I'm really serious about reaching my goal size this year. I want this really bad, so I'm clearing the way all over the place in my life. What about you? How bad do you want it? What are you willing to do to reach your goal size this year?
For me, reaching my goal size (8) means moving, moving, moving. It also means eating clean, like my friend Linda and my size 6 friends who have been clean all along.

I wasn't aware that I wasn't eating clean. There were gray areas that I wasn't aware of; I was eating that are not on program. As you know, there are no gray areas; foods are either on program or they're not on program. So, I didn't know, doesn't work for me anymore! Now that I know about things I was eating that are off program, I'm done eating them. My eyes are open now. I can see! I can see at last! 

One area I've been cleaning up is my blog recipes. I've been reviewing my recipes and deleting ones that are not on program. Gone is my recipe for Popsicles, which combined half and half with Siggis yogurt. Sigh. You know something is off program when you sigh at the thought of not having it anymore. Last summer I made these a lot. I knew they were trouble, because I craved them, but I was in complete denial.

Until recently, I did not know half and half was not allowed. I was using it in my coffee and in other recipes. No wonder I was holding my weight during the fall! As of a few weeks ago, I officially too half and half off my option list. When I have coffee I froth my milk and if I drink it out, I pay the extra to have the milk frothed. I haven't had iced coffee, but when I do, it's with milk or not at all.

Back in Dec. I was informed half and half was not allowed, but I was not willing to give it up yet. If I want to reach my goal, I must give it up. My guess is I was able to get away with this for so long because of how heavy I was. Half and half is no longer an option.

Cheese is a condiment. Not only was I eating cheese with meat bite for bite, which I learned a long time ago is not appropriate, but I had recipes with way too much cheese in them. Gone from this blog are most recipes with cheese. Providing I keep the amount of cheese to a tiny bit and the veggie ratio low, my meat pizza recipe is safe. I'll buy only enough cheese to top off the pizza, so I don't have any extra cheese in the house. Recently I made meat pizza with pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce and I think this is a good idea, as it gives the pizza a lot more flavor and I don't add too many veggies with the pesto. (BTW, my pesto is just basil and oil - no nuts.)






What are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goal size? Have you too been in denial and eating foods off program?  Did you think you could get away with it and all the while wonder why you're at a plateau for so long?

Give it up! Let go of your free will and get back in the river! Join me and reach your goal size this year!
April 07, 2013
There's nothing better than feeling good in a pair of blue jeans. Well, there probably is, but just for today, feeling good comes in a pair of blue jeans. Tomorrow, I'll aim for bigger goals.
The jeans I bought in January are getting baggy in the thighs and butt - woohoo!  And I'm finally wearing the jeans I bought in Dec. Until this week, the only way I could zip the Dec. jeans all the way up was to lay on my bed and hold my breath; sitting down wasn't an option. Now, they look great and I feel fabulous wearing them.

I went to Marshalls last Saturday hoping to find something in a smaller size, but I didn't try anything on because I didn't see anything exciting on the racks. I think TJ Max has better options. I'm still a bit gun shy when it comes trying clothes on; I'm afraid they're still not going to fit. I should probably stick with Macey's and JCP until I'm in a size that I can find easier. Those two stores are more consistent with sizes. I understand TJ & Marshalls tend to run small, which is fine if you're small enough that size doesn't matter. I'm not there yet.

I know: size really does matter. My size 6 and size 8 friends, and I have a lot of friends in 6's and 8's these days, pointed this out to me recently. I thought that when you're a smaller size, you have so many more clothing options. It turns out this isn't true. Who knew? I certainly didn't!

BTW, those jeans that I felt frumpy in two weeks ago - I wore them again last week and this time I felt good in them. Frumpy is sometimes all in our head - or all in my head at least!

Victory comes when we least expect it. We feel as if we've been stuck at the same size one day and the very next day: we drop another size. Sometimes we drop weight and we just can't see it. Our rings are a little loser. Our thighs align with the rest of our body. Our blue jeans become baggy. Our tops accent in the right places instead of clinging in horrible ways. Frumpy turns to DAM!

How's your journey coming along? Anybody else out there dropping weight?
April 06, 2013
What can you do right now to to feel better right now? Watch this Louise Hay Tapping. Tap shoes are not required, because it's not about dancing. Watch the video and "tap" along at the end and see what you think about this.


Tapping is a form of self-hypnosis and can be very powerful. I first learned about tapping by another name Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's a great tool to reduce pain and stress. 

Note: I often use the phrase "tap, tap, tap" on this blog. When I write "tap, tap, tap" I'm referencing Julie's concept to "push away" food cravings.
April 05, 2013
Bacon Deviled Eggs - best ever deviled eggs!

