Friday, November 27, 2009

I had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving day. I did not overeat and I ate belly good foods! I did have a sliver of dessert and enjoyed the sliver. This is the first Thanksgiving in a long time where I don't remember feeling stuffed and fatigued. I attribute this to my choice of being aware of my sugar intake.

I missed not having a meeting this week and I am looking forward to our next Monday meeting. I ordered 3 books from Amazon. I was going to order 5, but there was a limit on the number I could order. I ordered my daughters each one and wanted one for my husband's sister Connie and me.

I've finished the 800 page novel I was reading and I am now turning my attention to the weight training books I purchased. I'll keep you all posted on my results.

Have a fun weekend and I will be back online the first of next week.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

I love and accept myself as I am. My Higher Power lives within so I am worthy.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - Thanksgiving Eve

Today was a good day. Work let us out early. Our managers are always showing us how much they appreciate us and the hard work we do.

Mark vacuumed and I am brining a turkey. First time, so who know how it will turn out. I used salt, hot peppers, orange, rosemary, pepper, and garlic. We got the 19 pound turkey in the fridge; only barely, but it is there. We are having dressing; no potatoes, green beans, and baked apples. The apples usually have tons of white and brown sugar on them. This year I am going to use Joseph's maltitol and his sugar free maple syrup, along with the butter and cinnamon. I'll let you know how they turn out. My dressing is my usual only with multi-grain bread, instead of white bread. It is probably the food with the most sugar. I have not counted S/C per serving and have given myself permission to have a reasonably sized portion with the rest of my meal.

I am feeling stronger and know that Thanksgiving will come and go and I will make the best choices possible and be aware about what I put in my mouth.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travel.

Being healthy is a divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

I love and accept myself now; as I am. My Higher Power lives within, so I am worthy.

Tuesday,, November 24, 2009

I want to tell every person who commented on my Sunday blog how grateful I am for all the support. I will definitely go out to your blogs to look for recipes and further inspiration. Thankfully, I am in a better place this evening and look forward to spending my Thanksgiving Holiday with Mark and my friends from SEMATECH.

I am also in countdown mode because 3 weeks from tomorrow I will be headed to Texas to spend 3 and 1/2 weeks with my family and can hardly wait to see my daughters. My daughters have been following my blog and are also working on S/C awareness.

I realized yesterday that my Higher Power has given me the gift of being healthy and that for me the way I am making those changes and the results I am seeing are better the continuing the lack of education and awareness about what I am putting in my mouth or sometimes, flat out denial about where my past choices have led me.

I send good thoughts to all whether they are nesting at home or traveling to be with loved ones this following season.

Being healthy is a divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Losing weight is part of my journey and I gladly embrace the change.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

I have been sad today. Someone in our jorgecruise blog mentioned that someone who has lost 7-9 pounds per week must have quit a bit to lose. One person lost 7 or so pounds in the first week and had 40 to lose. I have 80 more pounds to lose. While I've lost 10 pounds since I began my lifestyle change journey on October 23rd, I have not lost 7 or so pounds per week; not even 4 actually. I wonder if Mark and I are not following the program as well as we could be. It's always been this way for me. I start off with a super positive mind set and then as the weeks go, I feel almost hopeless.

I don't want to change my lifestyle back to over consuming sugars and breads. I want to be a size where I can wear normal clothes; classy, stylish, sensual clothes. I seem to want it now, instead of 6 months from now and want the weight to melt off more quickly.

So, I am going to tell on myself. I don't use the tracker, I count in my head. I don't count my carbs for the Benefiber; I figured those should be free, since I didn't initially understand there would be carbs in it. My fasting glucose was up to 132 the other day and I thought I had been following the program closely. I find myself thinking what Jorge said - if I am not losing 4-9 pounds each week, then I am not doing something right. I feel angry because I have stopped cokes, white breads, limited my tomatoes and fruits, and purchased fiber, pro-biotic pills, spry toothpaste, and whey protein. While I feel better I find I want better visible results.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I am cooking the turkey. However, as much as I've tried to control my menu, I still have pies coming from one of our guests and I am scared I will destroy my new lifestyle; mainly because I am going to sabotage myself by thinking things are going too slow, so why continue.

How do I navigate through all the belly bad foods and continue to choose the belly good foods? I almost dread the holiday season because of the temptations and my current state of thoughts and feelings.

I don't have a tip today, I hope you all have tips for me. I want to continue making the choices that are right for me. I tell myself, some day I will be where I want to be and maintain my healthy size while still being able to occasionally enjoy belly bad foods and still be healthy. That's not this Holiday Season though. I'm afraid that I will slip into the world of sugar consumption and never turn back; at least until I am forced to by some serious health issue.

I read the articles about travelers on airlines being hacked off because lazy, undisciplined, fat people cannot fit in their seats and wonder why they are not facing the obesity issue I am facing. I know I am in victim mode and don't want to be. Damn it! I want to be able to eat a piece of pumpkin pie without fearing the fall into the sugar abyss. I am scared and as I am sitting here, tears are falling and I cannot stop them. I want to be my girls' example of turning things around and I don't want them thinking that once again I am back to my old self-destructive habits.

I want to type my mantra, but I feel as if I am a fake. I want to be honest to myself. Do I really want instant health at the price of giving up the fudges, cakes, and pies I have enjoyed all my life? I did not nip my gaining weight in the bud until I had over 100 pounds to lose. There are probably those of you that are disgusted and I am disgusted.

I will sign off with my mantra because Melody Beattie says that if you can act "as if" you are grateful or are practicing a certain behavior, it will become truth. So here goes:

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Today was another beautiful day in Saratoga Springs! I enjoyed my morning adventure with Charisse and Chloe. The carousel in Congress Park is closed for the season except for Victorian Days and New Years Eve. That was a bummer. However, it gives us a reason to get back together next Spring.

I feel tired this evening. I almost seem a little sad and I am not sure why. I told Mark I think it is because I haven't been right on with the BFC program. I ate a homemade cinnamon roll with ham and eggs this morning for breakfast. Then I had stuffed sole with asparagus for lunch, and then a Chicken Pot Pie for dinner. After that though, I ended up having crackers with crab dip and a handful of walnuts.

I think more than anything I am concerned that I will go back to my old way of eating. I cannot wait until eating healthy is like 2nd nature and I don't have to think about it quite so hard. My niece was asking what we were going to do about sweets over the holiday season. I said; we are going ahead and having them. I also know that I am going to keep squares of cheese, walnuts, wine, and 85% chocolate on hand to satisfy me and if I do have a sweet, it will be thumb sized and I will be very selective. I am going to be asking myself if I will remember the memory of ingesting a particular sweet 10 minutes later. My way of telling myself it is instant gratification and not delayed or continuing gratification.

Tip: Stay aware during the holidays of what you are putting in your mouth. Most of the time you can be prepared like I plan to be. If not, remain aware and make the best choice for what you have to choose from. If you find yourself in that position over and over, then evaluate your food stash or consider you may be emotional eating.

Remember to Keep it Simple when planning your meals!

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Friday, November 20,2009

Yea! It's Friday. I always feel as if I am already on Thanksgiving Holiday the weekend before. I feel festive and have had a good week. I am enjoying cooking simple, yet tasty meals. Tonight we had Salmon, cooked in coconut oil, old bay seasoning, pepper and garlic mix, and Himalayan salt, and the kitchen sink! Well, not exactly. We ate that with edemame and a glass of tea. It tasted amazing and was the right meal to finish off a great day.

Tomorrow I am going downtown Saratoga Springs with my friend Charisse and her toddler Chloe. We are going to ride the carousel, walk in Congress Park, and browse through a few shops. Considering we are in the last part of November, the 50 degree sunshiny days are fabulous. I feel free from poor food choices and powerful about our new way of cooking and my new choices.

I do get my free range turkey on Tuesday. I am so excited about cooking a turkey that is fresh off the farm and never been frozen. I can hardly wait for Thursday to get here so I can cook it with lots of butter, oils, and seasoning. I usually put together a cranberry bourbon marinade that I am going to skip this year and go for something else; not sure what; but earthy. Anybody have any ideas?

