Day 213--How can one life have so much going on?

So I weighed yesterday and I've lost 2 more pounds, bringing my total to 70 pounds lost. It pleases me that during this ohsobusy time of my life that the weight is still slowly melting away. The weather has been holding steady at around 20 degrees yet I have discovered that if you're dressed warmly, walking in the cold is very exhilarating. Incredible! I can't believe I just typed that. I must say that when I pictured my life in the future it did NOT include taking walks in the bitter cold. I admit I feel a tiny bit virtuous that I get all bundled up and GO. The cold wind on my face does not reach the rest of me. It's actually fun. I really typed that sentence too. My whole life exercise and weight loss were HARD and DIFFICULT and TORTUROUS and DEPRIVATION and PRETTY MUCH HORRIBLE. But the truth is completely opposite and I would never have believed anyone if they had told me that. I really love walking. And I don't care how long it takes me to walk or if I'm walking *fast* or if I'm pushing myself. I always had dreams of being out there, enjoying the weather and the birds and the trees and kitties chasing stuff in the grass. I enjoy myself. Oh and the c25K thing. I downloaded it to the ipod my brother in law gave me and I can't find it. Oh, it's there when I hook it up to Itunes but when I'm outside ready to roll I can't find it. No podcast shows up anywhere. It's quite frustrating.
I remember feeling horrified in years past when I would read or hear the words 'To lose weight you must eat less and exercise more.' Okay that sounds awful, especially when coupled with 'It's best to lose 1-2 pounds a week.' When you have a lot to lose, you want it gone NOW, not 3 years from now amiright? But I could not, absolutely could not stick with the stupid diets that some sadistic moron came up with. Maybe it worked for THEM but why did they decide to write a book and tell everyone they have to lose it THEIR way? I love grapefruit but not everyday.
I love moon pies, and chocolate covered pretzels, and chili dogs, and cupcakes, and pancakes with sausage and orange juice, and lucky charms, and pizza, and cheeseburgers with fries, oh and chocolate double malts yummmmmmm. How wonderful, how delightful, how joyful that I can still eat all that stuff and they're loaded with fat and salt and sugar and taste so delicious and the weight still goes away! I eat ALMOST the same way I did before----the only difference is I eat less. Yes, the dreaded less word. I have found to my joy that a little bit of something is just as good as a lot of something. The goal of my life is NOT to stuff myself repeatedly over the day. There are plenty of times that I am super duper hungry and I tear into my food like a fiend but it's nothing like it was before. Like Friday. My husband and I were at a bank for a couple of hours opening up bank accounts, transferring funds, blah blah blah and when we left it was 2:00 and I was quite simply famished. We went to McDonald's, the dreaded place where nobody in their right mind who wants to lose weight would go. And I had a McDouble and fries and water and I demolished my food in a very short time and it was GOOD.
When I was at my highest weight, I found to my horror that I could not have anything I wanted except for more food. I could always have more food. But I could not have clothes that I liked, or sit in any chair that I wanted, or buckle seat belts around my body. I could eat until I was stuffed, though, and always have room for more. How thankful I am that my life has changed! How filled with joy I am!
How different my life is after losing just 70 pounds. I have so much energy, I run up and down the stairs, I even jumped over a ditch! Me!
My encouragement to anyone who reads this is this:

Don't give up, ever.
No matter what.
Don't set up stupid diet rules that are sure to be broken and will fill you with crushing defeat.
Don't deprive yourself of anything.
Learn to say no to food when you're not hungry. It's so shocking to find out you can do that and the world still spins on its axis!
If you want chocolate icecream for breakfast, measure out your portion and eat it! Then count those calories.
Always check the calories and portion sizes of the foods you eat.
Just have one.
One hotdog.
One cookie.
One serving.
And join me and all the others who have discovered that losing weight can be joyous, freeing, empowering.

Okay so now for all the junk in my life.
First off, my daughter Bekah is now officially homebound and a teacher comes to our house everyday and does her school with her. Let me say that this is the most wonderful thing on the planet. She isn't too thrilled but she just can't go to school, she's physically unable. She tried a half day on Monday but oh was she sick when she got home and so PALE. I love our school. Everyone is so stinking nice about this. Do you know how homebound kids do P.E.? There is a P.E. book, yes, I didn't know that either, and she has to write essays about what she reads in that book. Her teacher is really nice and pretty and when she's here all my other kids are just hovering around the room. I told her there was no way on earth this house was going to ever be quiet with all the kids and dogs running around and I'll do my best to keep them under control.
My cat Ninja Cobra is back at the vets and has been there since Monday. His horrible abcess burst, the quarter size scab fell off and was probably eaten by one of my dogs. But then another abcess began forming right above the original one. And he had a fever again. So I took him back and they said they'll keep him so they can clean out the infection and I'm so glad because it was oozing so disgustingly. But I sure miss him. I hope he doesn't die.
My husband still has no work. Tough times.
My son in New Mexico will be here in two weeks. I cannot wait! Funny, when he's here it's like he never left. I am so proud of my son--he's an air traffic controller in the air force.
My son Sam was goofing around in Science class with his friends and electrocuted his best friend with a wire and left a welt and got in school suspension for it. Along with all of his friends. They had the best time. Then that day he had a detention, then he had Saturday school, and he has a detention on Tuesday. Sigh. I just love that kid. Hopefully some day he will realize that following the rules is a good thing. Are we punishing him at home? Well my husband beat him with a 2x4 and then he held him down and I burned him with a cigarette. I'm kidding! No we are not punishing him, isn't he getting punished enough at school? I tell him that he's going to keep getting in trouble until he decides to do the work assigned him. The electrocution thing wasn't malicious so I'm not really worried. Just keep him away from fire. 14 year old boys and fire are a horrible mix.
Let's see. I haven't read any good books lately.
I've been busy putting zillions of songs on my ipod!!!! How did I live without this thing?! I put it on shuffle and oh it is wonderful! Queen, Billy Joel, Little River Band, ELO, Styx, Rush, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, soundtrack from Once which I just ADORE, Dream Theatre, Verve Pipe, Alan Parsons, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Supertramp, the Moody Blues. I am now an ipod nerd with my white earbud cord coming up from under my shirt. It's heaven I tell you. Heaven!
With my husband being home everyday (I typed that with much kindness and love. Really.) he has decided that he wants coffee in the morning. Have I mentioned that I hate the smell of coffee? It is vile. If I was pregnant I would be puking extra hard because of it.
So there you have it, Zaababy in a nutshell.
Never give up folks. Never surrender. We can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!