Dear Our Lady of Perpetual Weight Loss, 

I've been good all day long.  I've watched my caloric intake, worn my pedometer, drank lots of water and even thought skinny thoughts.  I've put away the Christmas decorations along with all the Christmas goodies and my resolve has been rock solid all day long. 

Day time doesn't seem to be a problem time for me....it's the grazing at night.  Yes I did say grazing.  Just like a cow and consequently my backside looks like two sides of beef battling each other when I walk. Not a pretty sight.  Please help strengthen my "Want Power"--my will power gets shaky at night.


Here's my holiday picture walking away from the camera.  Do you think anyone recognized me?  

Prickly Prayer:  Dear Our Lady of Gracious Grazing,

Help me keep my hands busy, my mind occupied, and my body out of the kitchen.  Help me erase the tapes in my head that trigger the mindless pursuit of chips, chocolate and other dietary demons that sing out to me to indulge.  Help me remember that they who indulge, bulge.  Amen.

Could you reprogram my brain to have salad be my comfort food.  I'm just saying.....all is forgiven Mooooove On.

Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss....

Today is Christmas and I celebrated with my family with reckless abandon.  It wouldn't have been so bad if it was only today but unfortunately  my Christmas spirit and season of feasting lasts from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.

Now I"m filled with regret, recriminations and a body that looks like Santa except for the snow white beard.  Help me to Remember the Top Ten Holiday Commandments.

Top Ten Holiday Commandments

1.  Believe in thy self and honor thy body. (Be kind, loving, and forgiving to yourself, first and foremost.

2.  Thou shalt never leave home hungry.  Eat something before the party. A salad, fruit, and plenty of water.

3. Thou shalt stay clear of the buffet table.  Get thou away from food.  Engage in good conversation.

4.  Thou shalt not deny thyself a treat or two now and then.  Too much denial isn't a good thing.  Neither is filling your plate with all sweets and treats.  I'm just saying....

5.  Thou shalt recycle foo gifts quickly before you change your mind.  Give it away, candy, cake, and all red-light foods.

6.  Thou shalt keep thy hands busy.  Knitting, crocheting, cutting and pasting, drawing, writing - anything to keep your hands busy and your mind off food.

7.  Thou shalt stay away from sweat pants or pants with elastic waist bands. Wear snug clothing.  No room for expansion.

8.  Thou shalt walk- a lot.  Ask Santa for a pedometer for Christmas then use it.  If you already have one.  Use it.

9.  Thou shalt live in a no-alcohol zone.  The calories add up quickly.

10.  Thou shalt not covet they neighbor's plate, her ultra-thin body, or her ability to eat endlessly without gaining a single ounce.



Weighty Confession:

Forgive me for I have sinned.

Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss....I confess that I'm addicted to Sugar and have no moderation switch.  I seem to be an all or nothing kind of girl.  The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  I will purge the house tomorrow of all goodies or send them downstairs into the "man cave" out of sight.  Thank you for a fresh start every morning.

All is forgiven move on.......

Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss,
   
 The doom-and-gloom-sayers, predicted that the world would end  yesterday, December 21, 2012, presumably prophesized by the Mayan calendars. According to calculations measured by the Maya of South America during the classical period of their culture, from 250 to 900 A.D., December 21, 2012 marks the end of a “great” period of time.  AND … December 22, 2012, begins a new era.

Well, just like I hate to waste a good clean by not having company come over, I also hate to throw away perfectly good food by being annihilated.  I figured if death was by nuclear explosion the few extra hundred calories I consumed would get mixed up with other DNA and no one would know.  I found a box of Junior Mints that wouldn't fit in the Christmas box I sent my daughter so decided to eat it. (Sorry Beeks)

Well, today is December 22, 2012 ....the beginning of a new era.  So no harm, no foul, play on.  I thought no one would notice but be sure your sins will bite you in the butt.  See what I mean?  

Me...Visualizing dancing with my son at his wedding!

Today our Lady of Weight Loss taught me about visualization.  The power of seeing yourself thin.

  "  Visualization helps us realize our dreams.  When an idea becomes "fixed" in our subconscious, we automatically make decisions that help us move toward it.  Athletes are known to utilize visualization to reach their goals.  They see themselves performing the perfect dive of the high board, scoring a 10. 

According to the book The Einstein Factor by Win Wenger and Richard Poe, visualization helps to increase our intelligence.   It helps to build the connectors between the neurons in our brains.  It's like building a mental muscle.  Albert Einstein conducted most of his experiments in his brain- by visualizing them.

Our outside world-what we consider reality-manifests from our mental world.  First comes the thought.  And from the thought, we create our reality.

 For those of us who want to remove excess weight permanently it is imperative that we spend a period of time, daily consciously seeing and creating our new selves."

        My big fear was the mother/son dance after the wedding.  I'm not a dancer.  I'm not light on my feet and nor am I graceful.  I didn't wear heels and even though I visualized the heck out of the first picture the reality wasn't exactly like I pictured it.  You can judge for yourself. Here's my Butt dancing with my son.  As for me I'm going back into my happy place, light a candle and say a prayer of thanksgiving that the whole ordeal is over. 

 Weighty Confession: 

Forgive me for I have sinned :

Ok, so maybe I didn't visualize hard enough or long enough and maybe I might have stressed out a little and had mood food to compensate for my poor self image.  Actually I may have visualized this image instead of the the top image.  Maybe I'm better at this than I thought.  All is forgiven.  Move On.

I just discovered a great book, and website that I'm sure will be a tremendous help to me in this perpetual attempt to lose weight .  I bought a copy of Our Lady of Weight Loss by Janice Taylor.  She has the wit and humor to keep me motivated and to quit obsessing about food.  You can read about her at her website.

Here's the disclaimer.  I am not Catholic but I do like the concept of having a patron saint to absolve me from my dietary indiscretions.  Too often I become obsessed with food and that's all I think about, dream about and food takes on a life of it's own.  Her concept is to use food as an art project to keep your hands busy so you are not stuffing your face.

I'm not artistic but why not start making collages and art pieces.  If nothing else my grandchildren will think that their Diva was super cool if not a bit crazy.  I joined the Kick in the Tush club and completed Kick Number 1  ....Our Lady of Cleanliness is Next to Weightlessness.  It consisted of doing a cleansing ritual in which I cleaned out the refrigerator of everything that is not healthy or fresh and actually cleaning the whole refrigerator shelf by shelf, bin by bin.  My refrigerator glistens now even though there is very little in it.

      Here's the little prayer, much more to myself than Our Lady of Weight loss.

    "May my commitment to myself shine as brightly as my sparking clean fridge.May I remember that it is not about willpower.  There is no such thing.  This is about want power.  May I give myself everything I want and deserve.  Amen."

Tasty Tidbit:  Willpower is something none of us have.  If there is cake in the house, who among us has the willpower to say no?  We are all more likely to cave in and eat it if for no other reason to get it out of the house and no longer tempting us.  Want power means that want to lose weight enough to make sure that there's no cake in the house-that we want to be thin enough to go that extra mile- to do what it takes.

Wish me luck I'm on my weigh.