The Present Moment

This present moment is all we have.

When I look back at my career as a teacher I regret not being more mindful and living in the moment with my students. What was I doing instead? Well...I was always thinking about what we were going to do next and was I prepared. Teaching students with special needs meant thinking of a contingency plan for every minute of the day in case something went wrong. Some students were non-verbal, some were violent and I had to be prepared for anything to happen. That meant spending a lot of time in my head thinking about the next moment, the next lesson, the next hour and so on.

Of course there were those perfect moments when everything was going smoothly, everyone, well almost everyone, was happy and I could relax and live in the moment. And those times when I just trusted myself and my instincts and flew by the seat of my pants were truly wonderful.

But life is life - I can't live in the past and I can't live in the future, unless time travel has been invented. The only place we can live is in the present moment. I'm trying - it takes a lot of practise and I'm learning a lot from my on-line course with Ekhart Tolle.

In other news...

• I've lost 4 lbs over the past week and things are fitting better :) I sort of kick-started the weight loss with a bout of food poisoning but hey, whatever works! In a perfect world I would like to lose about 6 more lbs but what will be will be...
• Went for a forest run (more like a jog) and ingested a white floaty seed thingy - it got caught in the back of my throat and I almost coughed up a lung. Of course you women who are around my age know what happens when you cough hard for an extended period of time. 😏
• today's exercise will be beach volleyball for 2-3 hours and I'm hoping to ride my bike there and back. It's really windy so I'd say there's about a 50/50 chance of driving. I struggle on my bike when there's a strong headwind. 
• Grrrrr.....I'm in a battle with all the squirrels around here as they dig up my potted plants in my patio area. Someone gives the squirrels peanuts in the shell and then they race over to my place to bury them! 

If anyone knows any safe ways to deter the squirrels I would be grateful!

Weighty Subject

No, I'm not referring to the tree which by the way was light as a feather HAH!

No...I'm referring to my own weight.

I did something I've never done before while at the doctor's office last week but forgot

to mention it in yesterday's post.

The nurse wanted my height and weight.

Nothing unusual about that.

When I stepped on the scale I just looked at the ceiling.

YUP, never done that before. 

Usually I anxiously watch the scale and want to tell the nurse that my

clothing must weigh at least 10lbs so please deduct that from the overall total!!

But...I don't need to know my weight any more or obsess about it.

I don't care what I weigh. 

It took me awhile to find a photo of myself in my khaki hiking pants

but I finally did. Why?

These are my favourite pants of all time.

As long as they fit then my weight is perfect!

There have been times when the zipper is hard to do up so

I modify my diet a bit and/or exercise more.

But when I put them on last week for my jaunt through Kilally Meadows 

they slipped on and did up easily.

That's all I need to know.

I'm the perfect weight!

Summit Energy, BMI

Do you get these people at your door trying to get you to sign an "energy contract" that will freeze your natural gas rate? I just turned away another one and then looked them up online. The word "scam" was repeatedly used. It's not just Summit Energy either; there's Direct Energy, Zia, Dubai(!) etc etc. The woman at my door wanted to look at my last gas bill but I told her I had "paperless" billing at which point she wanted me to go online to see my bill. I said "no, see ya!" I felt sorry for her - I mean how desperate do you have to be to have a job like that? But not sorry enough to sign up for their so-called discounts, frozen rates and rebates.

Well, I spent a whole bunch of money today as I paid for the rest of my upcoming trip to Ireland with Annie! There are still a few more expenses, such as train fares and spending money and other B&Bs along the way but the bulk is paid for! Woot woot! My brother Kim returns from Ireland tomorrow after a 3-4 week vacation. He and his partner go there every year as his partner's family has a house there. It's vacant most of the time so they go and do repairs, clean up the garden and travel all over the darn place.

The cats are staring at me. They want to go outside so badly. I'm waiting for the sun to reach the patio as it was only 10c when I got up this morning. I don't want to sit outside with a parka on. Sheesh...what is it with the weather lately. It's either blisteringly hot or numbingly cold!

Had my physical yesterday. My doctor told me.......drum roll please........that I have the pulse(60) and blood pressure(117/83) of an......are you ready for it.........an ATHLETE!!!!!

