Two steps forward, three steps back!

Hello my friends. I'm super busy this week, trying to get ready for our trip, and tie up all the loose ends before we leave. Funny how we rush about trying to get everything done, just so we can do nothing for a week while on vacation and relax. Then we get back and rush to catch up on all the stuff that was building up while we were away. We need a vacation from the vaction! Ahhh, vacations! Can't live without them!

I just wanted to jump on this blog for a minute and say hi and also talk about my weight for my Wednesday weigh in. If you remember the ugly news, last week I was up 4 lbs. I am happy to report I got two of them off. Why, oh why are they so easy to put on, but so hard to take off. This is an unfair rule of nature. I formally protest it! Anyway, back on track and although I am not the model loser of this bunch, I will forge on and not give up...even if my weight loss is happening at a snail's pace!

I'm semi following the fast track, but today I had to have some ezekial toast with my breakfast. I agree with Rosalie, cutting out all carbs just doesn't seem right. So today I had them at breakfast, but that was it.

Thanks for all the great comments you leave. This one is for the hand lady, Linda. She made my pancakes, but commented on my one large pancake, while her recipe made three small ones. Linda, I did get your comment,but it comes in as a no reply, so I can't reply email you back. My email is pmcampbell@comcast.net. Email me your email address. That photo was of one large pancake...and it was a very large plate. I think three smaller cakes...a short stack would be better, so next time I will make them that way. Thanks for your nice comments.

Okay, I have a baseball game to watch. Go Phillies!!! Hugs to you all!

Thought for the day:  Failure doesn't mean you are a failure... it just means you haven't succeeded yet. ~Robert Schuller

How did it get so late so soon?

Good morning everyone. First off good luck to all those starting the fast track. I may jump on the bandwagon when I get back from vacation, but I know that it will be hard to follow that while away. We are leaving on Saturday for our California wine country trip. Staying three nights in Healdsburg, and then four in St. Helena. We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, and the 25th anniversary for my brother and sister in law. It is their first trip out to the wine country, and since we have been there many times, I am excited to show them all the great little wineries, restaurants and beautiful scenery that we have discovered in all of our trips. My husband and I always say, that if it wasn't for all of our family being back east, we could easily pick up and relocate to northern California, Healdsburg especially! I could sit and watch the grapes grow all day!

Saturday, we moved our son John into his tiny, New York City efficiency appt. He is so happy and had a good first day at his new job yesterday. He is working for a large commercial real estate company. I have lived in the suburbs of PA all of my life, but I must say there is a certain appeal to walking around a big city. I said to my husband that we would have so much more time in our lives if we didn't have all the "house" stuff to do every weekend. New Yorkers take their newspaper to the local bistro or park bench, have a leisurely brunch while reading and sipping their coffee. The little parks and community gardens tucked away on side streets were filled with people, children and dogs, all out enjoying the beautiful fall morning.. He is in the east village, so it was quiet there.  Quiet little streets and many little shops, restaurants and galleries. We stopped at a cute little place and had a nice lunch. I had tuna carpaccio, salad with pickled avocado, grapefruit and a great dressing. It was so delicious and refreshing. If I had stopped there and not succombed to the white bean dip and fresh baked pita chips I would have been fine. Damn those carbs! I can't stop with them!Driving out at 5PM on a Saturday was quite a different story, then the peaceful drive in, early Saturday morning. I have driven in New York several times, but this was really bad. I don't know how those taxi drivers stand it day in and day out!

John's apt building

Time to unpack and organize

His tiny kitchen

There was a bed under all those bags!

For those of you who still have all the kids at home, I think the real tough time is when you send them off to college. Unpacking that dorm room and saying goodbye were very rough for me, and lots of tears were shed on the drive home. It is easier when they are upperclassman leaving for college. Trust me, you will be glad when break is over and they head back. If all of this sounds too much to bear, I can tell you that this time it seemed easier for some reason, but I did get alittle teary when hugging goodbye. The funny thing is, that when raising our children, we do all we can to make them responsible, independent,  and self sufficient. We teach them right from wrong, how to do their laundry, cook some meals, iron a shirt. Then when it's time to let them exercise all these skills that they have learned, we think... not yet..... they're not ready...it's too soon. It's a push/pull sitution. All I could do as those last minutes ticked by before we left, was hug him, wish him good luck in his new job, and realize that I no longer hold the decision making power for his life. I had to turn over the controls to him. He's my  middle child, and his older brother is doing fine out in the big world, and I know John will too.It didn't seem to hard with Ryan, who is my first one. Maybe because I knew I still had two at home. Now I only have officially, one at home...but two in college. How did that math work out?  He'll need alittle help with his utility bills, and things like that, as New York is so expensive, but for the most part he's calling the shots...when to go to bed, what to eat, how to navigate the subway to work. But I still remember those little boy kisses and hugs of many years ago, the little arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and the time when I was the most important person in his world. Good luck John! Time to fly on your own!

