"I live a blessed life - a bright life." I love this blog!

There is a young lady who is the daughter of my hair colorist and her blog is so full of light. I just ran across it the other day and she is also losing weight and getting in shape, so our blogs have something in common. I thought you might like to see her blog. http://lylamaeandlucylou.blogspot.com/  On her profile she says that she lives a blessed life and a bright life. I don't know her very well, but there are young ladies that live in my region who have about the same standard of living that complain life is not good enough. I really love this young lady's attitude. She has great parents, but truly a lot of this comes from who she is: who she was before she got here and who she will always be from now until forever. I'm glad she has a blog and if you happen to need a good photographer, she's in business! Enjoy!

The Fat Dog

I have a little story to tell you about our pet dog.  She is a Yorkie, about 7 years old.

One long weekend we went out of town and left our cute little petite Yorkie with some friends of my mother-in-law. They are a nice family from Peru and they have been very kind to my elderly parents-in-law. So, this one long weekend, they were watching our dog and we didn't have any worries at all.

When we returned home four days later, they brought our little Yorkie home.

She was a round little fat furry ball.

OH MY GOODNESS! How did THAT happen? was my very first thought! We were only gone FOUR days!!!

So, I insisted that my husband, who speaks Spanish fluently, call and find out what had happened. The cute little princess of a dog had eaten all she wanted of bread and milk for four days!

It is possible that she was somewhat bloated from gas, but I truly think it was a weight gain because it took her more than three weeks to get back to normal.

Moral of the story for me is this: It does not take me long to gain weight and it takes me at least three times as long to lose it!   O_o

The "Shy Sis" is a Master Mind with Baking! Don't Look! No, Do Look! But BE FOREWARNED: Don't Look When You are Hungry!

http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-letters-to-daughter.html  
I am the "unknown" commenter toward the bottom of this blog about baking and moms. If you must know, the "shy sis" is the sister of Sandra Bullock, Gesine, who does these amazing baked creations. BUT WAIT!!! Don't look now if you are on a diet with me!  You will be too tempted to try some of these delectables! I guarantee. She bakes some of these yummy things that you can mail order or buy them in Vermont. 

I Want to Hear From YOU

Google has this little tally sheet of statistics showing who is reading my blog. I have had something like 548 page views since I started at the end of September. So, I know that you guys are reading! Relax, though, Google's analytics does NOT tell me who you are, only that you are out there! I know that I have had visitors from Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, the United States, various European countries, and Canada. Did I forget to mention anyone?

So, how about writing a little comment? I have heard from a couple of friends that they are not able to post comments for some reason. If that is the case with you, just email me at lose40byChristmas@gmail.com and if you indicate that you would like me to, I can share it on my blog. May I remind you that if you write to me in another language, that is no problem! I can get it translated. I live in a place where we have language speakers of almost all other languages!

Again, thanks for reading! Hug the people you love today! And if you want to hug me, just send an XO to my email. ;D

Love.

Hello Dear Readers!

Hello my Dear Readers and Supporters,

You all have been great! Thank you for your support.

Tomorrow is weigh-in and I am expecting that the scales will say I have lost 7 pounds. That kind of momentum is not going to get me down 40 by Christmas. However, the scales are migrating in the right direction and I am grateful for that.

So, even if I don't make my 40 by Christmas, I will be happy with whatever progress I do make. I hope you will not be too disappointed. Let's look at the bright side. Eating healthy and exercise is always a good thing. Even if I can't do the extreme weight loss. I have always heard that healthy weight loss is one pound a week and that is about what I am doing. So, this way, most likely, I will be keeping the weight off.

Again, thank you for being there for me and I'll keep you posted on continued success, even if it is not going to be as grandiose as 40 pounds by Christmas.

With love.

OH NO MR. BILL!

Yesterday my goal was a complete train wreck! I went to a buffet for lunch. I did amazingly well compared to how I used to feast at a buffet. I was actually kind of pleased with myself. I chose veggies, baked fish, and some "bourbon" chicken. I skipped the rolls and any breads because I knew ahead of time that I would like to have some dessert. So, I did ok. Then I had dessert and wanted so badly to have one more dessert, but chose to refrain. However, I am still thinking of how delicious the Chocolate Chess Pie tasted. Oh, maybe I shouldn't say that! The power of suggestion might make you hungry. Eek.

