Doing Ok, So Far So Good

Me Now

I started my lifestyle change the other day and so far I am on track..

I have changed my eating habits.. small meals, no meals after 5 pm

I have started a very limited exercise program.. a walk to the park and around it twice then home

I have started taking care of me better.. not lazing around first thing in the morning but getting up starting my day right.. which includes putting on makeup - a soft layer that just shows I am taking time for me.

For those who wonder about my diet plans.. I need to loose around 175lbs.. yes that is way to much weight to have as a weight loss goal but I gained it so now, I must loose it..

I am on what my mom and I refer to as the three W's diet.. 

I Walk

I drink lots of Water

and I Watch what I eat!!

Not very fancy, not very "in" but instead a practical slow way to loose the weight that I have piled on over the years.  

Watching What I eat Portion sizes is actually one of the hardest things.. We are a supersize society.. we think in Extra Large.. I need to think in regular... The best part about it is I don't need to starve myself to loose weight I need to eat properly.. 

Water.. believe it or not this was hard. I had to stop drinking soda.. I have spent years treating soda like my main source of hydration.. yeah not healthy at all.. Worse, I drank diet soda.. do you know the damage diet soda does to your body? I did too, just chose to ignore it.. Finally at the beginning of March I gave up soda.. Not gee I am an soda alcoholic and can never have soda again.. but rather soda is a  TREAT therefor should only be drank/drunk/drinked on special occasions. I have had three individual sized sodas since. Just think I was drinking two, two liters every three days. And nothing else.. no tea, no milk, no juice just soda.. I am rather proud of this particular accomplishment.. 

Walking.. this is hard for me because I am pathetically out of shape. Me, the one most of my friends growing up would have called the athlete.. The jock.. now I am just the slug.. So walking it is.. slow and steady. Right now I am not even power walking. I get a cardio if I just get up off the couch.. So I get up.. walk out the door, to the park and around it! Right now just once a day but on Sunday I will start walking TWICE a day!! Sounds so easy doesn't it? 

Day by day it has already gotten easier.. my life is going to change.. I will be adding some other things for my mental health as well soon.

I want to seriously dedicate a minimum of two hours a day to my writing..

I want to spend some dedicated and scheduled time in my devotions.. no more gee God I don't have the time right now.. I am going to make it.

I want to get my hands on a camera and as I start venturing farther and farther afield I want to be able to photograph my world.. Find the joy again

and eventually.. I want to get a bike.. 

See where I am headed? I am adding some W's 

Wheels, Writing, Wondering (devotions) even *gasp* Working...

But for now it's baby steps and a trip around the park!

This stops TODAY

Take a good look.. This is my final fat picture.. OK sure there will be some more because I am not loosing the weight overnight, or over week or over month or even over year but this weight is GONE!!

I am starting a daily regime.. get up.. walk, small breakfast, prepare for day (including makeup) lunch, small snacks and last meal of the day by Five PM and it will be small, maybe a salad (a good tasty salad not a small bowl of lettuce) then end my day by an evening walk...

Sure there will be other things involved but this starts it.. I am tired of not being able to tie my fricken shoes..

Do you realize that by nature I do not have a round face? Nope it's more like an arrow, broad forehead then narrowing down to that chin..

At this moment I won't put my actual weight down.. BUT I will admit that I need to loose more of me than I need to keep!! My goal for now is 175 lbs.. scary isn't it?

Amazingly enough, the only weight related health issues I have at this time is bad knees.. But we all know that is going to change if I don't do something soon.. So here goes..

You will get a dailyish snipped of how I am doing and yes a weekly picture... and all, I am asking you to help hold me accountable. I know my friends the Evans' and my kids are good for some encouragement but words from you all will help as well..

Shauni

Just a Bad Attitude!!

As I have stated previously, I write book reviews.. I write LOTS of book reviews.. for the most part in the Romance, PNR and YA genres.. I have my own format I use which yes is based on those essays we had to write as children. You know.. opening paragraph... information paragraphs... closing paragraph.. it helps me focus my thoughts. It also helps me write a positive review when I didn't like the book. I won't say hey it's a great book.. but I will point out positive aspects.. great story concept.. good character creating... excellent world building.. things like that.. 

I recently wrote TWO reviews for books written by author Jacquelyn Frank.. An author whose work I enjoy.. which you can read HERE if you are so inclined.

I don't think I write bad reviews and plenty of authors have agreed with me. Oh sure I will read another review of the same book and think wow..that was an awesome review but mine aren't bad.. I have also read some pretty bad reviews but that's ok, someone is daring to share their opinion and put their voice out there.. kudos to them.

I think one of the most amazing thing about doing my reviews is the awesome interaction I get with the writing community. The bloggers, the readers, the reviewers and yes the authors.. Aside from a favorite author commenting about how she didn't like the name of my blog Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy (for which she gave a very good reason) and I listened then chose to keep it anyway because to me it is tongue in cheek and saucy.. I have never run across a real negative comment. Well until today.. I seriously doubt this comment was directed towards me but I was totally and completely offended for all reviewers..

I don't see myself reviewing anymore of her books.. Fortunately for me the last few books I did review were from NetGalley and NOT books I purchased..

