Climb Every Mountain!

Mount Rainier in Washington

Good morning everyone! It’s early here Monday morning at the shore. Just got everyone out the door to where they need to be. I’ll do my regular post weekend ritual of stripping beds, washing beach towels and putting the house back in order and then I'll head back home for the week. Next weekend we will repeat the process!

It was a testosterone filled weekend with me and eight men. My two sons came and brought a few friends each. If you want to see a fridge full of food disappear fast, invite seven growing men between the ages of 23-25 to your shore house for the weekend.I tried to eat as well as I could. Lots of grilled chicken and salads. There was a few slips here and there, but for the most part I tried to maintain a healthy eating pattern.

My son John just completed his climb of Mount Rainier on Wednesday and flew home from Washington State on Thursday night. After climbing 14,400 feet with sixty pounds of gear on his back over six days, he was ready for some real food that you didn't have to prepare with water. I am so proud of him and he made the climb in memory of my sister in law Beth who died suddenly last year at 42 year of age. He recorded his name on a book that they keep in a box on the summit of the mountain.

John and his best buddy Andrew at the summit of Mount Rainier!

John logged his name in the book that they keep in a box on the summit.

This is no walk in the part, Some serious climbing going on.

The group and their guides carried everything on their backs and set up camps along the way.

I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great week! Sending hugs and love.XO!

Thought for the day: Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey.” -Harold V. Melchert

Do you have FOMO?

FOMO -  Fear of Missing Out- the fear that you feel  you will miss out on something huge if you don't do something/participate in an event.

Do you ever feel like this? I just heard this the other day on TV, and I think I may have it. Whenever I hear about something new I just have to know about it and participate if I can. So here's what I have FOMO. Jorge's new book just came out. It's called the 100.  Basically you count "sugar" calories and don't go above 100 in a day. Now here's the catch. You have a list of freebie foods, but all other carb grams are converted to "sugar"  

 Now I  know this all may sound a little complicated, but basically  just don't have more than 25 gms of carbs in a day ( 25 X 4 = 100) and you'll be fine. Better than fine. You'll lose a ton of weight!! At least that's what he promises. It's really easy to do if you avoid grains, breads, legumes and such.



What got me interested and excited was all the activity on facebook and some new groups that popped up. People are sharing and talking. This one woman Sandy basically posted all the info that was in the book, and I have to say, aside from the meal plans, it's really not worth buying. There aren't any recipes except the skinny muffin ( a similar version to our flaxseed muffin ), but the meal plans do give some good ideas of what to eat. I bought the kindle version, so it was only about ten dollars.

So aside from abstaining from wheat, I'm just going to try and follow this a bit. I am not at goal, nor even close yet and I just want to keep my head in the game so to speak. This just re energized me and got me thinking to what I really want to accomplish here. Keeping your goal in site is important. I will go out on a limb here and say that  some of you ( Rosalie I'm talking to you!!) are probably naturally keeping your carbs low even while following the original Belly Fat Cure, and therefore probably already in that low carb daily number. For some of us, ( I'm talking to me here!!) we have to be hit over the head with some new formula to jump start us again. Whatever it takes right?

On the home front, I was at the shore all last week, so this week was a busy one catching up. I think I may need a vacation from my vacation! Having lots of people around and all that goes with it ( cooking, cleaning, washing) can make one tired. But I did a lot of beach sitting and reading so that was good.

 My son John leaves today for Washington. Tomorrow he and his friend Andrew will begin their climb up Mount Rainier. They started this quest to raise money for Charity Water and they have already raised enough money for one well currently being built in Bangladesh. It is called Beth's Well, in honor of my sister-in-law and John's aunt, who passed away suddenly a year ago at the age of 42. This is a great charity and 100% of all donations go directly to build the wells. They just started a new campaign (a campaign runs for 3 months.) to raise money for another well. Every little bit helps those around the world who don't have access to clean drinking water on a daily basis. Please consider donating. The link is below if you are interested in donating. Good luck John and Andrew. Stay safe and enjoy the views along the way!

http://my.charitywater.org/takeonthirstclimb

Hope everyone is doing well. I have been reading and keeping up on all the blogs. I have been having trouble leaving comments if I'm on my phone or ipad. I write a comment and then it puts me into the goodle login screen, and then my comment gets lost. I get frustrated and don't feel like writing it again!!  Sending hugs and love! XO!!

Thought for the day: Opportunities are often things you haven't noticed the first time around.     Catherine Deneuve

A Brand New Month!

Good morning everyone! It's July 1st, the start of a brand new month. I like fresh starts, fresh beginnings and clean slates.

Well any moment that you decide to change something you don't like is a fresh start. You can have one whenever you want, but today is even more special. It's Monday, the start of a new week and July 1, the start of a new month and a new quarter of the year.

 

 For me, I'm going to get back to tracking what I eat and drink. I have been keeping mental track of this, but we all know that's not always accurate. If you haven't tried My Fitness Pal as an online tracking tool, check it out. I love it, and I have the app for my iPhone and iPad  I can scan the bar code for a food and it adds it right to my daily tracker. Using it daily is the key!!

I am at the beach this week. It's relaxing and wonderful down here, but it is harder to maintain good eating as there are always visitors, lots of meals out, lots of drinks and goodies everywhere. I've got the fridge stocked with all the stuff I like, and I'm continuing the wheat free life starting on week 7. Again, nothing against wheat, but it is helping me not to overindulge on those carbs.

Saturday we went into Atlantic City. I'm not a gambler, but it's always fun once in awhile to  head to the casinos for a little fun. Lots of activity, lights and action, and sand!! 

The World Championship of Sand Sculpting - 1st place!

 

 

The casino floor. Note the dancers above the gambling tables!

View from the Casino.

I have one last thing to share. For those of you who are into coconut oil as  I am, I found this great cooking spray at Trader Joe's.

 Coconut oil is a great addition to your diet. I am now using it as a body moisturizer because I am concerned about all the chemicals in the products that I used to use. Skin is our largest organ and the chemicals we put on it get absorbed and  put into our body. 

 

Have a great day and wipe your slate clean. Fresh starts for everyone who needs it today!! Sending love and hugs! XO!

 

Thought for the day: Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.      John Wayne