Motivation

RANTING BURNS CALORIES!

This is an open, ongoing, support-encourage-motivational-RANTING thread. Feel free to skip to the end, or spend days reading through all of this ...

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I have decided that "Diet" is a 4-letter word.

I find myself muttering and uttering the word around my house these days with loathing and vehemence previously reserved only for comments directed toward liberal politicians. In fact, I seem to be talking to myself a lot more these days .... sort of a running, sarcastic commentary on all the foods I can't eat, or on various other related topics. I wonder if there is a link between calorie-deprivation and Tourettes Syndrome? Grrrrrrrrr.....

I am now on Day 8 of the dreaded D-word. This is already the longest period of time that I have ever successfully remained on a diet. And I seem to be growing grouchier and feistier each day..... at least when I am alone and no one is around to hear my running rants. (My wonderful DH has heard some of my more memorable rants on the subject of broccolli and reports that I am hysterically funny when I am hungry!) I am counting carbs. I am counting calories. I am counting fat grams. Sheesh ... now my math anxiety is about to kick-in!

Mini Rant #1 .... what masochist decided that the serving size of cereal was anything less than 2 cups? Have you ever measured out 2/3 a cup of cereal? Or even a full cup? And placed it in a bowl? Those few little flakes and pieces just sit forlornly at the bottom of the bowl, shivering and lonely, even when we dribble on a few meager droplets of skim milk! Sheesh. Well, I can tell you that there is simply no way that my oversized body is going to be happy with that tiny amount of cereal ... so I have been eating TWO servings for breakfast. SIGH. And while the side of the box says that I can supplement the cereal with some fruit, they probably don't mean eat 45 cherries with your cereal -- much less 1/2 a watermelon, huh?

Mini Rant #2 .... Things NOT to say to someone who has told you that they have just started on a diet:

1.Good, you sure needed it.
2. It's about time.
3. Really? It doesn't look like it.
4. Again? Haven't we heard this before?
5. Gosh, how much weight do you need to lose?
6. What do you weigh? I've always wondered.
7. I never need to diet, I have a fast metabolism.
8. Really? I can eat all I want and never gain weight.
9. Is THAT why you are so grouchy?
10. I sure hope you plan to exercise a lot more.

AAAUGGH! All of these responses are just the thing to make me even grouchier .... so just smile and say something encouraging and supportive, ok? I will let you know how it is going.

_____

=^..^=  Molly 

WELCOME TO MOLLY'S MOTIVATIONAL RANT / CHAT THREAD ... FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR RANTS, TOO!  YOU CAN EITHER READ FROM THE BEGINNING OR JUST JUMP ON IN ON THE LAST PAGE ... JOIN US! 

Molly - I agree plastic bags have their uses, and I admit to using the few I can't escape for rubbish disposal. And I am always grateful when I run round my neighbourhood and parks that doggie-owners have scooped and disposed of their little hounds' pavement presents is them.  

But how can you not like black olives? They, hot showers, a good book, sunrise and the seaside are among life's great pleasures. But chaqu'un a son gout as the French say.

 I make two salads per day (i couldn't live without my salads) and they all have about 10 black olives in them, plus 4 hot pickled peppers, rocket, sliced mushrooms, spring onions, and some protein. And tonight I treated myself to the addition of 100g of Tesco's spicy couscous, which was yummy!

However, before you get the impression that I am some sort of dieting saint,believe me I can be really, really bad. My downfalls are not burgers and fries, but ice-cream, any kind of home-made cake (I miss my Mum I think), biscuits and cheeses. Show me an old-fashioned tea-room or cafe, with a big display of homely home-made cakes and I won't leave until I am bursting at the seams.

Oh and I dream about garlic bread. Haven't allowed myself any for years. Only miss it in my dreams though. Never think about it otherwise.

Interested to hear of others' (non-food) pleasures? What makes you happy?

Ugh!!  I'm sooo ashamed!  I must rise to the defense of "fake nails".  Actually, they aren't fake, they are "REAL"ly mine... LOL.  I just had to do it because slow coach wanted to know about non-food pleasures.  I love my nails!  Would I sacrifice world peace for them.  Nope!!  But, I would rather spend my time on that than on eating right now, so it works for me.

I also agree with the poster who said she couldn't type without them.  I actually got rid of my long nails once, about 4 years ago.  I couldn't figure out how to button my clothing.  I stood in the middle of my bedroom struggling like I don't know what!  Oh, and then I tried jewelry!!  Forget it!!

