A Man of Character, A Character of a Man

Amy and I have sad news. Our Dad passed away last Friday. So everyone take a deep breath for us and take a drink of water. If you feel the need to have a bite to eat, well in honor of Dad consider: burnt cookies, well done steak, a thick slab of cheese, Oreo double stuff cookies, rye crisp crackers with peanut butter, potato salad, macaroni salad, smoked fish, smoked ham, dollar size pancakes, mexican food, or stir fry. Those were some of his favorites.



Wayne E. Nelson September 5, 1932- April 23, 2010

Wayne Nelson died unexpectedly April 23, 2010. Wayne was born to Tekney and Dorothy Nelson on September 5, 1932 in Yakima, WA. He filled his 77 years looking for the great perhaps. In that search Wayne worked as a jack of all trades and a master of some. His occupations included antique dealer, truck driver, hairdresser, water salesman, elephant hunter, wildcat well driller, maintenance man, gambler and helping people in need. Wayne stood up for what he believed in even though the road had been rough on occasion. He was a man of steel (rusty at times) and had a heart of gold.

Wayne was a proud Highline High School graduate from 1950. He served in the Navy from 1952-1956 including service during the Korean War. He furthered his service to his country and countrymen as a member of the Moose, Elks and Lion’s clubs.

As an avid and voracious reader, Wayne continued his education. He enjoyed gardening, was a casino regular up and down the coast and was an adventurous cook.

Wayne is survived by his daughters Amy Roney of Olympia, Wendy Grantham of Normandy Park, granddaughter Kat Roney of Olympia, Reyde Grantham of Normandy Park, brother Bob Nelson of Everett, significant other Delores Ehlers of Westport and his cats Bushy and Sheba of Westport.

Wayne, we are going to miss your cantankerous old self and your endless lectures.

A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 2:00 PM at the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribal Center located at 2373 Old Tokeland Road in Tokeland Washington.

St. Patty's Day Dash

Woop woop.

Mom got us all registered for the dash tomorrow morning.

Love the timing of DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and the fun run. I see in the not so distant future, a group nap at the Grantham's or possibly on the Link Light Rail back home.

Short at sweet. Cuz it's 8.22pm (really 9.22pm) and I need to get to bed!

I'm Baaaaack

My funk has passed thanks in part to a number of you fabulous people! My food choices are better ones and my exercise quantity and frequency have increased. Carmen, a real go getter, two weeks ago texted me that she had an idea she wanted to run by me. That really piqued my curiosity because this woman rewires lighting fixtures, digs up her yard to put in a pond and a flag stone walkway and just does things I think about but do not act on. Carmen's idea was that if I took a detour on my way home from work, I could stop by her office and we could walk a mile on her afternoon break. Her employer has a healthy employee initiative and there are walking routes identified with the mileage included. So in the last two weeks, 10 work days, we have walked eight times! This is in addition to strength training I have done. I feel so good... (Cue James Brown music.)

I shared this with Wendy this morning and she cut our conversation short so she could get on the treadmill. My exercise total she feared was higher than hers. Sibling rivialry can be a good thing.

Amy

Wagon Story- Part 2

I have a cravng. It is compulsive, an instant gratification. My mouth is watering...not really but GOSH DARNIT I want to WEIGH MYSELF!!!!!!!!

So we haven't had a club meeting. Timing doesn't allow it and Mom forgot to bring the scales to the beach house.

I did cheat. The weekend of February 20th, we started Quarter Midget Driver's Training. How convenient, the track has a scale house to weigh cars and drivers. I nonchalantly stepped on the scales when no one was around. I thought it couldn't be right; that the scales are dialed in to weigh accurately at 250+ pounds. As I am under 250, I justify in my mind that they can't be right since I didn't like the number.

Stepped on them twice with the same outcome. Hmmm. Maybe they are correct.

On Sunday I check in on the scales at Mom's. Yes, track scales are correct. F^&%$.

Fast forward to Friday Feb 26th. I texted Mom to remind her to bring the scales. I called Amy to see how she did and she tells me that Mom forgot the scales. What? I texted her and she said she'd pack them. I want to go over to her house and get them but I resist.

The urge is demanding my attention. The pull is stronger with each passing minute.

A hah! But I can weigh myself tomorrow at the track. Woopee, whippee, yippee. I go to bed, comforted by the fact that I can weigh myself on Saturday.

