On Another Note - 100 left in 1001 days

I completed the wizard circle journal page. It's 8x8 and my first large piece where it's all hand-drawn/painted/colored. I first drew in pencil then went over the lines with black Sharpie. Next I used watercolor pencils. I found that the colors weren't deep enough and I wasn't able to get the shading I wanted, so I made the colors richer and more detailed with Primacolor pencils.

This is one of a pair. The other piece will be a witch's hat. I think I will have less detail in that one and make the background a bit more abstract. I'm thinking the hat will have a leafy/tree background. We'll see.

Update - No Weigh In

Too chicken to weigh in. I know I would have gained and next week won't be much better. There are going to be a lot of meals out over the next few days and I have been over-eating and not exercising.

I can't do this alone and online support doesn't do it for me. I need face-to-face personal support. That means either Overeater's Anonymous or Weight Watchers. I have experience with both and have decided to go with Weight Watchers. OA doesn't have weigh-ins and doesn't allow you to even talk about your weight, plus I don't like how restrictive they are. OA pushes the "grey sheet" which means no white flour or white sugar and because of the binge eating training I've gotten, I know that restricting anything can bring on a binge.

There are issues with WW as well - the cost for one and I dislike how they push their products. However, they have scales, they promote healthy eating and I'll get the face to face support I need. I'll need to wait to see how much, if anything, we get for the holidays. Also, the WW scales only go to 600 pounds, so I want to be in the 500's before I start. I'm looking at the first of the year when they'll probably have special registration.

Getting Close Again - 602 pounds

I'm almost back down to my lowest in many years, 598. Just four more pounds. I don't know if I'll be able to do it this week. I'm not even going to try for it. I'll do the best I can and keep my fingers crossed. The scale is a piece of chaos in my life. I never know what it's going to do. I think I'm going to gain weight, I lose ten. I think I'm going to lose a lot, I gain a one pound. What helps me the most to lose weight is to journal my food every day. I use SparkPeople.

I ate out at Olive Garden and got all my favorites, Lasagna Fritta and Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo. But I shared the appetizer and immediately had them box up half the alfredo to bring home. Tomorrow we are going out for hubby's 50th birthday to Benihana's. Then Friday night to the in-laws for steak and potatoes, probably. I'll try to watch the portions at least. I've over-eaten at Benihana's in the past, so I need to watch that.

I'm looking for a new spiritual community. My path has been: Catholic, Baptist, lots of different Christian denominations, Agnostic, New Age, Wiccan, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist and now I'm checking out a liberal Christian denomination - United Church of Christ. I've come full circle it seems. There are still things that bother me about the Christian faith, but I have to admit when they stick with the message that God is Love, there can be beauty and spiritual fulfillment.

Update - Six Months Later

Been bouncing around and am just about in the same place as before. I've been back up as high as 648. I've been as low as 598 after a stint in the hospital for a skin infection. I lost my appetite completely and lost 50 pounds in a month. It's one way, but not the best way, to lose weight. I was anemic for a bit. I'm back up to 616 but am tracking food again. I honestly don't know what it is going to take for me to lose this weight. The hospital and infection was a horrible experience and you would think that it would motivate me to control my food and exercise. But, no. Here I am again. With Ken out of work and us hitting the last of our savings, at least we can't eat out, a big weakness of mine.

Recently, I completed my 101 things I want to do in the next 1001 days. (Courtesy of Day Zero.)

Books
1. Complete adding books read to LibraryThing Collections
2. Read all Spider Robinson books
3. Read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
4. Finish SF survey at LibraryThing Green Dragon
5. Complete a read-a-thon at a hotel room
6. Complete Museum, Libraries and Archives Council's book list
7. Complete 888 reading challenge
8. Complete reading all Stephen King books
9. Read 601 books
10. Read one book from LibraryThing Most Popular per month
11. Read one book per month from 1001 Fantasy list
12. Read one book per month from US50 challenge

Contribute
13. Donate $5 for each goal I don't complete to charity
14. Donate 10,000 grains at Free Rice
15. Make 5 crocheted items for charity
16. Create RAK every month at ATCsForAll
17. Host one ATC (artist trading card) swap per quarter

Create
18. Get caught up with all outstanding items from ATCsForAll
19. Create romantic circle journal pages
20. Draw/paint witch circle journal page
21. Finish wizard circle journal page
22. Complete SR-71 Blackbird cross-stitch for husband
23. Do one fine scale model
24. Draw every day for 30 days
25. Blog once per week
26. Cross-stitch or crochet three hours per week
27. Trade 10 cross-stitched for hand drawn ATCs
28. Trade for ATCs in all 50 states

Financial
29. Complete Training Decision Workbook
30. Make $100 per month at ChaCha for 3 months
31. Get a job I can do from home
32. Start school for my AA in accounting
33. Pay off all medical bills
34. Sell something on etsy
35. Handmake all Christmas presents
36. Get a job outside the home
37. Pay off one credit card
38. Put $5 away for every item I complete
39. Save $25 each month into ING

Fun
40. Force flower bulbs
41. Import CD's to computer
42. Get blue butterfly tattoo
43. Go to the Minnesota Zoo
44. Decorate house for 3 holidays per year
45. Listen to all Grammy Albums of the Year
46. See a Cirque du Soleil show
47. Take a picture of each item being completed
48. Try 10 new restaurants

Health
49. Apply for MN Care
50. Exercise for 5 minutes every day for one week
51. Record calories for 30 days on SparkPeople
52. Weigh under 600 pounds
53. Eat 3 veggies/fruit daily for 30 days
54. Exercise for 10 minutes every day for 30 days
55. Lose 100 pounds from my top weight
56. Take my dog for a walk around the block
57. Weigh under 500 pounds
58. Weigh under 400 pounds
59. Go swimming

Learn
60. Complete bookkeeping class
61. Complete Whimsy Art Workshops at ATCsForAll
62. Improve typing skills by 10%
63. Research list of family members back five generations
64. Take a drawing class
65. Learn to belly dance

Maintenance
66. Do one load of dishes daily for 30 days
67. Complete organization of craft table
68. Replace missing buttons on dresses
69. Complete organizing file cabinet
70. Create a house to-do list
71. Read 3 books on decorating in a small house
72. Put all photos in albums
73. Vacuum house regularly

Movies
74. Complete watching Disney Animated Canon list
75. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the Alphabet
76. Watch all Best Movie Oscar movies
77. Watch all movies from the Top 100 Fantasy list
78. Watch all movies from the Top 100 SciFi list
79. Watch every episode of CSI on DVD

Relationships
80. Hug my husband daily for 30 days
81. Get dog's teeth cleaned
82. Join a church
83. Have a monthly game night with hubby
84. Make a new friend
85. Send 30 penpal letters

Self-Care
86. Complete a 100 Things That Make Me Happy list
87. Schedule my week each Sunday evening for one year
88. Get a manicure
89. Have a technology-free weekend
90. Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art or home decor
91. Get hair highlighted
92. Cross-stitch a piece for myself
93. Get a pedicure
94. Buy myself flowers 10 times
95. Create one personal art journal page per month
96. Work on personal sacred text weekly

Writing
97. Read and complete exercises in Life's Companion by Christina Baldwin
98. Journal every day for 30 days
99. Get a magazine article published
100. Complete the 5,000 question survey
101. Fill in a Moleskin with personal journaling