The scale says...

A new scale came into the house, and it is because one person needs to lose 4 pounds.  Strangely, the scale is not for either of the adults.  Yet we were the first ones to step on it.

Adult 1 thought the number would read near or under 220, but actually read over 230 (by a few pounds.)  BUMMER.

Adult 2 thought the number would read in the low 150s but actually read 158.  Let me say I was just glad that... um, I mean, Adult 2 was just glad not to get on that scale a month ago when 160+ would have scorched my eyes.

It appears to be accurate, because the person for whom the scale was primarily purchased weighed the exact amount on it as was determined at the doctor's the other day.  So the scale is not the defective element here.

I'm not into scales and pounds because I think they truly give only a rough approximation of what is going on.  Yet, the scale tales will probably continue now that the blasted thing sits, waiting to dole out judgment, near our front door.

I said I wouldn't post measurements or pounds or pics, but it looks like I slipped in a cheat on the pounds front.  It's not like "Adult 1" is going to be reading this.  If he does, I'll make up some excuse about not understanding... Just kidding.  I own up to it when I go back on my word, and in this case, I don't think the opinion was very strongly voiced before I gave some kind of tacit agreement... In fact, I don't even remember what was said, exactly.  Is anyone reading this?  One thing is for sure... Adult 1 reads this blog less often than he would read, for example, a horoscope, and I also have a good feel for matters about which he cares approximately less than fiddlesticks about.  So let's move on with this blog, and I have a strong feeling that pics may come about next; otherwise, it's going to be some boring tales of "round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows" (I bought the old-style dial-and-needle scale.)

Spring springs eternal in the heart that allows it

Well, the person I attempted to blog about doesn't like pics or progress details shared, so I'll just have to check in and tell you, now and then, that he's doing great, and is a model to me of how to attack a problem that threatens your life, health, and happiness.  What's interesting is that he and I have different strengths and shortcomings, so we can counsel each other and enjoy the benefits of "two brains are better that one."  But isn't that the way it's supposed to work?

It's also come to light that, like a plant that does not make evident the extent of its root system and you can't determine that until you try to dig it up, issues and problems are intertwined more than you'd suspect, and you can't know how much until you go digging.

As you can tell, I'm a believer in self-improvement.  I believe the person who coasts and hides inside a life of unthinking indulgence does his or herself a disservice.

At the risk of sounding like some new-age platitude-barfing hack, right now what I'm (and both of us, as we're a couple) working on is balance.  Maybe some people out there have it all together, but not us.  It's a challenge each day to remember that you've got to work, and you've got to relax.  You've got to tackle what's difficult, and you have to find enjoyment in life, too.  You have to be aware and examine, yet take care not to over-analyze.

Week 1

As of right now, photos aren't allowed; measurements aren't, either.  There were no objections to the blog subject at all, and in fact I was told "hold off on deleting that" when I said I'd just delete the whole thing, then. (For one thing, because there MAY be photos, but I'm not counting on it.  At least not for a while.) So... what to do... how to measure progress? 

No one's actually stepping on any scale (I'm along for this as I need to peel off I'd say 5 lbs, which translates to about one fraction of a clothing size, or I should say, clothing fitting better.)  The scale is packed away somewhere and I find it to be a poor tracker of progress when the problem isn't necessarily weight, per se.  Who cares what a scale says or a measuring tape, for that matter, when you know exactly what the problem is and you'll be quite aware when it's gone?

The person in question doesn't read this blog and doesn't care what I write, so I'll go ahead and repeat what's been conveyed by him (isn't this weird - a second-hand fitness and health improvement blog?  Weirder things have happened, I'm sure).  I can attest to some of this myself, also.  (Here comes my testament first.) While I don't have a weight problem according to any standard, I do tend to frequently eat wrong and I feel the effects.  I've found that eating like a monk makes me cranky but I also find that my senses are sharper and my thinking is more pointed and businesslike.  While some might feel I am out on a ridiculous limb here, I believe that people in this day and age of more-than-plenty tend to overeat in a drug-like manner.  I think just about everybody, excepting the health nuts and a few unaffected others, tend to indulge in unhealthful foods or at least unhealthful quantities of marginally-healthful foods as a form of hedonistic indulgence, a balm to the psyche, a blanket to sooth the cares of life.  And while I'm not saying I think that's such a bad thing (there are definitely worse indulgences), and I'm not saying we can't calibrate that so that it's reasonable and essentially harmless, (and besides, what's life about if you can't enjoy it?) I don't think that most people calibrate it that way.  Take a look at our population to see the illness resulting from E-Z everything at the tips of our fingers, affordable and everywhere.  When I grew up, and I'm sure this was true way more so in generations prior, typical household meals were boring but nutritious.  These days, delectable luxuries are standard fare for many, not once a day, but all day.  Look at the illness, both outright and subtle, that has resulted in epidemic numbers amongst our population.  Anyone who's been around longer than 20-30 years can attest to the ballooning size of the average person in our population.  Rich food, and too much of it, is making us sick.

