Day 5 and Still Truckin'

So far so good on the change of lifestyle I've made a decision to address (notice I DIDN'T say that word, DIET....sshhhh). I spent most of my day yesterday with a good friend who really likes to eat out. It's been a problem for me because I've allowed her decisions to control MY decisions. I mean, who wants a salad when there's all kinds of fatty, savory deliciousness pictured on the menu.....never mind the smells seducing my taste buds!

But yesterday went ok. I ate out. I made decisions. My smart phone made it easy because I could pull up the nutrition stats on the restaurants. I still wanted the "yummy" stuff but felt good all day because I chose differently. And this morning I feel better physically than I would have felt had I done the same old thing. At this moment I don't miss the lo mein i didn't eat last night.

The important thing though, is to LIVE. I wish I could say my new found willingness has created an immaculate house, the bathtub replaced, my paperwork complete. It hasn't. But it IS creating some interesting possibilities!

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I went back on my word last year. I STILL can't remember how to put pictures on this damn machine so I'm just going to BLOG!!!

Like many thousands (millions?) of Americans, the New Year is a time for reflection, for taking stock and for MAKING RESOLUTIONS! I admit, I'm running right there with the herd on this one. New Year's Eve day was spent in reflection, in taking a personal inventory......AND in eating everything I could get my hands on before the clock struck twelve. Because I KNEW that the sound of my ship's clock and the boom of neighborhood fireworks would also herald in the most common of the "New Year's Resolutions." This year I'm really gonna do it. This year I'm going to lose weight.

My trainer has implemented a "50 pounds in 50 weeks" goal for all that are interested in our boot camp. I will be thrilled with 35 pounds thank you very much although the stupid insurance guidelines say I should really lose about 60. Not gonna happen, that. Still, she pointed out that all I have to do is eat 500 fewer calories and/or burn off 500 additional calories with exercise. Actually, it will be a combination of both.

I don't eat out too frequently anymore but an occasional fast food stop in this day and age is almost impossible (for me) so I've started checking out a few common foods. Did you know that a McD's hamburger is 250 calories???? That's a plain burger. The one that's gone in 3 good bites! My favorite breakfast, a bacon egg and cheese biscuit is between 420 and 480 calories! I'm going to be eating the egg McMuffin from now on. But what really bowled me over was the calorie count for the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes.....1090 calories!!!! That's nearly my allotment for the entire day! Thank God for Taco Bell (taco, 150 calories) and Subway (some 6 inch sandwiches right around 300 calories!) I should buy stock in both!

So I've already worked out today which is good because I'm going to be busier than a one armed paper hanger. Breakfast will be an egg sandwich at home and a couple tangerines that are fresh and delicious! I'm feeling healthier already!

Hungover and Feeling Really Rotten

I had my mid Six Week Challenge measurements taken yesterday and I've lost a total of 8 inches around my tummy, hips and waist! I can feel the difference in how my pants fit but more especially how my shirts don't gap at the breast line anymore! I can't wait until I can fit in a regular size large!

Part of the program I'm using includes a "cheat meal" once a week. The idea is to kick start our metabolism...to make it believe that there is still plenty of food around so our bodies will continue to lose weight. Well, typically, I eat a little heavier for dinner on Sunday night and then finish it up with a BIG bowl of chocolate ice cream. I followed my pattern last night. I ate a nice serving of shrimp lo mein followed by my ice cream.

I woke up this morning sick. First, I didn't really sleep really well. When I did wake up, I had a headache and was nauseous. From what I hear, pretty normal symptoms of a hangover.

I love my family of origin. They were a wacky bunch with a lot of good qualities. And many of them were alcoholics. In my studies, I've learned that food addictions, especially around sugar, are VERY closely related to alcohol addiction. In fact, alcohol sugars metabolize even faster than glucose. So I'm not surprised that I feel like crap. Though I didn't check my blood sugar this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if it was up from my meal last night.

The whole point to this is that I have done the same of thing and expected different results for long enough. Though I need the extra calories occasionally to keep the metabolism revving, it would be wiser to eat an extra egg sandwich or a couple apples. After 52 years, maybe I've learned my lesson!

My Sad Discovery

I woke up a few days ago and went out to the back yard to do my morning chores. Typically, I feed and water the chickens and let them out of their enclosure for the day. Then I water my bunnies and give them some yummy hay and pellets to eat. They eat mostly at night but with the heat, I'm careful to keep them watered.

This particular morning though, I found my favorite bunny doe had passed on during the night. I wanted to do a necropsy but didn't have time so I don't know what killed her. But it has affected me deeply.

It's one thing to harvest an animal's meat. It's not a pleasant thing to take a life but I do it with gratitude and thank the animal for it's role in nourishing us. This just feels wrong. I'm wondering if the bottom cage I had her in contributed as it doesn't get the cooling breeze and bunnies don't handle heat well.

So I'm rethinking my rabbitry. Perhaps it would be better not to keep a buck right now and just plan on taking my does to a buck when it's time to make babies. It would be a bit of a hassle but all my rabbits would have the benefit of an airy place to live.

Soapbox Time!!!!

I have a LONG career in food. When my children were small, I subjected them to my "whole foods" regime. We ate vegetables, meat, whole wheat bread, sunflower seeds, yogurt and, horror of horrors, brewer's yeast-infiltrated banana smoothies. If you've ever TASTED brewer's yeast you will understand the trusting nature of my offspring. They ate it because I did, even asking for more! Go figure. It is NASTY stuff.

