I've Moved!

Well, those of you who know me by now probably saw it coming. LOL

I created a new blog and I'm merging both of my blogs back into one. The blogspot address has my name in it, which is what I realized I wanted (after it was too late to change the first blog, of course). Here's the address:

http://aimeslee.blogspot.com/
And the link with title: Aimeslee Was Here

I'm calling it "Aimeslee Was Here" for now, and I'm talking about whatever on it. Any topic. No more just scrapbooking and crafts on the other blog, and no more just health on here. It's limiting and hard to keep up with, given how many interests I have and how much I embrace change.

So, my first post is already there. Go have a look. Please be sure to change my link if you have me listed on your blog. Please change the blog name, too.

Oh My, Thursday already?

Caught in the Trash Act: Ever pay attention to what's in your trash? LOL I couldn't resist taking this candid shot. It depicts the sinning ways of each one of us. Hubs drinks, we both smoke, I heart junk food, and Missy eats disgusting cereal. And we all have a weakness for Digiorno Pizza. OK, the dogfood is for our dogs, just thought I'd make that clear...

My Doctor Visit Recap

So, I'm a bit in shock at how fast this week flew by. I wasn't in the best mood yesterday, so forgive me for not posting. I had an uneventful doctor visit. It went pretty fast. Got a yucky steroid shot on that foot in question. Can I please tellya that the foot is about the absolute worst place to get a shot, painwise? (Okay, my baaaad self cannot resist adding here that I'm pretty sure in guessing that the clitoris would be the worst worst hands-down worst spot -- OUCH AT THE THOUGHT OF THAT -- ROFL, but the foot is not far away on the pain scale.) I had my first foot shot back about 6 years ago for a heel spur. That was injected into my same left foot, on the inner side right above the heel...with all those blood vessels and fatty part. My pedometrist then was such a nasty personality and denied me any kind of pain-killer, so this time I took my Orajel tube. Don't know if it's 99% mental placebo or not, but rubbing a little Orajel on the shot spot just prior to the injection helps me to take it better. I'm just sayin'. Had I snapped to this when Missy was little, I'd have definitely utilized it, because docs and nurses never ask you, would you like a numb-er with that shot? LOL Perhaps if they did, the anticipation problems of getting a shot might be a bit less traumatic, ya know?

Anyway, the doc took blood and a skin culture. I'm to go back on Monday to continue the Big Investigation, cuz he doesn't know what those spots are (I must admit, my PCP is not very prone to quick conclusions, sheesh). The steroid shot was decided upon due to the fact that I'd had some success in drying them up with some steroid cream I'd had left over from the cellulitis I had on my leg earlier this year. We shall see, stay tuned...

Plans for this Weekend
Friday I am scheduled to make a "quick" 150-mile round trip to Beaumont to pick up Missy from college and bring her back. She has plans for Saturday here in town with a childhood girlfriend of hers, Khori. Special plans. Missy's going to be a bridesmaid in Khori's Feb. 2008 wedding, so the bridal party's going shopping for the dresses and schtuff. I was delighted when I heard about the engagement. Khori's always been a great friend to Missy, and I know her fiancee, Jerry: he's the son of Missy's elementary school principal! Samll world, huh, LOL. Anyway, my job tomorrow is to get her here, and then hope to carve out a little chit-chat & hugs time before taking her back to Beaumont sometime on Sunday.

Health Plan Update

How am I doing? Let's calculate! LOL (I am trying to learn photography and my camera, so I'm taking candid shots, and you poor readers are going to suffer by me using some of them as blog graphics). Well, the scale still likes me. At the doc's, I weighed just a quarter of a pound shy of 40 pounds lost total since 4-21-06! It seems like only the other day I was celebrating a 35-pound total loss, so I'm all shines over this. I've been concentrating on getting as many of those Super Foods into me on a daily basis, plus my other daily must-haves. I'm still greeting each day with a cup of hot green tea with lemon and sweetner, coffee without the heavy cream (non-dairy nonfat creamer has now taken its place with no ill effects), my apple-a-day sliced into wedges, my Dannon Light&Fit Carb&Sugar Control yogurt that's only 60 calories, my toasted Sara Lee breakfast half-a-bagel and cream cheese, a salad, and my TV dinners (Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice, whichever is on sale). I did have a junk food craving yesterday and successfully overcame it with a grilled sirloin patty and sauteed broccolli and cauliflower.

