Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Setting a new goal....dreaming a new dream...

I love reading motivational quotes. A few inspiring words can shift a thought pattern, change a mindset, encourage, and give direction. I also get inspiration from those around me, and from all of the wonderful women writing about their triumphs, struggles, ideas, and thoughts in the blogs that I follow. Here's a good quote that I came upon recently.

“You are never too old
to set another goal or
dream a new dream.”
I am feeling strong and motivated today. I lost almost a pound from last week. I actually think I lost more, but I weighed myself a few times and took the number that came up the most. I used to pick the lowest number, but if you read my post, "I've been duped", from a few weeks back, I think it's best to err on taking highest number that comes up as my weekly weight. I really want to lose a pound a week. I am so far off that goal, but I keep setting it every week. If I give up, there is nowhere to go but gain, and I refuse to do that. I have to take what the scale gives me and realize it tells the truth more often than not. But I can keep setting a new goal each week and dreaming a new dream.

The enemy....peanut M&M's
 I had some slip ups over the holiday weekend. Some I thought I would never have again. Just when you think you have things all under control, a mistake can happen and it sets you back. I had sweets in the house. I made a cheesecake for the boys and put out my candy jars, as I always do at Christmas. I always do that but  why did I think I could do that now and get away with it? Will the boys miss my tradition? Was I afraid to disappoint them? My husband asked me to put the jar of peanut M&M's away after the boys left. He is slim, but still found himself grabbing a handful as he passed by. I haven't had even one, I stated. I've got this sugar thing under control.  He asked if they tempted me, and I replied, no, they really don't.  And they didn't, they really didn't......until Sunday night. The jar was  tucked away in the closet, and for some reason, some unknown reason, I found myself going in the cabinet and sneaking a couple of handfuls. Maybe it was my way to release tension from the weekend. Maybe subconsiously I was rewarding myself for having been so good to resist them all weekend. It's the mystery that if solved,  would give us the solution to losing weight and keeping it off. Why when all is going well, do we do something to sabotage it?

That being said, it happened, and it may happen again. How we deal with it is the most important thing. One of the toughest concepts for me is to realize that you can recover from eating something not planned, just start again right away. Right away! We all have said this over and over. We've said it to each other, we've said it to ourselves. But sometimes I don't think we really believe it. Yes, these little set backs will set back my weight loss. Maybe I won't lose as fast. I'm proof of that. But losing is what's important. Not how fast you lose, but that you lose and learn something while doing it.
My gang. Home for the holiday weekend.

So whatever happened to you this week, or last, set a new goal. Even if you ate all the wrong things, in huge quantities, over the holiday weekend, set a new goal. Even if everyone around you is losing and you're not, set a new goal. If we don't continually set these goals, we'll have nothing to pull us up, when we slip. Set those goals. Dream those dreams!
Thought for the day: " There are no perfect tomorrows" - quote taken from my friend Cat's blog www.catsbellyfatacure.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Hello everyone. I've finally had a minute to catch my breath and catch up on blogs and write a post of my own. I have been playing catch up since everyone left Sunday afternoon. For those of you that still have your children at home,  and can't believe what it will be like without them, I am here to tell you that they do come back....alot....and they bring laundry, friends, pet fish, and noise...lots of noise! As the mother of three sons, I have become used to the level of energy that a house full of testosterone can bring. However,  after they are gone for awhile, you do  get used to the quiet, having a fridge with food and less laundry. I am still stripping beds, catching up on work stuff that I put on hold for 5 days, and getting my house back in order. I am a bit of a neat freak, and as my kids will tell you, I can't stand visual chaos!! I'm happy to report that I spent today working on work stuff, paying bills, doing laundry and there is no visual chaos to be found in this house!!

We have been having glorious weather here in Pennsylvania. the days are warm and the temps are in the 60's. Yesterday my car temp reading was 72 degrees. I am loving it and pretending that I am living in northern California, my dream place to live. Although today, my weather gadget on my computer desktop said St. Helena, Ca was 40 and rainy. So I guess I should be happy with 68 and sunny which was what we had all week. Today, however is a different story. It's rainy and dark and I can feel the temperature dropping.  It's 4:30 here and so dark out. I know we are in for some story weather and I just got the dogs walk done in time.
My kitchen decked out for the holidays.
Hot tea and coconut bread.
It's the kind of weather that begs for a cup of hot tea. I just made a cup and pulled a piece of lemon coconut bread out of the freezer. I decided I had to lay off of it for a bit, as I was getting alittle obsessed with it. I know many of you are as well, but you are at or close to goal, and I am nowhere near that. But it is a tasty snack, and filling too. I tend to overdo cheeses and nuts for my snacks, so I thought it might be good if I had a piece a day with a cup of tea. I tried some of the Bigelow holiday teas, Eggnog and Ginger Snappish. I still prefer the Celestial Seasonings holiday teas, so I'll go back to those when I finish these up. I like the intensity of the flavors more. So I am sipping my tea, and enjoying my coconut bread. I have a fire going in my kitchen and it's warm and christmasy.

