Disclaimer: Parts of this may be TMI, for anyone reading this who knows me personally. However, I am laughing so hard at a "Spanx experience" blog I just read, I wanted to give others the opportunity to enjoy the fun! Also, it helps to fully appreciate this if you are a woman who has attempted to have the Spanx "magic" transform a real person's body into the Photoshopped image on the packaging! If you're plus-sized like me - or even think you are (you know, like six pounds overweight), that also heightens the experience.
I recently had my own "come to Jesus" encounter with Spanx (the long-legged, high-waisted, girdle-ish type) so that I could be on stage in a play, wearing a straight sheath-style dress with absolutely NO give, and not have all my jiggly parts look so, well, jiggly. I don't regret it; it suited the character, and I was thrilled to be able to work with this particular theatre company, so I probably would have shaved my eyebrows and dyed my hair orange, if I'd been asked to - because I think so highly of these people and I wanted to do as well as I could do with my character. Thankfully, it didn't come to that orange hair. Suffice it to say, somebody really ought to have a "Tips and Tricks" forum somewhere (or maybe a self-help book: "Spanx for Dummies") to help people know the least dangerous maneuvers for getting into and then out of a Spanx garment. I finally figured out some moves that got me properly enrobed by the time dress rehearsal rolled around, and had it almost down to a choreographed routine by the last performance, although not without some considerable damage to said garment. I really think they ought to sew those seams with Kevlar so the errant thumb, struggling to hoist a tube the size of a straw around and over a "voluptuous" body , won't poke holes in important places! Oh, well...
So, for your Friday afternoon giggling (and maybe, therefore, jiggling?) enjoyment, I offer you "I Tried On Spanx and Almost Called 911."
Thanks to Blogger Amber Dusick for giving me the best laugh I've had in a long time!
http://crappypictures.com/2012/07/i-tried-on-spanx-and-almost-called-911.html#.UBLTwzWVb98.facebook
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Paula Deen, Diabetes, and Me
Because I'm beginning to see posts about Paula Deen's diabetes diagnosis, I thought I would go ahead and make my own announcement: yep - know how she feels. I, too, received that diagnosis a few years ago.
However, I am no longer diabetic – and that did not occur by following the American Diabetic Association's guidelines.
Now just for the record: Paula Deen's signature ingredient, butter, is not the culprit. Butter does NOT cause diabetes. However, wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar – the main ingredients in all those wonderful sweets, and breads, and pastas she whips up so temptingly - DO cause diabetes. I know this from personal experience. I also know - from personal experience - that diabetes can be CURED - REVERSED - by eliminating wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar. I have the lab work (and a happy internist!) to prove it. I know this goes completely against the grain (;->) of much of the nutrition advice many people believe to be gospel because we hear it drilled into our psyches from every possible soapbox.
I did not really believe it totally – even after losing 100 pounds by eliminating wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar – because I still had that little idea crawling around in my brain: “Moderation is the key. Just a little won't hurt you, and you are strong enough now to resist over-indulging!” For some people – and I'm one of them – that works like saying to alcoholics, “You've done so well! Surely now just one little sip won't hurt!” And off the wagon they jump!
And, I jumped off my healthy-for-me wagon too, after losing that 100 pounds. What happened then was that I found 85 of them again – they became very close, personal hangers-on.
I climbed back up on my wagon recently – already feel IMMENSELY better, have lost some of those pounds, my feet have quit swelling and hurting, my heart is not racing with even the smallest of exertions, and I am actually in a better place mentally, as well.
http://www.atkins.com/Program/Overview/How-and-Why-Atkins-Work.aspx
http://everydaypaleo.com/faq/
This may not be the way of life and health for everybody (although I tend to believe it probably is). I do have family members who I love, respect, and admire greatly, who differ with me on this. But I know after much trial and error, and to the detriment of my health back in those high-carb days, it IS the way for me...and maybe for Paula Deen, too.
However, I am no longer diabetic – and that did not occur by following the American Diabetic Association's guidelines.
Now just for the record: Paula Deen's signature ingredient, butter, is not the culprit. Butter does NOT cause diabetes. However, wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar – the main ingredients in all those wonderful sweets, and breads, and pastas she whips up so temptingly - DO cause diabetes. I know this from personal experience. I also know - from personal experience - that diabetes can be CURED - REVERSED - by eliminating wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar. I have the lab work (and a happy internist!) to prove it. I know this goes completely against the grain (;->) of much of the nutrition advice many people believe to be gospel because we hear it drilled into our psyches from every possible soapbox.