Even better.....!!!!!......with my BMI I am in the "normal" range (borderline overweight) but I'll take it. She said and I quote "your weight is fine"!!! FINE!!!! Personally, I like to believe that I'm gaining muscle through all of my exercise which as we all know is heavier than fat! Oh the things we tell ourselves!! Truth be told I only weigh 6lbs less than when I gave birth! EEK!! I now weigh 35 lbs more than when I was in highschool. I DO like to eat! Imagine what I'd weigh if I didn't exercise!!
On the bright side I have curves now; in high school I didn't. It's all a tradeoff.

I often consider trying to lose 20 lbs, even 10 or 15 would be good but I only last a day or two on a diet so what's the point? In my dreams I'm skinny :)

She's sending me for an X-ray of the coccyx area from my fall playing volleyball - still having a lot of pain. And, thank you Cindy, for pushing me to have a colonoscopy this year (that might help with the weight, right?)!! TMI!!

Today is a trail running day. And I'll get out for a bike ride. I'm cycling for cancer research this month and raised $510.  My cycling goal is 400km over the month of June and I've cycled 68% of that so far. I won't stop at 400 - I'll keep cycling and see how far I can go by June 30th. I'll probably have massive thigh muscles!!

Imagine what those babies weigh!!

GOALS 2011-2012

One thing I noticed about my 2010-2011 goals review was that I had too many of them - some of them I had forgotten about so I'm going for simplicity this year. I do better when I keep things streamlined, when they get too complex I totally tune out. So here goes.


Financial Goals:

• Increase total savings from $56,398 to $67,000 over the next 12 months (this is long-term savings only: RSPs (interest only) and TFSA (Tax Free Savings Account)
• Save $600 towards the purchase of a new camera
• Save $1200 towards condo redecorating
• Save $1200 to add to my Emergency Fund currently sitting at $1527
• Save $960 to pay for Crofters Lane house insurance and property tax currently sitting at $160
• Save $1500 for Christmas and Birthdays for 2012
• Save $2880 for Crofters Lane maintenance and travel expenses next summer currently sitting at $480
• AND decrease my Line of Credit from $34,300 to $9,700 over the next 12 months
• continue to follow my current zero-based budgeting style (it works for me...most of the time:)

All of these accounts are already set up with automatic deposits/payments. All I have to do (HAH!) is not overspend because if I do then it reduces either savings or debt payments and I don't want that to happen because I am working towards:

Yes, ladies and gents, I am talking about being debt-free in 16 months at which time that $2,000 per month currently going towards debt repayment will then be channeled into my long-term savings. Hopefully by then Stephen Harper will have increased the limit on our Tax Free Savings Accounts to $10,000 per year from its current limit of $5,000 but I won't hold my breath, damn politicians!!

My personal goals are also going to be plain and simple - not simple in that they are easy to achieve, but simple in that they are clear and straight forward.

Personal Goals:

• Get my weight back under 130 lbs. Folks, I'm barely 5'3" and I'll be damned if I'm going out and buying all new pants to replace the ones that fit just fine up until a year and a half ago! Yes, menopause does wreak havoc on the waistline but I'm not giving up yet. What I won't do is put a deadline on it - that's just a recipe for failure. And I'm NOT buying pants with a stretchy waistband - that's just a cop out! 
• Exercise everyday. Lunchtime - 30 minute power walk 5 days a week, work out in my school's cardio/weight room 2 times a week (Tues. and Thurs.), ride my stationary bike at home 3 times a week (Mon. Wed. and Sat.) and go hiking every Sunday. I know this looks complex but I'm already doing it so it's easy peasy. Do the scissors exercise once a day - see Sarah's instructions HERE!
• Find reasons to be happy every day!!  
• Tell my wee family I love them every day!!
• Find a reason to laugh every day!!
• Be grateful every morning that I woke up!!

In my next post I'll expand on my personal goals to show you the thinking behind them. How are YOUR goals coming along??

Lost and Found

Tuesday - No Spend Day! I made myself a tea at school, grabbed a free newspaper from the office and sat outside in the sun at Starbucks - the one whose patio gets the afternoon sun. As I sat there I swear I could hear the birds going "cheap cheap!"


I have "lost and found" the same two pounds for the last two weeks!! I've been falling off the wagon...a lot! Very frustrating - I don't think I'm going to hit my goal of another 10 pounds off by November! My rate when I was just losing was about 1.5 pounds a week so.....not  going to make it. But I am renewing my efforts and did really well yesterday...today I had lost those 2 pounds once again! Now the real effort must be put into NOT regaining them.


