Memorial Day

I really appreciate all of my readers who aren't in the States so I just wanted to start with a brief description of what Memorial Day is for us here.  It is a day where we remember the men and women who have given their lives in our armed forces.  It is a federal holiday on Monday, so banks are closed, no mail will run, and the stock market is closed.   This three day weekend is also the traditional start of the summer holiday season.  On our lake, everyone with a boat will be out.  Many people will be outdoors grilling steaks and burgers.

Of course for those of us trying to lose weight, it is yet another temptation to go overboard on all of the yummy carb laden food.  I will be on guard to not pig out on some of my favorite pasta dishes and potato salad.  We are having some people over that have requested one of my chocolate home made cakes.  That is certainly going to put my will power to the test lol.

I want to introduce you to a weight loss blog that is new to me called Fat Girl on a Diet.  The author is Mary and she did a very nice review of my book, Scrawlings of a Fat Man.   She also runs another blog where she does book reviews called Mary Ellen's Musings.  She even featured it there too!!  I received her permission so I wanted to share what she wrote:
The weight loss blogging world tends to be very small. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if most of you already know Paul Wheatley or follow his blog, Virtual Paul. I hadn't heard of Paul or his blog, until about two days ago. I follow Blog Wobble, and she posted a review of the book.

Being the book fiend that I am, I decided to try it out.

Scrawlings of a Fat Man turned out to be a really good book. I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a very short book, but the pages are filled with great lessons.

What makes the book so great is that any person dieting, whether they be beginners or someone almost finished with their journey, can relate to what is being said. The book is easy to read, with a bit of a light-hearted tone to it. There is no bashing you over the head with diets tips and regimens. Instead Paul simply tells you what worked for him and explains it in a way for you to try it yourself.

As someone who has a long way to go in the weight loss journey, I realize that sometimes you just need a boost of positivity. This book has done that for me. I love the attitude about dieting that is shown here. Paul encourages you to make a life style change and not only see it as a diet. He lets you know that it is alright to stumble, as long as you pick yourself up and start again. I also learned in chapter 4 that I am quite possibly my work place's diet snob. Ooops! I need to work on that apparently.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book to any person thinking about starting a weight loss plan or who feels they need a little extra encouragement. There are sections of this book I know I will read when the tough days come along.

Paul Wheatley has a way with words. I know this is his first book, but I sincerely hope he decides to write other things. 

I really want to thank Mary Ellen for her very kind words.  I look forward to getting to know her better and encourage you to check out her weight loss blog and support her.

Don't forget if you have a little free time this holiday weekend, why not treat yourself to a copy of Scrawlings of a Fat Man.  Hey, it's 99 cents!!  Do you guys have any exciting plans for the weekend??