Hi, my name is Linda and I am a food-a-holic.

I LOVE food!

I MEAN -- I REALLY REALLY LOVE FOOD!!!

phew, got that off my chest. True confession time, I LOVE FOOD!!! There I said it...

I am Italian, what do you expect! I was/am a member of the clean plate club, and that included everyone else's plates too!

As a child I always thought of the starving children in other countries, so I dutifully ate my food and enough for them too! I am sure they knew I was helping them.

Food has comforted me, has kept me sane, has helped me through rough times, has made me happy, is always there for me, always tastes good, is associated with happy times - celebrations, sad times too., Food is just always there, it is like such a good friend.

Food ALWAYS called me! and I ALWAYS answer my friends calls!

Except, it isn't a good friend. Have you ever had a friend you just loved but they just weren't good for you? YUP, I got one here called food.

I remember some of the boys I would bring home and my parents just didn't like them. No matter what I said, they knew they were not good for me and just didn't like them. Or some of the girls I would hang around with, my parents would work on me to spend less time with them, the influences from these 'so called friends' was bad.

HMMM, I survived the bad boy friends, I survived the less time with the bad friends. I lived to tell about it and in return ended up with a good life.

Soooooooo, hmm, what do I do about my faithful friend food. Food controls me and yet gives me what I want, then slaps me in the face and makes me feel bad. Now if my kids were hanging around someone like that, I would step in and say, GET RID OF THEM NOW!!! (well, I would say that but who knows if they would listen) Soooo, why do I hang around with Food.

I need to take my own advice and the advice of my parents from so long ago. (OH! my parents would laugh if they knew I said that)

I need to break off the relationship and stop letting it control me.

I need to spend less time with it, the influence is bad.

I need to find healthier ones, better influencing ones, ones that won't slap me in the face.

Then I need to make a new friend called EXERSIZE. I have hated that girl all my life and still hate her, but I know I have to become friends with her. She just grates on my nerves and gets under my skin. But I have to learn to like her, some say I have to love her. OH MY GOODNESS, just keep testing my patience will ya!

I am 54 years old ( OH MY! Did I just admit that!!!) and have to change my life and my 'friends'. Not easy when the old ones are comfortable like my old sneakers. Scary, uncharted territory. But it is like going to the dentist, it is something I have to do whether I want to or not.

So, when I stomp and whine and complain and talk bad about my new food friends and that girl exersize, just bear with me and know that I am trying. I never did like being told what to do and still don't. I kick and scream the whole way and sometimes end up glad I tried. I have a feeling I may kick and scream on this adventure, but I have a feeling I will like the outcome.

So, meet my new food friends meat and vegetables, and (gulp) exersize. Still don't like her but letting her in a little at a time to get used to her and maybe overlook her lousy features and try to find the good features.

and meet my new friend - POSITIVE ATTITUDE!! She has never been in my life before and all of a sudden I realized she is a big part of my life, she just crept in!

I LOVE Julie's program, I am enjoying the new me that I am becoming. I am REALLY ENJOYING this adventure! WOW! who is this person 'talking' that is me!!!???

July 30, 2012

Theresa reminded me about this recipe, and asked if I would print it-I hope she will add the picture that she took of it when she made it as it is a beautiful looking salad!!!!!! I have found the Langostino Lobster Tails in the frozen section near the seafood department. Not all stores carry them, and I must warn you that they are expensive. But, totally worth it, I think!!!! I also added in the shrimp recipe as we are all enjoying this grilling season! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!! 

Langostino Lobster Tail Salad; photo by Theresa

Langostino Lobster Tail Salad

(Originally made by Susan Azar)

You can alter this recipe to your own taste, with different veggies and/or spices

2 boxes Langostino Lobster Tails, thawed according to directions , then placed on paper towels to dry (the mayonaise will get runny if you don't)

1/4-1/2 C mayonaise (depends on your taste)

1 tbls lemon juice (optional)

1-2 tbls curry powder (I use a lot; I love the taste!!!!!)

salt and pepper to taste

frozen veggies (I use 1/4 cup frozen corn and 1/4 cup frozen peas)

Mix mayo and curry powder plus lemon juice/salt/pepper

In large bowl, add langostino lobster, mayo and veggies. Mix well.

Refrigerate to let flavors meld, allowing veggies to thaw.

Makes 2-3 servings

langostino lobster tails

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp

(I found this in Rachael Ray's Magazine)

2 Tbls. Olive Oil

12 Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on

Old Bay Seasoning (optional) or salt and pepper to taste

12 thin slices Prosciutto di parma

In Gallon Size Ziploc baggie, place shrimp and olive oil and seasoning, or just salt and pepper to taste. Remove shrimp

Roll each shrimp in a slice of prosciutto

Brush with a little more EVOO

Skewer shrimp, which helps keep prosciutto attached.

Grill about 2 minutes each side, until shrimp is firm and opaque, and prosciutto starts to crisp. (You can pan fry them as well, just not skewered)

July 28, 2012

I'm posting the comment below was posted today so more folks can see it and respond.

Questions from Pam t:

I just joined but I am not sure where to start? So I will try asking my questions here. Or should I go back to my email and start from there??

Anyway I started with Julie on May 5th and I was a size 16/18. I am now a size 10!!! Yeah but I am scared to death about adding the potato. I went to a maintenance session and Julie didn't really talk to much about the process. She needed to explain some of the changes she was making in the program. I read your explanation using the river and that has helped. As far as the potato goes can we cook it any way we want? FRIED?? I understand that we first have potato then grains then flour but I guess never together, correct?

I have to admit I get very confused sometimes beacuse I thought I heard her say we would eventally be hypnosis free but then I hear her say people still have to come back for more refreshers because they have gained too much weight once they start to wean off the program. I guess I am just stuck on the question of will I ever be able to eat a few of my favorite foods once in a while without spiraling out of control.