Now, my rant for the day...  Real food.  I started eating my sandwiches on Wonder Light bread a few months ago.  Most likely not the most healthy, but the ONLY light bread I can get on Guam.  Having reached a plateau, I decided to up my calories for a couple days, shock the system and then go back down.  So yesterday I made a sandwich with hubby's REAL bread.   BLLLAAAGGGHHHH!!!  Has bread always been that.... bready???? 

I'm ruined for life!!  I may never be able to eat real food again! 

I am fine with the CONCEPT of black olives ... I just seem to have a problem with the REALITY of black olives ... hee hee hee. 

Seriously, they just don't do a thing for me, and for some silly reason I take great glee in plucking them OUT of wherever someone has stuck them IN.  My husband tends to do the same thing with mushrooms. Now, bell peppers .... I really, truly, decidedly, and definitively do NOT NOT NOT like the taste or smell of bell peppers (of any color) .... and they ALWAYS need to be kept far away from whatever I am eating!!!

Do you make your own spicy couscous from scratch, or does it come from a mix? Currently, I've been experimenting with making both brown rice as well as wheat bulgur in my nifty red rice cooker. Of the two, I much prefer the bulgur.... and have been trying different flavors and spices to jazz it up a bit. I added a cup of cooked bulgur to my spinach salad last night .... yum.

When it comes to salad ingredients ... what I use varies depending on what I have available, veggie-wise, and otherwise. Spinach is my first choice for salads, always, followed by cabbage which is a DISTANT second. Lettuce doesn't even make my list!  I try to always add tomatoes, and -- if available -- cucumbers.  While I love COOKED mushrooms, raw mushrooms give me the "heeby-jeebies" .... I don't like their spongy texture. I also like radishes, broccoli and slivered almonds in my salads.  I have also been known to cut up a dill pickle half and add it to my salads. Once in a great while, if I want added crunch, I sprinkle in some cereal to my salad!

(Yes, I am verrrrrrry weird!)

MOLLY

Slow and Molly, I am definitely not "pure" either.  I use the unavoidable plastic sacks to line the kitchen trash can.  They are the perfect size!  For pooper-scooping, we use the plastic sleeves the morning paper arrives in. 

I do, however, feel very virtuous because we've been composting for over 15 years.  I periodically relocate the compost heap and find surprises...such as the three butternut squash vines that emerged this summer after the relocation.  They're gorgeous.  We have two 9-10" squashes and several tiny ones just starting. 

Now that I'm eating so much fruit and veg I'm really glad for the compost heap...I have something useful to do with all the peels and seeds!  I'd love it if some of those tasty little grape tomatoes would sprout up and flourish!!!  Does anyone else compost?

Also, here in North Florida we are entering our second spring-like growing season...I plan to sow a mixture of leaf lettuce seeds soon.  And some arugula!

Jane :-)

Non-food pleasures ...

* Snuggling under the covers on chilly mornings

* Soaking in my hot tub, watching the stars (at night) and the birds (daytime)

* Purring, pouncing, playful cats and kittens (we have a house-full)

* Playing with our two little doggies at the Dog Park or on a walk

* That great feeling of accomplishment that comes from seeing a freshly-mowed, freshly-edged, leaves-raked, bushes-trimmed, everything tidy front/back yard... and knowing that we don't have to do THAT again for a week!

* When I can get my sunflowers to grow more than 4 feet tall!

* Spotting the first daffodil of spring, and seeing the first purple morning glory in May, and the first blooms on our hydrangea bushes (and wondering about what color the blooms will be THIS year!)

* Putting away the last, neatly-folded piece of laundry, and seeing that all of the hampers are empty!

* Seeing a freshly-vaccuumed room. (OK, I am weird, aren't I?)

* Watching birds in our birdbaths. (We have about 6) Watching birds in our feeders. (We have about 12)

* Getting my feet rubbed by my wonderful husband. (Also, getting back and neck and shoulder massages from him, too!)

* Splashing into our cool pool on a sunshine-y hot afternoon.

* Having one of my favorite songs come on the radio JUST when I felt like singing.

* Playing along while watching the game show, Jeopardy, and answering a question correctly!

* Going to the mailbox and finding FUN mail (and no bills!)

* Getting my check book to balance on the first try!

* Vacations to the coast!

* Seeing penguins in the wild! (We've done this!)

