This is one of my favourite times of year... now that I'm a "walker" that is. I have found that nearly the entire day is perfect for walking in the early spring and again in early fall or whatever you would call this week. I wouldn't pick 4 in the afternoon when it's about 80, but from early morning as the sun rises (pick your timing and watch the sun rise as you walk! GORGEOUS!) until noon and again from after work hours until sunset (which is also lovely to watch as you walk...more clouds this time of year to create quite the show most evenings) are just right, temperature-wise.
It is my opinion that if you want to start a new exercise routine, you pick now. There is really no excuse. It's not hot and sweaty. You can't possibly get too cold if you walk fast enough. Get in the habit before you have to start wearing snow boots and bundling up. If you start now, by the time the weather gets that cold, you'll already feel that you <i>need</i> your daily walk.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Bad Blogger, No Treat...
I haven't been great about updating, I know. Now that we've figured out a lot of things, there isn't as much to say, even though I never got around to covering all the things I did learn in the beginning.
In the Buy It/Try It category, we just tried Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Bars in chocolate and peanut butter. Yum! A great little snack and when you read the back, you find it really is pretty nutritious (as far as diet bars go)
In the Trick category, if you don't want to spend the money on egg substitute, just buy regular eggs. Take out two eggs, separate the yolks of one (I hate to waste it, so I would say throw it in your child's/spouse's scrambled eggs, but do they really need the extra calories and cholesterol on a regular basis? Probably not) and scramble the one yolk with two whites. It's not exactly the same count as egg substitute, but it will drastically cut your calories and such without losing taste.
In the Recipe category, I think I have already mentioned these things, but I think they deserve re-iterating.
Egg Bake
1/3 cup egg substitute
1 Morning Star sausage patty
2 white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350. Pour egg into pie tin. Break up sausage patty and spread over egg. Sprinkle cheese over top, add sliced egg to very top. Bake 30 minutes (start first thing and bake while you're getting ready for work, for instance.) Move to top rack and broil for just a couple of minutes to make top golden brown.
We tried the cheese on top, but the best flavor of all was when the cheese was creamy and the mushrooms and sausage were browned.
Pitas
Pitas are my new best friend. At 100 calories, I can cut it in half. If you buy the split ones, make your sandwich inside and the bread is just 50 calories. If not split, cut into quarters and make a sandwich between two quarters.
Pita snack
Preheat over to 350. Put half a pita on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with garlic powder. (Alternately, if you have time, roast a garlic clove until soft, then spread like butter). Broil on low for a few minutes until barely golden.
Serve with Tomato Treat
Slice or chop one tomato ind press into a 1 cup ramekin. Sprinkle with a dash of Cavender's Greek seasoning. Top with 1/4 cup Shreiber (low fat/low calorie, pre-grated) cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15 - 20 minutes (until cheese starts to brown). Put pita in for last 8 minutes for a lunch that is very filling and less than 200 calories.
In the Buy It/Try It category, we just tried Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Bars in chocolate and peanut butter. Yum! A great little snack and when you read the back, you find it really is pretty nutritious (as far as diet bars go)
In the Trick category, if you don't want to spend the money on egg substitute, just buy regular eggs. Take out two eggs, separate the yolks of one (I hate to waste it, so I would say throw it in your child's/spouse's scrambled eggs, but do they really need the extra calories and cholesterol on a regular basis? Probably not) and scramble the one yolk with two whites. It's not exactly the same count as egg substitute, but it will drastically cut your calories and such without losing taste.
In the Recipe category, I think I have already mentioned these things, but I think they deserve re-iterating.
Egg Bake
1/3 cup egg substitute
1 Morning Star sausage patty
2 white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350. Pour egg into pie tin. Break up sausage patty and spread over egg. Sprinkle cheese over top, add sliced egg to very top. Bake 30 minutes (start first thing and bake while you're getting ready for work, for instance.) Move to top rack and broil for just a couple of minutes to make top golden brown.
We tried the cheese on top, but the best flavor of all was when the cheese was creamy and the mushrooms and sausage were browned.
Pitas
Pitas are my new best friend. At 100 calories, I can cut it in half. If you buy the split ones, make your sandwich inside and the bread is just 50 calories. If not split, cut into quarters and make a sandwich between two quarters.
Pita snack
Preheat over to 350. Put half a pita on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with garlic powder. (Alternately, if you have time, roast a garlic clove until soft, then spread like butter). Broil on low for a few minutes until barely golden.