What I wanted to convey is that while living the cranky life of the calories/carbs counted and the growling stomach, the sleep is better, and the sinuses, too.  Inflammation seems to decrease, snoring does, too - and headaches - what are those?  I meant to say that the subject of this blog adventure has conveyed that, too, and conveyed something else I can attest to, but less emphatically:  More energy.  Maybe it's more subtle for me, having different and lesser issues, because I generally have no shortage of energy.  I feel the same as I did at age 20 (and I'm more than twice that now), and only feel the desire for a daytime snooze if I've slept 5 hours or less overnight (by the way, I sleep like a log in the petrified forest and always have.  Contrasted to he who used to get up and walk around the house every hour for no discernable reason.)  But he says he feels multiplied energy while he's eating less and weakening/shrinking the pathological unwanted endocrine organ (as they actually refer to the visceral fat mass - I'm not making that up - fairly recent research says it functions essentially as an organ in its own right, and I think of it as a tumor, considering the mostly-unwanted-effects it kicks out.)  He says he's been sleeping great, too.

Follow along for updates.  I'll see what I can rustle up in the way of documentation, and if it's not visual, it'll have to be through these tedious rambles, instead.

Week 0

Wow!  Someone said he's looking for me to post.  Maybe I'd better actually do it!

While this might seem boring and trite to some, I have a topic about which I can actually post regularly and with which people might like to follow along.  It is not a "weight loss" journey, but rather a health-gaining journey, and it's not for me, it's for a member of my family who was told by his doctor that his health problems will never be treated until he treats the following, himself.  Here is the culprit:

Lest anyone feel like they are in medical school, I'll sum it up as such:  Some fat and some flab are of no concern, or are merely cosmetic concerns to the wearer, but a certain type of fat may be the driver of diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. In the case of Mr. Grapewrites, who seems not to have excessive fat anywhere else, but hoards an inordinate amount of it underneath the abdominal muscles (really, you can pinch MAYBE an inch over the muscle, but under - something is clearly taking up massive acreage), the fat - which was documented years ago with naked eyes in the open air of an operating room by a surgeon who eloquently described its appearance to me - has become an unwelcome houseguest who has been given notice and shown the door.

The endocrinologist says that the loss of this abdominal basketball will result in a clearing up of the borderline-but-persistent health problems it is causing the basketball-holder.  One medication has already been tossed; two more are constantly under question by the doctor as to whether they are needed, so wouldn't it be nice to throw those bottles out, too?  Wouldn't it be nice NOT to be setting oneself up for even worse health problems after not just years, but decades of carrying around the results of a misspent youth?

(That last sentiment didn't come from me, it came from the basketball-wearer.  He is the one who decided to tackle this, and tackle it for real now that he understands the significance.  Before, he may have thought that some extra flab was not his worst worry, but with the prospect of discontinuing the health monitoring and associated prescriptions required for several medical conditions, blasting the entirely and outrageously excess adipose appears to have become his focused mission.)

So, let's see if we get his permission to post progress pics.  He usually grumbles, but is then game for anything that will document the success he intends to achieve.

Fun poll; copy and paste to your own blog (and let me know you did it)

I'm going to answer Spo's answers to Karen's poll by leaving his un-bolded and mine in bold.

1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   Yes, from the song “Michael row the boat ashore’;  No, but I was going to be Mark if male.  And my mother had a friend named Meredith so I always wondered if she fibbed when saying she simply picked the name out of nowhere.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  It was so long ago I can’t remember.  A tiny bit this morning; I was upset about something that happened at the dentist (I've been having some bad luck with dental offices).  Typically I go a long time without crying - I have to have good reason; I am not one of those people who cries frequently like when they see the kid of an acquaintance of an acquaintance graduating from kindergarten or when someone gets a late fee at the bank and their online friends say, "I was in tears all day for you over this."

