Blog ends! (or ... does it? Um ... yeah, prolly!)

I know, I know - it's always sad when something ends, isn't it?

When "Gone With the Wind" ended, you cried, right? Admit it.

When Dorothy said, "There's no place like home!", you bawled like a baby, didn't you? Didn't you? (Hey, don't lie to me - I can see you, y'know!)

So anyway, for those of you who've faithfully followed this blog, "The Curvy Catholic", all the way from its beginning (all, erm, two? of you), I'm sorry to tell you that this is THE END of this blog.

Waaahhh!!

OK, here's the reason: and I'm being brutally honest and frank right now: I'm BORED with it.

(Whew!) There - I said it!

Yes, the enthusiasm for losing weight via Curves for Women and Weight Watchers has waned, somewhat. Plus I'm not really that enthusiastic on the Catholic front anymore either.

Oh, I still attend church with my hubby, and I do my best not to ruffle anyone's feathers with my semi-heretical viewpoints.

And I do love the people at our church, who are the MAIN reason I continue going, and trying.

And I definitely am NOT giving up on being fit, and exercising. I continue to love and enjoy my two-year non-refundable membership at 24 Hour Fitness, which I bought for myself last year shortly before losing my job ... a gift from my employed self to my unemployed self.

That was probably the smartest move I've ever made in all my bumbling efforts to lose weight and find inner peace.

Because guess what? I LOVE to lift weights, do resistance training, etc.! It's fun and I love the way my muscles feel after I've really gone to town on those dumbbells (and not just the ones at the front desk - nyuk nyuk!).

And in between workout days at the gym, I'm going on walks. Long walks, out in the "cheap showiness of nature". There are a lot of really nice parks and malls and gardens and nature trails out here in Southern Cal, and I'm (re)discovering quite a few of them.

In addition to all that moving around, I'm going back to school - having enrolled in several classes at Grand Canyon University (online). Not the best college in the world (my long-suffering hubby has heard me griping about them more than once), but hey, it's a start.

And - beats workin'! (Nyuk nyuk!) Yeah ... there's that, too. I'm now officially unemployed - downsized from my lofty post as Word Processing Operator at PricewaterhouseCoopers in downtown L.A. since December 11, 2009. I was sure that I'd have a whole lot of free time after that, and be able to spend more time online, writing The Blog to End All Blogs.

However, what's really happened is I've been AVOIDING this blog. My life has changed dramatically, and I'm just not really sure that "losing weight" is my primary goal anymore.

So to make a long post even longer, this is probably IT for my incarnation as "The Curvy Catholic". And again ... waahhhh ...

Yet it may not be my last incarnation. (After all - THIS one wasn't.) I do still have dreams, vague at the moment but ready to take shape in some amorphous future still waiting to happen, of writing The Blog to End All Blogs.

The Blog to make all other bloggers fall down in shame before me.

The Blog that will change the world!!!

Ummm ... yeah, right. Actually, I'd just be happy with a blog more than two people read on a regular basis!

So I'll be thinking about that. And I'll be thinking of you, Faithful Reader(s). And thank you for your support. And if you've read this far, my deepest sympathies!!

And by the way - just one more thing - for anyone who cares - my last weigh-in at Weight Watchers was 195.0.

And I think I'm happy with that. I think I can go on with that.

When is a gain really a loss, and a loss really a gain? Why, right here, of course!

To wit: This past Saturday, I LOST the Toastmasters Division 52 Tall Tales competition at the fabulous Jon Lovitz Comedy Club, right in the heart of breathtakingly exciting Universal CityWalk.

BUT - thanks to the generosity of the wonderful Jon Lovitz, I GAINED two free passes to any show at his Comedy Club - all because I prepaid my admission to the Club for the contest. At least that's what the nice lady who handed me the passes said, and who am I to doubt anyone who's giving me free passes to a comedy club run by someone I absolutely adore? Not me!

And - this past Saturday, I finally got an official weigh-in from Weight Watchers, which showed that I had GAINED 0.8 pounds since my last official weigh-in, two Saturdays ago.

BUT - if you recall, last Saturday I weighed myself at HOME and was UP a heart-stoppingly huge number of pounds - up to 186.0! And every time I checked our Weight Watchers brand scales at home during this past week, the number kept going up - and up - and UP!

So in my own happy little mental ward which I call "my brain", I have actually LOST 0.5 pounds! So there!

And this morning we started the Philip's Fast, so I'm temporarily back to veganism for a while. So I fully expect that number to creep down again.

Oh, and in other news, I think we need a new battery for our scales. At least, I keep telling myself that ... ;-)

Facing reality

Whoa, up another 0.6 pounds Saturday.