Thought for the day: It's a two quote day!

How did it get so late so soon?
It's night before it's afternoon.
December is here before it's June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?~Dr. Seuss

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure. ~Mark Twain

Moving on!

Good morning everyone. It's been a hectic week...what else is new, right? My son left early this morning for his new life in New York. He moves into his apartment this morning. We are headed up tomorrow morning with our car loaded to the max, to help him get settled in. It has been a week of shopping, organizing, packing, and more packing. It's just an efficiency apartment, but when you are starting from scratch, you need everything from shower curtains, to salt and pepper shakers! It's been exhausting, fun, and expensive to say the least. I wish I could have been up there today to help him start to move in, but too much to finish up around here. It will be a full day tomorrow unpacking and getting his little place in order. He is so excited, and as a mother,watching him plan for his future really tugs at the heartstrings. Of course he is planning to come back next weekend with his friends to get some more things. He asked me to keep the pool open a week longer so that they can use the hot tub! Some things never change. As you can see from the photos I took this morning, we are packed to the roof. His SUV looks the same. It won't be easy navigating around Manhattan with only my side view mirrors!

Back view

Left side

Right side

I have done pretty well with my eating this week, in spite of all the craziness. Following the fast track pretty much through the day, but have had some coconut bread with breakfast and for a snack. That really satisfies me and fills me up. Jumped on the scale this morning and it was down a bit, even though it's not official weigh in day. I just want to see I'm headed back in the right direction. Many thanks to all of you for the kind words, supportive comments and encouraging posts you leave. I wouldn't be able to do this without all of you, and I mean that sincerely! Hugs to all of you!

Until next time!

Thought for the day: The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." ~ Denis Waitley

Hanging my head in shame!

Good morning everyone. Why is it that it takes so long to take a few pounds off, and it comes back so fast? Today is my weigh in day, and I am up again. Up by four pounds! Now I will rationalize and say that I am pre menstrual, I did have soy sauce with my sushi last night, and it could be some water weight. I'm sure it is. But I'm going to be honest and say that that might account for a pound or two, but not four.

How did I let that great weight reading I had on the scale a few weeks ago get away from me? How did it happen so fast?  Sadly, I know the answers. I didn't track my food, didn't write it down, strayed too much on the carbs, maybe had an extra glass of wine or two, ate too late in the evening, didn't get enough sleep, let my stress get the better of me and didn't take enough time for me. I know I need to blog to get my emotions and thoughts out. I need to check in with my blogging buddies. I know what to do. I have the answers! Doing it is quite another thing. There really is not alot of margin for error when you are trying to lose weight. Just a few steps in the wrong direction can undo all the previous good that you have done.

So, I'm getting right back up on the horse I just fell off of! I ordered the Fast Track book recently, even though I have the kindle version. Guess what was it was in the mailbox this morning? Is that a sign or what??  I need to keep that book visible on my kitchen counter. I made two slices of canadian bacon for breakfast and topped it with a little shredded cheese and 2 poached eggs. Drank my coffee and a big glass of water. So off to a good start. I need carbs, and I know that I could never be a long time fast tracker, but just to give me a boost this week, before I leave on vacation, I'm going to follow it as best I can.

I don't feel worthy to be in the same league as all those I admire who have succeeded ( Amber, Rosalie, Dawn, Kay) and reached their goal. I feel like a phony, and a failure. But one day I'm going to be posting about my maintainence. It may take me ten years (oh please God, don't let it take me ten years!!!!) but I have to do it. I have the tools, I have the support, and I have the knowledge. I'm not going to let a little slip, turn into a big fall.

On a positive side this week, I did bake cookies to send to my son at college and I had not one! Also I baked a cheese cake for my son who is leaving on Friday, and again I didn't have any! Last night at sushi dinner, I didn't eat  any of the batter fried banana and fruit plate they bring out at the end. The sugar cravings have left me. Now I have to control those carbs, the good ones and the bad ones. Also I have taken some steps to relieve some of my work stress and obligations. We have two very promising women who came to interview. I'm quite certain we will hire them in the near future. And lastly, in the
'look what I did that was positive' category, I went to the gym three times last week (early at 6AM ) and I walked the dogs several time. So it's not all bad!

