Stressed:dessertS

The solution to stressed is not desserts. it’s a backwards approach at best. Unless it is simply to back away without caving to the test.

Turning to food like a numbing drug is not the answer, I know. Give me a run or a paper and pun. ‘Tis a vent so I don’t have to blow.

That imag’ry conjures the thought of a whale–the size I approached e’re I’m Possible tale.

I’ve used AAA to change my attire. From Michelin padded to thin as a wire*. With the Weight Watchers tools and some bright line rules. Awareness, Acceptance, Adapting. No fools.

Stress is a matter of fact part of life. It can’t be knocked out with a spoon fork or knife. Just dealt with: good choices for heart healthy life..

* poetic license. I’m not as thin as a wire, but I wear size small!

I wrote this post with a Weight Watchers prompt. It could seem like it’s all about prose. If you read with a beat, you might find it neat: an amateur poem’s how it goes.

I wrote this post nearly five years ago while I was traveling to Wyoming to visit my daughter and son-in-law at their new home.

I don’t remember if I published a form of it, but I found it in my WordPress drafts this week and I liked reading it. Maybe you will, too!

Currently, my husband and I are driving through Pennsylvania on our way home from Wyoming. We are hoping to get there before the next winter storm catches up to us.

Just trying to avoid being over stressed.

Tipping Point.

This title is loaded. And I’m not completely sure where it’s going. But perhaps that’s the point. Or part of it anyway. (Or any weigh, if the point alludes to Weight Watchers. But I digress. (Or digest.)) But first, speaking of weighing, I reached a tipping point on the scale one day–I thought I would just be obese for the rest of my life. I tipped into the idea of just feeling better. And that made a huge difference. So huge, that my clothing size went from XXL to small.

But what I’m really thinking about is me writing a book and using marketing to promote it. I wrote a book while I was learning to live with sugar addiction. My purpose was not to write a book. My purpose was to feel better. But the tools I used to help me feel better involved writing about how I was feeling. I chose to write blog posts on the Weight Watchers community site. And at some point, I chose to let some people know that I was writing.

Something tipped me from anonymity to identity. Perhaps it was because I was making a dent in myself by losing over seventy-five pounds and people were interested in knowing how I’d done it. Whatever the reason, I did reveal myself and some people were interested in reading what I’d written.

With some encouragement from friends and family, I turned my blog posts into a book and published that book in 2016. I really wanted a paperback reference book for myself as a help in my continued journey with sugar addiction management. I also thought there was a chance I could offer motivation and hope to others who struggled with similar sensitivities to sugar. I wanted people to know that there was an alternative to yo-yo dieting, lack of impulse controls, and the misery all of that includes. Someone also suggested that my experience would be a huge help to people living with sugar addicts. It would offer insight into the workings of an addict’s thought process (or lack thereof).

I used a self publishing company (iUniverse) and quickly found that the money maker in being a self published author was the publishing house. Everything had a price tag and most of the time it was big. I worked with the company for a couple of years and finally had my book published in 2016. My friends and family were very supportive and bought my book. Some friends and family even posted glowing reviews. I started this WordPress blog and also worked on marketing my book through social media.

I made a few connections and made some new friends in the book world. And I appreciate the support I’ve had from other authors. Jena Henry (The Golden Age of Charli series) was a huge help to me before and after my book was published. She provided a blurb for the back cover of my book, a guest spot on her blog, and friendship that included a meeting at her house, hot pepper jam and biscotti. (Although I do not eat hot pepper jam and biscotti, I do enjoy making them.)

The sale price on Amazon was less than I could buy with my author discount until my book buy back program (for wholesale buyers) ran out and then they upped the cost to the cover price ($22.99). I had book re-publishers call me with lots of praise for my book and offers to re-format it with a different cover and lower price–they said my book was too expensive. They would do all the revisions for free if I bought a marketing package payable in three installments of lots of money. But I didn’t bite.

Early this year, my original publishing company called again with a marketing proposal. They said I should give my book a fair chance by giving it exposure to a larger audience. (This author-operated blog has reached readers all around the globe, but it hasn’t generated book sales.) I had given a low cost marketing company a try last year, but all it had done was assured me that the ad was eye-catching enough to generate a lot of clicks, but there were absolutely no book sales generated (conversions).