I survived the Thanksgiving holiday without too much trouble. I did have a very small portion of stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Maybe about two or three small bites of each. It really satisfied me. I filled up on the dip and celery and the deviled eggs that I brought for appetizers. It wasn't a perfect weekend by any  means, but I would say compared to last year, it was a success. We'll see how I do when I weigh in tomorrow. I have been checking my weight and I'm about the same. I'm hoping for a little loss though. I need some to catch up with all of you!

Cooking for a group is always a challenge, but I did as many of you recommended and tried to make what I was cooking fit into the BFC guidelines. Here in the Philadelphia area, we are famous for our philly cheesesteaks. I made some for lunch one day, and put my portion on a new Flatout product that I found. It was very good, and I didn't miss that chewy, doughy roll. I really like this new product, as it fold nicely and makes a great paninni type sandwich if you grill it in the pan or use a paninni maker.
Philly Cheesesteak the BFC way.

New foldable flat outs

These Flatout Foldit's have 15g carbs, and less than 1gm sugar for one flatbread. In the ingredients, it states they contain less than 2% of the following: malitol, sugar, molasses. They also have 7 gm of protein and 7 gms of fiber. They are soft and have a great taste. The ones that I tried are the 5 grain flax. That was all they had except the white. I really liked them, and will buy them again. They made a great "roll" for my cheeseteak.


Me at the Christmas tree farm.
So back to a normal routine this week, and back to eating healthy, getting in a few workouts,  and keeping up with all of you on your blogs. We are all decked out for Christmas and got our real tree on Saturday. I used to get four real trees of varying sizes, but over the years we have bought some nice artificial ones. I have those in the living room, basement and kitchen. It makes it easier on me, and I don't have to keep them all watered! I'll share some photos in the coming days. Please share yours too. I love to see how everyone decorates for the holidays.

P.S. For those of you who are on Pinterest, I am obsessed with it! I have to limit it because there is so much information and I can't stop looking at it.

Thought for the day: There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh and forget the bad, focus on the good. So love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of life and getting back up is living - author unknown

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I just got back from the gym. I'm proud of myself for getting there today. I am not cooking dinner, but I am going to my brothers house. I always do the big Christmas dinner for about 25 or so, and I enjoy the one day that I can go and relax and enjoy our family. I was assigned two appetizers to bring. I decided to make deviled eggs and a hot dip. Both of these are BFC friendly. The dip, which is called Santa Fe Dip, does have corn in it, but you can really do without it or just dip around it.  I'm not sure where I got this dip recipe, but I have made a few changes, like adding hot sauce instead of the chipotle, just because I didn't have it. I also change up the cheeses alittle bit depending on what I have. I like the shredded Mexican Jack blend from Sargento. If you double the recipe, you can make a batch ahead of time and stick it in an oven/freezer proof dish and freeze it.It's great to pull out and stick in the oven when someone drops by. I'm going to bring the dip with chips for those who want them, and some celery sticks and zucchinit sticks for the me and whoever else wants them. The deviled eggs I am taking will also be a nice pre dinner treat. I am using a new recipe that I got from Rachel Ray's website. I haven't tried it before, but it sounds delicious.

As far as the rest of the meal, I am going to fill up on the appetizers and just have a few bites of the bad stuff ( sweet potatoes, stuffing). I'll skip the rolls and fill up on turkey. I'm not that big on dessert anyway, so sipping some coffee after dinner should be just fine. Sounds like a plan right?
Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving!

Thought for the day: If you fail to plan, then plan to fail!

Picture of Caesar Stuffed Eggs Recipe
Caesar Stuffed Eggs

Ingredients
  • 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 1/2 small onion, grated
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
Yields: 6-8 servings

Preparation
Put the eggs in a saucepan and fill halfway with cold water. Set over high heat and cover the pot with a lid. When the water boils, turn off the heat and place the lid over the pot of eggs and let sit 10 minutes. I find 13-15 minutes is just perfect.
Place the pot of cooked eggs in the sink and run some cold water over the eggs until both the water and the pan feel cool. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, roll each egg on a work surface to crack the shell. Carefully peel off the eggshells and discard.
Place the eggs on a cutting board and cut a quarter off the egg from the fat rounded end to expose the yolk. Next, cut just a sliver off the opposite end, the pointed end so the egg is able to sit upright without rolling over. Once all the eggs have been cut, scoop out their yolks into a medium size mixing bowl. Place the egg white halves back into the egg container for easy transport and filling, making sure the holes are pointing up so that you are able to fill them with the Caesar mixture.
To the bowl with the yolks add the anchovy paste, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mash up the yolks with a fork until the mixture is paste-like. Mix in half of the shredded romaine, reserving the rest for garnish.
Spoon the egg mixture into a plastic, re-sealable bag and squish it all into one of the bottom corners. Snip off the corner and squeeze out a bit of yolk mixture into each of the egg whites.
Once all eggs are filled, garnish them with a sprinkle of extra cheese and some additional shredded romaine. Close the container lid and you are off to that party!