And because weight has been an issue for me since the tender age of 5, I've run through all the popular fixes for weight loss too. I've been through a popular support group with the initials WW, worked a program in Overeaters' Anonymous, done juice fasting, vegetarian diets, high protein diets, diets high in complex carbs and of course, the "What the Hell" diet. That just consisted of eating whatever I wanted. And it was no better (or worse!) than any of the others.

Now, I will allow that my current conviction may go the way of all the other attempts. I like to think that being a little older and a little more in touch with my diminishing physical prowness will keep me motivated and convinced past the honeymoon stage. I had a little bit of a scare with some blood chemistry that lit a fire under my butt (thank you Ericka!) and I found that I just didn't FEEL as good as I used to.

Enter "Not Your Average Boot Camp" six weeks' challenge!

I had signed up for it in February then promptly found every reason not to follow through. I took an impromtu trip to Utah to see my brother and to do a little skiing ( I do love to ski!). I came home and got a nasty cold and then spent a week with my "new mama daughter". When the next round of the Challenge came up, my trainer called and "invited" me back. I didn't dare say no!

I'm doing interval training 3 times a week and usually play tennis or ride my bike on days that I don't go to the gym. The physical part of it has never been that hard for me though I'm noticing a vast improvement in my balance and strength. The hard part is staying down to 1300 calories a day. To say I'm a food addict would not be overstating things. But something is different this time.....part of the challenge is to stay away from processed sugar. For me that means no cookies, cakes, candy bars, ice cream and, well, you get the picture. (There IS a cheat meal every week where ANYTHING goes. I REALLY look forward to that cheat meal!)

The remarkable thing is that not eating sugar has reduced my cravings by 90%! My energy level has stabilized and my blood pressure has even gone down by a full 20 points on both systolic and dyastolic numbers! Best of all, that blood chem issue is no longer a problem!

CAUTION: ENTERING SOAPBOX TERRITORY!!!!

This little book and a couple others like it has some scary stuff in it. We've all read how type II diabetes is epidemic right now. Our children's lifespan expectation, for the first time in modern history, is actually shorter than our own! I won't pretend I can trace every reason...that's not my place anyway. What I will do is encourage people to read about the impact on refined sugar on our health and the health of our children.

I've always tended to carry extra weight in my belly, the worst possible place healthwise. I have at least a few risk factors for metabolic syndrome also known as insulin resistance. Now I know why. When a person's body is insulin resistant, it takes MORE insulin in the bloodstream to effectively utilize sugar. The more ingested sugar, the more insulin needed to balance it out. The higher the concentrations of dietary refined sugar, the faster blood sugar spikes, the more insulin necessary for our body to use all that fuel.

I've always known that sugar spikes are followed by sugar depression (I'd call them hangovers!). Of course, I would eat more sugar to get that energy back! What I didn't know is that insulin also promotes FAT DEPOSITION! What available sugar that the cells can't use are deposited as fat. The greater the quantity of insulin in our blood, the more fat is deposited! It's a vicious cycle. And one that can be broken by a focusing on whole foods with minimal refinement.

I'm not going to be obsessive. Popsicle makes a great no sugar added fudgesicle and there are chocolate roasted almond that are to die for. I use powdered stevia to sweeten my smoothies. Still, after only 2 weeks, I can't argue with the results.My thinking is clearer ....not as foggy, if that makes any sense. I don't feel as moody either. I can actually FEEL hungry and not panic. Heartburn is gone and enthusiasm for my life is UP!

A New Big Brother Too!!

With the creation of a new baby comes also the creation of a new Big Brother! Hunter thought Grayson was pretty cool....as far as squirmy, crying, red faced little people can be cool to a three year old! I think the connection was made though.



But let's get real! A game of catch with a magically deflated Mom beats all. Though I didn't get Sheri in this picture, I sure enjoyed watching the two of them tossing the ball to each other. Hunter did a pretty good job of catching too. I hate to admit it but I can just see the quarterback sizing up a passing play in this picture. I'd rather see him play tennis!

It won't be long before Grayson will be his play buddy. Amazing, isn't it?

To Go Back A Bit......Announcing, Grayson!!!

With my two older daughters expecting children this year, it was a real honor to be invited to attend the birth of both new grandchildren. I figured it would be relatively easy to arrive in time to witness Sheri's new little one. After all, what is an eight hour trip compared to her last labor of 30 hours? As soon as she decided her time had come, I would load up the car and point her north. If I didn't drink too much (to bypass so many potty breaks!) I could be there in, say, 6.5 hours. Piece of cake.

So, my darling mother to be called me Monday evening to tell me she thinks she's in labor but the contractions aren't too close together and they feel at an intensity level of a 2-3. Ok....early labor. I pack my car.

8:00am. As I drive to work, we chat again. Contractions maybe 5-8 minutes apart, intensity up to a 4. Progressing nicely but still early. She carried on a conversation without effort....no real strain. There's time still. I proceed to work and do 2 massages with the intent of driving up right after work.

12:30pm. I'm on the Florida Turnpike and we talk. Hhmm....things are getting serious now. A little more intense, a little closer together. But in the back of my mind I remind myself of her 30 hour labor. No problem. I should get there just about in time to drive with them to the hospital.

2:00pm. I get a call saying they are GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!!!!!! What the heck? She MUST be overreacting.....right? But the strain in her voice is real enough. I drive a little faster....

4:00pm. I call and DANNY answers. Wait a minute....that's not right! "Oh sorry," he says, "Grayson was born at 3:37pm."

I missed it. It took just a few more hours before I met my newest grandson. Perhaps an earlier departure would have been prudent. Still, I'm so glad this birth moved along. The birth story is hers to tell but I would say going from 5 to 10 centimeters dialation in less than 45 minutes is pretty remarkable. I think her body was telling her..."Ain't NO WAY I'm going through THAT again!!!"