So, I did ok at the buffet, but for dinner I had ice cream and hot chocolate. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Haha! It was really good. But I'm sure I went way over on the caloric intake that I should have observed.

Here's the worst part of yesterday's train wreck: no exercise! OH NO MR. BILL!!! =/

Only one day of skipping exercise and I already feel like being lazy! So, today I must drag myself to movement! I finished my work early and now I must MOVE!  ...Even though my inner self wants to curl up with a good movie and eat Chocolate Black Out cake all day.   O_o

Tune in tomorrow and see if I did better today!  Or better yet, comment below if you have ever felt this way for no reason at all!!! ;D

Chocolate Shake for only 116 Calories..... Oh Really, How Does it Taste?

I found this Chocolate Shake on a website I just recently became aware of. I thought I would share it with you. Then I will tell you a funny story about it.

Chocolate Smoothie Recipe

(serves 2)
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 ripe banana
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 ice cubes
Toss in blender and blend until smooth.
116 cals per serving

From Snack Girl at http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/chocolate-smoothie/ 

Ok, so I thought this sounded pretty good. I especially like that this recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder which I have learned is packed with antioxidants. As we all know, antioxidants help boost our immunity system and helps to prevent cancer.

So, I tried this out. When it is made just like the recipe above, to me it tastes like coffee: a little bitter. It also did not have the consistency that I like in a smoothie or a shake. I like my smoothies to be thick and this was thin. However, if you like thin smoothies on the not-too-sweet side, you might just love this one.

Here is how I improved it, tasting as I went. I added 3 tablespoons of honey at 60 calories each. I also added 1 tablespoon (level) of peanut butter thinking it might get the peanut butter cup thing going. Honey is sweeter than sugar and is already in liquid form so I thought it would be perfect.

I have to laugh. It did taste really good by then. So, I could not taste the peanut butter. But it seems like it did round out the chocolate flavor.

My version of this lo-cal drink is a little different than Snack Girl's. My version is  251 calories per serving. Not really the low calories I had envisioned. But a lot of cocoa! Another plus is it was virtually cost-free since I had all the ingredients already at home. :D  And if I maybe drank the whole thing, not saying I did mind you, it would be 502 calories. If I did drink the whole thing, just maybe, then that would serve as my lunch for today. If.  Lol! =]

Today is Monday, Monday, Monday!

Nobody writes a happy song about Monday, do they? haha!

Today my plans are to go for a long bike ride again and then tonight I am debating whether or not I should go to Zumba again. I have taken a couple of weeks off since my knee was hurting for awhile. If I do not do Zumba, then for sure I will do elliptical for about 20-30 minutes, about 5 minutes of rowing and arm strength training. I am lagging behind on my weight loss goals and unless I increase my activity, I will not lose 40 pounds by Christmas. (Shhhh, between you and me, if I lose 30 I will be very happy, and then I can continue to lose more after Christmas! Shh. You didn't hear that! What?) (Of course, I will have to rename this blog. haha!)

Love to you today!

A Morning of Service and An Afternoon of Bicycling Bliss

Saturday morning our church participated in a day of service. As families we were assigned to different locations to help someone by doing some service. At 8:00 a.m. everyone showed up for donuts (I passed) (yay for me) and then we all went to work! It is crazy how much work can be done by about 80 dedicated men, women and children! Even the little kids pitched in and helped! We cleaned up yards, an awesome plumber helped make repairs in the bathroom of an elderly neighbor, a couple of carpenters built a wheelchair ramp for another neighbor. It was truly an amazing sight and a blessing to those who did service today!

In the afternoon, we went for a bike ride in the canyon. (see photo) The weather conditions could not have been more perfect. The autumn colors were beautiful. The ride is unique in that the first 40 minutes you are riding all uphill. It is a gradual climb, just enough to get your aerobic work-out. Then the last 22 minutes is when we turned around and went back, so yes, it is all downhill. I switched my gears up as high as possible so I could still pedal for more exercise. I love speed!

And by the way, eating salad greens seriously curbs my appetite. Like nobody's business. I ate two salads today. After the second one, I then tried to eat two small tacos and felt like I had finished a Thanksgiving dinner! So stuffed!  I think when our bodies get the nutrients we need, our brain screams at our stomachs "YOU ARE DONE! BACK. AWAY. FROM. THE. TABLE." haha!

