1) Finding a CHIN HAIR!!  It’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating. It’s just gross and weird. What’s worse is when you notice one in the bright light of midday, sitting in your car, while gazing at yourself in the rear-view mirror. A horrified and frenzied search of your purse reveals that you have not brought any tweezers with you at all. Now, of course, you are going out into public sporting little Harry. Will anyone notice? Of Course! Will they say anything? Never! But they will be thinking all manner of snide and unflattering things. You can rest assured that their egos will be tremendously boosted by your act of unintended humility. By the way, good luck with trying to use your fingernails to do the job. I actually own about 5 pairs of tweezers due to the fact that I have been known to go buy another pair when such an event occurs, rather than wait to get home and use my tweezers there. Vain? Yes. I know. But it feels so good to remove the offending thing. It’s like the satisfaction of removing a tick embedded in skin- that’s how revolting I find them. One day, when I am completely old and gray, I will laugh out loud at what a big deal I used to think  ”a chin hair or two” was. At that point, I imagine I will be more concerned with some of the other more horrific realities of the human body, like hair sprouting out of the end of my nose wart. (future nose wart!) I know, I know- there are much worse things I could be concerned with, but I am trying to keep it light, here.

2) Whistling S’s. I hate it when I start noticing that all of my ‘ess’ sounds are whistling and hissing. I try to clip those little ssSSssSS whistles, and then I end up sounding like I have a clipped tongue.

3) Whistling nose at night. Somewhere, some bat in the cave decides to provide entertainment in the form of  a nose whistle that only you can hear and that keeps you awake until you finally go blow your nose. The bedside tissue box is a must, now.

4) When I can hear the inside of the bed comforter squeak against my fingernails! I know how crazy this sounds. If you know what I am talking about, you are probably laughing. Otherwise, it probably sounds like the rantings of a lunatic with OCD. I just have to move my hands, problem solved.  But I don’t always want to!  They were comfortable where I had them!  (first world problems!)

5) The way I tilt my head to the side when someone is talking like a Golden Retriever trying to understand a complex command. ARGHH! I am working on stopping this.

6) My 120 decibel sneezes.

7) Cellulite dimples on my rear even when I lose weight and exercise. What do I have to do? Starve to death? Or just get over it…

8) The happy trail on my belly that I shave almost daily. Why? Why am I so hairy?

9) The mole on my upper, left forehead. I always hide it with hair. It’s been there since I was a baby. I hate it. I have thought of  having it removed, but I imagine a small, shiny round scar will exist in it’s place, that will resemble a small pox scar or a crater, so I leave it alone.

10) The fact that I don’t know if I have bad breath, and always wonder if people are just offering me gum and mints out of kindness, or if there’s something more sinister in the air.

11) The way I end up depressed for the rest of the day if I ever make the mistake of looking at myself with a magnifying mirror. Don’t do it!

Breakfast burrito, with a bit of pepperoni, eggs, cheese, and l/c tortilla, YUM!Breakfast burrito and blueberries. Delicious!

Today’s breakfast, including two large coffees, comes in at 10 grams, tops. Three grams of the carb comes from this delicious La Tortilla Factory low-carb wrap, with 7 grams of fiber. I have been looking forward to OWL for some time, and these tortillas are the main reason. They are a great, high fiber way to wrap up a lovely little breakfast burrito. That’s what we have here in the photograph, and you can see all the ingredients used. I also had 1/4 cup of blueberries, still mostly frozen, for 4.4 g. The coffee half & half and Splenda counts for the rest of the carb count. I get 25 grams per day now, so I have plenty of time and carb room left for a cup of brocolli or green beans with some sort of meat for lunch, and a chicken or salmon dinner with salad. Just another idea from the vault. This one’s easy, filling, and satisfying. It also provides a lot of fiber, blueberry antioxidants and vitamin C, protein, calcium, decent fat count, and whole grain goodness. According to something I read recently, from a reputable source, the time to eat the majority of the carbs you are going to eat should be in the morning, or earlier part of the day.

Good to know, right?

For me, music is definitely the motivator to move. For some, competition is the key . For still others, a social environment (think- a walking or exercise ‘buddy’) is pivotal to staying motivated. Whatever it is that you LIKE to FEEL- incorporate that into your routine!
Peaceful and serene your thing? Yoga, ballet, or nature walks. Competition? Volleyball or other team sports. Connected to the elements? Swimming, hiking, walking, biking. Overcoming challenges? Obstacle courses at the park, and track your progress. Self-disciplined? Karate, kick-boxing, wall-climbing. And, according to Low-Carb-Confidential’s research, (my inspiration here at WordPress)  just a couple of these intense sessions a week is enough!
You get the idea.
The other kicker? When you enjoy it, it’s not so hard to get motivated to do it and to keep it up! Finally, while working out alone is not enough to cause me to lose weight- it definitely seems to help when my diet is already in good shape. I’ve been faithful to the plan, no cheating in eight weeks, but still, I wasn’t losing much, and not very quickly. I have shared my struggles with you all from the beginning. And yes, I have an on-your-feet job that makes me feel worn out when I come home. However- once I start the music and get on the right, comfy clothes, I am ready to go! (Especially during weeks of low hours at work, and my days off!)

