weight loss
 

I live by 'if it wasn't around 200 years ago, don't eat it'

Congratulations Sylvie! :cheer:

What a milestone...and what an amazing job you've done! It's pretty incredible when you realize how much healthier you are now, isn't it?

Bravo!

Excellent.....
 

Good morning healthies :)

I had to order a prescription refill (for the diabetes) this morning and, while I was on the website, thought I'd check something out.

Here's a little bonus I received for working on getting healthier...purely in dollars and cents:

• 2010 - total cost I paid for prescriptions was $3,212.29
• 2011 - total cost I paid for prescriptions was $1,331.63
• 2012 - anticipated total cost I will pay for prescriptions is $401.52

That means I paid myself $1,880.66 in 2011.....and will pay myself $2,810.77 this year....instead of putting it in the pockets of the drug companies.

And....cuz I love math....if I had stayed on the 2010 figures, my outlay for meds over the next 25 years (to age 75) would have been $80,307.25.....at the current level, my cost to the same point will be $10,038.....a savings of $70,269.35 :blink:

I love this! Awesome!

And congrats to you!

Howdy peeps!! Well vacation is over. Its time to get down to business. Had a great workout this afternoon. Gonna have some chicken breast, and steamed broccoli for dinner.
Y'all are doing great!!!

Actually...if you had stayed that unhealthy (assuming it's something you can control, which you seem to be saying), there might not have been another 25 years...

Absolutely true...one of the "inspirations" for me to get healthier was being aware of the horrible death experienced by my aunt from diabetic complications in her late 50s, and the knowledge that, of my father's 8 siblings, only one has made it past age 60.

Heart disease and diabetes has decimated my family....and they have participated in generating their own health problems through the way they eat and (don't) exercise.

My father was 45 when he died, and I am 50.

For me, this journey isn't about the number on the scale or the size pants I wear (although those are fun things to see improving :) )....it is purely and simply about staying alive and healthy enough to see my son grow up and, hopefully, to enjoy a long retirement and eventual grandchildren.

I honestly don't give a crap about society's messages that "thin is beautiful" and that you can't wear more than a size 8 and be desirable. I do care a great deal about keeping my vision, and my feet, and living long enough to enjoy the non-working part of my life.

I'm fortunate that my diabetes was caught early enough to be treated with oral meds....so I am not insulin-dependent....and I have never been a "fragile" diabetic. My doctor describes me as a "sturdy diabetic"....and that works for me. My genetics pretty much guarantee that my diabetes isn't going anywhere....but if I can control it with metformin, improved eating habits and regular exercise....then I can live with that.

i LOVE ginger, can you share the recipe for the dressing? i used to have a Ginger wasabi finishing sauce for the grill, it was delish!

Fiber is definitely your friend.

Raw veggies, lightly steamed veggies, raw whole fruit (including the peels), sweet potatoes....and we swear by Benefiber, which stirs in to beverages without even being detectable (except carbonated stuff....but that stuff is bad anyway).

For fiber... I happen to really love Oat Bran, which I learned about from exploring the Dukan Diet, which is not a bad diet, per se. I like to make the oat bran as a hot drink in the morning, I like my cereals savory, versus sweet, so I add some Real Salt and lots of boiling purified water. I suppose it is like a gruel, but I like it. In fact I love the taste, which surprised the heck out of me. I thought I would hate it, as I do not like mushy oatmeal one darned bit. Though I have forced myself to consume it on more than one occasion. Though I agree with the Steel Cuts oats suggestion from Cajun Dee, you could also make it savory with other additions, or go the sweet route, or basic plain. You are only limited by your imagination and taste buds. Oprah's chef enjoys his oatmeal made like risotto, with parmesean cheese. Why not, if there can be cheesy grits... Obviously you could create a oatmeal cookie or some such, a home made granola that is helpful, not full of refined anything.

