Don't let them wreck Thanksgiving !

What is so great about Thanksgiving?  Out of all the holidays, it is the one that celebrates food and family the most.  It is a time to gather with your family,  eat great food,  talk and laugh.  There is no card buying, no gift giving.  It is a time to reflect on all the good things that we have and to be thankful for them.  It is a time to share recipes and stories and enjoy family memories.

It makes me angry to see how commercialism is starting to chip away at this fine day.  Stores are opening earlier and earlier on Friday, many starting to open on Thanksgiving Day itself.  Businesses are staying open, even my gym was open on Thanksgiving Day.  Don't these employees deserve to have a day off to celebrate a national holiday with their families ?  The whole Christmas shopping mess is stressful enough without  making people guilty if they don't rush off on Thanksgiving to start the buying frenzy.  Thanksgiving will cease to exist, everyone will either be working or shopping on that day, and that would be a sad thing, indeed.  If we don't fight it, we will lose one of the most beautiful and important holidays of the year.  Marketing and commercialism have already taken away most of Christmas's beauty and meaning, we can't allow it to happen to Thanksgiving, too.  I refuse to shop or even think about shopping on Thanksgiving.  The best gift that you can give your family on that day is your time and attention and love.  Oh yeah, and maybe a piece of pumpkin pie !

News Flash : Eat less and you will lose weight !

  Today was a big day for me.  I actually was able to get into a pair of size 10 petite dress pants that haven't fit me for the past 3 years.  They are still a little snug, but definitely wearable.  How did this miraculous thing happen ?  It is no big secret, I am eating less and exercising more.  I wish I could say that I found a miracle food or crazy exercise that just melts the pounds off easily, but that would be a lie.
  I vowed about 3 months ago that I would  lose 10 pounds by my doctor's appointment in December to help keep my upwards trending blood pressure at bay. I started out a little over 150 pounds, I am now 136 pounds and proud of it !
  Nobody want to read about diets and losing weight, so I am keeping this brief.  I shamelessly used the internet to my advantage.   I found a free website to help me calculate how many calories I SHOULD be eating to get to my target weight and to help me track what I eat,  caloriecount.about.com .   I log what I eat every day,  the site helps me keep track of not only calories but also the nutritional content of what I eat.  It has been an eye-opening experience for me and I make better food choices because of it.   The best part about it is that it is free, the only money that I have spent is for my gym membership, which helps keep me motivated to exercise.
   I still eat the foods I like and I still go out to restaurants, because as you all know, I love good food !  I just keep the portions under control and don't exceed my calories for the day.  Once in a while I even take a day off and don't count, but the next day it is back on track.
   Is my blood pressure better ?  I will have to update you in December on that one...