Ingredients

  • 12 large eggs
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 2 TBSP melted butter (if needed)
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 heaping TBSP chopped scallions, plus more for garnish
  •  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Place eggs in a large sauce pan; add water to cover by 1".  
  2. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat.  
  3. Let sit for 10 minutes.  
  4. Drain.  
  5. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool completely, about 10 minutes; peel.
  6. Halve lengthwise and remove yolks.
  7. Coarsely chop bacon.  
  8. Cook in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. 
  9.  Transfer bacon to paper towels.  
  10. Strain drippings through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.  
  11. Add melted butter if needed to measure 2 TBSP.
  12. Finely mash reserved yolks, bacon fat (and/or butter), mayonnaise, mustard, and chopped scallions in a medium bowl.  
  13. Season with salt and pepper.  
  14. Transfer to a large resealable freezer bag; cut 1/2" off one corner.  
  15. Pipe into the whites; garnish with scallions and bacon.
This recipe was served at the pot luck on 2/2/13.

Be sure to cut back on your fats when you eat this.
April 04, 2013
It's time to take my weight loss journey in a new direction. Time to move beyond focusing on my weight loss 24/7. Time to find a new focus. Time to bring something new into my life. Time to find my true north.
image source
I've been on this weight loss journey for over two years and I no longer need to focus all my energies on losing weight. Yes, I have to think about what I'm going to eat, but I don't dwell on it for very long. I simply buy groceries for a few meals every few days. I no longer stock up on foods. No bags of crunchy or salty stuff. No cartons of creamy stuff to store in my freezer. I buy fresh and I buy often. Food choices are programmed into my brain, so I can get in and out of the store pretty fast.

Not focusing on my weight loss also means I no longer spend time or energy on promises to start a diet tomorrow or to begin an exercise program tomorrow. This isn't to say I have my exercise routine down, because I don't. It means I know what to do to help keep my body feeling good and when I slack off, so does my mood. Just like the foods we eat, I know mixing up my exercise routine is a good plan too.

I'm feeling good about my core programming being in place, so I've been looking at enhancing my life in other ways. If you've been wondering what's up with all the new age videos I've been posting and where are all my stories about success and challenges in my weight loss journey: it's a plot for a new direction in my life...

Finding my true north sounds exciting, but will take some time. I'm looking at things in my life I no longer need, that I can sell, give away, or donate, to open up space in my life for new things. Not new materialistic things, but new opportunities. Opportunities I have yet to imagine, but given the time and space, I'll see them.

Meanwhile, as I look for my compass among my household treasures, I'm exploring the spiritual side of life. Along the way I have found inspirational videos, meditations, and books. I sometimes get so excited about the videos that I post them to this blog without thinking how they may appear to my readers. I can change this. I can provide context about how they're relevant in my life instead of just posting them without much of an explanation.

Today's story is about reflection and reading. . .

Every book I purchased in the past few years has sat unread in a pile with other forgotten books next to my home desk and my bed. My pattern has been: go into Barnes and Noble, grab a handful of books, read a few chapters in each book, feel inspired, and then put the books back on the shelves. I know if I take them home, I'm never going to read them. I've been reflecting on this and thinking about why it is that I've fallen into this pattern. I can change this too. Hey, if I can drop 6-7 sizes, I can do anything!

I'm really enjoying the book "Be the Miracle, 50 lessons for Making the Impossible Possible" by Regina Brett. It's such an uplifting book of positive stories; I'm all about giving my mind positive reinforcement these days. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for the same. My promise to myself is to read at lease one story a day, which is about 6 pages. Imagine starting each day with a positive story!

While at the bookstore, I read a good chunk of "Take Charge of Your Mind" by John Selby. I didn't buy the book, but there were incredible quotes in there that still haunt me. I just went to Amazon and for less than $6.00 with shipping, the book will be here by the end of the week.

Are any of you reading books of inspiration or listening to online videos that you find helpful on your journey?

April 01, 2013
This question was asked on the FAQ page and I'm posting it so those of you who have been there can respond. Anonymous asked what to do when you have a stomach bug. 
stomach bug (image source)
This week my family had the stomach bug that lasted for days. Myself included. I am now over two months with the hypnosis and have been doing great...up to this point. I tried just eating chicken broth and staying hydrated with water. I just found that I was not getting my energy back. The thought of eating protein made me nauseous. I finally broke down and started to eat some saltines and drank pedialite. I quickly got my energy back but sure enough that made those darn Army men come running out. 3 days off (and I would love to say I just ate saltines but I would be lying) and today I am back on and feeling better.

What is done is done and I hope I have not messed up my hypnosis too much. I live far away and do not want to have to travel (or pay!) for a refresher.