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday! Until next time.

Thought for the day:  Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret. ~Jim Rohn

Thought for the day:

Feel good stuff!

Good morning everyone. I got up early to get some work done, but I had the urge to read your blogs and comments that were left on mine. I am so grateful for all the supportive words you wrote. My cyber buddies are there for me more than my real life buddies. I realized it's taking the time to check in, and that's the beauty of the internet. It would take alot of time if we all called each other every day. But a few comforting, uplifting words written in a comment section can really make the difference in one's mood, and let them know you are there for them. It's a beautiful thing!  It helps me keep my eating plan at the forefront, and just checking in with others who support me can make all the difference.

I realized with all the stress I am feeling these days, and a mile long too do list, that I have to find ways to check in daily with myself and my faith in order to keep life in perspective and realize all the good things that are going on. I have a few books on my kindle that help me keep checked in and focused on the real important things in life.  Those are not the piles of paperwork, the mile long to do list, or the slew of emails and phone calls I have to respond too. The real things are my family, friends, my health and the beauty and goodness of the world around me.

There are three books I have on my Kindle, that are daily motivational books.  I really try to take the time to read them daily. On the mornings I have to hit the ground running, I try to catch up at night. And on those nights, when I just fall into bed exhausted, I'll spend any time I can get, to catch up on the readings.

The first is The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. You may have seen this talked about on Oprah. It has a spiritual component to the daily readings, but is in no way preachy. It's deep at times, but gives you a lot to think about it a short page of reading.

I also have 2 books on my kindle by Joyce Meyer. One is called Starting Your Day Right, and the other is Ending Your Day Right. These have wonderful motivational daily sayings. There is a scripture verse at the end, but I don't feel you have to be overly religious to get the messages they give. I find them very comforting.

 Lastly there is a book, not for everyone, but Christian centered, that is called Jesus Calling. I love this book, and it is written as if it was Jesus talking to us in the first person. There is a passage for every day of the year. You would be amazed at how comforting this one is. I feel as if the messages are coming through those pages directed at me personally.Some days is is uncanny how the message seems to be written just for me and what's going on in my life.

This post is not meant to be a push on religious readings in any way. I'm just sharing  what comforts me. There are many books, music, meditative programs out there that will calm you down, bring what's important into focus and relieve stress. There are many ways to relieve stress and calm one's inner self. I wish I had time to do a full hour of yoga everyday,  get a relaxing massage, have the stress relieving end of the day hot bath, a nap in the middle of the day, or  spend some time in a meditative state.  It's not going to happen at this point in my life.

But I find I can grab my Kindle, even if it's while waiting for an appoinment, or during a lunch break, and read these daily passages that comfort me, and give me a moment to pause and focus on all that's going right these days! Just like checking in often with my cyber buddies, checking in often with these readings make me feel good!

Until next time, hoping you all find some time to do something that makes you feel good and calms your mind!

Thought for the day:  Our real blessings often appear to us in the shapes of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.
- Joseph Addison

Hi....Remember me?

Hello to all my blogging buddies and followers. I feel like I have been away to some far away land without any way to communicate. In fact, that far away land has been my time consuming, reluctant job, as a practice manager for my husbands medical practice. It has literally taken so much of my time, especially this week, because one of my office workers was on vacation, and another recently left because the job was conflicting with all of her motherly responsibilites. So everything fell on me this week. I had my job to do (charges, checks, bills, dicatation, letters, problem solving), plus that of two others (front desk work, receptionist, appt. maker).  I was stressed before, but this week was really hard. So much to do, and so little time.

One positive thing did happen. I finally did what I have been saying I was going to do, and put an add on Craig's list for some part time office help. I was overwhelmed with all the responses. Out of maybe 125, I was able to sift through and find the top 20. I started interviewing on Friday, and really liked the first woman that came. Tomorrow I have two more coming. I feel hopeful that the one woman tomorrow will be just perfect and I can stop right there.We had a really good conversation on the phone and she is so over qualified, I'm not sure why she would want this job ( MBA from Cornell), but I really got a good vibe from just talking to her, and she could really handle the administrative stuff, probably better than me.  I am thinking of hiring them both, and then I can really cut back on what I do. It will be less money in my pocket if we hire two people, but I'm telling you, I am starving for some time to myself. I still pay all the bills, manage the homes, pets and cars, and run all the home stuff, so it's not like I'll be sitting around eating sugar free bon bons!

