Old Business and New

This holiday season has really flown by.  Unlike past years it seemed like there was little time to reflect on last year or think about goals for the new year.  So, I'm going to keep it easy.  This year my quilting goal is, "Just say no."  I get seduced by the many, many wonderful ideas and opportunities online and the beautiful fabrics in the stores and I want to do them all and use them all.  So, consequently I have several projects mostly finished and that sort of frustrates me.  So this year my motto is to just say, "No."  I may "Pin" or download a pattern or idea but, at least for the next six months I should be able to keep busy with finishing up my "mostly finished" projects.  I'm allowing myself one exception (I know, that's a slippery slope!)  The gals at Fandom in Stitches will be having a monthly block around the theme of the movie The Princess Bride.

 This is an old romantic fantasy comedy from 1987.  It sort of has a cult following and the boys and I are part of that cult!  We've been known to quote lines from this movie in everyday conversation.  Last year I bought them each a DVD of the movie.  So, I'm going to take notice of the blocks (this is a paper pieced project) and may play along.

And that was actually my "new business".  So, in old news I want to share some of my Christmas presents from this year that I couldn't share before the holiday without ruining some surprises.  I made several pants bag ala Jennifer at Glinda Quilts.  I was gifted one of these by Jen and absolutely love it.  She shared a tutorial at the link above.  Here are my versions:

The one in the upper left was made with the circle attachment on my sewing machine.  Turns out that it is easy to work and really awesome!  I don't know why I waited so long to try it out.  The three on the bottom left were made for the sock monkey recipients from earlier last year. 

I also made a few potholders and two aprons (which I forgot to take pictures of).

So, I'm off to work on some blocks for my Country Threads BOM project.  I actually have the December blocks done but haven't had a chance to take pictures.  AND.....if anyone is keeping score, I've finished my step one of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  She had a surprise reveal on New Year's day and I'm slowly putting the blocks together....more about that later.
 

June Small Blog Meet

I haven't been too consistent with my blogging this month.  It's the time of year (around here, anyway) that calls you outside to work in the yard or grill or just sit and watch all the loveliness.  I missed last month's Small Blog Meet so I'm writing this early and getting ready!

Sewing-wise things have been a bit slow.  I've been working hard on this quilt:

Can't show you much more because it's sort of a secret.  The quilting part has been a real problem.  I've un-quilted almost as much as I've quilted.  But hopefully it will be done soon and I'll tell you the whole story.

I've also worked on a few small items here and there like this:

They're great for carrying a few toiletries to the gym or office or just organizing a purse or car or a diaper bag.

And I've been knitting in the evenings - at least when I'm not un-sewing the quilt!

And, we had the baby bird excitement this month.

So, on to June.  My main goal is to finish "the" quilt, keep up with my blocks of the month and do another project or two from my Craftsy classes.  I keep being drawn to other classes, but I've told myself that first I need to finish the ones I've started.  I also signed up for another mystery quilt through the local guild.  It will be fun to see how that turns out.

I can't promise that my blogging will be any more consistent but I do enjoy keeping up with you all and gain lots of inspiration from your posts.

I'm linking up with Lily's Small Blog Meet this month.  I think I should get a lifetime membership.  You can link up until you have more than 50 followers for you blog.  That might take me awhile!

Book #2: The Shoemaker's Wife

At least one of my New Year's resolutions is right on track.  I've just finished my second book, The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  I've enjoyed this book so much.  I didn't want to see it end.

It's well written with enough detail to keep your interest but not so much that the story drags.  The book follows a boy and girl from their childhood in Northern Italy around the turn of the 20th century to their immigration to this country, and the establishment of a life here.  These people could have been my family.  They had different talents and came from a different part of Italy than my family, but their outlook on life and expressions of family values were very familiar to me.  I really appreciated the "goodness" in this book.  The characters had their share of problems throughout the years but they always faced them and persevered without compromising their morals and values.  People died, but no one was murdered.  People were poor, but no one robbed a store.  No one shot a gun.  In fact there was only one person (no details, so that I won't spoil the story) who exhibited unsavory characteristics.

