The 5oz Foodie

Building relationships is so important, because life is so boring if you have to do it alone... I am so thankful that despite being single, I am not doing this life alone... I am so blessed to have people that truly care about my well being... They text or call when I don't make it to work... They text just to tell you to have a good day or DM me adorable pics to put a smile on my face... Sometimes they will even switch food with you when you ordered the wrong thing, even if what they ordered is their favorite... They are willing to do whatever they can to ensure you are feeling better, or act totally outrageous dumb to get you to smile...  Sure we fight or disagree on things but in the end we love each other and we are here to take care of each other... These friends are so much more than just friends, they are family we got to chose... 

304... Days since surgery... 95.3... Pounds Lost after Surgery... 146... Total Pounds lost Since January 2018... 73... Percent to goal set with Nutritionist... too many to count... Things I've learned about myself along the way... You would think since losing the weight of 662 Blueberry Muffins I would know it all or be perfect all of the time and never have issues, you would be wrong. Each day is another step in my journey. Some days are great, like when a random person tells you that you look sexy and all you can say back is thank you, even though you don't ever remember being called that in your entire life and then you start to wonder, why wasn't I sexy before? Am I only sexy because I have lost the weight? Because a year ago I hated the person looking back at me and I was ready to just give up because I was never going to lose the weight on my own. There are tons of beautiful sexy big gals out there but I was never in that category. Or am I now sexy because I lik...

It's that time of year again... Thanksgiving just past, a reminder that we are thankful for our family and friends... And now Christmas is just a few short weeks ahead of us and we are all frantically racing around trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list to make someone happy...  But in the end does it really make them happy? Or is it the fact that we took the time to find that gift for them what really makes them happy? I'm sure for many people it's the fact that they have gained more, sadly. But I feel like the older I get the less I truly want. I guess I am getting to the point, if I really want something, I don't need to wait until Christmas to buy it... In fact, my Mom and I made an agreement that this year it would be no gifts... We would rather spend the money on things we need for the house or on fun things to do together to make memories... Like day trips or dinners out to new places... The other thing I realize I don't do enough is giv...

Sometimes the best thing you can do is step outside your comfort zone to find out something new about yourself... This weekend I did a little bit of that... Back long ago... That sounds so funny, but it is true... Back long ago when I worked back in the STL, I dressed for work... I dressed for going out... I made a point out of wearing makeup and putting my best face forward always... Silly youth... Or lazy age now... Or possibly I can't always afford paying for my clothes by the yard... but I digress... Anyways, this weekend I had a bit of a fashionista reawakening you might say due to my nephew's pending nuptials and a semi dressy Yelp event this coming Monday... I remember back in the day when I worked for Lane Bryant and I loved trying on the new clothes when they came in, but that was a good 100 pounds less ago and over 15 years younger ago as well and now trying on clothes is more of a burden than a fashion runway show extravaganza... During my shopping journey this w...

It's been a long time since I have stopped and evaluated what is going on and put into words how things are... This summer has been so incredibly busy with emotional highs and lows and my weight has been as well... Right now we are staring at the high end and sadly I am just three weeks from seeing family but this too shall pass... Life at the most magical has been a roller coaster ride, changing from Front of House to all Heart of House and taking on different responsibilities of sorts... Helping prepare for the largest festival on property and still managing to stay somewhat sane through it all even though we aren't quite there yet... I am learning with baby steps on how to handle stress better, and trying not to turn to food as often... But I need to remember that getting off my bum now and then is always a great way to destress, even when it's warm outside... There are air conditioned places I could go and just walk, like the mall... or Target, or Walmart... or I ...

Mom and I ran into a sweet an aquaintance last week that we haven't scene in quite some while and she gave mom some huge compliments on she is looking and then she commented I was looking well as well, even though I don't feel like I am looking that great quite honestly but that is just me... Well she asked how I was doing and I said, I am trying, I am really trying and she said sometimes when you stop trying so hard and just be good to your body good things happen... So lets all take that advice and start begin better to our bodies... We to try and stop puttin so much garbage into our bodies all of the time, now and then is ok, but not all of the time. I have said it before and maybe I just need to keep reminding myself... I can do this, I can be healthier both inside and out... Maybe the next time we run into each other, I will start seeing those same changes she is seeing in me as well... Musicsongbird

I have been having some internal turmoil over some things I have overheard recently and it just bothered me and I need to vent... I have been at my job for almost 10 years and it still frustrates me to know end when someone makes a comment that they are going to find a "REAL" job or a "GROWN UP" job... I'm sorry? Can someone please explain to me what constitutes either of these "JOBS"? Is the place I go to every day and clock in and earn a living at not really a JOB? Am I required to certain amount of money before it actually means I have a job? Because if that is the case the US government owes me a whole lot of money back in taxes I have paid out for my make believe job. Actually for all of my make believe jobs that I have worked since I was 16 years old. I know just how the conversation would go: Um, hi yes IRS person I would like all of my taxes I have paid to the US government back for the past 27 years minus the 2 years I worked that office jo...

