Paula Deen has Diabetes

If you know me personally, you know that I have loved and admired Paula Deen for years. I have all of  her cookbooks, I watch all of her shows religiously, and on Monday, when the rumor mill was a buzz about her announcement that "The Queen of Butter" had type 2 diabetes, I was sad and concerned for her, but also hopeful that this would be a chance for her to re-brand herself, and that she would invite the public to  join her on a personal journey to health and wellness, but that has not happened yet. Instead she told us that for three years she has had this disease, and only when she became a paid spokesperson for a drug company did she decide to tell the public about her illness. I am sure she thought this was the right way to come out, so to speak, but it sent the wrong message to her followers.

Paula Deen Announces Diabetes Diagnosis

Now don't get me wrong, Ms Deen has a right to decide if, and when she shares any health issues, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that she she was afraid of what this particular diagnosis would do to her brand. She built her empire on high fat, sugar laden food, and this had to be a particularly hard diagnosis to come to terms with. Paula turned 65 last week, and as I well know, old habits are hard to break, and it must be especially difficult when your whole business is based on the wrong kind of food. This unfortunate condition that Paula is now dealing with, can be a golden opportunity to re-brand herself as the reformed Southern girl, who gave up the grease to promote health and wellness to her loyal fans. Sure, she might lose some of her followers, but she will gain other, more health conscious fans in the process. I hope she donates the money she is being paid by the drug company to diabetes research. If she decides to pen a cookbook for diabetics, I bet it would be another smash hit, and how about a workout video, Sweating the Grease Out with Paula, I'm in!

 Her son Bobby, seems to be on the right track with his new show, "Not My Mama's Meals", and I think the concept is exactly what the Deen franchise needs right now. Bobby has been on the health wagon for many years, and has been giving his Mama a nudge in that direction, I just hope she follows his lead. 

Bobby Deen, Not My Mama's Meals

Lynn and Bobby 2011

I think there is still time for Paula to turn this into a huge opportunity, instead of a crisis. She is still the most inviting person on television, and her laugh is infectious. She was on a show called "The Chew" last week, and  it showed a side of Paula we don't normally see. 

Paula Deen on The Chew

I still love Paula, and always will, I want her to take care of herself, so her family and fans have her around for a long time!

This is my favorite Paula Deen moment! Enjoy!

Paula Deen on Oprah

The Dock Master

My husband has a very interesting profession, he is a Naval Architect/Marine Engineer. One of his main duties is figuring out how to get very large ships into the water once they are ready to float. The term for this person is either Launch Master or Dock Master, they both mean the same thing, and my husband has held both titles during his more than thirty year career.

Here is a link to a video of a ship my husband launched at a company in Wisconsin, where his title was Launch Master.  http://youtu.be/jMusbHeQlKs  He launched 56 ships with this side launch system that he designed before he left the company, and not one of the them ever sank! ;-) Sorry honey, I just had to give you a poke.

This past week, acting as the Dock Master for a different shipbuilding company in Alabama,  he launched a ship, but in a very different way. Instead of sliding it into the water sideways, they move the ship on to a barge, float it down the bay, then off load it on to a dry dock, that then lowers the ship into the water. While the process is much less exciting, the end result is pretty impressive.

In fact, it is so impressive, that  Cars 2, featured it in the movie, and manufactured a toy called "Tony the Tri -Hull" !

I am very proud of  my Dock Master, and I am impressed everyday, by how intelligent he is, and the amazing career he has!

A New Year, A New Start

 It is already day ten into the new year, and I am still trying to figure out what I need from Twenty Twelve.

I know that I want to continue to write my blog, even though I abandoned it back in July. I had to back away from it to realize that I enjoy writing, but I also didn't feel authentic writing about diet issues when I was struggling  so hard day to day, and failing miserably.

Before  moving to Alabama in 2009, I had to have three very complicated neck surgeries, and without going into all of the gory details, I lived more than nine months in a hard neck brace, and lost three years of my life. We then made the move 1200 miles from all of our family and friends, and for the first time in many years I did not have the focus of a job or a social life, and  I fell down the rabbit hole into depression. It didn't help that I had to deal some uninformed people saying  I was a failure, useless, and lazy. These people had too much influence over my daily thoughts and feelings, and before I knew it, I was believing them.

With the support of a loving husband, and a wonderful physician, I am feeling hopeful again, but I still am dealing with the extra pounds I had before, and those I added while I was in a darker place. While I am going to get back on the diet wagon, I don't plan to make this blog all about weight loss, because I don't have all of the answers, I am just a work in progress.

One thing I plan to pursue this year is a culinary career, and while I am still figuring out what direction to go with that, I will leave you with link to a video of something that happened to me in 2011, that gave me back some confidence in myself again.

http://www2.wkrg.com/lifestyles/thanksgiving-family-favorites-recipe/2011/nov/18/family-favorites-dressing-winner-ar-2724090/

A Pound is a Pound is a Pound

I went to the grocery store today and when I was carrying my groceries into the house I thought, these sacks are so heavy, I was carrying three at a time ( I am lazy) and they weighed about forty pounds total. After I put my haul away, I started thinking about weight, and how I am carrying around three grocery bags of extra weight around daily, no wonder I am tired. (Actually, truth is I am carrying about 5 fully packed grocery bags of extra weight around daily.) So that lead me to ponder some more about what a pound feels like, about what three pounds feels like and what five pounds feels like.

