TheFATladyBlog

Makeover Underway at The FAT Lady Blog;And Then The FAT Lady Goes Out for a Walk and Swim!

WELCOME to the NEW skin of The FAT Lady Blog!

The long overdue makeover of this poor, neglected blog commences today. I kept a shot of the old skin (shown at right)for posterity. I think I like the blue template and the wider text column width. I LOVE the ease with which I can accomplish this. I have to work on a header for the top of the page, but I think that this is a good start. I have to work on some of my other blogs, work on a Clean Sweep -- remove some old links, and bring them up to speed.

This blog is going to get a lot of my bloggy attention in the days ahead as I focus on health and wellness and fitness, and it needs a fresher appearance.

What do you think about the color? I welcome all ideas and suggestions about format AND health!!!

I am going to blog at one of my other blogs and then I am going out for some exercise!

Get Ready for Extreme Makeoverfor The Fat Lady AND Her Blog!

I got a wake-up call last week. I learned that my cholesterol reading is 278. My weight is back up to 248 and that also needs to come DOWN!

The doctor wants me to take Lipitor, a cholesterol reducing drug but I have decided to pursue another plan of action for the time being. I am gong to commence a 60-day plan to reduce my cholesterol naturally by 20%.If that plan works, I will continue the plan in 60-day increments and check my blood levels at the end of each of those periods. Here is the plan:

1. I will exercise for TWO HOURS each day for five days a week, concentrating on low-impact aerobic workouts.
2. I will be highly intentional about each morsel of food that I place in my mouth with thought about the nutritional consequences of each bite.
3. I will check in daily on The FAT Lady Blog and commence a blog makeover at the same time.
4. I will add large measures of prickly pear to my diet. There is much discussion about the cholesterol reducing properties of the prickly pear in books and scientific research. This appears on Care2.com:

"A daily dose of 5 to 9 grams per day of prickly pear fruit pectin may be effective in the prevention or reversal of a hypocholesterolemic condition, though some studies showed that lower doses of 2.50 g of prickly pear pectin demonstrated effectiveness.

"Bulk: The average-sized fruit contains approximately 3.60 g of dietary fiber. Eating 3 fruits per day would double the minimum treatment requirement. This dosage would then not only help to satisfy daily vitamin and mineral nutritional requirements, but would also serve up a healthy dose of flavonoids."

A Year Ago Today ...

... Thor and I got into a car in New Jersey and pointed it West. We landed in Tucson. We never looked back. We have found Paradise in the desert and friendship with the winged creatures and the small scaly reptiles. Life is very good.

Who's the Shrimp Standing in the Middle?

I chuckle sometimes when people meet me and express amazement that I am a rather tall person, 5'10". The only time that I am the shortest person in a crowd is when I am with my family. My son Jens (shown at left) turned 30 over the Memorial Day weekend and I had the chance to help him celebrate. Andreas came to State College, PA, from Columbus, OH for the festivities. There are more photos here from the party.

The FAT Lady Hears the Magic Click

There is a part of me that has been waiting for a magic "click" that would make weight loss an easy thing to accomplish, make me immune to temptation, and make exercise a natural part of the day. I lost 65 pounds a couple of years ago and managed to maintain my present weight, but I'm still a long way from my ideal weight.

The magic click is possible ... I heard it 10 years ago when I was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. On June 1, 1998 my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I heard the click that day and ceased that awful habit forever.

I heard the click again this week and I am fully confident that I will reach my ideal weight in 2008 and maintain that weight forevermore. I am very excited! Here's the story:

Monday: I attended Joeann Fossland's Relax and Attract teleseminar based on the Law of Attraction. We are working with a 30-Days-to-Turn-Your-Life-Around workbook. Joeann is offering a free download of the book at the registration page ... it's worth a click! I worked with this book a bit following a business planning retreat in Hawaii, but did not finish the work and I did not focus on weight previously.

Tuesday: I commenced Day One of the program. There is a "Placemat Exercise" that asks, "What I intend to do" and "For the Universe to handle."  This exercise gave me some trouble the last time I worked with this program. The following is a copy of an e-mail exhchange that followed the first class:

Fran: "This was a very good call … quite interesting…  still don’t quite get that give-it-to-the-Universe thing. Stumps me every time."

Joeann: "Are there any parts of your life you'd envision differently ( perhaps weight, the web tech situation..those kinds of things)?  Intentionally asking the universe to handle it can get it handled without you needing to pay attention.

Fran: LOL …I am happy to let the Universe handle the sucky tech issues. Good idea!!! Weight is definitely in MY column.

Joeann:  Hmmm...what if it wasn't?

Fran: That would be called “denial.”

Joeann:  OK, that is one possible way of looking at it, but is it working? It feels sorta upstream. What if letting go that it is your job and giving the universe the instruction of how you envision it in a perfect world. I love today's quote...

Fran:  "Where is that quote? I’ll bookmark the web site. I’ll take your advice and turn the weight thing over to the Universe … The Universe can’t screw it up any more than I have. call it a leap of faith …"

Joeann: "The quote I was referring to was the Day 1 quote from Abraham.  'The Universe can’t screw it up any more than I have.' (This sounds a little upstream!!!!)"

Following this e-mail exchange I put the word "weight" on the line marked "For the Universe to handle." What happened after that stunned me. I heard the click! I have a new consciousness about every morsel of food that I place in my mouth! I have renewed energy! I am walking more, and I am FEELING thinner.  I puzzled about these things last night and here is my conclusion:

The Universe is perfect. We let perfection rule that part of the day that we subordinate to the care of the Universe. We become partners with Perfection!

I think that I am going to start turning more things over to the Universe!

How Does Your Phallic Garden Grow?

There are some wonderful benefits attached to virtual self-employment, especially if your home office has a desk with a window that has a view of a garden and the Tucson foothills. My own garden is evolving in interesting fashion. The photo above shows a lush garden half and a birdbath.

The other half of the garden was rather barren. A recent guest (unnamed Tucson-based coachy REALTOR-type person who blogs and Twitters) recently delivered a bucket of cactus cuttings for us to plant. The night-blooming serius blooms ONCE a year ... late in the evening, and shares a wonderful, short-lived perfume.

I can hardly wait! In the meantime, I have the most phallic looking garden in the neighborhood! (See below.)

Power

I use words to issue love and gratitude and share ideas and knowledge.

Dreams and Passion

This video appears on REALTOR Missy Caulk's web site. It is quite lovely.

If you would like a personal tool that will keep your own dreams in front of you at all times, check out the Vision Board. I downloaded it to my personal computer. I have about 30 photos, anchor words, and affirmations that play all day. There is room for about 150. Check it out!

Reinvention

I welcome Completion and the Dawn of a New Day.

30-Day Business Plan Using Law of Attraction

On a recent trip to a business planning retreat in Hawaii I received  a bunch of worksheets and workbooks to compile numbers and gather thoughts about my vision for the coming year and for the rest of my life. I crunched numbers, wrote a poem and relaxed.

One of the resources, How to Change Your Life Around in 30 Days Implementing Law of Attraction to Deliberately Create Health, Wealth and Love is showing some remarkable results each day and I approach mid-afternoon of Day Six. Today's theme in my [personal plan is LOVE ... I find that is a magic ingredient in the latest batch of bread that is rising on the patio ... what a nice day when every little chore and task is an act of love.

Relevant Link:

A Reinvention Chorale (Poem PDF)
Business Planning Runs Deeper than Numbers Alone