Back on the Diet

Three years ago, August 06 I reached my highest ever weight, 160 lbs. I went out one day to find a new dress and discovered I did not look good in a single thing I tried on. I was overweight. And I didn't like it.

I joined a website called SparkPeople and by keeping track of everything I ate, over the following 8 months I dropped 35 lbs. And I kept it off for 2 years.

But last summer, I had a miscarriage. I went from a job I liked to one I did not. And I just quit paying attention to what I ate and over the last year (or more) I have gained 25 of those pounds back.

I don't like it.

So I started over on SparkPeople. I've finished the first week and I've already lost 4 lbs! Yeah Me! I also am doing something different this time... I'm exercising. Actually, I started running. And since I haven't done that in YEARS (not since the Army really) I am using a program called Couch to 5k which over the course of 9 weeks gradually gets you from being a couch potato to being able to run a 5k (if you wanted). I don't have any race in mind, but it's a great way to get back into it. I know from personal experience that running works for me. When I was working out several times a week including running, I could eat what I wanted when I wanted, never paid attention and kept my weight around 130 easily. I'm 10 years older now but if I work out I should be able to keep me weight where I want it with minimum of effort (hopefully!)

Anyway. I had day 2 of my first week of running. I was surprised how much easier it was today then it was for day one (last Thursday). That's promising.

This week I did well on - tracking everything I ate. If it went in my mouth, it went in the log. I also worked out twice, prolly should have been three times, and this week it will be. I only went over my allowed calories once and was under twice. That's good.

I need to do better on - my water intake. I simply don't drink enough water.

So, I'll try to report at the end of this week and we'll see how well I'm doing.

4 lbs the first week, I'm proud of myself!

Vampires and Authors

The current issue of Entertainment Weekly has a 10 page spread on vampires and impact on today's pop-culture. Very interesting stuff.

But they did a quick interview/profile on six authors in this genre and Laurell K Hamilton was one of them. In answer to the question, "What are your thoughts on the Twilight phenomenon?" She has a long reply which starts off with this...
"Stephenie Meyer has come and she's taken the genre that I sort of pioneered."

Oh really? I do believe that honor belongs to Ms Rice, who was also featured in the article. She was asked this question, "What's unique about your vision of vampires?"
"Their glamour. What I thought to do with Louis and Lestat was make them very beautiful and very appealing. I thought to myself, Why should this supernatural being be repulsive? Why should he be feral like Dracula? What if he was more like a dark angel? It was kind of a radical idea. And now, 30 years later, no one would even question vampires being beautiful and magnetic."

Exactly. Which is why Anne Rice shall always be the premier vampire storyteller... even if she has left the genre.