How fresh are the bottles of condiments sitting in your refrigerator right now? Do you know if they're less than a month old? If your condiments are more than 30 days old - this may be the reason you're experiencing a plateau.
Condiments that I tossed out this morning.
One of the agreements we made in following this program was to toss our condiments 30 days after we open them. The preservatives that are on the inside of the cap causes them to break down after 30 days and that breakdown is NOT healthy for our bodies. I can't quote this in the full scientific way Julie does, but knowing old condiments can cause a plateau is reason enough for me to get back to making sure I follow this rule.

I was pretty sure I used condiments within a month, but yesterday morning, I was not so sure. So, I tossed all the condiments in my refrigerator, except the mustard I bought last weekend.

Starting today, I'm going back to a habit I dropped some time ago - putting dates on my condiments when I open them. Somewhere along the way I have forgotten to be firm with this rule. I'm firm from today forward.

Buying smaller bottles is also a good idea too. Having a plan to use those condiments is another good idea. Just like we have a plan to use the fresh meat  and veggies we buy, so we don't end up throwing it out, we also need to have a plan to use up our condiments.

And if you aren't sure about vanilla, let me help you with this - vanilla is an extract, not a condiment, and it is not on program.

At the refresh I went to this week, someone asked if they could add vanilla bean to vodka to give as a gifts for the holidays. Yes, we're allowed to give it as a gift. No, we are not allowed to drink it. Vanilla bean is not on program.

If something looks like a desert or tastes like a dessert - we are to avoid it, as it's a slippery slope when sometime tastes like a desert we may be triggered to go for something sweet. I deleted the pumpkin drink from my recipe collection. Long ago I also deleted the recipe using Siggis yogurt and cream, because we are not allowed half and half or cream. Somehow I missed this information, but I heard "no half and half or cream" from Julie, so these items are out of my life too.

Speaking of yogurt, I'm off this for a while too. Yes, it's allowed 2-3 times a week (NOT per day), but if you're experiencing a plateau, stop eating it for a while. I'm off it until Nov. And be sure to eat yogurt with lots of meat; it's not a snack. We don't snack anyhow. You're either hungry enough for a meal or you're not hungry enough to eat.

It's all these things that may delayed my weight loss and I am taking the straight road to reaching my goal size:

  • I'm tossing the condiments in my refrigerator after 30 days - I'll know they're 30 days old because they will have the date I opened them on the labels
  • I'm tossing the bottle of vanilla that I sometimes added to hot milk
  • I'm eating cottage cheese again - with lots of meat
  • I'm no longer eating cheese in chunks or slices (only 1-2 times a week as a condiment)
  • I'm avoiding anything that resembles a dessert
What about your condiments? How old are they? Not sure? Toss them! Who wants to be on a plateau because of a lousy bottle of ketchup?
September 27, 2013
Cheese is a condiment - use it as a condiment or be in a plateau: the choice is yours. If you're eating cheese rolled up with deli meat or in slices by itself, you're probably experiencing a plateau.

Cheese Warrior Theresa

I'm determined to become a cheese warrior - I will conquer cheese!  

I really get this - CHEESE IS A CONDIMENT - and I am treating it as such. I no longer eat slices of cheese, unless it's on top of a burger, mixed in a salad, or on top of a dish.  It's OK to have cheese a couple times a week, but I'm even pulling back from that for a couple of weeks. Why? I'm glad you asked...

Cheese is probably THE thing that has kept me from reaching my goal size. Cheese isn't allowed in the way I was eating it - by the slice or in big chunks. I was reminded of this rule a few weeks ago and I put this concept back into my life full-force a couple weeks ago.

I swear I can feel the difference after just 2 weeks. Those jeans that I had to lay on my bed to zip up last December, well they fit rather nicely now, thank you very much. I just moved a ton of capris and tops that I wore all summer into to the bag of clothes I'll be giving away because they're too big now.

Cheese is a BIG THING for many of us and we have to put a stop to overeating it NOW!

Cottage cheese is a different story. We can have cottage cheese, but we must have it with lots of meat. I had forgotten the rules on cottage cheese, so I stopped eating it and I'm happy to be eating it once again - with meat of course!


September 26, 2013
Here's an update from Jill, who used these photos as motivation to feel good about her food choices, as others around her shared dessert recipes.
Before June 2012 vs today
It seems like everyone on Facebook is posting dessert recipes and talking about going to DD for their fall treats.

I wanted to make their chatter quiet down, so I found 2 stuffed sausage size 18 pictures of me and put it next to me in my new size 6 skinny pants I wore today.

A pumpkin muffin does not taste as good as thin feels, so shhhhhhhhh....


