Saturday, February 27, 2010

To do: laundry by the tonne

I'm totally wiped and feel good- my body aches just enough to let me know I've something worthwhile, helping Kristine with some garbage removal and moving of boxes and bags. She's been in the throes of moving across the harbour for a couple weekes now, and tomorrow we'll put on the big push to get everything out so the next tenant can move in.

I've wimped out on doing my laundry at the laundromat this week- I'm too tired and Dad offered to drive me to his place to do it. So I'm waiting for him to come get me, and we'll visit my nephew for a little while before going back to his place. Thank goodness for helpful dads!

Last night I went beserk, eating way more honey nut Cheerio-clone than I should have. I was actually craving chicken (hence my cereal binge) so bought a freerange one at the market and can't wait to cook it. Some people don't like to cook only for themselves but I love to make myself a roast and veggies, even if it's only me at the table!

Well my laundry will get done and I will be relieved... there's no way I can hang it on the line since it's going to rain for the next few days... It takes a lot of energy to drag it to the laundromat and back, wet, to hang on the line or in my apartment. What I need is some kind of dryer that I can run by pedalling a stationary bike. I was watching on tv how some women in India were irrigating fields with a pump that was controlled by paddles they walked on like a Stair Master machine. Wouldn't we all be better off if we had to power some of the gizmos we take for granted ourselves?

Friday, February 26, 2010

We're having our first Spring storm, rain and wind and warm. It would almost be enjoyable if I didn't have to be somewhere. Did my groceries, took a peek in the Sally Ann and now at the Career Centre for email. Then off to the dentist. Blah.

This morning there was practically no food in the house, so I had oatmeal for breakfast. Even though I know it's good for me, there are very few times that I actually feel like eating oatmeal. I think it's because it's bland and liquidy, and when I drink my morning tea on top of it, I feel like I'm swimming from the inside. Still I feel better having had it instead of sugary cereal, which is generally my evening snack, or toast, which is a little hard on the stomach...

I had thought to use the outdoor exercise machines today but it's just too wet. It's really water slide weather. It must be good running weather too, for those who run... and for those of us who lie in bed and watch tv, it's good weather for us too!

Really though I need to seriously consider what I'm going to do next to lose weight. My eating is fairly under control but my acitivity level neesds to come up. Maybe I need to put on some music and dance... that's what Kristine would do...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Today was another weird one, exercise-wise. I got a little walking in but was totally wiped when I came home in the afternoon and slept for a couple hours. The tiredness has not left me. Perhaps it's the weather- grey and windy with rain coming- but it seems unnatural to be this tired. Perhaps it's a sign I should be doing more exercise, not less!


I've been spending some time thinking about creativity and mental health for a talk I'll be giving at a support group. I feel like I should throw something about exercise and physical health in there. I have the feeling that regular exercise might be good for creativity, although I have clearly not had enough experience of this situation to say for sure. I guess it seems like the discipline that comes with regular phsycial activity, and the benefits to circulation, might help clear the brain's cobwebs a little. Who really knows?

My eating has been reasonable today though it didn't include any green veggies. However it is about to include an apple so I get points for that! My cupboards are bare... I need to do some grovery shopping tomorrow... or I'll be having parnips for breakfast!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Well I managed to get a few short walks in today and 5 minutes on the outdoor exercise machines. I feel like I'm having an affair- I'm having to be content with stolen moments of exercise. Still that's my choice, isn't it? I am definitely considering taking some aquafit classes, though, at the Sportsplex. Unfortunately they won't take my swim pass for aquafit, so I'll have to pay for them...

Dad cooked a wonderful meal of watercress soup and pork with chi gu, a root vegetable that I ate for the first time. Apparently it is only available around Chinese New Year. Dad said it was a bit bitter but I actually found it a bit sweet and of the consistency of Taro root. A delicacy I look forward to tasting again next year...

I watched Clara Hughes skate the 5000 m speedskate today. She broke the Richmond oval record, which was then broken again by a German skater and then by a Czech. Clara ended up with bronze, a fine way to bow out of an Olympic career.I heard Clara on the radio a few days back talking about the pain of speed skating, the burning sensation in the legs and how the skater has to push through it. It made me realize that pain isn't something to resent, as i always have tended to, but a challenge to the spirit, and champions push on through it to see what things look like on the other side. I am not that interested in sports, but am fascinated by how an elite athlete's mind must work in order to win. The Czech skater seemed to have total focus and concentration, and her technique looked pretty flawless. SHe was almost in a world of her own... and she ended up in a league of her own.

