun we use today to describe our morning meal, 'breakfast.'

147.0 Spontaneous Dinner Party

We went to a spontaneous dinner party last night where I indulged in French fries for the first time in 6 months. They had rented "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace," but their DVD player kept freezing up. We moved the party to our house where we finished watching the movie and shared some of the gourmet popcorn Scott's parents send us every Christmas.

Our friends have little kids, 4 and 3. They had seen cartoons of Star Wars, but this was their first time seeing one of the actual movies. The 4 year old boy really loved the pod racing scene. It was a fun time with some friends we are in a small group / family group / Bible study with through Lincoln Heights Community Church.

Scott took this picture of me in one of my new size medium T shirts a few weeks ago after my first shopping spree at TJ Maxx. The shirt reminds me of something Deanna Troi would wear. How did she always get away with being out of uniform in those low-cut tops?

I walked a total of 90 minutes yesterday: Half an hour at each of my breaks and half an hour with Scott and the dogs, in the rain. I am teaching today, too, and then next week is Easter Vacation!

Here is what I ate yesterday that gained me another .6 pounds and made today a diet day:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Raw carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Hot dog on a bun with mustard
Handful of French fries
Ladle full of green beans boiled in butter
Small bowl of cheddar cheese popcorn

146.4 No Cheese Omelette

I made this no cheese omelette for my lunch yesterday.

The trick is to fry bacon in the pan first so that there is an adequate base of fat for the eggs to not stick. I fried bacon and took it out to drain on paper towels. Next, I sauteed onion in the bacon grease on low heat. After about 90 minutes I added sliced mushrooms and sauteed them for 10 minutes.

Lastly, I beat three eggs in a cup with a pinch of garlic salt and then poured them into the sauteed veggies. I tipped the frying pan so that the eggs spread out. I let them cook for a minute, and then turned them over to cook on the over side for a minute. Here they are plated with salsa. They were good!

We went to a dinner party at Valley View Baptist Church last night. We had already eaten dinner because we didn't realize it was a potluck. Still, we had dessert. I went a bit overboard on it and gained .6 pounds. Today will be a diet day. Here is what I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
No Cheese Omelette with three eggs, onion, bacon and mushrooms
Baked chicken, cauliflower, carrots and onion
Huge slice of lemon bundt cake and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream

We walked the dogs 30 minutes around the neighborhood yesterday.

145.8 Ritz vs Banana

I was shocked to find out 5 Ritz crackers is a full serving with 80 calories -- about the same as a small banana! Who can eat just 5 Ritz crackers? Well, I did last night. We didn't have any cookies, so I had these for dessert after dinner. They tasted heavenly! They melt in my mouth.

What am I doing eating Ritz crackers anyway? Well, I have reached my weight-loss goal of 145. Now, I am experimenting to see just how many calories I can eat while still keeping the weight off. Exercise plays into it, too. I walked 30 minutes and I gained .6 pounds yesterday, so obviously I can't eat this much every day:

Two small bowls of Special K with organic soy milk (500 calories) (600 mg sodium)
3 cans Diet Coke (0 calories) (120 mg sodium)
One El Monterey bean and cheese burrito with salsa (400 calories) (640 mg sodium)
Handful of raw carrot sticks (35 calories) (65 mg sodium)
One Trident Seafoods Alaskan Salmon Burger (170 calories) (330 mg sodium)
Steamed Kirkland Normandy-Style Vegetable Blend (40 calories) (40 mg sodium)
5 Ritz crackers (80 calories) (105 mg sodium)
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Total Calories = 1225 Total Sodium = 1900 milligrams = 1.9 grams

1225 calories is totally doable. I should not have gained weight eating only 1225 calories. It was all that sodium that did me in!

I was told all my life to watch how much sodium (salt) I ate. I even learned in biology about the sodium/potassium pump that keeps our nerves electrified, and how eating more salt makes our bodies need more water. That's right. I will say this again because you and I both need to hear it, believe it, and act on it:

Eating more salt makes our bodies need more water.

That means our bodies retain water. Our bodies do this to dilute the salt we have eaten so that it is in the correct concentration to allow our nerves to fire electronically, which is how our nerves function. Unfortunately, this means:

1) We are bloated and our clothes don't fit as well, and
2) Our hearts have to work harder because of higher blood pressure caused by sodium bloating.

So, it's really not just about the Ritz crackers.

The Ritz crackers in my picture with the banana are the symbol of a much larger problem. We need to watch not only how many calories we eat, but how much sodium we eat in a day. Clearly, the 1900 mg of sodium I ate yesterday were too many mg of sodium. I think 1000 mg of sodium would be about the maximum I could eat in a day and not gain water weight. Your mileage may vary.

When I first started my diet, my mom told me cooking from scratch would help. My mom-in-law told me to use fresh or frozen vegetables and not canned. They both told me I could eat convenient frozen or canned meals sometimes, but to shop around for frozen or canned meals that were low in sodium. They both said to eat less baked goods and more fresh fruit.

I heard them and I said, "Yeah, yeah." I really thought I had adjusted what I ate, but yesterday proves I still need to change the way I eat. Old habits die hard! I am starting to realize the lifestyle change I need to make in order to keep the weight off is bigger than watching calories and making sure I exercise every day. It is worth it, though!