Compare that to the days when I pretty much ate whatever I wanted and it was never the green leafy salads. I always seemed to be hungry. It doesn't really make sense that now I eat less and do more and am hungry less!  Go figure!   (I also now take a multivitamin every night religiously to round out the nutrients. It dissolves in a glass of water so I know the vitamins and minerals are being absorbed into my system.)

Thank you for reading! ;D *waves goodbye* Luvs until next time . . .

Move it to Lose it

Today was weigh-in day and I have lost a total of 5.8 pounds. That is only one pound this week. So, what have I done differently this past week compared to the two weeks before that? I have exercised less. Apparently there is a direct correlation to how much and how rigorously I move my body to how much weight I lose. It seems like a no-brainer, right? Then, I have to ask myself, why I don't put exercising as a higher priority on my list of daily things that need to be done. There is no viable excuse.

In the past, when I was feeling heavier, I didn't really feel like I wanted to move that much. Moving was somewhat difficult and it seemed that I was needing to catch my breath more. Now that I have been moving more for three weeks, I move with ease and I feel much lighter even though it is only 5.8 pounds of a difference! Cra.zy. right? Even though I am older than 25, I feel 25. That's a good pay off for eating well and exercising more.

Another thing which makes me feel more energetic, I think, is taking a daily multi-vitamin supplement and choosing "live" things to eat. For instance, I am eating green leafy vegetables more now than I have ever eaten in my life. I hear that we should have 51% live things on our plate for every meal. When I say "live", I mean fresh and not over-ripe.

Plus, getting enough sleep is key to feeling energized! But not too much! There is a balance there somewhere.

I may be repeating myself, but truly there is not much else to do to lose weight besides eat less calories and burn more calories. By staying away from fat-laden foods, I get to eat a lot more in quantity. That's a nice trade off!

Thank you for reading! And I hope your day is happy.  Spasiba! Xie Xie! Toa Chie! Gracias! Hasta luego! Domo Arigato! Merci! Mahalo! Nse!

Walking is Just Walking, but it is Refreshing

Yay for me! I just returned from a walk that was over an hour. It is warm enough (64 degrees Fahrenheit) and sunny and I enjoyed some new tunes on an internet radio station as I walked.

I realized something. I realized that even though I started out with an ache in my left hip joint, as I walked for the first half an hour, it eased up and now it doesn't even hurt.

Another thing I was reminded of is that walking is not hard! I mean, hello? It's just walking. Yet, when I walk for an hour, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

On my way back home, an older beat-up car passed me with a young couple who were engaged in talking and laughing with each other. I flashed back to my earlier years when I was poor and had a beater car. Life was hard in some ways, but way easier in other ways. There was no money, so there was no financial burden. We just didn't plan on anything because there was no extra money to plan anything. We just enjoyed what we did in our hometown. If we didn't have health insurance, we didn't worry because we were walking a lot and working hard which made us healthy. Did it make me want to sell my car and get a beater? haha! no! But it was a good reminder that it doesn't take money to be happy.

Walking is great. Our friend, Roy, is 77 years old and walks an hour almost every day. Last year he missed four days.

It is amazing to be rewarded with such a great feeling for doing something so simple as walking!

#walking

Are we ignorant and prejudice against fat people?

Yesterday I saw a sad thing on Twitter. Someone tweeted "Fat girls have fat girls for friends."  Boo. That was sad and not really true. It was, however, someone's put down on overweight girls. Was it necessary? No. Was it true? No.

My husband told me of a comment he saw on YouTube. It was under a song about the heartbreak of love. Most people were commenting how hard it is to be in love and losing your love, etc. One girl wrote, "You are all commenting about love. Try being fat." Oh, wow, it is just heartwrenching to think of people out there suffering because of being overweight.

People who are really big have a lot they have to deal with. I saw a show on Netflix called "Heavy". It's an A & E series. I only saw one episode and it didn't take long to realize how very difficult it is to carry around so much weight. Physically and emotionally.

Obviously, I need to lose weight. That is why I am writing this blog and dieting and exercising. But, there is no reason for other people to judge so severely of those who are very heavy. We have no idea what it is like and it would do us well to be more compassionate of their plight.  A couple of decades from now, do we want someone to make a movie about our ignorance like they did about the ignorance and racial prejudice in the Deep South in the movie, The Help?

And on the flip side there is always the question: In taking care of myself, what am I doing to keep fit and healthy? How am I making sure that I do not become the person whose weight is out of control? Is my family doing alright? How am I making sure that my children are staying active and eating well? Do I pay attention to what they eat and do I cook healthy meals so we don't have to rely on the high fat and calories of restaurant food?