I told the iUniverse marketing rep that other companies had been calling me and had offered to republish my paperback book at a lower cost if I would purchase their expensive marketing. For some reason, iUniverse was able to offer me the same type of deal with a month long, lower cost marketing book blast email promotion that would offer my ebook for ninety-nine cents. And for some reason, I decided to do it.

I wanted the lower cost paperback to be available during the ebook sale. I worked with the publisher to lower the page count. I changed the font size and I changed some spacing. I removed the glyphs between the blog entries and took out some excess words. I also changed the cover design to better reflect me and my journey. And when all that was done, I had a paperback book that told my story and only would cost $13.99.

Once that was in place, the month long marketing program started. There were no guarantees of book sales. The only guarantee was a report of the analytics generated by the campaign–how many clicks.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do my own marketing while the ebook was on sale. I mentioned it on the WW Connect app, in this blog, and on Facebook. There were a few people who bought the ebook. I could tell by the sales ranking that Amazon provides in the product details that there was activity.  I went from over one millionth on the best sellers list to under 200,000. (If you’re curious, make a purchase and go back to see how much of a difference you’ve made. It’s inexpensive fun!)

Early on in my publishing journey, I heard that most effective marketing tool is word of mouth advertising. If all of my friends who bought the book told their friends about it and just one of each of my friends’ friends bought the book and told their friends about it with the same following effect, the market reach would be phenomenal. And there’s that thing called a tipping point that a Google search defined as “the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change.” That hasn’t happened. Yet.

Tipping point evokes a few different images in my mind. One is at the end of a restaurant meal. Another would be that off balance rain barrel that topples over when just one more drop of water was too much for it to stay upright. And then there’s that balance beam scale that used to be at the doctor’s office until they went digital.

When I started this marketing campaign, I was thinking a positive response could be the tipping point for me to seriously work on publishing more books, including an already started cookbook of no sugar added entrees, sides, and desserts. It was also possible that a less than enthusiastic response could be the tipping point for me to withdraw from publishing anything else.

I have been a little concerned that a less than enthusiastic result of marketing could be a tipping point for me to feel that this whole book project was a waste of time. (Insert mental image of an herb dieter with a waist of thyme.) I have to remember that this book has helped me regain control over a serious sugar problem more (e’en) than once. That’s worth a lot on a personal level. No. This book project is not worthless. And neither am I.

By the way, this isn’t a manipulative attempt to get you to buy my book so I won’t slip into deep depression. I’m okay either way. (But not either weigh. I like being healthy.) I have, by writing and paying attention to how I feel, continued my I’m Possible Journey of Living with Sugar Addiction. It’s priceless.

I think the ebook promotion ends tomorrow. Today is your last day to download it for only ninety-nine cents.  The normal price is $3.99. The paperback version, however, will still be a mere $13.99 to purchase. You might find either version priceless if it helps you have hope and inspiration to get control over sugar. Or even if it just makes you smile.

UPDATE ON THE EBOOK PRICE: The price will return to $3.99 in the next week or two. I’m not sure why, but you’ve got more time!

Thank you for reading this. I’ll let you know how things go.

Can you Afford to Pay Attention?

Perhaps the better question is, “Can you afford to NOT pay attention?” I saw a documentary this past week. It had to do with detrimental effects of food on health.  (And beneficial effects of eating “properly”.) Poor nutrition is not just a problem for mental health. It’s a problem for physical well being.

I was quite interested in the film until it took a definite turn toward vegetarianism. And then the tone turned to the possiblity that climate change is because we eat meat. Sorry. I don’t get involved in blanket statements about the climate or what people eat.

But I do recommend paying attention to what one eats. And how one feels. During the eating and also afterward. Some people can eat anything and feel great. Other people find that eating sugar makes them feel great while they’re eating it, but after the last swallow, they feel fowled up.

I’ve paid attention enough to know that sugar compromises my health. My mental and physical health. I suspected that for years before I actually did anything about it. Well, I thought it was impossible to get control over sugar. But, by paying attention to what my mind and body were trying to tell me, I found out I’m Possible.