I tried to keep up with everybody through google reader. It's quick and puts all my followed blogs in one place, but the problem is that I can't comment. If I'm wrong about that, please let me know how to do it. I need all of  you and the support that we give each other. I really struggled this week, and I'm feeling frustrated because I just go from work, to bed, and repeat! I promise that I will not give up on me, my BFC or blogging. I feel a commitment to keep in touch with everyone, and I'm sure that will be the difference for me this time. But for the time being, I am just going to try and post whenever I can, and not put pressure on myself in that area too. Despite this being a crappy week, and coming home on Friday to find out that my cat had died ( he was 17 years old and in failing health so it was expected, but still hard to find him after a long day of work),  I find out that my son got a job in NYC and had to get an apartment ( I use that term loosely!) quickly. He needed us to be the guarantor, get forms notorized, get certified checks for his downpayment. This all needed to be done within 24 hours. He is so excited, and this job is with a big real estate company in New York. Yesterday my husband took him to get some suits, and a mattress. Today I took him to get all the household goods.  We still have more to do, but all of this couldn't have come at a busier time. But I just keep saying that in two weeks, I'll be sipping wine among the vineyards and will get some time to relax. Okay, then There, it's all out. I feel better already venting some of this. Sorry for pouring out all my frustrations.

In the weight department, I was up alittle, then back down now. Misssed my official weigh in on purpose because I didn't want to know or post it. I have to work on that because I have to own it to change it right? Still doing fine with the sugar, but struggling to stay within the carb limits. Yesterday I finally made time to make the lemon coconut bread. I love it for a snack, and I'm so glad to  have it in my fridge for this busy week ahead. I followed the way Rosalie made it, but here's just an example of how crazy I am right now. Her recipe calls for two tabs of cream cheese. This morning I found the container of cream cheese in the cupboard where I keep the cereal, sugar, stevia. In my haste I put it back when I put the stevia back. It should have gone in the batter, then back in the fridge!!! I swear I'm starting to lose it.

So this morning, after a much needed good night's sleep, I woke up and rememberd a recipe I used to make back in the day when I was following the plan Body for Life. This plan is not too different from the BFC, and it stresses frequent meals, an exercise program and eliminating sugar and white carbs. The main difference is to follow the plan for six days and then on the seventh day ( any day you choose), you get to have a cheat day and eat whatever you want.  The had some good recipes that I will fit right in with the BFC. You can find them on the web site if you google Body for Life.I used to love the power pancake recipe. I couldn't find my recipe card, so I looked it up online. It seemed alittle different, but I made it and it was so good. Here's how it goes:

1/2 cup oatmeal ( I used regular)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
3 egg whites
dash of cinnamon
vanilla ext ( I used 1/4 tsp)
stevia ( I used 1 pkt Truvia)

Blend eggs and cottage cheese in blender or food processor. Add rest of ingredients and process until smooth. Heat a large pan, spray with non stick spray. Pour batter in pan. Cook on low until bottom is set. Flip over and cook other side.

If you are not a pancake expert, I find the mistake most people make, is flip them too soon, and that makes a mess. With pancakes, you wait until bubbles form on the top, but it doesn't happen with this pancake. Cook over low heat and use a big wide spatula to flip. I got to be an excellent pancake maker as my kids wanted them most every morning. Then we moved onto Belgain waffles. I read that this batter will work in a waffle maker too. Some people also added protein powder.  Another thought is baking powder might make it rise a bit too.

Delicious seved with alittle butter and some josephs sugar free syrup.

This is an easier recipe I think than Jorge's recipe. So quick too. The s/c value would be 5/2 The oatmeal has 27 carbs, and the cottage cheese 6. The cottage cheese has 4 sugars and the oatmeal 1. It's very filling and was warm and delicious.

Well that's all for now. Thanks for listening. Until next time!

Thought for the day:  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Hello....my name is Pattie, .......and I'm a carbohydrate addict!

Good morning everyone! Thanks for all the great comments you leave. Don't you wish that like facebook, when someone leaves a comment, you could comment back and they would know that you did? Sometimes I leave a comment under the comment on the blog, but always wonder if anyone goes back to read those. If I've confused you totally, sorry!

So today is a rainy Tuesday here in the Northeast. Yesterday was beautiful, and as funny as it sounds, I would rather drive into work on a sunny day than on a rainy day. We were busy in the office yesterday, and it was a long day. We have so many patients with wonderful personalities, and it is nice to chat with them and meet new people. Even so, these 12 hour days are tiring. So today I work from home, handling most of the business stuff for the practice. There are checks to deposit, charges to mail out to our billing company, letters to type etc., etc. I spend most of the day in my home office, or as I like to call it "my woman cave!"

My woman cave!

Working at home can be great, but also a pain in the neck too. I can throw in a load of laundry or run an errand, but the downside is my work is always there looking at me every time I walk by. Ok, enough of the complaining. This week I have a goal to put an ad on Craigs list to find some part time office workers. It's either that or I'll be blogging from a mental health rehab center soon!!

So I have a confession.....I'm a carbohydrate addict! Are you surprised? Are you one too? The most challenging part of the belly fat cure plan for me is watching those carbs. Surprisingly the sugar limit is working just fine for me. I would have never thought it to be so. For most of my life,  I was the one running to the snack drawer foraging for something sweet to eat. It wasn't beyond me to eat a sweet in it's frozen form. Those extra Christmas cookies, wrapped snuggly in their little foil packet in my freezer, turned out to be a lovely cold, chocolate snack.  Who knew? I thought I had a sweet tooth. I couldn't resist sweet treats, nor could I control them. But I lost my taste for them somewhere along the way on this plan. Sometimes I can't believe it myself. I do enjoy my dark chocolate nut clusters ( see recipe on a prior blog) and I still like a daily sweet. But the difference is the control I have now. One or two pieces of chocolate is enough. Saturday I tasted a bite of my husbands apple tarte at little french bistro we like to dine at. It was good, but sweet, and one bite was definitely enough. Ok, sugar under control! Check off list. I got that one down.

Now let's talk about those carbs. This is where I struggle. Even with the whole grain BFC approved carbs, it's hard for me to limit them. I still dabble in the white stuff too. You know the ones that start with enriched white flour? Don't hate me, this is a confession after all!! Did I mention that little french bistro has the most amazing, hot, crusty, french rolls, served with chilled butter? My husband and I always turn away the bread basket when we eat out. The bread at most restaurants isn't usually worth it we say. But here, it is most definitely worth it. So, I mustered all the self control I had, and then I decided to have half of one. They are small rolls,  about the size of  a tennis ball, so it was two bites. I gave in, I caved,  but also did it the 'Kay way'. This is not a technical term, but if you follow my friend Kay's blog, she talks about not being BFC perfect, but cheating in a controlled way. Kay is at her goal and this has worked for her. I am not even close to goal, so maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm looking at it in a positive way. In the past I would have had 2 whole rolls.I did it, it's over and I'm not proud. But at least I minimized the damage. Baby steps!

So I'm trying to really watch the  carbs this week. I have the new Fast Track book on my IPAD, and I'm trying to follow along with the menus. This morning I got up at 5 AM, went to the gym, stopped at the market, came home and walked and fed the dogs, and then made breakfast. I will be in my woman cave most of the day today, so I wanted to get a jump start on the day. While at the market I picked up a pack of canadian bacon. If I'm giving up the grains for breakfast, I need to add some substance.  Canadian bacon is lower in fat and a little healthier for you. I found this nutrition infor about it on the web.

Canadian bacon vs. bacon

Regular old bacon comes from the belly of a pig and is streaked with fat. Canadian-style bacon is taken from the back of the pig rather than the belly and is much leaner. Here's a comparison of the nutritional contents - comparing one ounce of each. So ounce per ounce, Canadian-style bacon has only 1/3 of the calories, a fraction of the fat and less sodium, making it the healthier choice. Here's an article explaining Canadian-style bacon, if you're interested.

Sources: Linked, and http://origin.www.nutritiondata.com/ for the nutrition facts

Canadian bacon, topped with cheddar cheese, chia seeds,
poached eggs and chives

So I warmed up the two thin slices of bacon in a non stick skillet, poached two eggs (see how to do this in a prior post). I topped the bacon with some reduced fat cheddar cheese, some chia seeds, the two eggs and some fresh chives. I missed my ezekial bread to sop up the yolks, but guess what? This was really good. Filling too. Try it. And for those of you who don't use fresh herbs to jazz up your meals, it is a really good thing to do. The flavor is subtle, but really enhances the dish.



That's all for today. Thanks for listening!

Thought for the day:   "When in doubt, tell the truth."  Mark Twain