The only thing I don't get about this book is the cover. I understand what part of the story it represents yet it's not the way I would picture it in my mind.

It's definitely a "girl story" but, my brother read AND enjoyed this book!  I think he also appreciated the similarities to our family.

It's a good, wholesome read.  Oh, and the main character is a seamstress!!

New Year's Resolutions

It's time to look back and look ahead.  2012 was a good year.  I really seemed to hit my stride in learning to enjoy retirement.  We took some great trips from Florida, to England and Scotland and to our favorite beach house.  We weathered two storms with minor damage all of which has been repaired.  We got to see family numerous times (although that never seems enough).  It was the "Year of the Move" for many of our extended family, many of them moving long distances across the country.  I learned lots and lots more about quilting and sewing and had tons of fun along the way.  And I seemed to get into the groove of blogging and became acquainted with the wider world of quilting and textile crafts.

On a more individual note:  I had set a  book reading goal (6 books/year) and was able to meet (and slightly exceed) it.  I had decided in March to try to remember the birthdays of my immediate extended family (siblings, nieces, nephews and spouses of all) and have been able to keep up with that.  My weight loss goal of losing that elusive last five pounds did not get met.  Truth be told, I think I sort of gave up on that one.  But, on the positive side, weight was maintained with little effort which seems to indicate that, while one must always be vigilant for those creeping extra pounds, my present lifestyle seems to be in balance regarding calories in vs. calories out.

Things I would like to modify:  I'd like to return the focus on losing the last five pounds.  I don't think the health implications are as great as they were 15 pounds ago, but I feel like I've left that undone.  I'd like to be more involved in the use of time and talents for others.   I'd like to continue the reading pattern that I started.  And I'd like to be more consistent in work in the yard and with the house plants.  I enjoy that work, but often, well, I'd just rather sew.  The same goes for general household organization.

I've never been one for resolutions in the past.  I think I had a habit of setting aggressive goals and then getting discouraged when I couldn't keep up.  But I do think goals help me keep focus on certain things I would like to accomplish.  And blogging does provide a certain amount of accountability since writing these down defines the task as worthy of attention. So, with all that in mind, my 2013 resolutions/goals look like this:

• 6  books read in the year.
• 5  pounds to lose.
• 4  volunteer projects (quilt donations, time donations and the like)
• 3  times/week for 15 minutes - additional exercise (This one may be the hardest but will assist with the weight goal above.)
• 2  times/week, work in the yard or with the houseplants for a duration of about 45 minutes (They have a way of getting ahead of me and hopefully this goal will help)
• 1 time/month complete a declutter project around the house. 

There are many sewing and quilting projects that I want to complete, but since I enjoy those so much it doesn't seem necessary to set them as goals.  They seem to happen without really trying.

Now, back to sewing.

New Year's Resolution

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions, but there is a small thing that I would like to change in my life.  Keeping track in this blog has helped for other things, so maybe it will help with this.  I would like to read more.  I've gone through phases when I've been a pretty consistant reader and then others when I can hardly get through a book.  And that's where I am now.  So, I would like to read six books in 2012.  I know that's not many, but I believe in realistic, attainable goals.  The first three that I want to read are:  two dog books that I got for Christmas and an e-book written by my nephew.  I've already started the e-book, so maybe tis is cheating, but trust me, I need all the help I can get.

So, I'll post after each complete book, maybe even with my "review" of the story.  Wish me luck!

2011 Wrap Up: Year One of Retirement

Well, the holidays are over.  The tree and decorations are down.  The big meals have been made, eaten and cleaned up.  It's time to get back to everyday living.  I've caught up on most of the details of life that get pushed aside this time of year and I feel the need to touch base here before fully moving into the new year of activities.  I've had many ideas come into my head that I wanted to write about but little time to do it.  But for now, let's just stick with the recap.

