A pleasant surprise

Hello all. The Hubby and I went out today. My hairstylist was able to work the hubs in for a much needed cut. Afterwards, we went to lunch at one of our favorite Mom and Pop restaurants. Our waitress hadn't seen me for several months and was seemingly astounded by how great she thought I looked. She said she could tell I had lost weight and my new haircut is great and I look so rested. It was a pleasant surprise.

I have, certainly, lost no more than ten pounds since she has seen me, so I can only assume that my healthy look is from the No Sugar, No Flour way of eating. Sugar and flour were clogging my entire system. I feel so much better than before and I, honestly, do not feel deprived at all. I was afraid that not having any sugar would really be tough to do. I don't do artificial sweeteners and although Stevia is a good substitute, I'm not crazy about the taste of it. I do, however, really like everything about fructose as a sweetener. The brand I am using is by Now Foods, but others are available in the organic sections of most larger supermarkets.

I've been hypoglycemic for a very long time and I can always tell when I'm not feeling right from too much sugar. This sweetener is perfect for me. I can tell that my GI levels are staying where they should be. I don't mean to sound vague, but I know when something is off kilter with me. It is not calorie free, (15 calories per teaspoon, same as sugar) and I am not saying it is right for anyone else. Just wanted to let you know that if you are concerned your GI levels, this is a great sweetener. Well, I'll get off my soapbox about fructose.

I was able to sneak in some "exercise" today. We had a record breaking warm day today and decided to take advantage of it and do yard work. I'm a bit out of shape, but I can pick up sticks from the yard. Sounds lame to you? Try it. It's like doing 100 "touch your toes". You can also do a bit of stretching and a lunge or two while you're at it. I topped that off with doing laundry and I kept the basket on the floor beside me, instead of putting it on the table. That way I have to bend over to pick up the clothes to fold them. More "exercise". See, there are so many ways to incorporate activity into our daily lives.

You know, we really are all in this together. Whether you have twenty pounds to lose, or two hundred, we all benefit from encouragement and support. We all have a "magic number" on the scales. It can be the weight you were when you were the happiest and healthiest. For me, I also have that weight that I absolutely won't allow myself to go over. Uhh, I went over that number five years ago.

My point is this, having a blog and sharing our fears and our victories with others really is important. I don't respond well to negativity or "constructive" criticism. I know what my weaknesses are, as well as my strengths. I don't particularly appreciate, for instance, a family member that tells you what you should be doing or eating, when they are even more out of shape than you. I think that is why I love my bloggy friends, we encourage each other and offer support that is heart felt because we really are all going through the same thing. I don't know if I'm making myself clear here, I just want to let you all know that I care about you and I really do know how you feel. Whether it is a scale that won't go high enough to weigh you anymore, or a school mate that shouts at ten year old you, "Hey Truck, drink some Metracal". We really are in this together. Hang in there my friends, we're going to make it.