My Blog?

i love food...

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:10:25 -0600

Here is a picture of me, engaging in my most favorite activity - eating! Isn’t that the happiest face? Mary and I had gone with two of her Healdsburg friends to an incredible restaurant, Mirepoix, in the heart of the heart of the best food and wine country. Yum! And what were those yummy morsels underneath the best chicken I’ve ever eaten - of couse, chanterelles! In butter!

Following the program I only ate half of my dinner - a full half. I’m still careful about what I consume but I can feel myself slipping a bit - this is the dangerous time. It’s hard - I mean, Vernon’s best friends (Ben and Jerry) still make regular appearances in our home but if I want to stay in these jeans, I better ignore them.

Why is it that some of us must engage in this battle of the bulge? Unlucky, I say. The fat gene resides in these genes and there isn’t anything I can do about that. To stay in these jeans, I have to deal with those genes. So, I tell myself, “there will always be another banana split” and “this isn’t the last potato chip I’ll ever see”.

It’s funny, this time the weight loss didn’t happen as it always has before. I always lost around the middle and was left with the hips. Now, my hips are smaller and my middle is pudgy. I guess I might actually have to exercise - oh no, not that. Time to get an Ab Roller.

Or not. Maybe I’ll just be pudgy in the middle. As long as the hips don’t catch up.

a wide consequence

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:19:03 -0600

photo: My friend, Nuchi (a fraction of her former self) and of me, not even at my biggest in Israel.

Diet. It seems that most of my life I’ve been on one diet or another. By the time I was 10, I had already tried “the hot dog diet” (you eat a hot dog for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and actually lost about 10 pounds. Of course, eating three hot dogs a day didn’t teach me anything that prevented those 10 pounds (plus a few more) from coming back.

I’d always been a “big girl” – taller than my classmates and heavier, too. In those days, we still had “p.e.” so I was active. I loved softball, tether ball and burnt off a fair number of calories pretending I was a horse. It was a game my friends enjoyed – we all wanted a horse. Only Wendy Davis was lucky enough to actually own one.

Throughout my young adult life I continued to be a “big girl”. Hefty, but not overly so. The hope continued that I would “lose the baby fat” but I did not. College brought fried food directly in my line of sight (my mom always cooked healthy) and I gobbled up just about every possible fried food I saw. This was before fried Twinkies and I am proud to say I have never eaten one – but it might be the only thing I didn’t.

In my twenties, I got serious. I began a regimen on my own in which I basically eliminated in between snacking, greatly limited my carb intake and paid attention to what I did eat. Being twenty, the pounds melted off and for the first time, I was skinny. I managed to keep this off for about 10 years – 10 years in which I might have eaten 10 donuts in total.

Meeting Vernon was a real turning point for me. What a hunk he was and sooo nice. I fell in love, my family fell in love and my love of food returned for he is a very good cook with a great appreciation of good food.

Still, during this time, I maintained most of my loss. I had picked up the habit of exercising – 45 minutes, come hell of high water, on my stair stepping machine. I climbed and climbed and that kept the pounds at bay. I don’t like to exercise but it had become a routine and I kept it up. Until…I found polymer clay.

I cannot count the number of times a great idea (and not so great idea) would pull me off the stair stepper. I just couldn’t wait a second longer – I had to get to my clay. Before long, the stair stepper had been pushed to a corner, collecting dust and rusting from lack of use. Cranking the pasta machine was now my only form of exercise.

My eating habits remained the same so we all know what happened. I started to gain weight. My form fitting clothing was replaced by big tops and stirrup pants. Now, I loved my stirrup pants but as they stretch, I really didn’t know how much my waist was expanding. I should have stuck to jeans, maybe I would have noticed then.

Realizing, finally, what was happening, triggered a series of diets again. I went on Weight Watchers, Atkins, went to a diet doc who gave me B12 shots, went on my own “every other day” diet (you only care every other day – it doesn’t work) and lost and gained about a ton. I joined Jenny Craig, then never got the food. And so it went, I was a human balloon, inflated and deflated, inflated then deflated, finally, just inflated.

Being older, now in my 50’s, the inflated me also noticed new problems. My feet hurt when I got up in the morning, the hot flashes were really bad. Now, hot flashing feels like you’re burning up from the inside out. Now, the flash had to get through all that extra fat to get out and it was awful. Still, I couldn’t quite get it together to do anything about my condition. Even though, XL was the tee shirt size that now fit around my big butt. I got used to the rolls hanging over my jeans.

I probably still wouldn’t have done anything but on a trip home, it seemed that everyone around me had lost weight. My sister, Tina, had gone through her own human balloon cycle but she had taken control and was looking really good. My sister-in-law Gwen was a mere fraction of her former self. Mom’s friend Millie had lost a lot of weight. Mom was looking good. I was the big girl again. I had lost the comfort of the crowd – I was the cheese, the big cheese, standing alone in a sea of little people.

So, I decided to begin again. This time I’d try Weight Watchers. Since the first time I had tried it (I had actually gotten down to a size 4 the first time) the program had been simplified. No more counting calories, now we were to count points. I live in a pretty remote place and had no wish to trek into Woodland Park for meetings so I did it online. For about 100.00 you get all the information and the books and even a subscription to their magazine. I’m explaining, not endorsing.