Retirement:  This was my first year of not working.  I was a bit hesitant to retire at a younger age, but anxious to try it. As the year progressed I grew to love the freedom more and more.  I've purposely NOT signed up for anything this past year - no gym membership, no volunteering, no regular commitments.  I'm sure I won't continue that trend for the rest of my life, but it has been so freeing to have my time to myself each day.  I know that my retirement won't look the same for the rest of my years, but for now I'm happy with how it looks.

Diet:  I ended the year just a few pounds shy of my goal.  Over the holidays I maintained the lost weight, but didn't continue to lose.  I've stayed active and changed my eating habits for the better.  I want to lose ten more pounds in 2012.  This will bring my BMI into the acceptable range and should help keep my family history of Type II Diabetes in check (I hope).

Quilting:  I've embraced quilting wholeheartedly.  One of my gifts this Christmas was a pair of quilting books that will continue to teach me some of the basics.  My first project of the new year will be a small wall hanging summarizing my projects of the last year.  I hope to make that a yearly thing and a way to catalog what I've done.  I also have a top that needs to be quilted and a few small projects in mind.  Then I will start down my quilt list.  The books have given me a few more ideas to add to the list too!

Travel:  When I thought about retirement I expected to travel more especially with my husband on some of his business trips and to spend some time helping my oldest sister.  Neither of these happened as I expected.  I did get some awesome travel in, though, but I didn't accompany my husband as much as I thought. That may change a bit this next year.  We'll see.

Parenting:  The boys (men) are all in a good place in their lives.  It's funny that I still consider this parenting even though they are adults and one is married.  The thing is, sometimes as they grow older you see the outcome of decisions you made years ago in their upbringing.  Some, I'm glad for; some I wish I could do over.  I wish I was able to spend more time with them; I wish we were closer (relationship wise). Maybe additional years will bring that to pass.

Blogging:  I've enjoyed my first attempt at blogging.  It gives me a good outlet for writing down my thoughts and keeping track of some aspects of life.  I don't know how long I'll continue or if I'll try to change my strategies any.  I may work on changing the look of the blog some, just for the educational experience of it all.  I enjoy watching the stats, slow as they may be.  I'm curious how people come to find my blog since it has been pretty under the radar.  I have yet to get my first official on the blog "comment".  So, if anyone out there has anything al all to say, I'm all ears.

So, like it or not, the book is closed on the holidays and 2011.  It's time to move forward and see what this next year has to bring.

133 Has Arrived!

I'm starting to see 133 pounds now and again on the scale!  As always, it's not consistent, but 135 seems to have been banished!  I'm very glad for the change since I feel like I'm approaching a dangerous phase of weight loss.  First of all, I've lost enough weight to feel good about the process and a bit like I've "arrived".  And indeed I HAVE arrived at the first goal, but not the ultimate weight loss goal.  But the feeling of accomplishment can make me less vigilant about the quality and quantity of my intake and cause a small backslide of sorts.  Actually an occasional look into those dressing room mirrors that always make me feel fat is a good thing about now to keep me motivated to continue to lose. Secondly, we're entering into the cold weather here.  There are two problems with winter weather:  I'm naturally less active and the cold seems to make one craze heavier, richer foods.  I also shy away from cold foods in the winter like fruit out of the refrigerator or salads.  I want to put something warm into my stomach on cold days.  So I'm not doing too well on the vegetable front lately.  I need to come up with some way to eat vegetables that is not a salad but is still healthy.  And perhaps I can counter the lower activity with a little time on my husband's treadmill.  I'm hoping to keep the momentum going through the next year.

