When I was a little girl, I loved vegetables and I hated meat. I would sit for hours at the kitchen table. It was just me and a big thick slice of meatloaf the size of Block Island, or so it seemed to me at the time. Mom told me I had to eat all the food on my plate because there were children starving in China, and I was not to leave the table until I had eaten every bite on my plate.  
That's me running along side of the parade with my brothers and very pregnant aunt.
I spent many a night at the kitchen table until 9pm. I poked my meatloaf with a fork, unwilling to take a bite, as Mom folded laundry in the adjacent living room and glanced over to give me the evil eye from time to time. Each time she walked down the hall to put away laundry, I fed a piece of meatloaf to my dog Outlaw. This didn't help children starving in China, but it sure made Outlaw a happy dog and eventually my plate was empty.

I never I understood how eating the food on my plate could help children in China, but I do know many mothers told their kids to finish their plates because of children starving elsewhere in the world. The real reasons they told us to clean our plates:
  1. we were wasting food and she worked hard to earn the money to buy that food, and 
  2. she cooked it and, whether we liked it or not, we going to eat it.
My Mom would be shocked to see me cooking and eating meat today, especially roast beef. Roast beef was the meat we argued over the most. She served it every Sunday, so you can guess where I spent most of my time on Sunday nights: at the kitchen table with a happy dog at my feet.

This program has completely reversed my feelings about meat and I am happy with how much meat seems to agree with me. Prior to this program I never would have ordered a steak at a restaurant or cooked one a home. Cooking a hamburger, meatloaf, or meatballs, was about as meaty as I could handle. It was not uncommon for me to be in the middle of eating a hamburger and stop because I had lost my appetite for it before I could finish. As much as I enjoy meat today, sometimes I still lose my appetite for meat as I'm eating it.

When I think about the lesson mom was trying to teach me, the only lesson I learned was to feel guilty for leaving food on my plate. I won't blame my mom for my weight issues, but forcing me to eat everything on my plate did not help me or any  starving child elsewhere in the world.

So many of us were taught to clean our plates that many diets encourage leaving a few bites our plates, to help us break us from this brainwashing habit. I get the concept, but I prefer to put less on my plate or ask for a to-go box instead.

Hmm, it seems I really do take not being wasteful to heart. Thanks Mom!

The moral of my story: save yourself first. Children around the world will still be hungry if we skip the bread, hold the fries, or decline the second vegetable. Eating non-key foods won't help them either.




March 30, 2014
When I think about rutabagas, I reflect back to happy memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas family gatherings. The dinner table was so crowded that no one noticed my plate was filled with only vegetables. It isn't that I didn't like turkey, but if I could get away with eating just vegetables, that was my preference. Plus, it was always fun seeing if I could get away with it.
Rutabaga French Fries; recipe below. Photo source: Jacky.
l My mom never cooked rutabagas. It was my dad's mother who brought rutabagas and other root vegetables to our holiday table. Unlike me and my Dad, my Mom loathed root veggies and as they cooked on the stove Mom would turn her nose up and whisper unpleasant remarks about their aroma. But me, I loved how they smelled.

Grandma always boiled and mashed her rutabagas. I never saw olive oil in her kitchen, she cooked and baked with lard and bacon fat. I don't know if it was an economic or cultural factor, or her personal choice not to use olive oil. 

I do know that Grandma and Dad would have enjoyed these rutabaga french fries as much as I did.

Rutabaga French Fries

This rutabaga french fries recipe came from key friend Jacky and a few preparation tips from me.
1. Peel the rutabaga. This is actually quite easy to do, as the outer peel, which is usually waxed to preserve freshness all winter long, peels away easily with a sharp vegetable peeler. It's much like peeling the skin off an apple.
Peel the skin off.
2. Cut rutabaga into sticks. The flesh itself is very hard, but you can slice it away in thin slices, starting from the outside.