Scale house doors shut, and no one checks the weight of cars and drivers this Saturday. Aaahhh, this too shall pass, get over it Wendy.

The craving subsides until Sunday afternoon. I visit my Dad and see that he and his girlfriend have scales in their laundry room. Hmmm. I can weigh myself! But then I think to myself, for an accurate weight, I should take my shoes off, oh I will have to ask Dad how to work them, oh no, then he'll know the number and tease me incessantly, no don't weigh yourself, oh but wouldn't it be good to know that the number is less than last week at the track, oh but if you did then Dad would see how you check the number 4 or 5 times before you determine that the scale is right....

"Bye Dad, gonna go for a walk."

Living without scales is SO HARD.

Wagon? I don't see no stinking wagon!

I have fallen off the healthier life style wagon. I have not written down the foods I have consumed since Wendy and I last weighed. I have let too many hours pass between meals so that I am ravenous and shaky with low blood sugar. I have not walked around the lake or danced Bollywood style either. I have chosen to eat candy, ice cream and fish and chips.

I should also share that I have been struggling with great sadness. My Great Aunt Dorothy passed away after Thanksgiving. She was the last of that generation. My Uncle Ed passed away last month. He is the first of his siblings to pass. These losses have stirred in me the emotions I have surrounding other losses I have not come to terms with.

While I have read about people being emotional eaters, and I assumed I was/am one too, I have come to realize I use food like some use alcohol and drugs. I know just the right combination of carbs and fat to ingest to get the desired physical high. Without the physical effects of my food-chemistry, these emotions have been much sharper and more painful. I am not practiced at feeling them at this intensity level. I cry at the drop of a hat and bite the heads off my family with little provocation. The old man at the gas station that pulled up to the gas pump I was pulling up to got the dirtiest look and it was all I could do not to tell him of his ill conceived birth and questionable parentage. Who knows what the neighbor boys were thinking when they skateboarded by as I was raking the leaves and sobbing.

I will post this and go for a walk, and probably a good cry. Maybe I should don one of Roger's old ratty fishing sweatshirts and my hunters hat so that I look like a scruffy mumbling street person. The crying would then be in character. It is that or eat more peanut M&Ms.
Amy

Physics is not my strong suit...

but it is Amy's. We weighed on Sunday at the beach. Each of us are down 4 pounds now. Woo hoo. And I always wonder where this weight goes, like shouldn't it mess with the universe and the rotation of the earth? So once again, I asked Amy to explain this to me. Have it on camera, well, audio, to refer back to. We both recognize the need for more exercise; this last week it was not in the mix at all. Started the week on a good note, a brisk lovely walk at the beach in Westport. Sun shining, only sweatshirts needed. Wish I was still at the beach! Happy Monday, here's the science lesson:

Who is texting me at 7am????

OMG!! There are donuts in the staff room! It is Wed. and my defenses are set for Friday. -Amy

RESIST -Wendy

Or have a bite and chew 25 times to enjoy it but notice how you feel you probably wont finish- Wendy

Chewing that many times, never mind. I will resist. Now I want to have Mom meet me in Tacoma tonight to weigh.-Amy

Welcome to the group we work on a 12 step program yes you only get to weigh yourself 12 times a day- Wendy

Only 12 min more and I will have students and I will not be able to leave the room thus sequestering myself from the dangerous donuts.- Amy

My Colon Loves Me

Last week I made a conscious choice to 1) eat foods that I have in the house, 2) reduce cost of food by choosing filling stuff, and 3) get more fiber. The fiber only went on the list after I read the label of my bag of pinto beans.

HOLY LEGUME. Best that I write that and not COW as I broke up with beef.

1/4 cup dried pinto beans provides only 60 calories and 14 grams of dietary fiber. 56% of your daily fiber if consuming 2000 calories.

Felt great, lots of energy, knew I was treating my body good.

Caught a bit of Oprah's show last week. Alicia Silverstone talking about her new book on eating. Flipped channels, came back to it and heard Alicia say something to the effect of your pooh is so much better when you eat veggies and fiber. And Oprah commenting about the "S" shape of pooh with Dr Oz and sometimes she is so impressed with her #2s that she wants to show friends...

I can relate.

New numbers

Woo hoo! Our blogging has already made a difference in our actions, thinking and scale usage and now we have data to prove it. I am down three pounds and Wendy is down two pounds. I have more to write about thought process changes, but it will have to wait for another day.

