Labels!

Sis helped me get some organization today! Thank you so much!

All the entries I've made on my lifestyle change will be together now under Healthy Living. Since I am a Christian and love the Lord and have him in my heart, once a week I need to talk about him and his love. I labeled those Inspiration.

The Journey to health has been challenging but so, so wonderful. It took Melissa awhile to get me to stop calling it a diet...bad word...diet. It had to be a life change for me, a decision to do this the rest of my life. A decision to stop overeating and to make healthy choices.

I had to get to the root of what was making me an emotional eater. Had to do some digging to do that, praying and talking it out.

Journaling what you eat, when you eat it really helps you get a handle on it. It makes you Think before you take that bite.

There are several differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger

1. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually.

2. When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options.

3. Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait.

4. Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full.

5. Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not.

I am no longer an emotional eater..it's over, it is finished!

If you have been thinking....I need to make a change...do it! You will not regret it and the journey is the best!! If I can do this, anyone can do this!!

We will never forget...Sept 11, 2001

Everyone remembers exactly where they were when the plane hit the Tower.

Shock, horror, heartbreak, pain, sorrow and more pain. Dick rushed home to tell me about it, about the time we turned on the TV the second plane hit. We fell to our knees and prayed.

Why, why, why...so many unanswered questions. Unbelief, how could this happen.

The only thing Dick and I knew to do was go to church and pray some more, then we went to give blood. Quickly it seemed events unfolded and we heard about hero, after hero and many, many brave souls.

I'm so thankful the our country honors this day. I never want to forget.

A day in the life..

I started this blog to help anyone that wanted to get healthy and eat right, so please forgive me if I say something I've already said before, bear with me! This is for you Le-ann!

Never miss a day of logging in my food I need to, I need the accountability of it.

We started at www.thedailyplate.com not knowing what to expect, I just trusted that my daughter, Melissa was loosing weight and she didn't have that much to lose, that's hard. More importantly, she was eating really good healthy foods. Plus it was free, what did I have to lose?

I can have 1511 calories a day based on my height, weight and age to lose 2lbs a week...I may change that soon to 1lb a week. The daily plate sets all that for you.

For breakfast I eat a Fiber One bar, Breyer's Light with natural probiotics yogurt (Walmart), Bigelow Earl Grey green tea and I take vitamins. Sometimes I have granola and 1% milk and an apple or banana.

Lunch varies, Dick loves to go get Subway a lot...any of their 6-inch 6 grams of fat on wheat. We love the sweet onion sauce or honey mustard. Love turkey on wheat with cucumbers or baby carrots and fat free Lays potato chips. Cottage cheese with pineapple, Ezekiel 4:9 bread. Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli is a favorite.

Dinner is so much fun now! We love to grill chicken, salmon, boneless pork. Baked sweet potatoes with Brummel and Brown butter and Splenda brown sugar. Any veggie we are in the mood for, love asparagus. Baked potatoes with salsa, or stir fried brown rice. Lot's of salads with Kraft low-fat dressings. I get recipes from www.myrecipes.com , www.sparkpeople.com, anything that has the calorie count with the recipe is great.

Snacks are usually fruit, rice cakes, natural peanut butter (Kroger's), unsalted nuts carefully measured. Thomas 100 calorie wheat English muffins..loaded with fiber, Pepperidge Farms baked naturals...a serving is 17 crackers or Triscuit Thin Crisp...serving size 15 with a wedge of Lite Laughing Cow Cheese. We love cranergy drinks...and lot's of water.

Desserts are angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream, sugar free Jello and puddings, McDonald's ice cream cones ( low-fat 150 calories!).

I found starving myself doesn't work, you have to eat to lose weight. Your body uses about 1200 calories a day to just be. Plus, using a food scale is a must...eye balling food does not work. It also helps to have a calorie limit, then you have the freedom to eat what you want...if you need chocolate, have it, just add it into your total.

I keep my sodium under 2400gm and fiber above 24gm. It's easy to keep track of it with on-line dairies. They have groups and forums that let people help people...awesome!

I'm still losing about 2lbs a week ...some weeks none at all, but not to worry, the weight is coming off. In the beginning we didn't eat out much and now only at places that post their nutrition on-line. Like Panera, Chick-Fil-A, Salsarita's. Most restaurants have grilled meat and salads...I just smell the bread now!

When we started, we walked 2 miles a day, now we walk 3 miles a day during the week. On the weekends we walk 5 to 8 miles a day. We quit the gym because it wasn't working for us, we do free weights at home, but I'm going to go back now to tone up some.

I'm here to help, just let me know!

Time to think about it..

Last night at dinner Dick and I talked about me not being able to buy the size 10 pants. For the longest time I'd have just loved to be a size 14, really.

My doctor used to say, Maree, just get under 200 pounds....wouldn't I just love to!! Tell me how, I've tried everything! I could get to 218 and that was that!! I was always the biggest gal in the pictures...but that picture when I was bigger than Dick...just couldn't take it any more.

So back to the pants thing....I've been a size 16/18 for 20 + years. Now only six months later, I can fit into 10's...no magic pills, no surgery, no gimmicks. Just daily logging in my calories, trying to make better choices, exercising everday, nothing I can't do for the rest of my life. Every ten days or so we go to a favorite restaurant and enjoy...but day in and day out....I stay around 1500 calories. I'm never hungry. When I hit goal, I will be able to eat over 2000 calories a day...that seems like a lot and I'll deal with that later. For today...I'm not going to worry about it....it's just going to take some precious time!

Hope...

Beautiful little Leah Maree....

