Sue's Successes in September!

[FrugalSue]

Okay, I'm feeling pretty jazzed about this month, partly because I'm so happy to be home after my long roadtrip and partly because the fall is always my favorite time. I love that back-to-school feeling, even though I personally haven't been in school for many years. But I will be sending my daughter Betsy back to school in about a week, which makes my days a little more structured (gotta be up in time to make sure she gets going, and I like to be home when the bus gets here).

My stepkids will both be in college this fall, and that's kind of a relief, too, because they've been a little wild this summer. I confiscated my stepson's pot the other day--I could smell it in his upstairs bedroom all the way from the kitchen, even though he wasn't smoking it! He is now in deep doo-doo with all four of his parents.

This month is also going to be an interesting one for my editing job. My main coworker is retiring, and I am really, really excited about the chance to reorganize my department and my own job. Supposedly I've been the boss for the past 8 years, but I could never implement any changes as long as my coworker was there, because she's been the secretary for 35 years and she wouldn't give an inch. We had to test new software behind her back. I'm going to reassign her duties to myself and three other people, and we're not replacing her. I will end up working more hours, but with fewer deadlines and definitely less stress. So I'll make a little more money, too.

Anyway, I think the best way to deal with change from a health standpoint is to eat really healthy and exercise, so I'll definitely be doing that. I'm going to put the arthritis swim class that I found earlier this summer into my schedule and start going regularly.

Good luck to all this month!

[FrugalSue]

I've been totally enjoying being home this past week. It's great to be able to concentrate on eating right. I've lost another pound since I got home from my trip.

It's blackberry season here in the Pacific Northwest. Blackberries grow like weeds here. One nice morning recently I went over to an empty lot in my neighborhood and picked several pounds of blackberries. I made some really great whole wheat blackberry muffins one day, and today I'm making a blackberry syrup sweetened with Splenda to enjoy on top of plain yogurt, whole wheat pancakes, or whatever.

I'll be looking for some free apples too! A lot of people around here have fruit trees in their yards but don't have much time to cook.

I'm really excited about the Biggest Loser special on TV tonight!

[FrugalSue]

I really enjoyed watching the Biggest Loser special last night. It was great to see how many of the contestants have not only kept most of the weight off, they've also gotten really involved in bringing fitness and health to other people. So a lot more has changed than just their weight. It's very inspiring on several levels.

I'm glad the season starts next week! It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun...I was surprised how much they showed about how the third team will be formed rather than keeping that as a surprise for the first episode. I won't give any details here, because I don't want to be a spoiler!

I'm feeling really focused on eating right these days, and it feels great.

[FrugalSue]

We have some company staying with us this weekend and into early next week. I am trying to be a good hostess and provide food that everyone else will want to eat, and at the same time eat what is right for me. It's challenging.

I am more and more aware, as I try to take better care of myself, that I like things to be really simple and predictable so I don't have things distracting me from what I need to do. Life isn't always like that, though.

[FrugalSue]

I was sure glad to see the return of Biggest Loser on TV last night. I really enjoyed the first show. As an older loser, I was really happy to see the old guy do so well, both in becoming a team captain by winning the running race and by losing so much weight!

My company has just left this morning and I feel so much more at ease. The couple that was staying with us is really nice, but the wife was a total sugar addict. Every day when she was out exploring Seattle and the Puget Sound area, she would stop at fancy French bakeries and bring things home to share with us for dessert. At first I thought I was the one with the problem (since I was having a hard time having this stuff around the house), but after a few days of seeing how she eats, I realized this lady is really compulsive! Anyway, it will be easier now to stick to my own way of eating now that I no longer have visitors.

We are, however, going to the state fair today, and there will be lots of temptations there. But, you know, even in the middle of the fair, you can find good food if you're looking for it. Especially these days with all of the interesting ethnic foods. I am sure there will be some booth that sells grilled chicken skewers or something like that.

Our visitors took us out to dinner last night at a fancy Italian osteria and most of the foods on the menu were too rich, cheesy, full of white flour, etc. for me. But I was able to cobble together a fabulous meal that was really healthy by having a salad and the steamed mussels and clams appetizer as my entree.

