6 Months to go!

I am guilty of being a procrastinator as you can plainly see here with my goal.  I don’t have any excuses except I wasn’t mentally ready to do this – this thing being to lose weight.  50 Pounds was a lot to lose.  I did lose 10 pounds and have managed to keep that off but I know I could just as easily put it back on with my bad habits.

My bad habits could get me diagnosed with diabetes too.  So with the realization that I made this goal to lose 50 pounds before I turn 50, it is quite shocking to know that my 50^th birthday is 6 months from today!

Last week I noticed a book at my online library’s website called The High Metabolism Diet.  I downloaded it to my Kindle and read almost the entire book in one sitting.  I strongly considered this plan before I realized it’s similar to Somersizing but HMD was more complicated.  Since I Somersized back when Suzanne Somers sold her first book Eat Great and Lose Weight, I decided to do her plan instead of HMD.

I didn’t need my plan to be complicated since I’m working 10 hour days now for my summer schedule.  I want my food to be delicious and it is.  It’s simply meal combining and mostly low-carb.

I started my morning with a fruit smoothie.  I had to wait one hour before eating cheese eggs scrambled with onions and red pepper.  I will definitely be eating a lot more veggies than I have been so that is another plus for this way of eating.

I went to the grocery store and bought things to make smoothies, a pizza casserole and a Mexican casserole dish.  That will help with what to have at work along with some delicious salads.  My only deviation from Somersize is my plan to drink my Zevia cola once a day.  This drink came out since her books and it’s made with a natural sweetener Stevia.  I don’t believe it will hurt my weight-loss.

 

 

I know I’m on the right path to lose weight in a healthy way for me.

Wiping the dust off my blog

I haven’t posted in a very, very long time.  I was stagnant and not doing anything about my weight.  But that was then and this is NOW.

It’s officially Spring in my part of the world and that always inspires me to be healthier.  I weighed on Friday and I haven’t gained or lost since I was being accountable on a weekly basis.  That is good news for the most part.  I tweaked my lower back on Friday morning so that has slowed me down and made me open my eyes again to the fact that I’m not taking care of my body so how can I expect my body to take care of me?

Today – March 30, 2014 – I walked 3 laps around the inner courtyard of my apartment complex.  It was rainy and chilly but I didn’t want to do the treadmill inside the fitness center.  Fresh air and my own pace.  I also downloaded the free app Step Counter 2.0.

Here’s my screenshot – it may not be that impressive but I’m just getting started!

 

Screenshot_2014-03-30

Happiness with alternative food choices

It’s been 2.5 months since I’ve eliminated sugar from my life.  I have suffered no ill effects whatsoever and am convinced that this was a necessary life change.  I still enjoy sweets but they are made with alternative sweeteners – honey, agave and coconut or palm sugar.

The good news is that my erratic blood sugar problems have stabilized.  The even better news is that I’ve lost 8 pounds since I started my full-time job!  It seemed effortless because I wasn’t trying!

I don’t snack as much as I used to thanks to working more hours.  That also means that the hours I spend as a couch potato have decreased as well. {smile}

Also, I’ve been a fan of Zevia soft drinks for a while.  When we moved last year I searched all of our local grocery stores for this zero sugar favorite of mine with no luck.  A local store was listed on Z’s website as a source but they didn’t carry it.  I am thrilled that I contacted the store manager with my request and now they are stocking it.  I know he didn’t understand how thankful I was when he called with that news but it’s the little things that add up to big things!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Recap

Hello Fat Sister Readers!  I promise I haven’t forgotten the blog but I’ve been so busy lately because I got hired full-time where I’ve been temping!  That is great news for our finances and apparently my number on the scale!

I had been working 22 hours a week.  This week is the first I’ve worked full time in more than a year and a half!!!  It’s been a major adjustment for me to think about packing a gluten-free meal each day and plan for any dips in my blood sugar though out the day.  So far so good!  There is a huge benefit I’ve noticed that there is no time to snack.

I continue to use coconut sugar in my coffee along with coconut milk to lighten it.  I’m basically eating a small breakfast because I have to eat an early lunch at 11:00 before going into the office.  Then I eat dinner there.  I’ve come home and enjoyed a bit of So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream before bedtime.

I was surprised and pleased to see my weight has gone down this week.  I have stopped obsessing over the scales (who am I?) but got on yesterday wondering and yes!  There was a loss.  Just from having more stability with my food.  I’m not low-carbing or following any plan.  I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing – moderation and no sugarcane.

Have a great weekend!

Think it forward!

I’m a big fan of Stacy Julian who is a huge personality in the scrapbooking industry.  She wrote a blog post today that just helped the lightbulb over my head shine brighter than it did yesterday!  You can read it by clicking here.

I have negative thoughts {gasp} as many of you may understand.  Every day when I get dressed for work it’s a mental wrestling match – what will fit and look decent?  Then the negative train loops into “you had so many pretty clothes when you were smaller” or “too bad you altered your FAT clothes, Miss I’m not going to gain that weight back lady!”

If you read the linked post by Stacy then you know she suffers from stinkin’ thinkin’ too.  She posts about thinking it forward instead of looking back at the past!  What would you like your situation to be in say, 30 years?!

I commented on her post!  I just wrote from my heart and it wasn’t about a number on the scale!!!  I want to be healthy in my 70’s and beyond.

I don’t have a clue what I was wearing in that futuristic version of myself – not anything in my closet, for sure:)

Now it’s your turn!  Think it forward 30 years – what do you see/want for yourself?  Please take a moment to share with me…

 

My Quest – being proactive

Has it really been that long since I posted here last?  Time flies and it gets away from me.

