Talisman

Hope springs eternal. I spent some time today flipping through the growing pile of Health and Self magazines that seem to arrive at my house. Don't you think that thinking about getting in shape should burn calories? I certainly do. Mostly they are pure advertising but I tripped over one of those articles that take 4 minutes to read on tips the contestants use in The Biggest Loser and two called to me.

The first is a simplifying device for calorie counting. I knew there must be a rule. To lose weight multiple your current weight by 7 for your daily calorie intake. (If you weight less than 150, use 150 as the weight number.) So for me that is 1680 a day. Now that I have the formula, though, I can adjust while losing weight. And for maintenance multiply your weight by 12. So when I weight what I want to, my calorie intake should be 1500. I'm quite struck by how little difference there is between the two, actually. Wheee, now I have a formula. What a geekette I am.

The second is a talisman, although they don't call it that. They suggest buying a bracelet or ring that symbolizes "I can do it!" Now that doesn't work for me, but I like the idea. When I quit smoking wearing a silly rubber band on my wrist helped. On reflection jewelry that reminds me of my goal, that I can fiddle with instead of nibbling, and points me in the direction of looking terrific works seemed like a fine idea. I've never worn bracelets so I just ordered a black gold chain bracelet so that I can wear it all the time, including while I work out.

Beautiful Day

Gardening, housework. On Monday I have to return to work after a week's leave. I hoped to regularize something before I returned, but that won't happen. Tomorrow a massage. Good for me !!

Ok, next mini-goal. Carry lunch to work three out of four days next week. Dentist appointment on Wednesday that mucks it up.

Walk 10 minutes at work or after Monday - Thursday. Yeah, sounds puny to me too. But regular anything would be amazing. It is just so damn hard for me to develop habits and so easy to lose track.

Ack ... all this negativity is not helpful.

I caught a few minutes of that person who wrote Eat, Pray, Love on Oprah. She said something that stuck -- Develop a new mantra. She said that I already have a mantra, all that stuff that runs through my brain all the time. All that stuff I wrote above, she says, is my mantra. And so it is. I learn and measure myself by what I repeat. So she is right. I should develop a new mantra. I'll work on that too.