Santa Fe Dip

Ingredients
  • 2 cupss shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup light mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
  • 1 8 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (3/4 cup)
  • 4 ounce can chopped green chili peppers, drained
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (* I omitted this and used tabasco sauce to taste, 1 -2 tsps depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • medium tomato, seeded and chopped (3/4 cup)
  • 1/4  cup sliced green onion
  • 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
  • Vegetable dippers such as sweet pepper wedges and sliced jicama
  • Lightly salted tortilla chips or baked tortilla wedge
Directions
1. Stir together cheeses, mayonnaise or salad dressing, corn, chili peppers, chipotle chili peppers, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture into a 9-inch quiche dish, shallow 1-quart casserole, or 9-inch pie plate. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Combine tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.
2. To serve, bake cheese mixture in dish in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Spoon tomato mixture in the center. Serve with vegetable dippers and tortilla chips.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Yes to Cookies - product review

Good Sunday morning everyone. Just wanted to do a product review on a sugar free cookie that I recently ordered off Netrition.com. If you have never ordered from this site, and have trouble getting some of the Belly Fat Cure friendly products in your supermarket, this is a good site to check out. They ship for a flat rate of $4.99 and they have so many things on the site. I recently tried these cookies in the Old Fashioned Ginger Spice flavor. They are made with erythritol and some stevia. They have 6 gms of fiber in one cookie and 10gms of carbs, but as Rosalie pointed out, you have to count the sugar alcohols as carbs, so the carb count for one is 0/14. I listed the nutritional information from the back of the package below, and also the product description from the web site. On the netrition web site, they list all the nutritional information for the products, so you really know what you are buying.
I did not warm these cookies in the microwave as they suggested. I tried them straight from the package. I have to say I had a lot of hope that I would like these. They are large in size and a soft texture, not crunchy at all.  There is alittle bit of frosting drizzled over the top. I thought they would be perfect with a cup of hot tea.

The reason I won't buy them again, is the very strong, slightly bitter aftertaste. I think this is from the stevia. They taste good as you eat them,  but the unpleasant aftertaste negates that, and leaves your mouth tasting funny. My husband tried them too and had the same impressions. We finally tossed the package because it just wasn't something we were enjoying at all. They come in two other flavors, coca, and strawberry banana. If anyone else has tried them, I'd be curious to hear your impressions.
Two thumbs down for this product.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. It is a sunny, beautiful day here in PA!

Thought for the day: Energy and persistence conquer all things. - Benjamin Franklin

PS : beauty product review update -  day 2 and that do it yourself gel polish I talked about in the last post is chipping off the tips!








Yes! to Cookies
Sugar Free Cookies

Yes! To Cookies is the first starch free, sugar free cookie ever invented. Yes! To Cookies uses all natural premium ingredients. You can enjoy cookies that look, taste and smell delicious knowing that they are made with fiber and sweeteners that are not metabolized.

10 Reasons why you should buy Yes! To Cookies:

1. They're gluten free, yummy, crunchy like a real cookie and don't have a weird aftertaste.
2. They have no starch or sugar that can raise blood sugar and cause unwanted weight gain.
3. They're sweetened with all-natural erythritol and stevia, which are no calorie sweeteners.
4. They're not sweetened with maltitol, xylitol, or sorbitol that can cause diarrhea and raise blood sugar.
5. They're made with heart-healthy fiber for good digestion and to help satisfy hunger cravings.
6. They cost more to make, Yes! to Cookies doesn't make compromises with ingredients.
7. Yes! to Cookies does not use cheap flour, sugar or artificial sweeteners that risk good health.
8. They have less than 1 gram of digestible carbohydrate per big 3-inch cookie (rounded to zero).
9. They're made with nutrient rich cereal psyllium, not the psyllium husk used in laxatives.
10. Now you can cheat without cheating by eating a plate of cookies with no gluten and no digest


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Cookie (20g/0.7oz)
Servings Per Container: 10
Amount
Per Serving
% Daily
Value*
Total Calories 60
Calories From Fat 40
Total Fat 4.5 g 7%
Saturated Fat 2.5 g 13%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 25 mg 8%
Sodium 80 mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 10 g 3%
Dietary Fiber 6 g 24%
Sugars 0 g
Sugar Alcohols (Polyols) Erythritol 4 g
Protein 2 g
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%
Iron 4%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Sugar Free! Gluten Free! Starch Free! All Natural!
Ingredients: Erythritol (natural sweetener), Cereal Fiber Psyllium*, Butter, Egg, Whey Protein Isolate, Psyllium Husk, Organic Gum Acacia, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Spices, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rebaudioside A (Stevia, as a sweetener) and Salt, Luo Han Guo.
Recommended Use: Microwave for 3-5 seconds for warm, fresh-baked, soft cookies.
This product may contain traces of nuts.

Friday, November 18, 2011

New batteries and new beauty product report!

Hello everyone! Well after all of your kind suggestions regarding my scale, I changed the batteries. Duh!! I didn't even think of that. The good news is when I weighed myself today, not my weekly weigh in day, I was down even alittle more, so that 3/10 lb gain was gone. I moved it to a new spot in my bathroom. It's more out of the way, so it won't get moved around. I'm glad I'm not the only one that can weigh myself several times right in a row and get different weights. When you still have a long way to go to reach my goal, that can really mess with your head! I am holding steady, and having a pretty good week. I'm easing up on the cheese, nuts and I stopped making the coconut bread/muffins for awhile. I need to get back to basics alittle right now, and automating my meals is helping.