And it's time to face reality: the reason has NOTHING to do with food. At this point I KNOW the basics of nutrition and how I should be eating (whether vegan or non-v).

No, it's not the food - it's the movement.

Ever since Curves and It Figures closed down, I've been doing my best to go it alone. But it hasn't been the same. There's something about paying someone else that keeps you honest.

It's the same with Weight Watchers. Saturday after my weigh-in I decided to skip the meeting part and just go do a walk at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park (a great place to walk, by the way - lots of people around, so it's secure - but not so many that you feel crowded).

And it was great - I walked for an hour! So I started thinking, hmm, maybe I should just quit Weight Watchers and do this instead.

But then I realized - if I quit Weight Watchers, there's no way in hell I'd get up that early on a Saturday morning!

So even though I'm kinda bored with the meetings right now, I'll compromise - I'll still go to the Saturday morning weigh-in, and then just go do my walk. And try to do more treadmill workouts during the week.

After all, that thing cost me two hundred bucks - I should get SOME use out of it.

Changing My Patterns - Maybe That'll Change my Weight Loss!

Uh, gulp. To anyone out there who was actually thinking of me as any kind of MENTOR fawgawdsake -

This week's weight GAIN - 4.4 pounds.

(Moment of silence for my temporarily deceased Weight Watching efforts.)

But that's TEMPORARY and I am determined that, now that we're home and pretty much done with all the vacations and the super-exotic Amtrak vegan meals (HAH!!) I can get back on track (get it? Amtrak? back on track? I kill me!) and get the weight LOSS going again!

And I'm making a small but perhaps significant change to help jump-start that effort. Notice that I'm blogging on Saturday evening, instead of the usual Monday? Well, from now on I'm going to blog more often, basically whenever the mood strikes me.

Will still "check in" on Monday but won't be so OCD about it. If something interesting happens and I think, "Ooooh, I should blog about that ... if I can remember it till Monday!", well, what the hell, I'll just get to a computer and blog right away.

Speaking of which - I got a comment last week from a new member of the Conservative Vegan Club (a small but proud group, we are, eh?) -

conserVegan

Check it out! conserVegan self-describes as "Christian, Conservative and Vegan".

Hey - just like me! This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Or at least, a profitable cross-linkage for one or both of us (depending on who actually gets more hits, and I suspect it's conserVegan, but I'm gonna see if I can do something about that, nyuk nyuk!

No fat Vegans? Who told you that???

OK, so a few weeks ago I became a Vegan, which means I no longer eat anything with animal products in it, if I can avoid it.

Occasionally I use the "non-dairy" creamer at work, which does have casein in it - derived from milk, which makes me wonder how they can get away with calling it "non-dairy".

But I digress! The point of this blog post is, I somehow got the idea that just "going vegan" would automatically result in a fantastic weight loss.

Instead, I've GAINED almost a total of 5 pounds! (Including this past Saturday's weight gain of 2.4 pounds!!!)

However, after sitting down and reflecting on it, I've FINALLY realized where I went wrong.

Turns out it is, after all, quite possible to "go vegan" and still lose weight. See, I'd stopped counting my "Weight Watchers POINTS" every day, and once I did, I was shocked to find out just how much fat I'd been eating.

The Tofurky sandwich on sprouted whole wheat bread was fine - till I added the Vegenaise! Fat City!

And the vanilla soy milk? Terrific! Till I started chugging two or three bottles a day!

The good news is that I made a couple of resolution - to track my POINTS every day this week, and to get on the treadmill at least 3 times this week - and so far I've stuck to them.

And this morning's UNOFFICIAL weigh-in on our bathroom scales shows that it's working!

If I can just sustain my resolutions the rest of the week, I am pretty sure - not 100%, but, let's say 85.5% sure - that next Saturday I'll finally see a fairly dramatic loss, once again.

Whew - that was a close one!

OK, whew! After last week's devastating gain of almost 3 pounds, I re-lost 1.8 pounds this week.

So I'm feeling better now.

But I think most people who've lost a substantial amount of weight have this fear, deep in their hearts, that one morning they're going to wake up after a really good night's sleep and WHOMP! All the weight came back, and brought its little friends.

But that hasn't happened (yet!). And one of the reasons I continue going to Weight Watchers every week, same time, same place, is that I really believe the "accountability factor" (i.e., paying someone else to weigh me so I can't cheat) makes me psychologically less likely to slack off and go back to binge eating.

In other news:

1. Following the sad demise of "It Figures" (the better-than-Curves gym in Sherman Oaks which went under almost immediately after I'd joined ... just a coincidence, I'm sure!), I snagged one of their treadmills at the RIDICULOUSLY low price of $200.00. Seriously, this is a QUALITY piece of equipment! It's out in our backyard and Steve and I are both putting it to good use.

