Left Overs - Yummy!

I'm home alone for a few days.  I decided to use up some leftover onions and tomatoes from the weekend's Brat and Burger Bash.  Chopped 'em up and added them to a partial package of chopped cabbage.  I made a dressing by thinning down the meager amount of mayo left in the jar with some red wine vinegar, a tad of sugar and a bit of soy sauce.  

I'm here to tell you, it was DELICIOUS!

And FILLING!

I ate it during my Fast-5 "window", of course.

Not an End....Just a Beginning!

Attaining your goal is not the end...on the contrary, it’s just the beginning!

So reads the Motivation to Live Well on this first day of autumn.

My new weight goal for September 30th is 138#.

Stepping on the scale this afternoon as I showered to get ready for a party this evening,

I see that I have reached it.

Fast-5 has proved an effective plan and since February 6,

I've lost at least 42 pounds.

I'm thinking that by the end of October I shall have reached

a reasonable weight to maintain.  135#.

Not an end....just the beginning!

The Rebel in Me

After reading a post about someone's experience exercising at a health club (I believe it was), I decided to be honest about my own experience and philosophy of exercise.

I confess to being quite frugal with money and not liking to sweat very much.  I also admit that I wouldn't consider myself an extremely active person.  Maybe these traits contribute to the fact that  I've never been a huge fan of "artificial" exercise. 

It seems to me that there's always some new class or stream of exercise calling for fees, equipment, clothes/shoes, and inconvenient scheduling.   My first instinct is to resist these.  That's why at age 63,  I'm more conscious of and committed to incorporating "natural" movement, activity, and thoughtfulness into everyday chores. 

Maybe it's an age thing.  Maybe it's just the rebel in me...
but when, why, and how did exercise become Big Business?
 

Perspective

OK.  That's what I get for messing around with my posts.

I deleted a couple of the most recent ones and have a feeling they are irretrievable.

Fortunately, I also jot down daily notes in longhand in my journal.

These are about as permanent as humanly possible., I guess.

Thankfully there are SOME words that are ETERNAL!

“All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

I Peter 1:24-25

It's important to keep things in perspective!
Even weight loss.

Stretched!

Practicing before hitting the streets...

  This was a new experience for me!

 It "stretched" me in many ways - some of which I listed HERE.

Besides the fun experience, we toured neighborhoods

with Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes.  The landscaping beauty

in these old, established yards was amazing.

Trying this "new thing" was invigorating and a confidence-booster.

I'm SO thankful for my health and a rebirth of energy

since I've been practicing the discipline of Fast-5 eating!

Trending

"Giving in eventually leads to giving up. (With temptation, addiction, parenting kids, 

and many other areas)" ~Rick Warren

I'm really glad I did NOT give in the past few weeks.  The scale seemed like it would never budge.  I just kept on keeping on!  This morning, I was down a pound or two.  I have an old scale, so it's a little difficult to be 100% accurate.  I just go for the general trend...and I'm trending in the right direction.

A Walk in the Park

A walk this evening was a calm way to end the day.

 

 The pace was moderate.

 I REALLY need to invest in a good pair of walking shoes.

 I took my shoes off, walked barefoot,

and ended up with blisters on the bottom of my feet.

  It was worth it though!

The wildflowers and grasses were beautiful...

 And my blood pressure was 116/77 when I returned home!

The combination of the Fast-5 eating schedule,

weight loss, and exercise have resulted in normal blood pressure readings

for the first time in a LONG time for me!

I'm thankful.

Me Yesterday

Me, yesterday.
Dressed and ready to go to our
no-longer-Red-Hat-Club dinner.
It was at a Chinese buffet.
I ate what I wanted - not as much as I might have
six months ago.
I topped it off with two small scoops of ice cream.
I'm currently at the weight goal I set for the end of August.
At this rate, I'll definitely be at my goal weight
by the end of September (or sooner).
I've gotta work on my smile.
I'm really much happier than I appear,
but too busy concentrating on running to pose
within 10 seconds of setting my cell phone camera up!  
It's NOT easy!

Pleasures Abound!

I like the Fast-5 plan for how it makes a way for me to participate in occasions such as THIS.  By  varying the time my "window" opens now and then and still observing the five hour boundary, I don't have to miss out on the pleasure of food and company!  There were so many tasty and healthy foods at our last Home Connection....

The Governor

Honestly, I know NOTHING about engines.  I HAVE heard of a "governor" related to an engine though.  I looked it up thinking it might help me describe why the Fast-5 approach to eating has been and IS so successful for me.  Wikipedia says that a governor (or speed limiter) is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine.

 Bingo! 

That is the PERFECT description of how the five hour "window" of eating works for me.

When it's "open", I eat.

Usually a meal and then later a snack of fruit or peanut butter wrap

or something ELSE that I've made or saved to enjoy when I am hungry.

My appetite is regulated by this.  

I don't get anxious or spend exorbitant amount of time and emotional energy

worrying about what to eat. 

I've been consistent in this pattern since February 6.

My State of mind and body have a good Governor!

This Old Truck

"Beat Up a Little But Still Going Strong"

Sometimes I feel like this old truck!

I can kind of identify with the words in black along the side of the truck bed.

But really, since I've been Fast-5-ing, I can tell a difference in this old body.

I take the stairs much more easily,

tire less,

and have seen tangible improvement in my blood pressure numbers.

(The truck was in the PARADE that passed by our front porch this morning

for our local Harlan Days celebration.)

A fun time was had by all!

July Goal Met & Moving On

I achieved my July weight target

and have recorded my goal for August.

There really IS power, love and self-control available for the asking!

(2 Timothy 1:7)

As an added bonus, I'm enjoying some of my lowest blood pressure readings in years....

and I'm fitting into some clothes
I haven't been able to wear
for a l-o-n-g time!

Here Today; Gone Tomorrow

 I found this WONDERFUL vintage book at a thrift store yesterday.

 

Its oversized pages included precious stories and TEN full-sized illustrations!

 

It has already been claimed by a friend who couldn't resist its charms.

"Here today.  Gone tomorrow," as they say.

So it is with pounds.  Oh, not QUITE that simple,

but when I look back on my journey since February 6,

these words DO apply...

With three to five more pounds to lose in August,

I'll be ready for "maintenance" before I know it.

I'm Trying to Change That

 

I'm trying to change that!

Well, the first three words, anyway.

(I couldn't resist copying this when it appeared on my facebook wall.)

Finally!

That "one pound" moved and took another one with it!

This morning I left the 150's behind.

Wonder if it was due to the 2 small pieces of apple pie I ate yesterday?
(Probably not.)
But that's the beauty of the Fast-5 plan.
Nothing technically off limits.
It works for me.