If you have nver suffered from headaches or any aches and pains in general than count yourself blessed... For those that are plagued with body pain or migraines I feel for you... I too suffer from migraines, not on a regular basis like many friends and family members but on a semi regular basis... Mine are usually brought on by triggers such as food, environment such as too much smoke or other allergans and extreme stress like the one that took over my system yesterday... What started out as what most would consider just a typical headache quickly excalated in one of the worst migraines I can remember in my entire life... Some may ask what have you been eating? What has the weather been like? But I will tell you that I know that this was 100% a stress powered migraine... I have been carrying around so much stress over the past month that this was sadly inevidilbe for me... I had no other outlet... well probably not true but at the end of every day I was so exhausted that there was no...

I wish there was a magic wand that I could wave and all of my mixed emotions would just go away... I guess that is why I got my peace tattoo on my wrist... It isn't magic but it is a good reminder of when I start to feel overwhelmed that I need to try and find peace... Sometimes, I can just stop and look at it, sometimes I simply press it and I just focus on it and pray... There is so much going on with work for me right now and this week especially and I know I am going to really be going to be focusing on it quite a bit...  The same thing goes for when I become disappointed about something or someone... Try as I may in not feeling sad about something they did or didn't do I try and focus on God's peace and knowing He will get me through it and even though that person may have let me down, God won't ever... I guess I am just a bundle of emotions right now and need to find my peace... musicsongbird

A new day is here and the sun rose and the birds sang and I managed get outside and enjoy the day... We went to a local Blueberry farm and picked fresh blueberries, infact we picked over 9 pounds of them... So I guess my blogging/venting really helped me last night because that wasn't all I did today... I came home and napped afterward... LOL  OK that really isn't any different than most of my weekends but when I got up I wasn'twearing my pajamas... wait a minute... it's not what you think... I wasn't wearing them when I layed down for the nap to start with... Nope, not sounding any better... OK, rewind... What is "normal" around my home is go out for Friday errands and when we come home it out of regular clothes and into pajamas... Well today, I left my regular clothes on and when the nap was over it was up and out the door for groceries and then when we returned home it wasn't into PJs and straight to the couch... Nope, I can hardly believe it myself...

Long time no write... Out of town guests and unwanted illness have invaded my life over the past month... Not that I haven't wanted to share but not had the strength from day to day sometimes...Sometimes it's physical strength and sometimes it's honestly mental.... Just making it through work and making it home when you are not feeling yourself is hard enough... So much has been happening and so much to say, but still feeling like something is holding me back... Part of it is things I can't officially share yet and part of it is I feel like I am repeating things I have written before, the same old same old... The I filled my mind and the page with promises and nowI have failed on those and now I feel like I am just spewing the same thing again about, now here I am at the beginning of a journey... Well guess what? I started to climb up the hill to better health and I got to a place where I thought I was doing ok and I hit a bump and rolled back down the hill past whe...

It's been a bit since my last post and I was basically off Gluten except for a few bights here and there... That is until last weeks vacation... Alot of friends were asking how I was feeling and I thought I was doing pretty good, but I wasn't quite sure to what extent... Well I decided since I was on vacation, that meant it was going to be a foodie free for all... Well, guess what... Brain fog came rolling back in, the tiredness creeped back in and my tingly fingers were a little tinglier... I'm not saying it was like I had none of those symptoms and than BAM, they were back... I am saying I noticed a difference in how I felt being off Gluten for a month and then when I was eating it again... So may be sceptical and that is fine, but I feel like I pay more attention to what my body is telling me now than I did before... I want to be better... I be healthier and have energy and not get migraines, which I ended the week with a mild one... Now on to something else that has...

So it has been over a month now and I have to say, going Gluten-free isn't the hardest thing in the world to do, but it also isn't the easiest... I think the hardest thing through all of this is giving up night shade veggies... Tonight was a very unsuccessful night for that... I ate tomatos and peppers and if I pay some sort of price for it, it was worth it... I hope... The easy part of being gluten-free is the home side of it... It's easy to eliminate eatting it at home... The hard part is when you go out, or just leave home in general, unless you bring your own food with you... I totally feel for people that have a severe allergy... The other hard part about going gluten-free is the police... Now I don't meant he kind that carry a badge and a gun and give out tickets...  I mean the well meaning friends and family that feel as though they need to watch everything that you put in your mouth as if you aren't already reading labels yourself... And believe me... I ...