I don’t have any weight loss to share.  None.  Why?  Because I’m trying to resolve the why’s and what for’s and fix them.

The sad truth is that the diet industry is a sham.  I have spent thousands looking for the solution and the cure.  But the answers are inside of me.  I’m the solution.

My last posts were about eliminating sugar cane from my diet.  I have been successful up to this point and I feel like this is a lifetime change.  I even survived the devil on my shoulder last week encouraging me to buy a soda (gulp) or some “real ice cream.”  Making the sign of the cross here people – Devil get back from me!  Let me add that there are alternatives – there is a soda and an ice cream (Zevia – just expensive and not local to me AND there is a delicious coconut milk ice cream at our 2 grocery stores – yay! Several flavors don’t have cane sugar but agave as a sweetener).

My oldest sister commented recently that she didn’t know how I had the willpower to do that sugar-free thingee.  Umm, its not like I’m not enjoying sweets.  There are substitutes out there for EVERYTHING!  I’m using coconut (palm) sugar for my coffee.  I bake with agave and will use coconut sugar depending on the recipe.  It’s just like my allergy to wheat – it’s taken YEARS for products to be developed and mass produced for my alternate need but there are substitutes for wheat.

I just wanted to report that I’m continuing with my healthy alternatives in order to become healthy.  Living the “making life changes” instead of short-term dieting is healing a lot of problems physically.

The thought I want to leave you with today is if you have a specific food that triggers you to overeat – open your mind to the fact that you may be allergic to it and it’s not lack of willpower that causes you to binge.  Be proactive and pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you.

I ignored all of the signs of my allergy to wheat until my body wouldn’t let me swallow it anymore!  Literally!  I have opened my eyes to the effects that eating cane sugar was causing to me – brain fog, depression, cravings and over-eating…  Now I’m researching the vitamins and minerals that my body is deficient due to these same problems – why am I so tired all of the time?  Why does my body ache?

My quest continues…

Surprising myself

I have been celebrating this sugarcane-free lifestyle that I have been living!  My mind feels clear and since we’ve had a lot of rainy weather this week, I can also admit to not feeling SAD.  I always tell people that I need the sun to charge my mental battery but turns out it was just the sugar blues!

The biggest shock for me is that I haven’t had any back pain since Sunday!  Is this a crazy coincidence?  I don’t think so.  Since I injured my back in late December and then 6 weeks later I jumped into exercising too quickly, I have experienced some level of pain in my lower back.

The only things I have done differently is I am using agave and almond milk in my coffee and I’ve started taking B-12 vitamins and Chromium Picolinate supplements.

I’ve been smiling all week because I FEEL GOOD!  REALLY GOOD!!

Hope you are having a great week!

Great quote to share

From:  Bill Phillips Transformation

I’m not against aging… I’m against getting old.

Doesn’t that just say it all!

I am starting my alternate sugar lifestyle today!  I purchased some agave packets for my coffee and added almond milk to lighten it up.  It was OK.  My tastebuds have been blown out with so much sugary foods lately that it will take some time to adjust to things being less sweet.  I know there is a lot of controversy about agave out “there” but I have used it successfully for several years now to help my hypoglycemia and it doesn’t make my blood sugar spike so I’m ok with it.

Ray purchased a bag of coconut sugar at Walmart last night.  I haven’t used it before but it’s a very popular low glycemic sweetener alternative.

Being a gluten-free girl, I have used almond meal/flour for several years for breakfast baking and treats.  I’m going to order coconut flour later this week as another delicious alternative for my baked goods.  I’ve used it before and it makes amazing biscuits!  Doesn’t sound like “diet food,” huh!

I’m back and looking at sugar

I’m still surprised at how bad I felt this weekend!  I confess that I’m a very sensitive person that reacts strongly to medications but I never thought about it when it came to that vaccine.  Whew!  The worst seems to be over.  Thank God!

I made myself go down to the treadmill this morning and I’m happy that even though I walked slower I made it to 28 minutes.  Woo hoo me!

I’m in deep thought about my food right now.  I told my husband the other day that I was disappointed not to see a difference in the scale yet.  I’m only walking and making small changes in my food intake right now.  He said I should remember that the point of my walking is to strengthen my back and my body and not to worry about my weight yet.   He’s a good coach for me and he’s basically trying to take the pressure off me.

But I have to worry about it…not the number on the scale right now but it’s more about the way I feel.  Forget the vaccine after effects, I feel sluggish and depressed.  Not like me at all.  I’ve been gluten-free for 7.5 years now and I know that my body is giving me signals that something is off.

I’ve decided to look at my sugar intake and make some changes   I will keep you posted.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/09/sugar-blues.html

Disappointment and set backs

Oh, it pains me to say this but I didn’t walk on the treadmill yesterday.  My current work schedule gives me Friday’s off and I have been deviating from my morning walk schedule on the weekends.  Yesterday I planned to go shopping and walk later in the afternoon but that didn’t happen.

I’ve been feeling unusually tired and achy most of the week and it was worse yesterday.  I’m thinking it’s an extreme side effect from a tetanus/pertussis vaccine I volunteered to get last Monday.  Ugh.  I had to go for a TB test for my job application and I ended up getting a vaccine too.  Makes me so sorry for the little ones!

I’ll be back at it soon.  I was so happy on Thursday that I increased my time to 27.45…

Have a great weekend!