Off to bed to dream of ice and snow.... and knife sharp blades to skate on.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

It's worth my while being alive. I get to eat halawa, drink hot chocolate and snooze. Doesn't sound like a recipe for health, but definitely for happiness. I have a lot of other reasons to be happy, like the fact that Winter is winding down and there's still daylight when I'm coming home from my writing group. Little things make me happy, like the fact the Sportsplex said I can wear a tshirt and shorts to aquafit classes. Michelle, we're on!

I am happy for the various opportunities that have been coming my way since my novel was published. Life seems full and exciting, and I'm actually beginning to think that living past 41 is a fine idea. Which is good because I plan to get some things done. Like spending some time in China, writing another novel, and losing a whole bunch of weight. I plan to roller blade by Lake Banook again before this life is all over, swim in Lake Charles and canoe without fearing i'll overturn it. It's the roller blading that's the clincher... I picture myself in my skates, rolling along, when I question the whole eating less thing. It's a picture that's worth a thousand words, and more than a hundred pounds...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Off to New Glasgow this morning with a backpack crammed with stuff!I hope I come back with less... specifically I hope I come back without any of my novels- hope to sell them all!

I've had a big breakfast becasue I won't get any lunch. Toast with almond butter. Leaving the halawa alone. Had a good coffee and am all set for the bus trip- will depart shortly, and hope that My legs hold up as I need to go to the grocery store to buy a number of things...

I hope to be back in one piece tomorrow evening...

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Today was a good day for exercise, with several short walks. Foodwise, however,it was fairly outrageous. I had oatmeal for breakfast and then met a couple friends for brunch. One of them had never had dimsum so we introduced her to a new cultural experience! It was worth the dietary disaster to have initiated her into the joys of dimsum. I ate way, way too much, and later I wanted plain steamed rice for supper with steamed veggies. But I was on the way to a meeting so settled for hummus on a bagel with veggies. It was delicious... there was cumin in the hummus I think which gave it a wonderful flavour.

Buying halawa was a mistake. I ate a lot of it last night but have managed to be moderate about it today... its saving grace is that it is made from sesame which apparently has more calcium for its weight than any other food on the planet. Now off to bed so I can wake up bright and early tomorrow!

Friday, February 19, 2010

It's midday and i feel like I've been up since yesterday- since I got up before 8 and it's been 9 or 10 lately, so I had an early start. My day is full of coffee dates/ meetings. It's good to have a little walk to coffee and share a chat with interesting people.... I could make a career of it but not sure anyone would pay me to do it... maybe if I wrote a blog about specialty coffees.

I had oatmeal for breakfast, which I find never actually sticks to my ribs, so I was hungry again by 10 am. Sill I managed to eat only half of my spaghetti and cheese- the rest will be supper, likely. It's kind of an art to stop eating when there's still another serving in the pot but if I make two servings, I can convince myself that I won't have to cook supper if I make sure there's leftovers!

Exercise is still elusive... except for the walks back and forth from the bus or the drugstore. Today I'm totally feeling like I don't need to do much except be present in my friends' lives. I guess it's ok to have days like that...I guess it's ok.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Well it's time to come clean- I just ate a can of baked beans and almost a can of corn. It seemed like a little bit of food but my stomach tells me otherwise. That's supper... I wish i could take it back.

I did precious little shovelling the other day, just the front steps and a path to the garbage cans. A short walk today, to and from the bus and the Bloomfield Centre. Am pretty ready to sit on my butt for awhile, or even nap.

This weekend, I'm off to New Glasgow to do a reading from Migration Songs and a workshop on Monday. I'm really looking forward to it... I don't know if the hotel has a gym but I might give it a whirl if so... not that I have any gym appropriate clothes! Not even sure what people wear to the gym these days- do a tshirt and shorts still work?

I was watching some Olympic Speed skating last night. Oh my gosh. it looked painful and I hear that it is- Clara Hughes said so. Although I am not in favour of extreme exercise, I admire Clara for her big heart and her extraordinary switch from one Olympic sport, a summer one, to another, a winter one. That's the kind of excellence that deserves special attention. I think it shows that personal commitment and determination can cross over from one part of our life to another... that if for example I have enough staying power to write a book, maybe I have the "stickiness" to lose a bunch of weight. I am counting on it.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

whoops!