As most of you know, I cannot be successful if I feel deprived. Eating foods cooked in butter, oils and no longer feeling guilty about burgers and avocados helps keep me satiated. Swapping white or potato breads for multi grain high fiber breads has been a great and satisfies my love for breads; the grainier the breads the better!

Tip: Prepare your own dessert for the Thanksgiving Holiday and put it in a pretty bowl. A hot hot brownie with strawberries and redi-whip sounds amazing and can fit the program with the appropriate planning. If you absolutely want a bite of pecan or pumpkin pie, allow yourself a thumb sized bite and wait 10 minutes. Do you feel different because you ate that pie? I find I don't and then I think, would I really be happier or more satisfied if I had eaten a big slice and waited 10 minutes? The answer for me is I don't even know the difference. If you have a sliver or decide to have a slice, be sure to eat some protein with it, so your insulin level doesn't spike off the charts. Sprinkling a handful of nuts on the dessert, or eating a thumb sized cube of cheese before the dessert, might even allow you to choose to skip the dessert all together. The idea is to not let yourself feel deprived, because if you are like me, you will start to feel sorry for yourself and then follow that with a big helping of guilt.

Hook em' Horns!

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

After processing the information about the pineal gland I decided to take myself off of my zoloft. Before you get concerned, I know it is a weaning process and have currently cut my dosage by 50%. I need to find the Spry toothpaste and I am going to look for it as soon as I finish my post. Did you check your toothpaste and see the warning about calling Poison Control Center if you swallow toothpaste? Kind of scary. Besides that, I definitely don't want to calcify the gland that allows me to connect!

I thought I felt a little anxiety today and realized I was holding my breath and taking small breaths instead of cleansing breaths.

I realized that cleansing breaths are key to lowering my stress and anxiety levels.

I cannot believe how determined I've been to change my life style and how successful I've been. If you have told me 6 months ago that I would be able to be satisfied without consuming massive amounts of sugar and breads, I don't know if I would have believed it. In the past my body craved sweets and breads and I thought I was weak because I did not resist and eventually fell back into my old habits of consuming massive amounts of sugar and other white food products.

There has been pastries, fruit, birthday cake in the break room this week. My co-worker Charisse, Mark and I tease about there being "poison in the break room" for consumption. The truth is, I am not even tempted because I feel satisfied almost always.

I think that I am somewhat obsessed and maybe a little overboard. I see the pregnant co-worker having yogurt that is filled with sugar, people drinking cokes, and diet cokes and would like to tell them there is a better choice. So, yes, I am definitely a little obsessed. However, I think for me; thinking of it as poison is the best thing for me. It was poison to me!

Don't limit your butter, olive oil, etc., based on old beliefs. I think that is why some classmates are feeling hungry on this program. They are attempting to converge Fat makes you Fat concept and BFC. If you use enough butter, olive oil, etc., you will be satisfied and your body will quit telling you to eat foods and drinks filled full of sugar. That happened to me and I never thought I had enough self-control to deprive myself of sweets and cokes. Self-control is a myth; when you fill our bod with the appropriate foods, the cravings go away. If they do not, then you are emotionally eating.

Tip: Go buy a chunk of 2 of your favorite cheeses and cut them in thumb sized squares and put them in a baggie in your home and work refrigerators. When you feel hungry or think you are craving a candy bar or cola, go get a piece and slowly eat it, savoring each bite. You will be surprised that one day, you will go for the cheese without thinking of the sugar foods.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I had a computer meltdown the first of the week so I went out and purchased a laptop so I could be sure and not miss class, blogs, and motivational material while assuring I don't mess up my work computer going to assorted sites. It has become a part each day to share my life experiences, mainly about my current life style changes and get information to help keep me rolling in the right direction.

A friend of my sister's, that I reconnected with on facebook that I haven't seen for 30 years or more suggested that from now until Thanksgiving that we indicate what we are thankful for on a daily basis. I want to share with you all that I am thankful for picking up a First Women Magazine and finding the article written about Jorge Cruise and his BFC program. I wanted to be selected as one of the 20 that got free counseling until Christmas about his program. I then decided I could not wait until Oct. 31 because I wanted to be part of the 12 week program that had started 4 days earlier. I am so thankful that I joined on October 22nd and have been able to make a life style change, eat healthy, and get and share ideas with others from our class. I am grateful that I am able to purchase the foods, pills, fiber, protein drinks, Sobe Waters and Mint Water in order to make this lifestyle change.

I am thankful that I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes so I would finally be serious about making such a change. I've cut down on my zoloft dosage and have shown no signs of being anxious or blue. I'm pretty sure the diet drinks and sugar played a good role in my feelings of listlessness and anxiety.

Tip: Keep the meals simple. Tonight, we put together a bean soup, a shrimp and cheese quesadilla, a salad composed of Boston butter lettuce, baby spinach, avocado, and cheese with a little bit of Girard's Champagne Dressing. It was all delicious and we could hardly eat it all. It took about 20 minutes to make this meal.

While I was sauteing the shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning, butter, olive oil, and pepper, I realized the reason I didn't cook much when we were a family of 5 is that I had a belief system that I had to put together a meal of protein, 2 vegetables, or 1 with 1 fruit, dessert, and bread. It was exhausting and the prospect of the time and energy it would take was overwhelming, so I usually ended up letting Mark cook or suggesting we eat out.

Being Healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Keep your meals simple; at least for the day in and day out regular meals.

Mark asked me why I had my weight loss chart in pounds of butter, since butter does not make me fat and I was adding a color when I lost a pound. I considered this and decided it made more sense to turn each lost pound into black. This way the belly fat is disappearing.

I've set 2 goals - my first goal is 199 and I want to be at the weight early 2010. The 2nd goal is the rest of the weight I desire to lose in 2010. I have lost 8 pounds since I've been on the BFC and 6 inches around my waist. I had blood work done today and anticipate the results of my glucose level, bad cholesterol level, and AC1 or whatever the level that needs to be 6.3% or lower. Mine was 8.5% when I last had my blood drawn.

My weight loss visual will be part of my Vision Board I put together and it will be a living Vision Board since that chart, along with our dreams change and mature as we grow. A picture of a home will also be on my Vision Board and I once again see myself owning my own place of sanctuary.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!
Replace food with people connections!

Monday, November 16, 2009

I felt a little frustrated tonight because my class came on for a few minutes and then went off the air. I currently don't know if that was only me or if the whole class was stopped. I had some office work to do, so I did that and went back and was able to view the whole class on Emotional Eater.

Am I an emotional eater? You bet! To give you a little background; before I went to therapy I was always ravenous; nothing seem to fill me up. I have memories of standing at the pantry looking for cookies, bread, and anything else to put in my mouth. I could not be trusted to make any homemade dessert because I would find myself eating more than anyone else around.

I was in individual counseling for 10 years and group therapy for 7. I walked through the darkness into the light. It was hard work. I was able to shred my anger, inadequacy, and more importantly than anything, my self loathing and hatred. I learned that in order to truly love and accept myself, I had to do it right then; waiting to lose weight, tone muscles, or look good in a bathing suit before loving myself, meant that when I did all those things, I still would not truly love and accept myself.

It's been 7 years since I've been in therapy and occasionally I forget pieces of what I learned. It is great to have Jorge's class to validate concepts and truths I learned several years ago. Now that I love myself at (244.5 lbs), I am sure I will love and accept myself at 165 or so. I have 2 weight goals set; one at 199 and one at 165. After that, I will decide if that is my permanent goal or if I want to go further.

I have a little metal statue of a cute monkey holding a mirror and peering into it. I have it in my bedroom because it reminds me to look at my own stuff instead of others.

One thing I know about myself is that I go back and forth with isolating myself from others to being involved. Being present to my girls, husband, and Kirsten and keeping a connection has been natural for me. It's friends that are outside my immediate circle that I have a tendency to isolate from. I will be looking for BFC buddies to share with while in the class and hopefully thereafter. Being healthy is a journey that lasts my whole life and I will need support to continue my healthy life style. Thanks to all who have asked me questions and shared personal experiences or found further information about food I've explored.