And Princess likes to sleep on it when it's unplugged, so it's fun for the whole family (nyuk nyuk!)

2. Don't know why I didn't mention this in the blog before this, but a few weeks ago I joined ! I've already given the first two speeches out of the Competent Communicator Manual.

In Speech #1, the "Ice Breaker", I described and contrasted the four major changes going on in my life recently - the impending job loss and the premenopause (negative) and the weight loss and switch to veganism (positive).

In Speech #2, "Organize Your Speech", I described the "Three Tools for Permanent Weight Loss" (in case you're interested, they're Exercise, Healthy Foods, and .Accountability).

Both times I came home with the "Best Speech" ribbon! (Of course, the second time, I was the only actual speech maker. But hey, I'll take what I can get!)

I've already started doing research for Speech #3, "Get to the Point" - tentative subject is Internet Scams and how to recognize them.

So if any aspiring scam artists out there would like to give me some real-life examples, just leave them in the Comments section. I usually erase them, but this time I'll leave them there and mock you for them next week! So go nuts!

The Curvy Catholic ... Vegan???

Yes, that's right, friends and neighbors (and husbands, lol!) - I, the infamous Curvy Catholic and Stooges Woman, made a major life decision over the weekend.

I'm goin' vegan!

It's one of those decisions that seems to happen in an instant, yet if you look back, it really was percolating under the surface for a while.

I broke the news to my husband and, while he's somewhat nonplused, is supportive. (The fact that I promised not to make HIM give up his Trader Joe's Mini Tacos and Turkey Meatballs helps, I think.)

Also, I promised him I wouldn't preach to him. And I won't!

However, I didn't promise I wouldn't write about it in my blog - nyuk nyuk!

So here, in a nutshell, are just a few reasons why I've made this decision, with links you can check out on your own, or not (because I'm not preaching!):

1. In spite of what our enthusiastic Weight Watchers leader keeps telling us, apparently dairy - particularly cow's milk - is not quite as good for you as the milk industry would want you to believe. Cow's milk is linked to all sorts of health problems in human beings - for example, chronic sinus and ear infections. (Link for you to check out, if you want to: http://www.all-creatures.org/aip/nl-15sep2003-milk.html)

2. Not only that, but the poor critters themselves don't seem to lead particularly happy lives. Now to be honest, I'm not 100% opposed, in principle, to eating meat or using animal products. If the animals in question are treated humanely and euthanized in a painless way, then I think it becomes more of a philosophical issue, rather than a humane one. The Compassionate Carnivore makes a good case for humanely raising meat.

3. But you know, even from a humane standpoint - which IMHO all Christians should have - it's hard to deny that animals kept in "factory farms" and killed in slaughterhouses are not being treated as humanely as they could be. And that, if there were less of a demand for meat products in general, then, naturally, ipso facto, ergo sum - fewer animals would suffer these abuses. Right? (Link to check out: http://farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/)

4. I know there's a tendency to stereotype vegans and animal rights activists as "liberals", so I thought I'd see if there were any good conservative reasons for opposing factory farming - and I found one! Did you know that one of the biggest employers of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is - you guessed it - the meat industry! Particularly in slaughterhouses. (Link to check out: http://www.manataka.org/page1434.html)

It's a cliche to say that "illegal immigrants do jobs that Americans don't want to do", and with the economy tanking, I seriously doubt that's going to be true anymore, if it ever was. But boy, I don't know about you, but even if I weren't a vegan, I don't think I'd be too thrilled about having a job where I spent the whole day killing animals who didn't want to die. Even if you were killing them as humanely as possible - like in a vet's office or an animal shelter - there's gotta be some kind of toll on your spirit.

So even from a right-wing, humans-first viewpoint, there's a case to be made against killing animals for food - or at least, against the factory-farm-to-slaughterhouse routine.

Now I know that there's sometimes a disconnect between vegans, who tend to congregate on the "left", and pro-lifers, who tend to be on the "right". But you know what? I think there's common ground.

If we truly believe that all life is sacred, that all creatures are God's creatures, then we must treat EVERY life - human and animal - with as much respect and dignity as we possibly can.

That includes unborn human beings, floating peacefully in their mothers' wombs, blissfully unaware that they are about to be torn, limb from limb, and discarded as "medical waste".

That includes just-born baby male calves, blissfully unaware that they are about to be torn away from their mothers' sides and turned into veal, or thrown into a ditch and shot.

It includes disabled human beings whose relatives would just love to have them "humanely euthanized" so they can collect their inheritance.