145.2 At Goal!

I lost 2 pounds yesterday, and I am at my goal of 145! I did not expect to lose two pounds, so this is a very pleasant surprise. I took these pictures just now, this morning, to commemorate reaching my weight loss goal!

I walked my dog in the rain for 30 minutes yesterday. So like Spokane, it was 70 F and sunny on Sunday. I was out walking the dog in a tank top, soaking up sun. And then yesterday it was 44 F again and raining. I wore one of our rain ponchos so my pants wouldn't get soaking wet. It really knows how to rain here in Washington.

Here is what I ate yesterday, and lost two pounds along with walking 30 minutes:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Baked chicken and steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Small hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

These khakis are some work pants I picked up at the Good Will Store a few weeks ago with some of the money from returning my St Patrick's Day dress. I think they cost me all of $6, and they fit perfectly. This is the first time I have worn them.

147.2 Oven Fried Trout

We bought this trout, but soon Scott will be going out fishing and bringing home fresh fish. He has to cut the fish up for me. I still haven't figured out how to cut fish without mangling it.

To oven fry fish, I just:

Preheat the oven to 400.
Melt some butter in a custard dish in the microwave, 12 seconds.
Pour the melted butter into a cake pan.
Rinse the cut fish and leave it moist.
Put the moist cut fish in a bag with some fish fry.
Shake the bag until the fish is coated in fish fry.
Wet the coated fish in the melted butter on both sides.
Lay the coated, buttered fish in the cake pan.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

I've been using packaged Cajun fish fry made by McCormick and by Louisiana Fish Fry Products. Reading the ingredients, it would be easy to make my own fish fry. It is just corn meal or flour or even bread crumbs mixed up with whatever spices you like. These Cajun fish fries are spiced with red pepper, black pepper, celery seed, paprika, garlic, and onion.

I oven fry fish instead of frying it in a pan because it is easier. I can get our drinks and set the table while the fish is cooking.

If I had eaten only oven fried fish yesterday, then I would not have gained a pound that I have to lose today. As you can see, I went to town yesterday on my eating! I did walk to church, and I took another walk in the sun with the dog later. Oh well, today will just have to be a diet day. Here is what all I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
2 maple bars at church
Oven fried trout and steamed vegetables
Half a cauliflower crust pizza with sauteed mushrooms, black olives and fried sausage
Custard cup of canned pineapple sprinkled with a tablespoon of chocolate Nesquick

146.2 Getting Out More

Ten years ago, Scott and I were sitting in a San Diego restaurant listening to Emily sing and to Jeff and Jer do their radio "showgram" on Star 100.7. We were having a great time, and Scott said to me, "We need to get out more often." We are hermits who spend most of our time holed up in our home watching TV or surfing the Internet. Well, ten years later we really are getting out more. Yay! It's part of the lifestyle change I knew I would have to embrace in order to remain a skinny person.

We hiked up into the Dishman Hills yesterday for the first time since fall. The way is steep, and I am a little sore this morning. I'd say we hiked about a mile and a half total, half of that up and down hill. All the ice up there has melted and it is not even very muddy. The stream does run through the trail in places, so at times it is more like wading than hiking. The dogs and both of us loved it!

In response to an invitation that Family of Faith Community Church gave us at the Spokane St Patrick's Day parade, we went to see the "Courageous" movie there last night. Wow, if you are a dad and you have not seen that movie, go rent it. This also seems like a very family friendly and recovery friendly church, if you are looking in the Spokane area.

This is my favorite summer top that I got recently. I really like purple on me, it turns out. I wasn't going to get any more black, because I had far too much black in my old wardrobe. This Green Apple Eco Friendly Active Lifestyle top called out to me, though.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and lost 1.2 pounds -- along with hiking up and down hills:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
2 portions of Baked chicken, onion, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and carrots (YUM!)
1 lemon cookie at Family of Faith Community Church of Spokane

147.4 Now I Care

Look! You can see my collar bones! My body still is a bit of an alien thing to me. I am slowly rediscovering parts I had forgotten, as they have re-emerged after I lost 90 pounds of fat.

This is a size medium ladies' Tommy Hilfiger spring sweater I got with my TJ Maxx gift cards for $14.99. Fuschia is a color the old me would not have even tried on. Good thing I have undergone a lifestyle change and now am more active, fun and adventurous! It turns out that deep versions of any color look good on me. I just can't do light pastels close to my face. What a deep, fun color fuchsia is!

I walked during all my breaks yesterday, for a total of about 90 minutes of brisk walking. I indulged a bit too much, though. I gained .8 pounds that I will have to lose today. Here is everything I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Two large peanut butter cookies from the vending machine
Raw carrots and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Small bag of M&Ms from an old Valentine's display at the school
Beef burrito and salsa before we left to see "The Hunger Games"
Bean burrito and salsa when we got back from the movies

When I examine my eating habits closely like this, it amazes me that I was only overweight by 90 pounds. At this rate, I could gain 90 pounds in about 4 months! I won't, because now I care. I didn't care before, for whatever reason.

146.6 Katniss Braid Back with Video Tutorial

Expect the Katniss braid to be one of the most popular hairdos this spring. Here are views from front, side and back. I confess, I got the idea to braid my hair this way from a student at the high school where I substituted yesterday. I am subbing like this today. We'll see how many kids correctly guess I wore my hair this way for the premiere of "The Hunger Games" movie today!

