I'm Losing It!!

Share Day

2010-08-23T22:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I had to take a break from Geneen's book cause I had a book to read for book club, then my classes started back up. I'll get to it, though. Gotta simplify my reading list and schedule!

Anyway, I have a friend who has a pretty interesting Facebook page that she has just started. On it, she first started talking about breakfast. She starts her day off with 24 oz. of water. Then she equalizes everything else she drinks with water... Sounds like a good idea! This will definitely cut my Diet Dr. Pepper habit in about 1/3! Cause now, I'm not 'thirsty' as much as I was!

I found a cool travel cup that I just add ice and water and drink until empty then refill again and again! Some days I drink three or four cups, some maybe one or two. But I start off with a full glass of water (room temp) before I even hit the coffee.

Also, as a part of this, I really want to get my kids off the carbs, too! So, I'm trying to figure out how to 'do' breakfast without it being totally high maintenance, but also without it being cold cereal and milk everyday. Last weekend, I made THE best smoothies. So, I'm going to try that a couple days a week. We all love smoothies. I use vanilla yogurt, just cause I couldn't find the plain, frozen fruit and a little apple juice. I think I'm out of apple juice but we'll figure something out! I also have the ingredients for making a yummy muffin that I'll have to find to post later. It is made with flour, but it has apples, carrots and raisins in it,too!

One more thing to share... I'm also reading Earth Nourished Woman. Great blog... lots of ideas! Check her out!

2010-08-16T13:46:00.000-04:00

I love it when an idea or a book or a feeling is confirmed by finding others who are having similar experiences.

I was reading Ronna Detrick's newsletter about Spiritual Direction. She quoted a book that I started reading, really loved, but have never finished. I know I need to read this book.

Then she quoted from Geneen Roth's, Women Food and God. Here are the guidelines that Ronna shared:

1. Eat when you are hungry.
2. Eat sitting down in a calm environment. (This does not include the car.)
3. Eat without distractions.
4. Eat what your body wants.
5. Eat until you are satisfied.
6. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others.
7. Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure.

I'm going to post this somewhere... a great reminder!

Women Food and God

2010-08-13T17:01:00.000-04:00

So I'm reading "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth. I'm only to Ch. 5, but it seems like this is a book that describes events from workshops that the author gives.

However, one letter she writes is very helpful. She talks about missing the life that is going on now because you are so busy waiting for something to come... I'm going to quote from a part of it.

"Occupy the space in this body you were given. It's your place. Only yours.

The writer Annie Dillard says, "How you spend your days is how you spend your life."

Ok, so I'm going to stop there a moment. What do I do... right now, I'm not doing ANYTHING... I'm waiting for school to start, waiting for tax season, waiting for the children to grow up, waiting until I'm debt free, waiting until I feel better, waiting until I lose weight... So, I'm just... waiting. Is that how I'm going to spend my whole life?

"Be unwaveringly honest. Ask yourself how you want to spend your day.

Come back. Break the trance. Pay attention to your breath. Your arms. Your legs. Listen to the sounds. The scrape of a chair... Wake up to the riot of life around you every second. The singer Pearly Bailey said, "People see God everyday; they just don't recognize Him." What if every day was a chance to see a new version of God? What if what you needed was right in front of you and you were not recognizing it?

You already have everything you need to be content. Your real work... is to do whatever it takes to realize that."

Ok, I might like this book.

I'm an Addict

2010-06-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

So the strange and amazing thing is not that I am admitting that I'm an addict as much as I am really just realizing how much of an addict I am...

An addict is someone who uses something to feel better or to mask the feelings that she or he may have. An addict is someone who doesn't understand that the addiction drives her or him to consume more. An addict is someone who walks through life saying things like, "I can stop anytime" or "If I just do xyz, then I'll be okay" (like if I only eat low carb or if I count calories or if I exercise a lot).