Wow last night was a diet disaster- vermicelli noodles and Spring rolls at the Vietnamese restaurant up at the bridge with Cate and Sheila. Today was better. Dad took me to lunch at the Our Thyme Cafe and we had paninis and side salad. Dad couldn't eat half his sandwich so I polished it off for supper. For breakfast I had the other half of kraft dinner clone that I ate yesterday for lunch. Thanks good ness for leftovers.

I know you don't want to hear a running account of what I eat but it helps me to keep on track if I blog about it. Exercise too- Dad and I started to go for a walk but I had numb feet and sciatica pain.... so much for that. I'm looking forward to the snow coming tonight as I'll do a little shovelling no doubt.

This Sunday at 3 pm I have a reading and Monday a workshop at the New Glasgow library... I'm very looking forward to it... Won't likely get much exercise, but I'll see... no pool at the hotel I don't think... but Country Inn and Suites has kindly offered me a free room, thanks to their support for the library's Raise a Reader program. I expect to have a lovely time there!

K has moved to her new home... I won't have a walking and tea buddy upstairs anymore. Perhaps her absence will inspire me to take more time at the outdoor exercise machines... TIme is something I am never sure I have enough of... although there's really plenty.

I often think at Christmas or other eventful days, that another year has passed in which I didn't watch what I ate, This year my hopes are high that I'll be able to say dfferently when Christmas rolls around. I do hope so. That's definitely something to aim for.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy New Year!

As a half Chinese Baha'i, I celebrate three diffferent New Years- the one on Jnauary 1, the Baha'i New Year ( Naw Ruz) at the Spring equinox, and today, Chinese New Year. For the Chinese this is a time of good, abundant food. In the old days, my dad said, his family would have a chicken at New Year, a great treat. Today in Canada, we dimsummed with friends. If you've never had a taro wrap, turnip cake, sticky rice or egg tart, get thee to a Chinese restaurant and give them a try. Your taste buds will wonder why you've been waiting so long.

I admit to overeating at dim sum today. I didn't feel very good at the end of the meal, solely because of the heaviness of my gut. I had the nap I usually have after a big meal and woke up slightly emptier. I've just finished off the dim sum leftovers for supper along with some steamed brussel sprouts. When in doubt, add veggies. I am making a special effort to eat greens, especially on the days that seem to be dietary lost causes.

Speaking of eating greens...I'm also trying to eat green. For the first time the other day, I was able to buy fair trade organic bananas at the Superstore. Having watched a documentary about the health problems banana harvesters were having due to contact with the pesticides used on the banana crop, I am glad to be able to buy my favourite fruit in a way which least damages the people and the land that are essential to its production.

Since food in the only thing I buy on a continuous basis, I try to make my purchases count, but I'm not extreme about it. My guilty pleasure is Kraft dinner clone, and in the past my every good dietary intention could be felled by a bag of salt and vinegar chips. I have eaten my share, and maybe twice my share, of "food" that's hurtful to the planet and my health.

I don't expect to ever be a leader in the fight for life-positive eating but I intend to be a faithful follower. If you walk in my footsteps, please kick a little dirt over the places where I am diverted by a Dairy Queen Blizzard. And I'll promise not to look over my shoulder when you drop out of line for that hamburger and fries.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Hey! It's a sunny Saturday before Chinese New Year and Valentines Day! Kristine and I had eggs benny at Our Thyme Cafe- scrumptious. Then off to market where I bought some more ingredients to make chicken stew. That will be for tomorrow-today my lentil soup beckons. It really is delicious and I'm looking forward to finishing it.

My exercise for the day is going to be doing three loads of laundry. If you've never been fat and had to drag your laundry to the laundromat and back, wet, then you might not think laundry takes much energy, but I tell you, you are mistaken. I expect to feel quite wiped when I finish. I'd rather use the outdoor rowing machine or walk to the bridge but laundry is something that one cannot ignore, when it's building up in one's bedroom closet.

