Tuesday, March 30.

Oh, oh, oh, my goodness!! I am in such a pickle! I started this weblog to help me get my %^$# together so that I could work on getting my weight down to the FINAL goal. I am now five pounds over what I was. What gives here, folks??

Okay, the rant is over. I just spent a week with my mother and brother and sister’s families doing visiting and family stuff in Philadelphia that needed to be done. The only thing I can say that is a common thread for the week is WHEAT. There was wheat EVERYWHERE. I gained two pounds in wheat weight. I mean, it was everywhere. I couldn’t fight it. I avoided sweets. I ordered compliant foods in any restaurants I happened to be in. But, mostly it was eating in family homes and there was SO MUCH WHEAT!!!!!

Wednesday, March 31.

Good morning. I feel so much better now. I can see my ankles again. They were so swollen yesterday from flying and sitting in airports and all the unbalancing things travel can do to a body. The only time my ankles swell is when I fly. One of those nasty two pounds is off already, so I’ll bet by tomorrow or Friday, the wheat effect will be gone. Got some parsley, watercress and spinach to juice with apples. My juicing book says that is good for water weight. And I am so grateful I didn’t come down with a cold. I’ll thank the visit to the acupuncturist before I left for that. I’ll thank my acupuncturist, too.

Okay. So now I have to set myself to really working on this weight problem. What I need to do is increase the intake of those green vegetables. For this week I am going to drink at least one glass of vegetables each day. I am going to try to do some treadmill each day. Even if it is a Pilates day, I will also get on the treadmill. No one ever said I couldn’t exercise twice in one day, did they?

And so it goes.

It was double-whammy day for my body today. My acupuncturist and chiropractor sometimes work in tandem on each other’s patients for the most benefit. So, had acupuncture this morning. My shoulder and rib cage have been behaving pretty well lately, so she didn’t have to do too much with that. I had her work on why my eyes and fingers have been so swollen upon waking the past two weeks or so. She also did some immune system boosting, as I have to get on a plane tomorrow morning and fly to Philadelphia to visit my mother. I mean I WANT to visit my mother. It’s just that I HAVE to get on a plane to get there.

Then the chiropractor took over and put some little things back into place. Nothing major going on, thank goodness.

Oh, I don’t look forward to traveling all day tomorrow. I have chorus rehearsal tonight, will get back late from that, and will probably set the alarm for 4:45 or 5:00 am, as I have to be at the airport by 7:00. Then there is a plane change in Chicago. Won’t hit Philly till 7:30, which of course will be 4:30 for my body. I am going to load up on extra Proberry so my body can have some help adjusting. Anyway, won’t be back till late Monday the 29th. Will save up all the fun for you next week!

Well, the piano concert Thursday night was everything I expected. Richard Goode is just one amazing artist. He played a Janacek composition that was so riveting. Better than the Schubert and Chopin pieces he played. And I’m pretty partial to those two composers. Had a calamari appetizer and some wine after the concert. Calamari is neutral for me, but my ND told me to stay away from it because of the high cholesterol content. (Phooey!) I have cut way back on it, but sometimes I gotta have what I gotta have!

Today has been exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Our chorus is gearing up for regional competition in April. So, we had our special coach from California up for an all day workshop. And we put in a really full day of work. Learned new stuff to keep us going. Hopefully we can keep it all in our heads and remember these things when it comes time for contest. Of course the problem with these all day workshops is that it is broken up by a potluck lunch. All these great cooks bring wonderful food, and tons of it. I did pretty well by staying away from the pasta salads and the grains. Did have a small wrap with a little pita bread involved. The problem was the dessert table. I’m not usually big on the sweets, but for some reason I succumbed to the homemade chocolate chip cookie and the apple cake. (Sigh!) Now I’m really going to have to watch it the rest of the day! Anyway, it’s off to a soak in the tub after standing on the risers all day. Eat well.

I can’t believe the week is over again already! They say time flies when you’re having fun, but it went so fast I can’t remember the fun parts. It’s been a pretty run-of-the-mill week. We’re in the slow part of the year for our business, so I actually find myself with free time and nothing planned in it. Really makes me feel like I’m at loose ends. I am so used to being busy. Okay, okay, I am truly trying to enjoy the free time. I haven’t strayed from the diet this week. I’ve even been watching my protein portions. I know I can overdo it with a big juicy steak. Hubby tends to buy really big ones and I need to be able to remember cut mine in half and put the other half in the fridge before I find I’ve eaten the whole thing. I’ve kept up with the exercise appropriately, too. Tuesday was my workout day off this week, but I did aerobics or Pilates each day since Sunday.