I like to remember my mantra, I have never met a veggie I did not like. And it is true. I try to find new ones and explore tastes, ways to consume them, cooked or raw. One smart idea is to add pureed veggies in unexpected places. All veggies have a significant amount of fiber and little fat, and what fat it is, is good fat. From pumpkin, to califlower, the list is endless. Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote a book how she snuck in veggies to pretty much everything, which greatly increased not only fiber but other nutrients into her family's diet. Smart woman.

Anyhows, just know there are basically two kinds of fiber. Soluble and Insoluble. Both are good and can really help you in many ways. That apple a day is chock full of some lovely fiber, and satiates, fills one up. The Belly Fat Cure I think is the one that suggests an apple a half hour before your lunch, not just to fill your stomach up but for some of the other goodies it gives. I also happen to love dried fruits, especially prunes. I know they have a bad rap, but they are lower on the glycemic index than many others. I dry them out to make them super chewy. The harder the better. Though my grandparents used to stew them and make them soft and keep them in the fridge. They are also good to cook and puree and use instead of butter/sugar say in a brownie. Prunes... My grandpa was wise - Once you have had a bowel obstruction, you too might make them part of your daily diet, lol.

Back to fiber though, when you eat say rice, make it a brown rice which keeps the fiber intact. There are some wonderful ones now on the market, like Jasmine Brown Rice. Very fragrant and lovely.

Whole wheat, versus white refined wheat. The point is you have to read the ingredient list. The least refined, and hence the highest fiber products often times have a single ingredient list or not ingredient list at all, like carrots. Or say beans. Pinto Beans. lol... Love your veggies, they all have fiber. Some more than others. Leave the skin on for an extra punch of fiber and nutrients.

Some of the Swedish flat breads are 100% whole grain and very crispy, no sugars or additives at all. Those Swedes are smart. Like Rye Crisps, there 100's of choices, keep trying em til you find one or two you like. Whole grain crackers are a good choice with say an unrefined nut butter. Or cheese if you like it, a protein topper of some sort, like hummus. Beans btw, have the soluble fiber and are very good nutritionally. And I concur, the Flax Seed is one of the best, you can add it to all sorts of things. They pop if you eat them whole, makes you have to chew them to get any benefit, which is a good thing, as we tend to not chew long enough... most of us. Chia seeds too, hemp seeds... the list goes on.

Good to see some folks discussing Spark People, besides me! The fellow that started this website is beyond awe inspiring. He is simply amazing. His book, The Spark: The 28 Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life, which I keep referring to can change your life, seriously. I believe in spreading the Spark. Passing it along. Because it works to develop a community that is on the same path as you are.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Spark-Breakthrough-Getting-Transforming/dp/1401926460/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335923210&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life (9781401926465): Chris Downie: Books[/ame]

***and yes, by getting the book, you get to add to your points! Reading it is a wonderful investment in you though, a gift that will keep on giving***

Chris Downie has so much insight to his own journey on this path less traveled. I love his examples from his own life, from his vision board to his real life examples that are doable long term for the rest of your life. I mean who can't do some activity for 10 min? Anything over 10 min he says is extra credit for him, for the way he thinks and frames things. I love that concept, because it allows you to be successful and consistent, rather than beating our selves up for not being perfect and pushing ourselves to the limits each and everyday. We really can move for 10 min a day, even if you are laid up with a total knee replacement, as I am right now.

He is all about lifestyle changes that are sustainable. Permanent change. Tools that can be used by anyone, adapted to whatever you may be doing. Though if you use the suggested diet based on your own stats, you will succeed. Like WW, there is no illegal food, per se. That diet is just not for me, because I know what sugar does to me and I know what it does to us all on a cellular level. I am extremely carb sensitive and I know it. But there is room for all kinds here, there is no judgement.