The real surprise tonight - The information about the Pineal Gland. I was so shocked that toothpaste has a poison warning on it if swallowed and that is calcifies my pineal gland. I didn't even know I had one of those until tonight. I definitely don't want to destroy my ability to connect with others. I'm going to check my toothpaste as soon as I finish posting. This is a controversial subject about what destroys the Pineal gland and I will research it and come to my own conclusion. Check your toothpaste and see what you think!

I was also surprised to find that the anti-depressant I take, zoloft, destroys the pineal gland. However, I have heard some people say it makes them feel disconnected and not desire to be connected to even friends and family. I've been wanting to stop taking my zoloft, a gradual process, and be off of it. Other times, when I was consuming large amounts of sugar and diet drinks, I felt anxious and was short-tempered when I cut down my dosage. I was thinking last
week that I wanted to try again. With, Jorge's inspiration, I'm going to work on cutting the dosage and see if I can be off of my zoloft for sure by 2010.

My tip of the day is to share one of Jorge's tips from tonight: Create a VISION Board! I've told my girls that they create their life by day dreaming, imagining, and visualization. A Vision Board fits that and is something I want to put together. I will have one done by Thanksgiving.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!
Replace food with people!

Sunday evening - November 15, 2009

I mentioned Slenderize Fuze as a possible option in an earlier post and I wanted to be sure everyone knew that Slenderize Fuze 0 Calorie drink has sucralose in it. Sucralose is Splenda. I thought I'd checked the bottle pretty good, but I missed it. I think I might have been looking for the brand name of Splenda.

Tip: Be sure to check every ingredient and if you find an ingredient you don't know what it is, either stay away from it or google the term. More information than you can possible need will be available.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Sunday, November 15th

The rest of this year is flying by. I've had a very satisfying and as I sit watching the Cowboy - Packer game, I am feeling grateful that the Universe is sending me abundance. Mark and I are eating food we like and eating healthy. Something that I didn't used to think was possible. It is so important to make sure your kitchen has healthy food choices in it. I believe that since we are empty-nesters, it is easier to keep the sugar and unhealthy carbs out of the house; especially if your children are used to large amount of sweets, breads of all kinds, and have not been reading labels to determine your choices.

Do know that I only wish I had been educated by Jorge 25 or 30 years ago; I do believe I was meant to be on the journey I've been on, because I've been on it. And appreciate First Women magazine and Jorge Cruise at this point in my journey of life.

I've heard many specialists' words regarding emotional eating. At that time though, I felt deprived and often hungry. I cannot wait for tomorrow's class on emotional eating. Since I have the choice of eating foods that other programs do not allow, I do believe I am in a space to be more aware of emotional eating.

Tip: If you haven't found a drink to replace your diet or regular cola, experiment; there are all kinds of choices in the grocery store. I've found chocolate mint water that I think tastes like liquid chocolate. Don't give up until you find one that satisfies. We've been through many and are still experimenting.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

I went to the hair dresser and then to a party at a co-workers house tonight. I felt very satisfied. I made good food choices and had 2 glasses of wine. I did wonder what the desserts tasted like; I took a small piece about the size of my thumbprint and that was enough. It tasted sweet and I really didn't want anymore. I made the choice to not consume pie containing sugar and I feel great about it.

We sang karaoke and played ping pong. Although Mark and I only knew our co-worker out of 30 people of so, we still had a good time. The atmosphere was comfortable. What I noticed about tonight is that I didn't grieve about the food that wasn't good for me and I didn't feel deprived. I feel empowered tonight.

It's amazing how much easier it is when you feel at choice and I felt at choice tonight. I am happy with the support I am getting from my husband Mark. He has given up his 2 Dr. Peppers a day and while he still hasn't found a replacement that he is crazy about, he is drinking FUZE and tea. He is attempting to drink more water. I am glad he is working at getting healthy with me.

Tip: Be ware of the Fuze. You have to get the ones with slenderize on them. There are some that have many more sugars; stay away from those.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Friday, November 13, 2009

I realized today that I've been brainwashed against sugar and that is a good thing. Mark and I walked by an office today and there were some brownies in open aluminum file. I said to him, 'Ah, she is poisoning her co-workers and guests with what is disguised as delicious looking brownies'!

Mark told me he saw some construction workers sitting outside our building, drinking coffee and eating donuts, and he thought, 'Look at those guys killing themselves'.

We have learned so much and I don't find a donut or candy bar tempting when I think of it as my silent killer. I can say these things humorously and the truth of the matter is that sugar, is consumed in very large quantities, ~156 pound average per person and it does cause health problems. I hope I can one day quit taking my crestor and metformin and control my blood sugar and cholesterol without taking meds.

http://www.55-alive.com/BooksandGames.php?artID=7342 is a link that supports Jorge's information regarding hidden sugars and how reading the label is the only way to truly know how much sugar you are really consuming. I know I feel much better limiting the amount of sugar in my body.

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was talking about how she limited her daughters to a brownie a day or every other day. I couldn't imagine that. Like Jorge talked about not consuming 4 brownies at a time, I was an emotional eater and sugar was my main staple. I could make fudge or chocolate peanut butter drop cookies and eat the whole batch. I could eat 2 Peanut M&Ms and then follow it with Reese's Pieces at the movies later that night. I do love breads and sweets and I am learning how to enjoy 1 or look for foods that can satisfy me that have no sugars.

Why am I talking about this? The Holiday Season is coming up and my family celebrates big with food and more food, especially honey baked ham, breads, and desserts. As long as I can continue to see huge amounts of sugar as poison and keep a sense of humor about it, I believe I can enjoy the holidays without consuming 150 more pounds of sugar by the end of the year.

Prepare yourself now so you know how you are going to feel satiated and happy over the holidays without adding sugar. And, if you think you cannot, listen to Jorge's Lesson 5, coming up this Monday on emotional eating for inspiration and support.

Tip: Keep plenty of cheese, nuts, 0 sugar naturally sweetened drinks, and healthy treats around so you always have something to help out with cravings. And, most of all, if you really want something, plan a way to have it once, in a small portion, so you don't feel deprived.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

It's surprising how much I am learning daily about sugar and carbohydrate content. I decided to go to PopEye's for lunch and have spicy chicken and red beans; without the rice. When I was at the counter, I told myself I should eat the cole slaw because it was better for me. Later on I found the PopEye's nutrition information online.

Check out the carbs and sugars in the following PopEye's menu items! Not too bad! I was surprised.

I wondered if the sugar was not being reported, but look at the Cole Slaw; Dietary fiber is 9 grams, not bad, but look at the sugar; 15g! Would you have thought; I didn't. I thought this would be healthier for me but it definitely would not be the better choice. I think I need to start checking nutrition values before I head to the restaurant. If I ever have a desire for PopEye's again, I'll feel more confident about my choices.

I had Red Beans without the rice.

Sugar is only 2g and I was surprised at the fiber 17g. I'm unsure how to recalculate the total carbs without the rice or if it is the same. What would you have picked? Knowing how to estimate sugars is probably harder than estimating the carbs. While I enjoyed the chicken and feeling my craving fulfilled, I am ready to continue to cook my own meals so I know exactly how many sugars and carbs I am consuming.

Oops! Almost forgot the buttermilk biscuit. Take a look.

One more thing. I am going to tell on myself. I decided to have a coke with my meal. It's been over 3 months since I've had a real coke. I probably drank 4 ounces. I didn't enjoy it; I didn't want to finish the drink. I definitely like tea better. Interesting, while I've always had unsweetened tea, I do like putting a little purevia in my tea these days to give me a little sweetness.

Tip: Keep checking labels and nutrition values, even if it is after the meal; because you can become educated for next time.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I tried to create cocoa krispies today! I put 3/4 cup Uncle Sam's cereal, 1/2 scoop of Jay Robb whey protein, almond breeze, and a sprinkle of purevia. I figured if the chocolate powder could be used with oatmeal, that is might be good with the cereal. I am still not sure if I will ever make it again, but it did remind me of cocoa krispies. If I do, I will probably mix the powder in the almond breeze and then pour it on the cereal.

I believe the key is to be creative, have fun, and find what works for me. I have definitely increased my fiber intake and have been aware of consuming more fiber since Monday's meeting.

