April 30, 2011

     Have been trying to reduce carbs way down since Wednesday and have walked all days except Thursday.  Actually feeling pretty good, even without the fiber.  The scale still doesn't seem to be going down, but I really don't want to get discouraged. I do feel better, so I guess that's the true test.

     Going for brunch tomorrow with my parents, and I'm sure they will not believe that I am actually being good while I eat omelets, bacon and roast beef!! Had some fresh made pork rinds at a little Mexican food place on Friday that were delicious. I tried to make some today out of salt pork, not quite the same. but it was pretty filling.

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April 28, 2011

     I was getting really discouraged, and wanted to start avoiding the scales. I felt that I was following low carb really well and didn't understand why the weight wasn't "melting" off. I spoke with the girl at work that kind of got me back on the low carb (she had said how easy it was and how quickly the weight came off) and told her that I was having problems. She asked if I had cheated, and I replied no, the only thing I can think of is the whipped cream, which isn't supposed to be that bad. I told her that I put it on sugar free jello and sometimes strawberries. She almost fell over, "you can't eat strawberries". I also said that I had salad and cabbage most nights with my meat course. She said that I should try to stay at zero carbs for as long as possible.

     By the time that I spoke with her, I had had two eggs and four strips of bacon for breakfast and tuna with mayonnaise for lunch (zero carbs) on the way home I stopped and bought a one pound boneless rib eye and that was my dinner. I don't really like zero carbs because that is also zero fiber. 

April 23, 2011

     It's Easter weekend and I'm going to the beach. My sister asked me to bring the blender that makes smoothies, so that means frozen concoctions of some sort (definitely not on any diet I know about), but it does also mean a couple of long walks along the beach. I'm also bringing a lot of the foods that I can have and also a lot of water. Staying hydrated helps curb the appetite, and does sometimes help with the will power.

     We are also bringing both dogs, so they will also get extra walks and water time. There's a boat ramp on the back side of the island that is perfect for them.

April 19, 2011

It's been a few days since I've written, but not because I'm not doing as I should. Sunday was another beautiful day at the beach, and another nice walk in the sand. Today is Tuesday and I did walk both Monday and today. Still not very fast, two miles in thirty seven minutes, but at least I'm walking. I've also been very diligent in my eating habits. Have to be careful though, someone at work today said it looks like I'm losing weight. (A nice thing to hear, but it can sometimes be a dangerous thing and let you believe OK great, I look better so I can return to my bad habits).

I heard about a forty year reunion scheduled for August 2012 that I would really like to attend. Friends from the American School of Paris circa 1970's. That should definately give me some great motivation. I think I need to figure out exactly where I want to be within myself by then and begin setting some short term goals to get there.

April 16, 2011

The benefits of green tea... "Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting that regular green tea drinkers have lower chances of heart disease and of developing certain types of cancer. Although green tea does not raise the metabolic rate enough to produce immediate weight loss." This quote was taken from Wikipedia, as I thought that green tea did help with weight loss. Apparently though, green tree extracts containing polyphenols and caffeine have been shown to induce thermogenesis (which is a significant component of the metabolic rate). According to About.com, "To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful: cancer rheumatoid arthritis high cholesterol levels cardiovascular disease infection impaired immune function I feel that whether green tea does indeed do all these wonderful things or not, it is definitely worth my time to enjoy a cup or two each day.

April 15, 2011

Another good day yesterday. Lunch at work turned out to be very doable, chicken fajita meat with melted cheddar cheese and romaine salad with Ranch dressing. Lots of water throughout the day and dinner was leftover salad and left over county ribs from the night before. I had gotten ambitious at lunch time when I got home (since I didn't have to eat) and made some sugar free Jello, so that was desert. I walked two miles yesterday, not very quickly, it took me forty minutes, but I did it. Tonight there is a dinner for the puppy raisers, appreciation type thing. I hope it's not all pastas!!

