Making a Strategy for The Weekend Temptations in a Week of Cravings...until my Uber Food Poise Mojo Returns...

Tanita-San: 182.2 , so a bit of bloat down, but I know no real loss.

Okay, two things coming up this weekend.

1. We're planning to hit Fort Lauderdale for an art exhibit, and that means eating out at least ONE meal. I will be doing a lot of googling to find a sound eatery within walking distance of the museum or one within short driving distance that offers a venue for a walk (like, well,  Riverwalk or the broadwalk). The reason: post-meal, or pre-meal, we can get some movement in. I also need to check online menus and PICK my food before I go. I plan to go armed with a list in my purse: acceptable venues, acceptable items on the menu.

This has to be my strategy, cause my willpower is in a less than ideal place.

2. Sister (eldest) is having her birthday gathering Sunday. I know some of the stuff my sisses are making (gluten free meatballs/pasta like they did for my birthday, pigeon peas and rice with pork). It's up to me to make something/bring something that is more diet friendly. I can take a fruit salad or platter, a veggie salad or platter, or both. Middle sis suggested a Spanish omelette, but I may save that for Easter. There will be enough protein, sounds like, and starch. I do best in these tempting family events when I go armed with my own goodies and think ahead about what to have and not have.

Last year, these things were a cinch, pretty much. This year, right now, I'm in a less warrior head-place, and I gotta have some dang good planning.

When I was deep into my diet mojo near the beginning of my journey, I often simply refused to eat out or do stuff that had temptations. But family events, I always had to plan and work around, and mostly (except for last holiday season, when I didn't stick to the lower rung of the caloric levels) did really well. I want to have that sort of food poise again. Where food was not a draw, where activity and conversation and people were what I focused on. Gotta do that again. Let food be background noise. Eat, enjoy it, but not let it be a factor that has any control over me.

It's a good place to be. Food Poise. This girl needs it! It makes life so much easier to just walk gracefully by that buffet or banquet or burger stand.

I haven't lost it all, but it's bobbling some with the cravings. I plan to get it back. Where food is...not even a mosquito buzz. Just something there I can ignore until it's needed. :D  Not wanted. NEEDED.

But life's pleasure also includes eating out, so I have to make compromises. Going out to do stuff with hubby away from home means eating out, even with snacks in my purse as a standby. I don't plan to be a hermit ordering crap food to binge on. I plan to do fun stuff and do what I did half of 2010 and almost nearly all of 2011: Eat out with composure and sound choices and with JOY.

Okay, so I have planning to do. Happy Friday.

God bless. Be well...

Oh, let's just call yesterday's post the E2E Midweek Update #11, Shall We?(with some more pics, so are you sick of seeing my face yet?)...and a "hug and thanks" to Casey for the Yerba Mate and lil gifts...

It pretty much summed up the week. Weigh-in yesterday was 180.8 and today was 182.0, which makes me roll my eyes at myself at the massive sodium ingestion last night. Now and all I need to add is the quotes. So, just think of this post as adding up to yesterday's  and it sums up my update (midweek).

"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success." 

~~Maxwell Maltz

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~~Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

 

Now, I'm off to finish shelling the organic English peas that were in my coop. And I get to try yerba mate for the very first time ever (thanks, Casey!) Paraguayan, no less.

Here, some pics from today:

My "sides" I took with me to the restaurant I
usually hit up after Pilates. Sweetener, coconut water,
supplements, a few small sliced tomatoes (this place
tends to have lousy 'maters), and a sliced organic orange for dessert.

Post-Pilates messy, but happy to be stretched out
and warm-muscled after this weird neck spasm
that hit me yesterday (ouchie) while grooming.

Shelled and unshelled peas...

"Sunshine" souvenir on a Stormy Day:
Gifts from Casey, a sweet Challenger!
Yerba Mate, anyone?

I am not doing as well as I'd hoped by this time of the week. It vexes me that I have this "block"...this setback. But, I plug on. This too will pass...  I am cheered, always, by the kindness of comments and the occasional generosity of fellow fatfighting bloggers who mail cool things to me! Besitos!*

Be well...

*"lil kisses" in Spanish

Assorted Pics: One year Check of Fatwings THEN and NOW...and yeah, they hang!...Dinner Out Sleeveless Outfit...New Shorts and Tank in XL from Sports Authority..and look, smaller belly! Wooo!

Lyn of Escape from Obesity, one of my favest of all bloggers, fatfighting and otherwise, has had a hard time lately with her upper arms.

 :(

Hey, all of us who've been fat/are fat/were very fat prolly have issues with that body part. While fat, we hate the big ole ham arms. While slimming, we hate the emptying skin that crinkles and hangs. When at goal--I'm not there, but I've read enough blogs to know-- we hate the empty sac of skin and think about plastic surgery.

Yeah. I hate my upper arms. But I've been wearing sleeveless since last year. I figure if you don't like seeing my ugly upper arms, too bad for you. It gets too dang hot in Miami and I've gone too many years covering up and tolerating the raging hot-humidity. Last year, with hot flashes still occasionally striking, I said, "I NEED SLEEVELESS" and I let my freaky arms fly!

Here's a pic of my fatwings last May, and even after TWO YEARS of Pilates in this pic, there they are, with more muscle, but oodles of fat:

May 31, 2010 --fatwings at 266 lbs

 Here are my fatwings today in my new purple Soffe tank:

Fatwings at 198 lbs on May 23, 2011, after Pilates (excuse the dirty hair)

I found my new workout wear to be great for Pilates. For an 8 buck tank, worked lovely. I like functional CHEAP. Snug, but not so snug as to impede Pilates moves. We did ALL sorts of new stuff today and trainer was woohooing my increased flexibility and ability to do stuff even harder and better with less abdominal fat. I felt pretty damn great doing the Cadillac stuff! I need to get another pair or two of these shorts. They were super comfy and stayed in place, and if I could find the tank with a V, even better. In some positions, the edge of the decolletage hit my lip. I need it a bit lower.