The thing that I try to keep in mind in these situations is, why am I here at this function where there is tempting food? The answer is usually because I want to spend time with people and have some fun. The food is not the reason for being there. I can truthfully say that, after a year of being on a weight loss journey, I enjoy eating something healthy more than I enjoy eating something rich, fatty or sweet.

[Missy]

Your story reminds me of something I heard on the radio recently about your friends contibuting to making you fat. It's so true!! Especially since a lot of the time when you're out with friends or have friends over, there is always bad food involved!!

[FrugalSue]

I saw some friends last night whom I hadn't seen in a while, and one of them commented that my face is thinner than she had last seen it, and that I have beautiful cheekbones. Yay! I told her to keep watchin', because there will be more changes!

I am 30 pounds lighter than I was on September 19th, 2006, when I started with this group. My goal is to lose another 30 pounds in the next year. I'm not in a big hurry to lose weight, because I want my weight loss to be permanent. I'm not on a diet; I'm on a different direction in my life that I plan to stay on.

Next week I am going to start the process of getting a knee replacement. I've been using my fancy knee brace for several months, and while it gives me more stability than walking without it, it doesn't prevent swelling or pain. Lately I often wake up at night with pain, and sometimes I even have a hard time falling asleep due to pain. And that's with taking the maximum dosage of Tylenol and Advil, and avoiding activities that make the pain worse. So I either have to be taking narcotics for pain, or I need to get the knee fixed. I vote for fixing the problem.

I have an appointment with my new family practice doctor on Monday and then I will see my orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday. It will probably be a few months before I have the actual surgery, but I'm ready any time they want to fit me in! I'll be sure to let you guys know what develops.

In the meantime, I'm pretty happy right now in part because fall is my favorite time of the year. I love it when the mornings and evenings are cool and the days are still nice and warm. I like the structure that comes from my daughter Betsy going back to school. Both of my stepkids will be in college in another week or so, and that will be good, too. They need something to do besides just work and party. (We raised them to be honest with us, but sometimes they tell me more than I want to know!)

[FrugalSue]

I had the nicest day yesterday with my daughter Betsy. She is taking Fridays off from school this year in order to spend time seeing art, learning about art, and doing art. Since she is 15 and can't drive by herself yet, that means I get to go do all of these things with her. So we're kind of homeschooling on Fridays, and I love it!

Yesterday we went to the Seattle Art Museum for several hours and then I took her to an art class in the evening. In between, we needed to get something to eat, so we stopped at the art museum's restaurant. I feel like I've really gotten a good handle on how to find healthy food in restaurants! Once again, I ordered the steamed mussels appetizer and a side salad.

Today I'm having a stay-at-home day, and I'm going to make stuffed cabbage rolls for dinner. I looked at several recipes--they all had unhealthy elements, so I'm making up my own recipe, using brown rice and some of the lean beef that we bought directly from an Eastern Washington rancher. All of the other ingredients are vegetables, and there's no frying involved, so it's gotta be pretty healthy.

[FrugalSue]

I had another nice day with Betsy yesterday. We went to our town's Saturday Market. It's part farmers market, part art fair. Lots of fun. I bought some great healthy foods there, including probably the last fresh blueberries that will be available this year. I also got some fresh basil and today I am going to make a low fat pesto sauce to have with whole wheat pasta. I'm going to put spinach into the pesto sauce for some added nutrition.

My healthy stuffed cabbage rolls were a hit with 3/4 of the family last night. That's a better response than I expected!

[FrugalSue]

This is going to be an especially busy week. I will be seeing my new family practice doctor today and my orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday to find out about whether I can get knee replacement surgery anytime soon. I sure hope I can! I would like to have increased mobility so I can have a more normal life, including doing a lot more exercise!

I'm also spending Thursday going to my best friend's pre-surgery medical appointments with her. She's having a knee replacement revision next week (her original surgery 5 years ago went fine, but then she got tendinitis later that messed it up, so now it has to be redone).

The homemade pesto that I made yesterday turned out really well. It took some searching on the Web to find a good recipe, because many of the ones that were supposedly "light" had crazy stuff in them, like an entire cup of Parmesan cheese! No way can that be "light"! You have to be so careful...just because someone claims their recipe is healthy doesn't mean it really is.