I enjoyed Cat's post today about treating herself to a manicure.  As I said to her, there are few things you can change instantly, but grooming your nails is one of them. I am a big fan of the gel/shellac polish. I am very hard on my hands, and it lasts about 10-12 days for me. I was all set to carve out some time today, and go get a mani/pedi, but I forgot that I had recently picked up this new product at CVS. It's called Gel Perfect by Nutra Nail and  it is a do at home gel polish.

So I decided to give it a whirl. It's supposed to last like gel, set rock solid in 5 minutes and have a high shine. I always go pale pink with my nails, and keep them fairly short. Once in a while I will go a darker color, but I don't think I have very pretty hands, so I try to not call too much attention to them. I am going to post a photo here, so you can see the color and shine. Pay no attention to my hands please! Also keep in mind, I did minimal shaping since I'm not real good at filing my own nails in a nice shape! The cool part of this polish, is that it really did dry very hard in just a few minutes. I did my toes too, but I'm not going to show you those, since I dislike my feet too!! I chose the pale pink color, but there were several choices.

In the little kit, there is an activator ( left bottle), which you paint on first, quickly followed by the color ( middle). Then you dip the brush of the color in the cleaner bottle ( black top) and put that brush back in the color bottle. You then repeat, activator, color, cleaner working on one hand at a time for 2 coats. I actually put on three coats because the color was very pale. Then you repeat on the second hand. The activator smells alittle like a crazy glue, but not as strong. I got some on my thumb and it reminded me of crazy glue and how it hardens to a shellac on your skin should you get any on it. You have to buy this removal system to get the gel off. It's a pad that you put your fingers in and hold for 2-3 minutes and supposedly the gel peels off. I'll let you know how this works out! It wasn't too expensive, when you consider you will get several polishes from one kit,  and they give you coupons inside the box. The polish kit was $12.49 and the remover was $6.29. CVS had $1.50 coupons off of each.

Wishing you all a great weekend. All of my boys are coming home, so the house won't be quiet for the next 10 days. I'm strengthening my will power because there will be stuff I don't normally eat around. Good practice for the upcoming holiday seasons! Hugs to you all from me!

Thought for the day:  Like charity, I believe glamour should begin at home.   Loretta Young

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Have I been duped?

Hello everyone. It's a rainy, dreary Monday here in the northeast. Today was my weigh in day. When I jumped my naked body ( don't even try to picture it!!!) on the scale, first this morning I was up 3/10 of a pound. Alittle bit of disappointment set in. I did go out to dinner last night to our favorite thai restauant. I had the basil salmon with steamed veggies. I asked for more veggies insead of the rice, and they happily agreed. I figured there was probably a little more sodium in that meal, so maybe I might have a little water retention. I also just got my period yesterday, so I figured there were a few reasons that I could be up alittle. I don't ask for much in the weight loss department, but I am happy if I could just lose a pound a week. Baby steps, small goals  work best for me. I know I'm the slowest loser, but I need a little success to keep me motivated. So I accepted the reading,  and got dressed for the gym.

My husband was still home when I got downstairs. He said to me, "what's up with that scale?" " It's saying I lost about 8 lbs and I know I didn't." Now you need a bit of history here. My husband is very thin, as is everyone in his family. If you don't believe that there is a genetic component to being overweight, then you need to meet this family. They eat well, but they are all tall and thin, and no one has a weight problem. In fact I think his mother needs to put on about 10 lbs because she is so skinny.  His sister and I would eat pretty much the same foods when we would go away on family vacations together. We would come home, and I would be up 5 lbs and her weight would be the same. So frustrating,  but we have to work with the hand of cards we've been dealt. No sense crying about it right?

 A normal person wouldn't have paid much attention to the question my husband asked me. But to a scale obsessed person, like myself, this question can cause, fear, panic, and even tears! "What do you mean? You think the scale is reading inaccurately and too low, I asked????" "Yes", he answered. "There is no way I lost 7 lbs in a week, and I just weighed myself at the gym.the scale is off."

 I bolted up the stairs to the very scale I just left. I hopped on. It was up 2 lbs.....in 20 minutes??? Then I moved it all around my bathroom and I got different weights each time. Really different weights. What is going on? I did a post on this while back and I showed through pictures that the scale read differently when I moved it from the boys bathroom to mine. It's a digital scale and only about 2 years old. There is one area of my bathroom that I think the floor is not level. The scale wobbles alittle in that spot. So I always make sure the 4 little feet are flat on the surface. The bathroom was cleaned yesterday, so maybe the scale got moved around a bit, but now I'm wondering how I know for sure what I weigh and if it's accurate.

For now, I'm sticking with the weight I got first thing this morning. Remember I lost three pounds last week, which is unusual for me, so being up 3/10 makes more sense. I think I am going to get another scale anyway. This is causing me anxiety!