I also respect and absolutely love anyone that willingly offers up 5 million of his own hard earned dollars to give this gift to us all. He has created something very very special. And the experts that have jumped on board to help with this site are amazing. The motivational expert, a shrink that has been very educational for me. The coach, Nicole. Wow, her suggestions and video work outs are easy to follow and do right there in your own home. I have learned a lot from the videos there about things such as correct form in lifting weights, to Pliates.

I love that it is free. It is about being accountable to one's own self and developing support system for whatever you may be centering on. There are even a lot of WW folks there. Tons of different teams you can join. Feel free to friend me there, I am dianegloria there. And please come on over to the Butch Femme group over at Spark People that Dressy Femme started a while back. We need more active folks. Me included. I know I need to get back into the Spark People saddle. They make it so dang easy and you can do as little or as much as you want. But I found that wanting to get the points for the bonus spin was sort of fun. The gamer in me enjoyed the challenge. And the whole point is suiting up and showing up. Tracking the food, the nutrition is a dang good start and wake up call for any of us. Then the exercise tracking, very informative. Reality wake up call, I call it.


One of my friends there posted this in their blog post, after she first described how her husband who is 130 pounds for the last 20 years, went on a cruise with her. And ate plate after plate, piled as high as he could. Ate constantly the whole 8 days, and did not gain an oz. She however who ate sensibly gained 2 lbs. Metabolism plays a part, genetics. Nature vs nuture, both count. But some of us have a much harder road to hoe.

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ple-arent-fat/

I loved the debate it ignited afterward. In my opinion, not all calories are created equal! But dang some people are stubborn as all get out!!!

Then I was aghast at this insanity about a blogger in trouble from the dieticians in NC

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ter-a-blogger/

People really do not understand Paleo and love to attack what they do not understand. Even though, it is commonly understood in medical circles that some high fat diets can actually cure some diseases, there is an epic case study about a hospital dietician who utilized a very high fat diet in a child who had uncontrollable seizures, I think was the disease process. I know it was neurological, having to do directly with myelin sheathes, which are comprised mostly of fats. When the myelin sheath is upset or break down, all sorts of bad things can occur.

anyhows, those links have on the side bar a ton of links to many sites that help explain Paleo and why low carb works on many levels. I know too many folks that have essentially cured their diabetes by eating like their ancestors did centuries ago, when sugar was a rare commodity that only the rich enjoyed regularly.

I like to think of what a caveman was able to eat, what he could pick, what he could kill. It was obviously all organic, grass fed. Nothing was processed or refined. And for those that say the cavemen died at around 30 years old, it was not from diet. Anyhows, I know it is not for everyone. But it works for me.

Now to get back into the habit of checking in, getting those silly points. I like goals, that is something I realize when I was going for the Dr. Oz Transformation Challenge, which I succeeded at, btw. Today I started with a summer challenge over on Spark People, and the competitive part of me wants to kick some ass.

Sorry to meander and babble on, blame it on the narcotics, which I am sooooo not used to taking. But they are better than the pain!

Would love to see your recipe for turkey chile! Red chile, right? Oh yeah, I see it is chili, with an 'i'. That is always red, right? I adore chile or chili, every incarnation I have found of the stuff. Yummmy and really good eats.

I am from New Mexico and we do chile two ways, red or green. Or you can get it Christmas, both red and green, half and half. I love seeing a huevos rancheros half the plate with some awesome red chile sauce and the other half a killer Hatch green chile sauce.

Another delicious NM green chile dish is calabacitas. Yummmy and full of fiber, very low calorie and huge on flavour. Also is cheap eats. Who does not have a glut of squash every year, or know someone who's garden runneth over with zucchini and the like. Which reminds me, time to plant some zucchini and yellow squashes!

http://www.adobenido.com/blog/2010/n...ipe-muy-bueno/

I have never added the cheese as they do in this basic recipe. But this recipe is pretty basic and easy to tweek. I know my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas this year added a granny smith apple to the calabacitas and omg, it was fabulous. They said they used whatever it was they had around. Basically what you taste is veggie heaven and the Hatch Green Chile, which is the flavour of home to me.