Oh, and can I just say, Blue Bunny ice cream treats with Splenda ROCK! I opted for trying those instead of more Dreyers ice cream on my last grocery store trip, mainly because you get a premade serving and the Dreyers wasn't on sale any longer. I also bought some Blue Bell no-sugar-added ice cream bars with Sorbitol, but I think I prefer the taste of the Blue Bunny. Plus, 10 less calories and they are cheaper. It's all good. I also have some Jello sugar-free Chocolate Pudding made up in little plastic containers. In case I get a mega-craving for chocolate, I am set. And Hubs fixed up some tuna salad, which works well with my other bagel half or my tortilla chips. So, no bread loaves in the house still. I did buy some bread machine yeast in case I get motivated to make some real bread. I guess my style is to eat healthy but not exclusionary, and as long as it's working, I'm going to continue.

My only area of concern at this point is that because of the foot, I've let the lazies take over and my daily steps are only hovering around a mile a day. I really need to step it up, as they say. Today I've begun to work on this by getting up and making my in-house laps, so my totals will definitely increase, hopefully back up to 3K a day and soon.

I'm waiting for my latest purchase from Amazon to arrive. I ordered some of that Super Food Quinoa (yes, Amazon now sells a lot of nonperishable grocery items, so if you are having trouble finding gluten-free flour or something along a health food store line, check Amazon out. The prices are comparatively pretty darn good on what all I saw so far.) I needed a few more dollars to get free shipping, so I went to my wish list and saw this DVD I'd been wanting for awhile: Yoga: Just My Size With Megan Garcia. This is Yoga for obese people, girls, and it's got my name written all over it, LOL. Seriously, I've heard nothing but good things about it. Even folks who are not overweight but have injuries or inflexibility are digging it.

I'm looking forward to being able to get back into yoga and watch big bodies doing it. Trust me, it makes a difference, cuz it's not that easy to get into some of those poses, even for skinnies. I also find I've been avoiding the floor, and this DVD ought to help me get down there again. I don't mind going down, it's the getting up that I dread, LOL.

Well that ought to do it for now. On to finishing up some stuff on my list for today. And on to doing another step lap, and another, and another, LOL.

Doctors Take All Day

for me, anyway. And not in the waiting room. Today I have an afternoon appointment with my PCP, Dr. Dave, to get my blood tested for the thyroid (routine) and to have him look at the top of My Left Foot (LOL, never saw the movie, love the title, though). I don't know if it's a last gasp of cellutlitis or a strange strain of athlete's foot. Been there for almost 2 months and just now finally drying up. Red dots that grow into red splotches, no pus, totally flat, just weird. Now they are fading and crusting some. They used to itch sometimes, but not lately, at all. And they are just on the top of my foot. Between my toes and on the bottom of my foot there is nothing. Strange, huh? I decided early on that I'd just live with them and not make a special doctor trip, but now that I am forced to go to get the blood tested for a refill of my thyroid meds, I might as well show him. And if he says it's athlete's foot, I am gonna push hard to get the pill, cuz I've had the nasty AF on the sole and between the toes, several times in the last decade, comes and goes. And only on My LEft Foot. My right one is pristine and always has been. Again, weirdness. Like, no way do I go thru life hopping on only one foot and subjecting only one foot to fungus, so we shall see....

So, bottom line is that I've lots to write, but not now. Gotta finish getting ready for the doctor. It's taking me all day, because I had a body that needed shaving and showering, hair that needed washing, clothes that need to be light and of course those clothes needed to be washed and dried and ironed. And I needed to do all my walking and my drinking and eating. Except no eating til I'm back home. Cuz I'll get weighed there, ya know. Gotta give myself a good edge. I also figured I wouldn't take my thyroid today, hehe, til I get home. Probably should have laid off that pill for the last week, but too late now.

So I'll be back later on to discuss amongst myself last night's TV show premieres and other sundry stuff.

I'll leave you with this, my latest newfound info: Quinoa is pronounced keen' wah.

I mean, who know that? (Noeli, I bet you knew...).

I Put Some Junk in my Trunk

Fast Food Follies and Loose Caboose Jollies
Oh, yes, I confess. I committed total junk food whoring last night.

And I didn't even really enjoy it. That's the sad part. Dangit.

Since I don't go into details about my daily bread feed, you may not know that I usually hit McD's or WhataBurger or BK about once a week, if I've been good, and if I have not eaten much that day. WhataBurger has been the most frequently-visited, as their burgers taste homemade to me. If I'm craving fries, it's McD's, and if I'm trying to stay halfway healthy, it's BK Dollar Menu for only the burger. So far it hasn't presented a problem. Yup, coulda eaten better, but I usually enjoy the transgression, so it's been worth it to me. I get the Junk Food Craving out of my system, and a renewed motivation for self-discipline goes into my system.

Last night started out that same old way, but my problem was I could not decide where to go. So, I got it into my head to get fries and a shake at McD's and a burger at BK.