It includes a holding pen full of pigs, each one just as bright and friendly as your favorite pet dog, waiting to be turned into pork chops.

It includes every chicken, every cow, every goat, every turkey and yes, every human being - no matter how unloveable they might be or how "convenient" their deaths would be for someone else.

That's it. That's my reasons. And if I come up with any more - or if you post any really good arguments to the contrary in the "comments" section - I promise to deal with them next week.

(P.S. - weight loss this week - 0.8 pounds! yay!! Also, some sad news - "It Figures", the Curves-alternative I joined a couple of months ago, went out of business. Their website is down, but I encouraged them to consider retooling it as an "online personal trainer" site; so I'll keep the link over there on the right, and if it reopens and/or changes, I'll let you know. Thanks, Kathy, Danielle & Tommi, for your help getting/keeping me fit!)

Up AGAIN, dagnab it!!

OK, you know what? I need to step away from all the other topics I've been focusing on lately (like my upcoming "Three Stoogettes" movie) and pay more attention to my continuing efforts to lose weight.

'Cause I have NOT been doing well, lately. It's been up one week (like 1.2 pounds up this week) and down the next (let's hope!), but overall I have not lost ONE pound since January of this year.

So I'm going to step up my efforts from now on, and really make a commitment.

I know exercise is the MAIN key to my fat-busting efforts - and I'm doing something, every day - but I also know that I've been slacking off a bit in my nutritional efforts.

Weight Watchers (like all other legit weight loss plans I've seen) recommends that you keep a food diary - write down everything that you eat (bit it write it, drink it ink it, chew it review it, etc. etc., as the Weight Watchers mantra goes).

Well, here's my problem - I HATE DOING THAT! I hate having to keep track of a piece of paper or a notebook or an electronic menu or anything else that distracts me from that



sweet, sweet candy ...

BUT - I should do it, I guess. I have kind of been thinking that since I bring basically the same food with me to work every day, I don't have to worry too much about counting the points, just assuming that they're adding up to 23 (my limit).

But you know what? I have a funny feeling maybe I'm going over by, oh, maybe one, two ... five ... twenty ... who knows?

Anyway, I have these teensy weensy little notebooks I got at the MOCA gift shop a couple of weeks ago. They fit right in my pocket and I also found one of those tiny little "golf pencils" (kind like



this one) which also fits in my pocket. So I'm gonna make a commitment.

I'm going to "Bite it? Write it! Drink it? Ink it! Chew it? Review it!" all week. JUST this week. And see if it makes any difference at my weigh-in next Saturday morning.

Hey - it sounds crazy, but it JUST MIGHT WORK!!!

It Figures or 24 Hour Fitness? A moral dilemma for your Monday

Up @ a pound - I'm at 185 now. And I attribute this gain to the change in my exercise program.

As you may recall, my beloved Curves of Downtown Los Angeles closed a couple of weeks ago, and at the time, I thought, "Oh well, at least I can now join It Figures of Sherman Oaks, which has a similar circuit training setup, as well as treadmills, stationary bikes and other types of fitness equipment available."

Well, my initial enthusiasm for the opportunity to join It Figures has waned a bit. (And at this point, my husband will chime in, "Hmm … IT FIGURES!"

Here's the problem – and I had a feeling when I joined that it might be a problem, which is why I got the month-to-month membership rather than signing a long-term contract (always a good idea, by the way, with any sort of commitment like this).

It's the schedule. It just doesn't work well for me.

See, when I had the Curves available, right next to my office, I could go there first thing in the morning, or during my lunch hour, or even (when they had longer hours, up till a couple of months ago), on my coffee break when I was super-stressed and needed a quick break. It was great!

I can't really do that with the It Figures of Sherman Oaks. It's located in Sherman Oaks (hence the name, duh!), so really the only time I can go there during the week is in the evening, after work and on my way home.

But wait, there's more (problems, that is)!

See, one of the cool things about It Figures is that they offer regular exercise classes. And they have one every afternoon – right in the middle of the circuit training area – from 5:30 to 6:30. Which means, for all intents and purposes, that if you want to do circuit training, you pretty much have to wait till the class is over, at 6:30.

Which I kind of have to do, since I simply can't get off work early enough to make the class.

Last week I faithfully went in at @ 6:15/6:20, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and puttered around on the treadmill or the stationary bike for the @10/15 minutes it took for the class to finish up. Then I was able to start the circuit training.

But even then, due to having to chat up the class participants as they were exiting, check phone messages, etc. (she's the only one there, so obviously very busy), Danielle wasn't able to get everything back in place (like the exercise balls & the step) till @ 6:45.