Please comment below on your feelings about fat people. Do you think your feelings will change? What do you think when you see a fat person exercising at the gym or walking or running?

(Remember, if you comment in a language other than English, it is ok. I can get it translated.)

Is There a Conspiracy Between the Restaurant Industry and the Health Care Industry?

Hello Friends!

Have you ever thought about the whole idea of doctors and health care and pharmaceuticals? Even though they call it "health care" do you think they want us to always be healthy? What would happen if everyone was healthy? They would sit idle. There would be no business for them.

Certainly, when a person goes into the medical field they hope to be helpful and often want to engage in this line of work to provide a service for sick and ailing people. There have been many times that I have been so grateful for a doctor who studied hard and was able to help me get better. One time I was so overcome with gratitude, in fact, that I got all choked up in front of the doctor. haha! Awkward.

So, it is my guess that there are many individuals who go into the field for altruistic reasons. As a whole, though, as an industry, I would also guess that corporations and committees make decisions based on keeping it a thriving business. When is the last time your doctor suggested that you eat raw veggies?  There is literature all over the place explaining the high number of antioxidants in veggies and fruits. Antioxidants prevent cancer. However, I've never heard this from a doctor. Nutrition is generally not part of their education.

And then take a look at restaurants in the United States. The most important motivation for a restaurant is the return customer. If the food is pleasing, then the customer will return and he will also tell his friends about it. Health is now becoming a concern because the customer demands it, but there are many people still eating thousands of calories in one meal because they just do not know the ingredients of the menu items. Do you know that there are 730 calories and 47 grams of fat in an Enormous Omelette Breakfast Sandwich which is served at one of my favorite fast food places? That is a lot!

You know there are a lot of calories in cheesecake, right? Did you know there are 1200 calories in one slice of cheesecake at a restaurant which shall remain nameless? If my caloric intake should be under 1500 calories, poof! There it goes in one slice of cheesecake! Well, they do add whipped cream to the side, so that adds more!

I know in the past I have assumed that a restaurant would make a dish using a similar recipe that I might use at home. Wrong, wrong, wrong. One of our teenage children got a job at a certain popular chain restaurant and told us how they make their delicious mashed potatoes. They use a mix and a few real potatoes. A lot of the food came from cans, the meats are cooked in a lot of grease, etc. He won't eat there anymore unless he gives them specific instructions on how to prepare it!

There was a documentary film made several years ago called "Super Size Me" about a guy who ate nothing but foods from a fast food restaurant over a period of time. He actually got sick and gained a lot of weight. There have been people since then that have shown you CAN eat at fast food restaurants successfully IF YOU CHOOSE WISELY.

Of course there is no conspiracy between the restaurant business and the medical business. That would be a far-fetched accusation. But I now realize clearly that we must use information available about calorie, fat and protein counts for eating out. We can't just go pick the first thing that looks yummy! There are yummy healthy choices, too, if we just look for them. Or, as our son does, we can ask for a certain type of preparation.

The best course of action is to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, raw nuts and grains. I, for one, feel so much better when I eat the fresh foods than eating anything from a restaurant. And there are so many natural flavors that go undetected which get buried in grease and salt and spices.

Friends, you are going to crack up laughing - the last two days I have eaten salad for breakfast. It was really the only thing that sounded good to me!  I bought a clear plastic box of greens from Winco and my favorite salad dressing and I have really enjoyed salad for breakfast! haha!  What a food nerd, right?

Freshetarian: A New Way to Look at Food for Our Bodies

First of all, let me report that I have had a total weight loss of 4.8 lbs. in two weeks. That is 2.18 kilograms, which sounds like way less! haha! We should definitely keep track of our weight loss in pounds!!!

Also, even though a few of those days I kept my caloric intake low and I exercised, I have to report that I feel much better on the days that I eat foods which are still alive. That means fruits and vegetables before they start to become too ripe. There seems to be a new way of looking at food and there are several people talking about it. Here is one that is near and dear to my heart: http://freshetarian.blogspot.com/   I really like how he advises to eat things that are fresh and defines what is best and what is better to eat.  And if a person following the Freshetarian way falls off for one day, he says it is no problem, because you don't live there. You are only visiting. If you "live" in the healthy area, it is ok to "visit" the lesser choices occasionally.

