When you're slidin' into first, and you're feelin' something burst ...

Sigh - yeah, that's right, folks - like the sensitive-yet-bratty kid in the classic 1989 movie "Parenthood", I'm suffering from a bout of ... DIARRHEA!

Happy New Year! (toot toot!)

If you're of a sensitive nature, you may not want to read any farther ... consider yourself warned! (Of course, if you were really that sensitive, you wouldn't be reading MY blog - nyuk nyuk!)

I had taken the whole week off work and was looking forward to a happy vacation at home, puttering around doing "housewife"-type things (well - everything except cleaning!). I had bought some new yarn and printed out a couple of interesting patterns and planned to spend some quality time knitting, alternated with brisk walks in the park and daily exercise on my Rebounder.

But at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, December 31, 2008, all those plans came to an abrupt halt. I woke up with that unmistakeable feeling that something, somewhere deep inside, was very, very unhappy and wanted to "Get out. NOW!"

I went in the bathroom and spent a very miserable 45 minutes or so alternately spewing from both ends.

And from then on, just got worse - because not only was *I* sick as that poor proverbial dog - my husband woke up and discovered he was coming down with a really bad cold. Sneezing, sore throat, coughing, the works.

So instead of a romantic New Year's Eve toasting each other with champagne, we spent the next 48 hours in our respective illness-induced stupors, kept from total paralysis only by the insistence of our cat, Princess, that we continue to feed and/or pay attention to her. At about 7:30 p.m. we toasted each other with Mucinex and Pepto-Bismol, and tottered off to our respective sickbeds.

Still - as I told my husband at one point during the Twilight Zone Marathon on the SciFi Channel (the only thing that kept our minds from totally atrophying during the ordeal), if I had to be sick on New Year's Eve, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather be sick with.

Oh, and the weight loss? Well, for a couple of days there I was down to 185 - which didn't cheer me up as much as you might think, since I knew full well it was all water and would come back as soon as I recovered. I did feel well enough to go to the WW meeting on Saturday morning. However, I kept my shoes on as sort of a "handicap". I weighed in at 188.6, which did get me that much-desired 7th 5-pound star (actually, Flora gave me 9 loose ones, since my WW bookmark is sadly decrepit from being carried around in my purse all the time).

I was glad to get it, but to be honest, I felt a little bit like the Mark McGwire of weight loss! But I'm sure I'll feel better next week when I regain all of it plus an extra five pounds for insurance.

KIDDING!!! (I hope!) But seriously, this did give me a much-needed reminder that just "losing weight" isn't the be-all and end-all of life. Sometimes losing weight is a BAD thing. Focus on staying healthy. Focus on eating good things that are good for you. Focus on exercising every day. And let the weight take care of itself - it always will, anyway.

So how about you? Hope your New Year's was better than mine! Leave a comment and let me know!

2008 Year In Review!

I know, I know - I really hate those "Year in Review" filler pieces, and I bet you do too. But hey - everyone else is doing it. So why not the Curvy Catholic?

Here goes - my PERSONAL top 5 news stories of 2008!

5. Curvy Catholic loses over 10% of her body weight!

That's right - and with this week's weight loss of 1.8 pounds (yay!), she's finally in sight of that elusive, apparently extremely hard to obtain, 7th 5-pound star from Weight Watchers, to add to my official Weight Watchers bookmark!

4. Curvy Catholic disses Curves, several times!

(Not really "news", per se, if you've been faithfully reading this blog!)


3. Curvy Catholic's cat, Princess, maintains control of her territory!

Yes, Princess's section of Reseda, CA is safe from marauding neighborhood cats, dogs, birds and crickets, thanks to her untiring efforts to mark every square inch of our back AND front yards. (Ants, however, seem to be immune.)

2. Curvy Catholic's house is invaded by ants!

Yeah ... ever since the torrential and FRIGID downpours of the past couple of weeks, it's been Ant City U.S.A. around here. Helpful household hint: Cinnamon does NOT get rid of ants. (Smells nice, though.)

And -

1. (drum roll, please:

Curvy Catholic buys clothes without the letter "X" in the size!

Yep, that's right! And last week I actually bought a pair of size 10 Hanes undies at Walgreens ... off the rack! And they fit! Wowserino!!!

Down side of that: at first I went nuts buying everything I could find that fit me, because it DID fit me. But you know what? There's an awful lot of UGLEE clothes out there lately! I spent most of today at the Northridge Mall, and only found ONE top I would consider wearing in public (then ditched it because the line was too freakin' long).

Sigh. So here's one of my New Year's resolutions (I'll give you some more next week) - I'm gonna at least TRY to knit at least ONE nice top for myself, sometime in 2009. ("nice" being completely a matter of my own opinion!)

Meanwhile - hope your New Year's Eve celebration is peaceful, sane and happy! And if you're one of the many people who will be alone on New Year's Eve - well, I've been there, many times. Don't despair - it could be worse, and it won't last forever. Trust me. New friends are out there, just waiting to meet you, in 2009.

