Calling Kim . Do you read me? . Over . SOS . Do you copy? . Over . You're breaking up . Come in, Kim . Over . Kim? . Are you there? . If you don't check in soon, desperate measures may result like driving to the nearest store and hitting the ice cream aisle . Kim? . Born on October 28 . With curls . Last seen in Boston . APB . Amber Alert . All truckers keep an eye out . Oh dear . What can the matter be? . Will a spoonful of sugar help? . Oh, forgot . You're a salty . A bag of salt & vinegar potato chips then? . Calling kimmmmmm ?

Committing

I feel like I recommit every day, am pretty mindful.  Yet, my body remains stuck.  No gain.  Just stuck.  Getting moving seems to make my knee very unhappy.  Although I prefer to walk or ride bike, I think I will have to do chair work and get back to the pool.  The pool is doable now that the shoobies are gone!

TIPS FROM WEIGHT WATCHERS

Going through last year's notes, I came across this tip list, downloaded using Kim's WW account:

Brush your teeth after every meal and snack 
This will be a signal to your mouth — and your mind — that it's time to stop eating. Brushing will also give your mouth a nice fresh taste that you'll be disinclined to ruin with a random chip. At work, keep a toothbrush with a cover and toothpaste in your desk drawer.

Clean your closet
First, it's great exercise. Second, it's an important step in changing your attitude. Get rid of all the clothes that make you look or feel bad. Throw out anything that's too big — don't give yourself the option of ever fitting into those clothes again. Move the smaller clothes up to the front to help motivate you. Soon, you'll be fitting into those too-tight jeans you couldn't bear to part with.

Take your measurements
You might not like your stats now, but you'll be glad you wrote them down when you see how many inches you've lost. It's also another way to measure your success, instead of just looking at the scale. Sometimes even when the numbers on the scale aren't going down, the measurements on your body are.

 Get started with these four steps to better habits.

1. Identify the cue-- I call it a "trigger"--I can count on one of these pretty much every second of every day
What's driving your habit to mindlessly devour a box of cookies or pick at your cuticles? Is it a certain time of day (the 3pm snack attack), place (your office), person (in-laws or your “food pusher” friend), activity (watching TV) or an emotion (pick one)? Write down the triggers in order from strong to mild. Once you know why you’re hooked, you can work on strategies to counter those triggers.

2. Determine the reward-- A new body
What do you get out of this habit? When you hit the office vending machine, is it really the stale pastry you’re after? Do you have to keep walking by your coworker’s desk with the overflowing candy bowl? Think about what else is happening, or what you’re feeling, or really seeking. Could be you’re looking for a diversion from the mountain of paper on your desk. Or perhaps you’re craving a chance to hang with your peers. What other non-eating activities could provide a similar reward?

3. Insert a new behavior--Pick up the phone? Once you find an alternate way to nab the reward you seek, practice this new behavior to reinforce it. Instead of visiting your colleague with the tempting candy bowl why not invite her for a 15 minute brisk walk around your office building — since your true reward is taking a breather and socializing.

4. Be prepared for relapse-- No problem
Everything was going so well, and then you had a stressful situation so you cut yourself some slack. Now you're slipping back into old patterns. Don't go down the self-defeatist road of thinking, "Oh well, I messed up. I might as well throw in the towel." Regard your relapse as one small step back. Focus on the many forward steps you've taken — because that’s your evidence of success. You did it once; and you can do it again. Then start fresh immediately.

OK, so I ate a whole bag of Trader Joe's Multi-Grain Pretzel Nuggets this morning. Better than a whole pie, right? I believe--and that's the operative word--that I'm trending in the right direction.

Let me hear from you.
Begs & kisses.

Y'all listen to Bob Marley now

Wooooo! Oohhh Hoo!
Oh yeah! Oh yeah 

You gonna
Lively up yourself, and don't 

say no

You gonna lively up yourself, cause I

said so
You rock so, you rock so
You dip so, you dip so

You gonna lively up yourself 

                                                                       Come on, baby, yo

You rock so, you rock so

You dip so, you dip so

 Come on and lively up yourself,

 And don't say no

Oh, yeah!

U-TURN
You know that feeling, when you've reached slim or slimmer, when you then allow yourself a few indulgences, when the few indulgences grow into many, when you hope-against-hope it won't mean a weight gain, when inevitably it does, when the fear builds that it's only going to get worse, but you can't stop eating more than you know you should?

Oh, yeah.

So, I'm a week or so into a turnaround, into reversing direction, from pounds creeping back up incrementally, to ounces starting to come off incrementally. At least, it feels that way. Even if I'm only a single ounce lighter, there's relief in having made the U-turn, once again. After so much inner resistance. So much holding on tenaciously to my primary drug of choice. Not wanting to let go of the comfort food. But for a week or so now, I have managed to turn the tide.

I'd love to have my support group back, though. I need Kimsday. 

Please let me know how you're doing. It may help you. I know it will help me.

Love.