Read Jill's Hero Story What a Difference a Year Makes, and more Hero stories, or share your weight loss story with us. Send me (Theresa) an email by clicking on my photo in the left column of any page. We love to see photos, but if you don't want to share them, that's OK, but we would love to hear your story.
September 25, 2013
This is update on Meaghan is about her reaction to a photo she found of herself before starting Julie's program. I added this to Meaghan's hero story, but it is buried back a in the July 2013 posts and I want to make sure everyone can see this update.
This "before" photo really hit home and struck a chord with me. I would never take a side view photo. This photo is actually of two of my kids in a sandbox and somehow I got in the camera frame...ha! But now, what a great comparison. And my sister said it would make a great weight loss ad. I got a good chuckle out of that -- you know, the ones you see on TV and say, "that is SO not the same person!" But it is. I swear. And I will now post it on my fridge and pillow...and mirrors...and cabinets...lol!


Read Meaghan's hero story and more Hero stories, or share your weight loss story with us. Send me (Theresa) an email by clicking on my photo in the left column of any page. We love to see photos, but if you don't want to share them, that's OK, but we would love to hear your story.
September 24, 2013
Meet hero Elaine, who says "what a difference a year can make" and what a difference indeed. Elaine has gone from cringing when she saw herself in a mirror to liking what she sees now. Congratulations Elaine and thank you for sharing your story!
April 2012 vs Sept. 2013
I celebrated my one year anniversary of being on Julie's program on Sept.19, 2013.

What a difference a year can make. One year ago, my clothing size was a 2X. Today I wear size medium in tops and size 12 petite in bottoms. I love to shop now!!! My attitude has changed so much. I actually like to look while passing a mirror! I used to cringe!

I'm getting close to goal but seem to be moving quite slowly now. I'm OK with that - I enjoy what I'm eating and have no wishes to add anything back in. Being gluten free, as well as having other food intolerance makes it easier for me to stay on program, but I am looking forward, down the road, to having a baked sweet potato - no rush!
April 2012 at the White Cliffs of Dover in England.
I thank everyone for all their support and answers to my questions that helped bring me to this life-changing anniversary date - I hope I can bring this kind of support to others.

Sept. 2013 at the Big E, Springfield, MA

Read more Hero stories... or share your story - send me an email by clicking on my name (Theresa) on the bottom of the list of contributors in the left column of any page.
September 23, 2013
Just a quick update...

Now that I have a Spirooli I decided to try a few different methods with the zucchini to try and make it more pasta-like and not too watery and, well, I think I've come up with the best possible cooking method if you really want it to taste like linguine. I'll give you what I've tried so far.

1. Nuke it.
I do not like this method. It is too difficult to gauge and it either gets too hot and not soft enough or it turns to mush. Either way it's also VERY watery.

2. Blanche it.
This method is better, but it still comes out VERY watery which leaves you with sauce water if you use tomato sauce with it.

3. Pan-toss it.
WINNAH!  I have found that pan tossing it is the best method. It takes care of a lot of the moisture and you come out with firm, noodle-like strands. There was a little water in the bottom of the bowl but if you let it stand for about 3 minutes before serving you can also drain off the excess liquid and you're left with something that is EXCEPTIONALLY pasta-like. I toss it until the strands start to uncurl. That means it's pliable and al dente.

I'm personally thrilled to have discovered this. Toss it with garlic, butter and salt and it is just plain awesome. I've had it done this way with lemon shrimp and tonight we're doing the traditional meatballs and sausage. Yes, I've decided to try introducing some meatballs and see if I can get away with it once a week. It's my way of giving myself a reward. My wife is now on-program too so we are BOTH thrilled to have discovered this treat.

Final note: Yellow squash works well, too and I've found it cooks the same as zucchini so feel free to use both at once. Good stuff!
September 20, 2013
Hi All,

It's a beautiful day and I thought I would ask everyone:

1.  How are you doing?
2. What month are you in with the program?
3.  Any current success stories?
4.  Any current challenges?
5.  Other topics?

I'll go first:

1.  Overall I feel great.  This is the first time in my life that I don't feel stymied by my "diet" or my way of eating.  I don't think about it anymore.  I eat the way I should and don't have the cravings etc that Idid in the pat.

2.  Success story:  My clothes continue to fit better. I have shorts that couldn't even button in the spring, zip up nicely now.  That makes me smile.

3.  My bathroom challenge has been solved.  I bought some suppositories at CVS.  Within minutes, success.  I'm happy that these worked but I do not want to rely on them n a routine basis.  So, I'm drinking plenty of H2O.

4.  Halloween:  with three children excited about Halloween, I find myself thinking about chocolate.  I don't  have the pull to eat it, just thinking about it.  I guess the scary part is, if I have some, how will that affect my progress?  I don't see myself eating any sugar, but I would be lying if a Hershey with Almonds doesn't cross my mind lately.  ;). I will be strong and continue on my path until I'm at my
goal.  

Have a great day!
September 17, 2013
One Year Anniversary

Just about this time last year I completed my third session with Julie. It seems like a good time to take stock of where I've come.