I am still not keeping the tracking sheet 100%. I do think keeping the food diary is so important to my success. Gary, The Weight Wizard in Austin, TX, Jorge, and Shannon have all talked about how a major key to success is keeping a food diary. And, the tracking paper is easier than writing down actual foods consumed. I will be excited to find an iPhone app that will allow me to track 15/6 and 30 g of fiber, because I almost always have my phone.

If you feel deprived on BFC, I think Monday night is a session that will help. I felt weak when I logged in and writing my blog has helped reinforce information I've been given from several food experts.

Tip: Have fun and experiment with your meals. Think about items that used to be off limits or severely limited like avocados, bacon, and butter.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Last night Jorge had a pre-video for us before the meeting and he talks about the blogging that several members are doing. While I have an honorable mention on his site, I am not one of the blog sites shown in the video. I think it is worth your while to go to meandjorge.blogspot.com and the other blog sites he mentions.




I've already consumed 15 g of fiber this morning and have my tracker at my desk. I really believe that Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it right now!

Monday, November 9, 2009

I just finished watching the live stream of Jorge's Week 4 class. I am NOT getting enough fiber and water. I also quit filling in my tracker because I thought I had a handle on how to track without it.

I was already doing 2 teaspoons of benefiber and pro-biotic pills twice a day. I didn't realize I was supposed to be counting that as a carb and I haven't been. While I've lost a little weight and inches it is not the 10-13 pounds per week. And as I mentioned before, I have more than 60 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight.

I told myself it was because I had been counting carbs since September 16th, so I was not losing the same big amount other people were. This is what I learned tonight:

1. Since I have 30-60 or more pounds to lose, I could be losing 10-13 pounds per week unless I am not following the program or I am sabotaging myself.

2. I was not paying enough attention to fiber. For some reason I thought that if I consumed 6 carb servings a day and had the 2 daily servings of Fiber and Pills that was all it would take for my belly fat to shrink before my eyes.

I am not discouraged though. I have learned how to count sugars and carbs and not feel deprived; I feel more free actually. Now, it is time for me to pay more attention to the fiber. My husband definitely has what Jorge calls false belly fat; that's probably what 90% of his is. I am sure I have both. When I mentioned to Mark that the benefiber takes a carb he was pretty pouty about it and made the following statement; Too bad we opened this new Benefiber we could take it back!

You see, he has only recently swapped his coveted Dr. Peppers for Zevia and Fuze. We both like our carbs and he is currently not wanting to give up a carb for the fiber. He is on his own on that one, because I am definitely continuing with the fiber and I am going to also up my intake of pro-biotic pills.

While I was writing down notes in class and after I realized that I am not losing as I could, I decided I am going to renew my commitment to keep the daily tracker. Added to that is a resolve to increase my daily fiber. I'm not sure what I think of Jorge's Big Green Drink, which is pre-biotic and will help my pets remain healthy (BGD for the BFC!) but I think it is worth a shot. I am pretty sure that I destroyed every pet bug I have in my stomach over the years because of the amount of sugar, diet drinks, healthy juice and bananas I've had almost all of my life.

The other thing I am going to do is to follow a week's worth of menus from the 4 sets of menus we have, incorporating as much fiber as I can and still feel satiated. I will state now that I do love animal products!

If you want to have a healthy immune system and daily bowel movements and think you probably don't, I suggest this 3-step tip:

1) Drink 1 oz of water for every 2 lbs of body weight (I haven't been doing this one)

2) Eat at least 30 grams of fiber every day. (Probably been doing more like 25-30)

3) Re-establish my stomach's pet bugs. (I've been working on this with benefiber and pro-biotic pills; I am going to step it up!)

Be sure and check out jorgeandme.blogspot.com for great information about food products and for more encouraging information regarding the loss of belly fat.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Oh - I have another tip. Be kind to yourself this Holiday Season and find non-food ways to pamper yourself!

Sunday evening 30 minutes later - November 8, 2009

I figured it out and it didn't take until tomorrow. Not everything is about food and I tend to think it must be about food.

So, I feel blue and figured out I don't feel deprived, so why so blue. It is because we have an opportunity to get 8,000 from the government if we sign for a home by April 10th. So, what is stopping us? Our credit score and a down payment.

I love my girls and want to continue to help them out until they are on their feet and I want a home. However, it seems we live from paycheck to paycheck and never get around to saving money for a home. And, that is why I feel blue. I think there is someone out there that can help navigate us through our options and the process of purchasing a home. We make a 1720 rental payment now and that is more than enough for a home payment.

I tell myself it will be better after the first of the year. I hope so. I'm glad it is not about the food.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I've been to a soup swap and to watch the Giants - San Diego game at 2 different friends' home. What I do know, is that I really didn't go prepared. The hostesses of the Soup Swap picked up healthy enough looking food, but quite a bit of fruit and dips. And, not knowing the S/C values of items, while aware, I didn't know if I was for sure making good choices.

When we went to see the Giants' game today, Dona fixed popcorn. Since Mark and Joe turned it down, I ended up eating 1 or 2 carbs worth of popcorn. We did turn down wings and came home to a bacon and egg sandwich which did hit the spot.

I want to watch my sugars and carbs. I do know that it is easier to do when I control the food purchases and servings. While I think I made good choices, I still feel blue tonight. When I attempt to discern why, the only thing that comes up is the fact that I HAVE to count anything. I want it to be effortless. I am being pouty and feeling sorry for myself. I hate feeling sorry for myself. It sucks. I want to embrace getting healthy and the choices and energy it takes to take care of myself, so why so blue? I'm unsure. Maybe I'll have more insight tomorrow.

Cowboys look good so far.

Tip. Take your own drink when you go to your friends'. You can also take your own protein and other items to take care of yourself. If you don't, then make the best choice you can and don't beat yourself up, get back on the program when you get home.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Hey all. Mark and I visited with a co-worker tonight. Although Jorge contends that you can follow the BFC when eating out, it is much harder for me to remain within the carb guidelines. Our friend had ezekiel bread, cole slaw, soup with beans, corn, celery, etc., ham, cheese, hummus, and chips.

It was delicious. I had only 3 carbs left tonight, so I'm pretty sure I went over it by some. I had 2 glasses of wine, 1 piece of ezekiel bread, 2 slices of ham, 1 slice cheese, soup, cole slaw, lettuce, hummus, 10 Garden of Eatin chips (which are fabulous by the way). I'm pretty sure it was more like 4 carbs, instead of 3. I feel a little discouraged, but don't want to. I was aware of what I put in my mouth and made sure I only used 1 piece of bread, not 2, and counted my chips. I need to remember that slow and steady wins the race and that I do not like feeling deprived, so I made good choices and put good food in my mouth. Nothing high in sugar!

I think an important thing for me at this point is to realize that all is not lost if I continue 15/6 in the morning, instead of throwing in the towel and thinking I can't do it. I enjoyed my meal and time with my friend and the weight will eventually come off if I am 15/6 95% of the time.

I have not turned my kitchen into a fat burning station yet. There are chocolate chips, jellies, and a few other items that need to go. I struggle with getting rid of food items that are still good.

I leave you with Jorge's modified mantra:

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it.

Thursday Evening, November 5, 2009

Here is my weight loss visual. I will periodically put it out here to show my progress. I began my weight loss journey September 16, 2009 when I first visited my nutritionist, Shannon. I lost 17 pounds while working with Shannon and I've lost another 5 pounds since I began the BFC program.

Someone mentioned in a blog that there must be some really obese people on the BFC to have the results they've been sharing. I don't know how many of them are obese, but to answer the program member's question, I am obese. I weighed 270 pounds on September, 16 and now weigh 247. I have a short term goal and a long one. The short term goal is 199. The longer term goal will be set when I reach the short term goal.

The gray sticks of margarine are the pounds I lost with Shannon. The blue sticks of margarine are the pounds I've lost on BFC program since October 23, 2009. The yellow sticks of margarine represent the weight I still want to lose and I look forward to many more blue sticks replacing the yellow ones.

Being Healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

I finally received 2 of my books from Amazon; Excitotoxins and Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. I have not done much weight lifting and did not realize how much you use your knees. Immediately I thought that maybe it was one more book that I purchased that will sit on the shelves. Then I reconsidered. I can start slowly and work my way up. I still have one more book on weight lifting coming and I believe it is geared more toward a slightly older crowd.