First, me in a purple top back in Nov of 2008 at nearly 280 lbs:

Purple Top at 278 lbs...Nov 2008.."I gots HAMS for arms!"

Aspire 7 inch Bike Shorts ($17) and Soffe tank ($8) in XL; arms hanging naturally.

Nov 2009 at 268 lbs. I was pressing my arms close to body with effort.

Still lots of torso/back/arm fat to lose!

Belly is not as sticky-outie. This pleases me no end.

Older pic at 268 lbs. Compare.

Sweetest Hubby in the World and Pic-Taker, and He Pleases me No End!

 Anyway, that adorable man I married took me to dinner last night. I have had stress/mood issues creeping back up, and this cheered me up immensely (especially since it forced me to pretty up and think "date" attitude!)

Yep. I ate more than planned cause that no-crouton Caesar Salad was soooo crazy good, but dang, that was a lot of dressing! I couldn't even guesstimate how much that dressing was...and I ain't happy with that. No bread, no dessert, lots of amazing decaf made in a Frieling French press right at our table. I ordered three, this was so good. About 6 cups of coffee. Yum. Hey, and fluids!

Anyway, the Princess is solidly back on plan TODAY! No dressing orgy. But here  I am, bare arms in view:

Don't care if anyone thinks they're gross. I felt pretty and had fun and did lots of smooching of hubby between cafe sipping. Fitting MORE than comfortably in a booth. Lotsa room.  Life is good!~~

Well, I had my post Pilates fluids while uploading all these pics and I can have my lunch salad and fruit.

I wish you a very happy Monday and may this be a great week of fatfighting. Encourage a fatfighter today!

Later...

How Many Of Y'all Have Loose Wedding Rings? :) A Pic of Mine on Wrong Finger...

When I got married, I wore a size 6.5 wedding ring. I had to have it cut off my finger when I got to 230 lbs. At 299 lbs, I wore a size 9 to 9.5. I got two new rings to wear--one yellow gold with a Celtic pattern and one white gold. Both size 9. Both too large now.

Here am I last night at the Japanese restaurant (sipping one of three cups of green tea I downed) with my wedding ring on the middle finger (where it's been resting for a few months now)~~~~~~~~~>

White Gold wedding ring on Middle Finger. Oops!

I hope to wear my original wedding ring one day.

And I need to stop being lazy and get me some ring guards!

If you found a really good brand of ring guards, drop me a comment, would ya? Most of the ones I saw at amazon.com had lousy reviews...so I put it off....

Saturday Night Walking Exercise....Hollywood Broadwalk, Chilly Night, Gibbous Moon over the Atlantic...

It was getting late--nearing 9pm--and I hadn't done my walking. Yes, though I've already walked four times this week, I'm really starting to enjoy that blood-pumping sensation and how, though my hips always hurt for the first 5 to 10 mins, they loosen up and feel great afterwards.

It was a cool day and we'd gone to the Japanese market to get me teas and some nice traditional tea mugs. We hit Walmart for some essentials, too--toilet paper (since I forgot to online order my recybled Green Forest, we had to make do with Angel Soft), water bottles for hubby (I drink tap from a filtering pitcher), cleansers, etc.

I say to hubby. I want to walk. He says, it's late, is it safe? I say, not in our neighborhood, but let's go to the Broadwalk. We drive the 15 minutes, park at the Ramada's pay lot, and--surprise!--had the moonlit ocean, palms, breeze, sand and Broadwalk pretty much to ourselves. The cold front kept many home. It was great. GREAT for walking. Lovely air, lovely sky, and no crowds Hurrah.

We stopped into a Mexican place for dinner and I kept it minimal--not even 300 cals of grilled chicken on lettuce, with cukes, some pico de gallo, tea...two nibbly bites of hubby's soft chicken taco. Water, natch. I told hubby to put the nachos on the far side of the table and said not to the dressing.

I came home and calculated the dinner calories and was still under 800 for the day. I've been keeping portions pretty small, and without the use of starches (ie, rice, toast with breakfast, no tortilla chips at dinner), I always end up with plenty of calories to play with by evening. This is intentional. If I get hungry, I get hungry at NIGHT. So, I need to save at least 500 to 550 cals for after 6pm.

I wasn't too peckish, not even with less than 800 for the day,  but I didn't wanna end the day at VLC--the body needs daily nutritious foods, imo-- so I had my current fave mini-meal/big snack: yogurt, fruit, walnuts. Calories came to a bit under 1100 for the day.

All in all, a lot of fun for few calories.

Here's a pic hubby took just outside the Mexican place that's right on the Broadwalk. The white hanging stalky things are lights on the restaurant's awning and the curvy things behind me are the trunks of palm trees.  That bright spot over my head ain't no streetlight. It's the gibbous moon...

Moon over my head, beach and ocean at my back...
(click to enlarge)

I'm actually nicely bundled up. I have a thick pullover sweater under, and the overcoat thingie is this Japanese-influenced style sort of wrap/kimono in a knit fabric that's many sizes too big now and I use a pin to keep it crossed over my front. Hubby chuckled when I put it on over my sweater. It was like someone had erected a tent around me. BUT..it keeps me warm and I like it. :)

So, make your walking fun. Go somewhere different. Somewhere pretty or evocative or artsy or ...well...fun!

Nite...