Actually housework can work up a sweat, from dishes to vacuum cleaning to scrubbing the tub ( which I do far less frequently than laundry!) There should be something like a pedometer for people who do a lot of housework, so they can see how much energy they're expending. Heck, if I had one I might clean my place more often!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Today was unseasonably, unreasonably warm, much to my delight. At least it was warm when I got a ten minute work out on the outdoor exercise machines across from the Sportsplex. That was a good ten minutes on the rowing machine and another one whose name I don't know but which uses levers controlled by the arms to rock the legs back and forth. It wasn't cardio but it felt like I'd done something when I finished

Later outside at the playground with Mary's boys it was blustery and cold with the occasional flurry. Thankfully my legs weren't bothered by the gravel in the playground so I was able to watch my charges pain-free. My GP has referred me to a physiotherapist, so I expect sometime down the road to be seen at the hospital. I personally think it is simply that I'm too heavy, and I'm working on that, but it wouldn't hurt to have a professional give their opinion.

I am feeling good about how the un-diet is going. I don't feel deprived because I let myself have treats, in moderation. Today for example, Kristine brought real licorice and cookies (I had two). But the rest of what I ate today was leftover salmon and tofu with brown rice for breakfast, and lentil soup and brown rice for supper. Lunch was a little bit of macaroni salad with tuna. Not enough veggies perhaps but not too bad...

Strangely, cutting down the carbs seems to help reduce my appetite or perhaps it's the Metformin doing its magic. Whatever it is, something is going right... it may just be a trick of the mind, as it has been so often in the past, but I feel that I am able to maintain my healthier eating habits and am on the right track to recovery from obesity, if you can call it that...it's early days yet, but my hope is to see the pounds drop away so one day I can get back to early morning roller blading by Lake Banook, and deepwater aquafit. I also miss being able to wear little bits of clothing that don't fill up a washing machine the way my current wardrobe does. Now, off to watch the Olympics, with all those men in tights, as Kristine says!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Today I've had a strange throat/congested chest that seems to come and go... yesterday I thought I would be quite sick today but that's not the case, though I have stayed home all day to make sure. Somehow sitting at my computer seems to make it worse, so I intend to retire early under a warm duvet.

I sent off my application to a writing residency in Beijing, China today. My hope is to spend three months there beginning in October, working on revising a novel that I have begun. I don't know how competitive the application process is, and I will need to secure grants in order to go, but I am keeping hope that it will be possible somehow...

My main concerns about going to Beijing are to do with my health. My legs still give me pain if I stand or walk for any length of time, and I understand that Beijing is a city where a lot of walking is neccessary I'm doing well controlling my eating but haven't yet been able to get into the swing of exercising regularly, so weight loss will be slow, and I believe it is weight loss I need to eliminate the leg pain. Also, Chinese cities are known for their terrible air pollution, which frightens me a little. But it's my mental health that perhaps I should be most concerned about...
I will be able to take medications with me, and I think for three months I will be able to work with my mind to meet whatever challenges come my way. This is all of course dependent on whether my application is accepted...and whether I can get the funds I need to go and the medical insurance I would need to cover me there...

Well my day at home seems to have improved my throat and allowed me to spend time on my application... It will be four to eight weeks before I hear anything. In the meantime Cate has offered to introduce me to Pilates, and Myra has said she can give me a pedometer, so I can see how much exercise I'm actually getting walking to and from the bus and around my apartment! It's probably not enough to get around Beijing but I can build up to that.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Well it's about time. I finally made my lentil soup, just in time for what feels like a sore throat and cold coming on. Soup is more precious than gold for a cold. Mine is made with chicken broth from a boiled half-chicken, canned tomato, green pepper, onions and of course lentils. Some cumin, chili powder and salt. Very tasty and so good for my throat! Kristine also gave me two cans of chicken noodle on sale at Lawton's so I am well supplied.

Last night was movie night with the Noveltech ethics series. Little Miss Sunshine is a wonderful film about an almost unbearably dysfunctional family that comes together over the death of the foul-mouthed grandfather and the breathtakingly inappropriate performance of young Olive at a sickening child beauty pageant. It's so much fun that it's easy to forget there is a message there, about winners and losers, and the stories we tell ourselves about what it means to succeed. Among them is the story about a woman's need to be beautiful. At one point Olive's dad tries to tell her that she'll get fat if she eats icecream, and that beauty queens aren't fat ( clealry he hasn't heard of plus sized pageants). But near the end of the film, Olive hears from Miss California that her favourite icecream is chocolate something or other which is technically frozen yogurt. Olive walks away with a contented smile, having confirmed that one can be a beauty queen and still enjoy a treat once in awhile.

