Hello Kittens & Dawgs! For the past two weeks I’ve used my elliptical and this past week I incorporated a bit of upper body resistance using three-pound weights for the last 20-minutes on the elliptical. I’m feeling good about getting back in step with my workouts. I know the big key to weight loss is my diet. Right now I’m not doing anything drastic. I am simply not eating in-between meals. That in itself is a real death sentence to my dieting goals, so what’s the point of exercising if I’m consuming more calories than I can burn? Exercise along just won’t cut it for the non-athlete. Watching what you eat is essential. All it takes is shaving off daily 500 calories to lose a pound in a week. I have no clue how much extra I’ve eaten since it’s usually nibbling here and there but eliminating that no matter how little or how big, will make a difference. I need to be brave. It’s time to put on my Superwoman cap to get that initial scale reading and then follow-up a week later to see if my dieting plan is enough. On the weekends, I take off from my normal workout routine to hang with my favorite fellow, so, it’s not just Blogosphere that I push aside. The last couple of weekends, we’ve stayed local due to DH’s eye surgery but yesterday he saw his surgeon for another follow-up (these will last several months) and he’s been given the green light for trips to the mountains again. Yippee!!!
I borrowed 5 more questions from an online source. Feel free to lift these off my ‘Cathy Chats’ Prompt’ page to create your own #get2knowme post.
- If you could save just one, would you rather save Humanity or the Earth? Humanity. This is what’s inside a person beginning with one’s soul. If the soul is lost, its doomed to eternal torment and darkness.
- If you had A Big Win in the Lottery, how long would you wait to tell people? That’s a tough question. I don’t know that I would make it public knowledge but after I knew the money was in hand or at least the first payout, then I think we’d tell our kids. It would be cool to spring it on the with something they need, like a new car or down payment for a house.
- If you had 1 year left to live, what would you do for you? It wouldn’t be about me as much as it would be for others. I’d try to build closer ties creating memories to carry those I love through this life until I see them again in heaven. Once I’m gone, I’m gone. I won’t know what’s going on here. However, those remaining are left to carry on either weighted by guilt or uplifted by happiness with time missed or spent together.
- What pipe dreams do you have that you wish could come true? The one pipe dream I’ve carried for the past 30 years to get into a new house. We outgrew this place years ago and we need the space more than ever now.
- What do you find yourself always procrastinating? Getting started with other things away from the Internet each day. I wish I could tend to those things first and then take care of cyberspace but I just can’t get on board to doing things that way.
Okay that’s enough about me for now. Let’s move on to see how last week’s BoTB panned out.
First off, I made a goof. Don’t ask me how I did it but for some reason I thought Contender #2 was Michael Bublé but thankfully Debbie caught my mistake. It turned out I was putting Dusty Springfield up against the original artist, Barry Manilow. My battle started off severly weighted in favor of Michael Bublé before I noted my error but Debbie assured me it makes no difference with female vs. male factor in play. Dusty caught a break and picked up a few votes including mine (It was her whispery soft vocals that captured my heart) but never gained the momentum to make this race super tight. It did turn out better than it began but in the end the votes for May Round 2 BoTB tallied 9-6 in favor of…. Bublé/Manilow!
Every time I think of Barry Manilow, I remember my high school English teacher, Miss S. She had an enormous crush on him and as strange as it is she even resembled Manilow (to-me) somehow, except a lot shorter and slightly chubbier than him. It could’ve been a match made in heaven had Barry liked women. 🙂
[tweetthis]Dusty bites the dust. #BarryManilow wins “I Am Your Child” #BoTB showdown! #music [/tweetthis]
You’ll find more awesome battles underway at some of these blog listed below (not everyone is doing the bi-monthly showdowns now) and if you’d like to be included in the fun, then contact Stephen requesting to be added to the list.
Angels Bark (Michele), Cherdo on the Flipside, Book Lover (Donna), The Doglady’s Den (Debbie), Your Daily Dose (Robin), Jingle Jangle Jungle (Mary), Mike’s Ramblings, Righting & Editing (Janie), STMcC Presents BoTB (Stephen, BoTB Manager), The Sound of One Hand Typing (John), & Tossing It Out
What original artist/band song title would you like to see featured in an upcoming BoTB?
I’m making a slight shift in summer blogging. I am going to only participate in BoTB once per month. My next showdown is set for June 15th, so mark your calendar. You’re welcome to take a coffee break with me as I visit Stacy, Eugenia, and Sandee for some random fun. I hope return tomorrow for not-so-Wordless Wednesday!
X💋X💋, Cathy
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I love your answer to question #1 about humanity.
I wish you all the best with your weight loss journey.
Excellent BOTB installment, CATHY! A three-vote margin of victory is what I also wound up with, and that’s dern close! I’d happily take that every time!
I’m very sorry to learn that you’re going to just one Battle a month beginning in June, but I hope you’ll still come around to vote on the Battles of us bi-monthly BOTBers.
Yak later, muh friend!
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents ‘Battle Of The Bands’
Stephen,
I had a June 1 battle set to go but then I decided it was best to cut back for awhile. Summers are slow in Blogosphere and I’m more motivated in warmer weather to do things I put off when it cold, so I need to devote my time to other things. The time away from blogging just makes me more ready when I do return to full steam. Thanks for popping by to check out the results. Have a great week. Now, I’m off to visit you, my friend!
Way to go with your fitness! Enjoyed your five questions as well. Have a good week!
Thanks for the return visit. I stepped on the scales yesterday. It read 117. Next week, I’ll decide if more drastic measures are needed. I know I won’t drop 2-pounds this week but if I manage to lose one then I’ll be happy. Isn’t it interesting how easy it is to gain weight but takes moving heaven and earth to get a single pound off? 😀
Great job on exercising. I wish I was motivated like you. I hope you get that new house someday soon.
Ellen,
It’s hard to motivate oneself to change a habit. You gotta be ready to accept the challenge and rise against the odds. Oh, I hope we get into a new house someday soon, too. Have a good day!
excellent approach to dieting! Have a lovely day!
Kathe,
Usually, I’m more aggressive with my dieting but I’m a bit tired of going that route. So, I thought I’d give this method a shot to see how I do with it. I’m sure to change things at some point, though.
That’s wonderful, your DH getting the okay from the surgeon to do more and more!
Good answers, i know i would love to be able to give things to my kids that they need.
Mimi,
We’re very glad things are going well. He doesn’t go back for another visit for 4-6 weeks, so that’s fabulous! The weekly and bi-weekly visits are tiring. It’ll be so great to get this all behind us. God has been incredibly good to us. If I knew there was a guarantee of a sure lottery win then I’d consider playing regularly but the odds are heavily stacked against me. It’s nice to dream of such things, though. 🙂
I thought something was off about that Buble! Good thing Debbie and others were able to figure it out. Ah well.. I wasn’t voting based on artist name – was voting on which version sounded better, so that doesn’t change my vote any.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
ps I think my elementary teacher had crush on Barry Manilow as well, as we had to learn many of his songs during music time.
Mary,
I’m glad you weren’t disappointed to learn about my screw up. I think Barry Manilow has an incredible voice and has a lot of fabulous hits but a handsome man he is not, so I never got why my English teacher had a crush on him. I guess it had to be the voice that attracted her to him and I guess I get that because I’ve heard male voices that sounded handsome to my ears and when I lay eyes on the face behind the voice I was often surprised to see it didn’t match. 🙂
Fun questions. I don’t know about the humanity one. At times, I wonder if we’re damaged beyond redemption.
Jacqui,
Being a Christian, I believe there is hope for all but only if the individual(s) come to Christ (John 14:6) seeking forgiveness and surrounding his/her heart to His service. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:8-10 that God doesn’t want any to perish but to come to repentance. When we become followers of Christ then it’s more than lip service, it’s a change of heart, a way of life to be the best we can for His glory. I’m flawed but through Jesus, I can do anything. Hopefully, somewhere along the way His light will shine through me for others to see their way to Him. The old saying changing the world starts with you (me) is true and I believe I can make the difference whether I see proof of it or not. Thanks for visiting!
Happy Tuesday, Cathy. We love you here in blog land, but be sure to get outside, enjoy the sunshine and mountains and your time spent with DH. That goes for all of us. 😘
Eugenia,
Ahh, you’re so sweet! I love all of my peeps in Blogosphere, too! I will get my share of sunshine. I hope to stay on top of the yard work this summer and of course, I want to make time for fun outings to the mountains when possible. However, during the week I’m challenging myself to get much-needed chores and organization done. I plan to turn on the heat with my exercise routine and house hunting. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is the year we make that move to my dream house. 🙂
Good luck with it all. 💪
The older you get the tougher it is to keep the weight off. I say that my sand shifted. It really did too. Oh well, we do what we can to be and look healthy.