Has anyone else faced this? Is there a way to stay on the plan yet be able to get better?

March 30, 2013
Hunger has been my middle name for a few weeks now. No kidding. I'm feeding the "beast" with lots of meat. What's behind this hunger and how can I move beyond it? Change needs to happen. Yes, it's time to change things up again. Before I tell you about the changes I'm making, I'll talk about what's been happening.
Portrait of my food monster; image by Theresa

What's Happening


Before I first started this program, I didn't know the food plan was meat based and I didn't like red meat. I ate hamburgers from time to time at home, but I never ordered red meat at a restaurant. At my first session, Julie told me she couldn't help me like something I didn't like, so I asked about the few meats I did like: meatloaf, meatballs, cold cuts, and pepperoni. She cautioned me to watch my fat intake and indicated the meatloaf and meatballs were okay because the breadcrumbs are inside and not on top of the meat.

Over time, I have come to love red meat. I haven't felt this healthy and full of energy in years and I believe it's due to adding red meat to my diet. This past January I decided to focus more on red meats and less on poultry. A month later I started having a sweet taste in my mouth and this has been going on 24/7 ever since. Looking back now, I think my appetite increase began about the same time the sweet taste started.

I saw my doctor about the sweet taste in my mouth and I had blood tests done. No diabetes (or sign of pre-diabetes) and the rest of my numbers look great. I wondered if this could be a periodontal issue. I checked in with a friend who is dental hygienists and she suggested it may be Ketosis. (If you're interested - Wikipedia provides a good explanation on Ketosis, scroll past the medical jargon in the first few paragraphs to the sections about Diet, Diagnosis, and Controversy.)

Where to go from here? To my friends of course. I asked them for their words of wisdom on all of the above.

Words of Wisdom


My hygienists friend reminded me that Julie talks about this kind of hunger and that it's usually the body wanting something and until it gets that, hunger stays with you. I haven't figured out what it is my body is hungry for yet, but this week I'm focusing on changing up my recipes to see if I can find out what my body is craving.

I asked a few friends if they've experience this kind of hunger or if they've had this sweet taste happen to them. Here's what they said:
  • When my mouth tastes like metal, I stock up on breath strips. Trying mixing in some veggies you used to eat long ago. Julie says our bodies hit a "fat pocket" that has stored vitamins, minerals, etc. from something we ate a long time ago. Our bodies have already gotten rid of the newest fat pockets, now we are into the heavy artillery from years ago and our bodies want something from that.
  • I certainly know the feeling and talking about it seems to have helped me move this out of the subterranean levels of my mind into consciousness. Yesterday I ate more like a normal human being instead of a saber toothed tiger at a kill. What helps me is varying my foods and not getting too elaborate with my cooking. It seems my "imagining" what I could have, how I could make it delicious, is what tips my hunger center into over drive. So I'm experimenting with going back to simplicity - at least half the time. Roasting a turkey breast, plain broccoli, etc., seems to remind my body of the nutrition it needs, and stops all the "imagining." Eventually I get bored and spice it up a bit.
  • I believe in the KISS theory (Keep It Simple Silly). Maybe it's because I'm not into messing up my kitchen!! I'm not one for sauces, dips, or cheesy things; just throw it on the grill & I'm good! Another thing I avoid is salad; too much veggies, and fat, but I love my corn, squash & carrots.

What's Next?


Good question, grasshopper!

I'm making some changes in my menu plan. I've been eating the same meats over and over. Meatloaf and meatballs are allowed on this program, but I'm eating them too often. When we eat the same foods over and over, our mind thinks we're on a diet. We're retraining our mind and giving our minds the impression that we're on a diet breaks the reprogramming we've been working on; this is not good.

I started collecting new recipes, which I'll post as I make them. I'm looking in the fresh veggie department for veggies I haven't had it a while, which is a wide range of items. Yes, a little bit of corn is supposed to be added to our foods daily, according to the plan when I started, but it shouldn't be the only veggie I'm eating. Yes, coleslaw is allowed, but not on a daily basis. I'm adding fish back into my menu. I don't know when I last had fish! I cooked shrimp for lunch on Saturday and had scallops for dinner. It's been eons since I had ribs too.

My plan for this week is to plan my meals the day before, to shop more often and in smaller amounts, and to avoid having the same meal more than once (as Julie teaches us). This means either freezing some of the meals I cook or cutting back on the amount I make. Either way, I win.

I don't know if these changes will get rid of the sweet taste in my mouth, but what I do know all of these are key concepts that I lost sight of along the way. I have more weight to lose and putting these principals back into action will help me continue on my journey to reach my goal size.

Cheating on this program is not just about eating foods that are not on program, it's also about not following the program rules. Either way, cheating slows down our weigh loss.