Diet Check In

Well, with the year 5/6ths over, it's time to evaluate my diet.  The weight is still coming off, but very slowly now.  I love my digital scale.  It's not only more accurate, but I can see progress in smaller steps.  For instance, I haven't seen the number "136" for many weeks.  And I'm seeing "134" more and more often.  In between there I see 135 and change.  I know that weight fluctuates during each day but as long as the higher numbers become less frequent and the lower ones more common, I figure I'm still headed in the right direction.  The first time the number 133 shows up, I'm going to be excited.  I'm not sure that I will reach my goal by the end of the year but the change in scales (remember my old scale measured 4 pounds light) makes it a bit hard to determine.  In any case, though, I will end the year in better health than I started it.

The pretty fall days have been good for increasing my exercise.  I've taken my dog out on afternoon walks at some local parks in addition to our regular morning walk.  I wish I could have gotten out on some hiking trails with him this fall, but I didn't accomplish that.  We do have some nice local parks and a lake near town with a trail around it that we visited recently.  We also tried a trail around our new hospital.  They have been advertising it as a "park like" setting.  It's totally oversold.  It's just a sidewalk around the hospital...not very park like to me.

Food choices are always a challenge.  I've learned that salads and fruit are important to keep me on track.  They're filling but low in calories.  They also seem to control my carb and sweet cravings fairly well.  I've also noticed that being involved in as activity - even a sedentary one like my sewing - helps simply because I don't think about eating when I'm concentrating on something else.  I'm also much more aware of portion size, particularly for calorie dense foods and try to limit my servings of them.  I've also learned to notice when I feel full and to leave the rest on the plate.

So, I"m already thinking about 2012 and goals to set there.  If I had to give myself a grade for 2011 I think it would be a solid "B".

Diet Update: My New Scale

My diet has gone well thus far with me hitting my midyear goal last month.  However, since hitting that goal I seem to have lost my vision and sort of plateaued.  I've mentioned before that my old scale did not agree with the doctor's scale and I suspected that mine measured a bit light.  I decided it was time to upgrade to a digital scale.  The bad news is that indeed there is about a four pound difference in the two scales with the new one measuring heavier.  The good news is that I'm still on track and can in fact reach my end of the year goal if I keep focused.  In fact, if I use this new scale as my reference I will have a more accurate weigh in.  Also the exactness of the measurement helps with motivation.  So, I have 8 pounds to go in four months - two pounds/month; 1/2 pound a week.  That should be attainable.  I have been eating better and part of that is due to my husband's change in eating habits. 

Here's hoping for a skinnier 2012.

So, How About that Diet?

Well, I actually started this blog to keep track of my diet progress and to provide a certain amount of accountability in my weight loss endeavor.  Of course my lack of an audience sort of negates the accountability, but it is still nice to be able to keep track of my progress and to be able to set and reach goals along the way.  My initial goal was to lose 20 pounds during 2011 by lifestyle changes.  At the end of June, I had accomplished just over 1/2 of the goal with a 12 pound weight loss.  I was concerned about a cruise I took with my sister last month since I have heard that cruises are just one constant buffet.  Although it IS true that you can pretty much eat what you want whenever you want, I was able to keep that under control.  The daily excursions also helped with exercise and calories used each day.  Sightseeing can be pretty energy intensive!  The tower of Pisa has 294 stairs and the coliseum has just under 200.  And the bus never parked anywhere close to where we were going so there was often a significant walk to the sites.

I didn't do as well though in maintaining my dietary changes.  I did try to eat my 2 servings/day of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables but some days that didn't happen.  The fruit on the cruise was especially good, though and it helps that it was cut up and just waiting for me to put on my plate and eat.  Once I got home it was harder to return a good diet.  I was out of practice for preparing my own meals and lets face it, fruits and especially vegetables require more preparation than grabbing a granola bar.

But, all things considered, I'm happy to have accomplished my 1/2 year goal.  I think the next ten pounds may be even harder, but I'm going to forge ahead.  I like fitting into my clothes better (and even having some be too big).  I feel better overall even though I'm still a ways from the suggested weight for my height.  If only I could grow a few inches taller all would be fine!