Good news: Michael got a one-off gig coaching Good Life Fitness executives at their PD day - $1500.00 for one afternoon!! Woot! AND my daughter left me a note to say she's been promoted to bartender - no more serving!! More money!! I've asked her to pay for her car insurance ($50 per month) and she hemmed and hawed, now she doesn't have any excuse!


Happy HUMP DAY to all of my fellow working stiffs!

Feeling Smug!!

This is what I'm eating right now...looks disgusting no? It's actually the most delicious concoction - fresh nectarines from the market, plain yogurt spiced with a dash of cinnamon.  I'm on a health kick right now (kicking myself daily for gaining weight over the summer) and part of my new regime is going to the farmers' market early Saturday morning. 

Yesterday I bought green beans, yellow beans, sweet potatoes, blueberries, peaches, nectarines and broccoli sprouts (I love sprouts of any king - lentil, alfalfa - they are just jam-packed with healthy stuff) but this is my first time for organic broccoli sprouts. I can't wait to add them to my salads this week.


So far I've lost about six pounds. I can't ever remember being this determined to regain a healthy weight. I have thirteen more pounds to go and I know that this time I'll make it. The trick will be maintaining it!


But that's not the "feeling smug" part. Today, being Sunday, I got up early and headed to my local No Frills grocery store. Last week when I went grocery shopping it was later in the week and they were "sold out" of all the specials so this week I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out. And do you know that almost NO ONE else shops at 9am on a Sunday morning?? Yeah - I was in and out so fast with my cart full of sale items: toilet paper, steak, yogurt, juice, laundry detergent etc. 


So here I am, eating my juicy nectarines and yogurt...

early on Sunday morning with my fridge full of really fresh fruits and veggies and the long day stretching out before me.  Today it's "no car" Sunday in a certain area of the city - they will have the street closed off to traffic, live bands will be playing, there are sidewalk sales and yard sales and I am meeting two girlfriends there. Should be one fun-filled day!! I LOVE Sundays!!


Oh, the bad news is I can't do the "fiscal fast" this week with Sharon and Eboo. It's my daughters's 21st birthday on Wednesday. Tomorrow night she and I are going to see Keith Urban - it's become a tradition that the two of us go to a concert each year for her birthday - then I'm taking her out for dinner on Thursday (she's partying with friends on her actual birthday).  I need to buy cards, a cake and pay for dinner, and who knows, maybe a Keith Urban CD or T-shirt sooooooo my fiscal fast will have to be the following week when I'm feeling really really poor!!

Leaving Napanee, Heading Towards Kingston, Ontario!!

Napanee is very pretty in the winter, but I must continue on my biking journey to Prince Edward Island, so....tally ho!!

Ugh - why the heck did I start this quest in January?!? I need teeny tiny

wiper blades on my glasses!

Kingston - here I come - look out!!

Food Diary

I received three diaries for Christmas - one, a sacred journey diary, I use for day to day personal things I want to remember, to set goals and dream at little. The second, from Michael's son, I am going to use to plan my gardens in PEI. The third has just been sitting around feeling lonely.

Well, be lonely no more cute little diary - I have designated you my FOOD DIARY!! Yesterday in the National Post there was an article about a study done on two groups of people. The group that got on a scale everyday and kept a food diary lost more weight and kept it off by maintaining these habits once they were at their desired weight.

Hmmmmm I thought to myself - why not give it a try? After all, being aware of my finances and recording my daily spends has helped me become a much better money manager. So transferring that to eating - checking my weight on a daily basis and keeping track of what I eat should help me manage my weight better.

It seems like a good theory - now I'm going to put it into practise:)

The knees feel pretty good today - no cycling last night, but on to volleyball tonight - I'll try to be careful!

Toodles!

Another FREE Activity: Couch Potato

http://www.toonpool.com/

This was me today. Woke up with a splitting headache so managed to grope my way to the couch. Had some tylenol and coffee - a cure that works for me if I can get it into me early enough...and keep it in (TMI I know).