How to braid a Katniss braid: Comb it all over your right shoulder. Braid a French braid, but start by your left ear. Work across the back of your head sideways and down. Katniss Everdeen has her braid a little more horizontal than mine, in the movie. Her mom braided it for her in the book, though! If you can get someone to braid your hair for you it will probably come out better.

Video: Katniss Braid Tutorial

To braid a French braid: gather three strands just near where you start. Each time you put a strand over the top of the braid, grab a little more hair with it from near where you are in your progress over your head. It looks best if you grab all the way to the side of where your braid is. In the case of the Katniss braid this means all the way to your ear on the bottom and all the way to your bangs on the top, when you are first starting the braid.

Many people think you have to put an elastic in your hair before starting the braid. This is not true and actually makes it harder to create a French braid. The secret to making this look good is in how you grab the hair that you add each time you put a strand over the top of the braid. Grab out from where the braid is so that as you progress along the braid, you don't have to grab backwards, only along where you are braiding.

Incidentally, how do you like my new green gathered sweater? It was on clearance in the TJ Maxx juniors department -- for $7! I love it!

I walked during three of the regular teacher's breaks yesterday. I also walked the dogs with Scott later. I walked a total of two hours or so. I lost .2 pounds. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Bite sized Kit Kat and bite sized Rolo that the school office had out for Easter
Raw carrot sticks and two tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
1 frozen beef burrito with salsa
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
8 Hershey drops
Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
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146.8 Basic Black

I had to buy men's black dress pants, because TJ Maxx only had tight black pants for women. Thank you Perry Ellis for designing 30 x 30 men's black dress pants that fit me perfectly! Here they are in this picture. I am wearing them today to teach, with a different size medium sweater that has long sleeves.

I am just over half way through my gift cards. Yesterday I got two long sleeve sweaters and a knee-length black skirt. I wasn't going to get any black this time, because my old wardrobe had too much black. But, black really is the best base color for me to wear on the bottom. It goes with everything and it doesn't show the dirt.

Spokane really isn't much of a town for wearing white. It is muddy! It is only hot from July through September.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
4 Hershey Drops
Small hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
Small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk

147.2 Juniors Clearance Section

I found something else to wear with these Egyptian pattern jeans! How do you like my new oatmeal colored puckered sweater? It is from the juniors clearance section at TJ Maxx, size XL in juniors. They only had white and two different tan colors, and this was the only color that looked good on me. Turns out I can wear it with my favorite jeans! Yay! And -- it only took $7 off my gift card.

For those of you scoffing at me for buying from the clearance section: do you realize what a victory that is for me? The juniors clearance section, no less. It used to be I had to buy whatever I could find in size 20 and pay whatever it took to get that. For some dumb reason, clothing designers assume if you wear size 20 you like ugly clothes, too.

We walked the dogs to a vacant car lot about half a mile away yesterday and then around and around the lot. Scott wanted to try and wear their nails down on the asphalt so he didn't have to trim them.

It had snowed in the morning, but the snow had melted by then and it was just sprinkling, so the walk was pleasant. I wore two sweaters and my parka. The temperature was 43. Nice first day of spring, eh? Spring here in Spokane means the snow probably won't stick for long.

I gained .6 pounds yesterday. Here is what I ate:

2 small bowls of Special K and organic soy milk
2 pieces of bacon
Eggs scrambled in bacon grease with a whole onion fried in bacon grease
Breaded chicken patty and 6 chunks of canned pineapple
Another small bowl of Special K and organic soy milk

146.4 Not Just Any Soy Milk

I switched to soy milk from cow's milk because I was getting painful trapped gas or farting all the time. A friend suggested I might be lactose intolerant. After a few days off cow's milk, the painful gas and farting stopped. It is so not worth all that pain and farting, just to ingest cow's milk. So, now I am off most dairy products. Cheese and yogurt are the only dairy products that do not give me some kind of painful or embarrassing gas.

Dr Ben Kim cautions us to choose our soy milk carefully: "Many brands of soy and rice milk contain polyunsaturated vegetable oils which can contribute to an imbalance of essential fatty acids in your body. As harmless as this might sound, I am convinced that a chronic imbalance of essential fatty acids caused by regular consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils is a major cause of cardiovascular disease."

This jives with what heart surgeon Dr Dwight Lundell says about excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils causing inflammation in the blood vessels, which is what allows cholesterol to accumulate there.

I buy Kirkland organic soy milk. It does not contain any polyunsaturated vegetable oils. It is also made with non-GMO soy beans. This means natural soy beans that are not genetically modified organisms. GMOs are safe according to their creator Monsanto, but harmful according to naturalists like Maria Rodale. I figure, "Why gamble that Monsanto has my best interests and not their financial bottom line at heart?"

After I switched to soy milk from cow's milk, I noticed I did not get hot flashes nearly so often. I am 48 and I started getting hot flashes when I was just 36. My mom was 50 before she finished menopause, so I have two more years of hot flashes to look forward to, yuck. I will take all the help I can get, reducing the frequency of hot flashes!

