I have said that some of us are “fluffy.” I decided to take action to relieve some of this bubbly softness. However, peanut butter is the glue that holds this body together. People say we are what we eat; wel,l you are looking at lots of junk food right here. I have calories in my closet that turn in to tiny demons at night and make my clothes smaller and smaller. On top of all this, I am a Type 2 diabetic.
I am not supposed to eat sugar or sugary foods. I have told my husband that my dream is to be at a Krispy Cream Donut store when the light turns red, grab a dozen, drive to St. Dominic Hospital and sit in the emergency room and eat every one of them. Why here? I would go into a diabetic coma and be in a crisis situation. 
I live by four rules of eating high calories: (1) If I eat something and no one saw it, it has no calories. (2) Tasting someone else’s food does not count. (3) Tasting as I cook is essential for a good meal; therefore, no calories. (4) If people around me gain weight, I look thinner. I have finally decided that just counting my points will not work. I have to EXERCISE! This is a conclusion I have accepted with much reluctance.
When I have in the past thought about exercising, I would just lie down until I felt differently. I have a son who probably owns stock in the gym he frequents. He is resolute in his need to exercise and stay fit. Every day, rain or shine, hot or cold ,he is running miles toward “something.” I really have no need or yearning to seek the target he runs toward. I have, however, decided that walking is my exercise of choice.
One of my pet peeves is people who constantly say that they are overweight and diet all the time; however, when they walk or run, they are so skinny that buzzards follow them. My athletic app asks me three questions to determine the intensity of my workout. Do I not get winded and carry on a conversation with no sweating? Do I get somewhat winded and have trouble talking? Do I become breathless and have trouble speaking?
I need one more asking me am I totally breathless, unable to utter a word, and sweating like a horse because after 30 minutes of scaling the hill back to my house, I am not able to talk or sing and I scarcely breathe.
Walking can add minutes to your life. This benefit will enable me at 85 years old to spend additional months in the nursing home at $ 7000 a month. I have also come to the conclusion that if I do not take care of my body, where am I going to live?
Weekly Recipe
Banana Smoothie and Peanut Butter Cookies – For the smoothie drop one chopped banana in blender, 1 cup low-fat milk, sugar substitute for your taste, and about 10 or 12 ice cubes. Process until thickness you like. Peanut Butter Cookies – 1 cup peanut butter, 1 1/3 cups Splenda, 1 egg, 1 t. vanilla Blend well and form into walnut sized balls and place on sprayed cookie sheet, press down tops with a fork. Bake for 12 minutes at 350*.
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Peggy Sims is a local food columnist and Kosciusko resident.