Serve with Tomato Treat
Slice or chop one tomato ind press into a 1 cup ramekin. Sprinkle with a dash of Cavender's Greek seasoning. Top with 1/4 cup Shreiber (low fat/low calorie, pre-grated) cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15 - 20 minutes (until cheese starts to brown). Put pita in for last 8 minutes for a lunch that is very filling and less than 200 calories.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Baking
I miss baking so much. I didn't even bake all that much a couple years ago, just time to time, but I haven't wanted to waste any calories on goodies so I haven't baked much of anything all year. Finally decided I had to bake this excellent pumpkin cake recipe I got (Thanks, Becky!!) and it made me return to baking.
I've invented a new lime cupcake which people seem to enjoy (naughty baking recipes will appear on a different webpage) and today I'll be making zucchini bread.
What does this have to do with this blog?
Of course it's okay to have a treat once in a while. It's when you have one every day or multiple in a day that your hips and thighs begin to look like jodhpurs. The solution is easy. We all know people who love treats and aren't watching their caloric intake. Give them away! I've been spreading the love, a few here and a few there, so as not to dump a whole bunch of sweets on any one person, but allowing everyone to have that once in a while treat. I'll be doing the zucchini bread in small pans so that I can offer just a few servings.
Point is, I love the baking part and am so glad I can do it and still find will power to give the delicious goodies away.
Have lost a couple more pounds. Progress is slow going, but it's still the right direction and I feel pretty great which, we remind ourselves constantly, is the real goal.
I've invented a new lime cupcake which people seem to enjoy (naughty baking recipes will appear on a different webpage) and today I'll be making zucchini bread.
What does this have to do with this blog?
Of course it's okay to have a treat once in a while. It's when you have one every day or multiple in a day that your hips and thighs begin to look like jodhpurs. The solution is easy. We all know people who love treats and aren't watching their caloric intake. Give them away! I've been spreading the love, a few here and a few there, so as not to dump a whole bunch of sweets on any one person, but allowing everyone to have that once in a while treat. I'll be doing the zucchini bread in small pans so that I can offer just a few servings.
Point is, I love the baking part and am so glad I can do it and still find will power to give the delicious goodies away.
Have lost a couple more pounds. Progress is slow going, but it's still the right direction and I feel pretty great which, we remind ourselves constantly, is the real goal.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Back to Blog
We fell off "the wagon."
Actually, we held hands and jumped off. We still ate reasonably, but no counting calories. Scott went for short walks, I...did what I could, working up to longer walks. This means we gained a few pounds over the last few weeks.
Everyone is surprised I didn't lose weight after surgery. I think that's only for people who spend the first two weeks in hospital, but with this modern age of "drive-thru surgery" as I've heard it termed, we spend more time recuperating at home where lovely friends and family help out by bringing delicious foods. Meanwhile, there's too much pain in discomfort to walk the miles a day I did before. Of course I gained weight. I know some people can keep weight off just by walking a little. We all know people who can keep weight off by eating reasonably even if they don't exercise much. If that worked for me, this diet and activity regimen we are on wouldn't be necessary.
Getting back on the bandwagon can be difficult, too. I don't know why. Every day starts out great, but by end of day, I'm famished and craving things I haven't even craved for a long time. Still, the exercise part has been easy to re-commit to. In fact, this week I walked one mile in the morning and another in the evening. Doing two miles at once would probably be hard on me, but splitting it up means I get a good workout every day without too much discomfort. I'm not quite up to our old speed, but I'm close. Now I've lost all but two of the pounds I put on while I was laid up. It's definitely time to start eating better in the evenings. Even eating a couple things I know I shouldn't each day, I'm still under 2,000 calories (except one or two days where I went to an event and threw caution to the wind) so with exercise it goes to show your body does learn to adjust.
Meanwhile, I've noticed a few things.
1) The three step program. Several commercials, ad campaigns, and books advertise that losing weight is a three step program. Eat right. Exercise. Buy My Product.
I mentioned this to Scott saying it's actually a two step program of eating better and being more active. The whole point I'm trying to make with this blog and with life is that it doesn't take money to do everything. Spending money on a program might make certain people commit to a program, but if you are truly ready in mind and spirit, spending money doesn't have to enter into it. Walking, hiking, borrowing friends' exercise equipment (everyone knows someone with a neglected treadmill!) costs less than a gym membership. Taking the time to figure out what and when to eat costs less than weight watchers. Yes, it's more work and in this busy world, we have to make time for it, but for some, just doing the work makes it enough to commit.
