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

152.6 Old St Patrick's Dress Fits!

Here is my old St Patrick's Day dress that once again fits! I bought it at Express in 1989, right before I started substitute teaching. It is size medium (8/10). It was even bigger in the waist before I took it in. It is a modern Victorian style dress with covered buttons up the back and elaborate sleeves. It is wrinkled from being in a box for 10 years.

The last time I remember wearing it was to sub on St Patrick's Day at Forks High School in 1997. One of the students said it was cool that my name was Mrs Kelley and I was wearing Kelley green. Ever since then, I have written my name on the white board in green dry erase marker.

I walked my dog 2 miles in the park yesterday. I lost 1.2 pounds of water weight that I had gained from that Marie Callender's frozen dinner on Wednesday. I still have 1.4 pounds of that to lose.

Here is all I ate yesterday and lost 1.2 pounds (which was probably water weight from eating too much sodium the day before):

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries and organic soy milk
Three scrambled eggs with fried mushrooms and red bell peppers
Cajun breaded oven fried trout, steamed frozen stir fry vegetable mix
One Nature Valley Oats N Dark Chocolate granola bar
4 Hershey Drops

I am so glad we did not buy the huge box of 96 of those Nature Valley Oats N Dark Chocolate granola bars. We could not taste the chocolate in them. It was very disappointing. I had to have the Hershey Drops afterward just to calm my disappointment.

153.8 St Patrick's Day Dress Returned

I boxed up my lovely St Patrick's Day dress and returned it to Roaman's yesterday. It was way too big! I indicated that, and wrote a note asking if they could send me a catalog with sizes 8, 9, 10, for the exchange. It had been more than 90 days, too long for me to get a refund, so I can only order something else.

[Edited months later to add: Roaman's gave me a gift certificate code to use on their site to order something else. I ordered something much cheaper than the $130 I had spent on the St Patrick's Day dress. They sent me the difference by check. I spent the difference at thrift stores and bought a whole summer wardrobe!]

Here I am in one of the ladies size large cotton turtlenecks I bought last fall. Look how large the collar is around my now tiny neck!

I ate a Marie Callender's frozen dinner last night, to the tune of almost a gram of sodium, 985 mg. Here's hoping most of the 2.6 pounds I gained yesterday is water retention from eating so much sodium. That said, I did eat quite a few peanut butter cookies, too.

I subbed yesterday, and I walked round and round the school during the regular teacher's preparation period. Scott and I also walked the dogs half a mile in the park. In all, I walked at least a mile. Yes, I need to calibrate and use my pedometer.

Here is everything I ate yesterday, and gained 2.6 pounds:

Small bowl of Special K, blueberries, and vanilla soy milk
About 2 dozen peanut butter cookies
Raw carrot sticks and 2 tablespoons Parmesan spinach dip
12 almonds
Marie Callender's frozen Honey Roasted Turkey Breast dinner

Size Medium Pajamas!

This post is actually for Sunday, October 16, 2011. I weigh 188.8 today! I lost .6 pounds yesterday. It is not 100% about exercise, because I walked three miles yesterday - extra far. This was only because I locked my purse in the truck, at Costco. We only have the one vehicle, so I walked 1.5 miles home and Scott and the dogs walked 1.5 miles with me, back to our truck.

I bought myself two sets of size medium pajamas at Costco. You have to get them when they first have them, because they sell out really quickly. I had in mind I would save them for when they fit. Guess what! I am wearing the black and blue pair right now! They are tight in the hips and snug everywhere else, but I can wear them! I look forward to feeling them get looser on me every day, just like my formerly skinny jeans that are now comfortably baggy.

Embrazened by the pajamas fitting, I tried on my St Patrick's Day dress. The shirt just arrived in today's mail. As you can see in this picture, I can get into the dress, too! It is a size 12W. There are waist ties, so as I slim down I can make it look better on me. But wow, I should be able to wear it to church at Christmas time, maybe even for my solo November 13!

Here is what I ate yesterday and still lost .6 pounds:

Usual breakfast: 1 cup Special K, 1 cup cut-up strawberries, 1 cup soy milk, black unsweetened coffee

Common lunch: 1 cup raw carrot sticks dipped in 1/2 cup parmesan/spinach dip from the deli section at Costco, Diet Coke

New Dinner: Baked chicken and onion, steamed broccoli, caffeine-free diet soda

191.2 Weight Today

I weigh 191.2 today. I lost .8 pounds yesterday. We walked all over Walmart and Costco, doing our shopping, but we didn't go for our usual walk in the park.

The pretty skirt of my size 12 St Patrick's Day dress arrived today! The waistband is elastic, so I was able to try it on. I definitely have to slim down farther for it to look good on me. I am bulging out under the waistband. Hopefully the top will arrive tomorrow, and I can try it on and have Scott take a picture. Once I have both peices I will try it on periodically and post pictures of my progress fitting into the dress. It may be I will fit into it OK in time to wear it to church at Christmas time.

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

1 cup Special K, 1 cup cut-up strawberries, 1 cup soy milk, black unsweetened coffee

1 cup of raw carrot sticks, 1/2 cup parmesan/spinach dip from the deli section at Costco, Diet Coke

Diet Ham Salad, caffeine-free diet soda

Last Day of Keep Trim Eating this Round

I weigh 193 again today. My dress has been shipped to me! The prettiest St Patrick's Day dress ever was shipped on Oct 6. I should have it in a few days, and I will post a picture of it when I do. It is emerald green. The bodice is decorated with darker green embroidery. The hemline is scalloped like a disco dress, and every other panel is sheer green at the bottom. It is still conservative enough that I could substitute in it the week before St Patrick's (it's on a Saturday next year). Spokane has a parade the Saturday nearest March 17th, and next year we will know that in time to make plans and go!

I still have a bit of the cold, so I am still contagious, but I am feeling much better.

Scott went and got pizza yesterday, the good stuff from Papa John's. He got smallish ones. I ate half a dinner plate of pizza for dinner and still maintained my weight.

Lunch was half a 12 oz can of chili, half a cup of shredded cheese and a cup of corn chips to eat it with.

Breakfast was 1 cup Special K, 1 cup cut-up strawberries, 1 cup soy milk

I stick to diet drinks, unsweetened coffee or tea, or water. Sugary drinks have lots and lots of calories that Dr Tarnower warns against in his book about the Scarsdale Medical Diet. Juices sound healthy, but in reality he says they are among the worst things you can ingest. Half a cup of apple juice has the sugar of ten apples, according to Dr Tarnower.

Edited Later: Here is the photo of the dress. I ended up returning it because I slimmed down to size 8 and left size 12 in the dust!
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