She's Making History, Working for Victory

I know you know who she is but...

Here is some information on Rosie the Riveter on the National Park Service Website (Click on that and it will give you the full information)...

"Before the United States entered World War II, several companies already had contracts with the government to produce war equipment for the Allies. Almost overnight the United States entered the war and war production had to increase dramatically in a short amount of time. Auto factories were converted to build airplanes, shipyards were expanded, and new factories were built, and all these facilities needed workers. At first companies did not think that there would be a labor shortage so they did not take the idea of hiring women seriously. Eventually, women were needed because companies were signing large, lucrative contracts with the government just as all the men were leaving for the service.

Working was not new to women. Women have always worked, especially minority and lower-class women. However, the cultural division of labor by sex ideally placed white middle-class women in the home and men in the workforce. Also, because of high unemployment during the Depression, most people were against women working because they saw it as women taking jobs from unemployed men.

The start of World War II tested these ideas. Everyone agreed that workers were greatly needed. They also agreed that having women work in the war industries would only be temporary.

The United States government had to overcome these challenges in order to recruit women to the workforce. Early in the war, the government was not satisfied with women’s response to the call to work (Rupp 98).

The government decided to launch a propaganda campaign to sell the importance of the war effort and to lure women into working.

They promoted the fictional character of “Rosie the Riveter” as the ideal woman worker: loyal, efficient, patriotic, and pretty (Yellin 43). A song, “Rosie the Riveter”, became very popular in 1942. Norman Rockwell’s image on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on May 29, 1943 was the first widely publicized pictorial representation of the new “Rosie the Riveter”.A few months after Rockwell’s image, the most famous image of Rosie appeared in the government-commissioned poster “We Can Do It” (Yellin 44).

Here are some of the words to the song about Rosie the Riveter:

All the day long,
Whether rain or shine
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory
Rosie the Riveter

So, why have I chosen Rosie the Riveter as my symbol for weight loss today you may ask? Well, the words, "We Can Do It" have been echoing in my mind today.

I went to WW to weigh in yesterday and am down another 1.6 pounds for a total of 3.8 in two weeks. It is difficult for me not to be discouraged even though I am losing. I keep asking myself why I'm discouraged when the plan is obviously working for me. Maybe I'm conditioned to seeing larger losses because of idiot shows like The Biggest Loser where people are losing 10 pounds in a week.
Weight loss of about 2 pounds per week is preferable and studies show that if you lose weight faster than that it's bound to come right back when you go off the diet.

I haven't felt deprived at all in my efforts to lose weight. I've enjoyed pizza, steak, ice cream and other snacks the last 2 weeks. I've eaten my points and my weekly points as well which have contributed to me feeling like I can still enjoy eating and lose weight.

I thought of Rosie when I got in the car and said out loud, "I can do it." I just need to stay committed and on the path I'm on.

Writing things down is key. Even the 1/3 cup of cashews I throw into my mouth has to be tracked. If I don't it's too easy to lose track of what I'm putting in my mouth and sooner than later the pounds will start coming back.

So....I've chosen Norman Rockwell's original image of Rosie the Riveter...namely because she was the first and secondly because she has a sandwich in one hand!

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Hopefully I can make history, working for victory.

Minus 2.2

On Tuesday, Sept 28th I went in for my first weigh in at Weight Watchers. I've had several first weigh in's at WW in my lifetime! My experience has been that the first week is always a banner week for me. Typically I lose around 4 pounds and a couple of times was even down 6 pounds in the first week!

During my first week on the program this time, I tracked EVERY single thing I put in my mouth....good, bad or ugly it went on the tracker.

Before I left for my initial weigh in I weighed on my scale at home and there was a slight difference in the scale at WW and my scale at home but I accounted for that during the week when I would weigh at home. According to my scale at home, by the appointed weigh in day, I was down 4 pounds. "Not bad!", I thought to myself.

To my amazement when I got on the scale at WW on Tuesday I was only down 2.2 pounds. I am very superstitious about weighing on the same scale at WW each time so it wasn't the fact that I had weighed on a different scale. It just didn't show the weight loss I had anticipated and frankly, I was very disappointed.