Well, having decided that it was a two step program, Scott and I we saw a billboard with syndicated characters (I want to say Mickey Mouse and friends, but I can't recall for sure now) who had the ultimate three step version which I would gladly endorse.
Eat healthy. Be Active. Have Fun.
Don't forget that last step! It is certainly the most important.
2) Several self-help health "gurus" are really bothering me. The new comment making its rounds is that overeating is immature. They talk about how giving in to a craving is childish and tell people to "grow up".
Of course, I hate it because they are attacking me so I automatically want to disagree, but I do have an argument against their propaganda that I think is fairly sound.
All animals eat. If you put a dish of cat food and a can of tuna in front of a cat, what are they going to eat? The cat food is healthier for them, but we all know they'll gorge on tuna. It's base animal need to eat and it's basic animal instinct to eat what tastes good. This isn't about maturity unless you are going to say a woman desiring sex when she's ovulating is also immature.
What's immature, really, is thinking that we are so important that we have to answer our cell phone calls as soon as they come in - no matter what we are doing. To me, maturity is demonstrated when a person understands and accepts consequences for their actions. Believing you can talk on a cell phone whilst driving and still give 100% to both is ignoring the fact that there could be consequences for your actions. Dismissing a person's human struggles by calling them childish and immature is a bit of a bullying tactic.
The latest "guru" I heard using this tactic was a motivational speaker pushing his book on the news. This isn't news, kids. This is a guy who has worked to make money without working by persuading and probably bullying people into thinking they are stupid if they don't agree with him. Of course, my experience with motivational speakers so far is that you take a dash of charisma, a modicum of logic, and a lot of useless words to convince people you are right when, if you are smart enough (and MATURE enough) to see the bigger picture, you realize their logic is flawed, their charisma is fake, and their words contradict each other as much as they try to hide reality. It is also my opinion that 90% of self-help books are just mass market motivational speaking. "If I write a book with my 'hook' (a line that is useless and nonsensical, but sounds good and is often catchy so people remember it even if it's lame. The Secret springs to mind...) I can reach millions with my garbage and even if it is garbage, I'm $1,000,000 richer so who cares?" They don't care about your health and well being. They care about their money. It's a get rich quick scheme that is sadly working the world over because people need an answer. The want it to be easy and quick so badly that they will pay anything for it.
It's hard to believe that it really is just as easy as eating better and exercising more. I know that. For years I couldn't figure that out because I ate somewhat healthy and exercised some. It just wasn't enough. If it's not working, eat even healthier (cut more calories or substitute more carbohydrate-high foods for broccoli and protein) and exercise even more (find more activities to do or get heart rate a bit higher). Of course, this is still just my opinion. If you listen to it without question, then I'll become one of those loathe-some motivational speakers...
Actually, we held hands and jumped off. We still ate reasonably, but no counting calories. Scott went for short walks, I...did what I could, working up to longer walks. This means we gained a few pounds over the last few weeks.
Everyone is surprised I didn't lose weight after surgery. I think that's only for people who spend the first two weeks in hospital, but with this modern age of "drive-thru surgery" as I've heard it termed, we spend more time recuperating at home where lovely friends and family help out by bringing delicious foods. Meanwhile, there's too much pain in discomfort to walk the miles a day I did before. Of course I gained weight. I know some people can keep weight off just by walking a little. We all know people who can keep weight off by eating reasonably even if they don't exercise much. If that worked for me, this diet and activity regimen we are on wouldn't be necessary.
Getting back on the bandwagon can be difficult, too. I don't know why. Every day starts out great, but by end of day, I'm famished and craving things I haven't even craved for a long time. Still, the exercise part has been easy to re-commit to. In fact, this week I walked one mile in the morning and another in the evening. Doing two miles at once would probably be hard on me, but splitting it up means I get a good workout every day without too much discomfort. I'm not quite up to our old speed, but I'm close. Now I've lost all but two of the pounds I put on while I was laid up. It's definitely time to start eating better in the evenings. Even eating a couple things I know I shouldn't each day, I'm still under 2,000 calories (except one or two days where I went to an event and threw caution to the wind) so with exercise it goes to show your body does learn to adjust.
