Monday, September 10, 2012

Two years

It's been two years now since my Dear Ol' Dad died. He used to sign his notes "DOD." I still have the box that his last gift (a set of spectacularly tacky garden trolls) to me came in, with a little poem about guarding the garden in his shaky handwriting. Love, DOD.

I ended up talking about him quite a bit this weekend. Somehow a couple people learned that I have a private pilot's license and there were long conversations about our mutual love of flying. My dad took his first airplane ride in an open-cockpit biplane when he was five years old, and he was instantly and permanently infected with the bug to learn to fly. He got his license when I was 18, and I got mine when I was 30. He ended up owning half a dozen different airplanes throughout his lifetime; by the time I started taking lessons he had a Citabria, which is "aerobatic" sort of spelled backwards.

The weekend was great. This retreat is pretty unstructured, with just four scheduled meetings. The remainder of the time is spent fellowshipping, eating, walking/hiking, napping, eating, watching football, eating … you get the idea.

Every year when I leave Kentucky I think to myself, "Next year will be different. I'm going to really work on losing weight and getting back in shape and no one will recognize me when we go back." Well, this year I said it out loud to my husband, and here I am saying it to you, and maybe making a more public commitment will help me stay on track.

Today is the first training day for Up & Running, the second anniversary of my dad's passing and the day after the annual retreat. My dad was a good example of how I don't want to end up when I'm 80: infirm, in pain and in doctors' offices all the time. The confluence of these events is perfect for yet another new beginning.

As far as food goes, I'll be trying something I've seen and considered but haven't put into practice – breakfast and lunch will be pretty much the same thing every day. No-brainer meals, if you will. Cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt or cottage cheese or a smoothie for lunch. I'm still having trouble  eating, especially salads (getting used to the dentures), so dinners will be soups, stir-fries or pasta with cooked-to-death vegetables.

Edited to add: Also, one day off each week. Because if you eat treats every day, they're not really treats, are they?

Anyone want to join me? I'd love the support, whether your meals look like mine or not.

4 comments:

denise said...

Seems like the right time to make a commitment to get serious about weight loss. Found out Friday my cholesterol is 317! Yikes!

I guess not going back to the doctor for a year and a half after he told me to get it down (from 280 at that point) or he would put me on medication didn't work. Sigh... :-(

Still contemplating exactly what I am going to do - WW or just cut it down to basics on my own - but clearly something needs to change.

On the other hand, I can't join in any training to run type thing, as my knees would not support that - at this weight or any other.

So I'll cheer you on and take inspiration from your journey, but probably can't follow along with the same program.

Vickie said...

Can you do egg beaters omelette? Seems like it would be soft enough.

I do the same thing for breakfast every day and it is my biggest meal of the day:
Oatmeal with ground flax and milk
AND
egg beaters omelette with a small avocado and 2T salsa

Winnie said...

I enjoyed reading about your dad. I love that you have a pilots list. and have his love of flying. That is amazing. The trolls made me chuckle, I had one it is a New York Met one, and I named him Mookie (like Mookie Wilson). All the best as you begin you regime. I need to do something, but have no idea what yet. I know I have to MOVE as I am a receptionist on my butt all day, and then have the 2 hr commute going and 2 hrs back. After 13 years, I have a major "spread".

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed hearing your story about your dad. (HUGS)

Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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