I need to lose a few pounds. It seems most of us say that at some point in our lives, but as for me, I’ve been saying it since before I was ten. I’m fed up with my personal war against fat.
However, to be healthier and to lose those pregnancy pounds that are sticking around longer now that I’m past 40, I decided I probably should do a little more than just wish the weight away. So now I have an action plan for the latest battle in my war against extra weight.
My action plan starts with a goal. When I reach my weight goal, I am going to reward myself by traveling to a museum I’ve wanted to visit for a long time; joining me will be my two best friends from high school whom I haven’t seen in years.
The next step was to pick a theme song because nowadays all big campaigns have theme songs. I picked a peppy song that had been running through my mind a lot. The only problem was that I didn’t know the title or the artist or the words. All I did know was that it sounded like a British pop tune from the 1980’s and that the chorus went like this: “Wo-oh-oh-oh-oh, wo-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!”
I wasn’t sure how to google that one, so I called up a friend who has vast pop music knowledge and attempted to sing it for him. Lucky for me, he was able to help out, and soon, thanks to my more tech-savvy husband, “Things Can Only Get Better” by Howard Jones was loaded on our iPod.
In order to help me get my heart-pumping and to motivate me, I’ve been blasting my theme song each morning after breakfast. The little ones and I dance like crazy to it, and believe me, my moves that are a cross between aerobics, Olympic baby-lifting, and fun girly-twirls are nothing short of crazy. As an added bonus, my antics torture the pre-teens, who, both annoyed and horrified, run away to hide.
Other than that, I’ve been walking several times outside and enjoying the nice weather. I’ve also been trying to avoid taking extra helpings and nibbling the yummy bits left on the little kids’ plates as I clear the table.
Our church’s monthly potluck worried me a little bit. With all the delicious dishes and desserts, I was certain it would throw me off my weight-loss game, but thanks to my two youngest children, I didn’t have to worry.
The two toddlers were so rambunctious that I had the opportunity to leave my plate and run up and down the church’s stairs multiple times chasing them. By the time I had a chance to sit down and finish eating uninterrupted, most of the food, including the tempting desserts, was packed away, so I didn’t have to worry myself about heading back for seconds. (I may have, however, tasted the food left on my kids’ plates as I cleared them!)
Will any of these methods help me shed my pounds? I don’t know, but at least for the current battle of my bulge, I’m determined to include a little more fun so it’s not such drudgery.
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Nothing says “diet” like a big plate of salad. This salad dressing has even the kids asking for seconds of salad. It’s one of our favorites, and while it’s good on any salad, it’s especially tasty when the salad also has some chicken breast and mandarin oranges. Also try it drizzled on cooked greens.
Sesame Ginger Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Place all ingredients in a blender and give it a quick whirl to blend and thicken it up a bit.
*This column ran in The Hancock News on April 12, 2017.
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