Now since I'm the one that wanted to use them, I suppose I should have just gone and gotten them out for myself. But I didn't know if I was supposed to, and also, being horizontally impaired (I'm only 5'2"!), I couldn't reach the shelf that the balls were stored on (it's wayyy high!).

So I just did the basic Curves-type workout, and that was, well, meh, it was okay. But not really as exciting as it was the last time I was there.

Maybe because last time I was disillusioned enough with Curves that I was getting the "grass is greener" effect. Hmmm ...

Well, anyway ... this morning, I took advantage of a 7-day guest pass membership at the 24 Hour Fitness in downtown Los Angeles. Which isn't exactly next door to my office, but at least is within a reasonable walking distance.

And actually, since I started getting off the subway at the 7th and Metro station and walking up to Bunker Hill, it's literally right on my way to work and only about 5 minutes from my office, at my walking speed.

So I went there this morning, and after a couple of false starts with the coin-operated lockers*, I spent about half an hour wandering from one strength training machine to another, lifting various weights with various parts of my body and actually feeling like I got a pretty good workout.

So … bottom line … I may drop It Figures and pick up 24 Hours. Which is too bad, because It Figures is actually a great IDEA for a women's gym. And it undoubtedly works wayyyy better for women who actually live and work in that area, as they can probably get there at non-class times and do whatever they need to do. But for me … it's just not working out.

Oh well … IT FIGURES!!!

*Guess what I learned? If you put your stuff in one of those coin-operated lockers, and put in your 50 cents, and then take the key out, and then realize you forgot your towel, and then put the key in and open it up again, and get your towel out, and close the locker door – you can't open it again unless you put in another 50 cents!

Which is kind of difficult when your purse is INSIDE the locker!

Which is why I had to borrow 50 cents from the nice lady at the front desk, who was happy to help me, but only had dimes.

Which is why I had to go to Famima! and get the dimes changed to quarters.

All of which helped me to get my heartrate up nicely, thankyouverymuch.

Perhaps that's a good motivation for me to actually buy my own lock!

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!

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.

Just a minor setback - don't panic!

This is kind of ironic, but you know how last week I lost 3 pounds? Well, when I posted it to the Weight Tracker on Weight Watchers’ online site, I got a prissy little message: "Danger, Will Robinson! You're losing too much, too fast! Slow down or suffer dire consequences!"

Because, see, Weight Watchers doesn't want you to lose more than 2 pounds a week. Which is fine, and actually very safe 'n sane, since most reputable weight loss scientist types say the same thing. However, WW's online tracking computer doesn't seem to grasp the concept of "average" (as in, don't lose more than an average of 2 pounds a week). They also don't 'splain to you how to program your body's computer to stick to that exact schedule. So if are lucky enough to lose, say, 2.1 pounds in a week, the alarms go off and the authorities are notified.

Fear not, little Weight Tracker! Calm down - all is well! You'll be happy to hear that this week I regained 2.4 pounds of that humungous loss. So chill out! Have a beer!

Or perhaps a hamburger. Since it was probably the hamburger – and the hot dog – and the red and green M&M's – and the cotton candy – and the potato salad, all served with love by my company’s HR department to honor those of us in Office Services – which were responsible for this teensy little gain. In my defense, it was a lunch meeting and there were no low-fat alternatives at all! Well, except the cotton candy, which didn’t have any fat – just lots 'n lots of sugar. (Mmm ... sugar!)

However, I’m not too upset. This is going to happen from time to time, but since I’ve established some good, healthy habits – for example, walking every day for at least half an hour; going to Curves at least two times a week (didn’t go on Friday as I had the day off, and after my adventure with Curves Van Nuys, if I can’t go to Bunker Hill I’ll just do something else); bring my own food – meals and snacks – to work with me so I won’t be tempted beyond my endurance*; etc.

And I just bought some fun exercise equipment for use at home, which means I can work out any time of day or night – even when I’m barefoot ... or naked! Howdy, neighbors! (nyuk nyuk!)

One thing I bought is the Urban Rebounder – a mini-trampoline with a stabilizer bar so I don’t fall off onto the concrete. I love it! I can just get on and bounce any ol’ time and it actually provides more of a workout than you’d think while you’re on it – you definitely feel it a few minutes after you stop. I was actually out of breath after only about 10 minutes! (And no, I was not naked at the time, Mr. Snoopypants!)

Also got a Tony Little Gazelle (similar to an Air Walker). Haven’t put it together yet so I can’t review it; however, will try to do that by next time.

Another thing I’ll try to do next time is put in something about church and Catholic stuff – seems only right, as I am, after all, the Curvy Catholic and not the Curvy Rastafarian!