I did not really believe it totally – even after losing 100 pounds by eliminating wheat, other grains, HFCS, and sugar – because I still had that little idea crawling around in my brain: “Moderation is the key. Just a little won't hurt you, and you are strong enough now to resist over-indulging!” For some people – and I'm one of them – that works like saying to alcoholics, “You've done so well! Surely now just one little sip won't hurt!” And off the wagon they jump!
And, I jumped off my healthy-for-me wagon too, after losing that 100 pounds. What happened then was that I found 85 of them again – they became very close, personal hangers-on.
I climbed back up on my wagon recently – already feel IMMENSELY better, have lost some of those pounds, my feet have quit swelling and hurting, my heart is not racing with even the smallest of exertions, and I am actually in a better place mentally, as well.
I would urge those with doubts or those who are simply interested to look at sites like these:
http://www.atkins.com/Program/Overview/How-and-Why-Atkins-Work.aspx
http://everydaypaleo.com/faq/
This may not be the way of life and health for everybody (although I tend to believe it probably is). I do have family members who I love, respect, and admire greatly, who differ with me on this. But I know after much trial and error, and to the detriment of my health back in those high-carb days, it IS the way for me...and maybe for Paula Deen, too.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The Sketchbook Challenge
OK - I am challenging myself to this daily practice:365 sketches, drawings, or Zentangles in a sketchbook of some kind. I will be very tempted to go into mixed media work, but at this time I am planning to keep myself disciplined to improving my drawing skills. (The mixed media work can be done - just elsewhere.)
I have been trying to decide on something after getting a new art book on creating art every day for 365 days - and this is it. It will be a great help for me personally, professionally, and spiritually. I plan to post some of my work when I feel moved to do so.
Why announce this here? To help me stay accountable! Noah Scalin, the author of 365 - A Daily Creativity Journal, puts it like this:
"So what do you gain from having an audience?
Encouragement...Inspiration...Accountability...Surprises"
So now it's out here. And my intention is to see this through.
Happy New Year to you all!
Kathleen
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wading out into the political fray
I NEVER involve myself in heated political "discussions" - partly because I despise argumentative conflict and partly because I think these "discussions" are usually just ways for people to air their opinions without anyone's opinions really being affected, except perhaps to reinforce their own rightness. However, today I just had to speak up.
I received this email today from a respected friend, whose political views and mine are apparently diametrically opposed. It was one of those mailings sent out to several people in the friend's contact list - probably to those considered of the same viewpoint. All email senders' and recipients' names have been removed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
“Subject: Way over the line
Can you believe this?
KEEP MILITARY MEMBERS OUT OF CHURCH !!!! You're Kidding Me!!
DISGRACEFUL !!!
Sent by a Retired Vice Admiral of Va.
"I wanted to give you all some disturbing information on our
wonderful president. I work with the Catch-A-Dream Foundation
which provides hunting and fishing trips to children with
life-threatening illnesses. This past weekend we had our annual
banquet/fundraiser event in Starkville.
"As a part of our program, we had scheduled Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube,
a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret and inspirational
speaker who was severely injured while deployed overseas and
didn't have much of a chance for survival to come.
“Greg is stationed at Ft. Bragg , NC and received permission
from his commanding officer to come speak at our function.
Everything was on go until Obama made a policy that
NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED
PUBLIC EVENTS ANYMORE.
“Needless to say, Greg had to cancel his speaking event
with us. Didn't know if anyone else was aware of this new
policy. Wonder what kind of news we all will receive next.
“You're just starting to see the Obamanation. Your religion
is on the list next??? I don't know about you, but this
makes me furious.
“This is just how the Nazis did it in the 30's, slowly,
one step at a time. If you don't see the similarities,
you are truly blind.”
This was my response:
Dear fellow citizens,
I rarely respond to or get into a conversation with anyone regarding emails such as this. I hate conflict-based discussions regarding issues that seem to me to be very inflammatory, such as the one mentioned in this email message. However, I feel a very strong urge to say something about this today.
I would like to tell you up front that I am a person who has been a believer in Jesus Christ, in the Protestant Christian tradition, since I was six years old. (I am nearly 58.) I believe that we live in the greatest country on the planet - and I have spent time in several other countries, so I have first-hand experience with other cultures, customs, and political situations. I love traveling to other countries and experiencing all the wonderful differences, as well as seeing how we, this race of human beings, share some important similarities as well. But I always love coming back to America.