Tonight we are stepping out to hear Richard Goode in concert. He is one of the best classical pianists around. I can’t wait. He played here several years ago and I became an immediate fan. We’ll go for a light snack and a drink afterward. (And I’m going to wear a dress!! )

Just finished an exhilarating workout. 25 minutes on the rebounder, then 20 more on the treadmill. Then, of course 10 or more minutes doing Pilates-style exercises and stretches. So, the rest of the day will be doing some office work at home, calling my mother for our weekly chat, trying to stay compliant with my diet, and ending it with watching a recording of the Honda Golf Classic on TV with hubby. (Note to Paul: See? You do NOT lead a boring existence!! We all seem to have our own mundane ways of enjoying life.)

Yesterday I got out on my home golf course for the first time since last August. (I have been trying to nurse bad neck/shoulder/arm all fall and winter). I did pretty darn well for me, too. For my handicap, I shot a 68. Unfortunately in real numbers it was 97. But I haven’t broken 100 in well over a year, so I was pretty happy. Maybe the healing process will have taken the kink out of my game. It will be fun (and vexing) to play out the season. Be assured, you will hear all about it. There is no one more consumed than the avid golfer. I am glad that golfing is a recommended exercise for Type B’s.

I’m being very boring with the diet right now. I am not doing what I have promised myself. I am just plodding along – doing the same day in and day out. I am not losing the three pounds I gained during the holidays. I am not cutting down on my portions. The promise not to drink alcohol lasted all of four days.

I bought a used treadmill and it was delivered over the weekend. In combination with the rebounder, I did a mile on the treadmill both Saturday and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday, I have been nursing a sore knee. Ice packs and stretching. Ack!! Feels okay now, so will try again on the treadmill tomorrow. My Pilates instructor recommends what she calls “railroad arms” while working on the treadmill. Not, wiggling your hips and keeping your arms straight will keep your knees from being knocked out of shape.

I will try a new attitude again tomorrow. There is always a tomorrow.

Yeah, he’s a keeper. A well-meaning man, to be sure. Sometimes he just doesn’t quite get it. He tried a new recipe last night. We sometimes get tired of the just meat and vegetable routine. So, he goes into his lo-carb cookbook and comes up with a casserole. It called for sausage, so he very judiciously chose turkey sausage instead of pork because of my B diet. Then there was probably a pound of cheddar cheese (avoid) in it besides eggs and crème fresh and onions and some other things I’m not sure of. Well, I don’t know how many times we’ve had this turkey sausage and I react badly to it. And I have mentioned it to him each time I reacted badly to it. I don’t think it has sunk in yet. Therefore, I have ‘pizza eyes’ today and a couple pounds up from yesterday. All water. Oh well, ya gotta love him for trying!

This is too weird. I haven’t had any alcohol to drink since Sunday night. I am so wired. I really want to be tired, but I just keep going and going and going. Just like the Eveready Bunny. I am really used to a cocktail in the evening to relax. It is a habit, I admit, but I don’t think I’ve reached alcoholic stage yet. Rarely do I ever feel “buzzed” or drunk or wake up in the morning fuzzyheaded from it. But I would like to feel sleepy, if you please. I’m going to keep going with this for a few more days and see how it plays out. I’m not sure I can get through double-header Hockey Night in Canada on the TV Saturday night without a bourbon….but who knows, I might get used to this and like it.

And diet-wise I’m right on queue with it. In fact, my appetite is next to nil without the alcohol to stimulate it. I think I’ll try some alternate-nostril breathing tonight before bed to see if I can calm down enough for sleep.

Omigod, I’m not sure I should be baring my soul like this. Makes me feel naked in front of the world

Okay, I did weigh myself yesterday. And the news was not encouraging. It shows that I have been bouncing around those 3 extra pounds I gained during the holidays. And just maybe my set point is creeping up to that 3 pound level. I must do something drastic to stop the bleeding. And I’m not just going to talk about it!

What I have to do is to stop my nightly nip of bourbon until I get this under control. Alcohol stimulates the appetite, and then helps to break down your guard when it comes to temptations and second portions. I know this is the only way I’m going to get back in control.

Last night I sipped on cranberry juice sweetened with stevia and vegetable glycerin for my cocktail. It really tasted quite refreshing. I will keep the juices flowing.