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, when I do it properly. I am especially fond of my “R”. I like it because it looks like absolutely no one else's in the world (I didn't listen when instructed how to write so I have my own method) and it's fine for my own purposes, but others cannot read it, so no one else likes it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?  Nasty things and should be avoided.  I love good salami, no rubbish. Don't really like lunch meat.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS?  No. Yes.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS?    I doubt it. Yes; I like myself and think a little too highly of myself; in practice, though, I'd probably find out that I'm annoying and I'd be frustrated at not being able to boss myself around.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?  Never.  I'm not a fan of it, actually, and I dislike it when others use it.  I'm extremely straightforward by nature.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, despite repeated injury. Yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Oh, I can’t wait! (said with sarcasm). NO.  Never.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?  Frosted Salami Flakes.  All sweet cereals, but Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch is the best.  I like non-sweet also, like Wheaties, Cheerios... Sorry, I'm expanding my answers too much.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes, less than I should I dare say.  Yes, unless the shoes are "over the hill" and I don't care anymore.  But then I have to untie before putting them back on, so usually I just untie at the proper time.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU’RE STRONG?  No. "They" say yes, but I don't feel that way, usually.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?  Small chocolate cone.  Large chocolate with all kind of cookies, candy and whatever stuff can be crammed in there. The more, the  better.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  Their presence. I don't know... I guess whether they want anything from me (want to interact) or if they're going to leave me alone (I prefer the latter unless we're friends or I need something, as in a store clerk.  Not really an extrovert.)

15. RED OR PINK?  Red, as incarnadine as blood.  Red, but I like pink also.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?  My stomach. I'm going to make this a physical answer, because Spo did.  Uh... Everything's OK, I can't complain.  Wait - I didn't mean I have no complaints, it's just that I'm so used to everything I don't like, that I try not to think about it (I have veins all over my legs like an interstate highway map and have since age 12 - happy now?)  All right, something non-physical, then.  I have many fears/worries.  Doesn't everyone, though?

17. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? I am wearing neither. Gray rolled-up knee-length jeans shorts.  Awful yellow sandals. (Bought purposely in an ugly color because 1. That color was cheap - the other pair in the nice color/pattern is saved for special occasions - and 2. I would then use these for "around the house" or errand-running shoes.)

18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?   Sunday brunch. It was fabulous.  A sandwich made with soy sausage and cheddar cheese on some kind of multi-grain nature nut bread.

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?  Someone in the other room, watching TV.  The Wiggles, like usual. (Not by my choice.)

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?   Nattier Blue.  Orange?

21. FAVORITE SMELL? A freshly carved pumpkin.  Great food, like chocolate chip cookies or brownies or something baking.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO?  Does Harper count? If not, then that would be Someone, who is still watching TV. He asked me to make less noise.  My husband, just now.  I said, "What?  Say the whole thing again."  I couldn't hear over the Wiggles.

23. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Depending on how you define ‘sport’ I vote for rolling down grass hills- in its way. It often injures the tonsils to do so.  I don't watch sports; I don't like any.

24. HAIR COLOR THATS REAL? You mean mine? It is grizzled and au natural. I am thinking of dyeing it red or nattier blue.  Um... not really.  It's got some blonding on it to blot out the gray.  It's supposed to look like it might have looked before getting any gray in it.  Not sure how close it is.

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.  Nope; hardly need glasses except for distance, like when driving.

27. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza still ranks #1.  A Chicago deep-dish pizza with spinach is my favorite, oh I miss it so.  You're making me think of pizza.  Sure, I like it a lot, too - let's get some - YES, with spinach !!!

28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I am all for happy endings.  Not crazy about scary movies.  I like funny ones.  Not too happy, though.  I want to be able to laugh derisively at others so I can feel better about myself; that should be part of the humor.

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED. The one about Florence Foster Jenkins. It was charming. I don't think I watch many movies -  I can't even remember. But I like "Difficult People."

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? I am not wearing a shirt.  Navy blue.  (Spo's enjoying letting us know that he's naked.)

31. SUMMER OR WINTER.  Living in AZ as I do, winter wins.  SUMMER.  Winter me no like.  Well, it's pretty and it's fun for a little while, but long fall and spring I can do without.  I like tropical temps.