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I wore my old UC Berkeley sweatshirt shopping at TJ Maxx yesterday! It had been 10 years or more since it last fit. I was so small back then because there's no place to park anywhere near campus. The campus is big, so I walked more than 5 miles a day in college.

I bought some black dress slacks, two summer shirts and a spring sweater yesterday. Scott took pictures of me in them last night. I will be posting those pictures over the next week. I entered TJ Maxx's drawing to win a $500 gift card!

It's the first day of spring, and it is snowing here in Spokane! It's sticking, too. Everything is lightly dusted with snow. We will still walk the dogs. Good thing we have snow suits.

Yesterday we walked the dogs around the neighborhood. The temperature was in the 50s and we greeted many neighbors who were out in their yards. What a difference a day makes!

I took it easy on the food yesterday because I went overboard at the church parties on Sunday and gained a pound. I lost most of it yesterday. Here is what I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and Kirkland organic soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
The last homemade oatmeal cookie from the batch I made last month
Salmon patty and steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

147.2 Celebrations

My old St Patrick's Day dress fits! Even with how I took the waist in. I took the sleeves in at the wrists, too. This dress was made in the late 1980s. It originally had a very loose fit. It is a size medium (8-10). I call this style "modern Victorian." This is one of my favorite dresses that I have ever worn.

I wore this dress to Lincoln Heights Community Church yesterday, and sang lead in our new band! Scott got most of it on video. They put carrots out for coffee hour, because I am always bringing them. I allowed myself one treat there.

We changed into corduroys and walked the dogs at least a mile around the neighborhood. We saw a big bear-looking dog that could easily get over its fence. It was barking at us so fiercely I was shaking in my boots.

At 3, we went to one of our sister churches, St Matthews Institutional Baptist, for a ceremony honoring their pastor of 17 years, Reverend Singleton. We were so glad we went! The message was about representation, something we had not heard before, but Biblical, and the music was rousing! It would not be possible to sleep through a service there. We have been invited to go back there next Sunday evening for a joint worship service with Valley View Baptist.

I gained a pound yesterday. My rule is one treat a day, but it was Sunday and I allowed myself four. They sure tasted good! I will have to lose that pound today. Here is everything I ate:

Small bowl of Special K and vanilla soy milk
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
Chocolate chip cookie brownie, 20 almonds and raw carrots at coffee hour
Small piece of cake after the pastoral anniversary
Eggs scrambled in bacon grease with mushrooms and red bell pepper
2 slices of bacon

146.2 Shopping in My Closet

Following the advice in a book I reviewed recently, last night I went shopping in my closet. I tried everything on, and I didn't "buy" anything I didn't love on my new slimmer body. That should make it easier to see what I actually have that I can wear!

I boxed up to sell or donate everything that is too big or that I just don't love on me now. I'm considering selling it all in bulk on Craig's List or Ebay. Scott wants to have a garage sale soon and sell a bunch of other stuff, so maybe I will sell my under-grown clothes there. I'm in favor of just donating it all to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, but Scott thinks we can make a little money off it. We don't own a house any more, so we no longer itemize our taxes. Charity write-offs don't help us.

We bundled up and went to see the Spokane St Patrick's Day parade yesterday. We don't pay for parking, so we parked in a residential area about 3/4 mile from where we sat. Walking to the parade and back was our exercise yesterday. That, and shivering in the cold! A few of the characters came over to where we were videoing the parade and gave us candy.

I went shopping at TJ Maxx with one of my gift cards. Thank you so much, Mom and Sis! I bought mostly foundation wear and PJs that I can't post photos of, but believe me, I needed it! I was looking for a pair of black dress pants, but the only pair they had in my size were too tight-fitting for dress pants. I mentioned this to the sales clerk and she said TJ Maxx gets new clothes in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so I should check back.

Scott took this photo of me a few weeks ago, in work slacks I got at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. They fit as if they were tailor made for me. I love them.

Today I am wearing my old St Patrick's Day dress to church. I am singing lead in a new band our associate pastor formed. I am excited! I will post pictures of how I looked tomorrow.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and lost .4 pounds of fat:

Small bowl of Special K and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Bite-sized 3 Musketeers Marshmallow bar, bite sized Frooties green apple taffy
Healthy Choice Salisbury steak TV dinner
Small bowl of Special K and vanilla soy milk

146.6 Where's Your Green?

When I was a kid in the 1960s we lived in fear of being pinched on St Patrick's Day. Everyone was in on it: from our parents to our classmates to the workers at our day care. We wore green or we got pinched. That was just how it was!

A trick of the game was if you pinched someone who was wearing green then they could pinch you back harder. My dad would always pretend he had forgotten to wear green, but secretly he would always wear green socks. We would pinch him and yell out, "St Patrick's Day!" Then he would get this delighted leprechaun's look on his face, slowly show us his green socks, and chase us around the room to pinch us back.

We kids got more cautious as we got older. We learned to ask, "Where's your green?" before we pinched. The game changed at that point. It became less about chasing each other for a pinch and more about creative ways to wear green. My eyes are hazel, so if I really did forget to wear green I would say, "My green is in my eyes!" The person would look closely at my eyes and say, "Well I'll be! I thought your eyes were brown!"

