Another generation joins the workforce

I’ve noticed that over the last year or 2 something that I might perceive as alarming keeps happening. We keep interviewing and hiring my children’s classmates. So far, in our department we have 3 employees who went to high school with my 2 older children - so when they drop by to chat, they often want to know about David and Marie.

Guess I’m just getting old - last winter, I was complaining about something - a pain in my shoulder or my legs, and David looked at me with surprised concern and asked “Mom - when did you get old?” It doesn’t seem right somehow. In my head, I’m still under 40 - no under 30, and I just don’t understand why it’s harder to lose weight, get in shape or stay up all night. I’m not looking in the mirror and seeing clearly.

Just the same - welcome to “the real world” kids. It’s gonna be fun!

Greetings from Paris

This week I’m back working in Paris again. I’ll post pictures later.

Update: I’m finally getting around to posting the pictures from Paris. These are just the one’s from the day John Freund and I had lunch with Giovanna. She’s doing well - I’d like to have her come back and stay with us again.

How’s that diet going, anyway?

So - does anybody read this stuff anyway? I’m still sticking pretty close to the Atkins eating and I’m down 30 lbs since I started. I still feel really much better than I did before I started on this way of life and I’ve noticed that I no longer seem to have the problems with acid reflux (unless I’m really bad). That’s great - I haven’t had to worry about tossing my cookies in weight training for months now!

Another 30 lbs and I’ll have to decide I’m really happy with my weight. Just hope I can get there. I’m doing the tortoise bit with it now, but I think I’d like to have the hare’s speed for a little bit.

Still trying the Atkins Way

OK - I’m not really evangelizing about Atkins, but, so far I’ve dropped about 25 lbs…. I’m down to the smallest clothes in the closet. Granted, I used to have smaller ones before the house burned and I got to start all over on my wardrobe.

There have been a few hitches - times when I just had to have a few tortilla chips to use as spoons for salsa, sour cream and guacamole dip…. or just one cornbread muffin. Despite these few craving attacks, overall I am perfectly content to avoid sugar and starch and real beer and at the same time to have more energy and find myself evaporating at about 1 lb/week. There are times when I’m just not interested in food - not what I can eat, not even what I have on my “off-limits list.” The best part seems to be that JP is doing it as well - and that means that I no longer get the snarls about “you are the one with the crazy diet restrictions.”

Carry on….

Am I becoming a evangelist?

I sometimes find myself wondering if I peering over the edge of becoming a diet evangelist. Heaven forbid! But, just as exploring the wonders of God’s love can turn one into a true evangelist, this low-carb eating and the results with respect to how I feel, how my body is responding in a positive and rewarding manner, the internal sense of well-being is sure to have some sort of push toward my wanting to “shout it from the mountaintop”….

And so - now, just as I believe that St. Francis of Assisi was on to something when he said “Preach the Gospel at all times; use words only when necessary”, I find I must work the same way. Or in Nike terms - “Just do it!” and let your light shine so that others will be drawn into asking “What’s up with you, anyway?”

I’ve been at this for about 6 weeks now - I’m down only about 12 lbs. That doesn’t bother me (I’ve got 45 to go, I think). Fortunately, every other week I trot down to the Pharmaceutical Care Center, here on Auburn’s campus, and weigh in on one of those fancy-smancy Tanita scales that tries to measure everything (fat mass, Fat Free Mass, water, BMI, basal metabolic needs, etc). And what that told me on my last visit was that while the net weight loss rang up at 2.2#, the fat mass was down 5# - water was up, and I think I may have developed a bit of muscle.

All this goes to show that you have to look beneath the surface… and I still feel really good.

Atkins Continues unabated

OK - so I’ve been at this for almost a month now… I realize that there are many benefits to this style of eating. I mean, even beyond the 10 lbs gone away in less than a month, or the fact that my jeans are considerably looser, and more comfortable, or even the fact that a couple of people, including my 18 year old son, have actually noticed that I seem to have lost weight.

Observation: I just feel better. Haven’t taken my various antidepressants for several days now and I think I may just not go back on them. No more getting kind of shakey when I haven’t eaten. Calm. Energetic. Able to focus. Who’d a thunk it? Maybe a big part of my mood swings is directly related to SUGAR - or sugar and STARCH.

Observation: I have been very consistent about getting in my 3 mile walk almost every day. That could help with the moods, etc. But, I was doing that before this change in eating pattern, and while it helped, it didn’t completely fix some of those emotional swings. So - must be related to diet.

Obesrvation: I feel good! oops, I think I said that before.

Atkins

OK - so I’ve been following this Atkins diet for a week now. I’m down 6.5 lbs - that’s about 10% of what I’d like to loose (if you’re gonna dream, reach for the stars).

Observations: I’m not hungry; I’m not craving any food - I’ve lived on salad, a few other veggies, meat, cheese and eggs for a week now. I’ve drunk my weight in water it seems. I’m energetic, not cranky - don’t feel like I’m on a diet at all. The biggest shift seems to be eating the meat. I’m probably getting more protein than I have in a very long time. My skin doesn’t seem as dry and old looking. So - I think I’ll continue this way of eating and see if I can regain my youthful appearance!

On diets and food

My brother was the second person in a couple of weeks to get interested in Atkins - and he wants me to try it. Maybe this can work. You see, I suspect that I am a person for whom sugar should be classified a street drug. The theory is that perhaps I am addicted to carbohydrates. That’s all I need - to go with my other addictions - caffiene, etc.

So - I’m giving this a shot. It’s probably going to be a boring trip - this getting healthy and losing weight, but watch this spot in case of success.