It's true that we judge other people as winners or losers on the size of their waistlines and of their pocketbooks. I have to remember when I look in the mirror, and see a fat woman staring back at me, that I have not changed since the moment before I looked in the mirror, that I still have the same number of accomplishments, and that my worth is no less than it was a split-second ago when I had forgotten I was fat.

Still and all, I'm trying to lose the weight that has begun to affect my health. By trying, I am already a winner, according to Little Miss Sunshine. And if I succeed, clearly I'll also be a loser. If, as is my hope, I lose half of me, I'll be healing the whole of me. If that's confusing, try some chicken broth and a good head rub... or a small bowl of icecream. You'll feel better when your brain freezes.

Monday, February 8, 2010

hungry genius

Today I didn't eat lunch. I had a good breakfast with carbs and protein and enjoyed one of Jia Tsu's yummy green tea muffins at tea break. Then I was off to Healthy Minds for the writing group. When I got home about 5 pm I was feeling irritable and anxious, functioning with difficulty. I smashed a plate by accident and couldn't wait to eat That's hunger, the unpleasant hunger that comes from missing a meal and a drop in blood sugar. I forgot to take my Metformin this morning, and wonder whether that had something to do with my difficult mood.

I walked from the MuLan CHinese Cultural Centre to the ferry today, a short walk by most standards but a bit of a challenge for me. Stopped at Silver Silk and Chow Ping gave me her stool to sit on while I waited for the bus. I still get pain in the backs of my legs when I walk any distance, and then there's the pins and needles in my feet. I feel somewhat disabled by my inability to walk as long and as far as I could even a year ago.

Chow Ping suggested accupuncture. Other friends have said I should see a phsyio, and there was a suggestion of a chiropractor. My Mum has tried Bowen therapy on me but though it seemed to help for a short time the pain returned worse than before. I think I mostly need to lose weight, and I am working on it... slowly but surely.

Cate and Cathy and I are going to try to get together to makes plans for healthy living and spirituality workshops or speakers at Healthy Minds Cooperative. My hope is that we'll find some inspired and inspiring speakers, topics, and ideas to bring to the shareholders. It might also be time to buy a pedometer so I can see how many steps I am missing on the road to healthy living and spirituality.... because weight loss, like genius, is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sunday Night post

Well it was another heavy lunch day today and I slept on it all afternoon, just like yesterday. It's hard to believe, but I think it was all the carbs. Now I'm just plain tired, from looking at the computer screen much of the night. I think the lack of exercise also has something to do with my sleepiness... but like so many people I've talked to, it's more natural to hibernate in Winter than to go for a jog.

Speaking of hibernation, I sometimes wonder how long I could live off my body fat alone. I suspect about a year, as long as I had water. I have no plans to try it. The last thing I want is to put myself in the concentration camp of dieting and exercise that I inhabited during my middle teen years.

Most of us know what it feels like to be hungry. I don't know if everyone experiences hunger the same way, though. On the rare occassion that I forget to eat, I start to feel depressed as my blood sugar drops. I remember the emptiness but also the pressure in my head and a feeling of going deaf, when extremely hungry.

Now that I take Metformin, It seems like my hunger is less extreme... or maybe it's not even hunger, but a compulsion to eat, that has been reduced. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for it. Apparently, there are now other drugs which do what Olanzapine does but which do not cause weight gain. Hopefully for the next generation of people living with mental illness, it will be easier to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, even while taking antipsychotic meds. Here's hoping.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Brrrrrr...

The Dartmouth Farmer's Market was very slow today, perhaps because of the ridiculously low temperature out there- minus 20- something degrees Celcius with the wind chill. I picked up some brussel sprouts and squash, both local and some babaganoush with pita chips for a potluck.



Yesterday I was in Truro facilitating one of my Writing Together workshops to help people living with mental illness start their own writing groups. I've been holding them around the province and have discovered that pizza is far cheaper than a catered lunch and probably enjoyed better by all concerned. So yesterday we had pizza, garlic fingers, fruit, muffins, cookies coffee and juice for 7 people for under $100.00. Needless to say my weight loss focus went out the window. But I feel ok about it... it's more important what I do on a daily basis rather than on one day of slippage.



