I had one of my last meetings with Paula, my friend and dress maker yesterday. I hadn't had the dress in her house for over a week and when I tried it back on for the new sash she said "you've lost weight!" and its true I didn't even consider that the reason why the waist line had dropped was because of losing weight. That was obvious. She pinned it in the back and viola dress fits again.
I was really excited to find out that making the dress smaller wouldn't be a problem (something I've stressed about and possibly developed a stomach ulcer over in the past couple of months) and we even have a meeting the wednesday before the wedding for a final fitting. That gives me two weeks to really kick it into gear before we meet again. I really love the dress! It isn't a long dress, so red shoes would actually not be hidden under any layers of fabric. Still going to wear them for the photo shoot though. It's tea length, with a bit of lace peaking from under the outside layer. A gathered waist with a thick satin waist band that ties in the back. And a jacket.
I haven't exercised any this week for no absolute reason, but will get on that today.
What else? Oh yeah! I got a lot of fruit yesterday at the local store: strawberries, pears, grapes and kiwi. Plus some vegetables too. I tried a raw asparagus yesterday, a vegetables I ruled out long ago after trying it in the school cafeteria. It tasted like urine. Not that I'm tasting urine, but the smell of urine. Raw, it was good and could imagine that steamed with olive oil or butter and salt and pepper would make this mystery vegetable very good. Weird. What else am I not experiencing?
I was talking to Josh yesterday about my love for food and comparing it to his love for music. He loves music, he hears music and is passionate about the process of making music. He gets very intense about the decline of popular music and very intense about the general populations seemingly lack of interest in good/interesting music. Get him started on American Idol, I dare you.
That is me with food. I get intense about the lack of food appreciation in the world. It makes me cringe that I used to consider Applebee's a good meal, or McDonald's an acceptable treat. When it comes down to it, there is nothing good about most of the food out there that we eat. It is made far away, in factories, filled with chemicals and calories we were never meant to eat. Yet, advertising tells us it's quick and easy and pretty so we succumb and go on about our lives never knowing where anything we eat comes from and the process it went through to get in our mouths.
Since really taking the time to learn how to cook, a process of trial and error since I was pretty young. { I once tried to make brownies in the microwave (a la' my moms 1980's microwave recipe card set), which would have been okay had I not used a plastic container to cook them in. I should say a container tha is not microwave safe. } I've really come to appreciate the process of food. Making it, flavoring it, enjoying it. Not just something reheated, unwrapped and packaged.
When I do inventory of the food I eat and have eaten in my life. It is safe to say that over 90% of what I've consumed has been processed, packaged or made very far away. I wish I were exaggerating. I find myself wanting to reverse this as I get older. When I ate that asparagus yesterday picked right from Paula's yard I realized that this was one food item in the long chain of my consumption that I actually knew where it came from and process of it's conception. I knew she wasn't out there every morning spraying chemicals on her vegetables or in her secret lab finding ways to inject fish dna to make her asparagus the biggest and prettiest ones in the super market.
When did we get to this point? When did it become okay to eat poison? Why do we stop caring about food and the true beauty of it? When did we lower our standards for the quality of food we eat so severely that it is killing us and making us dependent on our failing health care system? There must be a tie in all of this and our expanding waistlines, right?
Sigh. See? I told you I get intense about this. And not in a finger pointing "whats wrong with you all?!" sort of way because I'm in this too and I want out, but getting out doesn't happen overnight.
Oh! I'm famous! Not really. I volunteered this past weekend at the Tour de Floyd see if you can find me (and my soon to be sister in law) in the photos section. Like the NYC marathon that I watched right from the front of my apartment building in Brooklyn, I longed to be apart of this group. I wanted to work towards something and then be in it with all of these people. They make it look fun, yet hard. Is it true that you never forget to ride a bike? Geez, I haven't been on one in a very very long time. Do they make bikes that would support my weight? hmmm
I LOVE Asparagus. Try it grilled, also excellent in stirfry!
I have found that as I have gotten older, I find more and more foods that I really enjoy that were once on my “oh hell no” list.
Food is a passion of mine as well, Food Network is my go to channel. I’m finding more and more that it is becoming a passion not just about the cooking process, but also about how and where the food came from!
I hope we get to see pictures of the dress! It sounds amazing!
Asparagus is my favorite vegetable. By the way, I love the pun on fish DNA, who really knows what’s in it. I try to stay away from processed foods, but at times is unavoidable. But eventually I’ll have my life back in control and will get it all figured out.
Congratulations on your dress getting taken in. Keep up the great work.
They do make bikes that support your weight.
The problem I found was that the seats still hurt like something-that-hurts-a-lot when you sit on them for any real length of time.
