Body Image Issues

Although I love to hear people exclaim "Oh my Gawd Lisa, you look great!!! How much weight have you lost?", why is it I have such a hard time believing them? When I look in the mirror, I see the same body I saw 60 pounds ago...and when I look in the mirror in my underwear, it's even worse -- I see the same fat body only with the addition of sagging skin and wrinkles!!! I feel like the character in my favorite childhood bedtime story "The Saggy Baggy Elephant". So the complimentary words that come at me from other people's lips fall on deaf ears...I can't quite believe they are speaking the truth.

It's really weird. Although I've lost 60 pounds since July, if my clothes weren't falling off of me and the needle on the scale wasn't slowly going down, I wouldn't be able to tell. I weigh myself every single morning fearing that the scale may have "fixed itself" since yesterday and I will see that I haven't lost any weight at all!! Sounds crazy, I know. In fact, I'd heard about a mental disorder called "body dysmorphia" and I googled it...but I don't exactly fit the definition/description because it is not debilitating for me. But I know I'm suffering from a very mild form of it, for sure.

Anyway, I find that I've been a bit in the doldrums and finally recognized that it's been due to this poor body image I have!! The idea that all this weight loss is not making me feel beautiful...I mean who's gonna' want to fall in love with an OLD, Saggy Baggy Elephant Gramma when there are so many hard bodies out there? I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't change my eating habits and lose weight for the "beauty" factor -- I did it to improve my health because I want to be around for my grandkids. I don't want to keel over one day just because I couldn't give up sodas, koolaid, pastries, candy, butter, bread and copious amounts of red meat. And I have to pat myself on the back for having taken a proactive stance and followed through with nutrition education and rethinking my eating habits. But I'm having a difficult time shaking off this negative self-talk!!

I hope that Rocky is right when she tells me "You wanna' know who falls in love with an old, saggy baggy elephant gramma? An old, saggy baggy elephant GRAMPA, that's who!!! And there is one out there looking for you, Lisa."

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

TODAY IS A WOO-HOO DAY!!!

I just got a call from my primary care physician's office with the most awesome news!! First here is a little background:

Last July I fell and broke my elbow. When I saw the dr. he took the opportunity to do a battery of tests that hadn't been done in a while. The results were grim: My blood sugar was high enough to put me in the diabetic category, my cholesterol was a miserable 436 and my blood pressure was up to 140/90. I also weighed in at 258 pounds.

Well, that doctor's visit scared the bejeezus out of me and I vowed to DO SOMETHING about it all. So I embarked on a new program of eating that cut out all sugar and severely restricted the amount of fat. Now on to the WOO-HOO day:

My blood sugar is now "NORMAL", my cholesterol is down to 146, my blood pressure is 120/75 and I've lost 55 pounds!!

And I want to state here that I don't ever feel deprived when it comes to food...and I rarely have heartburn/ingestion...and I sleep better - I'm not tired all the time anymore. The only down side to all this is - I am 52 and losing the weight has left me with baggy skin on my thighs, arms and neck. If I could just find something I could do to reduce the baggy skin, I'd be complete! But, if that is the only thing I have to complain about, then I don't have much.

Just wanted to share this WOO-HOO day with everyone! Peace...and I'm outta' here!!

Simple Home Remedies

I'm feeling funny today. Thought I'd pass on some funny to everyone else.

1. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the vegetables which you slice.

2. Avoid arguments with females about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

3. If you have high blood pressure: Cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes thus reducing the pressure on your veins…and remember to use a timer.

4. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after hitting the snooze button.

5. If you have a bad cough – take a large dose of laxatives…then you’ll be afraid to cough.

6. You only need two tools in life: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn’t move and should…use WD-40; and if it shouldn’t move but does, use the duct tape.

7. If it can’t be fixed with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.

Daily thought:

Some people are like slinkies…not really good for anything but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

I'm Just Saying...

Sometimes the Universe gives us much more than we ever imagined we'd have. Like today...I have two biological grandchildren -- but today, the Universe decided I was to be the Neighborhood Gramma! Making peanut butter sandwiches and fruit punch Crystal Light for my two plus four more!! I had to pull out my paper cups...stood at the back door pouring punch and making sure everyone ate their whole sandwich before handing out a piece of lemon cake. Then along comes my dad - he wants to know what everyone else is getting that he's missing out on!! He wasn't too thrilled with PB & J so he went back home.

So far today I've cooked spam/potatoes/eggs/toast for seven (Krystal, Tashyra, Trevell, Mama, Daddy, Chris ((Rocky's boyfriend)) and myself)...washed and put away the dishes...assisted Krystal with giving my mom a shower...organized Mama's clothes...washed Mama's clothes...fed and fruit punched the neighborhood...and now I'm babysitting for Jaythan and Shelby!!!

Of course, I am not complaining....I'm just saying --

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

A little Poetry

My mom is a victim of Altzheimer's and it has greatly affected my family. My father is overwhelmed but extremely stubborn about putting my mom in an appropriate facility. So her life is fairly bleak right now. I'm pretty helpless to do much of anything, but I do what I can.

This poem came out of the pain that Altzheimer's inflicts on its victims and their families.

I DON’T KNOW

I don’t know how to tell you
I don’t know what to say
I really can’t explain it
The words just won’t obey.

They took away my car keys
And I lost my falling star
It hurts me when I realize
I can’t remember who you are.

I know that I should do “it”
But “it” just slipped my mind
I used to have so many friends
But they’ve left me far behind.

The man who sleeps beside me
Is someone I don’t know
My life’s no longer one I live
So I wish that I could go.

By Lisa E. Shepard
Copyright 2008

Peace all...and I'm outta' here.

My Loved Ones

I haven't explained why the title of this blog is "A Jazzy Gramma of Two Roses" -- My grandkids' last name is Rose...Trevell and Tashyra Rose. But this blog is not just about me and them...it is about me and all of my Loved Ones. So I thought I'd show you some pictures of the most important people in my life.

The first pic is of my grandkids, Trevell and Tashyra, with their dog (my 4-legged grandkid) Krillin. The second is my daughter, Krystal and my mom, Nancy. The third photo is my dad, Gerhard.
Finally, this fourth photo is of my roommate (and "adopted" daughter), Rocky and her boyfriend, Chris.

At this point in time, these are pretty much the most important people in my life...MY LOVED ONES>

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

Give a Day, Get a Day!!!

For those of you who have not heard about it yet, Disney is giving away vouchers for a free day at a Disney resort in exchange for a day of volunteer work! I did my volunteer work last Tuesday, January 19th - serving the homeless and hungry with Share the Bounty at St. Philomene's Church in Sacramento, CA. I got my voucher today!!! I'm going to help my daughter sign up her and my grandkids now so we can all go to Disneyland together -- FOR FREE!!! How cool will that be.

If you are interested in participating in this program, Disney is only giving out one million vouchers so you need to get on it right away. Go to www.DisneyParks.com and click on the Give a Day, Get a Day button...then just follow all the instructions.

Good Luck!!!