It's GOOOOOOOOOD !!!!!!

Greetings. Much great news today. March Madness is in full swing. Duke got beat by VCU. SWEEEEEET !!!! The look on coach K's face was PRICELESS when the buzzer went off. We were all jumping around high-fiving and screaming. It's so much fun to be a hater.

Weight Watchers meeting this week was really good. I was down 2 pounds and Linda was down over 3. That put her over the 20 pounds lost so far milestone. I'm just over 10 down myself. You should see how great Linda looks. Really can see the difference in her face and all over. Plus she's cut her hair into a cute style, honestly she looks 10 years younger. I'm one lucky dude.

There were even more new folks this week. Our merry band keeps getting larger and larger. We have such a great group and the newcomers are fitting in nicely. There are several mom/daughter combos that are so fun to get to know. One of those pairs sits by us and they are so cute. The daughter is gettting married this summer and is getting in shape for a bikini wearing tropical honeymoon. Her momma just wanted to be able to tie her shoes easier. I can so relate to that one. The old spare tire was hindering that activity, not so much anymore.

We had a ton of milestones celebrated so our week's discussion topic did not have a bunch of time but we hit the high points of a very important lesson.

The topic was why do we eat when it's not for hunger / nutrition. Psychological food cravings come in many shapes and sizes. Eating because we are sad, happy, bored, etc. The trick is to step away from yourself and analyze the different motivations that cause that behavior.

For example craving food because we are bored means we are looking for stimulation. So the answer is to seek stimulation in a different manner besides stuffing the pie-hole with twinkies.

When we eat due to sadness we are seeking happiness. Yes a double cheeseburger does make me happy, but then the cycle becomes feeling guilty for eating poorly, which in turn means oh well lets just have some fries too. Then we have a gain and the wheel spins like a hamster in a cage.

BREAK THE CYCLE

Human beings are a bundle of complex emotions. Understanding feelings and motivations and behavior is a difficult process, but one that we can accomplish if we try. It really helps to have WW buddies to talk to and figure this kind of stuff out. The ladies came up with several examples of why a person eats for psychological satisfaction.

I said "The reason we do it is because it chemically releases endorphins into our brain". Our Leader Dori looked at the group like who let the rocket scientist in the room. It was freaking hilarious really.

But to sum it up, that is exactly the process. Endorphins are the "feel good" chemicals in our bodies. Have you ever heard of "runners high"? Yepper, caused by endorphins. So what we want to do is get the endorphin release from healthy activities and not Girl Scout cookies.

Ya know stuff like watching Duke get beat ! And seeing coach K's lemon sucking sour puss.

OOOOOOO BABEEEEE ! I got an endorphin rush just typing that sentence.

Healthy eating to all.

Dave and Linda

Monday buzz

Greetings blog lovers near and far! Today has been a blur of work and caffeine. You know when it's like 4:30 p.m. and your heart rate is around oh let's say in the range of a hummingbird. That's what I'm talking about yes sir.

I feel like the little guy in the Zantac ads. Faster = Better. Of course it is.

Linda and I managed to make it to Weight Watchers meeting last week despite her sinus gunk. The Doc gave her some great meds and she is responding fast. Excellent.

So I was happy to see our merry band of WED 7:15'ers and get back in the meeting groove. Let me emphasize this point: WW MEETINGS ROCK !

The ice-storm basically wiped out the previous get-together except for a couple of snowmobiling eskimos and one lost homeless dude.

So this meeting was like 2 meetings wrapped up into one. We touched upon the food find topic (recipes coming in a future post) and then moved on to the topic of the week.

Dori, our leader is so cool. She reminds me of a combination of a Sunday school teacher mixed in with a motivational speaker. Always upbeat, smiling, fun, and NEVER judgemental. This week's topic was based on a chart that showed a picture of a ladder and steps going upwards toward success.

I'll try and re-create the ladder. At the bottom we have "I won't", followed by "I can't".

Above that we have "I might", "I should", "I want to", "I think I can", "I'll try", and onwards up to where you have "I'm doing it", and I've done it".

This is a VERY rough approximation of the exact steps on the chart but the idea is there. It's all about the mindset of the person interested in becoming a healthier person, both in body and spirit. At the bottom we have the typical couch potato, happy to munch Doritos all afternoon with no regard for anything health-wise. Then from there, we start to rise up the chart with positive changes. The process is the same for ANY GOAL that one sets out to achieve. Yes.

And it takes work. Think about the last time you did something really really special. Like learning how to ski, or learning a new song, or planting a great garden. The more effort that you put into the project, the better it turns out and the more rewarding the entire outcome is.

That's how Weight Watchers works. Finding great recipes and preparing great meals. Getting out there and earning activity points. Learning how to bypass junk food. Going to meetings and encouraging each other to become losers. All part of the equation.

Oh. Linda and I were up just over a pound each at the weigh-in. No biggie considering all the factors of the previous week. Just more motivation to hydrate and eat just a tad better as well as get some walks in. Results in 3 days folks.....

Healthy eating to all.

Dave and Linda

C'mon Springtime (hurry please)

Bad bad blogger for not updating. 10 lashes with a piece of (insert favorite pasta here).

Anyway, last week Wednesday about 3:00 pm it started snowing. And then the temperature dropped 20 degrees in like a minute. So therefore the roads got packed with 3-4 inches of sheer ice. By the end of the work day, commuting times went from (in my case) 20 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. And not a single plow or sand truck in site. I think that the plow drivers are afraid of getting stuck like us mere mortals. Multiple accidents EVERYWHERE ! Roads were blocked that had any kind of steepness to them due to cars unable to make the hill. GRIDLOCK BABY. So when the missus and I got home, we stayed there. Whew.

Of course that meant we missed our WW meeting. Bumski. So no new weigh-in information from the 28th. However unofficially (home scale) I'm still on course.

Linda has been battling a cold/sinus infection for almost 2 weeks now also. It is really hard to stay focused on WW when you feel like crap. Yepper. And then I get to roam the kitchen alone and continue my love affair with peanut butter, milk, bread, etc, etc...and Oh yeah BEER.

DOH !

But this week is sunny and mostly warm. I hope Linda is up to going to WW this week, but I'm thinking we will skip again. No sense in getting our Fellow 7:15'ers sick too.

The forecast is for nice weather for the next week also. The warm temps will allow us to Lysol the crap out of the house and then air that sucker out good. Good 'ol Rocky Mountain fresh air. Nothing better to get the sick out of the house. Well maybe napalm would be good also, but that sounds a bit extreme.

Also the warm weather gets my gardening itch going. After a long, cold winter, the gardens (we have approx. 21 seperate gardens (at last count), need a lot of tender loving care. Cleaning out the debris, turning over the soil, raking out to a nice smoothness and adding mulch / compost for richness. Yes my dirt is spoiled. But it's all worth it. Enjoy the pic of one of my sunflower blossoms from last summer.

Healthy Eating to all.

Dave and Linda