3. Spread the sticks out on a cookie sheet, coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and a little cayenne pepper or season to suit your taste (salt optional) and mix with your hands to coat all the sticks well with oil and seasonings.
4.  Bake at 425 about 40-45 minutes; turn them over when they're about half cooked. Optional: when they're almost done, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and bake more 5 minutes.
I only set the oven to 400, next time I'll go higher so they are more crisp.
Here's what I had with my Rutabaga French Fries; yummy!
Rutabagas turn sweet when they're baked and having roasted or baked veggies along with a nice piece of meat makes for a nice dinner. Plus, they're high in antioxidant and anti-cancer compounds and one cup of rutabaga contains 53% of the daily recommended vitamin C. (Nutritional data from What are Rutabagas Good For? )
March 30, 2014
Last week I was in a room with about a dozen people when I heard a someone say "I wish I could eat anything I wanted." I was surprised to hear these words coming from a tall and slender person. My immediate response, which I kept to myself: you CAN eat anything you want, but you have to live with the consequences of your choices.
Consequences
This was a gentle reminder for me on a couple of fronts.

First, I don't need to feel sorry for myself that I can't eat this or that. It is my choice not to eat those foods.

The truth is, I really can eat anything I want and so can you. I can eat any and all the carbs and sugars I desire, but the consequences of eating those foods will lead me back to obesity.

Let's say it together now: NO thank you.

I choose NOT to eat carbs, sugars, and other foods that don't support a healthy lifestyle. I want a long and healthy life far more than I want those foods. It's my choice, so there's no need to feel sorry for myself.

It's your choice too: sugar and carbs or a healthy life?

The second reminder was that even people with slender bodies, who we think have it together when it comes to food, have food issues. This saga of wishing we could eat anything we want to eat can't go on for the rest of our lives. I don't want to reach my goal size and find myself feeling sorry that I can't eat this or that. There must be a way to stop this kind of self-pity.

Let's stop this now.

Spending our energies in such negative thoughts is not healthy. Remember what I said about wanting a long and healthy life? There's no room in a long and healthy life for negativity, so let's put an end to that way of thinking right now.

Let's push away those kind of thoughts every time they surface. Pause and reflect on what we're thinking and then smile as an affirmation that we are letting go of this way of thinking, because it no longer serves us

I'm going to use the "tap, tap, tap" metaphor, to tap away (push away) this kind of thinking, in the same way I push away food cravings.

Let's move beyond our old ways of thinking. We choose what we eat or don't eat, so let's own this. We choose to eat healthy foods and we choose what we think. Let's fill our minds and our bodies with things that support healthy living.

Let's live with those consequences! 



Photo source: Reality Clark County

March 18, 2014
I apologize to Theresa for taking so long to put some thoughts and pictures down on my trip to Montana, September 2013. Can I start by saying it was one of my most memorable trips ever?

If you have never been to Montana, might I suggest it? If you want to spend time in a rural, rugged area with beautiful scenery and a peaceful way of life, then Montana is the place for you.

I got to go with my husband when he took a business trip there-spouses were invited, and I have been different places with the same core of people many times. Each time it is like the spouses picked up where we left off...totally enjoyable. Two of the girls and I have stayed in contact, and it was good to see them again. The only difference this time compared to the last time I saw them? My weight. And my zest for life!!!!! 
This picture is from our Newport Rhode Island Trip in August 2010.
This is me (on the right) 10 months before I went to Julie.
This is us in Montana, September 2013, me in the middle
Me ziplining!
We stayed in a beautiful resort 6500 feet above sea level on a mountain called Lone Peak in the Southeastern part. The ladies and I got to do some really fun things such as ziplining, which I never would have done before my Key way of life. Not only was it scary but fun going down, it was quite the terrain climbing UP to get to where we were going. Hiking up the mountain to the zip line was tough and challenging, but I DID IT!!! The whole afternoon adventure was SO freeing and exhilarating, and exciting! I NEVER would have thought I would EVER have done this! And I WILL do it again!!!!
Me at Lone Peak
We took an expedition trip to the top of Lone Peak (11500 feet above sea level) and enjoyed a view I have never ever experienced before, seeing 2 other states (Idaho and Wyoming). It was chilly, but an event I am thrilled I got to be a part of. A little scary taking the tram and the expedition truck, but I never worried once that  I was out of my "league" or that we would come across a challenge I wouldn't be a part of. Also, I had to really find my "trust factor" to take the above picture because standing out on that metal ledge, there was nothing below me, and that is my biggest fear of all!
Lone Peak
No one believes this is not a photo shopped picture
My husband and I had a day to travel to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. On our drive in the park, we came across a lone bison (there are no buffalo in the US, only American Bison) happily having lunch by the side of the road. I had hubby turn our vehicle around, and I got out because I wanted a picture-My husband wouldn't get out to take it! A nice gentleman who was also snapping pictures took this "one and done" picture of me. My favorite picture of all!