So we are officially 10 days in on the Gluten-free life and it hasn't really been that bad to be perfectly honest... I have friends that have been living GF for some time and I get mixed feelings from them on it... Some say it is super difficult and others say it isn't that bad... Well, if you just make the deicision to keep a positive poutlook on it and just know that no matter where you go to eat, you will more than likely be able to find something you can consume, you are ok... Now, I am only speaking for those of us that are going to GF for a chance to see if this is a means to a better life... Meaning, I am going to feel better over all... I am not speaking for those that are allergic or suffer from celiac disease... I am also NOT a doctor or a nutritionist... I am only speaking from my own personal experience... My Mom and I have really just been tracking how we have been feeling physically and emotionally because like I have said before, both are closely tied... I have...

I am feeling so good today... I don't know if it's psychosomatic or if it's really because we have been eating differently with this elimination life choice, I hate the D word, but I am noticing I am  more energetic throughout the day...  Now it's a matter of waiting... Waiting to see if the numbness in my hands subside... Waiting to see if the swelling in my fingers lessen...  Waiting to see if my weight goes down, which in turn will help with the joint pain I am experiencing... Also if my sensitivity i have to touch and my emotional sensitivity I have been experiencing as well... Everything within us is connected... So you are reading this saying, yes of course it is, the skeletal system, the nervous system, digestion, etcetera... But it goes beyond that... You hear the term garbage in, garbage out... That applies to our bodies in so many ways... If we intake food that is bad for us, so for me, it's the food my food is considering toxic, like gluten for instance...

So we are 4 days into a new month and a new eating plan in our household... My mom has been living with fibromyalgia for sometime and I have shown many of the symptoms so we have decided to start following the recommendations that many medical professionals are making for those that live with this condition... So the items we are going to do away with for now and see how our symptoms improve are Gluten, Night Shade plants and added sugars... We know many people eliminate caffeine and dairy but we don't eat a huge amount of dairy since we switched to almond milk years ago and we usually only have one cup of coffee a day at the most or iced tea if we have any.... I already stay away from artificial sweetners because they are the one of migraine triggers... It's pure sugar, agave or honey for me... So the reason I bring up the artificial sweetner is this... I know so many people who are headache or migraine sufferers and they don't know why... You really need to pay attent...

It's been exactly a week since my last post and I know I said I was going to blog daily and my plan is to continue in that vein, but sometimes life gets in the way... emotions mostly get in the way... My emotions for Christmas got in the way this year... From the outside world, everyone would probably assume everything was pretty hunky dory aside from the minor stress during Holiday Party week or Toys for Tots wrap up week, but not so... I know I usually share my world; the good, the bad and the atrocious; but this time I concealed alot... A few weeks ago my family lost a friend back home that I have known for most of my life... He has been sick for quite some time but it really sadened me that Mom and I couldn't be there to pay respects to our friends... He was part of the person I am now...He was a fantastic musician, he made great blaffles (waffles that overflow the waffle maker), great friend and neighbor... I don't know what exactly happened, but Christmas just fel...

Little things over time can build up...Both good and bad... And if we hold them in too long they have a way of escaping... Usually the good things aren't so explosive but the bad things can come out in different forms... Underlying anger, snarky behavior, loss of temper, silent treatment to others, even sickness... Yep, when Kelly Clarkson said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, She wasn't refering to burried anger... Burried hurts and anger just make you hurt more... They make you less trusting to others and of others; and quitly frankly make you not fun to be around... In my life I have carried around a lot of anger at times, mostly in the past but I have in the not so distant past as well, and I have learned that when you carry that hurt and pain around with you and you don't dig it out, it will fester and make you miserable because it just wants to consume you... We all know people that just seem like they are miserable all the time and the only time t...

For some reason this year's rapidly approaching Christmas has been more emotional than year's past... Perhaps it is because last year was so huge, with sneaking home to surprise my entire family... But little things are bring about tears when normally I can keep it all together...Part of me is missing my family and big part of me is missing my Dad... Of all of the weird things that brought tears over my weekend, I was shopping at Bath and Body Works on Friday and they had a store bonus and of course because of all of these bonuses the store was packed almost like it was Black Friday again... Well once I made it to the register the cashier made me a deal on a purchase with purchase I couldn't pass up that I had considered and she actually added on additional discounts that I wasn't expecting which in turn saved me even more money and it just really touched me... I mean I know she was just doing what they probably told her to, but in the manner it was delivered made me ...

Quick turn around from last night, but who knew I would have so much to say at 9am on a Saturday morning after only being up for an hour... Why do people freel it's neccessary to bad mouth people they don't even know? And when they do hide behind a private account? That is what happened to me this morning on the Instagram... I have been blogging off and on here on Blogger since 2012 and before that sporadically on Facebook for a few years and I have had comments, usually positive but you post one photo of yourself enjoying a slice of Chocolate cake from Portillo's and suddenly your a FATF&@%...  REALLY? I mean seriously? That's all you got? That is SOOOO original... Then when I click on the name to see who came up this brilliant monicker their account is PRIVATE... Go figure... If you are going to have the BALLS to post something like that on a complete strangers instagram page or any social media page for that matter,  than you should at least have the cajones to...