This was in November of ’07. Surprisingly, it was simple. Not only had the program itself changed but now there were great alternative foods to select. I found a bread in which I could eat 2 slices for the same point value as 1. Instead of eggs, I ate egg beaters. There is even low point ice cream. By simply switching from high fat to fat free, I drastically cut the point value without having to eat less. It seemed I was actually eating more.

Since then, I’ve lost 26 pounds and am back to feeling more like my very old self. Clothes that I haven’t worn in many, many years, now fit again. 5 months sounds like a long time but it goes by in a flash. I have another 10 pounds to lose but I’ll take my time. In another 5 months maybe it’ll be lost, maybe it’ll take a year. But, that doesn’t matter much, this is a program I can easily live with. It seems, I’ve been retrained.

I know my story will ring familiar to some of you – just remember, you can do it, too. If I can do it, you can, of that I am certain. I don’t know if I can keep it all off forever – it feels like I can today. I’ll keep you posted.

red carpet

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 14:57:51 -0600

I fly a lot. Not as much as some but probably, more than most. When I lived in Chicago, I regularly flew United and most of the time made my “Premier” - basically, I flew 25,000 miles in the friendly skies and for that, I got to get on the plane before most of my fellow passengers.

At some time, United reconfigured their planes, giving more leg room in the first 10 rows. Of course, that extra leg room stole precious inches from the unfortunates stuffed into rows beginning with 11 on back.

After 9/11 most airlines stopped serving food - who knows, some terrorist might mess with the cuisine. So, these days, on a good flight you might actually get the whole can of diet Coke, instead of the 2 ounces over ice with your pretzels.

Their latest effort to make their best customers feel special is a 2 foot by 4 foot piece of red carpet into which they have woven “UNITED”. This scrap of carpet is what their most frequent flyers and first class passengers get to step on as they embark. The rest of us have to take one step to the right of left of it and embark through the same door.

I wonder how much that little piece of carpet and the additional signage cost United? Every gate at every airport they fly from has one. Millions and millions, I would guess.
Maybe that’s why United is always more expensive than the other carriers (that’s what I’ve found, anyway). Do they think everyone will aspire to stride across the red carpet and fly United so they can? Not! Maybe ridiculous decisions like the red carpet are the reasons why the airline is so often in trouble.

Well, after seeing this little bit of stupidity, I have made a decision - no more United for me. I will do my best to be a Continental girl from now on. Cheaper, more leg room and they not only give you the little bag of pretzels, they serve a snack! The snack is typical airline fare but it says quite a bit about the difference between United and Continental’s priorities. Flying today is difficult and unpleasant enough - thank you Continental for trying to make it a better experience. United? You need better marketing advice.

eileen loring

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:45:42 -0600

After a long illness, the polymer clay community lost one of its best friends and advocates. Her name was Eileen Loring and lucky you were if ever you met her.

There was no one who knew more about polymer clay and who seemed to know about every product that might or might not work with it. She seemed to discover new things constantly. She was also the most prolific polymer artist I think I’ve ever met. And she was good.

In times too numerous to mention, Eileen could be seen demonstrating - to anyone who wanted to know about how she did this or that. I’ve never known anyone who so gladly gave of her time and knowledge. She would smile, set aside what she’d been working on and give 100% of her attention to the person sitting next to her. Such was the heart of this generous and kind woman.

And through it all, the really hard physical beating her body seemed to give her, she never complained. There she’d be with that smile and the twinkling eyes. No one ever knew how bad things might be, she kept that to herself.

Eileen made friends of everyone she met. At a retreat we both attended, she even made friends with the kitchen staff - the kids who scooped up the mystery meat and carbs, the kids most of us smile at and thank but don’t really get to know.

So, it was that one night one of Eileen’s new friends hiked to our cabins bearing a bowl of ice cream, looking for the “hippie chick”. Ahh, will we ever forget ice cream, peaches and peach schnapps - normally, the breakfast of champions - great for dessert, too.

And so, we say good bye to our good friend, the hippie chick, the woman who loved concerts and clay and people and life. You didn’t want any tears so we will celebrate your life as we miss your unforgettable presence.

update on mr. t

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 19:35:29 -0600

In a previous blog, I wrote that Mr. T. would be leaving us for a new home and new companion. I thought it would be but the people didn’t call. Evidently, the husband just wouldn’t say “yes”. So, I thought, this was meant to be, Mr. T is staying home after all. Yippee! He was staying and thought of removing the blog post when I returned from my trip.

Off to Europe I went. One month away. So much can change in one month...upon my return, I discovered that Mr. T. was leaving for Arizona. Arizona? Whaaaa?

Cheryl Jones (a client of Taffy’s) aunt has a small ranch where she works with disabled children and horses. Lead line stuff, place a child on a gentle, bomb proof horse, and walk around. When Cheryl’s aunt met Mr. T., she fell in love with the old gentleman. She dropped a crutch beneath his nose and he didn’t flinch as it bounced beneath him. She knew he’d be ideal for her therapy program.

So, Mr. T. is in Arizona. Soon he’ll be working again. Light work, carrying children - some of whom cannot walk - letting them feel the wind through their hair as they are carried aloft. Letting them feel the excitement and thrill that comes from being connected to one of the most magnificent creatures who walk the earth. I know they will lavish him with love and carrots. I think this really is what was supposed to happen. He will serve and be served. A very special job for my very special friend.