Look at the following clip to understand how the knees are involved. It is in slow motion so you can really get an idea. I still want to do the weight lifting and know that as I lose weight, my knees will not have as much weight body wise, so I hope to be able to lift it in weights instead.
Enjoy!



I still want to find the My Virtual Body link and have an idea about showing my weight loss visually, since I am a visual person. If anyone knows where the My Virtual Body website is, please let me know.

Tip for today is to purchase multi-grain bread products and stay away from white highly processed products. A word of caution is to always look at the sugar and carb count, we found a tortilla that was way higher in sugar and carbs that was labeled as multi grain, while a one labeled as wheat allows for 2 tortillas per 18 grams of carbs, no sugar, so that is a 0/1.

Being healthy is a Divine Gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

I woke up this morning and didn't have an experience of putting out a Tuesday post. And, sure enough I didn't. I missed coming out and reporting about BFC Program and my progress. It helps me and I hope it is helpful to you.

I love the passion and energy Jorge Cruise has regarding helping others get rid of their belly fat. Several people have had amazing results and I am having good results as well. Later on this week I am going to post a visual of pounds lost and hopefully a virtual shrinking Dale will appear as well!

I had Jay Robb's whey protein with water and coffee this morning. I have a Cuisinart blender that is really cool. It is not blender, just a hand blender, but it is powerful. I am not usually a coffee drinker but I wanted to try a semi-Jorge recipe with a little bit of coffee. The only things missing were the redi-whip and chocolate shavings. I will have to prepare better. I liked my protein drink and have felt good this morning. We had hamburgers, left over from last night's dinner with Arnold Select Sandwich Thins 3/2, with a tomato slice (not Mark), mustard(free), lettuce, avocado (also free) and pepper jack cheese with a Zevia for drink. That is all a 4/2 and is absolutely delicious.

As I go back to work, I feel satiated and happy that I am making a lifestyle change. We've been following 15/6 for 21 days. I've heard that is takes 30 days for a ritual to become a habit. 9 more days and this program will seem more like our regular lifestyle than the overload of sugar and carbs.

I may have already shared this but I want to repeat it as my Tip for the day.

When making food choices 1) Choose your protein, 2) Choose your fats, and 3) consider and choose your carbs and be sure they are rich in fiber. If they are not, then be sure and add fiber and pro biotic pills to your daily regimen twice a day.

Stay strong and treat this lifestyle change as an adventure. Think scavenger hunt when you go to the grocery store. Take trips to GNC or other nutrition stores to explore what new and exciting products they have out to help obtain your goal of 15/6.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Tonight we covered Turning your kitchen into a Fat Losing Station. I feel very comfortable that Mark and I are following the program and not considering this a diet, but a lifestyle change. That is the difference; we are more aware and can make better choices and cut down our sugar intake.

I absolutely love orange juice, cran-raspberry, cran-grape, grape, juices of literally all kinds. Over the past 3 weeks it has really been brought homee to me how bad those things are for me. I was unaware that drinking juice was even worse than drinking a coca cola. Then I turned back to diet drinks, only to find that artificial sweeteners are eally bad for me as well. I had already figured that out when I worked with Gary in Austin at Enlightened Weigh, but I started being aware and realized that my body ached more after consuming a diet cola. I have now made the switch to Zevia, which is sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener that has 0 grams of sugar in it.

It's been easier to make the choice of non-sugar items and the reason why follows. Take a few minutes and listen to Jorge with Dr. Oz. I do not want to shave 15 years off of my life; and I was headed that way. Everytime I think of a candy bar or coke, I think of a killer lurking.

If watching this video isn't enough of a wake up call, I believe the next wake up call will be much more serious and maybe even tragic. Eat Belly GOOD foods and not Belly BAD! I love it when Jorge says that. I am still having fun finding different types of food that is Belly GOOD.

Tip for the Day: Keep chocolate out of reach of small dogs that can climb on a chair that is pulled up to the table and retrieve treats that are not good for them.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

I've had a good day. This weekend is the first weekend I've eaten out since I've been on the BFC program. I believe I made good choices, but still feel fairly full. I do know that I want to put more greens in my food plan.

Since Jorge gave us a brownie recipe, I had this great idea that I would do a makeover on the Kane family Devil's Food Cake recipe for Charisse's birthday. For the most part it was a success, with the exception of the icing. I am unsure how to get the smooth texture of Kane Cake icing. Mark just tried one and said it tasted fairly good, but the icing was grainy. I've put up a post on our comments page to see if someone can give me a suggestion.

I thought I wanted to put together a cook book with original family recipes and the healthy alternatives for me and all 3 of my girls. However, I'm going to have to improve on my understandings of appropriate substitutions for things like powdered sugar.

Tip for today. Remain aware of what you are eating and as a rule of thumb 1) choose your protein, 2) choose your fat, I love butter, olive oil, avocados, and 3) determine what carbs you are going to have and make them rich in fiber!

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

I still feel motivated and empowered. I hope this is a telling week. I already know I feel better sticking with the BFC program. Later.

Halloween, October 31, 2009

It's later today because Mark and I took a road trip to Rutland VT to explore an astronomy corn maze. Mark loves astronomy so I thought it would be cool. The biggest surprise of the trip was the fact that they had hidden 8 different shape hole punchers out in the 12 acre field and if you found all 8, you were entered into a raffle for a telescope.

We were so excited because we found the first 3 shapes in about 20 minutes. We then spent another hour or so looking for the rest. We ended up giving up with 5 punches. The maze had hills in it!

When we got out of the maze we felt like we had been wondering around for a full day, instead of an hour and a half.

We are home now and sore all over. I am enjoying a glass of wine, because I had carbs left, and am watching the UT - OSU game on tv. We missed having little spooks and goblins. I believe this is the first Halloween in my whole life where I didn't have 3-4 bags of candy left over for Mark and I me to give away or consume.

Tip: You don't have to consume large amounts of sugar or carbohydrates when out to dinner. We had brocolli, mushrooms, salad bar, and prime rib with 2 stuff shrimp. I took the stuffing out of my shrimp and made appropriate choices at the salad bar.

Being healthy is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

TGI Friday, October 30, 2009

Ever since I've heard Jorge's mantra Instant health is my Divine right, and I claim it now, it has bothered me. I figured out it is because it seems to me to have a sense of entitlement. I know what he is doing and I believe in it. However, entitlement bothers me. It seems that so many Americans feel entitled and think because someone gave birth to them that society owes them.

I have been really bothered about the gang rape that happened in CA recently and cannot understand how 10 people actually think they were entitled to that young 15 year old's body for their pleasure or power over. It makes me sick and while CA only has a law for onlookers when the child is 14 or younger, I think they are criminals as well. It's a scary thought that people think they are entitled to help themselves to whatever they want.

In one of our bonus clips, Don Miguel Ruiz stated, "Take complete responsibility for yourself". No one owes you anything because you were put here on this earth.

Is anyone having problems with Halloween candy this year? I am not. There are other ways to fulfill your Halloween Holiday Traditions. My crazy family is having a nationwide Halloween pumpkin carving contest. Entries have to be posted online by tomorrow night at midnight. I think it is a great way for us all to come together even when we are in Colorado, Texas, and now New York. I am going to give away Jorge Brownies this year and save a couple of carbs so I can one and 2 glasses of wine.

Tip for the day is to avoid the Halloween candy aisle if you are having a weak moment. Take your grocery list for low carb treats to the store and only purchase what is on it. It will not hurt the kiddos to have low sugar treats either.

Jorge's modified mantra; Great Health is a Divine gift from my Higher Power and I gratefully accept it!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Today is a better day. It is no longer pouring rain and really isn't all that cold. It was 51 on our way into work and I carried my coat in the door with me. I never really know what's in store for me weather-wise at the end of the day.