Several people at the workshop were diabetic. We talked about blood sugar and about what people can eat and what they can't. I have the feeling there a lot of people out there who live with mental illness AND problems like diabetes, thanks in part to the kinds of medications we take. My blood sugar has been consistently on the high side of late but now that I take Metformin and am trying to lose weight I hope I can avoid the worst of diabetes. One of the workshop participants mentioned that there are some antipsychotic drugs out now that work well but don't cause weight gain. A friend of mine told me the same thing... I hope to hear more about these new drugs from my shrink ( or as Spencer would say, shrinkette)



It's been very cold the past few days and I haven't got out for many walks... but I'm confident that will change... and I'm doing my writing sit-ups as we speak...

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Metformin magic?

I am sitting in the computer resource room at Teamwork Cooperative, blogging away for the first time away from home. I ate breakfast long ago- oatmeal- and have missed lunch , but interestingly, although I am conscious of being hungry, I am feeling quite ok. I've started taking a drug called Metformin, which is usually prescribed to people with diabetes because it controls blood sugar. I have a feeling it is controlling my low blood sugar right now because I don't have the shaky, faint feeling I usually get when I haven't eaten in this long. Although I am not diabetic, my blood sugar has been on the high side so it may be that it's the right time for me to be on it, before things get too out of control.

Metformin may also help control appetite. One of the drugs I take for my mental health, Olanzapine, has been shown to increase appetite and pack on the weight. I've been taking it for more than ten years, and have experienced incredible weight gain. I don't think it's all due to the Olanzapine because I always struggled with my weight when I was younger, but it certainly hasn't helped.

I was involved in a research trial to study whether Metformin would help with appetite and control weight among people taking an atypical antipsychotic like Olanzapine. I was part of the group who were NOT on the Metformin unfortunately, but as soon as the trial was over my shrink prescribed Metformin for me, saying the initial results of the study were promising.

So far so good. I haven't experienced any ill effects, and my hope is that with the help of Metformin I can stay on Olanzapine, which has been very helpful in stabilizing my mental health, but which has contributed to my deteriorating physical health.

I am optimistic that I can turn my weight problem around with a little help from my friends, including Metformin... If anyone else out there has had experience of the drug, I'd be glad to hear from you...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

boiledchicken! almond croissant!

Cate and I had a walk up from the ferry, where I met her to take her to Two If By Sea, a newish cafe on Ochterloney Street which is going great guns and has thankfully brought it's amazing croissants to Dartmouth. They're practically a meal in themselves, and absolutely worth a bite.

I was hard at work this morning with the book I'm ghost writing, and I didn't get much exercise in except for the short walk to the ferry and back. My meals have been reasonable though. Oatmeal for breakfast, a can of beans for lunch, a taste of Cate's croissant ( mmmm). Supper was boiled chicken, steamed cabbage and brown rice. It is interesting how satisfying a meal covering the major food groups can be. If I don't eat a balanced meal I end up craving seemingly unrelated snacks like salt and vinegar chips ( my downfall.) I don't know why that is but perhaps there are traces of vitamins and minerals in the snacky stuff that I am lacking. It seems to me that's unlikely in the case of chips but who knows?

It's doubtful that my weight has gone down yet but I'm already feeling better not to be stuffed to the gills at every meal. I'd actually forgotten what it feels like not to overeat. My body feels much more... dependable. When I sit at my computer now I feel like I could get up and do something active. I don't feel as tired and I'm more likely to want to do something other than lie in bed. I seem to be taking fewer naps in the afternoon, because I don't feel the need.

It helps to be busy but not so busy that I become stressed, because that's when I eat the most. Moderation for the nation. And congrats, Cate, on losing the weight! Maybe I'll eat half the croissant next time... if I've got down to my 1995 weight, like Cate has. I can dream, and I will!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Another day on the run... am trying to squeeze in a blog post before taking off to a full day in Halifax. Oatmeal for breakfast, always good for the control of blood sugars. Maybe will take a look at the Saint Mary's University International Fiesta at lunch... although I'm worried that there won't be anything cheap and healthy to eat. Prove me wrong, SMU students!

I won't get a chance to exercise much today although I'll be doing a lot of stuff... That's often the way. I still have problems walking because of the pain in my legs and pins and needles in my feet, but I can go short distances, and it's better than nothing. It sems to work best taking short walks throughout the day rather than one long one... so I count the walk to and from the bus stop, and anything in between. It helps to add it up and realize that actually I really have done some exercise during the day, even when it feels like I haven't.

All the best on Ground Hog day- looks like we're in for another 6 weeks of winter....