Truth time

It SUCKS being overweight and a food addict.  TOTALLY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SUCKS!!!

I feel so much better now...whew... Just needed to get that out.

I have gained about 40 lbs back.  (Holding my head low). BUT...BUT...BUT... It will not get the better of me.

On the bright side, I did not gain all my weight lost plus more, like the cycle usually goes...nope, my lifestyle change really was a change for good, I just chose to eat poorly more days than I ate well.  That choice SUCKED!

I have Arthritis in both of my hips now...my right one actually got a little better, but my left one...well, some days I want to grab a saw and just cut it off.  It has really helped contribute to my weight gain, as I do not walk without my walker or scooting around my house on a desk chair.  Unfortunately, I did not adjust my food intake to match my movement...it is all my fault.  Skinny people have arthritis too.

I went to the farmers market yesterday, and purchased a kitchen full of fruits, veggies and legumes.  I purchased lean meats, and frozen fruit to snack on.

I am ready.

The quicker I get this weight lost, the quicker I can get my hips replaced and GET MY LIFE BACK!!

My boys are getting older, and will be geting married and having babies in the next few years...I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH MY GRANDBABIES!!!  This cycle MUST stop.

My Mom, God love her, BEGS me to get Weight Loss surgery, like she did.  I just can't.  I need to do this myself.  I need to take control.  I don't just want my stomach size changed, I want my LIFE CHANGED, MY MIND CHANGED, MY BRAIN RE TRAINED!!

The only one that can do that...is ME!!

Who is with me??  Do you need to make a change?  Please don't kick yourself for falling off track, or belittle yourself, or call yourself a loser...YOU ARE MORE THAN THE NUMBER ON A STUPID SCALE!!  Go look in the mirror RIGHT NOW, and tell yourself you are loved and worthy!  Go!!  Right now!  I'll wait... Good...do that every single day, then go eat a healthy, hearty breakfast, and get your day started right!!

Here is what I am eating today...

HUGE glass of watermelon puree
Stirfry of corn, onions, bean sprouts and zucchini
Coffee

Lunch

3 turkey patties made with kidney bean puree mixed in
Large salad
Oil free dressing made with avocado, lime juice and honey
Extra large glass of iced tea mixed with 2 T chia seeds

Snack

Frozen sliced peaches

Dinner

Banana ice cream made with one ingredient (frozen bananas)
More sliced peaches If I am still hungry.

Enjoy eating today!!!

I need to be back! I miss this!

This is where I need to be... not on my other blog, which by the way I have neglected just as much as I have this one... but this one... is where my heart is.

Losing weight is a daily struggle... for many, many, many of us. I am holding steady at my 100lb weight loss... and was getting sick and tired of the plateau from hell.  It's been a long time since the scale has budged... and I was very frustrated.

I did something that many others have thought was going to be the "fix it" to my dilemma... I did the unthinkable in the weight loss world (because really, to lose weight.. YA GOTTA EAT!")  and I decided I needed to "rev up" or "reboot" my system by... wait for it... here it comes... sit down... it's bad... JUICE FASTING...

No, I am NOT saying it's a bad thing... it's not for some people... but I am a food addict... WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!  How... on God green Earth... did I decide that DRINKING MY MEALS FOR 10 DAYS was going to FEED my body?  Who invaded my brain? The truth is.. no one... I got weak... and wanted a quick fix... JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT...

I got to day 3.  I was HUNGRY... soooooo hungry.  I was tired, really, really tired... I even napped DURING THE DAY... I NEVER NAP DURING THE DAY!!!  Then I slept all night too... it was weird.

I decided to perform my own little "intervention" and called up one of my friends, who just happens to be a Registered Dietician.  I told her of my dilemma... and she revealed that she had been reading about my little escapade on Facebook, and was having a hard time biting her tongue... she had had bad experiences in the past when delivering unsolicited advice, and didn't want to overstep her bounds with me... commendable, and loving.. that's just how she rolls.  THANK GOD I contacted her. 