(*well, except for last week. But I’m hoping that was the proverbial exception-proving-the-rule!)

At Long Last Loss!!!

OK, ready for the BIG NEWS of the week?

No - not about how much I lost in the stock market.

No - not about how my (ex) boss was so snotty to me that the stress got to me and made me ACTUALLY snotty (i.e., as in getting a cold).

And no, not about how "Desk Girl" from Curves Van Nuys apparently read my blog entry from last week, and called "Desk Girl" at Curves Bunker Hill to complain about my heretical 1-minute workout ways (to which D.G. C.B.H. replied with a polite but appropriate "phbbbbhhh").

Nope, the BIG NEWS of the week is - I LOST SIX POUNDS!!!

That's right, campers and loyal followers! I've finally dumped that six-week plateau and am now down to 195 - the FIRST time I've been below 200 pounds in AT LEAST 10 years!!! My total official weight loss since I started in April is - 29.4 pounds!

Hurray for me! And big "thank yous" to:

1. Flora and Christy and all the gang at at Weight Watchers - Sherman Oaks;
2. Curves Bunker Hill, especially owner Mickey, who understands that not every round exerciser can fit into the same square hole; and
3. last but not least, my sweet hubby Steve, for his excellent cooking and loving support!

This is a (relatively) short entry because I'm still feeling the effects of that cold. Thanks a bunch, THERESA ]:-( .

More next week, I promise!

Curves and Weight Watchers, Part II - the long-awaited Weight Watchers update!

First of all, thanks to the cellarer for commenting on my last post - wow! someone other than me and my husband is reading my blog! I feel like a real blogger now! (hee hee!)

Second, this week's weigh-in - back to 201.6. I seem to have been gaining and losing the same pound for the past several weeks, but that's OK - sure beats the alternative of gaining multiple pounds over the same period of time, which I am pretty sure is what would be happening had I not changed my eating and exercise habits last April.

Which brings us (finally!) to - the Weight Watchers review!

The first thing to understand is that Weight Watchers, like Curves, is a commercial organization. That is, it exists primarily to make money. Which is just fine - as an American and a supporter of the free market system, I have no problem with that.

However, it's important to understand because, as with Curves, there are good things and bad things about it, and if you're paying money into a weight-loss organization, you should feel perfectly free - no matter how much pressure the nice ladies at the weigh-in desk put on you - to resist doing the things you don't feel comfortable about.

For example, there are all sorts of THINGS for sale at Weight Watchers. Not only food (mainly snacks - my favorites are the Cheddar Twists, 2 POINTS a bag!, and the Oatmeal, also 2 POINTS each), but also Gadgets Galore!

Special measuring spoons (because the ones you have at home aren't quite as shiny?), special walking kits (because putting on your grungie tennies and slogging around the block on your own doesn't really count unless you're wearing a Weight Watchers pedometer) - oh, and those Weight Watchers pedometers? I must confess I bought one, but the awkward thing is I couldn't see it out of the box till I paid for it, and once I saw it, I realized that I never would have bought it if I had seen it.

It's shaped like a miniature (but not really that miniature!) alarm clock and you're somehow supposed to wear it next to your hip while you're walking. Shurrrr - and I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale, if you're interested!

And it's not cheap either - I can't remember the exact amount but it was over twenty bucks, I can tell you that! I did use it a couple of times but got tired of the bruise it left on my hip.

Now - enough complaining! I am one of those people you can always count on to find something wrong. But I'm also one of those incredibly annoying people who can always find something right (think "Pollyanna"). Anyway, the good things about Weight Watchers are (in no particular order):

1. Choice of plans - either "Flex" (where you eat anything you want as long as it adds up to the proper amount of "POINTS" each day - "POINTS" being a mathematical calculation involving calories, fat and fiber) or "Core" (where you can only eat foods on the approved list, but as many of them as you like, and they're all very healthy and good for you).

2. Almost endless variety of food you can incorporate into your plan. Even if you're "Core", you get 35 extra "POINTS" each week to use as you wish, so if you want to go out & share a bowl of Fettucine Alfredo with your sweetie on Saturday night, you can.

3. Emphasis on good nutrition and exercise. This is admirable, and not all of the big weight loss plans are as scrupulous about providing you with good information about the benefits of veggies, lean meats, etc., as well as encouraging you to GET UP OFF YOUR FAT BEHIND once in a while!

4. Weekly Meeting/Weigh-In - I think that's the most important and VITAL part of this whole Weight Watchers thing. I mean, sure, you can try to do it by yourself - maybe even join "Weight Watchers Online" - but the downside is that there's no one else around to applaud your successes and commiserate with your failures. And you definitely get that aspect when you go to the live, in-person meetings, and weigh in with an actual, physical, live person every week. It's my opinion that the weigh-ins keep you honest and make it easier to stay on the program.

