On the seventh day...

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r2_Xk4L9_9278Ca0m1RZ5rn1NLisK4JRM51QGMNXQLIP2TYCJzSMWqXuujzx76XrxIurHIRi9f1njvt6UUHMiADNiCSysMZVyuiYwKlKuadZosq7p0yi5YcqDQVekpgQL4S9ciM282ve/s1600-h/Disney-7-dwarfs.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426850098228246210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r2_Xk4L9_9278Ca0m1RZ5rn1NLisK4JRM51QGMNXQLIP2TYCJzSMWqXuujzx76XrxIurHIRi9f1njvt6UUHMiADNiCSysMZVyuiYwKlKuadZosq7p0yi5YcqDQVekpgQL4S9ciM282ve/s400/Disney-7-dwarfs.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 152px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br />Today is my seventh binge-free day. It's a miracle.<br /><br />I've eaten within my Points limit and tracked every bite.<br /><br />It's been months since I've had a week like this one.<br /><br />It wasn't a white-knuckle week like the weeks I've had in the past several months. I didn't have horrible cravings where I wanted to eat all the time. The cravings are gone. Honestly, it feels like a miracle.<br /><br />These are things I think help make this a good week :<br /><br />1.) I changed what I'm eating. I'm avoiding as many processed foods as possible and eating as many of the "filling" foods as possible. I've broken off my relationship with Weight Watchers ice cream bars, Skinny Cows and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dreyer's</span> fruit bars. They are no longer my friends and are not welcome in my home.<br /><br />2. ) I've tracked all my food in the online Weight Watcher journal. My Weight Watcher leader told us last week that is the number one thing that will make a difference in your weight loss.<br /><br />3.) I've been eating a lot of the what Weight Watcher calls filling foods. The ones that have the little green diamonds next to them in the food tracker. These are whole grains, whole foods, not processed junk. These foods make me feel fuller for a longer period of time. I realize I just said this in #1 but I can't emphasize it enough. This has changed my life.<br /><br />4. ) As much as this gives me a big pain in the butt, I've been following the Healthy Eight Eating Guidelines. I save the healthy oil and at least one dairy to have with my evening meal. This helps satisfy me and keep me full throughout the evening.<br /><br />5. ) The absolutely amazing support of the blogging community. Without you guys, I'm sure I would have totally given up a long time ago. You make a huge difference in my life. I can't even begin to thank you for all your support and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">constantly</span> cheering me on.<br /><br />6. ) You knew this one was coming...."The end of overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" by David <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kessler</span>, MD. The cognitive behavioral therapy in this book has worked wonders for me. I know it won't work for everyone, but I guess I found my magic bullet. Okay, it's not really magic. I have to do all the work, but it provides me the tools to use to avoid binging and overeating.<br /><br />Learning to say "no" to myself is something I didn't even think was possible.<br /><br />I realize it's only been seven days, but I feel full of hope and excitement for what the future holds. I don't fear it anymore. I will not wind up a contestant on the Biggest Loser.<br /><br />The guidelines (in case you forget them):</p><p>5 servings of fruits & veggies<br />2 servings of milk products - 3 servings if you're over 50<br />6 glasses of "liquids"<br />2 tsp healthy oils<br />1-2 servings of lean protein<br />1 multivitamin a day<br />Choose Whole Grains when possible<br />At least 30 minutes of activity a day most days of the week<br />Limit sugar and alcohol</p>

On the seventh day...

Today is my seventh binge-free day. It's a miracle.I've eaten within my Points limit and tracked every bite.It's been months since I've had a week like this one.It wasn't a white-knuckle week like the weeks I've had in the past several months. I didn…

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The Challenge is STILL On!

