On the tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven ladies a-rocking,
Ten hunks a-strutting,
Nine gals a-shopping,
Eight women a-laughing,
Seven flags a-waving,
Six teens a-texting,
Five loaded iPods,
Four kissing frogs,
Three chocolate bars,
Two sparkling gems,
And a flamingo in a tutu.
For the longest time I couldn’t come up with what I wanted to do with eleven ladies a-rocking. Of course, I immediately thought of dancing, which led me to several more thoughts. One was this season on the Dancing with the Stars. I really enjoy the show because it’s something I would have a hard time doing. First, I would never dance in public on television like the contestants have to. I’m afraid I would be worse than Cloris Leachman who was full of such laughter and had me in stitches—but she couldn’t dance. Second, I’m not a star. That’s a relief. The producers won’t be at my door begging me to be on the next season’s show.
Another was the Harlequin party for its authors at the Romance Writers of America’s annual conference. They always have good music to dance to, and I’m out on the floor with probably close to sixty or seventy other people, mostly women, dancing—actually crammed on a small dancing floor where if you swing your arms you’ll punch someone’s lights out next to you. That’s about the only time in the year I dance for almost three or four hours. Talk about being exhausted when I get back to the hotel. The next day I hurt in places that I didn’t know could hurt that much.
But actually that thought led me to what my post is about. Losing weight. Now how did I come up with that thinking about eleven ladies a-rocking? You can rock (of course you can in a rocking chair, too) when you dance and dancing is great exercise, which leads to losing weight. See my thinking on that one. Anyway, I hate to mention this, but after the holidays, you might be one of the thousands and thousands and thousands (you get the picture--A LOT OF PEOPLE!) who will need to go on a diet and lose weight because you indulged maybe just a tad too much with all the sweets and goodies that abound during this time of year. So how should you lose weight?
Sorry, my post won’t be able to give you the magic (and quick—like the ads say 10 pounds a week) cure for putting on too many pounds from Thanksgiving to the New Year. It will take watching what you eat, how much you eat and doing those exercises. It will require discipline and hard work. It’s as simple as that. No grapefruit only diets. No gadget that melts the fat away. But this all gets me back to the object of the post. Dancing is a great form of exercise. Put on some good music and dance your heart out. No one has to see, but you can have fun and the pounds will melt away—that is if you watch what you eat and how much.
Oh, and I have a picture of a flamingo in a tutu (ballet dancers wear tutus)—thanks to a friend who sent me a link. So see I even connected this post with my first one about the flamingo in a tutu.
What are some ways you know to lose weight? What has worked for you?
Have a Merry Christmas and if you are traveling be safe.
Posts
Hey Margaret - discipline is the operative word here. I lose weight when I do what you mentioned - ie eat healthy and exercise. Personally for me, I also need to drink at least 6 cups of water daily and not eat anything except fruit after 7 pm. Drnking green or a natural cleansing tea helps.
ReplyDeleteA writing friend and I have decided to lose weight together. We have a goal set for June 2009. I'm actually going to try to lose 79 lbs by then. I'm watching what I eat this holiday season to maintain and will start the new program on Jan 1st.
Discipline will be my biggie.
Please pray for us. Thanks.
Anita Mae, I will pray. It isn't easy losing weight.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas,
Margaret
Margaret -- I plan to go back to Weight Watchers after the holiday. Not that I haven't had the extra weight long before the holiday got here. I ended up gaining weight once I quit my job and was working at home writing all day. I need to get in a better balance.
ReplyDeleteIn order to achieve results and to maintain that weight strenght is needed and discipline. I have lost weight and kept it off for a lng time but this past year I gained and am in a depressed state because I permitted this. Now I have to once again control myself and get back on track, literally and figureatively. Thanks for this lovely post.
ReplyDeleteIf there were an easy and quick method we would have it, especially Oprah with her limitless connections etc. Alas, being human we have to work at losing this endless weight. I have been exercising for years and know that the only thing that matters is what we ingest daily. Balance is the issue and moderation. A healthy lifestyle and an Italian diet and lifestyle. No overweight people there.
ReplyDeleteJust the plain old-fashioned way to lose weight. No junk or carbs, only grilled or broiled meat, fish and chicken and plenty of veggies and salads. Easy, peasy. Works everytime. Have a great holiday.
ReplyDeleteThanks, you all. You've only confirmed what I thought. Discipline and hard work--like writing.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
Just tell me I can't have something, and then that's the very thing I want! :) So I can't tell myself: you can't eat this or that, or you're only allowed a certain number of calories. If I do that, then I'll blow it, and then I'll get down on myself and give up. So I've found for me, moderation is what works best. Moderate portions. Splurge every now and then, but not every day. And get some activity. It's so tempting to be a bump on a log!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Margaret! I've been smiling, thinking of all of us dancing at the Harlequin part the last couple of years. What fun! :)
Missy
cool i like the rocking ladies but i was in a rocking chair!
ReplyDeletenot eating helps lose weight.
actually this year I have lost about 10 kilos from my heaviest now thats 2.2 pounds to a kilo.
I have found stress helps! but i have gone of bread not from need but the bread doesn't taste as good toasted os instead of bread nearly every day i have it maybe 2 or at most 3 times a week. this weeks its been once. I have lost some weight since eating less bread and the only other thing was I was eating a bit more meat.
I still eat bad stuff like chocolate but trying to cut down. drinking more water than anything also.
but I think for me bread was an issue. Also doing way more walking.
(you can probably hear the knee screaming from there its in a major flare so instead of the zoo today for Christmas I am staying mainly in the hotel but im not lonely) I am doing a jigsaw and about to ring friends. Im then going to walk the water front again here in melbourne.
Happy Christmas to everyone.
There is no trick nor difficulty to understanding how weight loss works. If you take in too much food then you gain weight, and if you eat correctly and are careful you maintain your weight. Exercise is helpful but the main criteria is how many calories are eaten daily. It has never changed and the newfangled diets are not necessary. I think that many individuals who don't have the strength of character to stick to a diet need a weight watchers aspect to make it appear easier.
ReplyDeleteDiane, you are so right.
ReplyDeleteAusjenny, I was really stressed last year and dropped five pounds in two months--that's a lot for me. Sadly, I gained it back when I retired.
Margaret
My doctor told me to lose weight by eating my biggest meal of the day in the morning, then a good sized one in the middle of the day and then a very small amount in the evening. Also plenty of water. I tried it backwards for awhile and actually gained weight. Now, as the doc orders, my clothes are actually LOOSE. Haven't went back and weighed yet.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that dancing would be a great exercise and I understand completely feeling sore spots in places I didn't know I had. I also agree that if I danced, forget the small space, I would probably swing my arms and punch someone’s lights out. Nothing graceful about me no matter the space.
Pam Williams
cepjwms at wb4me dot com