Additionally, I personally know some of you receiving this email, others only by name, and some of you, not at all. I also know at least one family represented here has, or had, a son/brother/perhaps other relative in the military currently or recently. I have a great deal of respect and gratitude for the political environment we enjoy in this country, partly due to those who serve in the military, which protects our rights to express our opinions openly. I am also persuaded to believe that most of you receiving this message may feel that the content is true, and that it is just one more example of the terrible fate that has befallen our country with the advent of Barak Obama's presidency. I may be wrong about that.
However, when I am confronted with messages of this type, I tend to want to step back and evaluate the situation, and see if the content may have been misconstrued, or if there is additional information which may also come to light. So, I simply Googled the following:
"Obama policies about NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED PUBLIC EVENTS ANYMORE."
What surfaced was a 27-page, 267-results list. Granted, not every one dealt specifically with this alleged situation, and I did not read every single word of each one, but all had something to do with Obama or policies or some combination of words in my query. I did find this exact story repeatedly put forth and opined about in some fashion. I also found results which refuted this alleged situation, backed up with information from the Department of Defense.
If you have read this far, perhaps you are willing to consider this additional - and in my opinion, more accurate - reporting of the actual situation in question.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/faithbased.asp
This is just one of the Google results with information detailing the entire, actual situation and event in Mississippi. Or you could do your own search.
It is not my desire to stir up more dialogue conflagration! But this is, for me, a definitive proclamation that we need to check our facts and the entire context of a situation before we make assumptions based only, perhaps, on information received from someone we know - and may trust implicitly - but who may be ill-informed. (Case in point, the last few days' uproar concerning an excerpt from Shirley Sherrod's speech - taken out of context.)
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Pharis
--------------------------------------------------------------
So, now I've said something in a public forum, to specific people, about a differing political viewpoint. Don't know how comfortable I feel with this, but I'm glad I did it. And I think I may be able to wade out a little deeper in the future.
I received this email today from a respected friend, whose political views and mine are apparently diametrically opposed. It was one of those mailings sent out to several people in the friend's contact list - probably to those considered of the same viewpoint. All email senders' and recipients' names have been removed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
“Subject: Way over the line
Can you believe this?
KEEP MILITARY MEMBERS OUT OF CHURCH !!!! You're Kidding Me!!
DISGRACEFUL !!!
Sent by a Retired Vice Admiral of Va.
"I wanted to give you all some disturbing information on our
wonderful president. I work with the Catch-A-Dream Foundation
which provides hunting and fishing trips to children with
life-threatening illnesses. This past weekend we had our annual
banquet/fundraiser event in Starkville.
"As a part of our program, we had scheduled Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube,
a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret and inspirational
speaker who was severely injured while deployed overseas and
didn't have much of a chance for survival to come.
“Greg is stationed at Ft. Bragg , NC and received permission
from his commanding officer to come speak at our function.
Everything was on go until Obama made a policy that
NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED
PUBLIC EVENTS ANYMORE.
“Needless to say, Greg had to cancel his speaking event
with us. Didn't know if anyone else was aware of this new
policy. Wonder what kind of news we all will receive next.
“You're just starting to see the Obamanation. Your religion
is on the list next??? I don't know about you, but this
makes me furious.
“This is just how the Nazis did it in the 30's, slowly,
one step at a time. If you don't see the similarities,
you are truly blind.”
This was my response:
Dear fellow citizens,
I rarely respond to or get into a conversation with anyone regarding emails such as this. I hate conflict-based discussions regarding issues that seem to me to be very inflammatory, such as the one mentioned in this email message. However, I feel a very strong urge to say something about this today.
I would like to tell you up front that I am a person who has been a believer in Jesus Christ, in the Protestant Christian tradition, since I was six years old. (I am nearly 58.) I believe that we live in the greatest country on the planet - and I have spent time in several other countries, so I have first-hand experience with other cultures, customs, and political situations. I love traveling to other countries and experiencing all the wonderful differences, as well as seeing how we, this race of human beings, share some important similarities as well. But I always love coming back to America.
Additionally, I personally know some of you receiving this email, others only by name, and some of you, not at all. I also know at least one family represented here has, or had, a son/brother/perhaps other relative in the military currently or recently. I have a great deal of respect and gratitude for the political environment we enjoy in this country, partly due to those who serve in the military, which protects our rights to express our opinions openly. I am also persuaded to believe that most of you receiving this message may feel that the content is true, and that it is just one more example of the terrible fate that has befallen our country with the advent of Barak Obama's presidency. I may be wrong about that.
However, when I am confronted with messages of this type, I tend to want to step back and evaluate the situation, and see if the content may have been misconstrued, or if there is additional information which may also come to light. So, I simply Googled the following:
"Obama policies about NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED PUBLIC EVENTS ANYMORE."
