To all my . . .

I hope this works . . .

Good thinking on my part to begin my serious dieting 2 weeks before we are going to Las Vegas, only the buffet capital of the world (next to Reno)!! But I am determined . . I was surfing the web and found tips on staying on your diet while approaching the buffet table . . some of these suggestions I will probably use.

• Choose a small plate - seems obvious - but a large plate typically means lots of food and all hope of appropriate portion size is abandoned, research has proven this (I can validate personally based on the size of my holiday plates . uh large . . ha!).


• Memorize what a "healthy plate" looks like - Try filling up your plate with salads and vegetables first - whatever is left can go to the other foods.


• Check out the buffet before loading up the plate - Some people start at one end, and by the time they've finished loading the plate it looks like Mt Everest. Take a minute to walk around the foods before you grab your plate. Make a mental list of the best foods (lean proteins, salads, vegetables, etc). When it's time to grab your plate - you can bypass all the other foods.


• Avoid crisp, crunchy, batter dipped foods, foods that have been deep fried. Creamy textures equal high calories: gravies, soups, sauces. Dessert counter should be considered very carefully when trying to avoid high sugar, high calorie foods. (Oh . . I hope I can do this).


• Find the slowest eater - Know someone who eats really slow? Sit next to them. It'll help you pace yourself properly - and you'll soon know if you've been stuffing yourself.


• Drink wisely - Alcoholic drinks are surprisingly high in calories. If you're after something a bit more exciting than plain water then go for a soda water (aka seltzer water or club soda). A dash of lime juice in it can make it a tasty drink. (this may well be where I fall off of my plan)


• For many people, a buffet meal should be avoided completely - the temptation to get your money's worth is too strong. Research has demonstrated that the more variety on offer, the more we tend to eat.

With these tips I will be prepared to enter the buffet line . . I hope . . oh man . . this is going to be a challenge. Well, once this hurdle is complete, no worries, soon after I return home I will have 2 weeks to prepare for all the delicious foods facing me at the Super Bowl Party . . . AAAArrrgghhhh!

WooHoo . . Vegas! . . .

A trip to Vegas is coming up very soon and I'm really looking forward to it. We are actually going to a wedding for my daughter-in-laws sister SO there is a real purpose to our trip other than to sit at the card table. As everyone knows I am a fan of the slot machine so I imagine that in some free time I will find my hiney sitting in front of one or two (or 3,4,5 etc.) machines. You'll find me at either the nickel, dime or quarter machines, you see I am and extremely high roller . NOT. About a year ago I heard about a show that is being performed at the Mirage Hotel and Casino called
The Beatles "Love" Cirque Du Soleil. It was featured on some talk show during it's opening night performance because Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney attended. They both gave really positive comments about how their music was used as it related to the performances of the Cirques Du Soleil acrobats. So when we decided we were going to the wedding I started checking online about the show. We have never been to a fancy show in Vegas or Reno ever so I told/asked hubby, "I am going to look at getting tickets for this show, ok?" "Well, how much is it?" he says "Oh just don't worry about it . . yes, it's gonna be spendy but what the heck, we won't ever go to another show again, and I think we'll really enjoy this one, it's all performed to Beatles music." His next question to me is "So are there any naked women in it?".....aaarrrghhh "NO, I kind of doubt it"...."Oh . . Yeah, I guess we can go anyway. "So I will let you all know how it was . . . minus the naked ladies >: / http//www.mirage.com/entertainment/love.aspx

So the new year diet begins . .

Monday -
Breakfast - Green tea, 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Lunch - 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Dinner - Shrimp salad
Personality - Excited about starting new diet

Tuesday -
Breakfast - Green tea, 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Lunch - 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Dinner - 1 piece of Jamaican Jerk Chicken, salad lite dressing
Personality - this isn't so bad, but I miss my Diet Coke and Lattes

Wednesday -
Breakfast - Green tea, 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Lunch - 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Dinner - 1 chicken enchilada, salad lite dressing
Personality - Beginning to think about food too much, but happy with the couple lbs I've lost.

Thursday -
Breakfast - Regular tea, 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Lunch - 1 can chocolate Slim Fast
Dinner - 1 Teriyaki chicken breast, salad lite dressing, 4 garlic fries
Personality - Getting crabby .. I can tell, hubby is cutting back his eating during the day too (he won't resort to Slim Fast though . .it's a guy thing) and we are running to the kitchen to start dinners in the evenings when we walk in the door . . ha!

I don't know it just happens, you are an OK weight then all of a sudden a couple years later . . well . uuhhh . . how did I gain those 20 lbs??? I don't remember . . a little too much of this . . . a bit too much of that . . . not enough exercise, probably all of those things?? But it's starting to bug me so we are determined to shed a few pounds this year, so if we appear distracted, short tempered or crabby, it's because we are (sorry, it's temporary) until we get over the hump of beginning to diet. Just hand us a glass of water with a lemon slice in it and we'll be OK . . maybe!

Ha! that was fun . . .

Great to be back at school again, even a number of the kids commented on getting tired of being home with the family, which was surprising. So after doing alot of catching up between classes one of the teachers said to me, "Hey, did you see us on YouTube?" . . What?? No . . Well, it seems that one of the freshman recorded the Staff lip sync that we performed before the break on her cell phone then downloaded it to YouTube. When I got home last night I looked it up. HA!! there it was, not great quality, but that's what makes it so original. Since we were facing the senior section you are getting our backsides, the best part is hearing the kids responses to some of our moves and the songs, I dare you to find me in the masses! Enjoy!

The party's over . . .

Back to reality tomorrow. After a nice long three week break I won't complain. There are a few things I did way too much of when I was home and had time on my hands. #1 - Over clean my house, it's ridiculous. There are only two of us and I should not be re-vacuuming, wiping, dusting, mopping, washing everyday with the little bit of mess we make, but I do, when I'm home sitting around looking for things to do. #2 - I eat too much, so when there is nothing to do (after all of the over-cleaning), I start to nibble, a little of this and a little of that. Not good. #3 - Spend too much money, So after cleaning my house, and nibbling, then I go out and spend money (hey, there are sooo many great sales right now!!). Yes, some of the things are needed grocery items (I need more munchies to nibble on while I'm bored in the house), but I always end up coming home with something(s) more than I went for or needed. This year I resolve to try to clean my house less, not nibble unnecessarily and try to not buy stuff that I don't need. Will see how long that lasts! ha!

2009 ready or not . . .

Today is the dismantling of Christmas inside and out. All the decorations, lights, and displays getting boxed up for another year. The holiday leftovers are getting tossed into the garbage for a fresh and healthy start for the New Year (at least for awhile anyway) . .