On weight and measuring.

Let's take some time to talk about weight, shall we?  We haven't done that for awhile and I haven't had the opportunity to level with you regarding the ongoing challenge I have to lose roughly the weight equivalent of a medium-sized human, so now's as good a time as any.  Oh, and I'll pepper this weight talk with pictures of snacks, how does that sound?

When our summer of planned bucket list check-offs and afternoons at the beach turned into pack a bunch of boxes and move 400 miles north, it stands to reason that I sloughed weight-loss to the bottom of my list of things to focus on.  I put my energy into cleaning and organizing and throwing away tons of crap.  Sure, I put in a day or two on the trails each week, but nothing significant (I suspect it was more for sentimental reasons because I really, really loved the trail system in our town in Iowa.  It is the standard by which all walking/biking trails are measured from here on out.).  I stopped tracking what I was eating.  I still went to my Fatties Anonymous** meetings I even raised my hand and participated, but I wasn't hard-core counting everything that went into my mouth.  And I certainly wasn't hard-core walking every day, either.

So imagine my surprise when I measured myself in July and found I'd lost a total of 12 inches total in 3 months - one of those months being a huge slough off month that included virtually no exercise and sporadic tracking.  

Let me put it to you this way: I enjoyed a number of cocktails on the patio (for medicinal reasons - stress relief and the like - but cocktails are heavy on the empty calories.), I enjoyed a lot of ice cream (new love - Neapolitan.  In a cone, of course.), and I had some bedtime snacks thrown in there for good measure.  But...and here's the key...I didn't do it every single night.  Sometimes my bedtime snack was an apple and cheese.  Sometimes it was a little popcorn.  And yes, sometimes it was an ice cream cone; we all deserve a little sweet treat sometimes.  And even though my walking was less than consistent, I did still walk and it was still an average for 4.5 miles every time.

Last time we moved I threw out my back.  Probably because I was really fat.  I'm sure there were other contributing factors, but weight had a lot to do with it.  When we loaded and then unloaded a 24 foot moving truck in a matter of about 72 hours a couple of weeks ago, I was able to do it without injuring myself.  Yes, I was sweaty and tired and bruised, but it got done.  And it got done quickly because I didn't have to stop and take a hundred breaks because I couldn't breathe or my legs were so tired they were going to give out on me, or I was so tired I thought I was going to give out on myself.

It's still a little strange for me to admit out loud that I had a weight problem.  Not even had - have, because I still do.  It's something I will struggle with for a long time.  It's a balancing act every single day.  But I'm more comfortable with where I'm at after measuring myself and realizing that even without being totally in the tracking/exercising zone, I still managed to lose inches (and even a few pounds) because now I'm making healthier eating choices.  It's no longer a question of: Should I eat the pie or not eat the pie?  Now I eat a little piece of the pie and enjoy it for what it is - a really delicious, sweet treat - instead of eating the whole pie and feeling guilty later.

So that brings me to a non-guilt inducing snack: Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa.  It seems that since we've moved away from Iowa - the land of corn - all I can think about is corn!  You don't have to grill the corn, you could boil fresh corn or even steam some frozen corn.  I like to grill anything I can - and when I say I, we all know that I mean I like it when Uriah grills for me!  And you don't have to eat this with chips.  I also ate it with a spoon, salad style, too.

And, also - do you take measurements?  Or are you a scale person?  Or do you keep tabs on your weight by how your pants fit? Just curious, if you'd like to share, I'd like to know!

• 4 ears sweet corn, grilled and the kernels cut off
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• Juice of a lime
• Chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Combine everything in a bowl.  Refrigerate before serving.  Or not, I mixed and ate and that's good, too!

*Adapted and adopted from The Pioneer Woman.

**Fatties Anonymous is not a real meeting.  I imagine it would make an awesome meeting, though, and I'd probably be not only a member, but it's founding president.  It would also have 12 steps, like it's boozy equivalent, the first of which would Put Down the Fork.