So, to keep from getting hungry too often, I follow the advice to eat small amounts often in the End Game Diet (Amazon.com). For good food choices, I look to the concept in the Freshetarian way of eating (link in paragraph above). I feel so much better!!! And I have a lot more energy! Oh yeah! ;D

TO: Sandy, Debbie, Angi, Ashley and Wes, Thank you!

Dear Angi, Ashley, Debbie, Sandy and Wes,

Thank you for coming on this journey with  me! You are each approaching it in your own way, and you are here and I am not alone. Thank you! Thank you! There is still room if anyone else wants to jump on board!  I hope I didn't miss anyone!  Jamie, you are way ahead of us! You only have a few more to lose!  ;D Way to go!

Here is what Sandy wrote to me last week:

"Ok so here is what I am thinking… I know there is never a convenient time to start a diet because there is always some holiday, or party, or something involving food!  But Monday is the day I begin my journey.  I have one final weekend to eat whatever I want and to just be lazy and Monday I begin.  I’m working on a diet plan, an exercise plan, etc.  I don’t know if I will post that for the whole world to see, but I will post what I did for exercise and log my progress.  I am excited to begin this journey!  I really think I can do it!  Thanks for getting me going!"

And she has already begun! Soon Sandy will report on how she is doing.

It is so inpsiring that we are all trying to eat well and exercise more. I hope you are each feeling better overall with your increased circulation and sense of accomplishment.

This morning I got a bicycle ride in before it rained. It was chilly and I wore a fleece vest. I was comfortable enough. Now with the rain, this evening I will be going to the indoor track not too far from where I live. It takes about 10 minutes to get there. I plan to walk an hour and use the rowing machine if they have one. I am taking a break from Zumba, as my right knee twisted the wrong way! But I am getting a great benefit from walking, too!

Again thank you to Ashley, Wes, Sandy, Debbie and Angi! Your company motivates me to stay on task!

Love,
Just me

True Confessions

The truth is this: I took two days off. I will resume my efforts in the morning. Yesterday and today I did not do any great exercise other than walking for short distances. Today I may go to the gym later, but I don't know. I'm not feeling it. Does that make me a loser?  No. No, it doesn't.

But I knew you were missing hearing from me, so I thought I would write this little blog and let you know I did fall off and will get up on it again.

"Where did I go wrong?" you may ask. Yesterday was Sunday, which is the day that Christian nations celebrate the Sabbath, as you know. I went with my husband to visit friends who were making a delicious dinner and we were invited to stay. It was empanadas with spinach, meat, egg and onion. Very delicious by familia de Robles!

Today was the last day of good weather for awhile, so I decided to drive around the mountains and take pictures. No exercise there. And since I was off the plan, I enjoyed a cookie.

So, you can see it was not a bad fall off of the wagon, but it was just a fall. A little fall. haha! :D Back up on it tomorrow! 

How are YOU doing with your exercise and healthy eating?

COME ON MY WALK WITH ME

This morning I went for a walk for an hour.
Later, in the afternoon, I rode my bicycle for 45 minutes.
I'm feeling pretty good about this amount of exercise.

I took a 360 degree video so you could come with me on my walk. I didn't take a video of the bicycle ride. It is in the same area as this video, though.

When you play this video, please imagine really cool music playing, ok? Or turn some music on before you start the video - haha!  ;D

Here are the tunes I was listening to while on my walk today: On The Floor (Jennifer Lopez), Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw), Good Morning and Stronger(Mandisa), Move, The Generous Mr. Lovewell (MercyMe), Fallin for You (Colbie Caillat),Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson), Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5).  You Zumba-heads might recognize the last one! And you Guitar Hero players might recognize the Cliffs of Dover! And I listened to Pandora's Moves Like Jagger Radio Station. Booyah, Baby!

All this exercise makes me realize how out of shape I am. While I was doing fairly sedentary things and working out comfortably on "my" elliptical at the gym, I felt fine. But once I started Zumba, long walks and bicycling a lot, I realized clearly that I am carrying around a lot of extra weight which makes every activity more difficult than it should be. Too freaking bad that it takes so long to get it off!  It seems like recognizing the problem should somehow magically make it go away faster! ;D  You know what I'm talking about?

One final song for this blog: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole!  This morning, as I came close to the end of my walk, I thought "This walk is for you, Iz!"    If you don't know, Mr. Kamakawiwo'ole battled obesity until he passed away at the age of 38 in 1997.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwo%CA%BBole