Well I kept it in but needed to repeat a couple more times throughout the day. Now I feel pretty good if I don't move my head too much. One benefit of being a couch potato - it doesn't cost a thing:)

Now I need to haul my butt into the shower - we have tickets for the latest Harry Potter movie tonight. We've been looking forward to this since we saw the last one about a year and a half ago. Just the kind of evening I need - no effort required but sitting in a comfy seat and munching on some popcorn:)

Which brings me to the real reason for this post...

Thanks for NOT enquiring about how the diet is going- I haven't even weighed myself in almost 2 weeks! It was too much to think about what with everything else going on - what was I thinking? So...fresh start on Monday....hopefully...

Weekly Wrap

News Beat:
That's another week gone by. We had quite the mixed bag of weather this week ranging from gorgeous sunshine (got outside for brisk walks with my students) to today's football weather - cold, wet and muddy! The good news though is my school's football team won their semi-final game so Go Crusaders!

On the financial front: wayell (that's my southern accent attempt) I didn't keep that $20 dollar bill in my wallet but I still have two $5.00 bills so I'm only half disappointed...nah, who am I kidding? I'm over the moon to get through a week and only spend $10.00! (that was for my one weekly beer after my volleyball game on Wed. and Red Roaster coffee that I drank at the local library while using their wireless internet on Thurs. The other 3 days were no spend days - woot!  I think I'll just pop that $10.00 into my Crofters Lane jar and start myself off with a new crisp $20.00 bill for the coming week - that puts a big smile on my face! That's $10.00 closer to my next summer's trip out to PEI! =)

My heating bill (natural gas & I also have a gas dryer and hot water heater) was $25 under budget so I added that $25 to my misc spending which now sits at a robust $280 (that's for the rest of Nov.) I took the $152 I would normally pay for property tax (but have a holiday this month and next month as I am on a 10 month payment plan) and socked it into my Christmas fund and now have enough to book my DD's and my annual Christmas trip to Toronto. 

It's a Mirvish package deal - we are going to see Rock of Ages (love story set to the music of the 80's - Don't Stop Believin....), eat at a New Orleans style restaurant, stay at the very upscale Sheraton Hotel downtown, go see The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army  at the Royal Ontario Museum and shop at the Eaton Centre.  Well, my daughter will shop and I will hopefully resist the temptations that will surround me, make me weak, bend my will, torment me aaarrrrgggghhhhh!  BUT, if my DD wants to buy me a Christmas gift I'd be ok with that tee hee =)


My DP gave me an extra $100 this month for our budget and I immediately socked that away in the Emergency Account so hurrah for an extra payment towards that goal!

On the down side I find that the rental car I have uses more gas than my little Cobalt. Oh poo.  And I just got notice that my condo fees are going up by $25 in 2010 - pretty big increase:(

Heart Beat:
DD went back to her classes on Wed. & she should only have to have the cast on for a few more days. It was touch and go there for awhile as she attends the University of Western Ontario and the professors were in a strike position but managed to achieve a tentative deal by 3am Wed. morning. So between school and her boyfriend I haven't seen too much of her since Tues. night but we stay in contact by texting and I go into her room when she's sleeping and kiss her sweet cheeks (she doesn't even know:)

So far NO CHEATING on the BUY NO NEW CLOTHES pledge (yay me) and only a wee bit of cheating on the diet...ssshhhhh....don't tell anybody!!  Weigh in on Monday - eek! Here's how I cheated: beer on Wed. night (no it wasn't even lite beer), broken pieces of warm brownies that we made today at school to go with our lunch (well, I couldn't serve the broken bits now could I?), a couple of teeny tiny glasses of red wine mixed with some fizzy water...that's about it...hey that's not so bad:)

Whew - marathon post!
Cheers!

I'm Moving I'm Moving!

MCMom said in a comment yesterday:

"Just wanted to help you with a myth about that metabolism and getting older: the only reason people have a slightly slower metabolism when they age, is because they move less! You can totally have an impact on your metabolism by moving more!"

It's true...I don't move like I used to!

Michael - take me dancing!!

For now I'm moving on right out the door to my weekly volleyball game (to be followed by a beer?!?)

Every little bit helps! (Oh, and no cheating....so far....well except for the "lite" beer!) 

PASTA

My sister sent me the following diet - I guess she saw my post about wanting to lose a few pounds. I am wondering if it's legit...

Italian Pasta Diet....It Really Works



1. You walka pasta da bakery.


2. You walka pasta da candy store.


3. You walka pasta da ice cream shop.


4. You walka pasta da table and fridge.


You loosa da weight!