In the past month, I’ve gotten a little bogged down by diet mentality. Eat this. Don’t eat that. You should eat in the Keto style. Or the Paleo style. Vegan. Vegetarian. Plant based. Low Carb High Fat. No pork. No tuna. Only eat by the light of the luna. No sugar. No dairy. No gluten. No berry. Fast. Slow. Tick. Talk. Use a wok. Always set up cookie block. Whole 30. Whole hog. Oil. Foil. Artery clog.

It starts to feel like a Dr. Seuss book gone haywire. (Speaking of hay, I actually had a week of grazing. Not on hay, and not on sugar, but on lots of other stuff. When I finally paid attention, I realized I felt lousy and stopped grazing. Eventually.)

What works for me works for me. The other stuff turns into sensory overload and a meltdown (which should not be confused with a melt-away).

So. Sensory overload. Sense Or Why? When I go with the Why? I tend to overload my plate and my senses go numb. What makes sense for me is to pay attention to labels, ask for help with menu selections, keep to three meals a day and, and not forget to take a multivitamin.

I know a few people who are trying to be healthier. Well, they’re trying to lose weight. I hope they become healthier. I can’t know what will work for them, but I can encourage them to pay attention.

And speaking of paying, my ebook is on sale until May 6. Would you pay 99 cents for motivation to pay attention? I won’t tell you what to do. But I can encourage you to look at things from a different angle. The try-angle. I will encourage you to not use tools if you try them and they don’t work for you.

Eating healthy and being healthy don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. But you might want to pay attention.

 

 

Home from the Range! The I’m Possible Journey Continues.

I’ve been traveling for the past two weeks. Most recently, I spent a week in Wyoming. I didn’t see any buffalo, but I saw antelope playing on the range.

Looking Back.

I’ve heard that hindsight is 20/20. As in: it’s pretty clear what should have been done had one just known what the future would hold. But then again, some decisions change the future and some things just happen.  It’s nice when corrections can be made when needed. Or just a little additional light on the matter. That’s pretty deep.

I just got my forward vision checked. 20/20 is clear, 20/15 is also clear. For that matter, I could read the 20/10 line with some effort. My 56 year old eyes are showing age in the near sight. If my arms were longer, I wouldn’t need glasses. It helps me to have good light and a little correction. That’s pretty deep, too.

But what I wanted to talk about here is 2011 and 2012. It might help you see something you’ve not quite seen before. (Or after, if you’re looking behind from ahead. Never mind.)

Feeling Small.

When I was writing my book, I thought a good title would be “Shrinking Myself”. I liked that title because it described me losing over seventy-five pounds. But, more importantly, it described the process of self-analysis and “shrinking” my mind to a new paradigm.

I had bought a used book for twenty-five cents–a pair of dimes and five cents. I didn’t want my quarter back, I was making touchdowns and goals. I was playing with words and not my food. I was recording my thoughts and improving my mood. Sometimes I’d write in flat out rhyme. But always, I was shifting my paradigm to acknowledge that I’m a sugar addict. I don’t eat sugar or between meals. I don’t eat as a sport or entertainment. Those statements are the opposite of my old paradigm.

I haven’t written a lot of blog posts this year. I’ve missed that. Writing has been a huge part of me learning to live with sugar addiction and becoming smaller. But I’ve managed to adapt from using a desktop with WordPress to using the Weight Watchers Connect app on my phone for creative writing and community support. Sometimes, I’ve had the time to write, but didn’t feel it. And so I didn’t. When I was first learning to live with sugar addiction, this was a warning sign to me. Sugar was trying to get in my head again and take control. Not wanting to acknowledge this with writing was a red flag.

I think I’ve been doing fairly well managing my addiction. Or, maybe, I’ve been slipping a bit. I was pretty fierce about sugar during July and August. And then, mid August, I had a run in with Lara Bars. They were the kind (but not kind) with no dates. But they were made with other dried fruits. I really knew better than to try them, but I tried them anyway. I recognized the sugar buzz immediately and got rid of the rest of them. A good deal in price was a bad deal for me. (I paid $10 for 10 bars and got a $10 gift certificate to the store.)

