Living With Accountability

We all need to take responsibility for what we do and what we say. I thought about this while watching a show about real estate earlier this week. A couple were looking into buying their first home. The husband says, "Not only do I have recent bankruptcy, but I'm in debt as well. But, this is what I can afford." And the real estate agent shows them a fix-er-upper, now only does the couple need to come up with the payment, but now they need money to fix up the place. Does that make any kind of sense??? The guy is in debt. But, it represents alot of people in America, buying when they can't afford it. Heck, I was guilty of it myself once. But, I took responsibility and said, "why was I putting myself through this every single month, I deserved better." It's all about taking accountability for the decisions that are made every single day. I think if all of us take responsibility for our decisions and actions we would be a much better world.

And, remember LIFE is still good and each of us can make it better!!! As former President Woodrow Wilson said, "We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world."

It's Friendship

Friendship is the topic of the day. This week I have been thinking about friends that have come and gone in my life. And some of my friends have also thought about their own friendships. Friends come and go, but these individuals do leave a mark on you. You have friends at work, the gym, and even some e-mail friends. All friends serve a purpose in our lives. There a quote I read earlier this week but I don't remember who said it, it goes something like this, "sometimes you pick your friends, sometimes they pick you." It's so true. All friends teach us something about ourselves, whether is good or bad. All friends help us grow in one way or another. And sometimes, friends just drift apart or are no longer around for whatever reason. It happens and it's just fine. Remembering the good parts of a friendship is important. I had two great friends that are no longer part of my life. But, when I think about them today, it's with great joy and laughter. I decided this week that I don't think I would go back in time to change any part of myself, except when it comes to school and weight of course. I couldn't go back, because then I run the risk of not meeting many of my friends. I treasure all my friendships even the ones that are no longer around. Because as John Lennon said, "I get by with a little help from friends."

Cups and Spoons (my trick to losing extra weight)

This past week, we, in America, celebrated Thanksgiving. We traditionally get Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving off, which means most of us get a four day weekend. Thanksgiving marks the start of holiday eating, in other words, overeating. Not only do we eat; Turkey, stuffing (dressing), mashed potatoes, veggies in a butter bath, yams loaded with brown sugar and marshmallows and yummy rolls, we eat it all. Some of us eat tamales, mac and cheese, green bean casserole and ham, just to name few dishes. Oh and let's not forget desserts; pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, apple pies, german chocolate cake and pecan pie, again just to name a few desserts. We just load up on the calories. It would fine if we all just ate one huge meal on Thanksgiving, but typically we make so much food that we eat the same meal for the four days. YIKES! WOW! I'm mean great food, but not so great on our bodies and minds. All this overeating makes us want to do nothing but sit in front of the T.V. and naps. I have always said, have a party, have your guests bring plastic containers/bags. Let's share the worth that is called leftovers. If you are one of those we continued to celebrate Thanksgiving throughout the four day weekend, I have a simple solution for you.
First of all, don't call yourself names like; I'm a loser, I'm a failure, I'm a fatso and/or I'm a moron, again just to name few. There is no point to it, believe me, I know. Just chalk up the last four days as, "I screwed up and, now, I need to get back on track." Second, get your measuring cups and spoons out (don't have any, go buy some). Now, this is not a proven scientific method, I use it to lose some pounds:

Breakfast:
1 whole egg, 1 egg white with 2 cups of veggies of your choice.
1 piece of whole grain toast.
or
1 cup of oatmeal with fruit
with non-fat/1% or soy milk (use proper serving, use your measure cups)
or
any whole grain cereal (use proper serving, use your measure cups)
drink with non-fat/1% or soy milk (again use the proper serving)

Lunch and Dinner:
1 cup - start filling the cup with your protein (chicken, lean beef, lean pork, whatever you want)- remember protein (meat) isn't brown sugar, no packing please.
1/2 cup - start filling the cup with a starch carb (sweet potato or brown rice)
2 cups -start filling the cup with any kind of veggies you want, if you want more, load up.
If you want a salad (load it up with greens, tomatoes, red onion, any veggie you want).
Dressing (either use lemon/lime juice or take your measure spoons and measure 1 tablespoon of dressing.)

snacks:
non-fat/1% cottage cheese, an medium apple or orange, a serving of nuts (almonds or walnuts).

Third, drink plenty of water. And, finally, increase your workouts by 15-20 minutes. Within a few days, you will see a difference.
I got the idea about using measuring cups and spoons, when my youngest sister was first diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 (she was 10, I was 12 years old). I read all her materials and pay attention when the doctor spoke with my parents. It just makes sense.

Again, I'm sharing what I do with those who read this post. I'm not a nutritionist, a nurse or a doctor, just someone who has used this method for years.