After work last night, Mark and I stopped by the PriceChopper near our apt. to pick up our favorite low carb tortillas and could not find in. 45 minutes later, after stopping at Hannafords, then driving to the PriceChopper on the other side of Saratoga Springs, we had our tortillas and were on our way home. I wanted to buy up the inventory, but Mark kept a calmer head and we only purchased 2. You have to definitely read the label on the tortillas. I've been told in the past to choose multi-grain because it is better for you. However, we've found this brand, and I cannot remember the name with the exception of it having a big -X- in the middle that have 9 g of carbs per tortilla. I could conceivably have 4 tortillas and still only have consumed 2 carb servings. We elected to have a quesadilla last night and had 2 each. They were absolutely delicious. So, for 3 servings of carbs we had bean, cheese, chicken quesadillas with chips and salsa on the side. It was really filling and I almost couldn't eat my whole one. I somehow managed to because I need to consume all 6 of my carb servings, although only 6.

I am more accepting today. I realized last night, when we were on our frantic search for these yummy tortillas that I was not drawn toward cakes and cookies. I realized I really don't care if I have this anymore. What I want is an amazing avocado, not a stringy one, and that will make my day! I know you must be thinking I should be careful with the avocado because it has so much fat, but guess what? We are not counting our fats because fat doesn't make you fat, sugar does.

So, today I feel contented and tell myself that slow and steady wins the race. The truth is that there is no finish line so this isn't a race. This is a lifestyle change and a path I want to be on for the rest of my life. Do I think I'll never put over 15 grams of sugar in my body in one day? The answer to that is no. I am giving myself permission to do that if I want to. The main idea here is that I am now aware of what I put in my body and if I do put more sugar in it, then I need to do it in moderation. Interestingly enough, I'll be excited to add fruits back into my program because at this point in the program we are excluding fruits because of their high sugar count. What is interesting is that clients on the BFC blog are having problems attempting to cut the sugar out. Mark and I are having fun seeing how little sugar we can consume and giving ourselves ice cream sandwiches and still remain under the 15 grams of sugar.

Have a good Thursday and dance before you go to bed.

Tip of the day is to be sure and read the labels of your food. It may surprise you that you are denying yourself something, in the name of health, and it is really better for you and will be satiating.

Instant health is my Divine right and I claim it now!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

After feeling so pumped after Monday night's meeting and after feeling so positive since I started my blog, I felt tired and discouraged yesterday afternoon. I also began having thoughts like: Do I really understand the program? Am I really following it correctly? Why aren't I having results like others in my groups are reporting?

Signs of pouty-ness showing up in my psyche. Wait a minute; I started this program last Friday; it hasn't even been a week and I want to lose the 9 pounds Jorge was sharing with us about some having that result, even though my weight and inches seem about the same? I know this is crazy thinking; thinking I've encountered throughout the years. Okay; so let's say I don't lose another pound, I do know that keeping my sugars to 15 grams or less is the healthy choice for me to make. Jorge showed us the difference between healthy red blood cells and those that are not. One of his clients came in after being on the 15g/6srv plan and his red blood cells looked healthy. They then took him into another room and had him eat a pop tart, banana, small glass of oj, and a cola. Ten minutes later they took another blood sample and the cells looked globbed (not a word but definitely should be) together and unhealthy.

I decided to turn my attention to other areas of growth, so I purchased a couple of weight lifting books and the Excitotoxin book I mentioned yesterday.

Book Names and Authors

The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddessby Lou Schuler

Now or Never: Keep Your Body Young, Fit and Firm with the Weight Training Program That Works Even as You Age by Joyce L. Vedral

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell L. Blaylock

I will definitely be giving feedback on these book at a later date.

My tip for the day is

Never give up on something you want. I want to be around to love my adult children and grand-babies!

Instant health is my Divine right and I claim it now!

Till tomorrow,

Tuesday, October 27,2009

Good morning all. Have you danced this morning?

This week's lesson was mainly about sugar. To give you a really short recap, the 3 top deadly killer diseases are 1) Cardiovascular, 2) Cancer, and 3) Type II Diabetes. There is an eerie correlation between the increase in the amount of sugar consumption to the amount of people developing or dying from one or more of these diseases. Sugar consumption dropped during WWI and WWII and so did the rate of disease.

Our ancestors ate very little sugar and quite a lot of fat and they did not have the incidents of disease we currently have.

The other thing; don't even think about switching to drinks with saccharin, aspartame, etc., because that is really bad for your neurological system. Splenda is made with chlorine and destroys the healthy bacteria you are supposed to have. Equal causes brain imbalances and saccharin cancer. There is a book called Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. I am going to see if it is available for checkout at our library and read it to further horrify myself.

From now on I am sticking to water, tea, Sobe Water, Fuze, and Zevia (for when I really need the experience of a cola). Too bad Mark and I are not coffee drinkers because Jorge made an amazing drink last night using coffee, Jay Robb whey protein, purevia and ice. He then put Redi-Whip on top and then sprinkled Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate on top. Come to think of it, I am going to try this drink and let you know how it turns out for me.

Xylosweet, truvia, purevia, maltitol sweeteners; everything with "tol" ingredients are the better choices for you. I am going to make Jorge's brownies to give out at Halloween. I do not want even small candy bars in the house this year!

We spent the last few moments talking about bowel movements. Yes, we talked about POOP! It was great. Jorge had play dough models of the size and shape of poop that should be occurring and those that can. If you can visualize for the moment; he had what he called Marble poop, and that poo (that's what we call it) was little balls and reminded me of rabbit poo. There was Pencil poop and that is poo that comes out in long thing shapes. The next type was Baby poop and that is poo that comes out in little small pieces. Then the Normal poop was about the size of a long icee, only it's even better if it is in an "S" shape. This whole section of class reminded me of Jean Anne and Connie (relatives of mine) that shared with me that boys liked to try and poo letters of the alphabet and how proud they are to have big long ones. Wow; I guess those boys were getting plenty of fiber.

Jorge also discussed how to get the poos coming. Many people have had constipation since they began the program. His recommendation is to purchase Benefiber and Pro-Biotic pills. Mix the benefiber (a little less than a TBLS) with SoBe water and drink and take 2-3 pills at the same time. I went out to Wal-Mart last night and purchased those items and Mark and I have both had a serving last night and this morning. I think Mark has what Jorge calls false body fat syndrome.

Jorge has a Belly Fat Cure book coming out December 28, 2009.

I do believe Mark thinks I am trying to kill him. He's kind of been pouty this week. He realized Dr. Peppers have 2-3 days worth of sugar in one can and the diet drinks are as bad or worse than sugar. He's not taking to Zevia, at least not the orange one. Hopefully he will like the zevia cola. I think it is pretty good actually.

Today's tip is if you are not getting your daily 30 grams of fiber, then you will probably want to add the concoction I mention above to you daily routine morning and night.

Dance and play your tambourine! Instant health is my Divine right and I claim it now.

Time to go hither.

Monday, October 26, 2009, evening post

I found out that one of my fellow BFC member is blogging their experience as well. They posted this youtube video clip of an old Seinfeld episode and it is pretty damn funny.

I'm sure everyone I know has been tempted to pick something out of the trash and eat it at least once in their lives; or maybe not; maybe only George Costanza and me. Or better yet, made something like fudge or chocolate peanut butter cookies, eaten 1 or 2 or 7, then thrown the rest out, only to regret it a few hours later!

Enjoy George and I will be back tomorrow to tell you about week 2 class for BFC.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Good morning? Have you danced this morning? Dancing is good for you. Dancing to your favorite song is a great way to wake up in the morning. Mark and I sing and "car dance" on the way to work. I am going to buy a green tambourine to I can get up and dance around our apartment with it.

Before you go having visuals, I am not like Terry Bradshaw in "Failure to Launch". Having said that, maybe I should be. I will try it first thing in the morning and let you know.

I had a "Think Thin White Chocolate Chip" high protein gluten free bar for breakfast and Mark just went to the Nano Cafe downstairs to get us some eggs. The Protein Bar is pretty darn good. It has 0 sugars and 2 carbs, so 0/2. He came back with an omelet. It is really delicious and it is 1/0 (he had them put red bell peppers in it. I'm taking mine out for the most part because a 1/2 cup of bell peppers is overwhelming for me. I just like a hint of bell pepper, if any at all.) There is NO reason to be hungry on this program. If you look at all the free foods 0/0, there is plenty to keep you from getting hungry. If you are on the go, the protein bar is a perfect substitute. Check it out!