(P.S. Forgot to mention another COOL 2008 story - which will impact this blog in 2009: My wonderful husband gave me a digital camera for Christmas!!! Let the award-winning photoblogging begin (as soon as I get the software loaded, nyuk nyuk!)!)

Merry Merry and Happy Happy!

Merry CHRISTMAS, that is! And/or whatever other holiday you may choose to celebrate. But for me, it's Christmas, first, last and always.

I know the late Pope John Paul II said that Christians are "an Easter people". Well, maybe that's how it should be. But I'm a Christmas person, and can't seem to overcome that. (Sorry, Papa!)

But it just seems to me that the whole point of Christmas is that God loved us so much He became one of us. And that's something to celebrate! The fact that He later died and rose again is awesome too - but then, if you accept that Jesus is God ... well, come on - what else do you think would have happened? Am I right? Or am I becoming "Heretic Gal" again? (nyuk nyuk!)

Lost 0.6 pounds last week - am proud to say my weight is now 192.6. I'm proud to say it because if I keep noshing on these See's Candies people keep handing me at the office, it's not gonna stay that way! But at least I'm keeping the Weight Watchers Online computer happy.

Oh, and I did something kinda different this morning - instead of taking the Red Line into downtown, I actually (gasp) DROVE all the way in, and parked underneath the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. It's about a mile from my office, a nice little walk (in the rain ... in my sandals ... ) which I'm going to count as my fitness for the day, since I don't really feel like going out again - even to Curves.

So Merry Christmas, computer! Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! And Merry Christmas, all you millions of readers!

Happy dayz, li'l WW Online computer - I gained 1.3 pounds, so no worries about that too-quick weight loss stuff!

So how are you doing today? Hope you're finding some pleasure in the holiday season. I know it's been said many times, many ways, but Christmas is just my favorite time of the year, no holds barred. So I hope that's turning out to be the case for you too.

Did three workouts at It Figures last week and really had a good time. It's a great gym, and I'm definitely considering getting a membership there. The only reasons I'm hesitating are:

1. I'm still working off the one-year contract at Curves, which doesn't expire till April; so am not sure I'm ready to get another one-year contract.

2. Since it would require me to go there on weekday evenings, rather than during the day on weekdays, I can already picture myself making all sorts of excuses for not going.

3. In my heart of hearts, I really don't want to join another gym, so much as I just want to have the information to do the workouts whenever and whereve I can. Of course, the paradox to that is that I GOT a lot of that info from Tommi and Kathy at It Figures, so ...

4. I hate change. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Etc., etc.

Of course, apropos of #2, the truth is I'm avoiding going to Curves now anyway, so it wouldn't really be that much of a change.

Sigh. Oh well, I've decided that I'm gonna give myself a break for the rest of the month - just do whatever the heck I want to do, and, like 99% of the rest of the human race, make all sorts of major life-changing decisions on January 1st.

Oh, by the way, it's POURING down rain here in beautiful downtown Los Angeles - which would be really wonderful except it's cold, too. However, now that I have a window and can look out at the mountains, I'm looking forward to the day it clears up and I can see snow!

Fitness crossroads or just boredom?

Weighed in at Weight Watchers on Saturday at 191.6, a loss of 2.6 pounds - which once again caused pain and distress to the poor Weight Watchers Online computer when I entered it. No problem, little computer; since cumulatively I've only lost 4 pounds since the beginning of October, I'm definitely NOT losing weight "too rapidly".

And I really don't have to ask my doctor for ideas about how to slow down my weight loss. I already know how to do that: CHRISTMAS!!!

Yes, it's that time of year when fat is everywhere! Kitt, one of the cantors at our church, handed out huge chocolate Santas to all the kids at St. Mary's yesterday. Strangely enough, he didn't offer any to those of us us grownups who could really benefit from a little extra energy at this time of year. (I'm sure those kids' parents really appreciated it, though, nyuk nyuk!)

Anyway, Saturday I went to "It Figures", the women-only gym in Sherman Oaks that I raved about in a previous post after a bad experience at Curves Van Nuys - even though I hadn't actually worked out there. Well, now I can say it's even better than it looked from the outside (and if you want to see what it looks like from the outside, check out their great
website/blog).

I got the grand tour from Tommi (the one in the videos) and was really impressed with the variety of machines, weights, and other miscellaneous fitness equipment they have available. Not only do they have all the stuff I've been thinking I'd like to work out on (like free weights, a treadmill, elliptical, exercise balls, exercise bands, etc., etc.), but they also seem to have a lot more know-how than the nice ladies at my Curves.

And I never knew how to use the exercise ball or the band before! In fact, I'm embarrassed to say that a few months ago, I actually BOUGHT one of those exercise bands - and wound up donating it to our church's rummage sale, because I never could figure out what to do with it. Now I know several different moves to do with it (check out the "Cowboy Walk"!), so I'm definitely going to get another one. (Not at a rummage sale, though - I'll splurge and pay the whole ten bucks for a new one!)

