Well it’s over, I reached 100 days, but not my goal of losing 50 pounds. I lost 14 pounds.

Am I disappointed…no not really. Could I have done more, perhaps. Well, I’m now on cholesterol meds, a true disappointment. Turns out my cholesterol level jumped 30 points under my diet.  The doc says I’m genetically pron to high cholesterol. I’m scheduled for knee surgery cause I’ve got a torn meniscus and after a month or more I’ll be as good as new.  That’s when I’ll be back.  I’m going to do this again, I’m going to lose more weight, continue to improve my health and taking life on one day at a time.

As for my cholesterol level, my family doctor called to tell me that he needed to see me. That doesn’t sound good, guess my numbers didn’t drop down far enough. Darn it, I’ll have to go on cholesterol drugs. I was hoping to avoid that. Nonetheless, I have lost 14 pounds!

What I’ve learned is I need to include exercise in my life to lose weight. I can’t lose weight just by watching what I eat. I can maintain my weight by watching what I eat, but not lose weight. I learned that while I pursued foods that encourage healthy cholesterol levels, it really didn’t eliminate my need to take cholesterol lowering drugs. But I am healthier for it and I think I’ll benefit down the road for pursuing a healthier lifestyle.

I’m scheduled for my knee surgery the day before Thanksgiving and it will take about four months to get full use of my knee back. When that happens, I’m going to begin my 100 day journey all over again…but this time I only need to lose 36 pounds…a bit more realistic? If all goes well. If all goes well.

No matter how hard you try to control their worlds, you can’t control fate. When my kids were small, I remember calling the homes of children they wanted to visit to see if the parents had guns in the house before I’d let them hang. Overly cautious, maybe, but I was more comfortable dropping them off. Most of the time, I simply invited their friends to hang at our house.

But when they’re adults, they are on their own and you can only hope, wish, pray that each day will be normal and they’ll grow to a ripe old age.

I now know what my mom felt each time I left the house without telling her where I was going and when I’d be home. And when they’re away at college, that feeling grows to include “I wonder if they’re home safe.” Thank goodness for texting. I secretly love when my daughter texts me to wake her up at 6 or 8 in the morning, cause I know she’s in her bed, safe. It brings me back to the time when I tucked her him, sang her a song, and kissed her goodnight.

I feel for the family, for the Dad, for my daughter; what a tragedy.

I’m also going to have an MRI done on my knee on the 29th. I want to know what’s causing my discomfort so I can get back to biking 5 miles a day. I miss it. The doctor believes it could be scar tissue. Without biking, my aggressive weight loss goals are on the back burner. So I’m anxious to get moving.

Speaking of moving, working part time is agreeing with me. I’m wearing a pedometer and I walked 8,900 steps the other day. They say that 2000 steps equals one mile so I’ve been busy. I’m also glad to be “out in the world.” Working at home does have its social limits. While there hasn’t been much time for socializing, the interaction is nice and I’ve been supplementing my income and that feels great. Once I’ve completed training, it’s a commission only job, but I can sell so I’m looking forward to the challenge. Like tennis, sales rely totally on the skill of the individual. If I close, I win and I’ve been selling to the press for years.

I’ve also begun to realize that becoming an empty nester is getting closer and closer as my son has begun the college application process. While he’s applied locally to Clemson, he’s applying to colleges in Florida, New York and California and they all have a major price tag. Another reason to be happy I’m supplementing my income.

I’ve learned that it really doesn’t matter which one he selects as they all cost about the same. The real difference will be how far he wants to commute. If he’s in California, I’ll see him at Christmas and over the summer. If it’s New York, we could visit with him when we visit his sister who attends college in Manhattan. Florida would be a day’s drive and Clemson a few hour’s drive away. It will be interesting to see where he lands as he’s getting letters from colleges all over the country; I can only hope one of them will come with a scholarship!

While I was being checked, the nurse took my blood pressure, it was 90 over 60. She couldn’t believe how good it was so she took it twice. Not bad, when I started this adventure, my blood pressure had slowly climbed to 115 over 80. I’ve averaged around 112 over 68 for years. So my healthful diet and walking Stacey May is beginning to show its benefits and I’m pleased.

