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
Hi All,

I wanted to address a subject that has been a bit ... Well.... Inconsistent for me since I started with Julie.

Although I used to eat sugar and carbs, I was a regular girl.  No issues at all.  Now, 2 months into my new journey, I find that I don't go to the bathroom for days....

Is anyone else dealing with this issue?  I bought some fiber pills, mistakenly fruit flavored and couldn't chew them because they were so sweet.

Any suggestions to conquer this problem?  I would like to get back to being a regular gal.

Thanks,

Jane
September 11, 2013
Meet Cecilia, whose weight loss journey is about more than dropping from a size 22 to a size 14 - it's about dropping her medication levels drastically. The biggest benefit to losing weight is what it does for our health. Congratulations Cecilia for your great success and thanks for sharing your story with all of us.
March 20, 2013 and today
Hi Theresa, I enjoy reading your Julie blog. I've been on EVERY diet, and had just about given up until a friend of mine had lost a lot of weight with Julie... If she could do it, I could too! It hasn't always been easy, but what in life is if it's really worth it? I have been in the program since March 20, 2013.

I was motivated to make a weight loss journey because of my health. I was taking 70 uxs of insulin every night (my A1C was 7.9), medications for elevated triglycerides (800 level!) and blood pressure meds. Since following the plan, my new lab values are, A1C is now 5.2, my triglycerides are 84! I'm off the triglyceride meds, and my insulin has dropped to 35 uxs! My good cholesterol is up, and my bad cholesterol is down! Even eating eggs every day! Besides the improvement in my lab values/health, I'm now a size 14 from a 22!

I'm going today for a refresher, very excited to finish the last half of my journey.... Can't believe how wonderful it feels slipping into smaller clothes! Just wanted to share, good luck to everyone else on their journey, this program really works!

Cecilia
September 10, 2013
This is Jane, our newest contributor, and here's Jane's story! She doesn't tell you this in her story, but Jane is a patient woman. She sent me her story two weeks ago and she has waited patiently for me to introduce her. Welcome Jane!
Jane

I wanted to share with you my story:

I have been pretty athletic/active my whole life. I started gaining weight in my 30's and had modest success losing and then gaining it back in my 40's. I had a tough year this past 12 months and gained enough weight that I didn't feel like myself. My clothes were tight and I had to go out and buy a pair of pants that was the next size up. Ugh.

Through my work, I met a physician that had been to Julie, she looked great. In passing we talked about Julie and I went out to my car and googled her..... Then called and got on the wait list. This was back in April.

My first session with Julie was July 15. I haven't had a craving since this day. Here is what has happened since then:
  1. I'm down a size and maybe a half, feel great.
  2. I eat when I'm hungry and not when I'm not.
  3. My XL dress shirts are way too big... My L shirts fit loosely.
  4. I started out wearing XL champion capri's to walk... I'm now in a Medium. I've never been in a medium, even when I was a size 10. 
  5. My belly button is starting to look like a "normal" belly button. Instead of a flat line. :)
  6. I'm happier, healthier and want to continue on this journey. 
I'm thankful to have found this blog. I look forward to hearing about everyone's success and struggles. It makes me realize that we are all alike.


Update on my physician friend. I saw her last week and she is now a size 10. I'm guessing she started at a size 22/24. But that's just a guess. She is happy, healthy and completed a Triathlon. Anything is possible if we put our minds to it.
September 09, 2013
After six months of having a sweet taste in my mouth 24/7, the sweet taste is gone and I am finally able to taste food once again. In honor of the return of my taste buds, I have been collecting recipes all week. This soup, which is definitely not your grandmother's chicken soup, is a recipe that I invented as I cooked it today, and it turned out incredibly flavorful.
I made a single serving of this soup, but I will be making it again soon.

Meanwhile, I will tell you what I did, but this recipe is void of any real measurements. As I wrote this recipe, I realized it could easily be made into 3 servings, if you do the math as you go along. I was sorry I didn't use all the chicken for this recipe, but I wasn't sure what it was going to turn out like and I didn't want to end up tossing out a whole package of chicken. Oh ye of little faith!

