Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my favorite holiday. None of the stress of present-buying and all of the love of Christmas with better rules. Here are some to remember:

1) Family is number one: but more importantly, family is who you say it is. When Mitchell and I were first a couple we had several Thanksgiving celebrations where we included all the singles and folks "with no where to go" that we knew. It was great fun. A pot luck to bring everyone together and instructions to bring your favorite dish. Sometimes the menu was odd, but the family time always wonderful.

It's always great to be with one's birth family or one's family by marriage, but there are lots of other ways to slice and dice a family and the love is just as good.

2)Tradition is important: All thru college I traveled home with Elizabeth to her traditional Italian-American family. Mama Lee pulled me right into the heart of their celebration and taught me that one really must include pasta in the festivities. She knew I loved gnocchi, so she always made it by hand from potato flour for dinner on Wednesday night when we arrived, but there was always a real pasta for Thanksgiving dinner. I know that when Elizabeth and her sister and their families sit down to dinner today in Florida there will be red sauce on something, 'cause that's how we do it in our family.

3) Food is definitely important: Where would we be without green bean casserole? or sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top? But there are lots of other ways to go. During our vegetarian period, we had tofu. And, we have frequently substituted chicken, or smoked the turkey rather than baking it. Two years we had fried oysters as the main course, and tonight I'm thinking it might be prime rib. It's all about enjoying whatever is on the table.

3b) Overdoing on the cooking is not necessary: I think we all have a preconception of what should be served and tend to work ourselves to death to obtain it. I am looking forward to learning what my friend Marn has this year. She will attend a small gathering for which her granddaughter and her friend - aged 18-ish - will be the chefs. I suspect it will be great, and all the better for having been prepared by new cooks who are sprouting their wings.

4) Home is where the heart is: For many years now Mitchell and I have traveled away for Thanksgiving - just the two of us. We have dined in restaurants by ourselves, with friends, and once with a couple we met while waiting for our table. It was a lovely evening. They were about 20 years our senior and we enjoyed learning about their family and their tradition of travel - which was much like ours. As long as the two of us are together, it's home.

5) Don't worry about shopping until tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you are at home with the family you love today. And thanks for being out there day after day to read the drivel on this blog. I am very thankful for you all!

Much is being said these days about the TSA and the new airline security pat-downs. If you have not seen Saturday Night Live's* take on this... you must. If you have.... it's probably worth another look! Happy Tuesday!




* Consider this a warning. It is SNL!

Help From a Wise Woman

One of the Wisest of Women came for a brief visit, and as usual brought me her wisdom and a new insight into my never-ending struggle to lose weight. Stacy was in town to speak at our quarterly staff meeting this week.

In the two years since we worked together, she has returned to school and is 75% thru her Ph.D. course load and is working as a researcher in obesity at the state land grant university. The combination of her work experience and her studies gives her the exact set of skills and knowledge that can provide good training and insight to our staff of health educators and exercise physiologists.... and HR me!

It has been fun over the years to learn tidbits from their specialty. In 18 years I've heard at least 100 presentations on some part of health education, and have worked with staff as they developed at least 1,000 programs so I have more than a working knowledge of the field and less than expertise. Stacy's talk on Theories of Behavior Change was not over my head at all, and led me to an ah ha moment.

Self-efficacy - a fancy scientific name for self-confidence. Apparently the reason that many people fail in their efforts to change their behavior is that they are not confident that they can do it. "I need to go to the gym every day, but I can't make the time." " I want to stop smoking, but I smoke three packs a day." " I want to lose weight, but I love to eat."

I just don't believe that I can do it. Wow, there it was. Right in the middle of her presentation it hit me square in the face - almost viscerally. I really don't believe that I can do it.

And, there's a lot of evidence that proves me right. I lost 35 pounds six or seven years ago before putting it all back on. And, I can't count - or even remember - all the other times that I have lost 10 - 20 pounds, just to regain it. A true yoyo dieter. There it is - evidence. I can't do it.

Wait a minute. There's also evidence that I can. What about those 35 pounds? I did lose it. It was hard, but I did it. And I kept it off successfully for 18 months. Bought an entire new wardrobe in a much smaller size. What can I do to replicate that success? What happened? Why did I put it back on? What can I learn from that experience that will make me successful again?

Simple answer: I'm an emotional eater. Something bad happened and I packed on 10 pounds in one week (seriously!) and then "what the heck?" Rather than lose the 10, I gained 25 more seeking comfort in food.

So what's the take away message from Stacy?

1) I can do it. There is evidence. I have done it successfully in the past.

2) I need to reinforce that successful behavior. I need to tell myself - daily? Well, how about at every meal and perhaps when I think I want a snack? - that I can do it. I can skip the extras. I can eat smaller portions. I can throw away food!

3) I need to go back to what I know works - smaller portions, keeping a food journal, and more exercise. And I need to add good self talk.

10-10-10

Ok, so it's been five weeks since I launched my 10-10-10 campaign and I have lost exactly zero pounds. It's a two-pronged campaign - more exercise and less food.

I have done a good job of getting myself to Jazzercise more days a week. Last week it was four, and as much as I hate to admit this... I am starting to resent things [like work] that keep me away. The next step is to add afternoon classes when I miss my morning class. Right now we are headed to a week's vacation where we plan to play a lot of tennis and have already reserved bicycles for the week. The plan is to do some form of physical activity every day, so that should be an acceptable substitute for dance class.

And, I have a new strategy for eating. Remember past success. I can do it.

And you can, too! Think about it. Do you believe you can do it? Do you.... really?

November 18, 2010

Yesterday:

Today:

This is what November should be like!