What can you change in your meal plan to encourage weight loss? Are you eating the same foods again and again? Is it time to switch things around? Jump in and make some changes in your menus!

Are you following the same exercise routine week after week? It's spring and it's time to get more energy into your life by switching up your routine (or starting one). Get outdoors and take a break at work for five minutes. Go to work earlier, drop your stuff in your office (or leave it in your car) and then go back outside and walk for ten minutes or a half hour. Park your car far from the office so you have a nice long walk at the start and end of your day!

Make a change today. Make another change tomorrow. Change your life forever.

March 25, 2013
I found enlightenment at the grocery store last night...
photo source: The Lost Girls
My plan last night was to buy ingredients to make two new recipes: Crock-Pot Shredded Beef Tacos and Grilled Chicken Skewers. I had my list of ingredients for both recipes in Evernote, a great app that stores all the notes I used to write on tiny pieces of paper and then could never find later when I needed them; I can access Evernote from any computer, my iPad, and my iPhone. I love Evernote!

By the time I stepped into the grocery store it was some time past 6 pm and I immediately realized didn't have enough steam to buy the ingredients or to cook up a storm. I decided I would shop like a European and just buy the items for dinner.  Plus, I'm going out to dinner tonight (Outback - which I love, love, love, now that I'm a meat eater) so it didn't make sense to buy so much food. Those recipes will wait a few more days, perhaps Friday night or over the weekend. I'll post recipes and photos after I make them.

Meanwhile, back to my shopping experience. I looked at my shopping list and decided all the items could wait a few more days and closed my iPhone. Okay, so what's for dinner? Walking along the hot section of  BigY. Fried chicken? No thank you? Baked chicken? No, I've been cooking real chicken for so long now these store bought pre-cooked chickens no longer taste good to me and I end up tossing most of the chicken. I used to eat them weekly. No other hot foods were available, so I continued down the isle to where they had all kinds of chicken wings, ready to be heated up. Yes, chicken wings will do just fine!

Next, I went into the veggie isle and I grabbed a small package of snap peas. It's been ages since I've had them. I headed over to the other side of the store, picked up a few more items, and then proceeded to the checkout.

When I arrived at the checkout area and there were three checkout options. Option one: two guys with an overfilled large grocery cart who were just beginning to put items on the conveyor belt, as someone ahead of them finished emptying their cart. Option two: eight people with small carts full of items. Option three: too far away for me to debate fast enough before someone with a large cart full of groceries stepped into that line. I went with option one.

As I waited for them to finish unloading their cart, I tried to keep busy looking at magazines, but the magazines were boring.

Sigh.

At some point, I felt as if I had entered the Twilight zone, as it seemed like their cart would never empty. It was then that I started to look at what they were buying: junk food, all junk food. I won't name names (labels), but suffice it to say there was nothing there that's on my program. Most items were large colorful bags full of crispy things and air or from the bakery. I could only imagine they are either going to or having a party, but my goodness, what a lot of crap!

The closest thing to protein was hot dogs, I saw buns and then searched to see what they were going to put in them. Oh, they had yogurt too. The kind that has a separate container on top with pebbles of toppings. Nothing in their cart was anything I used to eat, I was more of a Ben & Jerry's kind of girl.

I waited in anticipation to see their total, Meanwhile, there was finally room for me to put my items on the belt: chicken wings, 1 yogurt, 1 stick of pepperoni, 1 package of cottage cheese, and snap peas.

Cha-ching! Their total was just over $300 of junk food!

No wonder Americans have an obesity problem! Both of these guys were skinny, but I wondered what the people at the party looked like.

This morning, as I write this, I think about what my grocery cart used to look like and what others in line may have been thinking about what I was buying, which was sugar, sugar, sugar. I would switch up the place I bought dinner, so "they" wouldn't see me night after night buying Ben & Jerry's. I didn't buy $300 worth of junk food at one pop, but I certainly spent more than that in a month, little by little, one quart at a time. Well, unless it was on sale.

The chicken wings, by the way, were horrible. I should have ordered them at Pizza Palace of Granby, where they make incredible Buffalo wings for less money than the horrible wings I bought from BigY. Good thing I had that pepperoni and cottage cheese to fill the void, as most of the chicken was nasty.

Enlightenment can happen anywhere, even in line at the grocery store. My moment of enlightenment was a reminder of yet another area of my life that has changed. Ben & Jerry's used to be what's for dinner, night after night (hey, I switched up the flavor - most nights).  Today, sugar is no longer my main course, my middle name, or my first name. Sugar no longer calls me by name. I'm no longer an obese woman who spends money on junk food.

What about you? What's different in your life today than when you began this weight loss journey?


March 21, 2013