* HOMECOMINGS! (My DH recently returned from Iraq...)

* Making others smile.

=^..^= MOLLY

itsy bitsy, teeny tiny, inny-mini rantlet ....

We went to the store because I was having a craving for Turkey pepperoni .... and they were OUT!   AAAAaauuggh!!!

Posting at 4 am? Doh - you are 5 hours or more behind us, so that explains it.

Loved your post Molly. If your hublet has been away soldiering you must be very relieved indeed to see him home safe.

I totally agree about making others smile being one of life's pleasures. I always think at gift-giving time, the pleasure of the giver at the recipient's delight is much greater than that of the recipient.

I get a lot of pleasure from my athletics coaching - I get so many nice thank-you cards when a bunch of athletes have completed a marathon or whatever. It makes me feel warm inside. And of course my kids make mevery happy too. My son comes to visit this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing him hugely.

Must go to work, alas!

 

Okay, so ...

Why is it that when one finally does lose some weight, it's in the weirdest places?

Proof:

1) My lips have gotten thinner. I mean, ???

2) The teeny bit of fat reserve I apparently have on the back of my hands seems to have shrunk, if only to reveal  a nice, sorta sickly looking web of blue veins, sticking out.

3) My feet? Yeah, more blue-ish veins.

 

On a more positive note, non-food pleasures of mine:

+ Getting a new book.

+ Getting an old book.

+ Any book, really. ^_^ Getting one that I've been meaning to read for ages (without it being on one of my wish lists) from a friend is fantastic!

+ Watching my favourite Ghibli films. 

+ Lying in a hammock in summertime, without a care in the world, watching the leaves above my head flutter in the slight breeze. (Here's to not bringing the hammock down with me!)

+ Admiring my biceps' in the mirror.

+ Waking up too early and then finding out I can stay in bed for a few more hours.

+ ... many more!

I can rant all day about losing weight in the weirdest places.  I have freakishly skinny fingers (I'm talkin' about a size 4.5 ring finger, people).  So, I think, "there is no way that they can get any smaller," right?  WRONG!  I think it's a 4 now!  My one little ring is starting to fall off.  It used to be a 5, how much smaller can it get before it's just bone?!?!

Also, my face.  I have no visible fat on my face whatsoever, yet, everytime I lose weight, my face gets smaller!  I'm turning into a reverse bobble-head.  I have a bobble-body...or maybe that should be a jiggly-body!  My feet are getting skinner too.

But, my thunder thighs, double-stomachs, and childbearing hips won't budge!  I swear, this is a conspiracy!

OK, here's my rant: I'm trying to get up at 5 AM so I to go to the gym every other day.  Naturally it's the only time I'm consistantly not busy -duh, everybody else is sleeping! Why does the love of my life always want to cuddle, etc ;) til the wee hours on those nights???

OK, now that I read it maybe I really shouldn't be complaining...there are worse ways to be sabotaged.

Non-food pleasures:

Playing with the grandson!

Watching a sunset on the waterfront! (Lake Erie)

Watching the campfire dwindle to embers.

Seeing the sunrise as I get my morning walk (oops, didn't get to that this AM)

"Spooning" with my guy on chilly mornings beofre getting up.

That first cup of coffee in the morning! (these days, that's about all the coffee I'm drinking)

 

I am soooooo looking forward to the day when I can rant about losing weight in weird places (like my chubby toes!)  The closest I can come to is ranting about getting a sunburn on my NOSE, while the sun apparently chooses to bypass my legs COMPLETELY. (And they are considerably bigger and paler than my nose!)  And, yes, I do use sunscreen ... but I still seem to end up with a pink nose from time to time!

I used my Unsweeted Vanilla Almond Breeze for the first time this morning on my Kashi cereal .... I thought it was just fine (1/2 the calories of skim milk, and fewer carbs, too) .... but my CATS took one tentative sniff and FLED! Hee hee hee. I think McIntosh is STILL under the sofa, twitching his little white whiskers at me. My husband tried it and cheerfully announced that if he were a contestant on Survivor and out in the jungle needing sustenance, he would cheerfully drink Almond Milk .... and ONLY then.

Is it just me? Am I the only one who gets rabidly hungry before it is TTOM? (That Time Of the Month)  I went over my allotted calories yesterday by 433 calories. Granted, they were reasonably healthy calories (180 from meatless Gardenburger veggie patties and 90 from vegan, fat-free cheese, and 130 from low-sodium veggie chips) .... but I was still pretty disappointed in myself last night ... and into this morning.  