Hmmmm...so I'm guessing that the key ingredient (tee hee) of the Pasta Diet is the "walking"...they may be onto something here...

I, um, am definitely in need of more exercise so will clamber onto my stationary bike while I watch a rerun of Criminal Minds. Nothing like a good serial killer to get one pedalling faster, faster ahhhhhhh!

Seriously though (yeah right), I am attempting to follow the Calcium Diet which is aimed at women my age (over 40, away over 40!, menopausal) whose metabolism has slowed down allowing the pounds to creep on slowly over time.

I've set up my goal in the sidebar and will post any progress on Mondays - I think once a week is frequent enough though I will weigh myself everyday. 444 is on board for the weight loss challenge and hopefully Sharon if she can stop baking cookies lol!

Stay tuned!

Snafoo or Human Error?

Through computer, or more likely, human error I have lost a post (and subsequent comments) that I wrote quickly yesterday that included this photo. NLA - you asked if I took the pumpkin picture in my header and yes I did. 

All the photos I use are my own except for ones I "borrow"  from a free photo website called Everystockphoto. 

Heartbeats:

• I wasn't going to mention this but since you folks are the best I will let you know that I ended up NOT going to the party last night. I drove my daughter to her boyfriend's house (first time she'd been out of the house all week) and when I got home I had a crying jag that left me feeling drained and exhausted. I'm sure most mothers try to keep themselves STRONG for their kids and for those single mothers, like myself, all the stress lands on our shoulders making traumatic events like my daughter's car accident even heavier. But eventually we can't hold it together any longer and last night was my night to "let it all out" while my DP, Michael, listened and loaned me "his shoulders" to lean on. Thank you my dear and thank you for making today a day just "for me".

• Today my oldest sister is on her way back to PEI for like me she has purchased a house and acreage over near Montague. She is going to supervise the building of a new red metal roof and get the paperwork all straightened out.  Wish I could go with you!

• Tomorrow Sharon and I are embarking on a ten pound weight loss goal - it's not too late to join us!

Muffin Tops

The upside to this otherwise traumatic week has been all the time my DD and I have been spending together. It's been like old times. All through elementary and secondary we were on the same schedule - I would pick her up at her bus stop everyday and we would spend the rest of the day together - doing our school work, eating dinner, watching TV. But since she turned 18 two years ago and started university our schedules no longer matched up. Plus her girlfriends and longterm boyfriend have had first dibs on her free time.

So I must admit to enjoying the last few days we've had to reconnect over many pots of tea and good chats. I've loved tucking the blankets closely around her, smooching those big round cheeks, making her favourite foods, sharing laughs over exerpts from the Harry Potter books she is rereading for the umpteenth time and just simply being together in the same room for more than just a few minutes.

I'm also enjoying sharing that big box of Arrowroot cookies with our tea and the many goodies her boyfriend has brought over for her to munch on. What all of these treats are doing to my waistline I'd rather not say, I'll just direct you to the photo above and cringe.  Now she wants to go to Dairy Queen!

So I've decided I have to set a date to start on my weight loss goal and I plan to begin on Monday, Nov. 1st. A fresh month, a fresh start and Halloween will be over:)

Who's with me??

Waiting, Waiting and More...yes that's right....Waiting

Everything is on hold. And I don't like that as I am a woman of action. I am not a patient "waiter", not at all, and especially when that involves someone I love - my DD.  Someone from my insurance called me at work today; it seems that a "mystery witness" has come forward to say that when the other car struck my car that my daughter was driving the traffic light was green, not red as the original witness stated. This means the investigation is in limbo until police sort it all out. What can we do at this point? Nothing but wait.

If the other driver is at fault and charged then his insurance will cover my deductible ($500) and our insurance will likely still go up. If my daughter gets charged we lose that $500, our insurance goes up and I don't know what else - perhaps she loses some demerit points and gets fined? I don't know the answers to those questions. My daughter swears the light was red and so did a witness at the scene. Of course I believe my daughter who is now considerably more stressed out at the thought of being charged by police - but who will the police believe? She is having trouble sleeping and is unable to concentrate on her assignments and all I can do is make tea, keep her close...and wait.