<p>Today I <strong>HAD</strong> to get up to go to the gym. I met a friend at a tire place to drop off her vehicle. Then we were going to workout together, so I had no choice! The alarm went off at 5:20 and <strong>hopped right out of bed</strong> excited to hit the gym. I picked her up and then got in a <strong>45 minute</strong> sweat session on the <strong>cross ramp</strong>! Boy could I tell I hadn’t worked out in a while, my legs were weak! </p> <p>I made breakfast at work. Similar to <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010starting-again.html">yesterday</a>, except today I used regular PB2 and found out I think I like the chocolate PB2 better in my oatmeal! So breakfast was a total of <strong>4 points</strong>, super delish!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6oUol3KBpaq-2MLKb-p5UJFUCKouxqDhCAd3Pt5yiL54Jq1cAFLYUTeyjgVWxOpDEAVHHsVqFBwCibCH9iuPQxPPo__SrklIGPm_mhKx3HGp_7cDmrojvfjG-TN1gduKrvuGCGUZ3Yw4/s1600-h/DSC05705%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC05705" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkVi0kxlP_q487Ar8YXfiOZIU7EFCQCYy1WBxRYHncE73MhdIznxQZ2W3Omx_2b9mNbN-s0Njl1KVkmUr_Pb7eydB-tOGRz49Fhyphenhyphen7TdG2M_DQwUtqfehfq2iARTyGUuTy2AxA3vj9rjfA/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC05705" width="404" /></a></p> <p>Work is still pretty busy, but definitely getting better! Late morning I had a snack of <strong>1 cup</strong> of <strong>grapes</strong> for <strong>1 point</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLsE9rH4Zizj7sfbgjJ-GcXHokskUv_5llCQwAqkkVSZY5hnwfWzDaIK9BvzaxDKIWcaar-5k_j20FxZ4ghAVNKs5d276QDVHXdkjYzFmk_3_qcXBtyWz8TYHWjd820vrwSrMZtotxtgl/s1600-h/DSC05706%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC05706" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3djRKsv2A9vfCv1Kf2yntRAHfRqu6jaENXjWLlgorzUgdhFPIPvXUid9mbc9IHvyhh914Ul0YPLEEGXQbpwYfvywKXwHB6F2vleQLdGYgDeHGHkz3kJDNcJxiTlcWdIhDKFJQ_hoYDOR/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05706" width="404" /></a></p> <p>Lunch was a quick one today. I warmed up a <strong>“Smart One’s”</strong> for an  fast and easy <strong>5 points </strong>meal. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkb0YVQlkggEsaKWgY4yOEVjg_wVL5-r5dxlDjth7xMTxdQf_txD9s0IYjqzYmi1fZGEOqErTNVoCzY8mUCekCfXhp44HGHo_n0_QGMtVwTxEsGsAejQaaHmiJm3-JLOeJbMn57xCGey4h/s1600-h/DSC05707%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC05707" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTQxU-GnbhPI0yYLD9HfCjEpKfPagR-mwTH_L4_BYAKwqugqERC5tMshdNLHH1KXQm4Tp4EcTczXGVXmHuKfoL7TR3INpsq9kdRlWLZx5GXB8qNSGFUAjNHYcv5GwHhc4qnYvkPesdJvt/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05707" width="404" /></a></p> <p>While I was eating I checked out a few of my fav blogs! And I also updated my stats on my side bar to the left. Unfortunately I am heavier than when I started the <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2009/12/sister-challenge-is-on.html">“Sister Challenge”</a> back in December. But one good thing for me (not for my sisters tho) is that none of my sisters have met their 8% either…so technically the challenge is still on! I <strong>WANT</strong> to win…and obviously not for the cash, but to feel better! Ultimately though I really would like to be 150….24.5 pounds…I can do this!!!</p> <p>Around 5pm I grabbed this to give me a little extra energy that I needed to finish up my day at work! It was<strong> just ok</strong>. When I stopped at the store this morning I was hoping to find a <strong>Cherry Coke Zero</strong>, but they didn’t have any. :( Then I thought I would get a Diet Cherry Pepsi and they didn’t even carry that, so I had to settle for this! But it was the caffeine/<strong>0 point</strong> snack I needed to get a few extra hours of work in!