I think I also heard that if you cheat a little and break the hypnosis that you will gain weight even if you go back to eating just meat and veggies. Is this true??? I am sorry for all the ???s but I have been pondering them for awhile and it is just to hard to ask in a session.
Plus I never hear anything mentioned about fruit???? Thanks Pam

July 28, 2012

Today was the day that my lovely daughter Kelly and I took a road trip to Whole Foods in Glastonbury, Conn. Kelly, my 25 year old vegetarian (who has wanted to get me there on numerous occasions) and I had a great time! I started my visit at the coffee counter, explaining to the lovely server (named Jennifer, I might add!) that I was a "Whole Foods Virgin" and was very happy to be there to poke around. After getting my hot coffee and adding cream to it (live large every now and I again, I say!), off we went! We were a little pressed for time, so I apologize for not taking pictures along the way. I did get a picture of some of my "loot" when I got home, and I will explain what I got as we go.

After leaving the coffee counter, we walked past a "hot breakfast buffet." They had, among other things I wasn't interested in, 2 different kinds of scrambled eggs, and sausage and bacon. If we had more time, we would have eaten. Maybe next time! Then, we came across an aisle of prepared foods-chicken and tuna salads, soups, salads, etc. etc. I also did not bring a lot of money with me, so, sadly, I couldn't pick up everything that made me drool. All of the pre-packaged foods looked fresh, and extremely yummy!

Then we came across a section that had pickled beets, pickles, relish, etc. Well, Bubbies pickles did speak to me, so I picked up the dill relish and dill pickles. (Remember, Julie wants us to eat refrigerated vs. nonrefrigerated pickles). The beets will come home next visit. They also had packaged prosciutto wrapped cheese and salami wrapped cheese. That was a splurge (yes, I know cheese is a condiment!) and I will enjoy tasting those! Around the corner we go, and there was a wonderful olive bar. Note the stuffed peppers in the bottom of the picture-those are stuffed with cream cheese and herbs, or goat cheese. Again, just a taste!

By now, Kelly kind of figured out that I am a perimeter shopper. This store makes it extremely convenient for this kind of shopping, as after the olive bar was the yogurt shelf! This was my real reason for going, because as a lot of you know I am having a hard time finding the Siggis yogurt. JACKPOT! 

Not only did they have the plain, blueberry, vanilla and pomegranite/passion fruit and orange and ginger flavors, they had PEACH AND STRAWBERRY! Yippee!! So, I got a few of those. I will try making the popsicles with those flavors, they sound so good! Unfortunately, no Coconut flavor, but, I am planning on asking at my local Stop and Shop if they will carry those. The cost at Whole Foods was 50 cents more (ouch), so I would prefer to get them at S+S.

Then on to the meat and seafood counter where it was all fresh, fresh, fresh!!!!! The staff was very attentive, which I always appreciate (especially when spending that kind of money!) I also specifically went there for buffalo wings, as they are my new favorite for dinner (I will post my recipe at the end). The wings were actually CHEAPER there than Big Y! Only $1.99 a lb, vs. $3.49!!!!! me!)I picked up about 10 lb. to get me at least a month's worth. At the seafood department I could have taken one of everything, but settled on Sea Scallops-Those I seasoned with Old Bay, and hubby cooked on the grill for lunch-already gone!Absolutely wonderful; those will go home with me again!

The spices were so hard to ignore as I am always looking for new wing flavors! Kelly and I both picked up a tub of the Tequila Lime flavor, and I cannot wait to make the wings with that.

So, our trip to Whole Foods was a success! Kelly and I decided that we will go once a month, and next time we will make sure we have a little more time so we can sit and eat. It was clean, quiet, and worth the extra money. I strongly recommend the visit!
   
For those of you who want my wing recipe (Credit given to my friend Robin for passing it on to me!) here it is:

Oven-baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients

• 3 pounds organic chicken wings
• olive oil
• seasoning such as lemon pepper, buffalo, etc.
• salt and pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Take a "Ziploc" gallon size bag, and place chicken in it. 
2. For the lemon pepper flavor (my absolute favorite), add about 1/4 C olive oil and 3-4 tbls lemon juice. 
3. Mix that well by massaging the bag (making sure it is closed securely!). 
4. Then add about 1/4 cup lemon-pepper seasoning/ salt (no extra pepper needed) and massage again. 
5. You can marinate them overnight, or use after 15-30 minutes of marinating. 
6. Leaving liquid behind, place wings on aluminum-foil lined cookie sheet (easier cleanup) and bake at 425 for about 25 minutes (check for doneness, they will start to brown).
7. Yummy!

I also have done hot sauce and buffalo rub from Pampered Chef-Yummy! You can do any flavor you want, such as ranch, soy, teriaki, etc. Tomorrow I will use the Tequila Lime flavor. 

Reheating is just as easy- 350 for about 25 minutes, and they are just as good the next day! Enjoy!

July 28, 2012

A few years ago, if you anyone tried to tell me that I could lose weight and still be able eat at a pizza place, I would not believe it possible. It's all about choices. There are so many choices when we eat out.

Left to right: Theresa, Jennifer, Linda, Jill, Sandy

It is possible to lose weight and eat at a pizza place and this is exactly what a few of us "friends of the Key Hypnosis" did last night. We had dinner at Campion's Pizza in South Windsor and they had incredible menu options.

I had a burger with grilled onions and jalapenos, bacon, and mozzarella cheese on top with a small cup of tomato basil soup. Hold the bun and the french fries. It was delicious! Some of the others opted to have a giant size portabella mushroom on top an on the bottom to replace a bun, and Jennifer had an incredible salad with extra beef that made me wish I'd done the same

Once again, it was another evening of gabbing the night away with great food and even better company! We share stories, recipes and laughter. It was great seeing everyone!