I stayed on program the ENTIRE time. I had duck bacon, elk chili, walleye trout, and bison-I had NO problem explaining what I wanted wherever we went, and everywhere we went they were VERY accommodating. We had a kitchen in our room, so we were able to have food readily available for "just in case", but I never needed it. My husband and I made sure we walked every day-the weather was wonderful, and the mountain air was amazing.

I hope he is chosen to go this coming September to the next business/pleasure trip-it will be in Rockport, Maine, and it looks like it will be held at a beautiful coastal resort-this weekend trip is always in some pretty nice places-and now I jump right in and join in whatever activities they have planned. 

Vacations are different now! I look for things to do that I wouldn't do if I was home. I love being included, I am not (as) afraid, and I feel like I fit in! Thank you Julie!



March 08, 2014
This delicious recipe and photo comes to us from Lou.
Sausage Casserole
Ingredients

Add what you like or have available - here's what Lou used:
  • 5 pounds of link breakfast sausage
  • 15 eggs
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • About 1 cup shredded cheese (your choice - I used Colby jack and mozzarella)
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan
  • About 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • Pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. Cook sausage links.
  2. Sauté onions and pepper in a little olive oil. Once cooked set aside.
  3. Beat the eggs and add the garlic powder and Parmesan mixing well.
  4. Drain the sausage and cut into chunks and add to a baking dish. Mine was about 16/8 and 2 in deep. 
  5. Add the onions and peppers.
  6. Pour in the eggs and add your shredded cheese.
  7. Bake until solid - about an hour at 350.
March 02, 2014
Craving something sweet? Stuffed red peppers to the rescue! I basically used my meatball recipe, but instead of rolling up the meatballs and cooking them all day in the crock pot, I stuffed them into peppers and dinner was ready in about an hour. Here's my yummy recipe.
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
  • 4 large red bell peppers (or your favorite kind of bell pepper)
  • 1 small jar of tomato sauce (or homemade tomato sauce)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 lbs ground beef 
  • 6-8 cloves of fresh minced garlic (or garlic flakes or garlic powder)
  • Fresh chopped basil (add enough to suit your taste)
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I use Progresso Italian Seasoned)
Directions
  1. Cut the bell peppers in half length-wise and remove seeds and ends.
  2. After cutting the peppers in half, find a baking dish all the peppers will fit into.
  3. Cover the bottom of the dish with tomato sauce; the sauce doesn't have to be deep. I did not use the whole jar of sauce, but sometimes I do.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
  5. Add the ground beef, garlic, basil, and onions in the bowl with the eggs.
  6. Add the breadcrumbs on top of all the other ingredients.
  7. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together.
  8. Stuff all of the meat mixture into the peppers and then place the peppers in the baking dish. You may top with more sauce. 
  9. Cover or don't cover, they turn out delicious either way and the dish burns either way.
  10. Bake at 400 degrees until the beef is cooked all the way through. I didn't watch the clock, but it was about an hour. I slice into a pepper to see if it's cook enough before serving.
 07/17/14 Update

 I made this recipe again last night for a friend and I cut this recipe in half. I served it yellow squash that I turned into noodles with my spirooli.

Same recipe, different day. Photo by Theresa.

Noodles made with yellow squash. Photo by Theresa.


March 02, 2014
How much time do you spend thinking about your size? Before I started Key Hypnosis, I didn't walk around thinking how obese I was; I was oblivious to my size. However, since I started losing weight, I walk around wishing I was a smaller size all the time. I need to figure out how to stop this obsession.
July 2009                                       Feb. 2014
Last Saturday morning a friend sent me this photo (above) from the summer of 2009. I looked at that photo next to the selfie I had taken the night night before (above) and I thought to myself "Well, Theresa, there is no denying that you are many sizes smaller today than you were in 2009 - just look at these two photos!"

