I'm Baaaaaaack!

A recent winter-scape as seen from our deck

After a nearly 3-month hiatus, I'm back to blogging. It wasn't intentional; I simply drifted away. I seem to have had little original or entertaining to say. Plus, the kids are all adults now, living elsewhere, so I have no one to photograph and put up on the blog.

Well, no one other than Marian, Bob, me, and 2 cats. The first 3 of us are only growing older and not going anywhere much in this winter weather. Post one picture of the 3 of us, and that's good for at least a year or two. Post one picture of the cats, and that is good for years and years since their looks never change after kittenhood.

Since October, we've had a great holiday season. It started with a beautiful sit-down Thanksgiving dinner at Ryan and Andrea's new house in Albertville. Andrea set the table in fall colors with cloth napkins she had cut and sewn. She and the kids made place cards with Scrabble letters so everyone knew where to sit. They served sparking juice in wine goblets. It was so special and fine. And we all had such a good time visiting and playing together.

Just before Thanksgiving, I heard about and joined a Transitions Lifestyle group. I heard about it from a friend who lives in the state of Maine, and she--Cindi--phoned me with the information on a group starting meetings in Fridley that very night! I know the Lord works through us for each other, and I'm most thankful for Cindi in this regard. The 12-week course starts with a 7-day detox. Most of us in the group started AFTER Thanksgiving. I started November 29. For that week, I started the day with lemon juice in warm water and then ate only fruits and vegetables. And plenty of water. Since then I have lost 20 pounds!

For the first year after retiring, I had become so sedentary that I couldn't walk a block without having to stop to catch my breath. Climbing the 13 stairs from the basement found me breathing hard. I felt nauseous and weak much of the time. When we had our first annual family reunion in Itasca State Park last July, I didn't have the stamina to even walk to see some Lady Slippers the grandchildren had told me about. Forget going on a bike ride with the family! Walking from the parking lot to the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca was a major effort, and included several rests. It was not a far walk.

In an effort to get myself involved in life again, I decided to audition for The Minnesota Mormon Chorale last fall. I used to sing with The Bach Society Chorus in Minneapolis years ago, and missed participating with fine musicians to perform beautiful music. I was so excited to be invited to sing! Things I learned: I needed to sit down more often than another other singer in the group; we were expected to stand even in practices; I really don't look good or feel comfortable in concert dress; my legs, feet, and back cause me nearly unbearable pain by the end of a 45-minute concert.

In stead of giving up, I decided I needed to get healthy if I wanted to keep up with my family and with life in general for the rest of my life. I had had enough of sitting around not feeling well. I couldn't imagine spending any more time NOT PARTICIPATING.

So I was prime for changing. I knew doing the same things I had done before didn't work. I had been reading about Cindi's detoxing and her renewed love of vegetables. And now after finding the same kind of group she had, I can firmly say that I also absolutely love vegetables. Celery has replaced my Icee habit.

After the detox week, we started on a low glycemic index diet. It is really a change of lifestyle that we are working towards. It takes about 12 weeks to change. I suppose that is why the course is that long. Until a few days before Christmas, I was sticking to low glycemic and did not eat anything with sugar in it. I even made our traditional Little French Christmas Cookies without tasting the batter or eating baked cookies. I baked rolls for Christmas dinner, and that is when I started tasting things made with sugar. We had a most enjoyable Christmas, spending Christmas Eve at Justin and Madelyn's and Christmas dinner here at our house with all of our Minnesota kids and grandkids. Nothing on earth is as close to my heart as family, and thank the Lord we have such a loving family. I made fudge and caramels after Christmas; I ate small pieces here and there for a week. I gave lots of the candies away, though, and even now a few pieces remain on the counter in a plastic storage dish.

But I find I am having a hard time getting back to eating foods from the low glycemic index, and I believe it is because even some sugar in my system makes me crave more. Even bread is a binge item for me, and almost all bread has some form of sugar in it. But I did learn of Ezekiel Bread from one of the Transitions Lifestyle coaches, and I use it now instead of any other.

Soon I'll be doing another week of detox. I'll be doing it with a friend. After that, I will continue to keep refined sugars out of my diet. When I was off sugar completely, these are the benefits I noticed:

No nausea

No dizziness

No headaches

No abdominal bloating or discomfort

Increased energy

Less sleepiness

Greater sense of well-being

More positive attitude

Enjoyment of housework (I especially love this benefit!)

Better comprehension of what I read

More interest in almost everything

Enough for one day. I'll blog about my weight, exercise, and changing diet and cooking. I'm very thankful to have found a new beginning in my retirement years. Who would have thought?