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2L3usbf1EYWKxyTFKfCr7-jkLwnWrmZ4GCD6oBjYUtAN9izeXJ038oFnVL0agDDdb_jKIK69GGbbDn_8Z3Eho3arRpg7_2clvqkVxnDEybhBWNtkSnQWXgUJ_sNpARuC8j31a-AiLqiqu/s1600-h/DSC05708%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC05708" border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Nop4QriWiAuKeWtWFEvPM8XQSFo9R_XztjQTVgClRGL1a1rtSbrKWRx5wtjfEJVpprZhbwnlsy4x1HN4QfQqM7itvpzA1hEIO6Cq42yFqG_OPB8_B8xp0yBTlEx3PbVccljaChuj2CS1/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05708" width="360" /></a></p> <p>I worked till about 6ish and then decided I needed to call it a day. Kyle was off work today so I figured maybe we could get some cuddle couch time in!! ;) And can I say that I have a <strong>wonderful man</strong>, he had the house spotless when I got home, thanks baby!!</p> <p>I knew I wanted to get some veggies in for supper since the serving amount of broccoli in my lunch was pretty pitiful! So I had a <strong>generous</strong> serving of <strong>steamed cauliflower</strong>, an <strong>orange</strong>, and a <strong>chicken salad sandwich w/cheese</strong> (on a whole wheat sandwich thin) for a total of <strong>5 points</strong>. <img alt="DSC05709" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTKqB-na41pFz_xRaSaYkcOMVsj4GwEYFs7fBYeoBMP93aDDzBq9mb-BwiYdc1Y3jCDv_AhHzw_2YPt5zH-tACcFJmQbzGrO4Eyu5EkLXkJHPWTG0IHrxvc9yVgYS4G4JoF-V56n0QWkj/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05709" width="265" /><img alt="DSC05710" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUv87vfQTsKy-99dpHG49kMhxupbJhYWiSxRU7Xq-sYz3ywKV6bzF1-D2-PA9pascAD_ZU-qqKaB5Otx60DDTcl08nkjY-91ibZHrF0Ggm-xyOcPqqBuM-fhr_MFOCiHyUcH0wQH_IjSke/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05710" width="265" /><img alt="DSC05711" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhic6_uOhVHxmFgQWSZukaHy_8nN5YPwVIwNMXds1-4gt4Pn5oavKN4z0g7-SWfHEQjZIoDt1I0hXk4DgGVGEQV_E3T9nvl1U2XVpWxpuAXIf4lAQmvwyqvCe9cg9OINlHLC92VWR78Ow4T/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05711" width="265" /></p> <p>I was adding my daily points and it only came to 15 after my supper tonight so I knew I needed to <strong>get something else in</strong> for the day.  Searching through the fridge and freezer I remembered all the <strong>wonderful smoothies</strong> I had all summer long and decided to make one…even though it isn’t summer! I used <strong>1+ cup of frozen mixed berries</strong>, <strong>strawberry yogurt</strong>, and 1<strong>/2 c skim milk</strong> (not pictured)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FHHsCRvGTR9QtzxhEPsLZBwLFufOxAH9cZFaPDId1UBWSiElpmKGjB861bXcPrLqlruJgfS5MECkSAcmQBT6HVHPyJXOzpwAyOUmywa6i3HSYZDP7KVJI3_KKT1-0gLwuN0rPOParct5/s1600-h/DSC057182.jpg"><strong>. </strong></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuJWj_eOfrz_AghOg6OunfPMexnRq5_ir09TPDoauFwrqQsF2_np6TbVpzI4xiJjDDTwo_nHul61Ch6W0baWDUzF8Qpkjuc0p2s0j2SroHZVNoW1_Wy3wkdWvthWw3Z1L6iuJPt6niKhS/s1600-h/DSC05713%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC05713" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Uia4L78s89dMb2dqw8tEid4mUdGZVY9NuID71QJBrYcsYh-IyE3NwmS7fXYDxulO3TYi3RouKnDvtxfma4Ud9AcIiLkVT1ZdDZYJ5CQdvTcUIFaXJUffbd9mcCmi26GBAP0xp9sBWgEI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC05713" width="404" /></a><img alt="DSC05717" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfVlV-OzIO-3TrxQtxseHOHBuYAnNOxTmEBCiXzBAuMPke_6vwWT65zDgx8q8cQ80sDsJs-LcDD-BJIZxzQG7ta2vkyChPdAdmz6Q0ZNcGjw9wm7rEhFICOcytnWZcX4ObiiNZIIyDFMm/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05717" width="304" /></p> <p align="center">And <strong>voila</strong>, here is my perfectly purple smoothie for<strong> 3 points</strong>!<img alt="DSC05718" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KrCctYva4bxRYpxzUysSjgCupljbeapoAF5hvlIKe0AvZDS-2GjI7km4UuK2ATLP0aCvuf12CoaGu0ywKsaQI21AhN9SNhkDE-EPr81XH5bFUJev_vaSY62ty-KgJYoUKtfdWesl6dvQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC05718" width="404" /></a></a></p> <p>So now I’m sipping on my smoothie with the hubs watching CSI thinking about hitting the hay fairly soon so I’m ready for another great day!</p> <p>Tomorrow’s TGIF!!!</p> <p>G’nite all!</p> <p><strong>THURSDAY’S STATS</strong> <br />POINTS = 18/24 <br />WATER = 116 oz <br />EXERCISE = 45 minute cross ramp</p>

