Losing Myself - Five on Friday

Today I am joining Five on Friday 

*1*

 First off, on Monday, I decided - finally - to start 

a reducing diet. 

Since losing my beloved dog, Champ, 

I have not been as active as I used to be. 

Every morning we would take long, 

 brisk walks together - Champ, Whitey Bear, 

and I. 

But living on the edge of the wilderness

without my protector and guardian, 

I have been sticking close to home. 

So......both Whitey Bear and I have 

gained a few......:)

I am now on a reducing diet (as is Whitey Bear) 

of 1200 calories a day. 

To make this less painful, I have decided to 

make each meal special.

Breakfast and lunch are approx. 300 calories.  

Here I have a breakfast of 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 

topped with 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks, 

and two whole wheat crackers. 

My sweet Ramblin' Man came home from 

his business trip with a bouquet of roses

that I am enjoying here. 

I am also enjoying an issue of Jeanne d' Arc Living

magazine. You can only get this magazine at 

certain shops. I am lucky that there is one close by. 

This magazine is sooooo lovely! 

This issue is called 'Lovely Summer Outdoors'

 I bought it last year.

*2*

For lunch I enjoyed a tuna salad wrap....

3 oz of water packed tuna

1 tsp light mayo

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup celery

1 whole grain tortilla

1 handful greens

lots of tomatoes :)

I think my tortilla was on the small side....:)

I ate a bit of it and then wrapped the rest up. 

It was surprisingly filling. 

You can see my constant companion, Whitey Bear

acting very nonchalant....

He is hoping I might drop something. 

This song by Sting comes to mind...

'Every breath you take

Every move you make

Every step you take

I'll be watching you. 

I need to add, 'Every bite you take'! 

The new issue of Country Living magazine

was my reward. 

*3*

Over the years I have saved diet plans and recipes

for weight loss and kept them in a large envelope. 

I decided to create a notebook of my favorites to make it easy

to stick to my diet. I used plastic sheet protectors 

to insert meal plans and recipes and now my diet 'plan' 

is right at my fingertips. 

I categorized them into breakfast, lunch and dinner,

all between 300 and 400 calories, 

with ideas for 50-100 calorie snacks during the day. 

,  I just have to open my notebook to plan

my grocery shopping and meals. 

This keeps me on track. 

It is not easy to diet with a husband or family, 

so I have found recipes for dinner that will work 

to satisfy Ramblin' Man by giving him larger portions. 

A typical dinner looks like this:

3 oz chicken breast

topped with 1 tbsp nonfat yogurt, lemon juice

and rosemary

3/4 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup steamed veggies with a tsp of butter. 

For dessert and I can have fruit with yogurt

or sliced apples with a bit of peanut butter. 

*4*

This morning I had a whole wheat English muffin

topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas. 

Next week I will start an exercise routine

with a favorite CD. 

I want to lose at least 20 lbs. 

I have lost 2 already! 

It is a warm morning and I am out on my deck 

without a sweater! 

It is very quiet except for the occasional jet, 

a distant lawnmower, and barking dogs

on the next mountain, that gets Whitey Bear 

off his feet every few minutes to start 

a ruckus with Peanut and Weenie Baby! 

The hummingbirds are flying back and forth

to the feeders and chasing each other around

while chittering their territorial calls. 

Every once in a while a little breeze will get the 

wind chimes tinkling and send the scent of 

pansies my way. 

I threw a whole bowl of nuts in their shells

(from Thanksgiving) 

off the deck and into the woods the other day

and I can hear a Stella Jay trying to crack one open

(which gets the dogs to barking once more). 

A crow is calling in the distance. 

The tiniest iridescent blue winged insect is walking around

on my computer screen right now.

He could fit on the head of a pin.  

Life is amazing!  

*5*

I could sit here all day....

But duty calls and I have a busy day. 

This weekend we are attending a company dinner

at a waterfront restaurant. 

I hope to take photos of the setting sun on the water

to share. 

So this is my 'Five on Friday' 

Thank you for joining me today, Dear Friends. 

I will drop by to visit you later when I am done with my chores. 

xoxo 

Won't you join - Five on Friday ?