As Bartles and James used to say, " ... and thank you for your support."
Amy

Hi I'm Wendy and I'm a Weighaholic

Okay folks. I went 4 days. FOUR WHOLE DAYS without weighing myself. Now this was not achieved through willpower, but rather the fact that Mom took the psychotic scales with her on Sunday.

I miss my buddy. I'd weigh in the morning. At least 3 or 4 times to see what common number came up. Then I'd weigh before I went to bed. As if this would magically help me lose weight.

So after feeling like I'd done well so far, I followed Mom to her house on Thursday night.

"Come on Reyde, we are going to Nana's."
"Can I play there?"
"It'll be a short visit."

Ugghh. ((sigh)

"Mom, I'm up a half a pound."
"Wendy, it's at the end of the day."
"We took our starting weight at 4pm."

So I promptly came home and checked online for a calorie counter. Found a website way too hard. Hello. That's the last thing I need; to sit at the computer for any longer than I do.

Turned my computer off to then go back later that night and look for the consumer report on the best rated home scales. Ohh, found one, Tanita Body Fat/Body Water Monitor BF-680W. Hmm, buy or not buy, that is the question.

The answer? NOT BUYING.
Another answer? Portion control. I measured what I thought was 1/2 cup of soy milk to be actually 1 cup. So the guessitimate of caloric coffee drink intake was 1/2 of what I am really drinking.

Alas, but I must break up with coffee. Coffee can go hang out with beef and commisserate about how crappy a girlfriend I was. http://glovegalgab.blogspot.com/2009/08/breaking-up.html

Did weighing myself help my weight loss this week? No. Did the fact that I am blogging about this help? Yes. Because my actions changed. Normally, I'd have gone and eaten ice cream.

So.....I go to rest and get up in the morning to walk/run with my friend and get my game on. I coasted this week. My sissy la la has not. While this is not a competition, every once in a while Aim and I compete. She confided years ago that she was always trying to stay one step ahead of me, that I'd out do whatever she set her mind too. Mind you, I NEVER KNEW THIS, I was all consumed with pining about how I didn't have her group of friends.

I love you Amy. Game on SISTA! And game on to any other of my SISTA'S from otha Mistas and Mommas.

Confessions

Wendy is correct in that I too am motivated. Now that my world knows I am eating to live rather than living to eat, I am acting in my best interest. I am benefitting from knowing that others are watching and I know they know I know they are watching. I am not, nor have I ever been, good at failing. Since I have publicly declared my intentions, I must act on them or risk failure. Now for a lesson on twisted thinking. "If I do not attempt to lose weight and increase my physical fitness, I cannot fail when I am still fat and out of shape in the spring." That is out the window now.

The space time continuum does confound me at times and Tuesday morning I was dressed and ready for work 30 minutes earlier than usual but somehow failed to pack my lunch. I threw together food and left. In the days before I reported my food and beverage intake to Wendy I would have grabbed a school lunch or stopped by Quizznos on the way to my second building, but I do not want to attempt to figure the caloric or nutrional value of a school lunch and the choices at Quizznos would not be what I need. Just knowing that I have to tell Wendy what I have eaten has prevented just for fun eating. The power that woman has over me!!!

Wendy and I have shared a number of emails and telephone calls back and forth about her intention to confess her three digit number to James. I suggested that she not tell him. An excerpt of our exchange follows.

"James has touched you in your current physical state. While he may not know the actual number of pounds you weigh, he is aware that you are at an unhealthy number. What do you hope to gain from saying "230 pounds?" Are you really wanting to let him know that you acknowledge it is not okay or acceptable anymore and you recognize that you want to be different, for both yourself and for him.

While I have not said anything to Roger yet, I do wish to apologize to him for being so overweight. I need to be healthy for both of us, and I do not wish to embarrass him any longer. (No, he has never said anything about embarrassment or even looked like he was, but in front of his brothers I am bothered. I want him to be proud of his "catch.")"

I think it is my turn for confessions tonight, but not in the dark. I talk in my sleep and Roger will likely chalk up anything I say with the lights out to that.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement,
Amy

Amy's got my back

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Amy and I are motivated. Well, I haven't checked in with Amy on that statement, but I think she is motivated.