For example, in my not-too-distant past, I would look forward to getting home after work and pigging out. (Melted cheese makes EVERYTHING taste better!) But now, the only day I let myself get *close* to pigging out is Saturday - AFTER my morning weigh-in! And even then I try to keep it within reason.

Because I keep thinking, "I have to weigh in again in less than 7 days - how will these deep-fried onion rings smothered in sharp Canadian cheddar affect me?" And since the answer is pretty obvious, I either do without the high-fat snack or make something similar but healthier (Hungry Girl is a big help in this sort of thing!).

So overall, in spite of any nitpicky little problems I might have with it, Weight Watchers (in harmony with Curves) has been working for me! And if you're savvy enough to do your own research and figure out what you can/can't live with, it could work for you too. Give it a shot! (Another nice thing about WW - you can pay month to month!)

Curves and Weight Watchers updates - Part I

Well, I'm up again, by 1.2 pounds (weight: 202.2) but am not too worried about it. That does seem to be my pattern - down 2 pounds one week and up 1 the next. So next week should be better.

And anyway - you know what? Even if I stay at this weight and never get down any lower - that's OK! Because I know that I'm doing all the right things now. I'm developing good exercise and eating habits, which are vast improvements over how I used to eat and move (or rather NOT move!) in the past.

Now as promised, here's some stuff about Curves and Weight Watchers: First of all, I'm continuing to do both, and I think that works out pretty well. Three Curves workouts a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - and a Weight Watchers weigh-in and meeting on Saturday.

I know I bitched a lot about both the Curves and the Weight Watchers people when I first started this blog, and there are still a few problems with both. But I've learned something: you get out of them what you put into them. There's NO perfect weight loss/exercise program - you have to decide what you want to do and then do it!

My problem with Curves was with one particular person who I felt was pushing me a quick weight-loss program that I didn't want to do. Well - all I had to do was say "no", which I did. And I still see her, Mondays and Wednesdays anyway. She's really a very nice lady - just didn't understand what my personal situation was. I go there early in the morning now, do my workout, wave goodbye to her and leave. Nice and simple.

(Oh, and in case anyone cares - for my workout, I do one minute at each station once around, rather than 30 seconds and twice around. I prefer not having to use any of the machines more than once. But that's just me - other people prefer the 30 seconds, so if someone else is there doing 30 seconds, I just smile and get out of their way!)

The nice thing about the 3 Curves workouts a week is - they're not my only workout. I do long walks on the alternate days. But I know that I need to stick to the discpline of Curves 3 times a week - the walking, or any other form of exercise I do on the other days, is "extra". And it's neat because I'm finding that thanks to the workouts, I seem to have more strength and endurance for the other things I want to do!

Next week I'll go into detail about Weight Watchers, and tell you why I love it - and how to get the most out of it!

Staying the same, in spite of cheesy delight!

Weighed in Saturday morning at 207 - same as last week. Which was actually a relief, given that I reverted to a pre-Weight Watchers snack - I'll give you the recipe in case you want to try it yourself:

SINFUL MICROWAVE CHEESY DELIGHT

1. Take a slice of your favorite cheddar cheese (in my case, Canadian Cheddar from Trader Joe's).

2. Cut it up into a few easily meltable pieces and put it in a microwavable bowl.

3. Add a couple of shakes of Parmesan cheese (a tablespoon or two works nicely).

4. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes (depending on your microwave).

5. Leave in the microwave for another couple of minutes to let it cool down.

6. Remove from microwave and enjoy!

I got the idea when I used to make casseroles and would have extra bits of burned cheese along the sides of the glass dish. I think you'll agree there's nothing better than the taste of really, really burned cheese on a glass dish!

Actually, this is not really a bad (i.e., high fat/caloric) snack. Parmesan cheese is @ 25 calories per tablespoon (1.5 grams fat) and you use more of that than the cheddar.

The main thing against it is it looks kind of gross to passing strangers; so it's really the kind of thing you eat when you know no one is looking.

ENJOY!

Finally! and No, Not This Time!

First of all - FINALLY after 3 weeks I have started losing weight again!

I weighed in at 208.4 on Saturday morning, so I'm now officially (at Weight Watchers, anyway) down a total of 16 pounds.

Curves has me at approximately the same weight, though I'm happier about the fact that they're finally (again, finally!) showing that I've lost some inches too - approximately 1 inch of blubber removed from my frame overall! So watch where you step (nyuk nyuk!).