I remember the moment my friend took that photo in 2009. I did not want my photo taken and I froze; hence the goofy smile. I remember thinking "well, at least I'm wearing my favorite blouse."

Instead of being happy she captured a fun moment in time, what I was wearing was paramount. Until the camera came out, I was having a wonderful lunch with a friend I've known since I was 6 years old. Stopping to take this photo disrupted my fun, because the moments before having my photo taken gave me time to pause and time to remember: I am obese.

It's 2014 and I'm no longer obese. I don't mind having my photo taken. In fact I take a lot of selfies. Looking back at where I was re-energizes me, motivates me, and allows me to feel proud of my journey. It also affirms I am smaller. Lots smaller.

Two days ago, as I was walking towards Tailgate, my favorite deli in South Hadley where everyone knows my name (Cheers), I ran into a colleague and that interaction gave me new insight into my obsession.

What's your secret?" my colleague asked me as she stepped up on the sidewalk and shut her car door.

"What secret?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"How did you lose so much weight?" she asked.

It was a light bulb moment for me: I don't always walk around thinking about being a smaller size!

I started to tell her about the hypnosis, but she interrupted me.

"Oh no, I'm not going to do that. Just tell me what you eat." she said.

Sigh. Where do I begin? I told her I eat a lot of protein and...

"Oh no, I'm not going to do that either. Do you have anything written down?"

I gently suggested she pick up the South Beach or Atkins diet book. You have to be all in this program or it's not going to work.

I had locked into the idea that I was obsessed with constantly thinking about my size, only to discover, when my colleague asked me what my secret was and I clueless as to what she was talking about, that I wasn't as obsessed as I thought.

Author Rhonda Byrne writes about the stubbornness of thought and how once you think something, it's very difficult to eradicate that idea from your mind. The late, social psychologist Dan Wegner described this as "the great irony of mental control: in order to insure that you aren’t thinking about an unwanted idea, you have to continually turn your mind to that very idea. How do you know that you aren’t thinking of a white bear driving a red Ferrari unless you think about whether you’re thinking it?"

Source: "The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking," by Adam Alter, The New Yorker, 2/19/14.
February 28, 2014
For the past three February's, we’ve attended a large (300 plus) party, compete with a huge potluck dinner and band. In the past, I’ve left by 8:30, stuffed from food, feeling ill, and usually on the verge of a panic attack.

This year, I was hungry an hour before the party, so I ate dinner at home. When we arrived, I wasn’t hungry, so just glanced at the long line of homemade food. (No exaggeration - when 300 people all bring a dish, there is a HUGE amount of food. The tables lined one entire wall of the hall) There were a few meat dishes and veggie dishes I could have sampled, but eh, I wasn’t hungry anymore. My husband enjoyed two platefuls, while I had some seltzer, and was perfectly happy. There was a plateful of cupcakes, brownies, and other sweets in the center of the table - I glanced at them, then noticed them no more than I did the silverware and napkins.

A couple hours after the dinner was served, I was watching a nearby group, and thinking how different my life is now. They each had platefuls of munchies and desserts, and passed them between them, exclaiming how yummy everything was. I’m not judging them - in the past that was me. That was how I enjoyed parties. That was what a party meant to me… how many different yummy foods were there to gorge myself with. I thought I was having fun.

This year, I danced every fast dance the band played. I was barely out of breath. I wasn’t overheated to the point of wondering if I was going to faint. People I knew came up me and exclaimed about the difference in me. They didn’t mean the weight, even though in the last seven months I’ve dropped 5-6 sizes. They meant the spark. They said they had never seen me so happy and having so much fun. Even my husband, who sees me every day, said he had never seen that expression on my face before. He said my face was lit up like a teenage girl at a high school dance. And honestly, that’s what I felt like. I was me again. I wasn’t paralyzed with embarrassment anymore. I wasn’t locked in that prison of fat. I had energy…I could move… I was having FUN!

This morning, I’m not even sore (thank you Zumba for the conditioning!) and the glow is still there. Welcome back, life. I missed you more than I even knew.

7 months with Julie - sorry for the blurry picture - I was in a hurry to go out!


February 23, 2014