(Picture and Story about My Rainbow Eyes)

I substituted yesterday. I walked round the halls for the half hour I have to stay after school before I am allowed to leave. I had rehearsal later at Lincoln Heights Community Church for the worship music for tomorrow. We have gotten a little band together with a cool box drum, a harmonica player, a pianist and Pastor David Hammond on cello or guitar.

My target weight is 145. Here is what I ate yesterday and lost 1.6 pounds (mostly water weight from eating too much salt):

Small bowl of Special K and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Small hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, steamed broccoli

148.2 Gold Wedding Band

Until I got called in to sub yesterday, I was wearing this Calvin Klein shirt we got Scott five years ago at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. It almost fits like a dress on me now!

I received another TJ Maxx gift card yesterday, from my sister. Thank you so much, Sis! I am going to get down to 145 before I shop, and these last few pounds are lingering because I keep reveling in my new found freedom to eat out when we are out running errands.

No, we can't afford to pay to eat out, but we still have 20 free entrees each at Qdoba, and there are Qdoba restaurants all over town. The only problem is they cram so much salt into their food that I bloat up at least half a pound with water after eating there.

Here is what I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Leftover half naked Qdoba BBQ steak burrito (Naked means no tortilla.)
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots

The biggest news I have is that I sold some old gold jewelry that I didn't wear anymore so I could buy a new gold wedding band that fits me! Yay!

I am finally wearing a real wedding band again. It had been at least 5 years since my old one got too tight and I took it off and then lost it. My new wedding ring is a size 6 1/4 ! My right ring finger is an 8. I guess my right hand is swollen from using the computer mouse.

For six years or so I have just been wearing whichever ring I had that would fit on my wedding ring finger. Students actually asked me how long I have been married, when they saw this new ring. I think they assumed I just got married. They looked confused when I told them I have been married 17 years.

The wedding ring does not make the marriage, but it sure is a powerful symbol of marriage. People who have never been fat and had to remove rings don't even think this might have happened to someone who is wearing a normal ring on their wedding ring finger. I am very relieved to be wearing a real gold wedding band again.

147.8 The Dye Color Wheel

My mom taught me all about the dye color wheel while she taught me to walk and talk and eat with utensils. Reds, browns and yellows are warm earthy colors.* Blues, pinks and purples are cool colors. I have mixed feelings on if green is warm or cool. This might be because green is a primary color on the light color wheel.**

Artists and clothing designers have worked out a whole philosophy of colors which has made its way into the traditions of Western Civilization. I was familiar with most of this philosophy through my mother, who studied these traditions in her home economics major in high school. I already knew I could wear any color shirt with black pants or white pants. I knew that most browns were also neutral colors that went with almost anything. I was therefore surprised at the detail with which this book I am reviewing describes this philosophy. Get it if you honestly didn't know about the dye color wheel. It will open up a whole new world for you:

Frumpy to Fabulous: Flaunting It: Your Ultimate Guide to Effortless Style, by Natalie Jobity

In the picture above I am wearing a cool monochromatic blue outfit. It consists of pre-faded multi-tone denim blue Levi's 505 jeans I bought second hand a few weeks ago -- and an indigo blue Woolrich Woman shirt that Mom and I bought new before I went off to college in Berkeley in 1987.

I walked more than three miles yesterday, but we were invited to a surprise dinner party after I had already eaten, so I gained .6 pounds. Here is what I ate all day:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
1 microwaved frozen beef burrito with 3 tablespoons chunky tomato salsa
About a cup of raw carrot sticks
Half a Qdoba naked BBQ steak burrito
Half a cup of spaghetti with meat sauce and a piece of garlic bread the size of my index finger

*Red is only warmer than blue in art and the human psyche. Humans associate red, orange and yellow with warm fire. We associate blue with cool water. An engineer friend once told me he constantly turned the water faucet marked with blue when he wanted hot water -- because in science, blue is hotter than red. The hottest fires burn blue. Scientists might also notice that the artists' color wheel is the rainbow bent into a circle.

**Blending light to get colors works differently. If you combine all your dye colors together you get black. The absence of paint is a white canvas. The opposite is true in the light spectrum. The absence of light is blackness. All the light colors combined make white light. In light, the primary colors are green blue and red.

147.2 Flour Cravings

I fought flour cravings all day yesterday. I was successful. I drank water or tea instead of eating cookies. I kept telling myself it would be worth it when I got on the scale in the morning and saw I had lost a pound. I ate the bare minimum, and only lost .2 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
Small hamburger patty, 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, broccoli

I only walked about a mile, is probably why I didn't lose more weight. I did do a few minutes on the Lifestyler stair step exercise machine, but apparently I did not exercise enough yesterday. That should teach me a lesson: suffering through cravings will only be worth it if I exercise, too. Exercising usually at least distracts me from cravings, so I don't know why I didn't just do it.

I experimented yesterday with wearing my hair pulled up higher. I think I like it best in the low ponytail I've been wearing lately. I haven't felt like wearing it up tight since I lost the weight.

I want so badly to get down to 145 so I can shop with my TJ Maxx gift card for new spring clothes! Thank you again, Mom, for that -- so much! Here in Spokane, spring means lots and lots of rain. I might see if they have light weight waterproof pants that I can start wearing on my walks when it gets too warm to wear my snow pants. I already have waterproof boots for spring. Right now I am wearing my snow coat every day, but last summer we each bought a light weight rain coat at Niagara Falls. Those should be perfect for when it starts warming up.