Recently, I had a run in with Golden Corral (a buffet restaurant, or, to some, a feeding trough). It seems like it should be a good place for me with lots of choices that probably don’t involve sugar. But since eating there twice and developing a headache the morning after along with cravings that don’t usually plague me, I think I chose something that had hidden sugar.  I also wasn’t super careful with ingredients for a few other meals. Yes, I had my emergency food bag and I used it when there weren’t options without obvious sugar or flour. And then I had some southern fried chicken that was only “dusted” with flour. I told myself I would just pick the coating off, but that didn’t happen.

Earlier in the summer, I countered difficult food situations with a good read of my book. Lately, though, I’ve not been so careful to think again. I haven’t had overt sugar. And I haven’t had fruit without protein. There was one week with a bit of grazing (moo), but eating between meals hasn’t been a problem for awhile. I did have a day without a multivitamin, and a few long travel days without enough exercise or water.

NOTE: I started this blog post a week ago. To my credit, I didn’t lose it or delete it. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading it. I’m going to post it and then do a follow up post later. It’s for my good. I’m feeling encouraged and I want to capture it. (It’s not a tag thing–I just noticed that phrase. Sounds like a version of tag played with a baseball cap. The person who is “it” carries a cap to put on the head of the person being chased. The catch phrase would be, “Capped, you’re it!” or “Capture it.”) But I digress. I’m not writing more now because I have to go out again.

If you’ve just stumbled on this blog and are curious about the book I wrote, it’s The I’m Possible Journey: Learning to Live with Sugar Addiction. Amazon and several other online booksellers sell it. Amazon has a look inside feature so you can try before you buy. If you decide to buy it, thank you. Please let me know what you think, either way.

I’ll be back soon.

Well, I’m back. The post never posted and so what I’d boasted, never came to pass. But since it wasn’t published, no one has been waiting for it to be updated.

I’ll just put the rest of the story like this. A week ago I was feeling really small. The picture I posted was one from our spring excursion (a five and a half week road trip to celebrate my husband’s retirement). It’s just outside of Amarillo, Texas. We felt small and vulnerable. Last week, I was feeling small and vulnerable. Those thunderheads are like the sugar monster was looming over me.

Today, I’m feeling small and thankful. Thankful that I have a different perspective on the sugar situation. Thankful that I was able to weigh in at a Weight Watchers center with a plan to weigh in again next week at or under goal to get a voucher for eight weeks of free etools. My plan is to not attend Weight Watchers meetings because they seem to make the addiction struggle more difficult for me. I will weigh in monthly for a year before I even consider attempting to stay for a meeting. I can’t afford the second guessing about what works for me when a leader insists there is no such thing as sugar addiction and no need to have any food off limits. I have proved otherwise. Many times.

This post seems a bit of a scramble, but it’s eggsactly what I need it to be right now. Thanks for reading it. Does it make a bit of sense to you? Don’t worry if it doesn’t. Please comment if it does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explosion in a Spaghetti Factory.

This is a phrase a dearly departed friend of mine used to say when things seemed messed up beyond belief. And it might be the most apt description of some of my thoughts last week. (I didn’t get back to this post until a week or more later than I started it). I’m just going to add to it, though. Because I think it is telling.)

Guernsey Ruts.

I started a post about the Guernsey Ruts last week. We went to a high school rodeo in Douglas, Wyoming, and took the long route back through countryside we hadn’t seen before. The Guernsey Ruts are left from the wagons of the Oregon Trail, but I had a thought about Moo-reen and the ruts

Re Views.

The views of this blog are my own. And the reviews are when I look at the posts again (and check for comments).  I like to get reviews, or comments, on my blog because I like to feel connected to people. Some people leave comments and others leave likes. Some people follow my blog. Others signed up for the emails and they read them that way. You are one of my readers and I thank you. Even if you just leave, I thank you for stopping by.

But what I want to do is write a review of the company we ordered personalized napkins from. I ordered them on Friday and then reviewed my order on Sunday (mostly because I just wanted to see them again.  It’s a lovely design and the colors work nicely.) But upon reviewing the order, I noticed a typo which made my heart sink. I sent an email to the “contact us” even though I’d checked a box on the order form saying I had proofed and previewed the order to my satisfaction.

Yesterday, I called the company when they opened and talked to a woman who listened to my story and said she would see what she could do if the napkins hadn’t gone to production yet. When she checked, she could see that someone had already remedied the problem in response to my email. That typo for this type O (see my last blog post) is now the way it should be.