And that's not a slam at Curves-Bunker Hill - as I've said before, in this very space, I actually appreciate their more laid-back approach. Now that I have a better idea what kind of workouts I want to do, I feel more comfortable going in early in the morning and doing my own thing. In fact, I did that this morning - armed with some of the moves Tommi showed me on Saturday - and was pleased to find I got a much better workout than I have in several weeks.

I'm going back tomorrow night to get more info on the membership aspect. That's where I may back off a little. Yes, I do tend to get bored with the Curves machines pretty quickly these days, and yes, I do want access to a place with more and better equipment, not to mention better-trained personnel. However, as I understand it, It Figures doesn't have a month-to-month option, only the usual one-year contract.

I wouldn't mind if I knew it was something I'd use regularly over the year. However, since that's what I have now at Curves, it might be better to wait till that's up next April.

But - I wanna decide NOW! I'm so impatient! Hmm, maybe *that* should be my New Year's resolution, huh - getting more patient? After all, unless the economy REALLY tanks, I can afford two memberships. After all, I'm not spending as much money on other leisure activities. I used to do an awful lot of sitting around, watching TV, reading, knitting, and EATING.

I don't do that anymore - and I think it's a good sign that what I'm seriously considering here is not whether or not to give up working out completely (as I did the last time I quit Curves), but rather where I can go to work out even more!

And so this is Christmas (the first day of December, anyway!)

Happy day-after, everyone! Did we all survive the long Thanksgiving weekend? We did - just barely! Holidays are always a mixture of fun and frustration, aren't they? Perhaps I don't need to say any more.

Thanks go out to the California Cat Center (http://www.californiacatcenter.com/) which not only took great care of our little Princess but even made a YouTube video about here! Check it out here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSnMQLzMeDY&feature=email)!

As for my weight - well, for the first time since April, I didn't go to a Weight Watchers meeting OR to Curves, all week! Yet, strangely enough, I managed to stick to a reasonable program of eating and exercise, and according to my official Weight Watchers scale at home, my weight this morning was 196.

Since the home scale tends to be about one pound higher than the one at the meeting, I'm going to say that's 195, which means I gained a little over half a pound. However, when you consider that it was THANKSGIVING - and that I pretty much dug in and ate all I wanted that day - it's pretty amazing that I ONLY gained half a pound, eh?

Plus, the hotel where my husband and I stayed (the La Quinta Inn, in Phoenix http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.do?ident=LQ704&propId=704) had a fitness center (actually, a little room with two treadmills, an elliptical and a stationary bike), and we actually used the treadmills every day we were there. Apparently we were the only ones who did! Which was fine with me - we had it pretty much all to ourselves.

I haven't used a treadmill for a long time but I think my walking almost every day is starting to pay off - I was able to go 30 minutes at 3.0 miles per hour without gasping for breath - even ran a little. I liked that!

This morning I was going to go back to Curves but it was cold and I wimped out and decided to have a nice hot breakfast instead. Might go on my lunch hour. But to be honest, I'm kind of at a crossroads about Curves. I really like being able to exercise in a way that doesn't require me to change clothes (i.e., walking)! Well, we'll see - maybe by the time 12:55 rolls around I'll be ready.

My husband and I are traveling to Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. And since I just lost 1.4 pounds (down to 194.6), I thought I’d take a break from the weight-loss stuff to talk a little bit about my religious beliefs.

Actually, there’s a connection between the two. I don’t remember who said it – perhaps Lewis or Chesterton – but the ideal behind having a Christian society is to “make it easy to be good”. In other words, because we’re all prone to sin as the sparks fly upward (and I know who said THAT!), we should do the best we can to remove “occasions of sin” from our lives.

For example, if you have a serious problem with Internet porn addiction, it might be a good idea to remove your computer from your life altogether – or at the very least, install some porn-blocking software and give the password to someone else. If you have a drug problem, throw out all the pills from your medicine cabinet and insist that others lock theirs up when they come to visit.

And if you have an overeating problem – well, you’ve probably already figured that one out, right? But it’s not enough just to remove all the bad stuff from your life – you have to replace them with GOOD stuff. So if you’re addicted to the sensuality of porn, get re-addicted to the sensuality of the Mass or the Divine Liturgy. If you’re addicted to pills or food, get addicted to the Eucharist – daily, if at all possible. Etc.

Well, that’s also what I’ve been learning from Weight Watchers: not only should you remove all, or as much as you can, of the high-fat, high-calorie junk foods from your house, from your office, from your life – but you should then surround yourself with GOOD things to eat. So when you get the urge for a double mocha java, you have all the ingredients to make a healthier version of the same thing.

Another thing: some people insist they can be good (i.e., sinless) without all the “rules and regs” of an organized religion. Some people also insist they can lose weight without an organized weight-loss program like Weight Watchers. Well, let me know how that all works out for you. I know my weaknesses and my limitations. I need to be surrounded by rules and regulations, like that proverbial fence that G.K. Chesterton wrote about at the end of his little book, “Orthodoxy”. Only when I’m inside the safety of that fence do I feel truly free to spin around and enjoy my freedom.