147.4 The Hunger Games Costume?

Every time we go to Wal-mart, I admire this camouflage jacket with the leaves sticking out of it. I think it is adorable! I haven't thought of a reason to buy it, though. No clue where I would wear it. I wouldn't be able to shoot a poor deer even if I were to shell out $287 for a deer hunting license.

Maybe this Halloween I will buy one of these cute leafy camo jackets and wear it as a costume for being Katniss Everdeen of "The Hunger Games." Her character is an excellent hunter with bow and arrow, reminiscent of Diana from Roman mythology. In the trailer for the movie that comes out March 23, Katniss wears all black with a brown leather coat. I always pictured Katniss in camouflage while I was reading the books, though. Do they have these jackets at your Wal-mart, or just in areas with deer to hunt?

For sure, a guy who wants a Peeta Hunger Games costume should wear camouflage. I won't say more than that because I don't want to spoil the movie for you, if you haven't read the books. Peeta definitely is a camouflage guy.

We bought me this medium camouflage T shirt new at Walmart a few months ago. We had faith that it would soon fit, and how it does!

We walked half a mile into town yesterday in the pouring rain and 37 degree air. We foolishly did not wear our waterproof snow pants. My legs got wet and cold in these jeans, so we turned back. I lost the pound I set out to lose, though, and then some!

Here is everything I ate yesterday and lost 1.4 pounds, along with walking a mile wet in 37 degree weather:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk Baked chicken, onion and carrots 1 strip of bacon 3 eggs scrambled in bacon grease with garlic salt, red peppers and portobello mushrooms

Valley View Baptist Church Spokane

Valley View Baptist Church
6006 E 8th Ave
Spokane, WA 99212

Updated June 25, 2013: Coffee and donut fellowship starts at 10:30 Sunday morning, and worship starts at 11. In the winter, we have Bible study Wednesday evenings at 6 pm here at the church. This is our potluck table. We have these potlucks after church on the second Sunday of every month. There is room for 50 people, and lots of food, so stop on by!

Valley View Baptist Church is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It's a literal Bible-believing church that teaches you must be born again in order to go to Heaven.

It's an adorable little church. Christian guitarist and singer songwriter Doug McCleary sings a few of his original songs some Sundays, and a few other singers pop up now and then. We have a piano, but no one to play it, so we sing our hymns along with a karaoke machine that projects the words onto the front wall. Some of the elders think we need to buy a movie screen, but I think the wall is fine.

We have three pastors: Barry Sherwood is the senior pastor who preaches most often. Charlie Staley or Dick Vaughn fill in if Barry is absent. Charlie Staley is also a chaplain for race car drivers, and his sermons are always exciting. All the sermons and everything we do is based on the Bible.

Sometimes, Scott and I (51 and 50) are the youngest people at Valley View Baptist Church. Lately though we have been joined most Sundays by a family with young children! Often, someone's grand-kids come and bring the great grand-kids. On days when we host our sister church, St Matthews Institutional Baptist Church of Spokane (509) 535-6926, there are many young people. Pastor Barry's wife Dolly always offers to take little kids downstairs to the play room during the sermon.

147.8 Buff Arms and Stone Walls

Not sure how I feel about my belly button hanging out under this summer top, but there it is. I bought the top at the Good Will Store for 99 cents. These are the Classic Gap 1969 jeans I bought there for about $5. I am just modeling them here. It will be at least May before it is warm enough in Spokane to wear summer tops outside.

I love how my arms are shaping up!

I have been on the Total Gym for at least one set a day for a week now. My legs and lungs get plenty of exercise when we walk the dogs, but my arms need work. It feels really good when I work out of my arms all the acid that builds up while I sit at the computer most of the day. The Total Gym is great because it forces me to stretch during my workout. We got our Total Gym used a few years ago, off a classified advertisement in our local newspaper online.

Yesterday we walked the dogs down to an old plot of land where there are still stone walls. The plot is on the market, and so we explored into it a bit. We followed the old wagon wheel ruts to where the original stable is falling down. We looked in from outside and saw 1970s stereo speakers and other signs that someone had once lived inside. Sadly, the 1850s house is gone and a 1940s house stands there with windows boarded up. It was a fun adventure!

I shopped yesterday at Northwest Christian Thrift Store in Spokane. Wow! It is so big that I was not able to look at all the clothes they had in my size in the three hours I was there. I bought a slip, some pajamas, a pair of Calvin Klein khakis and two nice summer dresses suitable for church. I spent $21.04. I will have to go back there some time. They also have all the stuff Target and Walmart have: furniture, dishes, books, electronics, toys... all well organized. They have about three times as much clothing as all the other thrift stores in town.

Here is everything I ate yesterday and lost .2 pounds:

Two small bowls Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Leftover half Qdoba steak quesadilla
(I did not eat the guacamole or sour cream this time, Mom. Nor the cookies.)

148 I Do Still Read

Look how small and dainty my arm is! That is what I liked about this picture. I am reading a Louis L'Amour novel that Scott correctly thought I would like (Bendigo Shafter), while my Kindle sits idly by. I am wearing second hand BDG jeans in size 31. I sit in this chair with my feet up for at least an hour each evening.