So many things lately...Steven Curtis Chapman was on The Early Show this morning and sang Cinderella. I would post the Youtube of the song he sang, Cinderella, but you all know it .....it makes us cry...sob actually, it has new meaning now. Steven said they had the hope they would dance with Maria again and smiled through his tears.

I love, love, love my granddaughter Leah, she takes my breath away. Leah's brought so much love and joy to our family....pure unadulterated happiness. I thank God for the vision of our daughter Melissa and son-in law Shawn to grow their family so beautifully. We wait with anticipation daily for that phone to ring and they say come and get Kathryn Mei Lin. Soon and very soon!

Yummy Sandwich Ideas and Healthy Fast Food Choices...

http://www.sparkpeople.com/ rocks!!!

Click here for good choices at fast food restaurants.

And here for yummy sandwich ideas from the members. I love they are reviewed to help us make great choices.

I'm going over to Ann Taylor Loft today to try on 10's...it's the beginning of their sale to use the 25% off coupons....on dear!!

Note* OK I did it...took those 10's right into the dressing room, I made sure they were Julie's (for curves) and put them on and zipped them up, they fit. Then I got scared, I love my 12's...evidently. Next week, I'll do it next week! Any Psychiatrist out there?

Nie Nie and her family...

I made sure I recorded the Today Show this morning so I wouldn't miss Nie Nie's family. You can see it here if you missed it.
This blog is written by her sister Courtney, who is taking care of 3 of Nie Nie's and Christian's children along with her own newborn. Their 4th child is with the sister here is this clip...she looks so much like Nie Nie.

If you haven't heard about the accident or seen her blog here it is. Nie was burned over 83% of her body in a private plane crash. Christian over 30%. It is now a story of survival, courage, family, community, love and much more.

I first learned about Nie Nie and her sweet blog from my daughter Melissa. Through blogging we have all become connected, it's real and it's awesome!! So far bloggers have banned together and been able to donate $100,000+ for their care. It will take millions. Plus prayers...lot's of them...they say they feel our prayers....thank you Lord for that!

We laugh till we cry....

When Leah hugs my neck tight and says Gramma Re, I love you!

Nothing could be better!

Pop and I were lucky ducks tonight! Leah came for dinner. Mom and Dad had an anniversary to celebrate, so we had the pleasure of Miss Leah's company. We had Pop's famous grilled chicken, asparagus and sweet potatoes you can see here . Leah decided tongs would be the best way to eat and away we went! She ate every bite of the asparagus and all her chicken.

See Pop..it works!!

Determined the melon baller was the perfect tool to eat sweet potatoes

We talked about baby Kate and how she was going to like bright pink too, and Kate and she would come and spend the night with us. Leah said she couldn't wait to be a big sister. She said, "Momma is going to have "happy tears" when we see Kate, not "sad tears"."...awwww

Then of course it was time to get some blue Kool-Aid out and laugh some more!

Leah cracks this guy up!


We ended the night with the promise that I would pick her up from Pre-School Thursday and the fun would start all over again then.....can't wait!!

Mediterranean Cucumber and Yogurt Salad

This recipe is from the New York Times, Recipes for Health. I love this salad on everything...it really spices up a wrap or grilled chicken with flat bread, yum! I've never eaten it as a soup...

1 European cucumber finely chopped or grated
Salt
2 cups drained yogurt * ( I use Non-Fat yogurt )
2 to 3 garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed, and mashed to a paste in a mortar and pestle with 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (I use dill)
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (optional, I don't usually add this)

1. Toss the cucumber with a generous amount of salt and leave in a colander in the sink to wilt for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse and drain on paper towels.

2. Beat together the yogurt, garlic, mint (or dill) and olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cucumbers. Adjust seasonings and serve.

To serve as a soup, place a couple of ice cubes in each of four to six bowls. If you wish, thin out the cucumber-yogurt mixture with a little water. Spoon into the bowls.

Variations:

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, and stir in with the other ingredients.

Substitute 1 tablespoon walnut oil for 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Yield: Four servings, 58 calories (without olive oil, using non-fat yogurt.)

Advance preparation: Don’t make this too far ahead, as the cucumber continues to release water into the salad and the flavors and color will fade.

To drain yogurt...

*Line a strainer with a double thickness of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the strainer, and refrigerate for at least two hours (preferably four hours or longer). Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate again.

I usually use a double layer of paper towels since I never have cheesecloth laying around and let it set overnight.

Taco Soup

Sunday night and we'd had a big day and just wanted to fix something quick, we were in the mood for Mexican.

Our newspaper has a feature in Wednesdays paper that includes restaurant recipes that people write and ask for. This recipe is from The Grapevine Pantry, a wonderful cafe with the best desserts in the world!!

I'd saved this soup recipe thinking it was low calorie. Each two cup serving will be about 248 calories, add for toppings you use. Chicken could easily be added if you wanted to. We topped our soup with light sour cream and served light Tostitos...guacamole would be good too. It was a bit salty, guess you could use low sodium products. Nevertheless, it's very good and it takes about 5 minutes to make!

Grapevine Pantry's taco soup

For the soup:
1 15-ounce can black beans, undrained·

1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, undrained·

15-ounce can tomato sauce·

15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained·

1 4-ounce can diced green chilis, undrained·

1 envelope El Paso brand taco seasoning· ( I used Chi-Chi's)

1-ounce envelope Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix· ( I used Fiesta Recipe Hidden Valley)

1½ cups water

For garnishing:· Tortilla chips· Sour cream· Guacamole

In a soup pot, mix all ingredients and simmer until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with tortilla chips, sour cream and guacamole.
Serves 4.