Well, big mistake. Shoulda gone to WhataBurger as they never disappoint, LOL. I think I'm done with McD's. The fries were horrible, but did I throw 'em out, oh no, I ate almost all of them and also the shake. And I chose the wrong burger at BK. I got a Rodeo Burger when I shoulda gotten a Whopper Jr. The Rodeo burger sucks, ok? IMO, that is. And I should know, I ate every bite.

Sheesh. It's like when you save up fifty bucks and then just totally blow it on ridiculousness. Yes, you shoulda just put it into savings, but if it had to be spent, at least it coulda been bought something enjoyable or valuable. Ya know?

All I'm gonna add to this is that in a Perfect World, Subway would be open 24 hours and have a drive-thru window...

Ten Super Foods
My girl Noelia blogged a list the other day of the Top Ten Super Foods that her DH told her about, and I was really glad, cuz I've heard there was a list but you have to buy the book to get it and so I've remained clueless. Til now.

Well, maybe not totally clueless. I see now that I could have probably guessed about half of these foods. In fact, a few of them I've even blogged about here. And there's a couple of foods I would add, although I'm not a nutritionist of course. I just read and watch the news.

Here's the list Noelia posted:

1- Ground Flax Seed
2- Carrots
3- Quinoa
4- Almonds
5- Green Tea
6- Blueberries
7- Garlic
8- Parsley
9- Lemons
10- Lentils

Green tea - Check! Lemons - Check! Garlic - Check! Almonds - Check! Flax - Check! (I actually keep some whole seed in the freezer and sprinkle on every salad I eat).

The rest, I did not realize they were Super. We usually have carrots and I prefer to eat them raw, so that's good. I'd heard that blueberries are really good for you, but down here they are hard to find fresh and pretty, and I doubt that frozen ones give the same benefit.

Parsley? Ok. Lentils? Ok. Quinoa? What the heck? Is that a grain? I'll have to google that one and read up on it. (Done. Click here for a great edumacation on it. And OMG, the health benefits are speaking to me, will have to get some. Soon.) And here's a good place to start for recipes using quinoa.

I heard on the news last week that Avocados are now considered fabulous nutritionally (recent research). And I've read that Cherries are, too.

Anyway, that's the list. I'm going to try to add a couple of these to my diet and play it safe. For instance, I was just thinking the other day I needed to get a stash of dried beans and keep some cooked up and frozen for quick and nutritious meals when nothing else looks good. I don't know about you, but I love beans, especially in a soup. I'll be looking into lentil and quinoa recipes. I already saw a Quinoa and pinto bean recipe. Cool. And what about breads?????? To be continued...

I'm *BACK*! {teehee}

Woke up this morning -- barely this morning, 11:30 my time, to be exact -- and I'm feeling so.much.better. We'll see how it goes as to whether my skeleton will stay in a cooperative mood, but I am so wanting to just get on with Life!

So thankful for your well wishes. That made me feel better knowing someone cared whether I lived or died, LOL. Hubs started his project at work this week that has a schedule of 12-hour-days 7 days a week, so he's not exactly sympathetic and I can't blame him. We are both just focussing on all the OT dollars this will reap hopefully if the next highest tax bracket doesn't interfere. LOL Anyway, thanks again!

Last night I took 2 Ibuprofen, then took another one an hour later. I know, I know -- that's a no-no. And I think maybe I've done that twice in my whole life if that much (used to have a girlfriend who would do that all the time). I did my yoga stretching (and I'm so proud of myself, cuz it hurt bigtime). And then I slathered on the Biofreeze to the paining areas of my various body parts. And then I went to bed.

Well, it did the trick, for today, anyway. Thank goodness for small miracles, is all I gotta say. As it has now been over 12 hours since my last night's dosage, I popped one more Ibuprofen along with my morning thyroid and arthritis meds dose, so key your fingers crossed for me.

Anyway, on to some great news, which I have! You know that around here I talk freely about my pooping habits, LOL. (Just wanted to remind ya, don't ya love it?) Anyway, I'd been constipated almost all week; actually, cannot remember the last time. Last recorded one was Saturday, the 15th and it was actually 2 of them on that day, along with my weight. Now, surely I pooped sometime this week and just did not record it? I digress. Anyway, I felt nature's call first thing today, girls, and then I weighed afterwards.

And woohoo! I've lost 3.5 pounds since Saturday, and I'm now 1 entire pound below my lowest weight since before that Bluebell Rocky Road ice cream debacle put 5 pounds back on me! Happy Dance Happy Dance! And I feel lighter. Stuff has redistributed. I love it. I backed off of the anal retentive scale chase, concentrated only on eating healthily and getting my walking done, and voila! Gotta love it. I am doubly lovin it because I needed some positive motivation to work past this body pain and not get all legarthic and self-pity-party. And, it's Friday. Oh, man, gotta really love it. LOL

Anyway, I want to share with you something I've done all week long, cuz I think it helped clean me out or raise my metabolism or whatever. I don't know what it did, but I'm gonna keep on doing it, forsure forsure. And that is to just drink one cup of green tea every morning first thing, before my coffee, before my water, before everything.