32. HUGS OR KISSES?  Hugs.  Wow, why would we have to choose?  This is a sick survey.

33. FAVORITE SWEET FOOD?  Gummi-bears!  We can't be friends, Spo.  Just kidding. You can have the gummies; leave me to my peanut butter cups and all manner of chocolate and sweet/buttery caramel, peanut butter (did I already mention that?) cookies, candy, cake etc.

34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?  Spoon River Anthology.  None (I'm the worst, huh?)  I've read online for hours today, though.  It was about [see my other blog].

35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?  Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”  weedalert dot com.  It was won by one of my sons for identifying a common weed (he likes horticulture and has a natural talent for it.)

36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST? This too was so long ago I can’t remember. I believed I cried, or chocked on a salami.  It was "Superstore," another show I like a lot.

37. FAVORITE SOUND? Water, in any form, whether in rain, ocean waves, or fountains.  Music, probably, although only after the voices of my loved ones.

38. ROLLING STONES or BEATLES?  Don’t like no Rolling Stones.  This is why we are friends, Spo.

39. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE TRAVELED?  London, U.K.  Bahamas, Canada, California.

40. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?  My Attic wit.  Not sure; I've never thought so.  Oh yes, I can spell very well, just about perfectly, and I realize most people can't.  I think it's only because I learn visually and recall all words as seen in typeface.

41. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?  In a hospital.  Me too, Spo, but in Baltimore, Maryland, at Johns Hopkins Hospital.   I was induced a couple of weeks early because I was giving my mother swollen ankles.  Still over eight pounds, though!

I'm only blogging in months that start with A

Not really, but it seems that way. 

Everyone [who cared to read] had to slog through my lengthy essays on what, exactly, comprises and characterizes what we refer to, in common parlance, "an asshole," and while I was in the middle of my scholarly studies I was hit by real-life fieldwork.  I don't think I'm going to make any reports on my findings for quite a while, if ever.  But I'll say that I've learned a lot recently.  It hasn't all been good - not by a long shot - but I've gained valuable experience.  I'm becoming more cynical by the day.

Instead I'll jot down some inconsequentiae:  Such as... I realized this evening how weird I've become.  I simply must eat the same thing for breakfast each day, and it's those jaw-breaker granola bars, slathered with natural-style chunky peanut butter.  And I even ate one of them this evening (just now) because there was just one (they are packaged as doubles, but I gave one to a child earlier and had one left over) in a ziploc bag and I needed to eat something (or anything) so I could take my medicine; why am I taking medicine?  Because I had dental surgery.  Why am I eating tooth-cracking, earthquake-causing hard granola bars both morning and night when I should not be eating anything of the sort?

Refer back to how I realized in a sudden burst of self-enlightenment that I've gotten a little dotty in my middle age.  Now, go read my other blog, which has been far less neglected than this one; that's where all the action is.  Something new will be cranked out there within a few days, but until then, you can sift through the archives on that blog when you've got insomnia and need something to put you straight to sleep.

Tally-ho, adios, break a leg and crack a tooth.

The funniest part of this photo is the caption that came with it: "Photo of Dissatisfied Woman Eating Granola Bar."

For a very short, limited insight (that could be expansive)

Here's a short post for a change. I'd like to touch on the simple topic of questions.

Many times, in personal interactions, questions are not asked with the primary purpose of gathering information. They are asked for any one of a number of reasons such as:

To make a person feel - on a subconscious level, perhaps - that their privacy is not respected

To get a person to agree to some principle that, by implication, they have previously not been in agreement with

So that the question-asker may exert social dominance over the questionee (see first point - a subtle lack of respect may be an attempt to denote social rank)

I'm sure there are many other reasons, but these are some that I've reflected on recently. Many of us believe that we must reflexively answer when asked a question, but I have paused to think, taken time to process before responding, or at least reflected later on conversations and I've noticed that many questions don't seem to be very much about getting particular answers; rather, they seem to be totally all about communicating a subtext.

If anyone else can think of examples, please feel free to bring them up for discussion.

I had an experience recently in a commission sales atmosphere (and we all know that scenario is a hotbed of "persuasion.") I walked out without buying anything, but reflected later on the many statements and questions which all had a purpose; they seemed confusing at the time but all made perfect sense upon dissected analysis.