Thought for the day: “Some people succeed bcause they are destined to, but, most people succeed because they are determined to." Author Unknown

Monday, November 14, 2011

How did it get to be Monday so fast?

Hello all. Where did the weekend go? I am staying up past my bedtime because I feel out of touch with all of you. My new resolve to blog more kind of went by the wayside. Sometimes I have to limit myself on the computer. I have some addictive tendencies towards it! I like to check out all the blogs, facebook, emails and before you know it, alot of time has gone by. Time is in short supply right now, so I have to watch how I spend it. I consider the checking in with my blog and all of yours, an essential part of staying focused, so I needed my fix tonight!

I have had a pretty good week thus far. I thank you for all of your comments lately. I just wanted to clarify that I have not given up on the BFC or joined weight watchers. I am just watching  calories in addition to keeping track of my sugars and carbs. With weight watchers, the point system is just an easier way of keeping track of those calories. They don't advertise it that way, but for the most part a point is about 50 calories. I use it as a tool to help me remember to stay around 1500 calories a day.  I can really tell, that I was probably eating about 400- 500 calories more a day before I was counting. Also note that using fatsecret.com automatically keeps track of your calories and whatever things you ask it too. I try to tap my food choices in and have it calculate the sugars, carbs, and fiber. I am trying to track on paper too, as I feel it is good to be in that habit.  I found that I can easily have too much cheese, mayo, cream cheese, nuts and things like that and still stay within the 15/6 daily limits. For now this is helping realize that I only need a portion of those free foods, and not as much as I want. That is where I was going over in the calories, and maybe why I was losing so slow.. We'll see how it works in the next few weeks for me. I was stalled in the weight loss, so recommitting and tweaking things I hope will help.

I have found that my sweet tooth is really not an issue anymore. If it rears its head, a piece of dark chocolate or some tea really help. I came up with a little dessert that I really enjoyed this weekend too. I took some of the lemon coconut bread from a loaf that I had cut into 12 slices. I used two slices, then cut each slice into rectangles, and then cut each rectangle in half lengthwise. I spread some Natures Hollow jam ( I used the mountain berry) on one side, then a little squirt of reddi whip that I spread on top, and then placed a lid on it. I stuck these in the freezer until frozen. They were a nice little treat with a cup of hot tea. Depending on the size of your loaf and how you cut it, you could even make them more bite size. If you've ever had a petit four, which are little cakes with jam and frosting inside, these kind of reminded me of them. Try it and let me know what you think.







I've started the Christmas decorating. Everything is almost done, except for the large real tree that we get the day after Thanksgiving. I have the 3 artificial ones up. I can't believe that I gave into that, but it was sure easier and less messy that setting up four live trees! I'll post some pictures soon.


Hugs to you all!

Thought for the day:
Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right; decide on what you think is right and stick to it.” T.S. Eliot

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Changes



Hello everyone.  We have been enjoying some glorious fall weather here in  Pennsylvania. Warm days in the mid to high 60 's and nights in the 40's. The leaves are so beautiful in all of their fall glory.  Hard to believe we had a mini snow storm here a few weeks ago. I love this time of year, and for some odd reason, I always feel  like it's the time for fresh starts. Maybe this goes back to my memories of school years, when that clean, untouched notebook, and sharp pencils were awaiting all the endless possibilities of what the year would bring. Some people feel renewed in the spring as we come out of winter hibernation, but for me the fall evokes that feeling.

After speaking with Rosalie last week, and after reading all of your kind, supporting, encouraging comments, I went into the new week with renewed commitment and focus. I realized that so many people, when you talk about weight loss (myself included), think they are doing all the right things, but then are puzzled at the results. I can't tell you how many of my friends say things like, 'I don't understand why I can't lose weight, I hardly eat anything', or 'I don't eat very much sugar at all'. Some people, including those that I'm around alot, are convinced of this, especially the sugar part. It's frustrating because I feel that I can see so clearly what they are doing wrong, but they can't.  But this also applies to ourselves. Often we can't see the  little things we do to sabotage ourselves, and it's so obvious to others.

So I took a good look at myself, and realized if someone was watching me through a crystal ball, they might see me doing the following....having  more than 2 glasses of wine at a time, having more than 2 glasses of wine plus a square or two of dark chocolate, breaking off small pieces of white bread from the bread basket at a restaurant, trying alittle pasta off someone's plate at a restaurant, trying to keep my  sugar/carb count in my head instead of on paper, overdoing the portions of the stuff I can have, etc., etc. They are all little things,  that add up and can hinder the weight loss results you want. Unfairly some people can get away with them and still lose. I for one am not that person. Those little things matter. I know this because this week the scale was down 3 pounds. I took a good look at what I might be doing wrong and tweaked things a bit. I'm sure that is why I lost.

Now, remember I was up the week before and feeling down about that. I realized that even though many have lost weight on this plan by not counting calories or exercising, or even writing their food intake down, that it was not going to work for me that way. The beauty of the world we live in, and the creative spirit of those around us, show us there are endless possibilities to achieving our goals. I realized that I have been following this plan for awhile now, and although there were some imperfectons along the way, the losses for me were not coming the way they were for other people. I believe in the Belly Fat Cure. I believe that sugar is the root of all evil. I have seen the benefits in my own life of leading a low sugar lifestyle. But I needed more. I needed to add a few other components to get to my goal. I needed to tweak how I was going to continue on this plan, and how it was going to work for me.