Our first goals:
Month 1- Lose 8 lbs. (So my ski pants fit better.)
Month 2- Run the St Patty's Day Dash. And then party like a red headed elfin ROCKSTAR.

Maybe I should just write participate in the St Patty's Day Dash.

So tonight, I REALLY GO public.While we composed our 2nd post on Sunday, my husband walked in on us. We told him what we were doing. And it just happened to be when we were posting the dreaded numbers. I casually lowered my screen so he couldn't see them, and Amy (WHO ALWAYS HAS MY BACK,) casually turned the piece of paper over so he couldn't read the numbers.

Do you see where I am going with this? I haven't told James that BIG OLD 3 digit number. So to mitigate my EMBARASSMENT, I plan to discuss this number tonight when the lights are turned out for the night.

"James, I have a confession to make."
His heart will likely beat 200 times faster.
"What Wendy?"
" I weigh 230 lbs"

I have no idea what will be the outcome of this conversation. Although now I can ask what he weighs. I don't ask that question, because I don't want to tell him my ghastly number.

Sweet dreams. And I doubt Jame will say, "Suh WEET."

Numbers- Guess Which is Who's

1st meeting of the "Like Being Fat Is Not Public" club. We jotted down some numbers. And it is not just me and my irrational thinking. Amy confirmed that my scales are broken. So Nancy went and got her scales. Which provides a consistent number, not one we can alter, and has the FABULOUS option of body fat percentage. That can go away.

So without further adieu, I present the numbers...in no particular order. I'm sure we all can guess what these are, where the tape measure landed on our bodies, and the work we need to do

14 5/8" , 14", 50 1/4", 27", 26 3/16", 225 1/2lbs, and  52% (Thanks Nancy.)
15 1/4", 15", 48", 25", 25 1/2", 230lbs, and 49%.

And let's have a reality check. You can have your photos the kindest angle (FB, Myspace,) or the real photo showing how you look when people really see you. It's not like we all walk around with our chins out, our heads tilted, and our cheeks sucked in.

Come To Jesus Meeting

From: Wendy
To: Amy
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:01:47 -0800Subject: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

I had a bit of a “come to Jesus meeting” with myself. Went online to look at a weight loss calculator and realized that I need to reduce calorie intake to 15-1800 calories per day to really lose weight. And I have goals in mind for travel and looking better. If I take it nice and slow, dropping 400 calories from my dietary intake needed to MAINTAIN this fabulous figure, it will be 22 months to get to my goal weight of 170lbs. OUCH. My maintenance caloric intake is 2200 calories. Wow, I am burning a lot of wasted calories on coffee and crap.

So today I make better choices and truly note how many calories are going down the hatch.

Threw my scales out last night only to fish them out of the garbage this morning. Duh, the scales are not lying and b/c the plastic is broken, it does not mean the scales are wrong.

So sissy la la. Let’s get this done this year. We must stop abusing ourselves. We are not getting younger and more wrinkles are appearing around my eyes.

Wendy

From: Amy
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:45 AM
To: Wendy
Subject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

I am in!! How can we support each other? Documenting our food/beverage intake and reporting to one another? Take our measurements monthly and chart? Cook for each other? Plan a week's meals separately and then swap menus? Photograph ourselves in swimwear with our cell phones and send weekly to the other?

XO,Amy

From: Wendy
To: Amy
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:24:03 -0800
Subject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

Well, you and I know that being accountable to ourselves hasn’t worked. Ready to publicly blog? I think that is what we need to do.

Can you spend 20 minutes per week blogging?

From: Amy
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:29 PM
To: WendySubject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

Yesssssss I can spend 20 minutes a week. Public ... like being fat hasn't been public. This makes me giggle a weird little embarrassed giggle.

Amy

From: Wendy
To: Amy
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:31:14 -0800
Subject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

LOL. Right. Try video conferencing. That’s unnerving.

What’s the title of our blog. Whatcha wanna call it? http://www.likebeingfatisnotpublic.blogspot.com/ ?

From: Amy
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:36 PM
To: Wendy
Subject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

LOVE IT!!!

From: Wendy
To: AmyDate: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:39:18 -0800
Subject: RE: Come to Jesus Meeting Held Last Night

Okay. I'll get it done tonight. And then to make this public we send the link to friends and family. We post photos of ourselves now, and whatever else is gonna make this happen this year.

And so Amy and Wendy's personal struggle becomes public. Although it's been public all along.

Signing off- Wendy