I'm All Thumbs

Thumbs down:  Food samples.  Note to self:  just because I am, in theory, maintaining, does not give me free license to ingest every food sample I can get my hands on.

Thumbs down:  Cracker crack.  So… once upon a time I discovered that crackers, even the healthiest ones, are not my friends.  If I kept them in the house, I’d choose to snack on them over veggies or protein, my preferred healthy choices, every time.  And, often overeat those darn yummy squares.  I was asked to bring some, with hummus, to a friend’s house recently.  Which would have been fine if I had not stupidly, or maybe subconsciously, bought them a few days in advance.  You guessed it!  I ate them all and had to go buy more.  Thumbs up that I waited until “the day of” and then left the box at my friend’s.

Thumbs up:  Gluten-free experimentation.  I convinced my husband to try going gluten-free for two weeks to see if it helped with some little issues he has; they are often listed as possible gluten intolerance symptoms.  He got through the two weeks and, thankfully, seems to have no issues with gluten.  So I can go back to cooking with no more struggling to decipher ingredient lists that are often so tiny I have to use a magnifying glass to read them.  Thumbs down that he found no relief for, or cause of, the symptoms.  Thumbs up that the experiment lead to several new yummy recipes.

Thumbs down:  Tootsie Rolls.  Which, apparently are gluten-free.  So my dear husband got a huge (huge) bag and I found myself sticking my hand in.  Thumbs down even further that (I discovered that) Tootsie Rolls have trans fats!  Thumbs up that hubby bought a new huge bag of candy this week but it’s one that I can easily resist.  Okay, if I’m being honest, thumbs down that he is buying candy at all.  Sorry, honey.  Just keeping it real.

Thumbs down:  Metabolism.  Dr. Oz had an interesting show not long ago with his “7 Day Miracle Plan to Boost Metabolism.”  Check out his site if you want to know all the details.  But the part that has my thumbs pointing down is that he shared a calculator for us to check our metabolic rate and, as I suspected, mine is discouragingly low.  Thumbs down that, according to Oz, our metabolism slows by 5% every decade after 40.

Thumbs up:  Gum.  My new crown is comfortably in place and I am back to chewing gum!  Thumbs up, also, for the new dentist.

Thumbs up:  Making a pact.  I had been struggling for a while with my eating.  A blog friend was struggling too.  She and I had been emailing each other and somehow came upon the idea to have a challenge/pact for a week.  We both chose what we were going to work on and I spent the whole week, sticking to my commitment, and singing Michael Jackson:  “You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back…”  Sometimes we need a little help from our friends.  I know I have often commented on other blogs that I’m here if the blogger needs me or if I can help in any way.  I mean that sincerely.  Just let me know.  My hand is outstretched.

Thumbs uncomfortable:  “You look thinner.”  Recently I had two people comment on my weight, a few days apart.  I don’t remember exactly what they said, but something along the lines of me having lost weight or being thinner.  For me, I don’t take it as a compliment.  And, honestly, I think they were intended more as statements of fact.  But my point is that if someone notices I’m thinner, it means they noticed when I was heavier as well.  Never having been obese, I like to pretend that maybe no one has paid attention to my size changes over the years.  Having a comment made just proves that I’ve been deluding myself.

Thumbs still out:  My blog name.  First, a huge thumbs up for all your amazing support and great comments when I asked for input about changing my blog’s name.  My current thinking is to keep things as they are unless/until inspiration strikes.  But feel free to suggest names for me if they ever occur to you!   Or a new phrase for my tagline.

Thumbs up:  Wifi.  Finally – a thumbs up about technology!  It was so easy on my recent blog meet-up trip to get online and quickly clear out my emails and google reader, to map out locations, to start my post for when I got home.  And, for the first time ever, I even got online during a pit stop on my drive home, just because I could.  (Okay, I admit it was also because I had found out while driving home that there would be a gathering of in-laws at my house when I walked in the door and I was in no rush to join them, weary from the road trip.)  Gotta love truck stops for wifi and their great candy selection – I picked up some banana Laffy Taffy for my teen’s Halloween care package:)

Thumbs up:  Arctic Freeze.  Jody reviewed this product and I have since tried out several flavors.  It’s full of some rather nebulous ingredients, but if you are looking for a “diet” alternative to ice cream that tastes just good enough to feed your need for a fix, check it out yourself.  Thumbs down that my Whole Foods store only carries a few flavors and not the one that Jody says is best.  Thumbs up that I found a new flavor on my trip to Little Rock and it made it home still frozen.  Thumbs up that it is still sitting, uneaten, in my freezer.  Moderation!

Thumbs that could have gone the other way:  Free candy.  At the drugstore recently, I was randomly chosen for a customer service survey.  To entice encourage me to participate, the clerk handed me a Take 5 candy bar, to emphasize that the survey would only “take five” minutes to complete.  My immediate thought was “oh no – temptation.”  My next thought was to toss it in the trash on the way to my car.  Then I thought it would be something to add to my son’s care package.  And wondered if I could have it at home, waiting until I sealed it in a mailing box, without giving in and eating it myself.  I could and I did, so my thumbs are up.  I admit I “hid” it under some other things waiting to be packed so maybe I wouldn’t remember it was there to taunt me:)