Every day as I sit at my desk, I high five this guy. His arm swings. He’s my good luck charm. I need him because change is scary and the only thing that doesn’t change is that everything changes.
The internet changed publishing so fast people in the book biz still find it difficult to catch their breath, find a rhythm, secure a spot at the table. Me, I’ve given up on all that. Well, today anyway. Taking it day by day for a while until I get myself sorted. April is revision month and after that I’m just not sure. I know I have a book due, an editor waiting and a publisher willing today.
But then the world could turn upside down tomorrow. There’s an eclipse coming April 4 that is sure to shake up everyone’s life in out-of-the-blue unexpected ways big or small. People born on or close to that day will feel the effects more than others, according to Susan Miller at Astrology Zone.
Social media changes even faster than the internet. I do my best to keep up but I’m done running. I’m 60 and sauntering. You’ll see some changes here on the blog soon, and maybe notice a difference if you follow me on Twitter or are a Facebook friend. I’m getting rid of the Fan page. I’m the last to know but the Facebook Fan page has outlived its usefulness as a free site. The latest thing is to let everyone be your friend, which was what I did before, but everything old is new again.
So…my FB updates will change as I seek to guard my friend and family’s privacy a little better than before. I am so open online, and it has never hurt me, or not much anyway, but not everybody is like me. Also, you might not know this, but there are private pieces of me. No really! Also, some of my friends who are not on Facebook have asked me not to post pictures or updates that include them on the site. I have to respect their wishes.
I’m slowly evolving into my “Fourth Twenty” in other ways too. Taking better care of my health. This is a scary thing because if I lose all the weight my doctor says I need to, my face is gonna be trashed. I mean, more than it already is. I like being a little plump because it means less wrinkles and sag. But I’m 60. Vanity is not going to take me to the plastic surgeon or even an injectable party, thank you very much. I look to letting that go. I think it will be interesting not to be interested in my looks.
The other thing is my blood sugar, which I have battled for years. It looks like giving up sweets is not going to be enough to bring my numbers down. I cut carbs and calories, but it looks like grains are going to have to go, at least until I’m stabilized. So how exactly does a vegetarian get her complete protein, the full amino acid chain, without combining beans and rice or pasta and pine nuts? Could a bigger change than I ever anticipated be afoot?
Cynthia Harrison 
I hear you on change. While change is good, it can be scary too. As I’ve grown older, I tend to look to the simple things to bring me joy. I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin and changed my eating habits. I drink 3-4 litres of water a day and walk close to 20 miles a week. Those two things really helped me to not only lose weight but get my body in rhythm. Good luck with the changes, Cynthia, and saunter away. *cue Walk This Way music* 😉
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Mrs N, I started walking again this week in preparation for my trip next month to Seattle. The weather here in Detroit is still not great to walk outdoors so I got on my treadmill first thing in the morning a couple of times this week. I really want to keep the walking habit all year long. It makes me feel so much better mentally as well as physically when I walk. Cannot wait to get to the park, though, where the walk is also beautiful:)
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Some tough questions, Cynthia, and some tough decisions to make! Can’t help with all of them, but I’ve been a vegetarian for 27 years and fairly healthy with it. I do eat a lot of eggs. According to the UK Veg Society eggs are a perfect protein food for an ideal balance of amino acids. I used to worry about eating a lot of eggs but current thinking is that eggs do not cause a cholesterol problem. My “good” and “bad” cholesterol levels are in balance. I still eat pasta and bread, but small portions. My one weakness is cheese! Well into my sixties I put on weight so easily now. Good luck with it all. 🙂
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Lynn, hearing from you now is a great thing! I was beginning to rethink the vegetarian path–my body digests carbs so much better than other foods. I am going to follow your advice. I love eggs, cooked all ways, so that’s a plus:)
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Way past 60 and sauntering, Cindy. Now, it’s a slow crawl, punctuated by quick bursts of inspiration. Works for me, but wish I could get a handle on the diet. How are you supposed to cut carbs, when you don’t eat much else?
But then I think, Hey, you got to 70 and you’re still here, right?
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The whole carb thing is giving me a big fat headache. I can’t stand the idea of getting insulin shots but carbs are so much easier for my system to digest. Haha Anita, I love this gabbing like the grandma thing:)) It’s so nice to let go and play!
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Cindy,
I have to commend you on how disciplined you have been with your diet! Like you, I have always went up and down with the lbs.! You look great! I can’t imagine giving grains up too! Maybe once you get the sugar under control you can incorporate more in your diet in moderation. All I can say is you have stabilized your weight and I am impressed! Once again I am on the exercise and watch my diet kick! You are an inspiration to me…I just want to keep healthy as I want to see grandchildren one day.
I enjoy your blogs more than you know. Keep writing …it helps me and so many others!
Love you Sis!
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Thanks Becky! You and I have run parallel paths with our health and weight issues in so many ways. Remember when we were all about the green drinks? You did JC and I did WW. We both have tried very hard! I recently read the book WHY WE GET FAT and it is all about carbs hurt the health of people with blood sugar/insulin issues. Some people (not all–the author compared it to smokers. Not every smoker will die of lung cancer, but many will.) Not every person who eats lots of carbs–like most vegetarians–will pack on the pounds. I did some research today and there is a way to remain vegetarian and stay low carb. So I’m going to try it. I have cut carbs for less than a week and have dropped 3 pounds already. I am hoping that pounds=regulated insulin. I need a good blood sugar report from my doctor this month!
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Cindy, I have been following along and am inspired, as usual, by your words and the comments. You’ve already lost 3 pounds! That’s incredible in such a short amount of time. Have you talked to a nutritionist? The right person may be able to help you pinpoint the right food combinations for a healthy you. Twenty-six years ago a nutritionist advised my daughter and got her back on the path to being a healthy young woman.
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Hey Sharon! Funny you should ask…since writing this I have researched nutritionists online and read some of their articles, one very good about how to be a healthy low-carb vegetarian. It sounds quite complicated, but really isn’t once you get the hang of it. I found the answer to my question about good protein sources that are low carb but not meat: yogurt, tofu, eggs, soy crumbles, edamame, cottage cheese, nuts and nut butters. All of which I knew and use but just have to tweak a little. And plenty of veggies and healthy fats complete the picture. Interestingly, research shows fat does not make you fat. And good fat is good for you: olives and olive oils, butter, cream, small amounts of cheeses…it’s funny with the eggs and better–before 1960s they were considered healthy and then the low fat craze started and eggs and butter were suddenly bad for you. Glad that has changed. Again!
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Oh and I eat fish. I tried to go without but I like it too much. I may ease up a bit of the “no meat” thing. Only a little bit …
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At one time, it seemed all I needed to do to lose weight was think about it. Now that I hit 60, reality has hit. The problem I find is there’s so much conflicting information about diets and what works that I don’t know where to begin! Where do you get your low-carb information?
Congrats on having a book due, an editor waiting and a publisher willing! That’s fabulous. And I’m with you on ditching the Facebook page. I have one for my book purse business, and from all the changes they’ve done with business pages, it’s a sinking ship. For my upcoming book, I decided not to bother with an author page. I can handle the privacy/public thing well enough.
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You are making many changes–definitely slow and steady is the way to go!! Eating some protein any time you eat a carb will help blunt a quick rise in blood sugar from the carb–as does fiber. And glad to hear you are trying to exercise more often. That too helps with the blood sugar. Not trying to preach–just a couple tips from the dietitian part of me. Good luck Cindy!! You are so positive–awesome!
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