Just Checking In

Life is progressing through the anticipated craziness of this month.  The first graduation is Friday and then events come in quick succession.  I've been trying to get the house and yard in tip-top shape both for guests and because I won't be able to care for the yard and house for several weeks during our upcoming graduations, wedding, visits, surgery and travel.

So, I've been busy and I've been able to maintain my walking schedule.  I think my eating is on track or close to on track, but the scale continues to refuse to budge.  I still weigh about 138 pounds (142 on a recent MD visit....but we've already discussed the scale discrepancies and my desire to continue to pretend that my scale is correct).  In any case I'm mainly looking for a decrease in weight and not particularly concerned about the exact number.  My clothes all fit better (some are even too big!) and I'm enjoying that.  But, truly, I would like to get back to seeing the scale register a bit lower.

I'd like to try to add an evening dog walk each night.  From now through the summer the days will be long enough to allow me to walk in the light.  But right now we're having a bit of a monsoon.  We've had almost two and 1/2 inches of rain in the past 24 hours.  Today I"m working on inside projects and being thankful that I'm able to just sit home and watch the weather.  I'm falling in love with retirement!!

Diet Check In

I had forgotten that sometimes a busy schedule works in my favor as far as weight control goes.  The activity sometimes makes me less aware of being hungry and the busy schedule keeps me distracted from food.  Add to that the nervous energy that travel creates for me and I more than balance out the dietary indiscretions.  So even though I indulged with sorbet, french toast, stuffed shells, cake with whipped cream icing, donuts, a gigantic muffin, wine and sweet potato fries, in the end I managed to maintain and even lose slightly.  If I'm reading my analog scale correctly I am now at 138.  I have two more pounds to go to reach my six month goal and nine more weeks to accomplish it.  I'm feeling good about this weight lose project.

I still have a few challenges in those weeks, though:  two graduations, a wedding and all that goes with it (bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, house guests) and a seven day cruise.  To balance that I have a long hike up Old Rag and several excursions during the cruise along with again, the nervous energy of travel.  Here's hoping I keep my balance!

The First Big Challenge

Well, I've passed my first challenge since starting my diet.  I had a week of company with special meals and meals out and have managed to keep the scale under 140.  There was only one meal in particular where I felt like I over ate.  We went to a Mexican restaurant and by the time I worked through the chips and my meal, I was overstuffed.  The weekend also included more wine and desserts than usual.  The biggest problem I found was that my tastes seemed to reset themselves toward the sweet, fatty side of things.  Now I have to get back to a more normal diet.  I was able to keep up with my daily walks although some of them were shorter than usual.  But our activities included a lot of walking.  My favorite of the weekend was a visit to the Museum of American Frontier Culture.  There was quite a bit of walking involved there.  It was a nice warm day so we also got to ride in my new car with the top down!  On the way home we stopped for soft serve ice cream at our favorite place.  The flavor of the week was Oreo.

Next challenge:  a long weekend to Las Vegas!

Touching Base with the Big "D"

Since I started this blog to post about my diet, it seems like time to check in with that part of my life.  I have to admit that I'm enjoying writing about whatever, but I don't want to lose track of my primary goal.  So...

First off, the scale has crept below 140!!  It didn't seem to move forever, but I do think I am now seeing progress.  More importantly, many of the healthy changes seem to be sticking.  On close to all days I eat two servings of fruit and walk the dog.  On most days I eat at least one serving of vegetables and drink two glasses of water and don't eat after dinner.  On some days I eat two servings of vegetables and occasionally I exercise for the extra 15 minutes.  That has been the hardest one to implement. I think that once the weather gets a little nicer I'm going to walk the dog again in the evening.  I know that is not as balanced as incorporating strength or flexibility, but maybe it will jump start me into a bit more activity.