I was thinking about appetite suppressants and considering whether or not I should try to get some. But I heard a radio doc say that sometimes appetite suppressants don't work, because the person is eating when he or she is not hungry anyway!

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding

Well, that's ME!! Ever since I heard that, a few weeks ago, it has been on my mind. My niece, who was never heavy, lost a lot of weight after her baby was born. And there are a few other people that I've watch lose weight... And the thing they are doing is that they are not eating! Now I don't mean they are starving themselves, they just aren't always munching and I rarely see them go for seconds. Occasionally they eat desserts or snacks or junk, but they don't eat big meals.

So, in the last two weeks, I've been trying to eat when I'm hungry, nibble when I want a snack, and not get full or stuffed! About three or four weeks ago, hubby and I went to a Fish Camp on a date. It was the first time we went there, so we didn't know what to expect. Our plates were filled to overflowing! I ate so much, my stomach hurt for two days! We went there again this past Friday. We ordered the very same amount of food, with a couple extra orders of fries and shared both plates between us and four kids. I really watched how much I ate and I left NOT hungry and NOT with a stomach ache!

I'm guessing that in two weeks, I've lost about 7 lbs. I'm feeling like I'm figuring this all out. I am eating popcorn, I am eating rice (small amounts when I want it), I am eating stuff I like, but just in smaller quantities.

I may go back to low-carbing. I have a family history of diabetes, so cutting out carbs and sugar can only be a good thing for me. But for now, I'm working on learning to eat when I'm hungry and stopping before I get stuffed! I am watching my caloric intake via sugars... not counting, just watching. For instance, when I go to the coffee shop, I'm not ordering a frappe or high sugar smoothie. I am ordering iced coffee with a shot of sugar free flavoring (almond is my favorite) and I add some half and half. It is as good as anything else. Not super sweet, but just right.

Also, in an attempt to watch how often I'm drinking things that taste sweet, even diet sodas, I've tried to cut back on the amount of Splenda I add to my coffee and the amount of Diet Dr. Peppers I drink. I could easily go through a case a week. I'm out right now, so today or tomorrow (whenever I do the grocery shopping) I'm going to buy my usual case and see how long it takes me to drink them all. I'm going to pace myself and try to only drink one a day and the rest of the day drink water.

Joy Fit Club

2010-06-09T13:34:00.001-04:00

One day last week, as I was cleaning my room, I clicked on a link from MSNBC that led me to the Joy Fit Club... And I watched the videos from that segment of The Today Show.

A couple of things hit me.

One person was consuming TONS of diet sodas. Joy Bauer, the leader of the "Joy Fit" Pack said something about the taste buds being saturated with a sweetness. And leading to more cravings... ding ding ding ding ding!!

It seemed that diet and exercise were a common theme, but another thing Joy did was to show what they HAD been consuming on a daily basis and what they were NOW consuming on a daily basis... BIG DIFFERENCE!!

So, I've tried to cut back on Diet Dr. Pepper, my favorite drink... and I have felt less like eating and nibbling during the day. And I've tried to really watch how MUCH I eat at each meal...

I had decided I would not come back here and blog until I was at least below my lowest weight... I am finally below my last weigh in, so I'm here!! If I gain, I won't be here... And believe me, I love to blog. If I lose, I get to come on here and brag to myself and log my success.

So, I'm looking for more bloggers to follow, for encouragement. If you are a blogger, comment and leave your blog addy.

Waking up...

2010-04-25T11:59:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was a much better day. I managed to avoid the chips, the fudge, the peanut butter and jelly, the chocolate pancakes, the leftover spaghetti, the ice cream... I did succumb to one girl scout cookie... but ONLY one! Yay!

Today, I will be doing homework, so I need to be very diligent. Studying and stress from procrastination tends to make me wanna nibble.

I'm going to breakfast on another breakfast bowl. That was really good and easy. This time, I'm gonna spray the bowl with Pam... :0)

I've got burgers, chicken, meatballs, Rotel stuff, pork rinds, Carb Smart Ice Cream... I think I'll be ok.