Meanwhile, I've noticed a few things.
1) The three step program. Several commercials, ad campaigns, and books advertise that losing weight is a three step program. Eat right. Exercise. Buy My Product.
I mentioned this to Scott saying it's actually a two step program of eating better and being more active. The whole point I'm trying to make with this blog and with life is that it doesn't take money to do everything. Spending money on a program might make certain people commit to a program, but if you are truly ready in mind and spirit, spending money doesn't have to enter into it. Walking, hiking, borrowing friends' exercise equipment (everyone knows someone with a neglected treadmill!) costs less than a gym membership. Taking the time to figure out what and when to eat costs less than weight watchers. Yes, it's more work and in this busy world, we have to make time for it, but for some, just doing the work makes it enough to commit.
Well, having decided that it was a two step program, Scott and I we saw a billboard with syndicated characters (I want to say Mickey Mouse and friends, but I can't recall for sure now) who had the ultimate three step version which I would gladly endorse.
Eat healthy. Be Active. Have Fun.
Don't forget that last step! It is certainly the most important.
2) Several self-help health "gurus" are really bothering me. The new comment making its rounds is that overeating is immature. They talk about how giving in to a craving is childish and tell people to "grow up".
Of course, I hate it because they are attacking me so I automatically want to disagree, but I do have an argument against their propaganda that I think is fairly sound.
All animals eat. If you put a dish of cat food and a can of tuna in front of a cat, what are they going to eat? The cat food is healthier for them, but we all know they'll gorge on tuna. It's base animal need to eat and it's basic animal instinct to eat what tastes good. This isn't about maturity unless you are going to say a woman desiring sex when she's ovulating is also immature.
What's immature, really, is thinking that we are so important that we have to answer our cell phone calls as soon as they come in - no matter what we are doing. To me, maturity is demonstrated when a person understands and accepts consequences for their actions. Believing you can talk on a cell phone whilst driving and still give 100% to both is ignoring the fact that there could be consequences for your actions. Dismissing a person's human struggles by calling them childish and immature is a bit of a bullying tactic.
The latest "guru" I heard using this tactic was a motivational speaker pushing his book on the news. This isn't news, kids. This is a guy who has worked to make money without working by persuading and probably bullying people into thinking they are stupid if they don't agree with him. Of course, my experience with motivational speakers so far is that you take a dash of charisma, a modicum of logic, and a lot of useless words to convince people you are right when, if you are smart enough (and MATURE enough) to see the bigger picture, you realize their logic is flawed, their charisma is fake, and their words contradict each other as much as they try to hide reality. It is also my opinion that 90% of self-help books are just mass market motivational speaking. "If I write a book with my 'hook' (a line that is useless and nonsensical, but sounds good and is often catchy so people remember it even if it's lame. The Secret springs to mind...) I can reach millions with my garbage and even if it is garbage, I'm $1,000,000 richer so who cares?" They don't care about your health and well being. They care about their money. It's a get rich quick scheme that is sadly working the world over because people need an answer. The want it to be easy and quick so badly that they will pay anything for it.
It's hard to believe that it really is just as easy as eating better and exercising more. I know that. For years I couldn't figure that out because I ate somewhat healthy and exercised some. It just wasn't enough. If it's not working, eat even healthier (cut more calories or substitute more carbohydrate-high foods for broccoli and protein) and exercise even more (find more activities to do or get heart rate a bit higher). Of course, this is still just my opinion. If you listen to it without question, then I'll become one of those loathe-some motivational speakers...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Okay, now. Where were we?
I now weigh 223 lbs. That is 107 lbs from my highest weight and 77 lbs from the weight I was when I began this process. I am wearing the size I wore my senior year of high school. I suspect my wedding dress would be a bit baggy.
All this weight loss makes a person reminiscent of the past - of the time when I weighed this much or even less. 25 lbs from here is the weight I had on my first driver's license; although I lied about my weight then. I don't remember how much I weighed, but I said 197 just to keep it under 200. I think my next goal might be to actually BE 197 lbs.
Of course, goals and plans get set aside from time to time in our lives. That's okay. I was set to have surgery to remove an offending organ from my body on the 18th of July, but after a second blood transfusion, my doctor and I decided it might not be a good idea to wait any longer so I had a hysterectomy on the 7th of July.
When we first made the decision, I told people about the upcoming surgery and was surprised to hear concerns over weight gain - not necessarily my weight gain, but weight gain after surgery in general or their weight gain. I started researching on the internet about my surgery to put my mind at ease and make sure I knew everything I needed to know and came across a plethora of concerns about weight gain related to surgery as well.
All I can think is who cares!? Why are we so concerned about weight that we freak out at the idea of gaining a little after surgery? If it was elective surgery or cosmetic surgery, sure. You don't want to be further behind, but whether you are at a healthy weight or not; whether you are on a diet or not, just worry about getting better, not weight. This is all, imo, part of this system where we focus TOO much on weight and not enough on HEALTH. These are not always synonymous despite popular belief.
I can walk around, but not for long before I feel some pain. I eat what's brought to me and since we have such generous and lovely family and friends, many delectable dishes have been brought. I craved tapioca and butterscotch pudding so my husband bought me tapioca and butterscotch pudding. It's not an excuse to overindulge in fatty food or eat too much, but frankly, I don't care if I gain some weight. I'll just lose it again when I'm on my feet. I have faith now. I know from experience that it's not that hard. This is life.
Of course, the problems I've been having definitely explain a small portion of why I kept losing weight and not feeling better. Admittedly, it was making me bitter to lose weight, eat better, know better, have confidence that I can accomplish things and yet to feel trapped because I never knew what my body was going to do. Would I bleed heavy that day? Would I have pain? I didn't know from hour to hour, let alone day to day.
Now, thankfully, it's over! That stupid fibroid that was causing increased problems over the last year is gone. I can't wait to see what life is going to bring once I'm up and around again.
All this weight loss makes a person reminiscent of the past - of the time when I weighed this much or even less. 25 lbs from here is the weight I had on my first driver's license; although I lied about my weight then. I don't remember how much I weighed, but I said 197 just to keep it under 200. I think my next goal might be to actually BE 197 lbs.
Of course, goals and plans get set aside from time to time in our lives. That's okay. I was set to have surgery to remove an offending organ from my body on the 18th of July, but after a second blood transfusion, my doctor and I decided it might not be a good idea to wait any longer so I had a hysterectomy on the 7th of July.
When we first made the decision, I told people about the upcoming surgery and was surprised to hear concerns over weight gain - not necessarily my weight gain, but weight gain after surgery in general or their weight gain. I started researching on the internet about my surgery to put my mind at ease and make sure I knew everything I needed to know and came across a plethora of concerns about weight gain related to surgery as well.
All I can think is who cares!? Why are we so concerned about weight that we freak out at the idea of gaining a little after surgery? If it was elective surgery or cosmetic surgery, sure. You don't want to be further behind, but whether you are at a healthy weight or not; whether you are on a diet or not, just worry about getting better, not weight. This is all, imo, part of this system where we focus TOO much on weight and not enough on HEALTH. These are not always synonymous despite popular belief.
I can walk around, but not for long before I feel some pain. I eat what's brought to me and since we have such generous and lovely family and friends, many delectable dishes have been brought. I craved tapioca and butterscotch pudding so my husband bought me tapioca and butterscotch pudding. It's not an excuse to overindulge in fatty food or eat too much, but frankly, I don't care if I gain some weight. I'll just lose it again when I'm on my feet. I have faith now. I know from experience that it's not that hard. This is life.
Of course, the problems I've been having definitely explain a small portion of why I kept losing weight and not feeling better. Admittedly, it was making me bitter to lose weight, eat better, know better, have confidence that I can accomplish things and yet to feel trapped because I never knew what my body was going to do. Would I bleed heavy that day? Would I have pain? I didn't know from hour to hour, let alone day to day.
Now, thankfully, it's over! That stupid fibroid that was causing increased problems over the last year is gone. I can't wait to see what life is going to bring once I'm up and around again.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
New recipes to lighten to load of my recent and future rambling.
Pasta Salad
Pick your favorite pasta shape. Mine is either gigli or wacky mac for this recipe. Disguise high fiber or whole grain pasta with this delicious recipe. Check calories per serving. Average calorie content for 1/4 cup of this recipe is about 150. (Most serving size of pasta is 2/3 cup around 200 calories, but since pasta salad is more of a side, take less and enjoy!)
