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Introduction Text There's a LOT of information on this page, some dating back to 2008. Fourteen years on Spark? Really? Guess so! I moved much of the information over to a blog so it would still be around for reference but not clutter new beginnings of 2021. October 2020 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure & put on meds. Blood tests showed all the cholesterol numbers were hugely out of whack. Knowing my family history of heart disease, my weight & sedentary lifestyle, this scared the you-know-what out of me. So you could say I'm back again, armed with more knowledge and more weight. grrrr August 21, 2020. What a crazy year so far! I've been gaining and losing the same 7 to 8 pounds since the covid. To much food not enough movement. I'm dealing with bad bursitis in my hip, a shoulder and knee injury. Excuses?....sure. Can I do better?...absolutely! So here we go! 284 - August 21, 2020 273 - December 30, 2020 (-11) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Self-acceptance comes from meeting life's challenges vigorously. Do not numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory. ~Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preface: I moved back to the Mainland in March 2015 Aloha- Living in Hawaii is fabulous, but I fell into the eternal vacation mode: have fun, eat lots & worry about it tomorrow. Tomorrow has come, gone and passed several times over. In the 14+ years I've lived here, I gained over 75 pounds (that's one big bag of rice) on top of the 30lbs (or so) already hanging around. These days getting in the ocean is no longer fun.......because trying to haul my big okole OUT of the ocean is getting more and more difficult! No kidding. It makes no sense to let the extra poundage stop me from living a long, healthy, happy and active life in these beautiful surroundings. At nearly 6 feet tall, I'll never be a small petite flower and that is not even what I'm shooting for! I love the idea of being curvalicious (as opposed to lumpy, bumpy & frumpy). Somewhere around a size 16 is a real and reachable goal which can also be maintained. Not sure what the actual number for goal weight is, however as I dive into one-derland and see how things are going, I'll figure it out...170 is an educated guess at best! Things that Work for me: **Low Carb, moderate protein, healthy fat **Measure and weigh everything (especially The Cheese) **Go veggie once a week! Eat tofu! Save a chicken! **Have bottle of water on the desk next to the computer. Drink and blog, drink and log. Drink and drive (water! you know what I mean). **Veggies are very portable...and the original fast food! **Pack dinner lefties after dinner for lunch the next day. **Plan meals ahead! Thaw meats the day BEORE. **Routinely clean out the pantry and fridge, donate. Stuff mysteriously makes it into the house. Wah? How does that happen? 296 - Heaviest 4/01/08 (though, probably more)

01/01/2021 Weight loss of about 75 pounds or a size 18 would be fabulous! ~~~~~~~~~ Previous goal: Weight loss of over 100 pounds...wow, how did I get here? This is such an overwhelming number to comprehend! I will not focus on the big number. Shooting for small 3% - 4% goals at a time. Ultimately, it's about leading a healthier, more active lifestyle ...and I also want to be happy.

Interval walking and Aqua Fit classes. Low Carb, eating as few processed foods possible, plenty veggies, more nutritionally sound meals. Also concentrating on improving the mental and emotional parts of who I am : ) : It's not all about food and exercise! Keep it simple! Relearning that I cannot control other people's actions but I can control my own reactions.

I moved back to Houston in March 2015. A lot of things happened and I ate my way through all of the changes. It has been a really rough 5 years and the covid sure hasn't helped. I need to focus on myself and not everyone else. ~~~~~~ I have lived on Kauai since July 23, 2003 and can not imagine living anywhere else on earth! Kauai is beautiful, stunning, breath taking, awesome...and expensive, so I'd better get back to work! ASAP! Small business owner, vacation rental industry.

Freggies: the original fast food!

Add a Link Carol - Houston, TX (missing Kaua'i) ~Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry & fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism & solutions, you will cultivate success ~Lao Tzu
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