I also started a part-time job this week. I wanted something that would help with my daughter’s monthly college expenses and keep my debt in check. I’m in training now. It’s sales. The hours are great if you want to pursue other interests, and heck, I’ve been selling images and change for years so why not. Once I’m done training, it’s purely commission which is a bit unnerving, but I’ll be working nights and weekends. That’s great because I still have time to work on PR contracts and start other ventures. It’s a win/win for me.

Then I found out another benefit to working part-time. The person who’s training me said that she lost 30 pounds when she first started working there. Gee make money and lose weight, I could really like this arrangement.

So things have been moving forward, not perfect, but moving forward. I honestly believe that when one door closes another opens. Sometimes you have to look really hard to find it, but it’s there if you just look. Now I just want to see where this door leads me.

As for me I tried biking again, but it irritated my knee so I’m put off biking 5-miles a day for another week. About two weeks ago, I twisted my knee enough to irritate an old cartilage injury from high school. And since I don’t want to create a permanent problem, I’ll give it a little longer to mend. Heck it’s been raining so much I really couldn’t bike anyway. My hubby, on the other hand, has a gym at work so he’s been keeping up with his regiment, faithfully, and it’s showing.

In addition to changing my physical being, I’m trying to change my professional life. Jobs in my field are beginning to open up so I’m sending resumes out left and right. I was told by one recruiter that she received 150 resumes for her open position. I was one of the lucky ones who got an interview. In fact I’ve gotten four interviews in the last month.

It’s helped that I’ve toned down my resume to one page which is hard when you have 18 years of experience. But I haven’t been able to tone down my examples in the interview because I am who I am. I’ve worked at the global level and as a director and so before the end of the interview, I get the “You’re very talented with a lot of experience, why would you want this job?” Well let me see, because I need a job? Because there aren’t any jobs at my level I can apply for in the state? Because I want to work and you’re getting a lot more for your money so I figure I’m a bargain? It’s maddening.

So while I’ll wait for the one interview where the manager I’ll be working for has enough confidence in his/her skills that I won’t be a threat, I’m going to get a part-time job. In fact, I got one yesterday. I’m going to sell cars, yeah, used cars. I figure if I can sell company images to the public and sell stories to the national press, I can sell cars to people who need them. So for now I’ve signed up with the No. 1 seller of vehicles in Charleston, Carmax.

My brother worked for them in Maryland and their reputation for reselling quality is real. It will mean working every weekend, but I’m okay with that. In fact, now that I’m on board, the GM suggested I monitor corporate jobs and go for one if it opens up or I can apply for a management job at the dealership once I get some experience and “prove myself.” Well I’m up for the challenge, but are they ready for me? We’ll see if we can make this a win/win for all concerned.

The truth of the matter is I’m over 50, I’m a baby boomer and we’re at a disadvantage in the job hunt. Why invest in someone who will only work for the next 15 years when I can hire someone who can give 25 years. Wake up America, the average worker gives 5 to 8 years and moves on. If you hire a boomer, we’re so grateful for the employment, we’ll stay until retirement and you’d benefit from the experience we bring to the table at NO EXTRA CHARGE.

Well Carmax must get this cause there are a few sales associates who are my age or older, most of them in gold uniforms or the president’s level…not because of seniority but because they get it. They are selling cars and reaching their objectives. For boomers, it’s in our nature to work hard. Personally, I think it’s a shame that all this PR experience is being wasted, but I’m not the only person in this situation. The economy is blind to age, race, sex…it hits all of us in some way and it’s been a tough time for many. There are many boomer professionals flipping burgers, greeting guests at Wal-Mart and selling anything and everything to make a buck. Good for them, they haven’t given up.

Guess you never know what life will bring you, I’m just glad I know how to make lemonade out of the lemons life gives me.

I’ve been reading about Hypnosis. I’m researching the topic for a book I’m starting to write. I actually did the initial research before I was married and then only thought about it over the years. So I’ve decided it’s time. It’s a thriller wrapped around the Salem witch trials. Yeah it’s another witching novel. I don’t like vampires or werewolves so it’s witches for me. I grew up reading Stephen King and I got the itch to do this book when I visited Salem, MA years ago. It’s placed in modern times so it’s not really a rehash of the same old story.

