Who Knew?

As some of you know, I've spent the last year shedding off the pounds, not only for health reasons, but also for the fact that my infatuation for Neytiri, the giant smurfette-like goddess in "Avatar", isn't quite going in the direction I was hoping for, as in I may actually never meet her, and it's possible that I'm actually letting wonderful and exciting women pass me by in the process. I find it hard to believe, 2 years later, that Neytiri and I haven't crossed paths, especially for the fact that every time I went to see her at the theater, she always told me that she sees me, and I would always say it to her, even to this day..."I see you, I see you Neytiri". So I guess it's time to move on and hopefully meet someone special. Hopefully the weight loss and the fact I've finally let go of the notion that Neytiri is the only one for me, will help me change my "single" Facebook status.

The weight loss journey had it's up and downs, literally, with 90 pounds lost before this past summer, then gaining 30 pounds of it over the summer, and now losing that 30 pounds and as of now, losing another 10. So if my math is correct, the journey so far has netted me a total loss of...well it's a lot anyways....and I'm planning on losing a good 20 more, all with exercising and eating the right foods.

Which brings me to a question a lot of people have been asking me of late, well on top of questions about my sanity, but that's for another time and place.

What people are asking me is how the heck have I been able to lose so much weight, and willing and probably able to lose more?

Here is a list of things I realized I was doing wrong and corrected accordingly:

1- Online poker isn't a physical sport - spending 8 hours a day suffering bad beat after bad beat after bad beat after...and freaking out on other players calling them donkeys among other things, doesn't burn calories like a good jog or a walk would do ~Who Knew?~

2- Poutine isn't a healthy food choice - I know, I know, it's hard to believe, especially when momma always told me that vegetables are good for you, and the last time I checked, potatoes are a vegetable...little did I know that potatoes had more calories than broccoli or cucumbers...and I guess if you factor in the calories from the oil you fry the chips in, the cheese curds, the gravy, and the accompanying Pepsi and couple of Joe-Louis on the side, it may tend to be a little much calorie-wise ~Who Knew?~

3- An exercise bike isn't just for hanging clothes - odd but true...the backrest actually isn't for your shirts and pants, nor are the pedals for hanging your socks and underwear, the seat isn't a platform to pile your dirty laundry on ~Who Knew?~

4- A box of Hamburger Helper makes a meal for 4 people...what a revelation!!! I really think they should make that fact a little clearer on the box, maybe devote one side of the box, THE WHOLE SIDE, maybe write "IF YOU CAN'T FIT THE MEAL IN A BOWL, IT MAY BE A SIGN THAT YOU SHOULD SHARE WITH OTHERS" or something to that effect...again ~Who Knew?~

5- A skillet is not considered a plate or a bowl...see #4 ~Who Knew?~

6- Tupperware-like containers actually aren't bowls for chips, peanuts, chocolate covered almond, butterscotch pudding, popcorn swimming in butter, jujubes or anything else you want in big quantities so you don't have to get up off the couch and go get more...they can actually be used to keep leftovers, like maybe 3 servings of Hamburger Helper (see #4 again), the same for Tuna Helper, maybe half a turkey and potato pie, 3 quarters of a lasagna meant for 4 people...~Who Knew?~

* Funny how a lot revolves around #4.

7- Watching sports on TV isn't the same as participating in them...mass clicking the remote from one game to another to avoid commercials or Montreal Canadien fans cheering a goal, no matter how fast you do it, doesn't burn too many calories...nor does switching positions on the couch from sitting to lying down...reaching in and out of your tupperware bowl for chips, peanuts, chocolate covered almond, butterscotch pudding, popcorn swimming in butter or jujubes, doesn't count as exercise either...again ~Who Knew?~

* On a side note, did you ever notice that near the upper side of a Hamburger or Tuna Helper box, they have this " Press and tear back top" tab, that you're supposed to push your finger through in order to be able to tear the top of the box off? Do you actually know how impossible it is to actually push your finger through that tab? it's impossible ok? I've never been able to do it and I will never try again!!!!

8- Vegetables are a better side dish option than bread...I always thought it was natural to dip a couple, ok maybe six, slices of bread in a skillet, I mean bowl, of Hamburger Helper...cucumbers and carrots just don't soak up the saucy juices like bread does...unfortunately, the stupid calorie-count factor comes in again...~Who Knew?~

9- Beer makes you gain weight...hard to believe since you seem to relieve yourself of it more than you actually drink, but apparently it's true...~Who Knew?~

10- A vegetable steamer?? Is that what that is? Did you ever try cleaning one of those suckers after warming up a batch of gravy for your poutine...~Who Knew?~

11- Topping off a fast food order with a diet pop doesn't make it much better...a 10 piece bucket of KFC fried chicken, fries, and a tub of macaroni salad, oh and don't forget the gravy, can't do without the gravy, won't be a less fattening meal if you have a diet Pepsi as opposed to a regular one...same goes for a medium pizza with a side of deep fried zuchini and garlic dip...not even with an order of Chinese food consisting of 6 egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken balls, sweet and sour breaded shrimp, garlic spare ribs, General Tsao chicken and mushroom egg foo young...~who Knew?~

This is how I've been able to lose the weight I have so far, and will lose more in the coming months.