So, to get the obvious out of the way first: I was 62 when I began. I'm 63 now. I was a size 16-14.

Now I'm a size 10. Okay, that's done

What else have I lost over this past year?

1) TONS of TERROR:
I used to spend some significant part of each day, and especially as I was trying to fall asleep, paralyzed by fear over health issues. I knew that my blood sugar levels were high, that I was "prediabetic," and awaited the moment when my pancreas would give up the ghost and I would have to go on insulin. I was often afraid I was having a heart attack, imagined the plaque building up in my arteries and brain. Every news article, every report, of the inflammatory damage which high blood sugar causes, sent me into a panic. And I knew, if I kept going the way I was going, I would end up on medications which would have side effects, for which I would have to take more medications, which would have side effects.

None of us is immune from aging and illness. I know that I will get sick sometimes, and that there will probably be some serious shit ahead of me, and of all of us as we age. Now though, I feel that I am doing everything I can to care for myself, to pay compassionate and gentle attention to my body and what it really needs. I have not had night terrors in a year. (I have also stopped watching all medical dramas, listening to any ads about illness, taking in any toxic "mind food" of that sort).

2) THE SHADOW OF SHAME:
It is impossible to be addicted without being ashamed. I was addicted. When one is ruled by something like food, it is impossible not to have one's self-confidence utterly undermined. I could not believe what I was doing to myself. Aside from the superficial, but painful, shame of often being the heaviest person in the room (Vermont is the second healthiest state in the U.S.), I was ashamed of my inability to stop hurting myself and those who love me. I felt weak, a junkie, often disgusted with myself.

3) OODLES OF OBSESSION:
I spent much of the day, as I had for most of my life from about age 11 on, in an endless, torturous round of internal isometrics. What should I eat? Will it be bad or good for me? I want...I shouldn't....I want....I shouldn't....I did....How could I have done that?....Now that I've done it I might as well just go whole hog.....I feel sick.....I'll do better tomorrow....Maybe today? I want.....I shouldn't...I won't...I did? I cannot really fathom the amount of precious life energy which went into this endless and sad battle.

About two weeks into the program I was driving down to the store and my mind began it's habitual "I want ice cream...no, I shouldn't have it" chatter. I had a moment of feeling utter despair and grief over the loss of the prohibited foods. How could I possibly live for the rest of my life without cake, chocolate, potatoes, etc? (Of course some of them will come back into my life in small amounts soon, but at that moment it felt like never, and in some ways that feels the best way to think about it for me).

I felt, at that moment, that the loss of those beloved foods would kill me. And then, some merciful, hidden, healthy part of me flashed over all of the thousands of times I had driven down that road, miserable, self-hating, stressed to the gills, caught in the endless web of obsession over whether I would or would not eat something hurtful. I realized, in that flash of insight, that the pain of saying "No", was not worse than that old pain. Saying "No," with no questions, no ands, ifs, or buts, would be hard. There would be many sacrifices, but it was a growthful pain, a pain which would result in being healthier. The pain of obsession went nowhere but illness and self-loathing.

Since then I have had periods of wicked cravings, but miraculously, I have never considered acting on them. I simply know that I will not. That the stakes are too high. That I simply cannot afford to EVER do that again.

What have I gained over this past year?

1) FAITH:
The fact that I have done something I truly believed I could not do. That I have ended this cycle of despair, has spread to many other areas of my life. If I can change something so primal, so deep, then anything is possible. No, I have not become a Pollyanna. I have my dark nights of the soul. I have my neuroses. I screw up. I get stuck. But if this could change, then I know, however slowly, anything can.

2) ENERGY:
The highs and lows of energy have gone. I no longer feel in a coma in the afternoons. I can walk for hours and hours. I am in far less pain. I can accompany my healthy friends in their adventures. I can say "Yes" to so many things I said "no" to.

3) STRENGTH:
Somehow, the ferocity needed to work with the food cravings has given me some badly needed courage in other areas too. I find myself much more likely to tell people how I feel, honestly, to set boundaries where I need them. Sometimes I am surprised by what comes out of my mouth....this may take a little getting used to. (-: But I'm almost 64, so I guess I'm entitled to become a fierce old lady!

4) JOY:
The exit of terror and despair has left room for appreciation: of the beautiful countryside around me as I walk, of being able to go into a store and buy clothing that fits me, of sitting down for a meal with friends and actually taking in their presences, instead of thinking of nothing but whether I will have a second helping of something, of making friends with my body, of so many things.

5) GRATITUDE:
My heart overflows with gratitude. To Julie. To having found my way there. To all of my sisters and brothers everywhere who struggle with addictions of any kind. To my body, for having stuck with me through everything I've put it/us through. To my life-partner who loved me as I was, who suffered through so much with me, and who gets to rejoice with me now. To the internal wisdom, which loved life enough, loved me enough, to make this growth possible.
September 12, 2013