Week 2 with Jorge is today at 7:30 pm EST. I can hardly wait to see what else I can learn from him. He bubbles over with enthusiasm! I received an email from Jorge Cruise's group that I was not chosen for the Women First magazine 20, so I made the right choice to join the current group.

Gotta run,

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I woke up this morning thinking about how I was enjoying my BFC program and that I did not feel deprived like I have with other programs. I even felt deprived on the Atkins diet. I'd start out loving it and with good results, then I'd start feeling pouty (not really a word, but it should be!) about not being able to have certain items. I'm not feeling that way at this point. I will let you know when I do, so you can guide me back to the non-deprived side; which is satisfied, I guess.

Anyway, I began wondering if those of you that are reading my experiences might think I was obsessing over this new program. I then considered the difference between obsessive and committed and decided to google it. As a side note, did you know you could go to google.com and put in the words: define commitment OR define obsessive and you don't even have to go into any of the results to get the definitions. I just learned that and think it is so cool.

I looked up the following:

Commitment: trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose; of energy and purpose

Obsessive: Excessive in degree or nature

Excessive: Beyond normal limits

I decided that I am more committed than obsessive after thinking about the definitions of each. I have an amazing energy and purpose regarding the BFC program. I do not think I have gone "beyond normal limits". While learning anything new I believe it takes more energy and fixity in the early stages of the game. Jorge's thought about this is that it is like riding a bike for the first time. You get on the bike and you wobble from side to side or maybe even fall off. With great determination you keep on until you are finally able to ride even without the training wheels! You can let me know when or if you think I have.

I do have a tip for the day; Mark and I both love Arnold Select Pre-Sliced Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins. One roll has 2 sugars and 2 carb servings (2/2) and they are delicious. I do not feel deprived about not having a hamburger roll or McDonald's biscuit. Anyway, there are 8 in a bag and cost about 2.50 a bag. We had one for brunch with eggs, mushrooms, bacon, and pepper jack cheese and are going to have one with hamburgers later on today for dinner. Be sure and get the multi-grain because they have 5 g of fiber in each roll.

I've taken pictures of some of my breakfasts that I've prepared and will upload some of the shots as soon as I get my camera cord back from Haley or purchase a new one.

I'm getting ready to go downtown to look for a Natural Foods store I found on the Internet, so have a good Sunday and I'll be back tomorrow. I can hardly wait for tomorrow evening as I will be online with Jorge and my group which happens to have people in it from all over the world.

Instant Health is my Divine right and I claim it now!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

It's a lazy day today. I slept in to pouring rain. Even Honey Bear slept in! I am getting into the rhythm of BFC. I am excited because I get to choose butter over margarine and avocados, when others say only have a little or none at all.

My mom used margarine all our lives. This is what Jorge Cruise says; margarine is so bad for you, if you don't like someone, give them margarine, it'll make them look old! Mark and I have been going back and forth, because Gary told us to use butter, and I had been told recently to use margarine.

Now, Jorge says to choose butter over margarine. I honestly believe the key is moderation. While I am attempting to lose the belly fat I currently have, I am going to choose butter and enjoy having it.

I did order our "pastured turkey" for Thanksgiving Dinner. I will be picking it up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I am so excited about it. I will definitely be sharing what I think about the difference.

Remember, Instant Health is your divine right, claim it now!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Yea! It is Friday! A lot has happened since I was on yesterday. I decided not to wait on the decision to be selected for Women First Jorge Cruise "Lost Belly Fat by Christmas" and joined the 12 week program yesterday.

Last night I began my Belly Fat Cure (BFC) program with Jorge Cruise and am really excited about it. You know I am if I am up at 7:20 in the morning to share. While I've made good progress with Shannon, I realize that I have made some strategic mistakes with only counting the carbs. The jest of BFC:
1. Pick your protein
2. Determine your fats (butter, not margarine, olive oil, etc.)
3. Count your Sugar and Carbs - S/C The magic number 15/6.
That is 15 grams of sugar and 6 servings of carbs. If the carb count of a serving is under 5 grams, then you don't have to count it as a serving of carbs. So 5-20 carbs is one serving, 21-40 is 2, and 41-60 is 3. At first I didn't understand it, but after watching my week one class video and he showed us, I got it! So, Doritos have 0 sugars and 21 carb grams per 1 serving of doritos. So that would be a 0/2. Then all you have to do is track your sugar grams and carb servings and not go over the 15/6.

Here is the really good news. All the butter, bacon, sausage, eggs, avocados that I know and love have 0/0! Walnuts have 0/0. Here is the kind of bad news; the club soda and splash of juice I've been drinking is not a good choice if I want to knock out my body fat.

So instead, Sobe Life Water, Zevia, Tea and Water, Plain Club Soda will be my choice of drinks. Look for a new Godiva sugar free chocolate bar and red wine. I can have chocolate and 2 5 oz. glasses of wine every evening if I want it.

I leave you with these ideas from Jorge Cruise:

Fat does not make you Fat!

If life is worth living, it's worth recording. Carry a journal with you!

Mantra to repeat to yourself several times during the day.
Instant health is my divine right and I claim it now

Time for me to cook breakfast for my first day of BFC, so I am logging off.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Last night I was watching tv and there was a Dunkin Donuts commercial on. They were advertising all of their pumpkin muffins and donuts. I really wanted to try their pumpkin donuts, so I thought maybe I would before the holidays are over.

This morning Mark and I decide to go by McDonald's on the way in and get our usual. Mine is a bacon and egg biscuit. When I got to work, there were signs up about there being donuts in the library. I was bummed because I already had my egg and bacon biscuit.

Mark called me and I told him I really wanted a donut and he said; go get one. I told him there were donuts for all in the library and he said oh. Donuts don't appeal to Mark all that often. After eating my planned breakfast, the donuts kept creeping up in my mind. So, I went and got one. I picked out the one I thought was pumpkin and made way back to my desk. While I was eating it, I decided to go out on the internet to see if there was nutritional value for Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds. I give Dunkin credit for their easy to find, easy to read chart for nutritional value. The pumpkin donut has 300 calories and 35 total grams of carbs. Go out and take a look. (donuts are below the coffees)

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/nutrition/nutrition.pdf

Then I went to McDonald's site. Nutrition value was also fairly easy to find, their chart not as easy to read. My planned breakfast has 37 carbs for a regular sized biscuit and 43 for a large one. I didn't know they had different sized biscuits, so since I'm not sure whether mine was a large or regular, I'll split the different and say 40 carbs.

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionexchange.do

I had heard that Long John's did not report their nutrition information, but I thought I'd check. If they didn't in the past, they do now. I can eat 3 chicken planks and 1 serving of coleslaw for 42 carbs.

http://www.ljsilvers.com/pdf/LJSnutrition-info2009.pdf

So, I've consumed 75 carbs this morning and don't feel nearly as satisfied as if I'd stayed with my cereal or oatmeal then chosen Long John's for lunch! Krispy Creme glazed pumpkin spice as 2 more grams of carbs, but for me is much tastier than the Dunkin pumpkin donut and worth the extra 2 carbs.

Tip: If there is something you like to eat on a regular basis, go find the nutritional value on the Internet. You may be surprised that something you were turning down is better for you as an occasional treat, than what you would choose without looking at the actual nutrition information.

Wednesday, October 21

I've had weight loss on my mind for the past few days. Shannon suggested I weigh at home. I had a set of scales that never seemed to come close to weighing me so I had pretty much given up on that. I had searched the Internet several months ago looking for a set of high dollar scales to buy so I could begin weighing on a regular basis and not have it be plus or minus 10 pounds every time I weighed.

At my past visit, I asked Shannon what scale she recommended. She recommended "The Biggest Loser" scale at Beds Bath and Beyond. I shared with her my concern of lower dollar scales weighing me differently, so after our appointment we went by the nutritionist office's high dollar scales and guess what? I weighed 2 pounds less on those scales. So, in the scheme of things, it probably doesn't really matter if the scales are off a couple of pounds either way. So, after my visit, Mark and I headed over to BBB and there were literally 100s of Biggest Loser Scales. I have to keep reminding myself that Biggest Loser is in regard to weight and not a character definition.