UGH!! Headaches and Setbacks... and the F word!!!

2010-04-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

NO! Not THAT F word!! LOL

Ok, so I'm on day three of a magnificent headache and I've been experiencing some intestinal distress and the carb cravings are almost abated but I ate 2 pieces of FUDGE last night...

Today, I realized that the headaches and distress are probably a part of the carb detox... oh yeah! So, great idea to eat the fudged! Der...

So, I'm fixing me a big glass of Diet Dr. Pepper, taking something for the headache and pushing forth.

I'm a bit upset that I've fluctuated and not lost, but whaddya expect when you're eating FUDGE!! Again, DER!!

So, this morning I fixed me a low-carb breakfast bowl. I put some shredded cheddar in a glass microwavable bowl, added some cooked sausage, some ham, 2 eggs (mixed up just a bit), salt and pepper and microwaved it for about 3 minutes or so. Perfect!! I might add some peppers and onions next time. Easy and yummy.

I'm headed to the kitchen now to fix up something called "My Rotel Recipe" (link in previous post) and maybe some Low Carb Meatballs. Remember, I'm 'bulk' cooking so I can stay outta the kitchen as much as possible! Not because I'm not a good cook... but because I AM!! (But I'm also lazy and don't like to cook and really don't like to clean up the mess!!

Ok, so the Rotel Recipe is easy and really good. I have no idea how I can use this. I just put some in a small bowl to eat it. It would be great with some kind of chip! But NIX the chips. Maybe as a topping for a taco salad or in a low carb wrap. It is a bit spicy (Rotel is spicy!) but I like spicy!
Then, I did meatballs.

2.5 lbs. ground beef
1/4 lb Italian sausage (it was leftover from above recipe!)
2 eggs
seasoning (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder...)
Parmesan Cheese-I probably used about 1/4 c. (the kind in the green container... you know, shaky cheese for pizza and spaghetti. Not the gourmet stuff!)

The secret to meatballs is to NOT over handle or over cook. So, I made them into balls, put them on a pan and cooked them for about 15 minutes (more or less depending on the size of your balls) and baked at 350 degrees.

Both recipes are pretty tasty. So, I'll put this all in containers to use for the rest of the week!! I also have baggies filled with cut up, cubed size pieces of chicken breast and frozen uncooked hamburger patties. My week should be easy. :0)

The headache is subsiding as I am typing this. Finally!

What's cooking?? Cabbage and Bacon

2010-04-21T20:37:00.001-04:00

I really do much better when I don't have to hang out in the kitchen too much. So, I've found a couple of things I'm going to try to cook in bulk and see how it works out.

Cabbage/Bacon/Onions

12oz. Bacon chopped and cooked
Large cabbage, chopped (chunky)
small red onion, chopped
salt and pepper

Fry up the bacon, pour off some of the bacon grease, add onion and cabbage and salt and pepper. If you want this cabbage fried, leave the lid off. Otherwise it ends up steamed.

So, this is going in my fridge after it cools down and I'll use this as several meals. It probably makes 6 servings or so. I'm not counting carbs, just eating low carb, but this probably has around 5 to 8 carbs per serving.

This is dinner tonight. I've got a few more things I'm working on, also.

Starting Over...

2010-04-19T13:55:00.013-04:00

I have a friend who is losing weight... she has inspired me to get back to it over here.

So, my plan is to work on a 'menu' and figure out how to do all this, yet again. I found some 'bulk' type recipes. I can fix them up and just eat from them all week. Breakfast is probably the hardest thing, but if I make a couple of quiches, it should be ok.

Here are the recipes that are looking good to me this week:

Rotel Recipe
Fried Cabbage and Onions
Taco Skillet
Dinner Plate Pizza
Spinach Quiche

Here we go again...

2010-04-18T14:50:00.009-04:00

First weight loss goal: