Amusing myself in a NON food way

I'm pretty bored these days. My job is boring. My kids are grown and far away. My husband is not much of a talker.My Mom is in a retirement apartment complex and she doesn't need much.  I have some great hobbies and some good friends, but my MAIN amusement, which is FOOD has been taken away.

I am SO EAGER to have surgery and need to lose 12 lbs to submit to insurance. I've been talking about it all summer so everyone I meet is asking me, "when are you having it done?" It's kind of embarrassing to admit that the only thing holding me up is the need to lose more weight for insurance.

Anyway, I'm trying to distract myself and get used to the less food thing. I have come up with the following things to do, which am sharing in case they amuse you all also:

1. AROMATHERAPY: I'm not very informed about this, but I have lemon essential oil, which I have at work to make me peppier and I have lavendar essential oil which I rub a tiny bit on my CPAP mask strap at night to make me relax.

2. COLLECT LOW CALORIE RECIPES: when I can't eat the food, I go to eatbetteramerica and prevention.com and foodnetwork and print out recipes that sound like they would be good and healthy. I put them in page protectors and in notebooks. I have a great collection. I actually don't cook all that much anymore, but this amuses me. If I ever DO have time to cook. I'll have many choices.

3. This is my favorite: I got a collection of 5 water bottles from Amazon . They are in different colors and patterns and I love my water bottles very much, so I am matching them to my outfits or, better yet, to my underwear. So one day I had an orange water bottle, orange underpants (from Walmart), an orange shirt AND an orange watch band. For some reason this cracks me up. Obviously nobody KNOWS about the underwear part but me, and nobody NOTICES the water bottle matches, but I know it and it makes me smile.

I think this obsession with underwear color stems from the fact that my son is an ER doc with the Army. He's in Seoul for a year and I miss him, but some days when I'm all matching I think, "well if I have to fall over with a medical problem and be rushed to the ER, this would be a good day because everything matches." I told my son that if an older woman ever arrives in his ER and her underwear matches her shirt, he is to treat her with EXTRA respect because she's still TRYING. My son is a good guy, "sure, Mom," he says.

Now that I read this, I sound totally CRAZY, but I'm sending this anyway because eating less is HARD and leaves a HOLE and we have to learn to be happy without all the food.

So, what are YOU doing instead of eating?????

I loved your crazy post! I match the pens I'm using at work to my outfits and I got made fun of my coworkers when they noticed.

whatever, matching is cool.


What do I do instead of eat? Lately I've been shopping. Well browsing mostly. I cruise thrift stores and resale shops looking for deals. So far I've only found one top, but I have plenty to do on my lunchbreak. lol.

Ahh, matching PENS to outfits. I never thought of this. I can see this happening. In fact, I'm a rubber stamper and a cardmaker, so I already HAVE the pens. I think a set might need to go to work tomorrow.

I've been doing a bit TOOO much "retail therapy". I love Amazon.com where people review the products. I need to slow down the spending as I have MEDICAL BILLS coming in. Sounds like you are doing it right, Valerie: mostly looking.

Have a good Wed.

 Matching is 
i loved ur post.. its cute.. have u tried doing a partial liquid diet to lose the last 12lbs? or even full liquids? it really works.. and if thats all thats keeping u from surgery i say GO FOR IT! well worth the withdrawl from food... and "cleansing" too..  when i was in my 6month pre-op process i did 2 shakes a day breakfast and dinner and had whatever i wanted for lunch within reason.. of course.. i drank "carnation instant breakfast sugar free " shakes strawberry actually tastes like nestle quik strawberry milk.. so it was yummi and if u decide to do full liquids theres popsicles and pudding and creame soups etc.. to keep u full... just a suggestion..  i was 453 july08' and by the time i had surgery feb09' i was 397 just from drinkin those shakes... Good luck!

You know, I really need to do that. I've been doing protein shakes for breakfast, frozen diet meal for lunch, but then I get kind of nutso at night. I have a light meal, but then a do a little snacking too.It's not that I'm so terribly hungry, but once I start eating food, I get some momentum going and it's hard to stop. If I did the protein shakes at night also, I'd get this darned weight off. I'll try for a shake only tonight as I'm tired of waiting for the surgery.

Have a good Wednesday!! Thanks for letting me know how you managed things pre op. I'm lucky in that I don't  mind the whey protein powder.

Ruby, that is my struggle too. I am fine during the day, but after 9 PM - look out!

If I lived alone, I'd just not buy trigger foods, but I have a DH and SS. I make them hide triger food, but sometimes it is just sourdough bread & butter that sets me off!

I'm trying a few things that may help you too.

1. I try to keep to the same hours as DH. If I'm up late alone, that is a danger time. The old "If no one sees me eat it, it doesn't count" idea. Doh. So I am trying to go to bed when he does, which is early for me. Luckily once I strap on the c-pap, I'm out like a light.

2. I am doing Medifast and I save 1-2 bars for bedtime. I get them as a treat once I am in the bedroom. Keeps me from eating other stuff and gets me in bed earlier as I'm excited to have my treat. Probably better to eat them earlier in the day, but a protein bar is better than buttered toast with jam.

I enjoyed your post, too!   I'm in the waiting game, and should hear soon my surgery date!  Then I will have to start on a liquid diet for two week pre-op.   YIKES!  I've done opti-fast twice (once for 5 months, once for four) so it shouldn't be too bad.  I did hear the food on liquid diet they have you on is really yucky.  Oh, well.

I didn't have any requirement to lose before surgery (other than the liquid diet), but for some reason they are making my husband lose 20 pounds before his.  Guess I'll go first.  He is losing, but not that fast. 

I'm sure glad you nice folks wrote back. Good luck with the liquid pre op diet. I have to do it too once I have insurance approval. My surgeon will do surgery if BMI is less than 60, which mine was (barely) but the insurance required my weight loss. In fact my surgeon is READY to go with me. He told me to get the weight off however I can.

I'm actually starting to feel a tad better already. I've been at this weight before. I can't WAIT to be under 300. Now I haven't ben THERE in many years. New territory. I like to lay in bed and feel that I have bones in my ankles when I lose weight. I probably have other bones too, but I enjoy my ankle bones.

I did Medifast a few years ago and lost 40 lbs. Shoot I've lost 40 lbs a milion different ways, but it never STAYS lost.

Today nothing matches, but I'm seeing an orthopedic surgeon about my shoulder, so I'm extra CLEAN!! :)

Awesome post!

I go hiking (I can do it again) or just go to the park and sit & watch the world go by while my dogs run around.  I shop alot in Goodwill and Salvation armies, cheap clothes are cool...they won't fit for very long anyway.  I  knit & crochet alot but not in the summer, too hot.  I try to get out of the house if I feel like I'm going to screw up and eat, even just a country drive makes me feel better.

Ahh, you give me HOPE. I used to enjoy walking and I have 2 yappy dogs that would go with me (my husband walks them now), but the weight and the knees and the shortness of breath and the back pain have gotten me down lately. That's so cool that HIKING is back in your life!! 

I guess I  never really considered that I could leave the house when I'm tempted to overeat. My car has a terrible tendency to go through the McDonald's drive thru window or end up at Sonic. It's as it it has a mind of it's own! I could probably steer it to a park, though, to people watch and walk a little.

I like the thrift shop idea also. I guess i always thought the clothes would be tiny sizes mostly. It would be fun to browse even if I just find a scarf or something. Do they have old costume jewelry? 

I hope I can garage sale more when I'm thinner. I do NOT need more junk as my house is full, but you never know what you'll find and it's exercise and meeting people.