April 14, 2011

I did not walk yesterday, but this morning the scale is finally beginning to move downward. I'm sure the two are not related, and I will not stop walking. My son notified me yesterday that he is not doing low carb anymore because he heard that he is missing things nutritionally by doing that type of a diet. (I haven't yet told him that it's the fruits and veggies that was meant, not all the processed food!!) He really doesn't need to be dieting, just eating better. I guess that's truly the key for all of us. Expend more than we consume. Wow what a concept. Diet and exercise!!

For breakfast today I am having milled flax seed "bread" topped with Cool Whip and a little cinnamon. It actually tastes pretty good and I am getting 16 grams of fiber!! Also some natural Omega 3.

Yesterday at work there was no temptation with food, none was brought in, but today we have both breakfast and lunch coming in. I have some cheese sticks as a snack and will come home for lunch.

April 13, 2011

Been thinking about why the obesity problem is so much more prevalent now than in years past and I think that a lot of it is because we never walk to a destination anymore. We always jump in the car and then search out the closest parking spot. I have a grocery store that is within walking distance, but the only time I walk there is when I am in my health conscious mode or trying to loose weight. On Sundays I see a lot of people walking, running or bike riding, but not to really go anywhere, just out back and forth, down the trail and back, etc. I also could ride a bike to my job, but have to pick up our newest service dog in training from his school which I think is to far (I'll have to check it out). Could just be another excuse for me to hop in the car instead of using my own power and calories to get somewhere.

Did great yesterday, I avoided the potatoes at breakfast, sticking with bacon and eggs, and also avoided all the candy in the afternoon. Did my half hour walk as soon as I got home and then got in the pool to just cool down. April in Florida is summer anywhere else!!

Aprill 12, 2011

So far so good. My day at the beach was just as great as expected. Beautiful warm sunny day. Walked about two miles in the sand, and ate only what I should. My son made it home safely from his prom night, my daughter calls almost everyday to share the little daily updates with Henry (six weeks old yesterday), my husband is making sales, all is wonderful in my world right now. At work, I am no longer sitting everyday in an office next to the kitchen (where breakfast and lunch are normally catered daily), I am working in the front office and am on my feet most of the day. The first two weeks I was unsure if I could handle it, but don't even notice it anymore. I make sure that I eat a breakfast of either eggs or milled flax seed bread, and come home for lunch daily to whatever is left over from the night before (today will be a left over turkey burger). I did walk for thirty minutes yesterday when I got home from work, and felt great. I want to start out slowly this time instead of pushing myself to fast in the beginning and then burning out quickly. Right now I am committing to walking thirty minutes five days a week. If I do more that's great, but I certainly don't want to do any less.

April 11, 2011

It has been almost a year since I've been on here... Many things have happened in the past year, but not a lot of change in my life style or my weight. I've been inspired by my daughter and son-in-law who are both avid bloggers. Monday through Friday each day they are on the computer. Perhaps if I just start writing down my thoughts and feelings, I'll begin to see a pattern to my changes, when I stop trying to be healthy and just start eating whatever I like. What is it that makes me sabotage myself and not just embrace the changes necessary to live a healthier lifestyle. At this point in my life, I am eating low carb. It is usually a fast easy way for me to drop a few pounds and get myself excited about being more conscientious of my desire to lose weight. Last Tuesday I came home from work and told my now 18 year old son that I was going low carb. He said "Great, lets go shopping for some food, I'll go too". Off we went in search of the right foods. Last night was his senior prom, so he did go off the low carb, but I feel that I have been pretty good. I went out to dinner last night with friends and scoured the menu, really tempted by the prime rib sandwich (which of course would have had french fries), but went with the crab leg/grilled chicken breast dinner with a side of zucchini in a tomato sauce (the tomato sauce was my concern but I'm sure it was better than any other choice). I did also have two Michelob Ultras which do have more carbs than I want at this point, but I gave up my diet sodas last January, didn't want to order water and forgot about iced tea. Today is going to be a day at the beach, I'll take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my husband and probably egg salad and some cheese sticks for myself. It also means a walk on the beach of probably two miles which will be real nice.