Now I am hungry! Time to make something yummmy...

Just a flash thought about the benefiber and other soluble fibers...

Cinnamon.

I did an experiment a few years back after we had been advising diabetics to get cinnamon into their diets everyday. I was curious as to why. Turns out it is a soluble fiber. *probably some other things in it as well, that help lower and stablize blood sugars*

Just put like a teaspoon of cinnamon into a cup of coffee, for example. If you forget about your cup for a while and forget to stir it, you will find it has gelled up on the bottle of your cup. That is what soluble fiber does, it is why oatmeal gets that gelatinous quality to it. Amazing stuff this fiber.

Just do it.

Down 6 pounds from last week!

Well, I have been on track and lost 6lbs last week. I know most of it is the result of not eating junk and my bloat going away but it feels good to see the scale going the other way! My goal is to lose 20lbs before the reunion. That's less than 5lbs a month and totally attainable! I wanna wear a hot dress to the prom with Justin so that's my motivation! Ya :-D

Put in a 12 hour day today, and I am ready to relax and watch some tv.
Gonna have a salad for supper , wash it down with some H2O with some green apple flavored BCAA's mixed in. I will have a chocolate peanut butter casein shake before bed.
Hope that everybody had a great hump day!!!!

I thought I was doing so terrible but after looking at a back post, I have lost another 10lbs in the last month!

Talkin of chili, I usually keep a pot of it going at all times. I use black beans, and throw in whatever veggies I have. I have come to really love carrots, celery, bells, onions, green chilis, etc. in my chili. It is my go to food when I am feeling extra hungry.

I am proud to report that TheDivaHerself has lost 6 lbs so far! Yeah Diva! She has really been doing everything it takes to change bad habits with good ones. She is motivated and I hope every week whether she loses weight or not she keeps her motivation. And I know she will stick to her workouts while I am gone. When I get back from vacation Iwill have some special workouts in store for her poor fragile blistered feet. Lol

Thanks, JAGG, I'll be good with the workouts until it turns about 100 degrees out there, then I may have to start waking up at 4am or something!!

I love getting outside in this weather. The food is harder, but now I've been taught the African Guilt Trip method, hopefully bad food will be easier to resist! LOL

I like that Liem. I live by "if it tastes like crap don't eat it. Life is too short to eat food you don't like." Ha just joking... Sort of. :)

Actually it's just ginger dressing in a jar! That I got at Trader Joe's. I'll look at the label tonight. It's really good—but there are a lot of products like that in jars. I don't know how to make it from scratch! :blink:

You are really doing a great job, it sounds like. Plus with each generation there are more ways to manage diabetes and live healthily with it. My nephew is diabetic and I learned about it through feeding him. He started givign himself the injections at around 12. I admire your attitude!!!!!

From Livestrong.com
 

Hooorah!!!!! My Marine is kickin some major butt!!! Had a great workout today. I think we are about to turn up the heat! LoL

Had some grilled catfish, veggies, and iced tea for dinner, sittin out watching the sunset on da bayou.
Life is good!!! Hope y'all had a great day!! Its almost friday.....

OMG
 

OMG the people at work are trying to kill me!!! I walked into the breakroom this afternoon to fix my lunch, and there are muffins. Not just any muffins, but gourmet, giant, delicious-looking CHOCOLATE muffins! With icing! ARG! I stared for a while and then made the choice to eat my turkey sandwich instead.

I go back for dinner later that evening, and open the freezer to grab a Lean Cuisine. The whole effing freezer is full of ICE CREAM! Ice cream sandwiches, those little chocolate lined cone thingies, fruit dream bars, every type of ice cream imaginable. I guess they had some sort of birthday party or something in one of the departments.

FML. I warmed up my frozen dinner and pouted for a few minutes, but I'm glad I made the right choices.