Fried things and gooey memories......and back to square one!

If you are reading this....did you know that I can see into your eyes....and what I see is myself looking back at me. I know you might be feeling like you are in a deep hole with your weight loss struggle. I understand that more than you can imagine.  I have fought the weight battle all my life.  I finally found something that worked and was doing well and then my dad got sick and we went on a cruise and I thought the new me could handle all the wonderful food offered...and more time spent with my folks not exercising and worrying....and worrying....and my Achilles Tendon screaming at me, hurting and hurting and hurting....and all the while I'm comforting myself with food, because that is what I've always done....and then my dad passed away...which is tearing me up....and then I had the tendon surgery and the immobility and as I'm sure I've said in other posts, I eat when I'm nervous, stressed, sad and bored.....and I eat just because I love to eat.  Eating has been a part of my life as long as I can remember.  Now I know that may sound kind of obvious...everyone eats; but my dad was in food service in the military from the time I was little bitty.  I was around "good" food since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember Thanksgivings and Christmases where we got to pick the mess hall we wanted to eat in....by tasting the dressing and the turkey and the shrimp cocktail, and the pumpkin and pecan pies.....and which ever one we thought was the best is the one we ate at....and the military has a policy that it posts on the wall of their mess halls ....TAKE ALL YOU WANT, BUT EAT ALL YOU TAKE!  That notice is for the troops...who are in training, working out, being active....For a little girl who loved to eat....that was like flashing neon sign.....flashing BONUS! BONUS! BONUS! 

I remember places we lived by the restaurants, as did my dad....because he was so finicky a cook, the places we ate had goooooood food....and even at 64 I can close my eyes and taste the fried chicken at Polly's in Albuquerque, New Mexico and my mouth waters at the thought of the old A &W Root Beer Stands that served the coldest most delicious root beer in a frosted mug and a chopped bar-b-Que beef on bun that would make you want to slap your momma!  I still dream about the pot roast daddy would put in the oven after he'd lightly floured it and seared it on both sides and smothered it with onions to make au jus gravy..... he'd leave it cook on 250 degrees until we got back from church and he'd make either mashed potatoes or rice for our Sunday lunch....oh my gosh was that good.....it wasn't until years later that I discovered I couldn't eat beef cooked like that because the slow cooking takes all the enzymes out and It's so difficult for me to digest...........but I love to make it for John, because he loves it and it doesn't bother him............I smile with my heart when I think of the chicken and dumplings my paternal grandma made when we'd visit and always banana/vanilla wafer pudding with meringue topping that she'd pop in the over right before she served it so it was the most beautiful golden brown and the pudding was just a hint of warm............and then we'd go down to New Orleans to my maternal grandmother and she was all about the best seafood gumbo and hot french bread and shrimp/craw fish boils and chicory coffee with beignets smothered with

 powdered sugar from Cafe' DuMond       --big fat (oh wait someone writing a motivational blog for weight loss should probably never use the words big and fat)---but yes big fat shrimp/oyster po'boy sandwiches.....oh be still my heart!  And I can't begin to tell you how I drool  when I think of the enchiladas, Spanish rice and beans they used to fix for us on Wednesday's at my High School in San Antonio every Wednesday and for dessert they made chocolate cake that was just like heaven.....soooooo good.  Whenever we have a reunion at the school.....I can guarantee you someone or several will bring up those Wednesday lunches. 

I have to tell you there just isn't much that I won't eat.......even vegetables that I didn't care for when I was younger I love now..........so are you wanting to reach through the screen and choke me for mentioning all of that good comfort food and conjuring thoughts and memories of all the foods you love.  Oh and if all of that was not bad enough, as you might have guessed I was daddy's girl and I followed him around the kitchen like a puppy dog and learned to cook when I was really young.....loved cooking then, love cooking now.....John says I sometimes wear myself out because I like to cook big and I like to bake big....and sometimes when we are just suppose to bring a little something to share...I bring enough for the whole group! But the does say give me the sweetest compliment when he says "the hard thing about going out to eat is that there aren't many places with food as good as Peggy cooks"  
Yeh, I know...he's a keeper!