I didn’t catch that mistake. I’m losing my mojo where music is concerned.
Loved all your answers. I wish you had a bigger place to spread your wings.
Have a fabulous day, Cathy. Big hugs. ♥
Sandee,
My kids are forever telling me, “You look great” but I remind them that it’s harder than it looks when age is against you. They don’t understand that muscle gets replaced with fat and flab. These things do not always show but you know they are there when you live with it. I might not be that 20-something girl anymore but like you said, I can be the best possible me no matter what my age meter reads. Maintaining fitness is so much more than just looking good, it makes you feel good. Exercise is good for the body and mind!
Good for you for exercising and trying to get toned. I can’t use weights but they are good to gain strength. I would save the earth because if the earth dies, so does humanity. I would love to move to Europe…Austria or even southern Germany because I always felt at home there. Who know…maybe in my past life, I loved in that area. If I had a year to live, I would make sure all my finances, will and funeral were in order. I would travel and I would give my most treasured items to the people I care for most. Great questions and love hearing ..reading more about you.
Birgit,
Thanks for sharing your answers to these questions. I hadn’t thought about the perspective life ceasing should the earth die but you’re right. In all honesty, the two go hand-in-hand. Oh, yes I would definitely make sure my finances, will, and burial was arranged ahead. I don’t want this to fall on DH shoulders if he outlives me nor do I want my children to deal with this burden. Losing someone you love is the wrong time to work through this stuff. There are so many decisions to make and emotions are too high to deal with it all.
Hi Cathy, I love your story, where you came from, what you did with your life. I am very happy to stop by here and see all your shares. I have been really sick lately so I am trying to determine foods that will work for me! Nothing is easy if you want good results. I appauld your hard work and determination. Best wishes to you to accomplish your goals. HUGS
Anne,
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been very ill. I hope you can improve your health through good nutrition and whenever your strength returns, you may wish to incorporate more activity. It’s difficult bouncing back from being sick for a lengthy period. I learned that in 2013 but I did get better and so shall you. You’re in my thoughts & prayers. Thank you for visiting.
Hi, Cathy!
I applaud you for having the discipline to workout and to work your diet plan. The one thing I have noticed about women in particular over the years is that they love to “nibble” between meals, something I never do. While it is good to eat several small “meals” per day according to the experts, the foods they have in mind are a lot different from the sugary, salty, fatty snacks most people like to nibble on throughout the day. It takes discipline to put away that bag of chips and to stop popping a couple more in your mouth every time you pass the bag lying on the counter. The picture taken of you on Mother’s Day is proof that you are already “in church” – already doing a fine job of maintaining your weight and staying fit. If you think you still have a few more pounds to shed, I have no doubt you will reach your goal.
For the last ten years, my blogging avatar has been a pipe smoking intellectual. My actual pipe dream is to continue the rest of my life as a non-smoker – a former smoker who quit in 1992. Next month I will celebrate 26 years without a single smoke, a single alcoholic drink or any kind of illegal drug in my system. Staying sober, staying in control, is a great feeling.
I enjoyed watching Manilow’s big hit “At the Copa,” a song that recalls an era. I am happy to know that my team won the Battle of the Bands this time around and also pleased to see that it was a close contest. Thanks for letting us know you will be scaling back your BOTB participation during the summer months.
Have a happy Tuesday and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
I find if no-no foods are out-of-sight, they are out-of-mind, too. I’m horribly guilty of falling for the salty, sugary cravings that many women succumb to throughout the day. In the back of my mind, I still have those childhood fears of turning into the mothers I saw around me, over-weight and no desire to change things. I don’t think it’s good for a mother or wife to have the mindset of accepting what they’ve become instead of fighting to look and feel her best at any age. It’s a struggle to keep the weight from sneaking up on you especially the older you get. The way I see things is I can do nothing aging with a lot of complications caused by weight or to take care of myself through the years aging gracefully with little to no health issues. The thing is I want every woman to know it’s never too late to make these changes. Just do it, you’ll be happy that you did!! I think it’s wonderful that you no longer smoke or partake in other indulgences that can cause problems. I applaud you for taking control of your life to live free of these vices for 26 years! Thanks for stopping by to learn the outcome of my latest BoTB and for the visit, dear friend. Have a good week!