The Challenge is STILL On!

Today I HAD to get up to go to the gym. I met a friend at a tire place to drop off her vehicle. Then we were going to workout together, so I had no choice! The alarm went off at 5:20 and hopped right out of bed excited to hit the gym. I picked her up…

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Socio-Theological Reflection On Hats

This is probably over due. It is one of the few issues on which people have seemed genuinely interested in my views. I have sidestepped the question until now. However something has happened that makes this issue so central to my episcopacy, if not my life, that I can no longer remain silent.<br /><br />I recently changed my profile pic on FaceBook and the responses have been favorable. Every single person who likes the new pic has said it is because of the hat -- a soft wool Western hat (a Scala classico) which I got in Salt Lake 2 years ago. I gather the pro-pic folks prefer this hat to the church baseball cap which I wore in my old pic (as still seen on this blog).<br /><br />During the bishop election in 07, I inadvertently created a stir in the diocese by wearing a hat in the profile pic for the candidates. My hat was for some a decisive factor in their discernment. Generally, it seems to have played pretty well in the rurals, to have been an acceptable eccentricity in Reno, but to have been controversial if not downright offensive in Las Vegas. One clergy person interrogated me at some length as to what I was trying to say with my hat or if there was a psychopathlogy concealed beneath it.<br /><br />The hat, by the way, was a standard white summer straw hat such as I see in stores all over Las Vegas. Some of the hat's critcs called it a Panama Hat. Not true. The Panama Hat is a perfectly respectable style, but I do not now and have never owned one.<br /><br />So here's the story on that hat. I was told by the search committee to wear "street clericals" for the pic and when I am on the street I wear a hat. The reasons are not subtle or complex. I have been bald for decades and without the hat I would be having cancers dug out of my scalp monthly. The only thought that went through my mind as I decided, in the blink of an eye, about wearing a hat in the picture is that it would cut down on the glare from my head. I was concerned that the glare would suggest a halo and so unfairly disadvantage the other candidates who did not have halos.<br /><br />So I was surprised and remain perplexed by the interest in my hat. My sense of the spiritual incidental-ness of hats goes back to an anti-racsim public service announcement in the 60's. Richard Boone (Paladin from Have Gun Will Tavel) appeared on camera holding two hats, one white and one black. He said television used hat colors in westerns to distinguish good guys from bad guys, but in real life we sould never judge a person by the color of his hat!<br /><br />That is obviously true. Hat color tells us nothing about a person. It is the style of the band, the height of the crown, and the strategic tilt of the brim that are the measure of character.<br /><br />Since my first months in Nevada, like St. Paul I have been learning to be all things to all people in the hope that I may bring a few to the gospel. I have learned to wear a black fedora in Las Vegas, and never a Stetson, except at one congreation where the DOK demands the Stetson. In Elko the Stetson always. In Reno, hats suggestive of down jacketed proximity to California. At House of Bishops, usually the Episcopal Chaplain baseball cap, except sometimes I wear my Pioche Nevada baseball cap because it's fun listening to the other bishops try to pronounce Pioche when they ask me what it is.<br /><br />Oh yes, I was also surprised that anyone would be concerned about a bishop's propensity to wear odd hats, given the eccentricity of the mitre. I started out wearing a plain humble Beckett mitre but that was met by groans of dissatisfaction. So now I usually wear the "higher mitre" of medieval pomposity -- the one worn by the pompous clergyman in Princess Bride. (It makes me want to say "Mawiage. Cwistian mawiage." The bands in the back flop around my face making me feel like Jar Jar Binks in church). That seems to better meet expectations, but I would still like to have a mitre with showgirl feathers (of seasonally appropriate liturgical colors of course) for special occasions -- such as diocesan conventions when we meet in a casino.

Socio-Theological Reflection On Hats

This is probably over due. It is one of the few issues on which people have seemed genuinely interested in my views. I have sidestepped the question until now. However something has happened that makes this issue so central to my episcopacy, if not m…

Read more »