Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Enough is enough


For the past ten years I have been completely obsessed with clay. Learning how to throw on the wheel, how to hand build, to mix glazes, sell my work, get in galleries, get in good shows. I even took a workshop on kiln building. I know a lot, I'll never know enough, and definitely will never ever know all there is to know about clay. But all this learning and obsession has pushed many things aside, including my appearance. Dirty clothes all the time, hair that barely gets brushed, dirty fingernails,worn out shoes. Charming right? I have had no interest in fashion or shopping and my eating habits sort of took the same path. I was shoving in whatever I could grab at the drive through on my way to the studio, or not eating lunch because I was involved with my clay. Well, I'm just about tired of this lifestyle and ready for a change. The hair brushing is still an issue, but I have been putting on some cute clothes and wearing better shoes. I just braid my tangled hair and no one knows the difference! If you look back at the photos of me at the beginning of this blog, you can see how the pounds have piled on and really in a very short time. I was around 135 when I started this blog!

Ten years ago,  I joined Weight Watchers to get off some mom/moving stress weight. I was eating everything in sight and gaining a bunch of weight. I joined WW and the weight came off fast. I maintained that weight for a good while and then all of a sudden, I hit 50, I was obsessed with clay and the weight started piling back on. I'm just going to say it. I have gone from 140 to 160 in just a couple of years, and it is not what I want to look like. I have a small frame, and on me 160 is too much weight. I did that BMI test thing and it said I was OBESE! Oh hell no, I am not obese. but I am out of shape!

Enough is enough, so last Friday, Gerry's sister went with me to a WW meeting, and it was great. It's all such a head game, and the "conditioning" is pretty much a brain washing session, but bring it on. I'm ok with being brainwashed into eating right again and exercising. It's all about accountability for me. I bought a tracker at the first meeting to keep up with everything I put in my mouth, every walk/run/hike I take. That's the only way I can do this program. A friend of mine joined the online program last November and I agreed to do it too. She lost 20 pounds, I gained three. So much for doing it on my own.

I live for the "bravo" stickers, and the gold stars, and writing in my tracker. What an OCD case I am! I even found my  "I lost 5 pounds" bookmark from my last go at this. And my tracker? I painted it and glued on a birthday card I got last year that looks about the way I have been feeling, and I carry it everywhere. It's just another art project for me! So far, I'm doing really well with this. It is amazing what I will eat when I know I have to write it down and be accountable for it, and know that in a week I am going to step on the scale at the meeting and I might get a gold star! It's brilliant. It's not cheap, but if I sell one necklace a week at the farmer's market it pays for my meeting that week, haha! not a bad trade off.

I feel really good. Wesley and I are going out every morning and walking these hills from hell in our neighborhood (hence the name Chapel Hill, I'm sure!). I am eating no meat, no sugar, no white flour, only fruits, vegetables, grains, and lots and lots of water only. No soda, no caffeine, except for one very small cup of coffee in the morning.

So stay tuned for the incredible shrinking woman photos to come!

20 comments:

Chris said...

And there I was thinking that you were going to say you were through with CLAY!!

LOL on me! You go girl.

Dennis Allen said...

With your group to cheer you on and Wesley as an exercise buddy, I'm sure you will be successful. If you do get the clay itch, you could make some 2 oz ice cream bowls to sell to your WW group.

Tracey Broome said...

Ha, Christine, not quite ready to quit clay, just resting :-)
Hey Dennis, NO! I would have to do that cone 6 functional glaze thing that never works for me!

Judi Tavill said...

how tall are you? sorry... that's my OCD kicking in...

Tracey Broome said...

Haha, I'm 5'7", although I seem to be shrinking,everyone around me seems taller than me these days!

cindy shake said...

I swear to jeezus we are sisters separated by the North and South!! I was a "lifetime" weightwatcher even before all this new on-line stuff... LOVE their principals, now at 50 I too am getting to be a "fatty-cathy." I too need to just put down the fork!! ox
go girl!

Tracey Broome said...

Cindy, you are so right, we gotta get together one of these days! Go WW!

Michèle Hastings said...

I use to be a die-hard weight watchers member... I even worked for them for a couple of years. Yes, I was one of those women who weighed members in every week. I was also thin then. I joined, like you, to keep control... somewhere in the last 8 years I lost it. I am hoping you will inspire me to get back on the band wagon.
You can do it!

Tracey Broome said...

Michele, I hear ya! It's the clay, I'm telling you. It takes over, haha. I wonder how close a meeting place would be for you. There is also a really good online program, but if you worked for them, you could probably do it on your own. I just know that it's a healthy plan, and that's what I need. We eat healthy food anyway, but I also grab a lot of junk when I'm out in the world!

Vicki said...

Clay has a way of keeping one sedentary.

I seriously cracked up when I saw the baby pic! Hilarious. Love it :)

Michèle Hastings said...

Tracey, I have tried to follow the online plan, but like you I need the meeting and the STICKERS! We are all kids at heart and love little rewards...
Here is a funny story... when i was working for WW it was an evening job that I went to right after my day job. On my way home one night I went into Mickey D's to get some dinner. When I was done ordering I realized I was wearing my WW name badge, I am sure the counter help had a good laugh at that (and I am sure I wasn't ordering a salad).

Amy said...

yeah for you. this rain is keeping me from running which is not fun at all. I find that running/jogging helps my back too- and well, keeps me from going crazy--- I ALWAYS feel better after exercising.
can't believe I forgot you are in chapel hill as I was there yesterday in a residential neighborhood and saw a deer in the middle of the street! would be great to meet you sometime- we could go walking! :)

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Vicki, that picture was on a birthday card I got last year,it is so funny, glad you liked it!
Michele, what a great story, lol! Yeah, the online program would not work for me, I gotta know that I am going to face that scale at WW every week, and I want my sticker!

Tracey Broome said...

Amy! You were right here! We have so many deer around here, it's crazy. We have a mom and two babies basically living in our yard right now. We are walking every day, waiting on cooler weather for the running.

Susan Wells said...

Well alrighty then Tracey!! Come up here and walk with me. We've got an awesome hike at Occoneeche mtn. Two miles of up and down. I used it to train for our Grayson Highlands back packing last year. Plus the blueberries are probably ripe!

Tracey Broome said...

Yes ma'am. I am there! Lets do it soooon!

Anonymous said...

ugh, Tracey, you have pushed me closer to my own "enough" edge. I could blame spinning & stitching, or the last 3 yrs. of work....or myself, more ugh.

Tracey Broome said...

Hi Cindy, yeah, I reached a scary scale point, had to do something! Maybe I will blog more about my efforts....it might help some other folks....

Anonymous said...

do post about it if you're up for it...my scary scale point passed your's by...ok, almost enough, continued ughing.

Marian Williams said...

I can SO relate to you on this topic! Just wrote a blog post at www.marianwilliamspottery.com
and quoted you and included a bit of your post in mine-hope that's ok! Good luck with your changes and I'll hope I can be as dedicated!