I have several challenges coming up in the next two months.  I have house guests which will mean that I'm cooking more and providing desserts and large breakfasts.  Although I will say that I've made more healthy choices when planning out the menus.  I have two graduations and a wedding coming up and the biggest challenge of all will be a cruise in mid June.  I'm hoping that the sightseeing activity balances the predicted over eating.

So, I'm still a long way from my mid year goal of 135, but I HAVE inched past 140 which was my criteria for not joining Weight Watchers in June.

Why Do I Care What the Scale Reads?

I'm really trying to keep my focus and remain positive but I have to admit that I'm pretty discuraged today.  I feel like I"m eating much healthier and I feel like my clothes fit better, my "muffin top" is smaller and I think that the scale should reward me by showing some progress.  But it doesn't.  I have an old scale.  The kind that isn't digital so you're always guestimating exactly what the reading is.  But it's pretty obvious when you pass those big lines, like above or below 140.  And it definatly still reads above.  And I SO want it to read below.  I guess the reading on the scale is a tangable piece of data to point to and say that I'm making progress and that the whole dieting thing is worth it.  In addition to the scale disappointment, I heard from my doctor's office today about my recent bloodwork.  As usual, my cholesterol is boarderline high.  Now, it's been this way for the past 10 years or so.  It fluctuates up and down, but never down enough.  And my good cholesterol is always way high.  I was advised to follow a low cholesterol diet.  I already pretty much follow a low cholesterol diet.  When I looked online about ways to lower your cholesterol and foods and activities that help - I eat and do all that stuff.  I don't think the answer is my diet.  I truly think it's my weight.  If I could lose the weight I would lower the cholesterol.

I think it's time to identify three more things to work on.  Originally my three focuses were:  eat two servings of fruit/day; walk the dog daily; and no eating after dinner.  I'm doing fairly well on these.  I don't hit all three all the time, but overall, I would say that I'm hitting at least 85-90%.  So, I want to focus on three more while still following the original three.  My new healthy habits:  2 servings of vegetables/day; 15 minutes/day of yoga or strength training on days I don't work in the yard (since that should count as strength training in itself!) and two glasses of water/day.  I'm really bad about the water but I'm going to try.  My weight goal is still to be 135 by the end of June.  If by that time I have still failed to push my scale below even 140 I'm going to give Weight Watchers a try.  I've never done WW for a lot of reasons.  My doctor suggested it at my check up visit.  I'm just not a joiner and programs like that put even more focus on the eating which almost makes me want to eat even more!  But, if I am failing that miserably by then, I should try something and perhaps it will show me what the missing ingredient is in this whole diet/weight thing.

On another note - we are having near 70 degree weather which has made it possible for me to do some work in the yard.  I'm really enjoying that.  Today I mulched one of my large flower beds.  Tomorrow I will do one more.  Then the weather is suppossed to turn cold again so I guess I can catch up on inside projects. I'm really enjoying this retirement thing!

Dieting Pitfalls

I've been cruising along pretty good on my diet resolutions until this past week.  I've read that some foods have an addictive combination of salt, fat and sugar that make it more difficult for us to resist.  I think I may have found that combination recently in a Domino's pizza.  My preference is a plain cheese pizza or maybe some veggie toppings.  I dislike the meat toppings, so that is in my favor.  My husband and I ordered a half meatza/half cheese pizza but I inadvertently ordered a thin crust.  This turned out to be in my favor, diet-wise since I ate way too much!  AND I found myself going back a few hours later to eat still more.  My husband was not thrilled with the meatza side in the thin crust so a few pieces from that half are still in the frig waiting to be thrown away.

I followed that diet indiscretion two days latter with an indulgent choice at a local restaurant.  I'm not a fan of regular french fries, but this place makes the most awesome sweet potato fries.  The plate came piled with fries, pulled pork, coleslaw and sauteed zucchini.  Everything was great and while I didn't clean my plate, I did eat way more than my usual portions of all.  To make it worse, we ordered appetizers and the calamari was also hard to resist.  I kept the beverage to water, so maybe I should give myself points for that.