July 27, 2012

Yesterday a friend of mine asked me "now that you've completed your six-week mini triathlon, what's next?" Great question! Experience has taught me having a new goal to work towards keeps me motivated.

Photo from The Art of Self-Motivation

I've been thinking a lot about stretching exercises, so yoga is a possibility. I'm looking for a yoga course that I can take in the fall, but that's a couple more months away. What do I want to do between now and then to build upper body and core strength? Well, since it's still summer, I'm looking for places to kayak.

This Sunday, I'm going to a conference in Boston for a few days and I'm looking at guided tour options on the Charles River. I'm finding rates of $15 per hour, which is decent. I'll let you know how this works out for me. I'm going to be out of town for the next several weekends, so I'll be looking at options in Rhode Island (a couple options: Narrow River or Queens River), later in August. I may even be able to get my brothers or a friend to join me!

Meanwhile, after being so pleased with myself about completing my six-week mini triathlon, I haven't been in the gym all week. I did get out and walk at lunch today, nothing fast, but stretching the legs was a good plan. My gym buddy Aime is on vacation and I have to keep myself motivated to go on my own. A gym buddy much more fun, but I know how good I feel when I'm working out, so I'll be back into the gym tomorrow.

What are the rest of you doing for exercise this summer?

July 25, 2012

Patty posted this on Facebook and it looks great. I haven't tried it yet, but wanted to have this recipe handy.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) package of full fat cream cheese (room temp.)
• 2 eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Garlic powder
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup jarred marinara sauce*
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I suggest cutting way back on this)
• Sauteed pepperoni and other meats - keep meat and veggie ratio balance)
• Garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter a 9×13 baking dish
3. Blend cream cheese and eggs and season with pepper & garlic powder
4. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until combined
5. Pour into buttered baking dish
6. Bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown
7. Let crust cool for 10 minutes before adding toppings
8. After crust is cooked, raise oven to 400 degrees
9. Mix together marinara sauce, garlic powder, cayenne pepper & oregano
10. Top crust with marinara and spread evenly
11. Top with mozzarella cheese
12. Add toppings (suggestion from others: load it up with meat, and limit your fat for the rest of the day)

Bake for 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

The crust is not crisp like traditional pizza. Make sure you cook it til the top is golden brown and let it cool the full 10 minutes before adding the toppings and that will help. You still may end up with a fork, but good, soft pizza is better than no pizza!

July 25, 2012

I created this yummy lemon chicken recipe a few weeks ago and thought I'd share it with the rest of you. Okay, so I took a few bites before taking the photo...

Lemon Chicken; photo by Theresa

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice 
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• onion powder 
• ground black pepper to taste 
• seasoning salt to taste 
• 2 teaspoons parsley

Place the chicken in a pan with the olive oil and lemon juice until it is cooked; turn chicken once or twice. After the first turn, add onion powder, pepper, salt and parsley. 

Here's a similar recipe for the grill, courtesy of: goodenessgracious.com:

Basil Lime Chicken

This looks so much like my recipe above, well perhaps tastier than mine!

Ingredients

• 4 Limes (juice and zest) Divided
• 3 T Olive Oil 
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I do not use this much...I eyeball it)
• 3 T Dijon Mustard
• 3 T Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 T Soy Sauce
• 6 Green Onions Chopped Divided
• 4 Cloves Garlic Minced Divided
• 1/4 cup Chopped Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 lbs Chicken Breasts
• 1 jalapeno

Instructions

1. Combine the zest and juice of 2 limes, Olive Oil, Mustard, Worcestershire, Soy, 3 onions, 2 garlic cloves salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Cut chicken into even cutlets and place in a gallon sized baggie.
3. Pour marinade over the chicken and marinate for 2+ hours (I marinate overnight)
4. Preheat grill or grill pan
5. Place chicken on grill and grill for 7 minutes.
6. Then flip and cook until internal temp reaches 170.
7. Remove from grill and let meat rest.
8. Meanwhile combine juice and zest of 2 lime with extra virgin olive oil, 3 chopped onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, jalepeno, basil.
9. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces and pour sauce over top.

July 25, 2012

I got a round-about funny compliment this weekend. I ran into one of my mom's friends who I haven't seen in a while. We chatted and then went our separate ways. My mother calls me to tell me her friend had called her as soon as she had gotten home from running into me. My mother proceeds to tell me that her friend was shocked at the weight I had lost. She was worried that I had been really sick and was calling my mom to see what was going on and if I was alright. She didn't dare mention the weight loss to me when she saw me because she was positive I was or am really sick.

I had to laugh! I needed that. I have been a bit down as the weight isn't coming off as fast as I want it to and the compliments had slowed down also.

Then in church yesterday I wore a shirt my friend Luanne handed down to me and low and behold got a few more compliments, so something is happening, I am just not seeing it in my sizes.

Then thinking over my adult life, I have never been a size 16 since I had been 20 years old, a long time ago. So I guess I can see why my mother's friend was so shocked.

Also, I have never in my adult life, been able to accept hand-me-downs and have them fit! That alone is MAJOR in my life!! No one had hand me downs big enough to fit me!!!

I am SO VERY THANKFUL that I am NOT SICK and am loosing weight so effortlessly and enjoyably! and not starving myself!!!

helps to put things back into perspective!!!! Thought you would all enjoy a chuckle today!!!

July 23, 2012

I'm continuing to explore options out there in the world of fitness that I might enjoy. Someone at work offered to do a spinning class, to help us finish up our mini-triathlon goals; the six week challenge ends this Sunday. I never thought I'd find myself in a spinning class, but that's just where I was today. Wow, that was a workout! 

Image source: Gables Fitness

I doubled the distance I've been getting on the recumbent, and that's great because I still have another 18 miles to bike this week. Right now that seems like a whole lot of miles and an impossible goal to achieve, but I am determined and so close to my goal. I can't let myself down! I will make my goal!

