Fiber in a pot

Good day, all. I just realized that I haven't been posting pictures on this blog. Duh, what is wrong with me? I have a good digital camera and take pictures of everything. Today's picture is "fiber in a pot".


I don't know about you, but in my house with both the hubby and I moving towards the second half of our century mark, we need more fiber in our diets. Back in the "olden" days, my grandma called it roughage and it sounded horrible to me. I now realize that fiber just might be the "end all, cure all" in nutrition.

So many foods are good sources of fiber that I won't take the time to mention them today. I am going to go on and on about how much I like soup. My hubby likes his vegetable beef soup in a tomato base. I used lots of fresh, organic veggies in both of these soups, but I also added frozen spinach to my chicken vegetable with barley soup. Just for good measure I tossed in a handful of barley to his soup, also. Both of these soups are so tasty and are warm and comforting. No sugar, no flour either. I will toast some yummy Ezekiel bread and follow it up with some fresh fruit (if we have room).

Well, that's it for today. Need more fiber? Make a pot of vegetable soup. Take care and enjoy.

Hey, it's me again

Just a quick post to let you know I'm still kicking. I have been pretty busy with home life and making my little art pillows, so I don't really have any awesome words of wisdom to impart.

Just a quick update to let you know I am still doing No Flour No Sugar and am losing very slowly, but I am losing. One half a pound a week will eventually add up and as soon as I start becoming a bit more active, that will probably increase. I'm just one pound away from 169. I haven't seen the "60's" on my scales for a long, long time (probably six years), so I'm ready for it. That's my short term goal.

Take care and remember, warmer weather is on it's way.

The numbers are good

We went today and had our cholesterol checked by Life Line Screening. This was the first time in several years for me. The last time, I think my total cholesterol (TC) was 243. Today's number was 193. I am quite happy with this . I won't bore you with the specifics of each reading, but even though they are not in the "optimal" range, they are all falling in the "desirable" range.

That's it for today, with the exception of something interesting and a bit funny in a sad sort of way. Lately I have been experiencing some weird stomach sensations, almost like an ache or something. At first I thought I had a bug of some kind, it didn't really feel like nausea, but it was just something I couldn't identify. Since we had to fast for eight hours prior to our testing today, I didn't eat anything at all, and about one p.m., I got this weird sensation in my stomach again. Then it hit me...duh...I was hungry. I haven't allowed myself to be hungry for so long, that I didn't recognize what it felt like. I think that is almost sad. Have I been stuffing myself for so long, that I couldn't recognize a hunger pang? Well, at least now I know what being hungry feels like and I won't worry about it, I'll just grab a piece of fruit and be on my way.

Take care and stay healthy!

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.

One Quick Thing...

Just a quick note to all my friends here on the "weight loss circuit", I am having a Valentine giveaway on my art blog and I hope you will come by. Hope to see you there!

Just a quick tip

I mentioned in my last post something about motivation. Here is another thing I noticed this week. I think this applies to everyone, not just me. If you are home during the day, make it a point to dress as if you have something to do. For me, this means putting on jeans and good athletic shoes. One day this week, it was really cold and I put on stretchy comfy yoga pants and knee socks and house shoes. I realized after sitting on the couch and drawing all day, that I would have been more motivated if I were dressed differently. If you want to be motivated to work out, put on your work out gear while you are doing your daily chores and soon you will be making strides on the treadmill or hopping and bopping to your favorite exercise video. It works, try it!

Well, that's it for today. Have a good one and stay motivated!

Quick Update

Just a quick update to say how much better I feel without the flours and sugars. I have spent the past two weeks learning what foods work best for my hubby and me. Lost 5 pounds just while doing research. Since it is the day of the "Big Game" I wanted to fix something different for us to eat. We had pinto beans and made from scratch hush puppies. It was quite yummy and not difficult to fix.

I am going to try to get in a bit more exercise this week, and go into this week with actual weight loss in mind.

Once again, I must say...the No Flour, No Sugar plan is easy, easy, easy.

Have a great week, and stay motivated and positive!