Sweet potato salad and fried chicken--Gluten and egg free

Man, that was good! The salad was a South Beach recipe, and the fried chicken coating is just corn meal and Italian seasoning. I would like to find a finer ground meal, but this was still mighty tasty! I couldn't find the scallions and fresh basil at the store I went to, so I put in some green onions and Italian seasoning (my favorite go-to spice). Delicious!

The kids tried the salad, but they didn't like it. DH didn't even try it. I think I will make it with red potatoes next time, because I think that flavor will be more palatable, especially as the yogurt-based dressing is enough to get used to. I thought this sounded great, since my son can't eat eggs (which are pretty much in all commercial potato salads).

Please take me seriously

As fibro/CFS patients, I think we have all been there at least once, probably multiple times. It's not just our family/friends/significant others who don't take us seriously. "Just do more. Be active. That's the only way to get un-tired." Sorry. Will power won't make me well. It just won't.

But I digress. It's not just the support group who thinks we should snap out of it. It's the doctors, too.

I tried to explain my post-exertional malaise to my doc, who told me that going to bed if I hurt was the worst thing I could do. What part of "I couldn't move for 4 days or wake up" did I not clarify?

Just stretch more--NO, that made my muscles feel like they were ripping. No matter how careful I was. After the 4 days, Yes, I started stretching again.

I didn't work out again for 1-1/2 weeks after the session that started the malaise. But I did start again. And that's what matters.

To the doc's credit, I haven't tried to talk to her about the fibro before, so now it's getting mixed in with the weight loss effort, and she's militant about that having to happen as a priority above everything else.

I am not exercising or dieting for her. I am doing it for me. So I can be strong again. My WHY hasn't changed, and it won't change, no matter how angry or disillusioned I may get.

Cheer up! Bob Mayer workshop

If you're a writer, this will mean something to you. If you're not, suffice it to say that I got to go to a workshop and hang out with my friends all day! The workshop was excellent. Bob is a fantastic presenter, though I would fail showing us movie clips without the sound and reading us the captions. The rest rocked, and he was a font of timely information about the industry as well as writing.

His other seminar, Warrior Writer, sounded just as good. I bought the book Who Dares Wins, which is what the Warrior Writer is based on. So far I love it. He's got a very interesting perspective. He's written romance with Jennifer Crusie, but he's a thriller writer, so he can relate to pretty much any writing audience well. He showed us a lot of skydiving deployment clips! "Easier to jump than to land" indeed!

Visit Bob's website! Check out his new publishing company, too.

And--back to the subject of this blog--I did great eating-wise today! First I stopped at Walmart and picked up some Goldfish crackers, some hard candy in case my blood sugar got low before lunch/break, and some breakfast bars. Then at lunch, I picked well, skipping the potato salad (a hard one during the summer, but so full of calories it's criminal) and eating a good portion of cottage cheese. I had 3 finger-sized eclairs and a bite of a my friend's cheesecake for dessert. Water to drink.

After my family picked me up, we went to dinner at Chili's, and I ate fajitas but only ate 2 tortillas and skipped the rice. Again drank water. Haven't added up yesterday's calories yet, but you start to get a feel for these things, and I think I stayed in my calorie allotment!

How did I let this happen?

I resolved to take my kids to the pool once a week this summer. Yes. Me. I don't swim, and I don't do fun. My husband does the fun stuff, but he's in school. So if it is to be, it is up to me.

My suit is too small. I squished into it and went off to the pool. Walking past the mirror in the bathroom, something inside me died.

I say all the time that I don't mind being fat. I don't. I really don't. Except when it keeps me from doing things. Hence the desire to get fit so I can do things like go to Mesa Verde and take the very reasonable hikes.

But standing there in the pool bathroom, oh how I minded being fat. Thought of my kids having a fat mom with them at the pool. Hating myself for letting this happen. I'm so blue. This is a tough process. I'm even bluer than when the nurse from my doc's office called the other day and said I had to exercise more because I'm not making fast enough progress with my weight loss. I'm exercising as much as I can handle already! And if I lose 10-15 pounds this summer, I'll be thrilled!

All I want to do is lie in bed and cry in my Pepsi and eat some Kettle Brand Crinkle chips, black pepper flavor. But since I have to squish into the suit again next Thu or Fri, I guess I'll just get this little tearfest over with and go back to work.

Compromise. I'm letting myself have a real Pepsi. Don't tell Lindsey (my coach). :) Back to work...

Living strong with fibromyalgia and obesity

I am working hard to make healthier choices and strengthen my resolve to exercise and lose weight. When I saw that number at the doctor--282 lbs--that was my "aha" moment.

My body is already changing--down to 272 pounds as of today!

So far yoga is the most fibro-friendly exercise I have tried. Low impact, still making my muscles tighter and my weight go down!

I have also hired a nutrition coach to help me monitor my intake. I am an emotional eater, so this is HARD for me. But I am finding new foods to enjoy and cooking more for myself. My nutrition coach.

Recent meal made from scratch: chicken parmigiana! Here's a recipe for it I plan to try next time. I didn't know about the baking part of the process. I just made my own gluten-free breading with cornmeal and Italian seasoning and fried/browned the breasts on the stovetop in a little tiny bit of olive oil.