And finally, the bigger payoff that people don’t talk about much when it comes to exercise is the body sculpting, strengthening aspect. As we age, especially, we are losing muscle mass and tone all the time. We can fight that with exercise, though. We are also improving our circulation, heart health and strength, oxygenation of red blood cells, boosting our resting calorie burn rate, feeling great about ourselves, increasing energy and stamina, flexibility, and sculpting our bodies into a more pleasing shape! Skinny with no muscle tone doesn’t look so hot, if you think about out. FIT, however, not only feels good, but looks good. Who’s with me?

Have a great day, everyone!

the sun is cleansing me

and I jump, run, skip

a woman in love, in awe

This moment always is-

was- will be in me

When the clouds are unending

the rain forgets to cease

cold winds blow anew

I close my eyes , seeing then

which becomes my true  now

and smile, contented.

I am looking forward to getting my dance on pretty soon with Dance Party 3, but in the meantime, I decided to try a little dessert idea. I am not sure if I love this, because it’s a bit too salty. Macadamias are a very low-carb, fatty little nut that I adore. I decided to mix a bit of the new fiber enriched Splenda and some unsweetened cocoa together in a bowl, then dip macadamias into butter, and then into the cocoa/Splenda mix. Pretty good, but I was missing the vanilla flavor, or anything to cut the saltiness, really. The Splenda seems to lend a bit of salty flavor to it, and I would like to keep working on this to see if I can do better, but it was OK. Frankly, I was OK with just the nuts alone, but thought I’d see if I could do something amazing with a low carb count. Back to the drawing board.

Last night, my husband actually ate like me! We both had rotisserie chicken and salad, and he said he didn’t want anything else. No bread, no pasta, no potatoes. That was nice. We both had plenty of energy for the rest of the evening, and – well, yeah. This is not an ‘adult’ blog, so I will leave it there.

Let’s just say it was a very good evening.

2) low -carb tortilla wraps

3) babybel cheese

4) Atkin’s bars with high fiber

5) Almonds!

6) Whey protein drink with almond milk!

7) exotic veggie stir-fries with salmon or grilled chicken

What I WISH they made in low-carb…

Tortilla CHIPS.

I miss pizza. I wish someone could invent a low-carb, GOOD pizza. I don’t even need red sauce, I could use a white sauce. Maybe there’s a baking mix that makes a decent pizza crust?

There were four of us that spent a lot of time together, but not all of us were friends with all of the others. Catherine and Julie didn’t get along, and Catherine never was the trouble-maker that Julie and I were. The other Julie had a dad at home, but not a mom, and we simply lived to torture her. We were forever playing mean pranks on her, and making fun of her. It’s horrible, really. She didn’t really deserve that. We were always going over to her house, and then ditching her . We would just literally run away. Granted, the girl was very strange and had some …issues. Nevertheless, she deserved better. Tatia liked being with me, but not Catherine or Julie.

Tatia was my best friend. She really didn’t hang out with any of the other girls, but she was my favorite and a true friend. She didn’t lean toward trouble, but toward adventure! She used to make the most annoying bird call noises just to drive me crazy. She stopped that, and tried her legs on karate and then ultimately became a very serious ballerina. We eventually lost touch, but I loved her. She was beautiful, and complex , and quirky, and kind. I also really liked her mom and dad. I  remember her towing me on the back of her bike to her amazing dad’s place of work- the children’s museum! It was awesome. He played the synthesizer in the observatory as laser-light projections flashed on the ceiling. Sometimes there were heavy metal rock sessions, too. There was usually Rush and Pink Floyd playing. Even at age ten, I recognized a certain druggie element at some of those events.

Tatia and I had the most fun. We tried to hatch a duck’s egg. It broke. We rode our bikes all over a ten mile radius. She was the person I could talk to about anything, and she always had something interesting to say. We stayed up late at sleepovers, like most kids, giggling a lot, but also contemplating life. It was really hard when she moved away. She was strong about it, though. She was always strong about everything.

Then we had our periphery buddies. The ones that had more restrictions and home life than we did. These were the friends that wanted nothing to do with trouble, because they actually feared their parents- their very available parents.

Part two of the delinquency story: So, in our adventurous phase, we ventured into dangerous territory. Yes,  more dangerous than swimming in an alligator-infested Florida creek. Julie talked me into playing in a church under construction. We trespassed. We climbed scaffolding in the building, and we walked a plank laid from the balcony seating, across the entire sanctuary far below, and into the balcony seating on the other side. The face that we didn’t know we faced certain death seemed to help. I believe that angels were near. It was a church, after all. Nobody fell.