What surfaced was a 27-page, 267-results list. Granted, not every one dealt specifically with this alleged situation, and I did not read every single word of each one, but all had something to do with Obama or policies or some combination of words in my query. I did find this exact story repeatedly put forth and opined about in some fashion. I also found results which refuted this alleged situation, backed up with information from the Department of Defense.
If you have read this far, perhaps you are willing to consider this additional - and in my opinion, more accurate - reporting of the actual situation in question.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/faithbased.asp
This is just one of the Google results with information detailing the entire, actual situation and event in Mississippi. Or you could do your own search.
It is not my desire to stir up more dialogue conflagration! But this is, for me, a definitive proclamation that we need to check our facts and the entire context of a situation before we make assumptions based only, perhaps, on information received from someone we know - and may trust implicitly - but who may be ill-informed. (Case in point, the last few days' uproar concerning an excerpt from Shirley Sherrod's speech - taken out of context.)
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Pharis
--------------------------------------------------------------
So, now I've said something in a public forum, to specific people, about a differing political viewpoint. Don't know how comfortable I feel with this, but I'm glad I did it. And I think I may be able to wade out a little deeper in the future.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Project 365
Signed up today. Sounds like fun. I’ve always been intrigued with the notion of what is going on in other places, in other people’s lives, all at the exact same moment I am experiencing something. This will be a version of that. I will have to use my iphone camera until I find where I have carefully placed (misplaced!) my digital camera!! So, the thought occurred to me: why not document my own journey through the next 365 days in my healthier WOL (Way of Life)? I love the quote I found somewhere: “A year from now you’ll be glad you started today.” Have it taped up on my fridge.
So as I take my random pics of living in the world I inhabit, I am also going to take a daily photo of my physical self – my own little personal mobile home here on planet earth – and see what kinds of transformations have transpired by July 20, 2011!
This is actually a pretty big deal for me – and it will be a good practice in self-discipline. Mainly because I am pretty right-brained, and really resist the idea of that kind of conformity. The idea of being committed to carry out a project like this daily for an entire year gives the resist-all-strictness-and-goal-setting me no little cause for pause. However, I am trying hard to be a grown-up (when necessary) these days - which may be a good thing since exactly one month from today I’ll have my 58th birthday!
So as I take my random pics of living in the world I inhabit, I am also going to take a daily photo of my physical self – my own little personal mobile home here on planet earth – and see what kinds of transformations have transpired by July 20, 2011!
This is actually a pretty big deal for me – and it will be a good practice in self-discipline. Mainly because I am pretty right-brained, and really resist the idea of that kind of conformity. The idea of being committed to carry out a project like this daily for an entire year gives the resist-all-strictness-and-goal-setting me no little cause for pause. However, I am trying hard to be a grown-up (when necessary) these days - which may be a good thing since exactly one month from today I’ll have my 58th birthday!
Here goes!!! :D
Monday, July 12, 2010
Hot water, sex, laughter, or chocolate?
Geneen Roth relates:
"My husband, Matt, returned from a business trip last week and asked me this question: If you had to give up either hot water or sex, which would it be? Matt teaches company executives about the value of laughter and play, and I trust him completely, but still. Hot water or sex?
"Tell me about your business trip," I said nonchalantly. He laughed. "Just answer the question."
"Could we still kiss? Hug?" I asked. He nodded his head yes. "Now, answer the question."
"Sex," I said after a few long minutes.
"Okay," he said, "here's the next question. If you had to give up either hot water or laughter, what would you choose?" "Hot water," I said. "Without laughter, the rest wouldn't mean very much."
...So, here's my suggestion: Let yourself have what you love. One piece of it, one little bit of it, each day. You need to start small so you don't overwhelm yourself… if, even as you read these words, you are saying to yourself, "I can't be satisfied with just one little bite." How do you know until you try?...
All any of us ever want is to feel wonder, pleasure, peace and contentment, but the way we go about it—by depriving ourselves of what we love—sabotages our deepest longing. This much I promise you: Your world will be a better place when you realize you can have what you love without gaining 1,000 pounds. When you allow yourself to have what you love, you realize you are someone upon whom love can be lavished.
And if anyone happens to ask you to choose either laughter or chocolate, tell them that you'll take both..."
This is an excerpt from an article by Geneen Roth, who will be on Oprah today, July 12, 2010. Roth has appeared on many national television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, The NBC Nightly News, The View and Good Morning America. Articles about Roth and her work have appeared in numerous publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Time, Elle, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has written a monthly column in Good Housekeeping magazine since 2007. Roth is the author of eight books, including The New York Times best-seller When Food Is Love and a memoir about love and loss, The Craggy Hole in My Heart. Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything is her newest book.