Instructions
  1. Cook chicken in enough water to just cover it. I cooked a whole package of chicken tenders and used about 1/3 of it for this recipe.
  2. When the chicken is cooked, pull it from the pot to cool and save the broth.
  3. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a small pot.
  4. Chop 1/2 cup of onion and add it to the olive oil and allow onion to soften.
  5. Add about 1/4 cup of frozen corn to the onion. Stir.
  6. Add a few sprinkles of Chipotle Chili Spice to the pot. Stir.
  7. Add a few shakes of Borsari Seasoned Salt. Stir.
  8. As the onion and corn are cooking, add about 1/3 of the chicken broth to the pot. Stir. Put the rest of the broth in the refrigerator or freeze to use later.
  9. Add 1/3 of a packet of Herb-Ox bouillon (instant chicken broth) to the soup.
  10. Shred the chicken and when the chicken broth is steaming, add the chicken to the broth.
  11. Pour a 1/2 cup or so of the hot broth from the pot into a small bowl, add 1 tsp. basil paste, and mix vigorously. Pour the basil and broth mix into the soup pan. If you have fresh basil, add thinly sliced leaves to suit your taste directly to the soup.
  12. Dice a small amount of green onion and add to the soup.
  13. When the soup is nice and hot and the flavors taste right, serve in a bowl and sprinkle the top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Borsari spice

September 07, 2013
I thought this would be a good audience participation topic.

I like eating in restaurants.

More to the point, I like eating in restaurants that are accommodating to my diet. The vast majority of them have been. I can only come up with one notable example where I was met with opposition and that place was up in Maine.

So the heck with them. I won't eat there again (not that I ate there in the first place).

I thought it would be fun to give a shout out to places who get it right - places that accommodate and even extend a welcome when I ask them to do a low-carb conversion on my dinner. If you have a favorite place, let us know in the comments.

Oh, and if you know of anyplace to avoid that's closer than Downeast Maine, a warning would be welcome, too.

1. 99 Restaurants
I find 99 to be one of the easiest places to deal with and they have more Key-adaptable options than most sit-down restaurants, especially when it comes to chains. They offer extra veggies in lieu of rice or potatoes and this comes in handy with entrees like the sirloin tips. If I get them smothered, I don't ask for extra veggies because there are enough on the plate already. When I ask them to leave off the bread and biscuits, they do it and when I order a seltzer with lime I don't get charged. Service in Westside is the best out of all the area locations with East Longmeadow at a close second.

2. On the Border
Yep, the Ameri-mex restaurant in Westside that starts you off with a metric ton of chips with salsa is actually really cool about the diet. I ordered the mixed combo fajita with chicken and steak the other night and when I told them I didn't want the rice and beans and that I couldn't eat the tortillas either, they rung in the order for the combo but then only charged me for the chicken, a $3 savings. I didn't ask for it. They just did it. Seltzer with lime was free there, too.

3. Boston Market
I eat at Boston Market in East Longmeadow about three times a month with my son. They don't go out of their way to accommodate me, but they don't have to. Every entree except the pot pie is Key-friendly and you can choose appropriate sides. I usually get the half chicken with corn and mixed vegetable medley. They also serve unsweetened iced tea with unlimited refills. I usually drink one there, then refill it and bring it home. It lasts all evening and into the following day. Liam takes care of the cornbread so I don't even bother asking them to leave it off (but they will if you do).

I haven't encountered any opposition around here to accommodating my diet yet but I don't eat out THAT much anymore. It's also important to exercise common sense. Popeye's, Sonic and Wendy's aren't going to accommodate you (unless you want to peel the bun off your burger yourself) so that makes them not great choices to begin with. That and the meat in a McDonald's burger is only food in the academic sense and has little to no nutritional value. There's a difference between a fast food grease pit and a sit-down restaurant. The latter should WANT to work with you within reason.
September 05, 2013