I stayed through the meeting as we talked about how to shop at the grocery store, but my mind was on that 2.2 pounds of weight loss and how I wanted it to be more. After the meeting, part of me just wanted to go through the drive through at McDonald's and get a Big Mac! I started to have the mindset that if I was only going to lose 2.2 pounds the first week even after tracking everything that I was doomed! What kind of craziness is that?!

Instead of driving up to the nearest McDonald's, I ate one of my Weight Watchers Mini Caramel treat things for 1 point and drove home to have my Weight Watchers Santa Fe Rice and Beans frozen meal for lunch. It's excellent by the way, and very filling. Crisis averted.

Before I could get really depressed about my "unsuccessful weight loss number" I Googled a photo of a pound of fat. I've done that before but I needed to see it again. As I looked at it and realized that I'd lost the equivalent of half a bag of sugar I came to understand that I had indeed lost weight and that I was doing alright.

So, here I am in week 2 and doing pretty well. I've stepped on the scale every morning and can see small weight loss daily. That keeps me motivated. Here's to weigh in day on the 5th...

Time to Pay the Piper

Tomorrow I will weigh in after my first week back on Weight Watchers. I think I've done pretty well. I've been good about tracking online and even figured out that I can get to the tracker on my phone so that's helped when I've been out.

I need to drink more water and figure out how to get in more fruit and veggies. Sometimes the thought of another salad gags me.

So...stay tuned to see how it goes tomorrow.

Here We Go Again....

For a long time I've theorized that there is something inside an overweight person's mind that makes them see themselves as being less heavy than they really are. I think it's something similar to the way a person with anorexia views themselves only in reverse.

In my humble opinion it's more socially acceptable to be anorexic than obese. Let's be honest, most people would rather look at at woman who is thin and perceives herself as being overweight than vice-versa.

To illustrate my point just look at the photos below and decide which one you'd rather see in action.



My point exactly!!!!

Anyway....I know I'm overweight/obese. I know I need to lose weight and I've done it so many times in the past. I'm sure over the years I've lost 200 pounds...of course not all at one time.

I had an epiphany the other day. I got on the scale. I am heavier now than I have ever been. Part of that is due to the steroids I have been on for 9 months. I am off now and have seen some (like 3 pounds) weight loss in the 3 weeks that I've been off of them but I am still heavier than ever before.

It's not like I didn't know the numbers when we went to the outlet mall the other day either. We went there so my husband could get some shoes. After he got shoes, I stopped in at the Lane Bryant outlet. I can usually spy something there but there was nothing in my size. There were a TON of 18/20 and 14/16. I hardly call a 14/16 plus size by the way!

I was more than disappointed and realized that not only did I have a hard time finding clothes in my size but I also have a hard time finding shoes in my size--size 11, rings-size 10, and bracelets/watches-I need something that will fit an 8" wrist comfortably. In every fashion aspect of my life I have difficulty finding things that are attractive and my size.

The ride home was quiet. I silently shed a few tears in my seat on the way home and my sweet husband sensed that something was wrong and stroked my hair and told me he loved me. The thoughts of despair came quickly but at one point I realized that I needed divine help.

We've all heard of 12 step programs for addictions. I figured that if an alcoholic can pray for help and a drug addict can pray for help than why shouldn't I be able to pray for help with my addiction to food?

At that point I figured that there really wasn't anything to cry about. I am a pretty capable woman in most areas of my life. I can be a procrastinator sometimes but I am generally able to accomplish what I put my mind to. I decided that there were some things that I could do to be more successful in this area of my life.

I do believe that if you put God first in your life that He will make up any difference you may have in your life. I honestly feel that if I can do some basic spiritual things better in my life that I will have a mindset of success.

So...at great risk of some day being ridiculed for what I'm attempting...yet again...I have decided that:

1. I will pray for help every day.

2. I will read and study the scriptures for 30 minutes every day.

3. I will join Weight Watchers again. ( I actually did that online this morning and will go to a meeting this afternoon)

4. I will do something to move my body at least 3 times a week.

Taking the steps to try means something. Little by little, line upon line. Today is day 1...again.