So this is what I decided. First off, I believe a body in motion is a good thing. I needed more exercise than the daily walk with the dogs around the neighborhood. I headed back to the gym, back to the elliptical and weight  machines. Not everyday, but a few days a week will be my goal for now. I have learned that the smaller the goal, the happier I am when I reach it. The large, unattainable goals that I don't reach ( lose 5 lbs every week, work out everyday for an hour) just frustrate me and make me unhappy. I know an awful lot about exercise and training from years of practice. I was a real fitness nut in my younger days, the mom who hired babysitters just so I could go to the gym every day. I've had a few trainers over the years, and I know alot about all the machines, circuit training, etc. I just had to get back to a regular schedule, and draw on those years of knowledge. Jorge may say you don't need to exercise to lose on the BFC, but I am the exception. I need alittle bump in the old metabolism to make this work.

Second, I realized that I have to set some caloric limits. Others can follow the plan and not count calories, but I had to consider them in my daily eating. I was keeping track of my food intake, and the sugars and carbs on fatsecret, and with the tap and track app on my phone or ipad. You can pick what you want to track. I track sugar, carbs, fiber, and the calories are tracked as well. I couldn't help but notice that I was often about 2200 calories every day. Now for all of you who have done well  by not counting anything but sugars and carbs, I think you may just have a more realistic view of portions, or maybe you eat slower and get full faster, or maybe you  have more discipline. I'm not sure, but I know that I was eating way to much of the good stuff; the stuff with zero sugars and zero carbs, like cheese, mayo, etc. The reason alot of people don't count calories is that it's too hard to keep track of a large number like 1500 calories a day. Sure the apps and online programs help, but it's a lot easier to remember how many sugars or carbs you have eaten, then how many calories you have consumed. That's what I loved about the Belly Fat Cure.Having been a longtime weight watcher prior to the BFC, I turned back to the point system to help me. I know from my mom who follows the program, that 29 points is the daily allowance. I have a cool little app that lets you tap in the nutritional value of your food and it tells you the points.  I realized that a point is equal to about 50 calories. It's just a handy unit to help you keep track more easily. So in addition to counting my sugars and carbs, and tracking what I eat, I put the info into the WW point calculator on my phone and it keeps track of the points for the day. 

I have had some eye openers. Those brown Rice Works chips ( I'll do a review on them later) that I had with my lunch sandwich yesterday, while only having an s/c count of 0/1, came out to a whopping 3 ww points. In comparison a slice of ezekial bread is only 2 points and also a s/c count of 0/1. There is much more nutritional value in the Ezekial bread, and less calories too. One of the  coconut flour pumpkin muffins comes out to 3 ww points. When you add the cream cheese you are at 4 points. So the s/c count is low, but the calories are high. I have to back off them for a little bit, as they have become the snack of choice lately.

 I know some of you are saying, I can't do all this tracking, and I will tell you that it takes alittle time, I will admit. But it also slows me down and makes me more aware of what I'm eating. For me that's a much needed thing, to slow down and be aware.  I could see that my normal breakfast of 2 ezekial  pieces of toast, topped with 2 slices of canadian bacon, some cheese, chia seeds and two poached eggs was well over 500 calories, but only a s/c count of 0/2. This week I am having 2 pieces of ezekial bread, with butter and two poached eggs and the calories are only 350, but still has s/c count of 0/2.  Same sugar/carb count, but well over 150 calories less. That adds up in a day.

Do you see where I'm going with this? It has been working for many of you to follow the BFC straight as it is written, but for me and my body I'm losing at a snails pace and I need to do better because I'm so frustrated. I needed to realize that even though I am following the plan, I am still eating too much food for my individual metabolism and body type. So I am still tracking and staying within my 15 gms of sugar and 6 carb servings, but also keeping my calories down a few hundred a day by tracking those in the form of points.

Can I keep this up? I am going to try. I am a foodaholic, and a carboholic. I have a hard time limiting myself, eating proper portions or smaller quantities of food. Keeping an eye on the calories via the ww points, at least for this week, made me realize how much I am eating, even while staying true to the BFC guidelines. Stay tuned!

Thought for the day: “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts."  Arnold Bennett

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Sometimes you just need a good talking to!