I've also just realized that my life revolved a lot around Hamburger Helper...~Who Knew?~

Lunch.

Today was a good day. I went for a walk then decided to spend some time at St-Laurent Shopping Centre, not to shop, but just to walk around, although I did end up buying a cheap bath mat shaped like a foot, at the dollar store :)

I spent some time at the food court, enjoying my Ham Subway Sub and witnessed something that was at the same time heartwarming, then turned into something quite a bit less.

The heartwarming part of my story began when I noticed this cute older couple, making their way past the food court. The gentleman was pushing his wife on her wheelchair, even though it looked like he could have used a bit of help doing so as you could see that he was struggling. I watched them make their way past one food kiosk to the next, the man struggling but determined to keep going. It was an amazing sight for me to see. I felt bad because I could see it wasn't an easy task for him to do, but at the same time, I thought "WOW", this guy really loves her to make the time, and the obviously painstaking effort to take his woman out to lunch and enjoy an afternoon with her when they could have easily stayed at home for a quiet day. Eventually, I lost sight of them and continued eating my sub.

A good 15 minutes later, I saw them again, taking the same path one kiosk to the next...I then realized that they had gone all around the food court looking for a table to sit and eat at, as it was lunch hour and the food court was packed. A table for two cleared up as they were passing it by, about 3 tables from where I was sitting, and I thought, this is great, or else I was getting ready to get up and give them my table for two, even though I was still in the middle of my lunch.

What happened next made the story less heartwarming. As the couple was maybe 5 feet from the table, slowly walking towards it, 2 guys, probably in their early 20s, big strong healthy guys, rushed in and laid claim to the spot.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I was just cringing inside, not mad at the guys, but just feeling so bad about the situation. As the guys stood in front of the chairs, unloading their backpacks, the lady kindly asked them "are you boys sitting here?" For a second, I thought, thank goodness, these guys probably didn't see the couple as they were walking towards the table, and will offer them the seats. My cringe became more intense when one of the guys replied "yes we are" and sat down.

At that moment, I think my heart sank way down to my toes. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. I mean, this couple wasn't asking them if they were going to sit there just out of curiosity, it was there nice and polite way of asking if they could sit here because they were tired and needed to sit down.

The nice couple didn't say anything, they just turned around and started walking away, obviously to try and find another table.

What troubled me the most about this is that the 2 guys seemed like your typical, average guys who looked and seemed like respectful normal dudes, just at the mall chilling and not there to cause trouble or anything.

Obviously, well to me anyways, there was no way I was going to let this couple walk away looking for another table.

I waved at them and told them to come and take my table, even though I was still enjoying my lunch. They didn't want to take the table, and you could see that they felt bad, but they walked over and accepted. I pushed one of the chairs away so she could park her wheelchair while the man took my seat, he looked so exhausted. They thanked me.

As I was rounding up my things and putting my jacket on, the lady asked her husband if he could get her a sub at Subway, and he replied "let me just catch my breath sweetheart, and I'll get us some". Again, I felt so bad and offered to get the food for them. They didn't want me too, but I insisted. I told them, if you don't tell me what you want, I might come back with subs you don't like, so you better tell me what kind of subs that you want lol. Reluctantly, they told me a full Assorted Sub that they would share and a small white milk each.

When I came back, they were so appreciative and already had the money out on the table for me. I told them not to worry about the money. The man shook my hand while the lady told me that I had a gentle heart. I told them to enjoy there lunch and that it was nice meeting them.

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not writing this to toot my own horn, because I know that everyone related to me family-wise as well as my friends, would have done the same, and more people of course.

It just gives me another example at how society is changing, as in respecting and caring for others, whether you actually know them or not. I'm not saying that those 2 guys are bad people, they probably didn't even realize what they had done, which is what I'm getting at...it should just have come naturally to them to get up and offer that couple their table, people should just be able to care and love others without having to think about it, it should just happen.

The whole incident also showed me something about true love. That cute couple has probably been together their whole life, and that man was taking his wife out for lunch, pushing her around in her wheelchair in a shopping mall even though it was an extreme physical effort for him to do so, probably because it makes her happy to be out and about amongst other people.

So lunch was interesting for me today. It reinforced my beliefs on what true love is all about, my beliefs on naturally caring about others and my belief that I LOVVVVE Subway subs :)