She put me in my place... with good, solid, hard facts.  I already knew all that stuff she told me... I just needed to hear it from someone that looks the way I want to look. (I hate her... her figure is better now...at 43, than it was when she was a teen, and we met when we were 15, yeah, I hate her) 

She turned me on to MyFitnessPal.com and it is a miracle... I LOVE IT.  I track what I eat, every morsel, and it calculates everything for me.. fat, calories, sugars, carbs, vitamins, fiber, minerals, cholesterol.. EVERYTHING... even exercise, water, and vitamin supplement intake!!!!!

It's helping me.  I LOVE LDL... I really do... but, at 43 years old, my body isn't cooperating with me on this other 100 lbs I MUST LOSE... so I am combining LDL, with Myfitnesspal.com and I've lost 8lbs in 12 days... FINALLY!

The best part? I eating 4-5 meals a DAY!  I have been SO used to having my main protein meal during the day, and I enjoy it so much, I am going to continue to do it... I just feel like it makes more sense to my body rythyms.

Since I've last posted, I have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in my right hip joint.  I am "bone to bone" and in pain the better part of my days...

To have surgery to replace, they won't even touch me without another 100lbs weight loss... so that's my motivation.

I'll post soon again... I'm so glad to be back...

So much to say... so little time to say it!!!

I absolutely LOVE my job.  I love it so much... I am there all day long, even though I only teach three classes a day... True, my kids attend the school I teach in... so it's easy to want to stay there, so I can feed them, and hang with them for a little bit, and take them home after school... but still...I LOVE MY JOB!!!

What's my job?  I teach CUISINE!  I teach teens how to cook, healthily, with minimal ingredients, from scratch... every single day... and it's the best job ever!!!

BUT... because of my job, my first after being a stay at home Mom for 16 years, I haven't figured out how to continue writing on my blogs in any sort of consistent manner.  I'm on Spring Break now, with my kids (that is the coolest part, I'm off when they are off) so I have the luxury of time on my computer without needing to be prepping for my next class.

We've been busy cooking for fundraisers, faculty, sports teams, and most recently, for Ronald McDonald house.  What a blessing!

The best part... the kids are getting used to using fresh, wholesome ingredients, and are asking for good ingredients in the foods they request... IT'S WORKING!!! I am so excited!

I have some students that write to me on Facebook and tell me what they ate that day, and how they have made better choices... and then repost that they blew it on something bad... It's soooo funny!

The point is... THEY ARE MAKING BETTER CHOICES... CONSCIOUSLY MAKING BETTER CHOICES!!!

We touch on everything in my classes... manners, food choices, etiquette, presentations, hospitality... the works.

We make EVERYTHING from scratch... tortillas, bread, pasta, stir fries, burgers... you name it... we make it from scratch ONLY!!!  It's so important for young people to know that food doesn't not come from window at a drive thru, or from a box at the store... but from a little time and patience.

I am home for Spring Break this week, and am having a lovely time getting to know my own kitchen again, and all my fabulous tools...I've been cooking up a storm... and eating well too...

I'm going to learn how to make pickled foods this week... and hopefully teach my students in the coming weeks... I love the idea of preserving food... such a good use of money and produce...

So that's what's been going on... Summer's coming, and I hope to be able to post on here a lot more when I have some more down time...

Until the next post... BE KIND TO YOURSELVES... AND EAT WELL!!! EAT FRESH!!! AND EAT TO LIVE... not LIVE TO EAT!!!

Why do Parents BUY this stuff for their kids!!!

We've all seen the statistics.   "Obesity and type 2 Diabetes is on the rise!"... or "High Fructose Corn Syrup is awful for you and one of the main reasons for childhood obesity!" And you know what??? THEY ARE RIGHT... but what gets me, all the time, is that PARENTS ARE STILL BUYING THE CONVENIENCE JUNK!!!  WHY! WHY! WHY! WHY!

I know people work... I know they are tired.  I have a job now, and I'm gone all day long too... and I'm tired... but am I too tired to MAKE SOMETHING HEALTHY FOR MY CHILDREN TO EAT??? Really? Ya have to ask!!!!! 