I took it easy on the sodium yesterday, and sure enough 1.4 pounds came off. Almost for sure it was water I retained from eating sodium laden fast food on Thursday.

We walked the dogs down the street yesterday to the home of some people who go to the nearest of the two churches we attend. They invited us in for tea. We tied our dogs up in their yard and had a nice visit. After that, we walked the dogs two miles in the park.

My Mom's congratulations gift of the TJ Maxx gift card came in yesterday's mail -- only she sent TWO gift cards! She says one is for spring clothes and the other is for fall clothes later. We agree I should get down to 145 before I shop with them. Thanks again, Mom!

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost 1.4 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk

Salmon patty, 2 cups steamed frozen stir fry vegetable mix

Half a pound of trout breaded with Louisiana fish fry and oven fried in butter, steamed broccoli

149.4 Levi's 505 Straight Leg Jeans

Here I am in my recently bought size 8 Levi's 505 straight leg jeans. I got them for $5.89 at the Salvation Army Thrift Store yesterday. They were exactly what I was looking for, and they caught my eye as soon as I walked in!

I love Levi's jeans. To me, they are the epitome of "cool." They say, "I am happy with who I am and what I am doing. Like me for who I am, or pass on by!"

The Salvation Army gets new stuff twice a week, so I look in there whenever I happen to be driving by. Since last May I have needed new clothes every month, from size 20 down to size 8 now. I would have gone broke even buying Levi's, if I hadn't thought to shop at thrift stores.

We took the dogs out to the Bureau of Land Management territory yesterday and practiced shooting our pistols. I am finally getting the hang of shooting the Glock. I hit a milk jug 6 times out of 15 from 50 feet away.

We stopped at Qdoba for some free dinner on our way home. (Last year we earned 50 free Qdoba entrees each by helping to publicize a new store's opening.) I only ate half my dinner, but I still gained 1.6 pounds. I bet it is all water weight from all the salt they put in their food, but I will take it easy today. I still weigh less than 150 pounds!

Here is everything I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Hamburger patty, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, 2 cups steamed broccoli
Half a grilled steak quesadilla from Qdoba with 1 tablespoon each sour cream and guacamole
4 homemade oatmeal cookies

This is the ring I am wearing now on my wedding ring finger. The center stone is a pale lavender amethyst. It didn't show up very well in the photo. This is the only ring I have that doesn't twist around on my finger because my finger is so small!

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147.8 Shorts and Bacon!

It is very easy to reward weight loss with clothes if you buy them used. I tell you, I am ready for summer! You can't quite tell in this photo, but these plaid things are shorts. They have the cutest row of buttons down the outsides at the cuffs, too. They were less than $2 at the Good Will Store last week. This Danskin tank top was less than $1.

We walked the dogs 2 miles round trip to the post office yesterday to mail in our taxes. All I could think was, "I wish it were summer so we didn't have to bundle up so much!" It was much more fun walking around town than walking round the park. Now that the ice is melted, we have decided to go exploring on our walks.

This morning's weigh-in at 147.8 verifies that yesterday's high weigh-in was because my bowels were full. Still, I am going to drop a few more pounds so that no matter what, I will weigh in below 150.

Here is what I ate yesterday and lost a pound, along with walking 2 miles:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk

2 slices of bacon

3 Eggs scrambled in bacon grease with onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper

Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots

If you're panicking because I am eating bacon, then read this declaration by heart surgeon Dr. Dwight Lundell. He says animal fats are healthy and it is processed vegetable fats we should limit in our diets. Here is a quote that summarizes his main points:

‎"Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes... What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods."

150.4 Diet Day

Today is a diet day so I can get back under 150. The next few days will be diet days. I do need to get a few pounds under 150 so that one day cannot put me over 150 again.

I just love this red cotton and crochet summer top! It is size medium. When I was fat, all my tops kind of tented over me. Now that I have a definitive shape, it's as if I were a plastic toy and tops like this snapped into place over my shoulders. Instead of just tenting over me, the clothes help define and flatter my shape.

I got this whole outfit at the Good Will Store for $3 last weekend. The shorts are roomy and comfortable. The kids at school are already wearing these spring and summer clothes, but it will be at least late May before I wear them outside.

I walked round and round my classroom yesterday, all day. I had to sub for the band teacher during the regular teacher's preparation period, but I did walk the halls for the half hour after school before I was allowed to leave. I had a meeting with one of my writing clients after that, so Scott had to take the dogs to the park on his own.

Here is everything I ate yesterday:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
8 homemade oatmeal cookies
Leftover 1/4 Qdoba chicken quesadilla with guacamole and sour cream
Raw carrot sticks
Leftover baked chicken, onion and carrots
8 homemade oat meal cookies

Hm, it might not be so bad.
I just had a bowel movement that weighed at least half a pound, maybe a whole pound.

148.8 Groovy New Pants

I knew these pants were going to fit perfectly as soon as I saw them in the Salvation Army Thrift Store yesterday! They were sized incorrectly as size 12, but they are size 8. I love them so much! I got both the pants and the black size medium sweater for a total of $5.55.

