Advice from a small town girl

Now, where was I?

Oh, yeah.

I was telling everyone (and I mean everyone) that I was on a quest to be healthy by the time I’m sixty.

Good thing I’m only 57.

Actually, I have managed to lose 22 pounds so far. Only a few more to go.

I sort of went off the rails in October. I can’t blame it on the Halloween candy, although it did play a prominent role.

Once again, I got too busy. Too busy to plan meals, too busy to write down what I had eaten, too busy to exercise, just too darn busy.

Well.

I’m back on track (sort of), but need to remember that my internal switchman can send me off in an unintended direction again at any moment.

In the meantime, it’s time for WSU basketball. For the past two or three years, I’ve pledged to myself that I would lose enough weight to fit comfortably in my seat. Or at least to weigh less than more than one player on the roster. Last year, the only player that outweighed me was 6’8”. Trust me, it looked better on him.

TMI.

At any rate, it’s time to renew my vows.

I promise to write down EVERYTHING I eat, whether it reflects poorly on my strength of character or not. Mind you, I’m not telling YOU, just my little Weight Watchers weekly diary.

I promise that even if I can’t get to a Weight Watchers meeting, I won’t “take the week off.”

I promise to get some form of exercise EVERY DAY, even if it’s only a walk to the end of Ott Road and back. Now that it will be dark when I get home, walking is much less appealing. It may be time to get the Wii out again.

I promise to plan my meals at least a day in advance. When I get home hungry, with no plan in my head, I just sort of start working my way through whatever’s available.

I promise to reward myself (appropriately) for success. As a reward for last week’s weight loss and getting back on track, I took myself to see Tingstad and Rumbel at the Harrington Opera House last Friday. What a treat!

Then there are the things I know I should do, but am just not ready to swear to yet.

I’ll think about promising to cut back my intake of wine.

I love wine, especially red wine.

Right about now, some of you are thinking, “But they say red wine is good for you!”

One glass, maybe. Half (or three-quarters) of a bottle, not so much.

But my use or abuse of alcohol is a subject for another column. One I may eventually write.

In the meantime:

I definitely promise to keep my housecleaner. Coming home to a clean and orderly house was a gift of time. I used it to clean out the utility room closet, something I’d been putting off for far too long. Now it looks like someone else’s closet.