We started a garden this year, I’m overdue to post a photo of it. I’m enjoying growing some of our own food (we had blueberries, blackberries and grapes last year) for all the reasons you go in to here.
I had completely lost you when you moved your blog! Today when I was cleaning up my Reader, I came across the old one and followed the link here! It’s great to see you again!
Whole foods and avoidance of processed foods have become my passion in life. You are so right, we need to know what we’re eating! I also believe that fresh, unprocessed food has positive karma, while processed food is lifeless and robs our bodies of energy.
I just wanted to say that I CANNOT wait to see your dress! SO EXCITED!!!
I am sad to admit that I really don’t think about what is in my food very often. I have noticed as my kids get older, I am starting to care more and more what they eat though.
Congrats on getting the dress taken in.
You know, I love food. I love to cook. I love to savor every bite of the meal I worked so hard to prepare. But lately (the last month or two) I’ve gotten out of the habit of cooking. Thank you for this post! It’s inspired me to start cooking/creating again. Thanks.
I have actually just moved to a new apartment and my boyfriend’s parents just gifted me a stove. So I’m being domestic with all the cooking and baking. I can relate to what you’re saying.
And you’re wearing red shoes, yay! Cannot wait for the photos.
I am so glad you brought up asparagus as it is totally underrated sometimes and I have the perfect recipe for you:
Preheart oven to 425 degrees, drizzle a little olive oil over the asparagus with a little minced garlic and kosher salt, roll all around so the asparagus is covered, then bake for 15-20 minutes.
Test for doneness. Some people like it crunchier, others like it softer, it totally depends on your preference. I find 15 minutes is perfect. A great way to finish it also is to splash a little balsamic vinegar on top. Delicious! Hope you like!
I do love the sound of your dress – look forward to seeing a pic. I have always been a fan of off the cuff type dresses, and those red peep shoes will be amazing.
Congratulations on needing the dress to be taken in – your motivation and inspiriation is comendable. So well done… and just think, after the biggest celebration of your life, you get to go to Europe and experience an amazing world of cultures….
those memories last a lifetime – congratulations!!!
Hi there
I have been looking for inspirational health/weight loss blogs, and I just wanted to say I’m glad I found yours. You seem to be approaching your goal with real style and with a smile on your face!
I too find it not too easy getting fruit and veg into my meals and end up having only one or two portions a day. One thing that might help is to make a dish of only vegetables. I’m not a big fan of salads (why eat cold food??), but I’ve found that Asian vegetarian dishes are a great substitute. For example, cooking broccoli, pak choi, mushroom and tofu in a wok with a touch of oyster sauce and serving that with brown rice.
Hope that helps, and good luck with the wedding!
You really don’t forgot how to ride a bike! I bought a used one to ride around the park. I had not ridden in about ten years (and about seventy pounds ago). It is so much fun and great exercise (the hills kill me).
Reading your conversation with Josh about music compared with your love of food was just like reading about a conversation I recently had with my boyfriend, Jon. When either of us are feeling any emotion: happiness, anxiety, worry, anger- we both go to our addictions: me=food. Jon=smoking.
Nice to know that other people compare their love of food to others. lol
Wish you the best with marriage and weight loss. You are on track with eating more fruits and veggies: can’t go wrong with those. You also got great asparagus ideas.
Re your ulcer: stress does not cause ulcers. Ulcers are caused by a bacteria called h. pylori. You can get tested for it, and if positive, treatment with antibiotics.
You said you don’t have health insurance but is there a community clinic or something you can go to? If you neglect the ulcer symptoms you can end up in time in a very bad situation health wise.
Good luck!
Congrats to you for being realistic about healthy and unhealthy foods. It’s so easy to pick up fast, pre-packaged junk these days! It actually takes some effort to fuel ourselves with nutritious, wholesome food so good on you for not taking the ‘easy way out’!
Just found your blog – I am 48 and have never had a “regular” exercise program. I worked very hard physically when I was younger which help counter some of the calories I ate. I have an office job (last 7 years) so I have to exercise if I want to lose weight.
I found Curves to be a great starting place. It is all women which makes me more comfortable. I tried the other gyms and their were always guys hanging around watching people work out. That intimidated me, so I quit.
At Curves, there is no guesswork. You know what you will do everytime you go. Some have said to me that the workout is not intense enough for them. Believe me…if you push yourself, you will get a great cardio workout. If want to build bigger muscled, you can free weights at home.
Give it a try….it might just be what you need to get you into the routine of exercising. it has worked for me…I have been going for 2 months and am still amazed that I go 5 days a week.
Good luck!