I am happy with my scale purchase! They have a very modern look and are close to the ground, so they are easy for me to stand on without feeling like I'm going to fall off before I get a weight. I paid 40 dollars for them as opposed to 100s of dollars. That is very different for me and I am satisfied with my scale purchase. I have skipped weighing in the doctor's office for years because I did not think it was necessary and believe it or not, if you tell them you don't want to be weighed, they will not weigh you.

The other thing that is on my mind is GMO - Genetically Manufactured Organisms. I watched a movie a couple of days ago called Food Inc. and realized that I had been living under a rock for many years now. I was not aware that 95% or more of our poultry, beef, and pork products were produced by about 4 major corporations. I was surprised as to how I was fooled by the packaging in the stores; showing Farmers on Tractors and other Farm type scenes so we are all lulled into believing the Farmers are the ones producing our meat products as well as corn and soybeans. If the farmers are in the loop, they have to play by the corporations rules or the corporations will ruin them.

Enough of that. The main horror is the way chickens have been genetically changed so they have big breast so there will be plenty of white meat for us, the customer. Many of them cannot stand, because their legs do not support their heavy upper body. There is not room to walk between them. They are pushed, shoved, and kicked. Same goes with cows and pigs. Anyway, I am going to start purchasing grass fed meats.

Here is a link on GMOs in case you have also been under a rock and want to read about what it is.
http://fanaticcook.blogspot.com/2009/10/genetically-modified-organisms-whats.html

I stand in the mirror and hold my arms up to show my muscle. I have several inches of flab hanging down and if I move my arms back and forth, I can get it to jiggle. I recognize the need to build muscle and have read about the importance of doing do to prevent osteoarthritis. We have a little exercise room in the clubhouse. Mark's not too thrilled about going, so I am thinking about finding a partner to work with me.

I sent pictures and an application to participate in Jorge Cruise's "lose belly fat" by Christmas event. There will be 20 women selected and I hope to be one of them. They are going to contact the winners on October 31st. I have not been contacted and maybe they really are not going to contact anyone until that date. Think of me and visualize me working with Jorge Cruise. Interested in learning more about him? jorgecruise.com I found this in Women First magazine; along with a tip that ingesting 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar on a daily basis will help melt body fat. I asked Shannon what she thought of that and she said there has not been many rigorous studies to support this, but that vinegar has healing properties.

My tip for the day. Be sure to use Apple Cider and not Balsamic Vinegar! You probably don't want to know why I know that.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I've been wanting to set up my own personal blog ever since I saw Julie and Julia. I was filled with excitement experiencing Julie's journey through the world of Julia and how cooking her way through Julia Child's recipes taught her much more than how to conquer a recipe book. It taught tenacity, strength, wisdom, and courage.

This is what I need to manage my newly diagnosed Type II Diabetes; tenacity, strength, wisdom, and courage.

To fill you in on what I want to blog about; life as a Type II diabetic, I am going to catch you up from when I was diagnosed to current. Then I will be blogging daily about my thoughts and feelings as I continue to manage my blood glucose levels and weight.

July 18th, the Saturday our family was heading to Michigan for a Family Reunion, I received a call from my doctor's office telling me my blood work showed a blood glucose level of 400 and that meant I was a Type II diabetic. They wanted me to come in to the office that day to get another reading and set me up for testing my blood sugar, give me medication and information on diabetes. I thought, boy, they are really on the ball calling me in on Saturday like this. I guess I didn't realize all the complications that can occur from being diabetic.

My reading at the doctor's office that day was 463.

Armed with prescriptions for a meter, lancelets, testing strips, and metformin, I went directly to WalGreens and had all my prescriptions filled. I was in a state of shock. I was familiar with checking glucose levels because my father-in-law is diabetic and checks his throughout the day.

After getting my prescriptions we headed toward Michigan. That night we stopped in a hotel and my daughter's boyfriend showed my how to use my meter. His mom and grandmother have both been diagnosed with Diabetes. From now on, when I say Diabetes, I am talking about Type II.

I decided that I was going to limit my breads, muffins, juice, alcohol intake while at the family reunion and then get more educated after the reunion. I wasn't going to tell anyone, except my husband and daughters that I was diabetic because I didn't want people watching what I ate and attempting to help me out with my food choices. I ended up telling most people. I felt uncomfortable continuing to turn down 90% of what I was offered.

I diligently tested my blood sugar counts and saw them drop from the 300s to the 200 range. Since the levels didn't get out of the 200s in the first 4 days, I began taking the metformin as recommended by my doctor's colleague I saw that Saturday morning earlier in the week.

The reunion was fun and I was fairly satisfied with the choices I made for the week. The Monday I returned from the reunion, I went back to work and realized my eye sight was blurry and that I could not even function at my computer as efficiently as I needed to. I immediately made an appointment to see an opthamologist.

To give you a brief summary of my weight, I've thought I was fat since I was in elementary school. Even now, I stand at 5' 9", weighing 252 pounds. My older sister is 5' 2" and currently weighs 128 pounds. While 252 pounds is still in the obese category, I've weighed as much as 302.

Reading up on Type II diabetes, it was now making sense as to why I told Mark, my husband, that I was feeling ragged. I had been feeling "ragged" for about 4-5 months. I had all the symptoms; frequent urination, craving water non-stop and never having enough, fatigue, weight loss. The interesting thing about the weight loss; being from Texas the last 27 years of my life, I thought I was losing weight because I was not consuming enormous portions of Mexican food. I was concerned that I appeared to have lost quite a bit of muscle tone over the past year. While on one level I wasn't surprised that I was diabetic; I knew that the majority of my symptoms were symptoms of diabetes, I did not know that weight loss was one of them.

I love my doctors in Saratoga Springs! My primary care doctor, Dr. Smith, really cares about me as a person and connected me with my current nutritionist. I've been seeing my nutritionist for a little over a month. Shannon is a great nutritionist. So much different than the one I saw many years ago in Austin who was matronly and almost severe. Shannon has curly red hair and energy that is bright, light, and clean. She walks with a bounce in her step and her eyes sparkle and shine. This amazing young bundle of energy has me counting total carbohydrates. I never thought I wanted to count anything; I thought it was too retrictive. However, I am finding the opposite to be true. Counting carbs has honestly given me freedom of choice. My blood sugars are now in the 140 or below range. My fasting glucose counts are still a little high, but have been in the 110 range.

Let me explain something, I have always failed when attempting to make food lifestyle changes because somewhere along the line I have felt deprivation. Counting total carbohydrates as given me a sense of freedom and lack of deprivation, instead of depriving me like I thought it would.

Has my journey so far been easy? Hell no! I told Shannon in my visit last week that I was feeling pouty. I watch people consume large amounts of alcohol, high carbohydrate foods, and all the dessert they want and they seem healthy and in control of their weight. I tell myself that I do not know what is on their inside and they may be sitting on a problem they don't even know they have. I get in victim mode and spend time wondering why I have to be the one who is obese and now a diabetic.

Here is what I know: I do not want to lose my limbs, eyesight, kidney functions, or allow myself to support any other side affect that will diminish my quality of life. I want to be here for my daughters and my grandkids, and my husband Mark. I want to make a difference in the life of others.

If you are interested, walk with me through my journey as a diabetic and as an obese person. I want to live life to its fullest, feeling comfortable in my body, being able to do all types of activities and not feel limited by my body condition. I am going to share food and exercise experiences with you in an attempt to help you identify with me and potentially inspire you to be as Julie was.

Before blogging off, I want to share with you my tips on not feeling deprived because "I cannot drink juice, coca colas, or have a margarita (50-55 total carbs)". There are 2 things I love more than anything; all kinds of juices and cokes of all kinds. I wanted to satisfy my desire to have a fizzy drink; one I can pop a can and pour over ice. While I'm not "popping" cans, I have managed to fill that void with Polar Club Soda with a dash of juice over ice or an occasional diet drink or zevia (Zevia can be purchased at Hannafords). Be careful though, while the zevia is all natural, there are 12 total carbs per can. Another treat is a glass of red wine. I like Pinot Noirs and a wine named Menage a Trois. A 4 oz glass of red wine is 4 total carbs. I can sip a glass of red wine and feel content. Not actually a margarita, but I don't feel deprived and I find that I actually end up feeling more satisfied!