Jacquelyn Frank

Taking the day off after writing a NIGHTWALKERS Guide. It's harder than you realize! Writing a guide without giving away elements of the story. Hmmm. And a pet peeve of mine is when people review my work and retell the damn story (usually badly) instead of letting readers discover it for themselves. A review should be about the style, the approach and the overall feel of the work. Not a freakin' 6th grade book report!
(kicks away soapbox) That is all! LOL.

and my response

Shaughnessey Steenburgen-Lill I agree with Sandra.. I try really hard to create a good review.. yes I share my opinion of the synopsis.. I also give my opinions of the book.. It is after all my opinion.. I don't share spoilers and honestly.. I am more than a little offended.. I work hard at giving a positive review even when I don't like a book and I admit sometimes that 6th grade book review format is the best one to use.. especially when a book isn't that good. I want to show a positive feedback.. I WON'T under any circumstances trash an author.. I feel if they have the guts to write a book then I can have the courtesy of giving an honest opinion without being harsh.. Sorry to go on but your attitude totally sucked and I was completely offended..

here is the comment I was agreeing with

Sandra: You may want to reconsider this status. I'm a little offended. Your readers are not professional reviewer who get paid for their opinion, and the fact that they read and review at all is plenty of reason to be happy, in my opinion. To compare their reviews to sixth grade book reports is a bit harsh, I think. 

H&M Shows Model is Just That

I say enough attention has been given to Mr Jeffries at A&F.. Instead let's focus on H&M.. you know that magazine that always has beautiful women on the cover? Well they actually understand what real beauty is.. In May they Plus-size fashion model Jennie Runk model their new swimsuit line on their company homepage!! 

"Runk rose to prominence in early May when she was selected by clothing retailer H&M to model their new swimsuit line on the company homepage. For the campaign, the 24-year-old 5'10 beauty, who wears a dress size 14-16, traipsed on a beach wearing bikinis and one-piece swimsuits. The seemingly innocent photo series sent shockwaves around the Internet. First, H&M has a history of featuring toned models (Gisele is the company’s latest cover girl, replacing a bikini-clad Beyonce) so selecting Runk, of normal, healthy proportions, to model their new line was a refreshing departure. And second, unlike many companies who bury plus-size selections deep within their websites, H&M never once mentioned the word “plus-size” on the same page as the images of Runk (you have to click on the clothing samples to land in the plus-size section). The company message was clear: “Our model isn’t stick thin—so what?”*Yahoo Shine 

I say it's time to celebrate those who understand true beauty.. understand that each person is unique and stop advertising the bullies.. yep Mr Jeffries that means you!!

Boycot Abercrombe & Fitch

Have you seen this??? 

What an appalling statement. Why would anyone want to exclude shoppers.. then to proclaim that their store is only for the cool kids.. I WAS A COOL KID.. I was an athlete, a scholar, in the choir and welcome just about everywhere.. and guess what? I HAD BODY ISSUES.. 

I was told I was fat from as far back as I can remember. Oh I am fat now but I wasn't then. I had a 21" waste and hips.. those darn hips caused me plenty of problems, why? Because the stores didn't make products for hips. We weren't supposed to have them. I was raised in the Twiggy era and had a Marilyn Monroe body (ok, not the boobs but the rest) yep I had curves!! And because of idiots like this, I spent my formative years hating my body.. There was nothing wrong with my body.. it was healthy and fit... But I could never get it  to stringy. I lost so much weight once that when I was goofing with my friends and was rolling down hills, I BRUISED myself because with my hip bones.. and guess what I was still trying to loose weight...

People who make statements like this destroy self images.. they batter at a girls who are already over battered by what society says they should look like. When FINALLY people are wising up and standing up for what is a healthy body image. When countries are BANNING too thin models.. what an idiot.. 

My friend, author Sara Humphreys responded to this with a wonderful blog on the Huffington Post.. check it out by clicking HERE

I have never stepped foot in an A&F store and I never will.. I will also not shop in Hollister, RUEHL, and Gilly Hicks. which is owned by the same company... My kids already don't shop there.. and guess what I have cool kids.. ok, well adjusted kids.. who are well liked, good looking, some are thin and some are not.. but what they are is decent.. and secure in who they are. Consequently they don't need some idiot deciding that they will be cool if they wear clothes from his store. You want to be cool, create your own style and stay out of A&F

Shauni

Taking it WAY Too Far

I admit it I am a Tebow Fan... this kid does what others can't he wins.. in rather unusual circumstances. It's not that he is that great of a football player it's that he LEADs.. team members have said of him that when he leads they pull something more out of themselves. He pushes those around him to do better.. 

I think the way the Jets treated him was abysmal from the signing right down to the way they released him the day AFTER the draft, making sure that all rosters were full and no one would want to take that second look at him. 

He is a class act whom I would love to have my children (all his peers) emulate.. That being said... I saw this headline today.


Tebow fans plea to President Obama in an effort to sign him with the Jaguars 

Seriously? This is what you think the president of the United States should spend his time on? Tebow has already made more money than some people make in a lifetime. If you are really that worried about helping someone get a job... shoot contact the president for me. But MY president has other issues to see to than seeing that one man gets a job playing a game! 

Shauni

Has it been 17 years already?

 I think someone is doing the math wrong.. It can not be 17 years already and if it is then it wasn't 17 years before. 25 years ago I had a house in town.. I lived there for 5 years some time during that period the cicadas came!! And it was a 17 year cycle.. these babies were LOUD!!

I remember leaving my message on my machine.. something about beware the cicadas or if you can't hear me it's because the cicadas are so loud.. My mom teased me.. well that is until she said what is that buzzing in the background.. Geez mom, it was the cicadas.. Oh my gosh did she laugh.

But my point is.. if the 17 year cycle was then and it was between 20 and 25 years ago this year can not be the 17 year cycle. I may not be a rocket scientist but I can do basic math! *grins* No matter this summer promises to be a noisy one..