(sigh)

=^..^= MOLLY

GRRRR!!!Pardon me while I rant (vent) about something totally off topic...MECHANICS!!!

Our motorhome has been in the shop for nearly 2 WEEKS!! So, I know we're not as important as those fleet trucks they get most of their business from, but Gee Whiz (that's GEE Whiz, Molly, not Cheez....lol)

Every day this week they've promised "tomorrow...." Well, we have reservations at a campground near Alleghany Forest in PA for the weekend, and we're REALLY looking forwad to enjoying what is supposed to be a wonderful-weather weekend! Autumn is here, offically today, and our weather will turn very chilly very soon, and we'll need to put the RV into storage.

GRRRR!!! I want our RV back!!!!

Oh, bummer. I hope by the time that you read this reply your RV has been sprung from prison and is no longer being held hostage by nefarious mechanics. (And I further hope you don't need to sell off all your worldly goods to PAY the ransom!)

Off-topic rants are allowed as long as somewhere in the post, you mention food. Since you mentioned Cheez Whiz, your rant "counts!"  (hee hee hee)

=^..^= MOLLY

my rant on hidden meat.

my husband invites us to go to the all you can eat buffet. the kids love it so i decide to grab a large salad, lots of veggies and a fillet of fish. on the way there, though i decide to eat to my hearts content as long as everything i eat can be deemed healthy. im still on my plateau so i thought this might not be a bad thing. man am i rambling. to the point. i see some delicious looking whole cooked mushrooms. i pour a scoop of them over my broccolli..yummy. get to my table feeling pretty good about it all, bite into mushroom. they've been cooked in with the steaks. i can taste the meat juice all over them. not fair! im so sick of meat being hidden everywhere. its in so many things. you would concider yogurt to be meatless right? and how about cheesecake? well you would be wrong. both have gelatin. gelatin is crushed up bones and tendons. gelatin is also in most vitamins and is the coating on coated medication. you can also find it in condiments like ketchup. they use the stomach lining of a calf to preserve cheese! baby cows, killed to make cheese last longer. in the mc donalds veggie burger, if you read the small print on the sign it says may contain meat! excuse me? they started cooking thier fries in vegetable oil now to make them healthier, but use a grinded meat flavouring on them before freezing them. ug. this is why i live mostly out of my fridge eating fruit and veggies in thier natural form. foods lie.

Silvraynebow ... I am sure it must be frustrating to be a vegetarian at times.  A friend of mine who is a vegetarian living in Los Angeles shops at kosher grocery stores, sometimes (she is not Jewish) ... because the dietary laws are pretty strict and she doesn't have to worry about hidden meat in products. She even orders online items, too.  Hopefully the rest of your salad, your veggies, and your fish filet were all delicious and made up for your disappointment over finding meat in your mushrooms.

You could have eaten dinner with me tonight: I had a huge mound of cooked, shredded cabbage (angel-hair style), a bunch of sauteed mushrooms, a cup of Trader Joe's organic spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, and 2 broken up Portabella Gardenburgers (meatless).  I pretended the cabbage was spaghetti and really enjoyed myself. I even bought some new Flax Seed sprouted bread and made garlic toast with garlic and herb Mrs. Dash!

I just wish food manufacturers would stop using transfats and high fructose corn syrup in foods I want to eat!

=^..^=  MOLLY

oh my gosh, that sounds sooo good. i love cooked cabbage! kosher unfortantly doesn't always mean meatless. sometimes it just means the animal was killed according to jewish laws. i don't have any special stores nearby. :( all i have is the veggie section at giant eagle and some awesome farmers markets.

things always say "may contain peanuts" well i love peanuts. i want to see labels on everything that simply state it "may contain meat"!!!!

Molly,

If you like to pretend your cabbage is spaghetti, you should try spaghetti squash.  It's only 40 calories a cup (cooked), and it's full of vitamins and delicious.  Much tastier than cabbage IMO.  You can put marinara sauce on it, light alfredo sauce, make a casserole out of it, or whatever you want.  It's even great sprinkled with cinnamon and Splenda for a sweet yet healthy treat.  I just had some the other night and was surprised because I'd forgotten how good it was.

new rant. in ranting mood. forgive me.

this morning my son was served a school breakfast of 2 milks, 2 juices, a danish and little chocolate bear cookies.

thats wrong for so many reasons!