So, now I'm trying to get back on course.  I cooked some chicken breasts at lunch today and ate it over a modest salad.  I guess that's a start towards re-balancing.  I'm almost afraid to check my weight on the scale after my recent disappointment at the doctor's office.  My goals have been modest and to stay on course I need to weight 135 by June 30.   One real challenge to that goal will be a cruise that I'm taking with my sister in mid June!  Hopefully all the walking during our excursions will balance the glut of food that I hear so much about.  And really, I believe that for a diet to be successful, the lifestyle changes have to be sustainable.  It's not uncommon to eat more in certain situations as long as they do not occur on a regular basis.  Life would be sort of boring without awesome sweet potatoe fries, pizza and the splurg of a meal out.

Balance, balance, balance!!

The Basics

OK, so let's set the starting point. Actually, this new endeavor to lose weight started about a week ago.  Maybe it was the new year, maybe it was my recent retirement, maybe it was the onset of health issues in family members - but whatever the reason, I decided to once again get serious about losing weight. 

I'm short at five feet and no inches, so it doesn't take many pounds for me to look pudgy.  And clearly weight makes one look older.  And weight makes clothes fit funny or not fit well.  And if you read information on just about any disease from diabetes to heart disease to even some cancers, the lifestyle change always mentioned is to lose weight.  And it doesn't take much weight loss to make one healthier.  So, that's why my realistic goal has been 15-20 pounds.  My starting weight (I can't believe I am putting this in print) was 145 making my BMI too high.  Oh, I should mention here that I am NOT a compulsive weigh-er.  Weighing myself each day is not motivating to me.  I prefer to weigh in maybe once a week.  So, don't expect frequent updates on that matter.

One other thing.....I don't expect a following on such a self centered issue, but in case I have readers please know that this is my first attempt at blogging and I'm learning as I go.  I'm putting this activity under mental exercise that helps in preventing cognative decline.

And So It Starts

I've done quite a bit of dieting throughout my life - some successful - some not so successful.  And I find that it is time to try once again to trim down a bit.  But why a blog this time? I've kept journals on my computer for a while.  I have one that chronicles the places I've visited and one that lists hikes I've taken.  But, when it comes to dieting, the old "food journal" has never quite done it for me.  In fact, the more focus I've put on what I eat, the worse it becomes.  So, you might think that a blog of dieting would work against me.  But, I'm giving it a try.  Having it sort of "public" adds a bit of accountability to the process that may in fact be helpful.

I know about calories.  I know about metabolism.  I know just about all the "facts" that you need to know to understand dieting.  The problems not the knowing.  The problem is the doing.  Other vices can be given up completely.  When you give up smoking, you don't smoke anymore.  When you give up drinking, you can choose to give it up altogether.  But if I was to just give up eating - well, that wouldn't work.  So with dieting moderation is essential- and truly the crux of the problem.

I'm lousy at diets that give you menus to follow.  The reason is really simple. You read these meal menus and they sound great.  You go out and buy the food to prepare them, but of course, you have to buy more food than needed to prepare each meal.  And then....you have left over ingredients to either rot in the fridge until you discard them or to tempt you to eat what you shouldn't.  Truth be told, we eat in "spurts".  We buy some great looking grapes and eat them frequently until they are gone.  We don't eat ten grapes one day, 6 strawberries the next and a medium apple the next.  We buy grapes by the pound and strawberries by the quart and we eat them.

So, my goal for this dieting attempt to to eat healthier and hopefully reduce by 15-20 pounds during 2011.  I have a family history of Type 2 Diabetes.  I'd like to delay my own onset of this as long as possible.
The best diet advice I've read of late suggested picking three things to focus on and to try to follow these each day.  My three things are:  increase my daily servings of fruit by one/day; no eating after dinner; and walk my dog daily.  I'm sort of cheating because I already walk my dog pretty close to daily, but some early success may be helpful.