It's these great little challenges that keep me going back to the gym. I'm still feeling pain in my achilles heel, but not when I'm on the bike. One good thing about this spinning class: at the end we did stretches that are exactly what I'm supposed to do to help heal my heel. Support comes in strange ways.

July 19, 2012

Earlier this month, Linda wrote about Exercising Around the House and asked us to share ways to exercise in fun ways around the house. For example, she has an aunt who does knee bends while washing dishes. Linda wrote about how she exercises in their in ground pool, which sounded like a lot of fun. I don't have much to say about exercising around the house in fun ways, but I've had a lot of fun in the water during my summer vacation.

Boat harbor where we took off in Long Beach.
We sailed the small boat located in the front right of the pier.
Photo by Theresa

Usually when I vacation in Southern California, my exercise consists of only walking. Each year the walking seemed to be less and less distance covered because my weight kept going up and up. Not this summer. This summer I not only walked a great deal, I gave my upper arms a good workout too.

I swam laps at the Belmont Olympic indoor pool until my arms ached. This experience was quite different from the last time I'd been in swimsuit, which was in 2006. That year, and at my heaviest weight, I wore a swimsuit (size 30/32) and I swam in the beach on the windward side of Oahu. Unlike my friends who sunbathed most of the time we were there, I was in the ocean the entire time at the beach. I love swimming. I loathe sunbathing. At least I didn't let my weight or vanity stop me from getting into the ocean. Prior to 2006, I hadn't been swimming since 2002, when I took an aquatics class. Prior to that 1989 was the last time I swam. Obesity has kept me from one of the great pleasures of life: swimming. Not anymore!

I sailed while on vacation too. It's been years since I've been at the helm and I had forgotten how much fun it is. I also forgot what a workout tacking can be. My friends wanted to give me a refresher on tacking (sailing close-hauled on alternate courses so that the wind is first on one side of the boat, then on the other), so they had me steer all the way and out of a channel, where I had to tack again and again. It was a blast! My arms ached for days after.

I also enjoyed kayaking this summer. Now here's a fun way to get in an upper arm workout! When I was in Alaska last summer, I declined on an opportunity to kayak, because I knew I didn't have the upper strength to get in and out of the kayak. Alaska is no place to be in stuck in the water. It was depressing seeing everyone else paddle around while I stayed on the main boat. That's why this summer I took the opportunity to learn how to kayak. one of the friends I traveled with in Alaska was my Long Beach kayak teacher. I enjoyed this so much, I can barely holding back from running out to buy a kayak. Instead, I'm looking for places I can rent a kayak near my home and friends to join me.

I told my Long Beach friend if I hadn't been swimming for several days, followed by sailing, and kayaking, I would ask her to take me to the emergency room. That's how bad my arm ached! That just solidified the need for me to continue to find ways to have fun and build upper arm strength at the same time.

As much as I have enjoyed outdoor activities, I'm grateful to have a state-of-the-art-gym at work. Until last October, I didn't use the gym, but I find when it's too hot or too icy outside, the gym works best for me. Plus, I have co-workers who workout with me or at least walk with me to the gym and then we go our separate ways. This kind of support helps!

Yesterday I planned to bike during lunch, but it was too hot to walk to the gym and I didn't get there at the end of the day as I had planned. I too am doing an at-work-fitness challenge, which has helped me get in lots of exercise this summer. I have to make up for the lost time on the bike that I missed yesterday in the next few days, as the challenge ends this Sunday. My plan is to bike 8 miles four times this week. Before my vacation, I did a little over 6 miles and was exhausted when I was finished. Earlier this week, I did 7 miles and I could have done more if I didn't have to get back to work. It's great to see that I've built up strength in my legs. Woohoo!

Based on how quiet this blog is, it seems I'm not the only one who is enjoying a summer vacation. When you get back, tell us what kinds of fun activities you did this summer. What fun things have you done this year that you couldn't do last year?

July 18, 2012

While on vacation in Southern California the past two weeks, I had some incredible meals. I want to share a few stories and photos from some of the meals on my trip.

Breakfast from Baja Fresh at LAX airport. Photo by Theresa.

Airport Food

When I was at the at LAX airport, waiting to depart for Hartford, I had lots of time before my plane was boarding to search for the best choice for breakfast. I found a place called Baja Fresh. I made up my own dish, which was inspired from a menu item they referred to as Baja Bowls. My version (shown in the photo above) included spicy tender steak, scramble eggs, freshly made pico de gallo, ripe Roma tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and topped with sour cream. Man, I really know how to order off-menu!

A lesson that I learned and I want to share with the rest of you who plan to travel: look at the packaging of the food you are going to travel with carefully. I bought a pack of pepperoni sticks and a package of beef teriyaki (jerky) to have for lunch between LAX and Dulles, WA. I figured the pepperoni sticks would be all I needed, so before sitting down, I tossed the jerky into my bag that I stored above my seat. You can guess where this story's headed.

After they came through with food, and I said no thanks, I pulled the pepperoni from my purse and discovered the pack was vacuum sealed. There was no way to open the package without scissors or a knife, which the attendants did not have.

Sitting next to the window (without a seat belt extension - I still can't get over that!), I decided I'd just wait until we landed to eat. I tried to busy my mind by watching a movie, but I it was going to be seven hours before we landed. At some point both people in my row got up to use the rest room, so I jumped up and grabbed my jerky. Yes, I could have asked them to move so I could get up, but I wasn't inclined to do that at the time. I may have asked if they hadn't stood up.

Dinner with Friends

The most challenging meal for me was the night I had dinner with old friends, shown in the photo below (yes, that's me with another new dress - thanks to Aime). They key word here is friends. If I can't ask my friends what they're serving for dinner and be frank enough to talk about other alternatives, then I'm not sure how I'll ever survive the rest of my journey. 