Hey, just try this yourself and see if it helps ya any. Whatcha got to lose, except for the price of a box of green tea bags (we buy Lipton from the grocery aisle, no fancier than that). I sweeten mine with a little SweetnLo and sometimes I squirt a bit of lemon juice in it.

I'm not a doctor (though I've played one on TV, ok, just kidding), but I do not think the tea made me constipated. I think what caused that was I forgot to eat my daily yogurt a couple of times (my bad). That yogurt keeps me on track, end of story. And I think I already mentioned that the tea makes me feel like I have more energy. I've read more than a couple of articles about green tea boosting metabolism, so maybe that's what it does. Hey, who couldn't use that? And, without the chemical metaboosters, too, like are in those diet pills that I'm way too scared to take.

Well, duty called already, and now playtime is beckoning me, LOL. I want to go create something, but first I need to walk and then stetch out, gotta stay stretched today. So, that's all til Monday for sure (I seem to have developed a blogging habit for taking the weekend off).

So, stay strong and happy, my girlfriends! No sabotaging allowed! Have a good weekend!

I'm Down for the Count

Hello, girls. Just a quick note today to let you know that I've been staying away from the computer until the parts of my body that are killing me feel better.

Yesterday I woke up feeling really stiff and it went downhill as the morning wore on. I thought at first I'd slept wrong, and I still don't know what caused it, but my neck began hurting so bad. Then, my arms up by my shoulder sockets ached and hurt; then my lower back/hip; and then my feet and legs. I can't seem to stay here at my computer for any time length, so I'll go now and promise I'll post again just as soon as I can!

I've Been Thinkin'

LOL, yes I do that occasionally. Here's the deal. I read Maria's last few blog entries and she is feeling better health-wise but really down about her goals not getting met. She's about the most dedicated person I've *met* in a long time, and she tries so hard, yet she is not losing weight the way she wants to.

Truth is, and it's a nasty truth too, Maria only has a few pounds to lose, so maybe she's not meant to lose them. She is, I suspect, sculpting one incredible and healthy body, and that involves muscle. We all know that muscle weighs more than fat, so maybe that explains why the scale is not moving south.

Maria's hubby asked her if she was more concerned with weight loss or building health, and I really think he has tapped into it. In other words, given the choice between weight loss or health gain, health gain is the wiser choice. Every time. Being overweight does not mean being unhealthy. Being a "perfect" weight according to some insurance charts doesn't guarantee health, right? Except for the last 5 years of my life, I was extremely healthy and weighed 30-40 pounds more than those charts said I *should*. And nobody ever could tell. I used to really get people to drop their jaws by confessing that. I truly am "big-boned", plus my bones are super-dense...and heavy. And, I also had extra fat, which I could only lose by becoming borderline anorexic (which I did flirt with in my 20's and thank goodness that relationship didn't stick).

Anyway, Maria's quandry got me to thinking about me. I'm getting real tired of chasing the weight loss dog. Maybe I'm retarded or something, but unless I devote way too much time and energy on the food I eat, I don't achieve scale success either. But I can eat healthily and exercise beneficially without a whole lot of thought or time. I guess I need to move on for a while from chasing the scale. I need to do other things in my life, like what's on my ToDo List. I do have a special problem in that due to my pain-killer taking during the first 3 years of my arthritis affliction, my brain turned a bit to mush and my memory was definitely affected. So, I have special challenges just trying to get things done on a daily basis. (Which is why I chose the word "focus" for my Ali Edwards Word of the Year.)

So, my quandry is, do I want to spent most of my daily focus on weight loss, or do I want to be happy with healthy eating and exercise AND get stuff done? Yeah. I choose the latter. Not a hard choice. I've lost 35 pounds more or less, and still have 35 more to lose to be able to no longer chase the scale. And I'll still have that 30-40 extra pounds on me, but I'll happily seek permanent custody when/if the day comes that's all the extra weight I have.

So, anyway, that's where I'm at. Aimes' Best Life is gonna be more exercise-oriented from now on, and more healthy eating. And not OMG, I lost 2 pounds, or OMG I gained them back. Cuz that's just crazy, ya know? Let's watch the yo-yo in slo-mo. I mean, yeah, for real, as my DD would say.

Maria, you have absolutely no reason to feel ashamed about anything. You have a hubby who is telling you he loves you just the way you are, and he sees you living a healthy life. They say the Scales of Justice are blind, and I'm thinkin' that our weight scales are too, cuz they do not measure what is really important. Yeah. Word.