Fast forward a few months. I decide to go show off my bad girl ways to a new friend named Katie. I have loved the name “Katie” ever since. Anyway, she invited me in. I spied a  parent’s leftover roach in an ashtray. I decided we should smoke it. Katie got freaked out and began warning me how much trouble she would get into if we did- blah, blah, blah. I wouldn’t hear of such cowardice. I proceeded to light it up. Not satisfied with that , I got to looking at the abandoned, boarded up house next door. I could see it from Katie’ s living room window. It had been tempting me for some time. An abandoned house was a chance to explore and have an epic adventure! After a lot of my begging and whining, I won out over Katie’s terrified reluctance, and we went over. I went to the back door. It was glass and wooden, and a television was pushed up against the door. I pushed it far enough to get in. “Come on! I got in! Follow me!” Katie was still warning me every moment that the owner had this place watched.  She’d gotten in trouble for nosing around there before, and told me that the owner was really mean. On and on she harped. I didn’t listen. I began my exploration. I don’t know what possessed me. I began opening cupboards and found a huge stash of Lucky Strike cigarettes, in the carton. I started tossing them out a window to take with me later. I pillaged and carried on like a primate let loose from the zoo.

( Think: Breaking and entering, vandalism, trespassing, burglary) So, anyway, Katie was lagging behind- nagging behind me, but I refused to hear her. Suddenly, Katie was gone, but I was lost in my revelry. She is begging me to get out of there. Finally, I decide to listen. She jumps out a first story window. Not much of a drop. But, my fear of heights kicks in now, of all moments. I spend probably a good 17 minutes contemplating  jumping, while Katie is practically shrieking for me to jump. Then her eyes get super wide and she dashes off.  Suddenly a huge hand clamps down on my arm, and I am face to face with a very large, hairy man. He doesn’t look happy. He begins touring me around the house, to the scene of all of my crimes. “Did YOU DO THIS? And THIS? How about this?” I confessed with a relative amount of detached apathy. I am surprised he didn’t kill me outright. He informed me this was his mother’s house, and how dare I, and the police were coming. It was hard to hear him, loud as he was, over the roar of pounding  blood in my ears. The black and white showed up soon. I ratted out my ‘friend’, but that wasn’t fair. Her mom dealt with her severely. I never saw her again. Sigh…So there I was , a barefooted rat- a puny ten-year old in Juvenile detention, until my mom came to get me. I was petrified. I had a mug shot and fingerprints taken at age ten! I’d love to see that picture!

Well, I got scared straight for the next few years. But, trouble seemed to run in my blood back then. I hadn’t even hit puberty yet.

Stay tuned for the next segment of my misspent youth.

Meanwhile, the only real diet change I have made is a singular addition of one decadent  Rocher for dessert, because that was my Valentine’s present. ( 5 grams carb. each)  What I have learned is that, lo and behold, I really can have just one and be satisfied. That has only come as a result, however, of kicking sugar to the curb in all other aspects of my diet.

I ate a big steak tonight, with a couple of amazing, huge portabello mushrooms on top, and a dollop of sour cream. Yes, on my steak. Because I like it that way. Anyhow, I had a fabulous salad to go with, and water with lime juice and a bit of splenda. I have not had the Rocher candy, and I may not. I am satisfied. The evening is young, however.

Today was a light carb day, anyway. I don’t think I got up to my 20 grams, even, because I just didn’t want a salad at 10:30 this morning, when I had to take lunch at work. 10:30 is not lunch time for me, it’s breakfast. So, even though I had a whey protein and almond milk breakfast at 5:30 a.m.,  my lunch was eggs and sausage from the deli at work. It was delicious. So, I made sure to have plenty of salad tonight, and extra water. I had two Atkin’s bars, as well. That was it.

So, tonight, I took a cruise around freshly pressed blogs, and decided to go see what the ‘writing’ group was up to. I found some overly-dramatic poetry and writings about writings, and I yawned, or eye-rolled. Maybe both. Sorry. I am sure I don’t have a splinter of the talent that they do. Any of them. I digress.

I am a wedding officiant, and I am planning to participate in my first bridal event. I am excited. I will have a table , a lot of literature, a sign-up- for- more- info- so-I-can-call-you sheet and clipboard, and finally- a nice selection of neatly wrapped treats from some bakery I have yet to choose.  Here I am , pretty much on Carb-Anon, seducing young brides with sweets that I won’t be eating a single bite of. Is this some kind of evil?

The same situation presents itself in the form of the Relay for Life bake sale we are having at work . I’m on the team, so I have volunteered to do some baking. That is baking, and not eating. Perhaps you think I am planning to bring some little almond flour/splenda creations to the event? Ha! Not even close! I am bringing the full-on double chocolate fudge brownies with caramel swirls on top, and probably some chocolate chip cookies, to boot. Is THIS  some kind of diabolical torture to myself as well as the epitome of hypocrisy? Yes, it is! But, I play to the masses. I have become a sugar sell-out to appease the crowd. It is not my job to recruit nor to proselytize to the Atkin’s Way.  And yet, Relay for Life is about cancer prevention/cure, and a healthy lifestyle includes eating right, and ….ok, I am kidding myself. I do feel guilty about this, but I am trying to raise money for the cause. I am facing a dilemma, but I am pretty sure people are not going to buy the almond flour/splenda creation. If anyone has a really GOOD dessert that people will buy, that happens to be low-carb, please let me copy down that recipe.  I know, I can go look it up online!

Take care, everyone.