I took a deep breathe and I asked my friend Mary to put her daughter on the phone. Nina was cooking dinner, so I asked what she's cooking. I then told her it sounded wonderful, but I don't eat gluten-free noodles, so her lasagna wasn't going to work for me. Was there something else we could arrange? Nina said "no problem, I'll cook you a nice piece of chicken on the grill." It was that simple.

Theresa with Southern California friends George and Mary. Photo by Nina.

What was so incredible was that when Nina and I had a few minutes to ourselves, she thanked me for asking her for another option. She was so gracious. She said she could see how much weight I've lost, even since I saw her two months ago, and she was happy to support my staying on course with the program. That's a good friend! The was delicious chicken too!

BTW, when I called, I had every intention of saying I would bring protein for myself. I wasn't expecting such a generous response. 

Last year when I visited with Mary, she took me to an In and Out Burger where we ordered burgers from their not-so-secret menu. I went to In and Out this trip as well, and, as you can see in this photo, they wrap these burgers with lettuce instead of a bun!

In and Out Burger; lettuce wrapped instead of a bun. Photo by Theresa.

Hot Tub Breakfast

I cooked during my vacation too. Here's a breakfast I made and then ate by the hot tub, after a morning walk to the pool. Years ago I got a number of my friends into frothing milk for their coffee, so when I visit, I don't have to travel with a frother.

Scrambled egg with Parmesan, dill, and chives, with asparagus and tomatoes. Photo by Theresa.

We did a lot of grilling at another friend's, almost every night for a week, which I really enjoyed.  I love eating outside in the yard. Living in a condo, I don't do that. 

Exercise Mojo Explained

This is not related to my travels, but I want to explain a comment I made to an earlier post. I referred to "mojo" in one of my comments about exercise and I want to explain what I meant by "mojo."  I was playing with words. What I meant to say was that last summer (2011) Julie gave my group an exercise suggestion to help us. I referred to Julie's "exercise suggestion" as mojo, meaning to be humorous, but my meaning was lost in translation. Sorry!

In any case, I had a few more thoughts about this that I explored tonight. For whatever reason, I didn't take to Julie's exercise suggestion last summer, but I did start to exercise in October.  I was curious about the time I started to exercise versus when I had last seen Julie. Looking at my calendar, I saw Julie a week before I started exercising on Oct. 25. I know because I logged my couch-to-5K progress and my sessions with Julie. What makes all of this (slightly) interesting is that I was out of town when I started to exercise and later that day I found out that Aime started a couch-to-5K that same morning. We both thought it was a funny coincidence, but looking back now, I realize we went to the Oct. session together. My guess is Julie gave us another exercise suggestion and that time it worked for me, as well as Aime.

July 17, 2012

Oh my! Did I really post a photo with me in a bathing suit? Yes I did. Yikes! I can't believe I did that. Today I'm going to write about negative self-talk, so I can get it out there in the open, out of the dark corners of my life and into the light. I am changing my life and I no longer need to stand in the shadows.

Del Mar, CA. Photo by Theresa

I'm currently at the same size that most of you began your weight loss journey, so it is a mixed bag when I see your photos. I'm inspired to see that you went from the size I am now to my goal size (8). At the same time, I look at my photos and think about how big I am now and I'm horrified at how large I was six sizes ago. I feel great about my progress and then when I see my photo I have mixed feelings again. I see how much I've lost and I feel good, but I also see how much more weight I have to lose and then I don't feel so good.

But all is not lost! I have positive thoughts to push me forward and away from these negative ones, some of which come from within and others from the support of this blog and the Facebook support group. Thank you all for sharing the way you do. Your stories inspire me and encourage me to stay positive about my journey, which is fantastic.

Other positive thoughts come from friends I've known for years. While visiting my friends in southern California, where I lived for eight years near people I've known for 35 years and others I've known all my life, they said some wonderful and positive things to me. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Wow - you look so different! 
• Do you realize how much you've changed?
• This is the first time I've seen you in a dress in twenty years! 
• It's wonderful seeing you wear fun clothes again!

It was fabulous to visit my friends and for them to see me being active once again. During my visit, I found that I was filled with negative thoughts again and again. I can't walk as fast. I can't move as fast. I don't have as much strength in my arms. One night I was to sleep on a futon on the floor and I was caught up in thoughts about how difficult it was going to be getting on the floor then getting up again in the morning. But then I would remember:

• I am changing my life. 
• I am moving. 
• I am moving faster. 
• I am building strength in my arms, legs, and my core. 
• I did get in and out of the pool. 
• I did go kayaking and swimming.
• I am an active person once again. 
• I did my stretching exercises last night.
• I am living life in the light.

It's not about being the fastest or the strongest. It's about being strong and living my best life. It's about living life in the light instead of in the shadows.

Another positive experience happened the day after I returned from my vacation, at the Holyoke mall. I discovered that Aime was right when a few weeks ago she told me that would be my last time shopping in the woman's section of Macy's. After trying on a few items in the woman's department, I wandered over to the other side of the clothing area and when I went into the dressing room to try on 18's and 16's (nobody stopped me at the entrance) I was ecstatic that I found items that fit. I didn't buy them because I just wanted to know if they would fit, I wasn't ready to spend any money. I may go back in a few weeks and try on a dress that I liked, but I wanted it to be loser around the hips.

Woohoo! Now I know what people mean by shopping therapy!

Oh, and it's pretty safe to say, as several of you have reported recently, I too lost weight while on vacation! I'm moving into the light and the lighter side of life!

Del Mar, CA. Photo by Theresa

July 15, 2012

I'm back from California, well rested, and ready to finish the home projects I put on hold a few weeks before my vacation. One thing I'm not willing to put on hold any longer: exercise. During my vacation I was more active than I've been in a decade. I return home with renewed strength from walking, swimming, sailing, and kayaking. A soak in the hot tub every night was great too!