Hello everyone. My, we've all been a bit disconnected this week. I know everyone has so much going on in their lives, so I'm glad to catch up with some of you over the weekend. I'm so happy for those who are having a great week, and sad for those going through some tough times. I think it's important that we stick together for support. I know it helps me. This week I was able to have a video chat with Rosalie. I was at work, but I saw she was on facebook (hey I'm the bosses wife, I can do facebook at work !) I messaged her to get her phone number and she said, let's chat online. I had never done that before, but it was really easy and so cool to talk in person. Rosalie, I can't thank you enough for the pep talk, and for setting me straight on things I've been doing wrong. We all need that and she was a dear friend to take the time out for me. Lots of love to you Rosalie! Anyway, I also got alot of great positive supportive comments from all of you. I saved them in a folder in my windows mail, and when I'm feeling down, and feeling like things aren't working out for me, I am going to read over them again. I've said this before, but we all need to talk to ourselves the way we would talk to others. We need to treat ourselves as kindly as we do others. More importantly we need to reach out for help when we need it. Someone is always willing to help. I was embarassed to admit I'm feeling like quitting, that I'm feeling down and that I feel like I'm all talk but no action. It took some digging deep to put that down into words. But getting that  negativity out of me, made room for lots of positive stuff to come in. I've always been able to accomplish everything I put my mind to. This battle of losing weight, should be no different. It will require some undoing of old habits, and old thinking habits too. Like Rosalie said, you have to get your head in the right place. So let's forge on together.

A table in my basement full of different Santas I've collected.
So the day after Christmas, one of the radio stations started playing full time Christmas music. Crazy you say? I say not! It makes me happy and keeps me smiling, and in my opinion we are now officially in the start of the holiday season. I believe it starts the day after Halloween, and so I intend to get to my decorating this week, and maybe even today if I get my work done. I know some of you may say I'm rushing it. I say I like lots of weeks to enjoy it. I put up four trees, and lots of indoor and outdoor decorations. It can take me a few weeks to do it, so I want to do it slowly and enjoy it as I go. We used to actually buy four live trees, believe it or not, but now we have three very nice artificial ones, and then we buy the one for our family room. I do the toy tree in our finished basement. That one has all the cute little ornaments the kids made through the years, and many of the ornaments I bought especially for them. I always give them one ornament per year, and put their name and date on the bottom. It usually is reflective of something they liked at the time, like Sesame street characters, or Mickey mouse characters for the times we went to Disneyworld. There is even a beer mug too! I'm spilling a secret, but I never took this one down last year, or the table of Santas either! When the kids are gone, no one uses he basement, except maybe the work out room. I figured who would ever see it but me and my husband. So I left it up!

 
This was the original dining room. It is small and a great little sitting room now. I moved the chair and put the tree in the corner.


Then I do a glamour tree in my living room which is really a small music room with our piano.The tree in there is all gold and burgundy, sparkly with ribbons draping down from the top.  
The former living room, now a much bigger dining room.
 A few years ago, when we built our addition, I switched the living room and dining room. The living room was bigger and no one ever went into it. I think that's the way it is with lots of homes.I don't have any before pictures on my computer, but  I figured it would serve us better as the dining room, so I flipped them, moved the chandelier, downsized the furniture in the one room, and moved all the dining room furniture into my living room. It works great and can hold a lot of people now. I didn't even buy any new furniture. Just reupolstered the chairs, got new drapes, and painted the walls. 



 In the kitchen, I do a more rustic, country tree. I like to use old fashioned ornaments, dried hydrangeas and colored lights. Then the combination tree, part glamour, part sentimental, part old fashioned, goes into our family room That room has 9ft. tall ceilings, so we get a big monster tree, that is hard to get in the house, and then we have to cut off the branches to get it out when Christmas is over!. It's alot of work but as long as the boys come home and help us get it in the house, I guess we will continue to do it. I will post some pictures of the decorating along the way. I would love if you would do the same. I love to see how everyone decorates, and it would be like we're going to one of the Christmas house tours, except in cyberland!

So I wish everyone a great week. Kay, I'm keeping your sister in my prayers. Thanks again to all of my wonderful friends that support me on this journey. Hugs to all of you!

Thought for the day:  "Unless you're willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won't happen."
Phillip Adams

Thursday, November 3, 2011

It all adds up!

Good morning everyone. I have been feeling alittle down lately.To be honest, I've been upset and the word failure has crept through my mind more than once lately. Yesterday was weigh in day and I was up two pounds. How does this happen? I tracked, and I didn't even eat any Halloween candy. I am due for that lovely monthly visitor anyday (when is this going to end?), and I'm sure I've got a little water weight, but I am having those questions that some of you have asked. Am I doing the wrong plan?Am I on the right plan but doing something wrong?

 I read about all the weight loss successes and I realized that I have been a BFC devotee for over a year and a half. I'm embarassed to say I've only lost a few pounds. I don't even feel worthy to be blogging about something that I'm not actually succeeding at. Most of you have lost 30, 40, 50 pounds in a much shorter time. That being said, I have noticed so many benefits over the time that I have been eating whole grain carbs and very little sugar. I follow this plan because it makes sense to me, and I feel better. My skin looks better, I don't have wild food cravings, elimination is more regular, and I have more energy.  I know sugar had an addictive hold on me, and I really feel that I've broken free. I can look at cakes, cookies and candy, and not start salivating and thinking I have to have that. It's liberating to realize that food doesn't have the control on me it once had. Have I been perfect...hell no!Have I had bad days? Most definitely. However those bad days most always involved carbs and being over my limit, not sugar. I read about the little slips and falls that everyone else has, but the losses eventually come and I wonder what are you doing that I'm not? I go down alittle, then up alittle. Two steps forward, three steps back. I'm basically maintaining with very small drops here and there. My endocrinologist says this is a common among her thyroid patients, and it has been very hard to get my blood levels regulated. My medication seems to change every few months, and she just added another. So this may be a contributing factor, but it has to be more than that. I know we've talked about the wine and eating out. Both things can be hard to manage. Yet Kay eats out alot, and Dawn has her wine and they have had success. What do I have to do that I'm not doing?

