Music: Big City Rhythms – Michael Feinstein

Mood: Accepting the reality of it all

The day to day struggle of ‘being good’ was paying off. I was feeling better, had lost a pound and was being more diligent about the aerobics. Then last weekend was our annual Sweet Adelines retreat. Our coach flies up from San Jose and we hole up in a hotel and work on our competition songs all weekend. In between rehearsing, we eat and drink. We don’t sleep a whole lot. It’s a great time. I think I had too good a time. I came home really puffy and creaky. I didn’t stick a whole lot to my plan. The ‘plan’ just didn’t fit into the ‘fun’ part.

So, I suppose, the trick to this whole lifestyle change thing is to figure out a new way of ‘having fun’ or enjoying life. I know if I were a diagnosed celiac or gluten intolerant, I would always go out of my way to avoid wheat. The immediate consequences would be disastrous enough that I would find a way to deal with the lifestyle change. At this point, the ingestion of avoids just causes me minor disturbances. That is, on the surface it seems like a minor disturbance. I know that inside, on the cellular level, there are many more bad things happening.

Ack! I don’t want to change. I have to change.

And the struggle goes on.

Okay….it’s time for the New Year Blog.

I am doing my usual first of the year self-assessment. It doesn’t look all that hot, folks. I am three, yes count them THREE pounds heavier than I was at the end of last year. The last one has come on in the last month. I haven’t had this much lack of will power in years. There have been more avoids in the house than usual. And I kept saying…..”well, it’s the Holidays!” Yeah, man. The Holidays.

Of course, during this past guilt-ridden month of eating too much and too many avoid items, I have also been plotting and planning the annual “New Year’s Resolution to Lose Weight”. I think there is a theme to my life here. Denial could be part of it. (Oh, that blasted Egyptian river!)

Denial is not good for a non-secretor.

So, here’s the plan. I have gathered fresh flax oil and lecithin granules. I received Harmonia and B/AB Protein powders from NAP. I have purchased beneficial fruit juice and will RESOLVE to mix these all together and drink for breakfast three or four times a week. I will not put breakfast off until 2 PM. I am going to eat smaller meat portions at the evening meal. I am going to drink less bourbon. That’s enough for the food part.

Exercise-wise, I will continue to practice Pilates 2-3 times a week. I will continue to practice Tai Chi once a week. I will make sure that I do aerobics a minimum of three times per week.

Oh, and after reading my fellow bloggers latest entries……I will love myself.