I have been living a very simple life for the past six months - purposely trying to keep my world as stress-free as possible. I figure I've had enough "drama" for the past year to last a lifetime so, at least for now, I'm avoiding anything outside of work that causes me unnecessary anxiety. Like shopping. Shopping has been a real pain in the butt for the past few years, especially when it involves trying on clothes. When you get to a certain size, anything really over a size 14, shopping for clothes in "regular" stores becomes challenging. If you do happen to find clothes that fit, they usually look like something a clown would wear, to the circus...Who on earth comes up with these designs? Really, a Plus size person needs to wear stripes going around the middle? Or neon splashes of color in a horizontal pattern? Or hot pink anything? It's been a struggle to try and find things that fit and look decent for work that won't frighten my co-workers. Remember, I'm 5'2 so if it's big enough to go around me, it's usually too long and ill proportioned everywhere else. Even Petite pants are often too long. Trying on clothes at department stores stresses me out and when I get stressed out I want to eat. So being on a diet AND trying to avoid stress has meant NO SHOPPING.
But today I took a chance and went looking for some clothes. I HAD to. Even my mother told me recently that I needed to buy some new clothes because I had really "let myself go"...Thanks Mom. But she was right, as usual so I bit the bullet, threw out anything in my pantry that could be turned into binge food and headed out. First, though, I stopped by World Market - they were having a wine and beer tasting. If I was going to do this shopping thing I needed some support. Three "tastings" of wine and three "tastings" of beer later, I was ready for anything. I have lost some weight so I pulled some clothes from the rack that were a size smaller than I've been buying. Imagine my surprise when they were too big! What's that I see in the crappy department store mirror - a smile on my face? Crazy. So I bought a couple of tops that were three sizes smaller than I've been wearing, that fit and that actually are in fashion and a pair of dog-walking shoes and called it a day. End on a high note, right? When I got home instead of wanting to stuff my face from stress, I was motivated to work out. It's so funny to me that for all these years I've been laughing at people who said "all you have to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise more". Turns out it's true. I wish there was some magic pill or potion you could take and drop 60 pounds, but the sad reality is you have to work your buns off and stop eating a lot of food that you love, like cheese...
Which brings me to the second "small thing" that made me smile today. My cheese -fast is over. I am now allowed to add cheese back into my diet as accent food. I've been thinking about it all week and could hardly contain myself at the grocery store today! The problem is I had to fight the urge to buy the Cranberry Stilton or the Sharp White Cheddar and the baguettes - oh how I miss the baguettes! I had to keep telling myself, Accent Cheese, not main course Cheese...I'm pretty sure I said this out loud several times and a couple of women at Whole Foods actually left the cheese section because of me. No worries, I'm in a stress-free place of no concerns so let them think I'm a fool - I was buying cheese for the first time in four weeks and nobody was going to ruin it for me! A friend of mine gave me this incredible tip (which I'll share with you in the recipe section below) so I bought Low Fat Herb and Garlic cheese spread. Two tablespoons is only 70 calories and 2 grams of fat - Accent! I also bought some fresh parmesan and skim milk feta. Oh boy my next salad is going to be AWESOME!
To wrap up, the small things really are the best things in life so take a break from YOUR unnecessary stress and give yourself a chance to find some simple thing to make you feel happy. I hope for your sake that you don't have to give up cheese for four weeks to do that, though.
As promised, here is a tip for getting some cheese in your life without blowing your diet...
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
1 3-ounce chicken breat flattened and either grilled or broiled with a little olive oil and seasoning
1 flat bagel (I used Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat) toasted
1 tablespoon of Low Fat Herb and Garlic Cheese Spread
Spinach (a few pieces raw)
Hot sauce
Assemble your sandwich and if you like drizzle a little hot sauce on last. News flash, hot sauce actually increases your metabolism if you use it regularly! Just so happens I love spicy food so for me it's a win-win.
But today I took a chance and went looking for some clothes. I HAD to. Even my mother told me recently that I needed to buy some new clothes because I had really "let myself go"...Thanks Mom. But she was right, as usual so I bit the bullet, threw out anything in my pantry that could be turned into binge food and headed out. First, though, I stopped by World Market - they were having a wine and beer tasting. If I was going to do this shopping thing I needed some support. Three "tastings" of wine and three "tastings" of beer later, I was ready for anything. I have lost some weight so I pulled some clothes from the rack that were a size smaller than I've been buying. Imagine my surprise when they were too big! What's that I see in the crappy department store mirror - a smile on my face? Crazy. So I bought a couple of tops that were three sizes smaller than I've been wearing, that fit and that actually are in fashion and a pair of dog-walking shoes and called it a day. End on a high note, right? When I got home instead of wanting to stuff my face from stress, I was motivated to work out. It's so funny to me that for all these years I've been laughing at people who said "all you have to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise more". Turns out it's true. I wish there was some magic pill or potion you could take and drop 60 pounds, but the sad reality is you have to work your buns off and stop eating a lot of food that you love, like cheese...
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| these are a few of my favorite things... |
To wrap up, the small things really are the best things in life so take a break from YOUR unnecessary stress and give yourself a chance to find some simple thing to make you feel happy. I hope for your sake that you don't have to give up cheese for four weeks to do that, though.
As promised, here is a tip for getting some cheese in your life without blowing your diet...
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
1 3-ounce chicken breat flattened and either grilled or broiled with a little olive oil and seasoning
1 flat bagel (I used Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat) toasted
1 tablespoon of Low Fat Herb and Garlic Cheese Spread
Spinach (a few pieces raw)
Hot sauce
Assemble your sandwich and if you like drizzle a little hot sauce on last. News flash, hot sauce actually increases your metabolism if you use it regularly! Just so happens I love spicy food so for me it's a win-win.
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