June 16: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Do you ever have an absolutely brilliant idea?  And then, with great enthusiasm, you execute said plan?  And then, you discover afterwards, it really wasn't such a good idea after all?

Just so you can strike this off your list of future good ideas, mopping a basement with undiluted bleach is NOT a brilliant idea.  It's not even slightly intelligent.  It is poison and will make you really sick.

I mentioned the other day I had a flood in the basement. Well, when I cleaned it up with undiluted bleach I burned my respiratory tract and lungs.  I feel like a dork.  I'm home from work today, sitting on the front porch, breathing fresh air, which is apparently the best cure.  My throat is just raw, so I can only eat squishy non-acidic stuff.  My lungs hurt if I inhale deeply.  I cough every 5 seconds which also hurts.  I have to spray my throat with antiseptic spray every time I eat or drink and every two hours to avoid infection.  Ick.

So, I can't work out, I can't call anybody and I can't holler at my kids.  It's like being in purgatory.  Hopefully all will be better tomorrow.

And that ends my whiny rambling post.

June 14: A Piece of Peace, Gym Whores, and Random Thoughts

Do you ever hit the sweet spot in your diet plan and just feel at peace with it? 

I wrote that last week was a real struggle for me, taking the diet out into the real world.  Today, despite a whole heap of personal stress, my eats were pinpoint on track, and it brought me a sense of peace.  Despite some out-of-control financial issues, I felt good about the fact that my eats were under control and were not going to harm my long term goals.  I made dinner for myself and my daughter without even thinking about it.  I threw the chicken on the scale quite naturally and dumped it into my salad nonchalantly.  It's taken over a month, but today I was really in the groove.  I didn't give off-plan food a second thought.  What I wanted to eat was exactly what was on my plate.

The best news I've had in a while is that my family and I don't make very much money.  Why is that good?  Because we qualified for a subsidy for a family membership at the YMCA!!!  Finally, I have a reliable place to work out, no matter how tight my finances are.

I've decided to be a gym whore.  No, I'm not going to sleep with every guy at the gym.   Being a gym whore just means "no commitment" to one particular activity.

I'm going to try out every activity at the gym..  And when I'm through with all of those, I'm going to find other activities to indulge in.  I'm going to engage regularly in strength training to build a strong healthy body, but everything else is up for grabs.   I want to give at least a month to each new activity to give it a real chance and see what it does for my body.  This month's trials are Zumba and Boxfit, two 45 minute classes offered at my local YMCA.

Hopefully no one is terribly offended by my terminology and will be looking forward to my weekly "Gym Whore" reports.  By now, you probably know that I have a very warped sense of humor, and this is all in fun.

Isn't the Internet a wonderful place?  In the world wide village, I have friends that keep me accountable, friends that offer unwavering support, friends that kick me in the butt when I need it and friends with brains full of huge amounts of knowledge, and they allow me to pick those brains regularly.  I have cheerleaders that brighten my day and make me feel like a success on a day when I feel like anything but.  I'd start naming names but there are so many of you who have touched my life, I'd be here all night. 

I've mentioned some personal issues going on lately.  A big one is money.  I've been unemployed a long long time due to some depression and anxiety issues.  I had a flood in my basement this weekend and have been cursing myself for the dubious wisdom of home ownership.  My kids fight like two stray cats in the same cat carrier.  Despite years of managerial experience, a decent education and previous high wages, I've found myself starting at the very bottom rung in a minimum wage job.

I won't deny that it's stressful.  But what I feel most of all is gratitude.  I feel gratitude about my healthy children, my home (well, most of the time), that I managed to keep my car, that I have true true friends that would do anything for me, and my huge circle of support on the Internet, both here and at a couple of forums where I post.  All of the kind and beautiful people I've met on the Web have touched my life in a way I would have never dreamed possible by people I've never physically met.  We may never actually meet in real life, but that doesn't make our friendship and support of one another any less real.

I hope you all find a piece of peace somewhere in your busy lives as well.

June 13: RFL Strategy

I've had to face one very obvious fact this week, taking my RFL plan into the real world.  The game is being played every day out in the great wide world.  If I want to reach my goals I need a strategy to help me win that game.

With anything in life, putting a strategy in place is always the best plan.  If you know your weaknesses, and you know what to expect, you can put together a strategy to help get you through it.  Here are the ones I am using to help me get through that gauntlet of food, otherwise known as the workplace.

1.)  I bring my lunch.  Without fail, every single day, I bring my lunch and a couple of snacks that are on my plan.  There is way too much temptation to be caught without food.

2.) I distract myself.  During the second break of the day, I take a brisk walk around the building instead of sitting in the lunchroom watching everyone eat.  If the weather is bad, I always have a book in my purse that I can read.

3.) I bring something similar to the temptation at hand.  My friend Lisa recommended this simple plan that was so obvious I can't believe it had to be recommended.  As per her idea, on the days they have barbecues, I bring a turkey burger from home, along with all my fave burger toppings, and eat it with a fork.

4.)  I bring the tastiest food I can.  If I bring a food in my lunch that is less than appetizing, it makes it that much harder to resist the yummier smells all around me.

5.) I escape if I have to.  I had one day last week where I just couldn't take it and I ate lunch in my car.  I had missed the concept of Idea #4 and brought plain tuna on a barbecue day. 

6.)  When all else fails, I think about my goals.  There are just days when all I want to do is eat what everyone else was eating.  On those days, I try really hard to just think about where I have come from and where I want to go. 

All of these strategies are working so far.  One day, they may not work.  I may just say, to heck with it and go off plan.  And when that happens, I need to remember the most important strategy of all: get back on plan the very next meal.

What are the challenges that you face?  What tempts you to go off your plan?  Write a list and then come up with some strategies of your own.  There are no true obstacles, only excuses.

I had a lot more I wanted to write about this weekend.  Due to an unfortunate flood in my basement I haven't had a whole lot of time this weekend.  But I felt like these strategies were really important, so at least I got these thoughts posted.  Weekends should be three days!