What day is it?

I don't even know what day of my "diet" this is. Probably because I gave up after day 7. Not totally given up "given up" but I haven't really done anything that would say..."I'm on a diet." I've pretty much eaten what I wanted.

I haven't gained any weight and I've lost like a pound but seriously I could gain a pound in an afternoon so what does that tell you!?

Today I had to have a follow up appointment at the doctor for an illness that I'm dealing with and she said that I've gained weight since my last appointment with her (Feb 10) but that she isn't surprised because of the fact that I take Prednisone.

Hmmm...could it be the fact that I've had a couple of bowls of Blue Bell's Caramel Kettle Crunch ice cream...which should be illegal to make let alone eat! Or the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that I have the pre-made dough for? I could eat a dozen of those in an hour no problem!

Let's just go with the Prednisone theory! I'll take what I can get.

Anyway...it's now cooling off here and I'm determined to do better at exercising...and by that I mean walking at least 3 times a week to start out with. You just can't do that when it's literally 107 outside! Today's high is 88 so I think tonight will be a good night for a walk don't you?

If Day 4 and 5 were bad...

then days 6 and 7 were disgusting!

After YEARS of dieting and losing weight and gaining weight I DO know certain things. One of those things is that having junk in your house is weight loss suicide!

I do have healthier choices in the house but when there is a pan of caramel brownies on the counter a nectarine just doesn't sound or smell as good. I shouldn't have even had ONE but I did and then I had another 4 or even 5 in the last 18 hours. I didn't make them, my daughter did but I didn't stop her, in fact I asked her to do it. What is wrong with me?

This weekend we packed more boxes, did good deeds, went to church, and ran errands. Too many unhealthy choices in food. I didn't want to go to a restaurant to eat so we opted for fast food too many times this weekend. I have to think more about what I am putting into my mouth. Maybe I need a buddy?? A person that I would actually tell how much I weigh. Could I do that? Can I tell someone who knows me what the actual numbers on the scale say?!???? I'll have to give that some thought.

We start moving tomorrow and I'm determined to make a fresh start in many aspects of my life.

So far today is not a total loss. I WILL make changes for the rest of the day.

Day 4 and Day 5-Not so Good Days

Ok...so I didn't blog this morning because I left the house at 8:30 and didn't come back until around 3:30 or so. It's been a long day. And a horrible day for eating, as was yesterday.

Yesterday I felt so snacky all day. It could be stress...I have a lot to do in the next week. I think I chose better than I have in the past, tried to stick to 100 calorie packs but I seriously ate 3 of those things. I should have had a Snickers bar...at least I would have enjoyed it more!

Went out to dinner last night with friends and we went to Chipotle. I meant to look up WW points on Dottie's blog thing but didn't and although I ordered a salad with beans and chicken I think I should have left off the sour cream drizzle, guacamole---not a drizzle, and the corn. I have no idea what the calorie content of that little doozy was.

This morning I ate a bowl of Special K with half a banana and some Splenda. I also had a glass of Lite Pomegranite Raspberry juice. Only 5 calories on the juice so I felt fine about that. I really did start off well but then by 12:30 I was starving. We were out in the BOONIES and seriously THE only place was Sonic. There is nothing diet at Sonic. I should have gone for a jr. burger and tots but I didn't. I actually ate a regular hamburger and ordered a large onion rings. Thankfully the 2 other people with me ate half the onion rings but seriously I felt sick after I ate.

Tonight I had 3 slices of a medium Dominos pizza with ham, pineapple and black olives on it. I would have been ok with 2 but then my husband offered me a third piece. I swear he's a "feeder". Another topic for another blog.

So I am feeling really crappy tonight...hence the cartoon at the top. Tomorrow WILL be better. I have some yummy nectarines on the counter waiting for me in the morning.

Note to self....drink more water and recognize your thirst isn't hunger.