I’m a fan of this napkin company. Check out The Stationery Studio even if you only want to play with their design-your-own napkins feature. I don’t know if their prices are competitive or not. But I do know I’m glad we went with them because they’re the right type for me.

Another review that’s on my mind is my dentist. I had a dentist appointment after the napkin order on Friday. Mind you, I didn’t know about the typo yet, but I was relaxed enough to be a little startled when the hygienist put the chair up and asked me to rinse. I was almost asleep! That’s a pretty good review right there, but the review I really liked was the conversation I had with the hygienist before she started cleaning my teeth. She has read my book and really liked it. She thinks her daughter would like it. She also liked the puns that are liberally sprinkled throughout my writing. As I was talking to her, I realized it’s a pretty good personal review that I’m still on my I’m Possible Journey: Learning to Live with Sugar Addiction. It is coming up on 6 years since I found my ticket. (And if you’re looking for a great dental practice in central Connecticut, check out Waterview Dental. If you make an appointment with Jeanette, tell her I sent you!)

On Friday afternoon, my husband and I had an appointment with a retirement planner–not to discuss new tires for our cars, but to discuss what happens when paychecks become pension checks. The man we met with has read my book (I gave him a copy) and liked it. He said he had just noticed my book on the shelf and was thinking he should have his dad read it. (His dad had just announced he was going to get healthy.) What I liked about his review was that he said he wasn’t thinking about his upcoming appointment with us. It just seemed like a good book for someone who was wanting to make some healthy changes.

But speaking of retirement, I wanted to leave a review of a book series written by my friend Jena C. Henry. She explores relationships as they navigate life in retirement. It’s a humorous and real look at the path to new normals in the golden years. If you’re interested, you might want at least read the reviews on Amazon or look at her website. I met her in person and she’s as real as her writing.

Saturday afternoon I was talking with another person and the subject of weight loss came up. She hasn’t read my book from cover to cover, but she said she likes to read little bits at a time for motivation and inspiration. (That’s how I like to read it, too.) We were talking about selective memory for food. I just shared that when I remember how a food makes me feel along with the taste of it, I can usually stick with the memory of the taste and avoid how it would make me feel if I were to eat it. That’s the kind of stuff that’s in my book. Her review helped me know that what helps me can possible help someone else. A validation of sorts.

Speaking of sorts, I was a bit out of sorts when I got the marketing report from my recent campaign with Frank.ai  Even though the ads in my campaign got a lot of clicks and impressions and my website had thousands of new viewers, I had no book sales. Unfortunately, I felt like it was a review of my book that was: don’t bother to take look. Fortunately, my husband saw it differently. He just said the target audience wasn’t right.

My goal in publishing a book was to have something to refer to (or review) when I wanted to remember how I got from where I was to healthy. I wanted to be able to remember the bad stuff without having to relive it. That objective has been, and continues to be, met. My other goal was to help people who were dealing with sugar addiction or other food related struggles. Based on my Amazon reviews, I’ve helped a few people with that. And I think that’s good.

But the marketing results were a little off putting in my head. I’m not knocking Frank. But, to be frank, I think I wasn’t quite ready for marketing. Not quite yet. I’ll continue to write because that’s part of what helps me manage my sugar addiction. I’ll consider revamping my maureenaliprandi.com website to include recipes and newsletters and direct sales, but only as it fits into my life. Not to fit my life into it. (That’s a profound statement that I will try to consider in my amateur ways.)

Right now, I need to review the lawn and cut it. When I come in from that, it will be time to review the washer and transfer the clean clothes to the dryer.

What are you reviewing today?

PS. The view pictured at the top is from Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho. The view below is from the Badlands in South Dakota. I wouldn’t mind re-viewing both places!

 

Comfort. A Peace of my Mind. Better than Fat Her’s Day.

This morning I did a search for a phrase in my blog collection. I was was wondering if I had ever written a piece about Fat Her’s Day.  For some reason, this post showed up.

Source: Comfort. A Peace of my Mind.

Feel free to click the link and read it. Or just keep reading here. I’m not really sure why that one matched, but I’m glad it did. It helped me recognize that I have been numbing with food for a few days. It’s not comfort. It’s numbing. Just masking discomfort.