Now I know some people will instantly find fault in my title. No doubt getting upset that anorexia is nothing to joke about. Indeed, it's not! And for those of you who have known me a short matter of time may not realize this, but I did go through a stage in my life where I was well on my way to an out-of-control eating/lifestyle disorder.
I wasn't always this pleasantly plump, muffin-topped gal that I am now. There was a time when I would rise at the butt-crack of dawn to put in two hours at the gym, ate my phen-phen like tic-tacs, kept my fat grams to 5 or less per day, and fell asleep on the floor every night in the middle of a set of push-ups or sit-ups. I was obsessed with losing weight! And I DID !!! I had gone from a size 22 to a size 4. My bones were visible. I was constantly cold. Even the smallest sized clothing in many stores were too big for me. Some of my loved ones even had an intervention for me; worried because I wanted to lose 5 more pounds.
Quick ! Look !!! You're probably NEVER going to see me looking like this again !!!
Now, I know what you're going to say...."A woman's body changes after having children."
Well, this picture was taken after I had all four of my children !!! I was starving myself to death just to fit in the dress and participate in pageants. I somehow felt the need to be validated, which is a topic that could warrant an entirely different blog!
Anyways, after a series of events, including a horrific automobile accident in 1998 in which I took a 60mph impact at my driver's door, I slowly but surely put all of my weight back on; some due to the inactivity from the accident, some from the steroid medication I have been on from time to time since then, and a lot from emotional eating.
You see, I have always been an emotional eater. If I'm sad, I eat. If I'm happy, I eat. If I'm bored, I eat. If I'm stressed, I eat ....I just eat...and eat...and eat ...
Every now and again I am self conscious about my weight and you'll hear of my efforts to rein things in a bit. But I had an AH-HA moment one day when my granddaughter was sitting on my lap. She was all snuggled up on my lap and was innocently poking me in my muffin-top when she looked up at me and said,
"I'm so glad you're my squishy grandma. My other grandma is so bony and when I sit on her lap, she pokes me."
Well, from that point forward, I figure I owe it to my grandchildren to devote my life to remaining Grandma Squishy to the best of my ability.
I HAVE A DREAM !!! And this dream will be eating my way through my bucket list !!! I want to experience the most amazing pizzas
the most incredible hot dogs ( like the Hillbilly Homewrecker)
the juiciest burgers (like this work of art from Hodad's)
monstrous ice cream sundaes
deep fried twinkies...
ANYTHING & EVERYTHING !!!
That involves lots and lots of eating of yummy, scrumptious, sinful food. And what better place to get inspiration than from watching some of the great shows on the Food and Travel channels?
DISCLAIMER: This blog will not include any instances of eating anything obnoxious, such as Rocky Mountain Oysters, Beef Tongue, Eel or anything from the guy whose show is about consuming bizarre foods and/or insects !!!
This blog will, however, describe our outings to establishments visited by Man Vs Food
and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html
I have downloaded a list of the eateries they have showcased and am happy to say that we have already been to a few... http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/guys-diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html
Now our goal is to visit as many on the last as we can before one of us kick the bucket !!! Hopefully, we are young enough that we won't have to worry about that for some time to come.
Locations on the West Coast will be easy...East Coast a future, but welcomed challenge, and (sigh) I don't know that we'll ever get to visit the locations in Hawaii, but we're gonna try !!!
In addition to the places from the shows, there may be an establishment or two that probably deserve a visit from Guy Fieri or Adam Richman.
Some of the stories will be about attending some BBQ Pitmasters Cook-Offs, which has inspired Jim's love of smoking meats.He's an admitted novice, but he's getting better and every offering is delish !!!
I would love it if you'd follow this blog and our adventures...offer up some comments of places you've visited...suggestions of amazing places we should try...My husband and I are always up to a new adventure!!!
So, raise you forks, grab your napkins, offer up a cheer of encouragement, and let's eat !!!