Also visited my doctor on Thursday and had a couple of tests done. And the answer to "am I pregnant?" is --

No, Not This Time!

That's based on the urinalysis, pretty much the same test you can buy at the drugstore. Interestingly, she also did a blood test for my FSG or something like that, and according to her email to me this morning, the answer to "So am I in menopause?" is --

No, Not Yet!

Hmmm! So what's going on here? No "visit from Aunt Flo" since the first week of May - yet I'm neither preggers nor permanently off the rag? What's the answer?

...

Anyone?

...

Bueller?

...

What goes down must (occasionally) go up ...

Oopsie ... went UP by 0.8 pounds this week. Oh well, I think it's probably just a blip in the overall scheme of things. At least I hope so!

But given that I've established a fairly regular exercise program and streamlined my daily menu so it's no problem to stay within my POINTS range, I'm not too worried. (Of course, if it goes up NEXT week, and the NEXT week ... but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!)

Speaking of exercise, I've been kinda sorta getting into biking. What I mean is that I'm charmed by the *idea* of biking, but haven't actually gotten too good at the actual *pedaling* and *balancing on two wheels* thingies that go with the idea!

I did buy a folding bike from Amazon - and managed to pinch off a chunk of the flesh on my thumb while closing the kickstand - YEOWWW!!

Then yesterday, I was testing an Electra Townie 3-speed with 26" wheels in the parking lot of a bike shop; and was doing great till I noticed I was heading right for a parked car. So instead of just hitting the car and taking my chances, I hit the brakes and tried to jump off the bike - landing directly on my left ankle, which really, really, REALLY hurt! Sniff!

Fortunately my husband was there with me, so he was able to drive me home. And it didn't deter me from wanting to get a bike. But (a) I think I'm going to hold out for 24" wheels and (b) I'm going to avoid any test drives - and perhaps walking in general! - for a few days, till I'm sure my ankle is OK.

Sigh. Could it be that the Bicycle Gods are trying to tell me something??

"Bad" foods and a stunning weight loss result!

Hey, remember last week when I said I figured the big weight-losses were over and I'd start losing a half pound to a pound a week now?

Well, this morning I weighed in at WW and posted a loss of 4.6 pounds! Woo hoo!

This is why you should never take me seriously when I predict the future; I'm almost always wrong.

Anyway, as promised, here's just a few of the "bad" foods I've indulged in during my past, which made me the woman I am today (fat!):

1. Ramen noodles and popcorn - Doesn't sound too awful, does it? But those tiny little packages of Ramen noodles contain a whopping 16 grams of fat! (And of course I ate the whole package - how could I not? It always seemed ridiculous to me that they thought anyone would actually be able to share them.)

For a while, they made a baked version which was much lower in fat, and I bought those when I could find them. But I guess they didn't make enough obscene profit from them because they quit making them.

As for the popcorn, that's actually good for you and has lots of fiber - except when you cover it in butter and melted cheese.

For many years, Ramen noodles and "popcorn plus" were my regular evening meals, especially during winter months. In my defense, the Ramen noodles are CHEAP - check them out next time you go to any grocery store. You can get, like, 100 packages for a dollar! It's pretty tempting when you're on a limited budget.

Still, the fat did add up (and the melted butter and two kinds of melted cheese on the popcorn didn't help).

2. Parmesan cheese. You know those big green canisters of Kraft Parmesan cheese? A nice, light topping for your cheesy needs. I'm able to just sprinkle a little bit on my foods now with no problem.

However, for a long time I was going through not one, not two but THREE of those canisters in the space of a week. Not only was I pouring it on top of popcorn (see #1 above), I also just ate it straight out of the can. Quite filling.

3. Boxed macaroni & cheese. Mmmm good, and theoretically you could cook it & eat small portions of it over several days - right? Yeah RIGHT! Get this:

On a regular basis, I would buy TWO boxes of the stuff - cook the macaroni from only ONE package - and mix in the pouches of cheese from BOTH boxes!

Because ... see ... when prepared with just the one packet of cheese, it didn't taste cheesy enough.

And sometimes I would add some Parmesan (see #2) on top of THAT.

Mmmm ... good! But definitely NOT good for me!

Now - here's the big question: Did I *know* that all these things weren't good for me?

Well ... yes. I kind of did. But I had also gotten kind of mixed up in the way I thought about my health, and my weight. See, I was still trying to walk regularly, and I kidded myself that as long as I was exercising, I didn't have to worry about what I ate.

So here I am, almost 50 years old, finally finding the right answers, but more importantly, putting them into practice. And the answers are as old as the hills - "Eat right and exercise." There's really nothing else to it. But as the saying goes, "We are too soon old and too late smart!"