What I didn't grow up with was parents who stressed sports or going to the gym.........now before you think that I'm jumping on the old 'Let's blame it on the parents' I'm really not.  I think when I was growing up, there were girls who ran track and did some sports....but I was always kind of chubby and never quite fit in.....you know the old 'didn't get picked till last when teams were being picked'....I was more of the studying/reading/writing type.  But you know once you're out of high school ....college age...and yes back then "thinking of marrying age"......that's what girls did back then...in the mid 60's, it wasn't long before I realized that even though I thought I wasn't very active during my school days....I actually was (you kind of lose track of how much you use to ride your bicycle all over the neighborhood and walked places before you  were old enough to drive .....and in my case even after I was old enough to drive....my folks had one car....and my sis and I never drove (as far as I can remember) until we got married.  So then it became pretty clear that sitting in a college class or behind a desk all day long and being exhausted when you got home....made for a new loving relationship with the television most of the night (and after all they had shows on then worth watching.....lots of them)....you had your nights planned by the shows on a particular night....and what did you normally do when you watched TV...................yeh you guessed it.....pretty much what a lot of people do now....snack....nibble....munch....munch.....nibble .....snack!

And slowly (or maybe not so slowly) the pounds started packing on.......I know there were the lucky ones who didn't pack the pounds on...........like my sister..........she was slim and trim all her life....up until the last year or so.. and still she doesn't have a problem........the only time I ever saw her plump was when she was about 2-3 years old.....she was a little butterball and I was the 'wafer thin' child....now you tell me...how can that be fair! 

And I began the battle that would last a lifetime........and that will last a lifetime. I've strayed down many a "fad diet" path and got on the sea-saw, roller coaster of losing and gaining weight.  My weight caused a lot of problems in my life.....the worst being.... a neat little package of stress with ill chosen mates, and care-taking of an ill husband along with unhealthy eating habits and little to no exercise.  I am sure that was the devastating cocktail of bad ingredients that when stirred together and given a warm body to grow in, gave me breast cancer. Being overweight robbed me of my self esteem.  Being overweight gave me many night of indigestion and other things that go along with a body so overweight the organs in the body can't and don't function properly.  It was not until I was 62 and decided to retire that this huge burning red flag started waving in from of me  and on the flag it said  WARNING WARNING WARNING.....PEGGY YOU NEED TO GET YOUR WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL, YOU NEED TO GET HEALTHY AND FIT.  YOU ARE NOT A YOUNG GIRL ANYMORE and unfortunately when you pass 60, the body seems to start it's downhill spiral if you don't take care of yourself.....Knees start going, Hips start going, Balance starts going. Some of us develop diabetes, heart conditions, blood pressure problems, torn Achilles Tendon...and oh just a myriad of health issues to numerous to mention.

So it was like a 2 X 4 being slung up against my head.....I knew it was time to get this under control.....and obviously everything I'd been trying up to this point was not working for me......so you know the old saying  "If you keep doing what you always did"...."you keep getting what always got".

Some of you know my story....but because I've had to take a few steps backwards..OK OK.....several steps backwards, I'm going to start from square one and take you step by step....and remind myself what I need to start doing again to get to the fit and healthy and most importantly strong and happy person I was......a place where I was in the best shape of my life....and a time when my spirit was soaring and I felt like for once in my life I had the world by the tail.....and I wasn't letting go...........taking the ride of my life.......and that was just last summer.  Life is strange and so often reminds us of the words to the song "I never promised you a rose garden".  But I'm an old optimist and I believe with all my heart that attitude plays a real big role and that absolutely nothing is impossible if you believe and are determined that you can do it. I truly believe that you can turn health problems around and get fit no matter what your age or what your health condition is right now.

Just remember it's usually when you feel like you're in a hole....that God scoops you up and says ....OK....let's turn this picture around and get you back up where you belong....In my mind it all starts with a deep breath and determined commitment!..... oh and maybe some motivational words from a new friend....

Is it easy?....NO Is it going to be worth it YES YES YES!!!

Come back to visit me....there will be more.

Here's three encouraging thoughts for today: