Staying in The Here And Now

Here I Am, Still On Track, But

Staying in the here and now is good advice for somebody like me who misses her junk food, and looks forward to being bad . . . with food.

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. ~Ernestine Ulmer

I need constant reminders: don’t meander down memory lane on an empty stomach. And don’t worry about tomorrow’s food. Here’s today’s suggestion from children’s literature:

You’re not where you were, and you’re not where you’re going. You’re here, so pay attention! – Agatha Swanburne (in The Hidden Gallery by Mary Rose Wood)

Indeed, here I am; but it’s hard to pay attention! Often, too much information – about so many food choices makes me wonder what in the world I am doing. There is a downside to everything. Too much of this will do that; too little of that will cause this. Even adding [too much] extra protein can be dangerous: Side Effects of High Protein Diets.

I Have to Admit, Though

Starting the fifth week of eating real food for fuel instead of comfort, I have to admit the extra lean protein reins in my appetite . . . a bit.

For now, the refreshed eating plan remains in the present tense. I haven’t blown it, and pretty soon I will be in bed. That’s good. I am going to bed earlier since midnight snacks aren’t on the eating plan.

Last night’s dinner – salmon — left a lot to be desired. One minute or two too long in the oven, and it dries out. I guess that’s better than underdone in the middle.

Here’s a picture of tonight’s dinner: roasted shrimp on spinach linguini with Parmesan, and a salad made with supper lettuce from Aldie’s. We split an Envy apple for desert.

Really, Very Tasty, if I Do Say So Myself

Virtuous right?

Well, at Bible study, a friend out did herself with a treat. Here’s a picture of the lovely, yummy treat – I don’t think it was high on protein. I sampled and stopped. Who says miracles are over?

I wasn’t NOT going to taste this!

Exercise, consistent and heart-rate raising is still not as interesting as choosing healthy food. However, wherever turn, I find testy little reminders. Like this from my guru in book residence, Peg Bracken:

“You’ve got to get the lead out to get the lard off.”
–Shirely Shimmelfenner, The Valley of the Dishes, Volume 3

Lard is such an . . . ugly word. Ugh. It isn’t so attractive on me, either.

In this seventh – or is it eighth –decade, I’ve developed a whole new appreciation of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Another five pounds off and maybe I will be able to spy my knees.

The good news is the knees cooperated. Today I did a bit of weeding, watering, and repotting. Thirty minutes of up and down, back and forth counts for something, huh? (Alas: not even 300 hundred steps, though.)

Anyway – thanks for reading. I hear from some readers that they too are making more sensible eating choices. Their companionship on this journey is wonderful.

Here’s something I wrote awhile back about what to do in the here and now: What Are You Being Today?