Thanksgiving tomorrow

I fasted most of today (very little for lunch, coffee and water) and ate a banana when I got home for dinner. Actually I feel pretty good and energetic - plenty clearheaded as well. I also feel and look slimmer. Tomorrow I can eat anything I want again - perfect timing since it's Thanksgiving as well!

Today at work I complimented a co-worker of mine on her Grecian Halloween dress. She said I would look good dressed up as a Grecian too because of my hair. I decided to candidly tell her in front of our other co-workers that I'm wearing a wig. I just offhandedly said that I have thinning hair so the hair on top is a wig. She looked a bit surprised (I thought she knew and simply suspected her comment was an oblique reference to it) and said my hair looked good. I said I hope so since I paid enough for it. Then blessing of all blessings later that afternoon a mutual co-worker of ours said he can work for me tomorrow. I now have Thanksgiving off!

Alternate Day Fasting

I just read an article about how fasting every other day can help you lose weight. I completely pigged out today so tomorrow I will fast (meaning that I'll eat 25% of my calories between 11am and 2pm). (I just made it to my midnight deadline to write this post.)

I was thinking about declaring for my New Year 2010 resolution: no red wine or coffee for 1 year. I'd like to reduce my alcohol and caffeine consumption in a reasonable way so I'm eliminating only beverages that stain teeth. In this way I'll stay more hydrated as well as have whiter teeth-- both results increasing my chances to compete in the beauty contest by year end!

My Goal

My goal is to write at least once a day about what I am doing to enter a beauty pageant. Today I read an article about how obesity is highest in the South and Appalachian Mountains. As a recent transplant, I can attest to the fact that it is very easy to get fat because of lack of sidewalks, expensive and limited produce, fast food and reliance on driving to get anywhere.

I'm bit of a perfectionist when it comes to writing so I procrastinated about writing this post. But I want to change my life. Therefore, I need to keep myself accountable to taking small yet tangible steps toward my goal. I think I need to count calories again starting tomorrow. I also want to indulge in the fun ways to prepare for a beauty pageant - walking with a book on my head, for example ;). I want to make it fun for myself so I can finally tackle a health problem that has existed for too long.

Continuation of My "Julie/Julia" Goal

I just moved into the house that I bought with my mother. It's going to be my mother's retirement home in the future, but my sister and I will be living here while we go to grad school. We love our home - We closed on Election Day, and the mayoral candidate we worked for during the summer won the election! Tuesday, November 3rd was a great day! God shined down on us with fantastic weather after a dreary October.

Actually my birthday was in October, and I remembered this project. I regretted that I let the whole house-buying process derail my original intention to compete in a beauty pageant by 1 year. Then last week I saw "Julie/Julia" the book in Barnes & Noble and impulsively bought it. I was reading it last night in a wine bar, and then the waiter brought my receipt with "Julie/Julia Project" noted as my name. Underneath it was the time: 8:17pm. 17 is a very special number for me so I believe God just gave me a special sign to continue pursuing my dream. I also happened to read the first chapters of the book that detailed how Julie was moving simultaneously as she started her Julie/Julia Project. So I promised myself I would start today - 11/22/09 (and true to my word, right before midnight ;).