What Can I Do to Be Healthier?

I know that I can eat smaller portions and exercise more. I know this, but actually doing it is so very hard. If my husband bakes a crust-less quiche and I have a quarter of the pie as a serving, that’s not wonderful calorie-wise, but it’s okay. When I then agree to have another quarter so we don’t have leftovers to deal with, that’s where my will power folds.

Forgetful Authors

Recently while working on my Regency romance, I needed the first name of the father of my fictional family. I searched all my spread sheets, but couldn’t find him. Scrivener, which I use basically, has a place to list characters and details about them. So right then I started filling it in with all the characters in this story. A few paragraphs later, I found the name I had searched for. No worries, I added it to the Scrivener Characters sheet. I forgot the aunt’s last name, the uncle’s first name and title, the street where the Curtis family lives, and so very much more. Luckily, I read a helpful article recently on how setting can be a character, so I put that information on the Characters sheet.

New Year, New Anxieties

For me, the end of 2021 was a positive event. I’ve lost weight, my blood sugar is improving, I’m journaling and sketching for enjoyment, and I qualified for a couple of patient assistance programs so that I can afford the medications I need to take. I am only a couple months away, I hope, from getting my third Regency Romance finished and a short time after that I should be able to publish it on Amazon.

Get Naked

This subject can include so many topics! Let’s start with the last time you took off all your clothes and looked at your entire body in the mirror. Not just your face, not looking anywhere else. But giving yourself a smiling once over. Last week? Last night? Never?

Weight Loss versus Exercise

I’ve lost 30 pounds over the last few months, some of it quickly thanks to medications I’m on. Now it has slowed to about .4 of a pound per week, and that’s okay with me. My blood sugar is drifting downward to the levels I am aiming for. And I cheat like crazy now and then. Exercise remains walking the dog to the park and back and whatever housework I feel motivated to do. Also yard work and cleaning bird cages and pens. I really do not sit at my computer all day.

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Med today and me about 6 years ago

Body Dysmorphia

Recently while chatting with my writer friends we talked about the dogs some of us live with and how the smaller they are, the bigger they think they are. My maltipoo, Astrid, growls at and challenges all dogs she sees, either on the leash or out the car window. In rare instances, she will get closer to a really big dog who postures in a less than friendly way, and instantly realize she has made a mistake. Usually, however, she never gets the chance to be that close to other dogs.

Doctor’s Orders

Don’t be alarmed, I’m not suffering from anything new and invasive. I’m starting to think I fall into a category that medical professionals see as Must Need Help. I’m old, fat, and dealing with life. Surely I need something big and expensive done to me. Luckily my doctors all expect things from me that don’t contradict.

Am I Ready To Unmask in Public?

I’m thrilled that as a nation, the United States is preparing to return to normal, or normal adjacent. If you have been vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask in the grocery store, at the dog park, or at the school sports games. You can confidently get your hair cut and your nails done. Life has become less concerned about that small square of fabric that you formerly needed if you wanted to be accepted everywhere.

Play Your Mental Cards Right

An important bit of information for writers to use is that people choose how they act and react to life and various situations. It’s important because you have to let your characters choose to be happy or depressed or sad or manic. Remember I’m not a doctor or psychiatrist and I don’t even play one on NetFlix. But I know from my personal experience that even writers have a choice on how we experience life.

Thoughts About Being Fat

The first thing I want to do is encourage you, if you grew up fat like me, especially if you are a woman, to go buy Kristin Higgins’ book, Good Luck with That. This is the story of 3 young women who met at a summer camp for fatties and stayed in touch through the years. This book will make you cry, laugh, remember the pain of the past, and be glad you are past that now. If you are not, you should seriously get some counseling.