New Ground

Yahooooooo, Not the internet thing. 189.zeroooooo. Lowest yet.

Nothing like a "friendly" competition. Sandi, my daughter is working at the weight and health thing too. She hit a "stuck place" too. A stuck place is where you just get bored tired or stressed and stop eating right.  We both did it, the older one, multiple times.

So now we have a bet/contest. For bragging rights, who can lose the most from now till the end of May.  So after my pie eating wagon fall, I was 194. As of today, that is 5 pounds! Sounds impressive! Would be except I cannot tell you how many times in the last two months I have lost those same 4.5 pounds.  BUT NOT THAT LAST HALF!!!!!

The bet is helping. Last night when I was in my "eat everything in the house" mood, I just thought of Sandi and had water and oranges. Way better than chips, peanut butter, oatmeal with half a pound of ground sugar and so forth. I am amazed at how creative I can be to come up with carbs and sugar calories when we have so little in the house.

So I am back on the wagon.

Food:  Morning shake of spinach, strawberries, protein powder and water. I actually really miss this if I don't have it. I also take a handful of vitamins. And drinking something thicker like this makes that much easier than just water.

Lunch: We had a meeting at a Pizza place. Even the salad bar is not that good for me at this place. So I had a giant diet cola and refills. Seeing all that pizza everyone was eating was not easy. Then I went to my office and had my 4 oz steak.

Dinner was taco soup. I also snacked on oranges several times during the day, drank way too many diet cokes prior to noon and drank lots of water.

No exercise. Once this week is a start and that will improve.

Depression: It tried to slip in yesterday. I definitely felt some anxiety over multiple things that are going on. Sometimes I can't seem to escape it. But I worked very hard at good "self talk" and pushed on.  Feeling better today. We will see how it goes.

Today's Goal: Make a point to listen closely to someone who needs to talk.

I have worked very hard to be a good person. I know that sounds weird. I work hard because it would be very easy to let my problems set my mood and how I act. I want to be a very good person. I want to be the type of person that anyone would be very happy to call a friend. I want that not for friendships or awards or recognition, but because it is right and because it is who I want to be.

So I really need to think about things, decide up front that I want to not only care about people but "take action". Sometimes that action is just listening. Not fixing, not solving, not even commenting, just listening. It seems so simple, but not so simple. I am a "fixer", not giving solutions or suggestions is extremely difficult. My kids know this so at times when they just need to talk, they actually call and say this: "Mom, I just want to talk, I don't want you to fix it or help, just listen."  I am so glad they felt good enough about me that first they could talk and second they could say that to me.  The first few times it was like trying to not fall off a high wire! Balancing my mother mouth to keep it shut was beyond belief difficult!

Now I ask "is this a time you want me to just listen or to give suggestions?". And I am grateful both occur.  The other thing I try to remember to say to anyone is "these are just suggestions or ideas, you are the only one to know what is a good idea and what is not a good idea." I also say to people who are not my family "Remember, free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it".

I strongly believe that most people have the answers already. They just need to talk it out with someone. Sometimes I do have good ideas. I think one of my best strengths is the ability to look at something from all angles. And sometimes when you point out a new perspective to someone, they suddenly see their answer that was there the whole time.

Another thing that I as "fixer" find extremely difficult is that sometimes there is no solution, no answer. Now my very nature tells me that there is ALWAYS a way to make something better, if you work hard enough, it you think hard enough, if you pray hard enough, there is an answer. I was right. But not how I thought of it at first.

Sometimes the answer is just to live. The answer is in how you live with it.  Abuse is not something that this answer is for. Never is it the answer for abuse. But it can be for other things.

Homework assignment: Listen to someone. Stop and listen. Don't suggest, don't fix, just listen.

Have beautiful day!