My weight goal (to lose 10 lbs.) is also on hold. In this frame of mind the last thing I can do right now is diet...though I should try to eat healthily so I don't get sick. I have added a weight loss goal bar to my sidebar and will get started on it once this situation is all sorted out.

I continue to drive the rental car. I spent most of yesterday perusing car ads on the internet to see if I could find a replacement car that is similar to my old car for a reasonable amount of money.  Of course, buying a replacement car is now on hold as I won't get any insurance settlement until "fault" is determined.

So, what should I "DO" while I wait - I am very open to suggestions my friends.

Woops

Right around when this picture was taken (May 2010) I was at my lowest weight for the past few years. I had been following the Calcium Diet and it had been going quite well. And yes, I was going to a highschool reunion in June:)

What I just realized today when I was getting fall/winter pants washed and pressed for the upcoming cold season (yuck) and hence my post title "Woops" is that I gave away all of my "fat pants"!!!

Hmmmmm...didn't think about that when I made the decision to not buy any clothing for a year.  The reason I gave away all of my "fat pants" (you know you all have them so don't judge me lol) was to give me motivation to stay at the lower, more desirable weight. In retrospect I wonder how I could have been so stupid!

Winter is coming, I need to store up some fat to see me through the cold and flu season (see how useful juicy rationalizations are?) but now I have no cushion, no extra stretchy pants with slightly looser waistbands and baggier butts! What was I thinking? I am sitting on the horns of a dilemma.... either that or I am sitting on a large bag of popcorn from the movies last night after a big bowl full of delicious pad thai a la Michael!!  Not to mention a box of Smarties!!

Big sigh...

So now I not only have a budget to stick to but will need to drop a few pounds so I can stay in my current size-restricted winter wardrobe.

Another big sigh....

Perhaps those two goals can work together: eat less food --> save $$ on the food budget. This is going to be tough people - anyone want to drop a few pounds with me and keep me motivated?

The Calcium Diet: Phase Two

Now that I am getting used to my slimmer shape and am happily receiving positive reinforcement from my friends..."I've notice how skinny you're getting!"...I have moved on to Phase Two of the diet. AND I've allowed myself (because I feel in control - wow, that's a great feeling let me tell you!) and have treated myself (twice over the past 3 weeks) to Dairy Queen!



Woops! Probably shouldn't have mentioned THAT part, but hey, we're all human in fact, I think I am especially human :)



And the truth of the matter is that the next day I'm right back on track and the occasional slip...or REWARD as I like to call it...actually HELPS me stay on track since I know I can have something once in awhile and still be in control. Neither time have I felt like getting back on the "icecream train" with a gallon of Heavenly Hash and a big spoon.



In Phase Two (back to the alleged topic of this post) a new food gets added back into my diet each week. I will still continue to lose weight though not as quickly but I am pretty much at my goal anyway.



The first addition was to alternate "chicken" with the enormous amounts of fish I'd been eating - yummy! Grilled chicken in my salad!



The second week I added a second serving of fruit - an apple - to my afternoon snack along with my yogurt. It was wonderful to sink my teeth into that crisp, juicy apple, let me tell you! (IF, like me you have sluggish bowels, you can alternate that apple with a 125ml glass of prune juice - it does the trick! P.S. - this is called "personalizing your diet :)!)



I stuck with that for a couple of weeks and just this past weekend cooked up a big pot of White Bean Soup in order to add one daily serving of legumes. I used white "navy" beans (couldn't find cannellini beans) and it also contains shallots and zucchini and seasoned diced tomatoes. It weights in at only around 135 calories and is SOOOOOOOOO delicious! I used canned beans which really speeds up preparation time - the whole thing only took me about 30 minutes to prepare AND cook! The recipe can be found HERE.



Next week I get to add sweet potatoes to my diet - 1/2 a baked sweet potato two to three times a week - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!



Stayed tuned for that mouth-watering addition!

The Calcium Diet

On March 15th I started a diet called The Calcium Diet. But I better back up a bit. For the previous two weeks I had been reading a book with the catchy title "How the Rich Get Thin" by Dr. Jana Klauer who specializes in helping people with obesity issues in New York city.

Yes, I was hooked by the title but while I was reading it (for free at Chapters) I KNEW that this was a lifestyle eating program that was directed at me and women like me.

Women like me are: over 50, going through menopause, work at fairly sedentary jobs and having been putting on a pound or two a year since their metabolism slowed down since hitting 40. Sound familiar??