I look at this photo and think, wow, if I look this big now - how big did I look when I was six sizes bigger? Okay, enough self criticism. I had a blast as long as I didn't look in the mirror while wearing my swimsuit.

The last time I was suited up and went in the water was 2006 and that was because I was in Hawaii and, obese or not, I was not not going in the water while in Hawaii. Ever since I was  very young I was in the water every chance I could an it's incredible to be back in the water once again.

My motivation to get into the pool during my vacation: I'm participating in a mini-triathlon at work. This means I committed to a specific distance of walking or running, swimming, and biking, over a six week period. Since my Long Beach friend goes to aquatics three times a week, I asked her if I could join her at pool to do my laps. One morning I even arrived at the pool at 6 am! 

Getting into the pool was difficult, as I am not as flexible as I used to be. Sitting on the floor has been difficult for me and I had to get over that on day one at the pool. I managed to sit at the edge of the pool, but then I froze for a few seconds. Was I really going to be able to slide in? Wait. Really? When did this kind of fear hit me? I LOVE swimming. It wasn't fear of the water, but of the process of getting into the pool. I've been so inactive for so many years that my body has become stiff and unbending. I told myself I was going to get over this right that moment, and then I pushed off the side of the pool and into the water. Once in, I was like a fish in water. Getting out, I climbed up a ladder, which defied a few laws of gravity, as I have no upper arm strength.

All of this is embarrassing to admit, but I suspect I'm not alone with these kinds of issues, so I thought I'd explore this a bit further with all of you and ask if any of you have had similar experiences. Have you?

During the past ten months, I've done more running than walking for exercise, but while I was in Long Beach I walked to the pool (and everywhere else) at fast-pace and it was invigorating. It helps to have a friend who walks faster than you do. We walked to the pool and back, three miles round-trip, during which time my favorite sneakers gave me corns. The solution: buy a new pair of sandals and (as I do at home) switch out my shoes daily.

I always travel with a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers, and I always put comfort before beauty when it comes to shoes. This trip was different. This time I packed my favorite sneakers and a new pair sandals that are both beautiful and support my feel in all the right ways and just a tad shy of being orthopedics. I broke in the sandals in a month before my trip. On the plane, I wore sandals that I could easily slip in and out of at security and while in flight; they are not as supportive as my foot doctor would suggest, but they are comfy and beautiful. Keeping up with my friend as we walked about town, not so easy in these sandals, but hey - I looked great! Ha!

Why am I writing so much about shoes?  While on this weight loss journey, I discovered other areas of my health that also need my attention: resolving my feet and my knee issues, and building strength in my upper arms and in my core. Exercise, I now realize, isn't about losing weight, but about gaining physical stamina. I want to have a strong body so I can be active and live a long and healthy life. Exercise, it turns out is key. Ha-who's not at all surprised to hear this? What I'm saying is, okay this isn't the first time any of us have heard this, but this time I really get it.

After dropping a couple sizes last spring, even before I started to exercise, my feet hurt and I wanted to do whatever I could to resolve my feet issues before my vacation in Alaska. I went to a foot doctor and to a specialist to find out why I had pain in my right knee. My doctors gave me stretching exercises for my feet and knee, which I've done about three times since then.

A year later, my feet issues resurface from time to time, and they really surfaced during my California vacation. I've decided I'm SO ready to rid my body of these aches and pains. I'm ready to incorporate those stretching exercises into my daily routine, so I can maintain and expand an active lifestyle. I've been saying this for several weeks now, but today I put my words into action. I will not go to bed tonight until I've done my stretches!

BTW, thanks for keeping this blog going while I was on vacation. It was hard to blog from my iPhone, tiny keyboard and all, and I couldn't upload any photos, which drove me crazy. In the next few days I'll reply to many of the comments that I wasn't able to respond to properly while I was away. I've been following the Facebook thread as well. I even made yogurt Popsicles today, a take-off from an idea on the FB support group. Thanks for sharing recipes there as well as this blog!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about Exercise and I encouraged you to explore new ways to exercise. During my vacation, I took my own advise and I'm happy that I did. I'm going to look around my area and in Rhode Island for places to rent a kayak or a canoe. I really liked being on the water this way. Now that I know a) I can do it, and b) it will be more and more enjoyable as I strengthen my arms and my core, I'm going to fully explore kayaking and see if I prefer a canoe or a kayak better. Perhaps next year I'll buy one!

Have any of you come face-to-face with physical limitations due to your weight? Or, on the flip side, have any of you discovered you are no longer physically restricted because you've lost weight?

July 14, 2012

This week was such a challenging week emotionally for me.  My son and my husband both got hurt within a 12 hour window of each other which meant an awful lot of time spent in the ER all the while juggling my other two children.  In the past if I had a weekend like this, I would have run to my bucket of ice cream to console me and that would get me through.  Not this time!  I am proud to say that I not once thought of eating anything that is off program.  I actually sat down on Monday around 12 to try and get some work done while everyone was sleeping and realized that I had not eaten in 24 hours.  I know that is almost as bad but it hit me for the first time that I now eat to survive rather than live to eat.  This is such a great feeling.  Though this may be a little silly, I finally realized how much Julie was helping me.  It is not always about the measurements or the size cloths that I am in.  It is about the baby steps that lead to a better me.  Not depending on food to get through a tough time was one of the steps that I needed to get through before I could continue.  I did it!

July 13, 2012

I read a contest in my Oprah magazine this morning and thought I'd share it with the rest of you, especially those of you who have lost a lot of weight. I know the deadline is close, but I hope a few of you enter, because who couldn't use a jean makeover?

