I have been off cane sugar and gluten since Monday. I am sleeping well and my stomach doesn't hurt. I continue to wake up ache-y and wiped out. Some days this passes, some days not so much. My mood, which had gotten pretty bad before I finally stopped it already with the gluten and sugar, has been slowly improving. I am starting a Dragon's Way on Monday and look forward to the Qigong push. I'll also cut out dairy, grains and meat, at that point. Holding onto eggs, at least theoretically, for now.
I have been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about and buying clothes. I tend not to shop regularly for clothes for myself. I rely on items that are/were made well and therefore last, seemingly a lifetime. I also purchase pieces impulsively because I am bored with what I have (and they just won't die) or I happen upon something super on sale. Every now and again I'll buy a bunch of things all at once (things I think of as staple-ware) and then they all fall apart at the same time necessitating restocking. Then there's my Oprah-esque body weight pendulum swinging. Because I go back and forth, I try to keep things "just-in-case" when they are too big, but also tend to celebrate by buying when I am "smaller". (Meaning: I have more clothes than I actually do or can wear.)
Right now, I'm in a restocking place...but also am anticipating/hoping to swing to a smaller place. This kind of pondering is so...dull and dull-making. But, as the cooler weather hit and I found myself with not much to wear other than my sweatpants...
As unappealing as it was, I needed to do consider new clothes. Ordering online, returning much, trying things on in stores, not liking anything, making time to get to stores, taking time to check prices and find free shipping coupon codes...yuck.
I think I'm almost done. Today I went to an L.L. Bean store and to make a long story short, they didn't have what I thought they would, I discovered that sometimes what's discounted online is not necessarily so in the store, and, seeing and feeling something can really change one's impression.
This sweater, which I can't remember ever noticing in their catalogue, drew me like a moth to a flame, in the store. It was so cushy and comfy and the color was fantastic...more orange and less coral. If it had fit me better, I would have snapped it right up, full price. As it is, I am considering ordering it online despite my suspicion that I fall right between two sizes...but can't quite justify it. They have three items I want more than I need, but they are all full price. I suppose I'll wait till I get notification of their next sale. But, they tend to run out of stock. But, but, but.
Oh. My. God. Just...stop.
Here's a lovely poem.
And a link to new music.
All free because I am trying NOT to spend money! Go away thoughts of a pretty new sweater!
Peace and love.
7 comments:
The new clothes conundrum....you want/need new things, they don't quite fit, you're in between sizes, you don't want to pay full price....it's all so complicated! Do you have an H&M or Forever 21 near you? I used to buy things that would last forever, but even after a few years, they dulled and began to fit oddly. Now that I only wear casual clothes, I buy my jeans at Ann Taylor (because I KNOW they will fit) and my tops at outlet stores or H&M or Forever 21. They are cute and I don't worry how long they will last. And they are inexpensive!
Sue, thank you for sharing your method. Not only is it interesting to hear what others do, it's actually really helpful to me because it's kind of a blind spot...I have NO idea, can't conceptualize what the alternatives are.
For a number of years now, I have been committed to being an ethical shopper...buying USA made or fair trade as much as possible. This has been challenging because I am generally disorganized and impulsive and don't have much disposable income...not a good match :-)
I was thinking after I posted, that as far as my body goes, not that I am giving up, but wonder how the shape of my body will be dictated by menopause and aging. It may not be realistic for me to try to predict what size I may be in six months...
I'm a totally boring shopper. I use thrift stores, though they are frustrating at times. Also, if I find something that fits my body well, I tend to buy multiples of the same item, in different colors/patterns. I was born without much fashion sense, and like you, I don't have much disposable income. Plus, I don't really care - if I look basically neat, and clean, I'm good to go. I love Sports Authority for their dressy "yoga" section when they have sales. Plus, they usually have coupons available.
I have (relatively) recently started buying multiples of things. I have always leaned towards buying "special" and unique pieces, but in the last few years having a "uniform" of staple clothes has become more my style. This kind of dressing lends itself to buying multiples of pieces that work.
I keep thinking of Sports Authority since you mentioned it to me a couple of months ago, but have realized I rarely go to that area and still haven't been.
Hi Shirley,
I've been thinking about the clothes/body conundrum. One of the reasons I am not into new foods is that I eat to maintain my body weight. I have always done this, except for some upward swings at tough times in my life. I do not want to put on weight, and I am serious about NOT getting that 60-year-old woman's big belly (I don't know if avoiding it is actually possible, but my mom didn't have it so I am hoping). I see tons of women my age with huge middles. I know some of it is food, exercise, and hormones.
So I don't much explore new foods but keep with the ones that keep my weight AND do not drain my energy...things like sugar, bread, and so forth. After I eat them I want a nap! I used to love ice cream and cakes but after years of not eating them, they don't appeal to me anymore. So I do not feel deprived.
I do weigh myself often. It's been years of habit.And last week I only made it to the gym once, and by Friday, I was dragging. Enervated, a little depressed, a lot less energetic. I know it is hard to start exercising (like after I had given birth to EC) but I know now, in my body and mind, how essential it is for me.
I don't know if any of that is useful for you, but I
ve been thinking about this. As I tell people, "I don't need to learn to like any new foods; I like enough as it is!".
And I also like Sports Authority, but Ann Taylor is my choice of nice-looking, work-friendly casual clothes.
Sue, I am guessing that your years of swimming helped shape your awareness and handle of food and its impact on your body.
Despite being a kinesthetic learner, I have never been an athlete. If I had been, or were, I imagine I'd have a much more fine tuned sense of not only caloric content, but how the food I eat makes me feel...what helps and what doesn't.
Eating to "not drain energy" is key, I think, for all of us all the time, but certainly for those of us in middle age. I have been grappling with "feeling tired" for nearly two years and, lately, it is really sinking in that the food angle is just not cutting it anymore.
My sleep is returning to a better place and the next step is moving my body, for sure. In the meantime, though I doubt I will cease my pursuit of really delicious food anytime soon, I do think there will be a natural downgrade in the intensity of my focus on it.
I can already feel a shift in "getting back to basics". Preparing whole foods, classics or newer iterations, with mindfulness for my family and friends.
Thank you, always, for sharing.
And I think that your preparing and photographing food, planning for it, loving the colors and shapes, the ying and the yang, is an art form for you. It certainly feels that way. And having to carefully craft GF food for a loved one is a challenge, one that you have elevated to an art.
We each walk in the world in our own way, don't we?
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