The Calcium Diet has five non-negotiables: an hour of daily exercise (yes, housework and walking count - just get MOVING), calcium-rich foods, high-quality protein at every meal, conquering food cravings by eating "filling" as opposed to "fattening" foods, and eliminating all processed foods.

The keys are calcium-rich foods (all low-fat dairy products, fish and dark-green veggies) and lots and lots of protein with the best sources being: egg-whites, fish, shellfish, turkey and chicken.

Finding a diet that emphasizes dairy was like finding a pot of gold! I love cheese, yogurt, milk and cottage cheese. Finding low fat (0 - 1%) was easy. As my partner knows I could live on plain yogurt smothered in fresh fruit, cereal and nuts, seeds and raisins. All of those add-ons though add a lot of calories. I have now come to love my plain 0% yogurt with just fresh fruit and a teaspoon of flax seeds, ground or whole.

I get to add cheese to my egg-white omelets and to spice things up I add hot peppers, cayenne pepper, bits of chicken, sauted sweet peppers and onions. Delicious!

Four weeks later I still feel totally satisfied with what I am eating on a daily basis. Never have I stuck to an eating plan for longer than one week. And I have lost 11.6 pounds. So far. I have more energy and fit back into clothing I haven't worn for quite a while.

Stay tuned for more info about this diet, my progress and tips for revving up your metabolism to increase FAT loss.

Norwich District Highschool Reunion

This is me about a hundred years ago. Well, not quite that long but exaggerating makes me feel a little bit better about how much time has passed since my highschool graduation picture was taken.






A lot has changed in the world since 1975:

• Computers no longer fill an entire room and I don't have to drive to the University of Waterloo to use one


• Tobacco is no longer picked by hand and processed by a table gang, a stick shaker and a kiln hanger


• Communication - we had to go through an operator to make a local call, then we had a dial-up phone but were on a party line, then we had our own line! Now my daughter and I text each other from anywhere in the world, talk on MSN or Facebook - instant communication (though I still often forget I have a cell phone which annoys her immensely!)


• I no longer weigh 108 lbs. or anywhere near that amount which annoys ME immensely! I used to be able to eat endless Snack Bars and Passion Flakeys from the tuck shop after a Doughtery lunch of macaroni and cheese (soooooooo goooooood!)


• But I still play volleyball - that's one thing that hasn't changed:)


• I used to sass my teachers, now I AM the teacher (and I 'm still sassy!)


• My hair has changed rather dramatically - from long and wavy and auburn in Gr. 12 to a shorter cut in Gr. 13 to a salt and pepper brushcut now (looks sassy!)


• Weirdly enough clothing is going through the previous decade's styles all over again (but I just can't put myself back into leggings a second time and PLEASE OH PLEASE I never want to see stirrup pants again!)


• Prices: remember the 5 and 10 cent bags of chips? The 2 cent licorice sold singly, and the penny licorice shoelaces? Comics were 10 and 25 cents, bread was a quarter and delivered to your door by Scholtens Bakery, a chocolate bar was 10 cents, a pack of ciggerettes was around 50 cents and a gallon of gas was 53 cents the day I bought my first car. You could put $2.00 worth of gas in and drive from Norwich to Woodstock and back again...several times! (Of course we didn't earn a lot - my first job as a bank teller paid me $6,250.00 a year - I cleared $98.00 a week. But it was still enough to puchase my first brand-new car, a metallic gold 1978 Datsun410 hatchback- man I loved that car! Cost me $4,100.00.


• Coffee: I remember the first Tim Horton's in Woodstock though the only coffee I bought was from a machine in the old Royal Bank in Tillsonburg. Don't remember how much it cost - 10 or 25 cents? Now I fork out $4.75 for a decaf soymilk grande latte - how did I ever get to this amount of decadence in my life?


• In 1975 I could stay awake past 11:00pm; I could work in tobacco all day, go out rollerskating at night then go for pizza and still be up at 5am and ride my bike 5 miles to the tobacco farm. Right now it's 5pm and I'm in my "comfy" clothes, typing this post and watching the olympics. As long as I sit upright I'll stay awake.

I'm sure there are many more differences between 1975 and now and I will add them as they occur to me. Suffice it to say that some changes are good (wireless internet), some I'm not so sure about (bottled water), while others I could do without (double chin)!