I don't have time to write and essay while on vacation, I hardly have time to write this, but I hope some of you go for it! Here are the details:
Enter the “Denim Style Star” contest for a chance to win a trip to New York City, a NYDJ denim makeover, and a custom photo shoot! Simply upload your photo and write a brief essay describing why you should win. One winner will receive:

• A trip to NYC with one guest
• A denim makeover by stylist Dale Sudakoff, founder of Dalestyle, Inc.
• An opportunity to model NYDJ’s latest fall fashions in your own photo shoot
• Images will be featured on Real Simple Offers Facebook page and NYDJ.com

Meanwhile, I'm still in Carlsbad, enjoying a relaxing visit with friends. Vacations are a great thing! I packed two tops that are way too big for me and those size 18 carpi's are tighter than I would like them to be, but all is well otherwise.

July 07, 2012

Last week while visiting with Mary, my childhood friend who now lives in Long Beach, Mary showed me photos she had of me over the years, to help inspire me to see how far I've come on my weight loss journey...

In October 2002, we traveled together in Italy (Mary took this photo)

South Hadley, MA, September 2010 

With Long Beach Mary, July 2012

July 05, 2012

Decades ago I took a "health, mind, and body" workshop and over the course of six weeks I met with a  group of about 30 others three times a week for three hours. At each session a different speaker talked to us about  health related topics. We learned how to meditate to reduce stress. We learned about nutrition. We learned a lot during these 18 sessions. The really great part, for me, was what we learned about exercise.

Running is just one exercise option; find the type that you enjoy and just do it!
Photo by Theresa

One of the doctors told us "there is an exercise out there for everyone, you just need to find out what it is". To help prove his theory, every workshop began with a different form of exercise. With this group, I walked, jogged, played tennis, swam in a pool, learned a bit of yoga, and explored a  handful more forms of exercise.

Before I left for my vacation, I thought about all those workshops and I made a decision that this year I would explore more exercise options once again. While here in southern California on vacation this past week, I began the journey and I've have had a lot fun along the way. Last week I walked a mile and a half to the pool, swam 24 laps, and then walked a mile and a half back home again. I was home having breakfast by about 10 am and I still had a full day ahead of me - and tons of energy.  

Getting in and out of the pool was difficult, as I have no upper arm strength. My first day at the pool, I pushed myself to squat down and sit on the edge of the pool and pushed myself again to jump in. I've grown so stiff over the years, and all of these movements that used to be so natural to me years ago, easily could have stopped me from getting in the water.

In fact, I know this is why I've stayed out of the pool for the past decade. Oh, and wearing a bathing suit in public too. As I sat at the edge of the pool, I knew I was going to get into the pool and didn't let my hesitations stop me. Instead of sitting and debating if I could push off, I just bit down and jumped in. It wasn't pretty, but I was in! Getting out defied the laws of gravity, but I did that too. Swimming laps was exhausting and my arms burned, but I kept going back and forth until I couldn't swim another lap. Sore arms aside, it felt terrific to be in the water once again! 

If my arms weren't already feeling the pain after 3 days the pool, I went kayaking. My friend helped me sit in the kayak and later helped me get out. That was the hardest part and the part I was most fearful of--what if I couldn't get in -- or worse - what if I couldn't get out? I pushed beyond the fear and just did it. What a blast it was. My friend is a great teacher and taught me the ropes and I did not tip over, another fear - how would I get back in if I tipped over? I didn't need to answer that question!

I have been a couch potato for the past fifteen years, but I wasn't always a couch potato. It's been great getting exercise by moving my body in new ways and having a blast. It took me 9 months of being on this program before I started exercise, but I want to encourage you not to wait that long.

For those of you who haven't been ready to start exercise, I encourage you to create a list of all the different types of physical activities you can think of and start trying them one by one until you find a form of exercise that fits you. If you feel too out of shape to begin, consider walking five minutes from your house and then five minutes back, then slowly increase your walking time, even if it's just a minute more a week. Take it slow, but start moving. It may not be walking for you, but find something you can do and start doing it.

July 05, 2012

Sitting at Starbucks in Carlsbad, CA, where I could hear waves crashing against the rocks, if only the music wasn't so loud. It's an overcast day, but I'm on vacation and a few clouds won't spoil my mood.

When I first sat down, a man next to me was quite chatty and friendly. He told me he's "never been this weight before" and I wasn't sure if he meant he had gained or list weight. Then he told me about a cool phone app that he uses. You speak into the phone, for example he said "Starbucks chicken salad" and it tracks your meal. "It's really easy," he said. "I've lost 30 pounds and it was effortless!" He then saw his wife, got up and they left.

There was no time to tell him I've dropped close to a hundred pounds.

This was a good reminder for me, that as excited as I am about my weight loss journey, not everyone wants to know how I got here. Even if they need to lose weight.

Thanks for Sharing Dude.

Anyone else experience this type of "kindness" from strangers?

July 04, 2012

Someone on Julie's guest book page posted a link to this article. Quite interestinG!!


I also posted this on the Face book page and someone that belongs to that group knows the doctor involved in this, so this makes it even more real to me!


This was published in the Sunday review paper in the opinions page...

What Really Makes Us Fat

By GARY TAUBES

Published: June 30, 2012


A CALORIE is a calorie. This truism has been the foundation of nutritional wisdom and our beliefs about obesity since the 1960s.


What it means is that a calorie of protein will generate the same energy when metabolized in a living organism as a calorie of fat or carbohydrate. When talking about obesity or why we get fat, evoking the phrase “a calorie is a calorie” is almost invariably used to imply that what we eat is relatively unimportant. We get fat because we take in more calories than we expend; we get lean if we do the opposite. Anyone who tells you otherwise, by this logic, is trying to sell you something.