I am dealing with this (obsessing over this may be a more accurate description), right now, as I have been for nearly four-and-a-half decades. It is certainly no secret, at this point, that I am fat. And I am simply stating that fact - not shouting it from the rooftops, in a defiant accept-me-or-else challenge. It's just the way it is. I see it. Others see it. It's just there. And it is my current reality. From the time of my early teens, back when Twiggy was the super-model of the day, until this very moment, I have been dealing with my "weight problem." Sadly, I had NO problem, physically, for about the first 25 of those years! Then, childbearing, misdiagnosed hypothyroidism, unknown fibromyalgia, and finally Type 2 diabetes, and all the hormonal turmoil accompanying each of those, along with one-size-fits-all dieting, helped my body match the picture in my mind.Well, that, and self-medicating/comforting myself with junk foods, especially sweets. Funny how the mind-body connection works like that.
But I am beginning to see things, and myself, in a different frame of mind now. Not a giving up mindset, but a FORgiving one. Forgiving myself, forgiving others who I may believe were instrumental in ushering me onto this path (often unknowingly, or misguidedly, out of love) and becoming the better me - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, AND physically. How will this change me? My body? Not sure. But my intention is that I will consistently be changed - and changing - for the better, in whatever form that takes.
Maybe Geneen's ideas will help someone else out there too.
"My husband, Matt, returned from a business trip last week and asked me this question: If you had to give up either hot water or sex, which would it be? Matt teaches company executives about the value of laughter and play, and I trust him completely, but still. Hot water or sex?
"Tell me about your business trip," I said nonchalantly. He laughed. "Just answer the question."
"Could we still kiss? Hug?" I asked. He nodded his head yes. "Now, answer the question."
"Sex," I said after a few long minutes.
"Okay," he said, "here's the next question. If you had to give up either hot water or laughter, what would you choose?" "Hot water," I said. "Without laughter, the rest wouldn't mean very much."
...So, here's my suggestion: Let yourself have what you love. One piece of it, one little bit of it, each day. You need to start small so you don't overwhelm yourself… if, even as you read these words, you are saying to yourself, "I can't be satisfied with just one little bite." How do you know until you try?...
All any of us ever want is to feel wonder, pleasure, peace and contentment, but the way we go about it—by depriving ourselves of what we love—sabotages our deepest longing. This much I promise you: Your world will be a better place when you realize you can have what you love without gaining 1,000 pounds. When you allow yourself to have what you love, you realize you are someone upon whom love can be lavished.
And if anyone happens to ask you to choose either laughter or chocolate, tell them that you'll take both..."
This is an excerpt from an article by Geneen Roth, who will be on Oprah today, July 12, 2010. Roth has appeared on many national television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, The NBC Nightly News, The View and Good Morning America. Articles about Roth and her work have appeared in numerous publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Time, Elle, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has written a monthly column in Good Housekeeping magazine since 2007. Roth is the author of eight books, including The New York Times best-seller When Food Is Love and a memoir about love and loss, The Craggy Hole in My Heart. Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything is her newest book.
-----------------------------------------------------
I am dealing with this (obsessing over this may be a more accurate description), right now, as I have been for nearly four-and-a-half decades. It is certainly no secret, at this point, that I am fat. And I am simply stating that fact - not shouting it from the rooftops, in a defiant accept-me-or-else challenge. It's just the way it is. I see it. Others see it. It's just there. And it is my current reality. From the time of my early teens, back when Twiggy was the super-model of the day, until this very moment, I have been dealing with my "weight problem." Sadly, I had NO problem, physically, for about the first 25 of those years! Then, childbearing, misdiagnosed hypothyroidism, unknown fibromyalgia, and finally Type 2 diabetes, and all the hormonal turmoil accompanying each of those, along with one-size-fits-all dieting, helped my body match the picture in my mind.Well, that, and self-medicating/comforting myself with junk foods, especially sweets. Funny how the mind-body connection works like that.
But I am beginning to see things, and myself, in a different frame of mind now. Not a giving up mindset, but a FORgiving one. Forgiving myself, forgiving others who I may believe were instrumental in ushering me onto this path (often unknowingly, or misguidedly, out of love) and becoming the better me - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, AND physically. How will this change me? My body? Not sure. But my intention is that I will consistently be changed - and changing - for the better, in whatever form that takes.
Maybe Geneen's ideas will help someone else out there too.
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