I’ve got a few other story ideas that I want to pursue. Another book I’ve outlined is for 5th and 6th graders. It’s a comedic fantasy that is sure to keep kids entertained. I’m going to continue with both and see which one earns my full attention and then we’ll see what happens. As for the others, they’ll have to wait.

Why two books at once? They say that when you write books, they become a part of your reality. While I look forward to bringing my characters to life and creating the story lines I’ve been contemplating for years, I think splitting my attention on both will ground me, keep me from getting writer’s block and keep my creative juices running.

My only weakness, I still crave sweets. Not desserts, CANDY! I love Swedish fish, caramel, licorice and chocolate. I’ve realize it’s an addiction. The other day I bought a bag of Swedish fish for my son and I just had to have one…I couldn’t resist. I stopped myself at three. And when I traveled back from Maryland late at night, I needed caffeine and sugar to keep going. Do you know 30 pieces of Good N Plenty equals 140 calories? Guilty as charged. I can pass desserts, sugar, ice cream and alcohol…but put candy in front of me and I melt.

The way I’ve been able to keep sweets at bay is by keeping them out of the house…but I’m craving the buggers. Last night I wanted to get in the car to go buy a bag of Swedish Fish. I didn’t, but I wanted to. Is it the candy or the sugar that I really want? The “Diet Solution” says that if I’m craving sugar, I must be eating too many carbs. If I eat less carbs I’m going to be on the Atkins Diet! Nah, I think I just miss my favorite candies. My daughter says it’s because I’m not drinking enough water. She says you get cravings when you don’t drink enough water. Maybe that’s it.

At least I’m not dreaming about sugar-plum fairies.

I love that I’ve lost 11 pounds. I feel better and my clothes fit nicer. But I’m concerned, my real goal is to reduce the fats in my liver. Even though my cholesterol levels are normal, a sonogram showed fat deposits that alarmed me and my doc. So I’m dieting. The real success will be if my healthful eating and water drinking is helping my liver process excess fat tissue. So in November, I’ll return to my doctor to have a sonogram done and we’ll see if eating the right foods is enough.

So I guess it’s fair to say that I won’t be losing 50 pounds in 100 days. Too much has happened over the past month or so to keep knocking me off my target weight loss goal. Nonetheless, I’m going to keep losing weight. I can’t wait to be 20 pounds less…so come on that’s get this show on the road.

According to the book, “The Diet Solution,” if you’re a protein type like me, you crave rich, fatty foods such as pizza, sausages and salty roasted nuts. Yep, that’s me. And I’m supposed to love food. Yeah, I love food. So when I eat more carbs than protein, I’m supposed to crave sugar. Yep, that’s me too. So the shoe fits.

What’s next? As a protein type, it proposes that I eat a diet high in proteins and fats and low in carbs. It says if I do eat carbs I have to pick fruits and veggies with some grains. I’m to focus on whole eggs, dark-meat poultry, beef and dairy. Not the best choices for someone who needs to reduce their cholesterol are they?

Yeah that’s what I thought too. But the author is convincing me that it’s not saturated fat that’s causing my issues, but refined carbs, processed foods and hydrogenated oils. My liver has been so busy processing junk that it was able to process “fat” and that’s why my liver showed signs of fatty deposits. It also says that if I eat the right foods I won’t be hungry. So I’ll play along and see what it does for me.

So for the next three days, I’m gonna eat protein at every meal and/or snack. I’m gonna eat small meals frequently. I’m gonna avoid carbs, except my sprouted grain breads, veggies and fruit. The Diet Solution suggests apples and avocados – yum.

If the above doesn’t fit you, then you might be a carb type or a mixed type. To find your type you can take the Metabolic Typing Diet by Wolcott and Fahey or purchase “The Diet Solution” book like I did. My daughter’s a carb type…a weak appetite; gets by on small amounts of food, loves baked goods and starchy veggies. My hubby and son tested out to be mixed types, they have characteristics from both extremes.