But not everyone buys this calorie argument, and the dispute erupted in full force again last week. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of a clinical trial by Dr. David Ludwig of Boston Children’s Hospital and his collaborators. While the media tended to treat the study as another diet trial — what should we eat to maintain weight loss? — it spoke to a far more fundamental issue: What actually causes obesity? Why do we get fat in the first place? Too many calories? Or something else?


The calorie-is-a-calorie notion dates to 1878, when the great German nutritionist Max Rubner established what he called the isodynamic law.


It was applied to obesity in the early 1900s by another German — Carl Von Noorden, who was of two minds on the subject. One of his theories suggested that common obesity was all about calories in minus calories out; another, that it was about how the body partitions those calories, either for energy or into storage.


This has been the core of the controversy ever since, and it’s never gone away. If obesity is a fuel-partitioning problem — a fat-storage defect — then the trigger becomes not the quantity of food available but the quality. Now carbohydrates in the diet become the prime suspects, especially refined and easily digestible carbohydrates (foods that have what’s called a high glycemic index) and sugars.


UNTIL the 1960s, carbohydrates were indeed considered a likely suspect in obesity: “Every woman knows that carbohydrate is fattening,” as two British dietitians began a 1963 British Journal of Nutrition article.


The obvious mechanism: carbohydrates stimulate secretion of the hormone insulin, which works, among other things, to store fat in our fat cells. At the time, though, the conventional wisdom was beginning its shift: obesity was becoming an energy issue.


Carbohydrates, with less than half the calories per gram as fat, were beginning their official transformation into heart-healthy diet foods. One reason we’ve been told since to eat low-fat, carbohydrate-rich diets is this expectation that they’ll keep us thin.


What was done by Dr. Ludwig’s team has never been done before. First they took obese subjects and effectively semi-starved them until they’d lost 10 to 15 percent of their weight.

Such weight-reduced subjects are particularly susceptible to gaining the weight back. Their energy expenditure drops precipitously and they burn fewer calories than people who naturally weigh the same. This means they have to continually fight their hunger just to maintain their weight loss. The belief is that weight loss causes “metabolic adaptations,” which make it almost inevitable that the weight will return. Dr. Ludwig’s team then measured how many calories these weight-reduced subjects expended daily, and that’s how many they fed them. But now the subjects were rotated through three very different diets, one month for each. They ate the same amount of calories on all three, equal to what they were expending after their weight loss, but the nutrient composition of the diets was very different.


The results were remarkable. Put most simply, the fewer carbohydrates consumed, the more energy these weight-reduced people expended. On the very low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, there was virtually no metabolic adaptation to the weight loss. These subjects expended, on average, only 100 fewer calories a day than they did at their full weights. Eight of the 21 subjects expended more than they did at their full weights — the opposite of the predicted metabolic compensation.


On the very low-carbohydrate diet, Dr. Ludwig’s subjects expended 300 more calories a day than they did on the low-fat diet and 150 calories more than on the low-glycemic-index diet. As Dr. Ludwig explained, when the subjects were eating low-fat diets, they’d have to add an hour of moderate-intensity physical activity each day to expend as much energy as they would effortlessly on the very-low-carb diet. And this while consuming the same amount of calories. If the physical activity made them hungrier — a likely assumption — maintaining weight on the low-fat, high-carb diet would be even harder. Why does this speak to the very cause of obesity? One way to think about this is to consider weight-reduced subjects as “pre-obese.” They’re almost assuredly going to get fatter, and so they can be research stand-ins — perhaps the best we have — for those of us who are merely predisposed to get fat but haven’t done so yet and might take a few years or decades longer to do it.

If we think of Dr. Ludwig’s subjects as pre-obese, then the study tells us that the nutrient composition of the diet can trigger the predisposition to get fat, independent of the calories consumed. The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the more easily we remain lean. The more carbohydrates, the more difficult. In other words, carbohydrates are fattening, and obesity is a fat-storage defect. What matters, then, is the quantity and quality of carbohydrates we consume and their effect on insulin.


From this perspective, the trial suggests that among the bad decisions we can make to maintain our weight is exactly what the government and medical organizations like the American Heart Association have been telling us to do: eat low-fat, carbohydrate-rich diets, even if those diets include whole grains and fruits and vegetables.


A controversial conclusion? Absolutely, and Dr. Ludwig’s results are by no means ironclad. The diets should be fed for far longer than one month, something he hopes to do in a follow-up study. As in any science, these experiments should be replicated by independent investigators. We’ve been arguing about this for over a century. Let’s put it to rest with more good science. The public health implications are enormous.


Gary Taubes is The author of “Why We Get Fat.”

July 04, 2012

OK, OK, I went and asked Julie about exercise and now I have to 'pay the piper' as the saying goes.

Exercise is calling my name.

OK, so now what do I do?

I have actually been having fun in our pool with it. We have an in ground pool (trust me, nothing fancy) and have an incline from the deep to shallow end. I stand on that incline so my shoulders are underwater and jog. I lift my legs high and use my arms underwater to keep my balance. I get a work out. and its fun AND I don't sweat!

I do jumping jacks in that same spot. I don't lift my arms out of the water, I keep them under and use them to keep my balance. I keep my hands cupped to add more resistance.

I then get in a tube and YES I FIT IN A TUBE!!!! and I bicycle around the pool many times.

When done with that I go to the middle of the deep end and do stomach crunches. Try it. Hold feet together and keep legs straight and bring them up but not out of water and then down.

Then while in tube, start turning circles using hips and legs to propel you around in circles. Then go the other way.

It is fun and this kind of stuff can be done numerous times during the day and it truly does not feel like I am exercising.

What kinds of things do you do? I don't mean gyms, I don't want to join one. I know walking is good, but I am looking for ideas or ways to get in some exercise in, out of the ordinary, fun ways, just around the house. I have an aunt who used to wash dishes and do knee bends while doing them. Stuff like that.

July 02, 2012