Cook 1/2 package pasta until soft. Strain. Rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, mix:
1/4 cup FAT FREE Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard powder OR 1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 pkg Italian dressing dry mix
2 Tbs Cavendar's Greek seasoning
1/4 c peas
1/4 c mushrooms
1/4 c chopped carrot
1/2 can olives (whole can if you buy pre-sliced)
1/2 yellow bell pepper*
3/4 orange bell pepper*
1/2 chopped tomato
Add other veggies to your desire (celery, chopped cucumber, etc. NEVER use corn) but remember that certain additions add calories. Mix pasta into bowl and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Fluff at the last minute. Makes 8-10 servings.
*substitute either bell pepper for red for a bit more bite.
Strawberry Salad
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
1 cup strawberries, sliced
Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup strawberries
Puree strawberries and blend with rice wine vinegar. Toss with spinach and strawberries.
1/2 cup of this salad can be counted as free. Calories per 1/2 cup - about 50 calories.
Pick your favorite pasta shape. Mine is either gigli or wacky mac for this recipe. Disguise high fiber or whole grain pasta with this delicious recipe. Check calories per serving. Average calorie content for 1/4 cup of this recipe is about 150. (Most serving size of pasta is 2/3 cup around 200 calories, but since pasta salad is more of a side, take less and enjoy!)
Cook 1/2 package pasta until soft. Strain. Rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, mix:
1/4 cup FAT FREE Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard powder OR 1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 pkg Italian dressing dry mix
2 Tbs Cavendar's Greek seasoning
1/4 c peas
1/4 c mushrooms
1/4 c chopped carrot
1/2 can olives (whole can if you buy pre-sliced)
1/2 yellow bell pepper*
3/4 orange bell pepper*
1/2 chopped tomato
Add other veggies to your desire (celery, chopped cucumber, etc. NEVER use corn) but remember that certain additions add calories. Mix pasta into bowl and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Fluff at the last minute. Makes 8-10 servings.
*substitute either bell pepper for red for a bit more bite.
Strawberry Salad
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
1 cup strawberries, sliced
Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup strawberries
Puree strawberries and blend with rice wine vinegar. Toss with spinach and strawberries.
1/2 cup of this salad can be counted as free. Calories per 1/2 cup - about 50 calories.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
It goes on and on
Well, I haven't lost a ton, but I actually stepped on the scale and have lost a few pounds despite limited exercise and eating based on instinct rather than counting calories. I am realizing that you really can get to a point where you sense how much to eat, though I would still recommend counting once a week or so to make sure one keeps on track.
Interesting note: Last week I commented to Scott "There weren't this many walkers last year..." noting that we seem to pass more and more people as the weather has improved and we see the same people quite often. Yesterday, we got distracted by a morning garage sale. The homeowner came over and said "You both look great!" Awkwardly, we said thanks. Came to find out in conversation that they had noticed us walking all year and noticed the weight loss! Turns out, also, that they became friends with my brother at one point, but that wasn't known at first.
As we finished our walk we chatted about possibilities and it occurs to us perhaps, just perhaps, there were others in the neighbourhood who noticed us as well. I don't want to take any credit, but it might be nice to know if people thought "Hey, if they can do it, so can I!" I mean, when we started at such high weights, can others really have an excuse? Interesting thought...
We aren't really "neighbourhood" people. I mean, we're nice to people when we see them on the street and we try to respect our immediate neighbours, but we don't exactly get terribly involved. I suppose I would just like to think we're touching our neighbours, but without having to get into those heated debates over lawn care and politics...
Interesting note: Last week I commented to Scott "There weren't this many walkers last year..." noting that we seem to pass more and more people as the weather has improved and we see the same people quite often. Yesterday, we got distracted by a morning garage sale. The homeowner came over and said "You both look great!" Awkwardly, we said thanks. Came to find out in conversation that they had noticed us walking all year and noticed the weight loss! Turns out, also, that they became friends with my brother at one point, but that wasn't known at first.
As we finished our walk we chatted about possibilities and it occurs to us perhaps, just perhaps, there were others in the neighbourhood who noticed us as well. I don't want to take any credit, but it might be nice to know if people thought "Hey, if they can do it, so can I!" I mean, when we started at such high weights, can others really have an excuse? Interesting thought...
We aren't really "neighbourhood" people. I mean, we're nice to people when we see them on the street and we try to respect our immediate neighbours, but we don't exactly get terribly involved. I suppose I would just like to think we're touching our neighbours, but without having to get into those heated debates over lawn care and politics...
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