Is it really that much easier to buy a bag of chips and some fake cheese from a can than it is to buy a bag of grapes or apples?  REALLY???  So... parents, you can't find the time to buy oranges, bananas, granola bars, fresh cheese, yogurts or green tea... but you can find the time to buy Fruit Roll ups, Cap'n Crunch Cereal, M & M's and Juice Squeezes?  I AM APPALLED!  I was as the grocery store the other day... and in this ladies cart, it was filled to the brim with processed, fake, plastic, sugary, convenience foods.  Her daughters were each about 50lbs overweight, and they didn't look to be older than 10 or 11.

I know I should have held my tongue... I know I should have... but I didn't.  One of her daughters was CRYING because she couldn't have the peanut butter flavor of a chewy granola bar... LITERALLY CRYING... The poor child could barely breathe, her clothes were 2 sizes too small for her, and she was throwing a temper tantrum OVER FOOD... BAD food.  Her sister wanted the Chocolate Chip kind, and won the battle.  Mom was trying to entice the crying kid with a sugary cereal across the aisle so she would shut up. It worked, and Cookie Crisp was her food battle to win.  Yipee.

I know... I know... I shouldn't have... but I did... I tapped Mama on the shoulder, and I said... "Mom, look at me. You don't want your daughters to have a weight problem like me when they are older, do you?  I've lost 100 lbs and it's taken me a long time to do it... you have lovely daughters, and they deserve good, healthy, REAL food.  For your daughters sake, won't you consider buying some fresh fruit and Cheerios for them, so they can be strong?"  LIKE I SAID... I know I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID A WORD... it's really none of my business... I know... I know...

Here's what she said to me... "Who are YOU to talk! Miss Overweight HERSELF! Mind your own business, and you feed your kids the way you want, and I'll feed mine the way I want!"

THE BEST PART??? The absolute BEST part... the girls both said to Mom... "Yeah Mom, can we have those grapes you wouldn't let us buy?" 

Mom turned the appropriate shade of red, snarled at me, pushed her cart down the aisle, and looked back over her shoulder at me with one more snarl for good measure.  The entire time, the girls were begging her to buy them fruit. Juicy, sweet, fresh, preservative free, healthy, healing FRUIT... and MOM WOULDN'T DO IT!

Look, I'm a Mom... I know buying fresh produce is expensive and there may be a lot of waste involved... but there would be a lot less waste is FRESH FRUIT WAS THEIR ONLY CHOICE! Catch my drift?

I feel soooo blessed that I NEVER have to throw any produce away... to the contrary... there is never enough for me when i want some. I have to make 3 fruit runs a week sometimes... BUT THAT COMES FROM TRAINING... NOT GIVING OPTIONS... AND INSISTING THAT FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES are the ONLY snacks in the house! It's hard.  It's time consuming. It's expensive... but it's NECESSARY!!! I want my kids to live a long, long, long time, with no intestinal problems and no kidney problems... and fresh produce is the way to do it..

There... rant over... I wish all junk food was legally banned for one year, just to see how much healthier and how much less money would be spent on Doctor's Visits...

What do you think?

New Year, New Rules

Aaaahhh the New Year...

A chance to start over... the time of year when we put all kinds of restraints on ourselves to eat well, exercise and don't do this or that...

Good idea? Yes...sort of...

My problem with all of that is that it's too much too quickly, and failure is imminent if we jump off the diet cliff so closely after the "eating season" of Christmas/Chanukah...

New ways of eating should happen gradually, so our bodies, minds and wallets can ease into the new lifestyle and have a chance to get used to the idea.  Our bodies will use and appreciate the new way of eating if we cut out all sugar first... then white flour items,  then fried foods etc... Doing it all at once would be wonderful if we didn't have minds and hearts that love certain foods and have been eating them for years...

So if you are trying to make 2011 the year of YOU... here's a plan of action that your body, mind and wallet can live with... because let's face it... all of us have made a resolution, purchased tons of stuff to support that resolution, only to quit a couple of weeks in and then we are stuck with all the junk we bought...

Rule number one... STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Rule 2 ...Cut out soda... you will be AMAZED how good you will feel.  THIS INCLUDES DIET SODA... that stuff is the DEVIL.  It rots you from the inside out... it makes your teeth soft, and serves NO purpose at all for health and vitality. Do this for a week... then... add...