Here is what I ate yesterday and maintained my weight under 150:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and vanilla soy milk
Baked chicken, onion and carrots
8 Homemade oatmeal cookies
Half a Qdoba chicken quesadilla with guacamole and sour cream

148.8 Rings and Weight Gain, Loss

Rings distress me almost as much as pants, around weight gain and weight loss. Bless you, Mom, for giving me this heart-shaped opal ring a few years ago. It is one of only two rings that won't fall off my wedding ring finger now! You gave me the other ring, too. It is large, flat and silver with a small amethyst. They were both pinkie rings on me at the time.

I remember the day I took off my plain gold wedding band because it was too tight. I was at work as an adjuster at Farmers Insurance. My supervisor remarked that my wedding ring was going to get stuck on my hand if I didn't take it off, so I did. I could only have put it in my purse or in my brief case. I have searched through all my purses, so I must have left it in my company brief case when I left the company; I can't find it.

Scott and I bought our plain gold wedding bands at the Navy Exchange on Submarine Base Bangor in Silverdale, WA in 1994. They cost $85 each. Scott still wears his. We recently priced plain gold wedding bands at Costco and they are $300! I might check some local pawn shops. Scott still hopes we will find my old wedding ring.

So, ever since I took off my plain gold wedding band, I have been wearing whatever ring I have that will fit on my wedding ring finger. You can read about the silver Celtic knot ring I wore for a long time. I do feel blessed. As I lost the weight I would mysteriously unearth a ring I had forgotten about, and it would fit perfectly.

I am making an effort to get all my rings, bracelets, necklaces and pins into one box for easier finding and less losing. I tend to stash them in little pretty boxes all over the house. That might have worked OK if we hadn't moved 8 times since 1994.

We walked the dogs two miles in the thawed out park last night. I maintained my weight under 150! I enjoyed coffee hour at church. Everyone was surprised when I went ahead and had a cookie. I ate some of the carrots they brought just for me, but I explained, "I am done!" My pastor joked that it was good I wasn't going anorexic.

Here is what I ate yesterday:

2 Small bowls of Special K and vanilla soy milk (4:30 am and 9:30 am)
1 Homemade chocolate dipped shortbread cookie
Handful of raw carrot sticks
1 Microwaved frozen bean and cheese burrito with 3 tablespoons salsa
3 Homemade powdered sugar cookies
3 Mozzarella ravioli samples at Costco: spinach, mushroom and chicken
8 Lobster ravioli with 1 tablespoon homemade pesto sauce and raw carrot sticks

Net weight gain: .2 pounds
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148.6 Weight Loss Like Time Travel

Here are two size 8 sun dresses I made for meeting Scott's submarine in Hawaii in 1995. That was such a wonderful romantic four days! We just got used to the sweetness of reunion and then he was back out to sea.

I am so thrilled that the dresses fit once again! It's like time travel. Unfortunately, the dresses are no longer wearable. They have stains on their backs from water getting into their storage container. It was really fun to put these old dresses on and pose for Scott to take pictures, though!

I lost .8 pounds yesterday even though I ate 9 powdered sugar cookies. I was just hoping to maintain at under 150, but I will take the weight loss because it means I have that much more of a cushion for staying under 150.

Keeping the weight off is the hardest part, of course. My strategy is going to be eating as if I were still on the diet for most meals so that I can have one "normal" meal a day or little desserts throughout the day.

We walked the dogs 2+ miles in the mostly thawed park yesterday. Spring is trying to come! Most of our snow melted yesterday. The birds are singing outside. It stayed above freezing last night and during the days it has been in the high 40's. It would be fine with me if we didn't get any more snow or freezes this year. Just fine!

Here is what I ate yesterday and managed to lose .8 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K with dried berries in it and vanilla soy milk
Half a can (1 serving) Campbell's Healthy Choice Split Pea and Ham Soup
3 powdered sugar cookies
1 slice of fried bacon
3 eggs scrambled in bacon grease with fried onions, mushrooms and red bell peppers
6 more powdered sugar cookies

149.4 Size 8 Hippie Jeans

I returned that one new size 10 outfit I bought last month. Last night I spent $21 of those $47 at the Good Will Store to buy a bunch of size 8 clothes: real hippie jeans, 4 summer shirts, 2 pair of shorts and a pair of work pants. We took photos of all these outfits. I will post them over the next few days.

Here are pictures of my "new to me" Gap Classic 1969 jeans. After Scott took these pictures, I hemmed them under where they are turned up. I tried on more than 50 pairs of washed used jeans in order to select some that fit comfortably. These jeans feel like I wore them in personally!

Here is everything I ate yesterday, and maintained my weight under 150:
Small bowl of Special K and vanilla soy milk
Raw carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
Treats in the teacher's lounge: 1 Oreo ball and 4 Nilla wafers dipped in white chocolate
Hamburger patty, 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, steamed frozen stir fry vegetable mix

I hadn't heard of an Oreo ball before one of the teachers brought them as treats yesterday. She explained they were Oreo cookies crumbled up and combined with cream cheese, then formed into balls and dipped in chocolate shell.

In keeping with my lifestyle change, I walked the halls during the regular teacher's preparation period yesterday. I used to sit and read during breaks. Walking the halls helps me meet more people, in addition to getting me exercise. Scott and I also walked the dogs two miles in the park, by moonlight.
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