I know that with my lifestyle, the eating out is not going to end. My husband and I both work late hours and it's easier to stop and get something rather than mess up the whole kitchen and clean up late at night. When we do eat out, it's usually at a local place, not a fast food place. I don't get pasta, I push away the bread or tell them not to even bring it, and make pretty good choices in my opinion. I'm hoping once I get the new girls trained, I will be home more often and start to cook more. I do love to cook. I also know that I drink too much wine. That's another thing that's not going to change...giving up the wine I mean. So I have to figure out how to make it work in my daily diet. I think the calories of this do count, even though Jorge says not to count calories. I love my daily two glasses of wine. Is it sometimes more? Yes, often it is. We go out with friends alot, and have lots of get togethers with family and friends. So on the weekends, it can be more. But there have been many weeks that I have had a loss and I've still had the wine.

What about portions? We've all talked about that, and we are not supposed to count calories and we're supposed to eat until satisfied, I know I take in too many calories and I've always had a problem with portion control. I like to track on fatsecret, so you can't help but see the calories that they recommend fo you and also what you take in every day. Am I eating too large a handful of nuts, too big a piece of cheese, too many almond flour pancakes??? Well yes I am...especially the latter. Let me explain as I sit here with a full belly and lots of regret.

I got up this morning, and said.... I am going to succeed at this plan...... I am going to tell my blogging friends that I feel unworthy to even be talking about the BFC because I'm all talk and no action....I am going back to the gym on a more regular basis.....I am going to take the time to make a recipe that I have been putting off...and I will keep tracking and keep on following the BFC plan that I really do believe in. So I got up, hit the gym, did a good 30 min cardio on the elliptical, another 30 minutes of free weights, some stretching, lots of water, and home I went. I walked the dogs around the block, fed them and then it was time to feed me. I went to Rosalie's blog and decided to make the almond flour pancakes. I printed out all her recipes to have handy and set about to make the pancakes. So at the end of the blog, I see that the whole recipe has 4 sugars and 24 carbs. I make the batch and it makes about 5 pancakes. Five big, fluffy, golden pancakes. Wow, I think, this is alot of food for a s/c count of 4/2. So I plate them up, add a pat of 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter', and some Josephs sugar free syrup. They were delicious! Slightly dryer than regular pancakes, but really good. I'm thinking as my belly is getting full, that I can't eat all of this. I'm getting full. So on I go, right past this feeling, because it's been so long since I've had real pancakes, and these taste so good, and wow, how can I be so lucky to be able eat all of this. Isn't the BFC great I think? So here it comes. I go to put this recipe in the my fitness pal tracker, because it will calculate your recipe counts. Here's what it says:
IngredientsCaloriesCarbsSugarFiberProteinFat
Bob's Red Mill - Finely Ground Almond Meal/Flour, 112 g640244122456Ico_delete
Generic - Egg, Large, 2 egg *1401001314Ico_delete
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze - Unsweetened, Original, Almond Milk 40 Cal/1cup, 0.25 cup1000001Ico_delete
Olive Oil - Olive Oil, Extra Virgin , 30 ml or 1 TBSP240000028Ico_delete
Truvia - Sugar Substitute, 1 packet030000Ico_delete
Add Ingredient
                                                                                    Total:1030       28       4      12    37       99
1030     28       4      12    37       99

 1030 CALORIES!!!! Unbelievable!!! Do you see the calorie count? I might as well went to Denny's and had a Grand Slam breakfast. I am so full right now. When these pancakes came off the griddle, I looked at these pancakes and said to myself, Pattie you don't need all of that. But the little voice in my head answered,, well, it's only 4/2 and you're under the 5/2 that meals are supposed to  be at.  Damn that little voice in my head!

So what to do? I'm pretty full right now and hopefully will be right through lunch. I have to shake it off. When you know better you do better. No sense fretting about it. I feel better spilling it all out, and you all have been the best support system. I am in this for the long haul. I've done some reevaluation and I'm going to tweak things a bit. I have to take this one day at a time and recommit daily. I know I need to get control over the stress in my life, to slow down a bit and not let the busyness of my days stop me from planning and tracking and exercising.  Last night my husband and went out for sushi. We had wine with dinner, but when we got home I made us both a cup of the decaf chocolate mint tea to sip while we watched some tv. It was nice and we both agreed we didn't miss that glass of wine we usually have when we watch tv.

So I'm still going to blog and hang out with you my dear friends. I've confessed my faults, weaknesses and shortcomings. Whether I lost weight or not, I know I eat better and feel better and I am healthier following the BFC, so I'm going to keep on keeping on ( a la Sherri!) Thanks for listening! Hugs to you all from me!

Thought for the day:  If it seems to good to be true.....it probably is!