Losing weight means...

...that I'm cheering on a friend who has been doing it for 6 months.
And lost 41 pounds as of this week.

She wouldn't ask for friendly cheers until she'd passed the 6 month mark, of calorie counting and changing her activity program.

Losing is winning in this case!

I've seen her go through her weighing herself once a week, and steadily losing. She even went on vacation and thought she'd probably not lost that week, but she did!  I followed a much simpler goal during that time, to get my cholesterol number down low enough I wouldn't have to take a statin.  I achieved that in the 6 months.

So a week ago I started on a weight loss program.  I am not quite as ambitious as she is.  I just want to lose a manageable amount before the holidays.

But I found an ap for the iPhone which can measure my calories, without my having to look them up.
And apparently the phone itself will count my steps and deduct them if I walk to increase my activity level.  It's called My Plate, by Livestrong.com.

Sunday lunch...nicely low in calories with the crunch of chips and fresh pineapple

I also decided to join the elders who eat a prepared lunch (from a favorite local restaurant called Moose Cafe') sponsored by the Council on Aging, which is served at the Lakeview Center. The best surprise wasn't that the food is much nicer than it was several years ago when I quit that program, but the people are really much more interesting.  I was really afraid I'd be thrown in with nothing but frail people.  I guess that's my bias about the elderly.  That they wouldn't have a conversation because they couldn't hear or talk or think that clearly.  Not true this time.  And there are several classes that I want to take as well.  I'll let you know how that goes.  My first Spanish class was during lunch and I love it!

So having not done that much yet, I'll not toot my horn about my losses yet.  But just making major changes of one kind led to others of other kinds.

I'm now walking a half mile almost daily.
I'm making new friends.
...and eating the parts of the served lunches that I want to.  So far it's at least half, sometimes 2/3 of what is on the tray.
...and I've switched to decaf coffee where I used to have 2 cups of regular daily.  Now I feel no difference in having 2 cups that are decaf.
...and no more cokes, including I'm not replenishing the cokes in the refrigerator. That's some real withdrawal.
...but I still have my dark chocolate, so don't think I'm deprived completely!

So trying to lose just a few pounds has really turned my life around! Who would have known!

Changes in my life again

Outside one of my doctor's offices, some white hydrangeas caught my eye...and the camera in the phone.

My own life is still going through changes, so hopefully I can breathe without coughing throughout the night, which leaves me exhausted some of the time.  I have no idea what triggers this happening, and have just spent the last 2 months trying two courses of antibiotics.  After the second two weeks of antibiotics including steroids, I continued to have much more mucous than one would like to live with...so another doctor was consulted.

I found out I've done just about everything already to help this condition.  He said I should return to getting my allergy shots (which I did an hour later).  I also changed back to one of the over-the-counter allergy drugs that had been sort of helping.  I had tried about 3 days on another one and had even less help.

And the biggest thing that is going to change my life most, I'm going to stay away from the clay studio for a couple of weeks.  The dust being in the air obviously is not good for anyone to breathe.  The new doctor was more concerned about the various chemicals in the glazes which are used.  So I'm going to be very careful just painting with glazes at home...using plastic gloves and a face mask that can help keep chemical dust particles off of me.

I will wait another 2 weeks before going back to the studio and finishing up glazing my mugs and vases, as well as a platter.  I'm thankful that a couple of friends will take my volunteer days that I usually give to the studio.

Now I need to get back on my feet by walking and being outside when the temperature allows.

Today's Quote:

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Gustav Jung

Cool down a bit

Lots of snow a couple of winters ago.

Then spring returned with gala colors.

The Tailgate Market offered flowers through the summer

 I offered pottery for sale as well.

The woods changed from greens to brilliant tones.

The seasons flow like the water going downhill.

The changes may be more severe, but still Gaia turns about the sun, tilting and letting us have relief every once in a while.  Patience needed.

Earth, Air, Water, Fire

I was reminded of the four elements (with the fifth of Spirit,) by our friend Cristol when she spoke of her senior project at the gallery last night.  It's really very inspirational, and well done.

Wind (Air) has been powerful lately.  News coverage of various tornado swaths on TV and other pictures tell the story of how Air can touch some with disaster, and leave the rest of us wondering how we survived intact.

Water continues to identify our liveability on the planet.  When is the last time you drank spring water right out of the earth?  Ah, we get so separated from this life blood that we're directly connected to.

The Earth is in my fingers daily as I form clay into different shapes.  I loved today making a cat that had lioness features, but she's wearing a tiara.  Yep, taking the glorious to the sublime.

Fire, that source of heat from the sky, has returned today, but will be back behind clouds before I blink.  I am grateful that I have heat available to survive the remaining chills of this winter.  I see how this unseasonably warm winter has skewed nature's usual rhythms.  (the spelling just doesn't look right, is that the cycle of season's rhythms?  I guess so.)

And Spirit is part of my life when I listen to the calling of birds, deal with the ants that have decided to invade my kitchen, and feel like dancing myself.  Yep, the Spirit of Life continues, and I hope it does for a long time, as it adjusts to, or perhaps creates Changes.