Rule 3... NO MORE FAST FOOD... steer clear of the drive thru windows... and stay away from Starbucks if you can't order anything but plain coffee or tea... You waist line will get skinnier and your wallet will get fatter if you cut this out... do this for two weeks then... cut out...

Rule 4... SAY NO TO WHITE FLOUR and SUGAR... BUT... I do believe real sugar is still better for you in severe moderation than the blue, pink or yellow packet junk...ASPARTAME is awful, awful, awful stuff...
Truvia seems to be promising... but if I need sugar in my coffee, I just go for the real stuff...

Rule 5... ADD more fruits and vegetables to your eating plan... all ... day... long.  Just when you think you've added enough to your diet... ADD MORE... it is impossible to overeat the good stuff... in my book... it's fantastic because it just go right through you... so EAT UP!!!!

Start these few changes... and watch your waist whittle down to size... a size you'll love.

Don't give up if you slip up... and please don't say something like "Ugh... I cheated... I'll start over next Monday"... NO, NO, NO, NO.... Start over at YOUR VERY NEXT MEAL.  Get back on that  horse... right away...

Happy Eating!!! and Happy New Year!!!

The Holidays

Boy oh boy... the holidays have never been as tough for me as this year is.  Down almost 100 pounds now, it's soooo easy to say things like... "Oh, it's just this one bite" or "It's Christmas, I can nibble on this or that"

Really? Can I? NO!!! I CAN NOT!  Why?

Because it's just too easy to get into that bad habit again.  Ask me how I know.  I ate well in Hawaii, a few weeks ago... too well.  I ate some bread... GASP!! I know...but it was just sitting there on my plate, enveloping a lovely pineapple topped burger and avacado.  Could I have taken it off? Sure.  Did I? Nope.
Do I regret it?  Oh yeah!

Regret? is there any place for it? Yeah, especially when the bread hit my stomach like a brick, and my arthritis started flaring up ten fold.  I didn't stop there.  We circled the island in our rental car, and stopped at every stand to buy fresh fruit from sweet little Hawaiian ladies... but I also ate rice, and potatoes, and Japanese noodles.  All to my stomach's chagrin.

I gained 5 lbs on vacation.  I haven't gained one pound in a year and a half, and it took only one week to gain 5 lbs in Hawaii.  I've lost it already, but it took twice as long to lose it as it did to gain it.  I did MUCH better at our Thanksgiving meal.  I ate a ton of veggies, a small amount of meat, and ate NO BREAD AT ALL, and still lost 1 pound that week.  Thank God.

My hubby gained a little weight too.  He ate everything he wanted.  Bread, potatoes, fried foods etc... but you know what?  When he eats my home cooking... he doesn't gain any weight, in fact, when he eats my homemade bread, he LOSES weight, no matter how much of it he eats.  There's got to be something to that.

4 ingredients in my bread, compared to who know how many in store bought bread... hmmmm.... something to think about.  I know I can't have bread in my life, because I feel like my body doesn't do well with it in my system.  But... from time to time, I'll have an open faced sandwich made with my homemade sourdough starter, and it doesn't affect me in the least... of course, I don't over indulge either...

So... this Holiday Season... be kind to yourselves... and don't make excuses for eating badly... eat better 90% of the day, and your pants will fit you all the way through your holidays... eat the bountiful oranges, apples and tangerines that are on sale in the stores now... and stay healthier in the process...

Happy Everything people... much love to you all

Teaching Teens to eat well is such a blessing!!!

Aspartame is the DEVIL...

That's a one liner I wrote on my board last week during my Monday Monologue speech in class...

And it is...

But it's a hard sell to adults.  Everyone is so used to drinking diet this or that...thinking that they are doing something RIGHT by not ingesting calories... oh... but calories are better than chemicals... any day of the week.

Teens... on the other hand... take information and are interested.  They haven't formed life long opinions on food items yet, and are still moldable.  They bodies are young, beautiful, strong and agile, and many of them would like to keep it that way... especially in our youth obsessed, rail thin supermodel world.

It is such a pleasure to talk to teens about food, and have them really take the information in.  They want to live a long time, and have good health... just like us...

Talk to your teens about chemical additives in foods.  Let them know that fresh is best... and they are too precious to be science experiments...