The jar of sauce above weighs one pound. I picked it up and thought, that is not something I would want to carry around all day. Try it yourself, pick out something in your pantry that weighs a pound and hold it. A pound is pretty substantial when you pick it up and hold it for a few minutes, so why do I get so angry with myself when all I lose is a pound in a week?

This innocent looking carton of chicken broth weighs three pounds and it will get your attention if you drop it on your foot, don't ask how I know that, but anyway, I lost three pounds last week and I was angry about it! Funny, when I just think about weight as numbers and not actual "weight" it seems like three pounds is nothing, but it is SOMETHING, just ask my foot!

Five pounds of flour, it's just five pounds, but I can't even tell you how heavy that sucker is when you hold it for five minutes. If I strapped that on my body right now and had to wear it all day I would know it was there, but losing "just" five pounds never sounded like much to me especially when I have much more than five pounds to lose, but I realize now after holding the flour that a pound is a pound is a pound and they all matter.

Next time you are lugging in the groceries, pulling a heavy suitcase through an airport or grabbing a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, think about how heavy they were and ask yourself if you would want to carry them around all day, all week or for years? My answer is no!

Three Things to Ask Yourself Before You Start a Diet

 Oprah's trainer Bob Greene, says you should answer these questions before you start any weight loss journey.

1. Why are you overweight?
The real answer to this question is not simply: I like food—it goes much deeper, he says. "Are you in a toxic relationship? Do you hate what you do for a living? What is it about your life you would change?" Bob asks. "That answer is different for everyone. Get in touch with that."

2. Why do you want to lose weight?
The answer to this question will help you determine if you're beginning your weight loss journey with the right mindset, Bob says. "So many people [say], 'Oh, I have my reunion coming up,' or 'I get pressure from people at the workplace or my friends.' Those might get you going, but they'll never be long-term solutions," he explains. "The [best] answer to this question is, 'I want a better life for myself.'"

3. Why haven't you been successful to date?
If you have tried to lose weight in the past, Bob says it is important to explore the obstacles that have stood in your way to maintaining your goal weight. "It's about identifying what is going to trip you up, because the same things will trip you up if you haven't resolved the heart of the issue," he says

A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback

I have been kind of down lately because my bathroom scale keeps going up and down, and it is the same three pounds over and over again. It has been three weeks since I have actually lost any weight and it is getting to me.

My eating has been really good, for the most part. I don't keep anything in the house that would even temp me to go off of my plan, and when I eat out, I am making good choices. So I guess the answer is I have to move more.

I knew the answer before I even wrote it, but I am having a really hard time getting motivated to exercise. We have a fully equipped exercise room where I live, but I am still  not at a weight that I feel comfortable working out with "those" people. You know who they are; the ones who are in tip top shape, that look at people who are not, like we have two heads? I take walks with my dog everyday but I really have to commit to some kind of cardio. Blah!!

Yesterday, I saw this saying  "A setback is a setup for a comeback" and it struck me! I guess it is time for my big comeback! Then a friend of mine posted this video of an amazing comeback!
 

I guess it was the Universe lining up, trying to tell me to get my act together! 

The bottom line is to never give up, even during setback experiences, because everything has a purpose in helping us obtain our goals. It is about the journey, not the destination!

Friend Makin Monday!

I stepped away from my blog for a bit to work on the inner me, rather than concentrate on the outer me. I read some great books, which I plan to write about later this week, but I was inspired to step back into blogging after I stumbled upon a blog called  All the Weigh . The gal that writes this blog has lost over 100 pounds and is still on her weight loss journey. She has an activity called Friend Makin Monday, and I am all about making new friends, and I decided to give it a whirl! So here we go!

Its Monday again folks and that means Friend Makin’ Mondays with Kenz from All the Weigh. If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM answers. By linking back there, everyone will have an opportunity to be equally heard. This week’s question is…

FMM: If you could meet someone famous today, who would it be? And why?

This is a tough question, because I have several, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Oprah. 

 

I admire the way she has used her fame to try to make a difference in the world. She has a work ethic second to none and she is a broadcast journalist who started out more than 25 years ago in an industry where being black and a woman was very difficult. 

Several times over the years I tried to get tickets to her show, with no luck, but I have watched her show faithfully for 25 years and I will miss my 4 p.m. date with her Monday through Friday when she retires the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Over the years, I have also commiserated with her about her weight loss and weight gain. The only difference is, I did not have to deal with a global audience watching my scale go up and down. Talk about pressure!!!

Oprah, I am going to miss you, but you deserve a rest. I hope you will travel and enjoy the riches you have earned, but if you get bored, I will faithfully watch any show you decide to do on the Oprah Winfrey Network!!

P.S. I would also LOVE to meet Ellen DeGeneres and since she is not retiring in the near future, I might be able to score some tickets to see her show someday!!!