Time For a Change

Back in October I decided to start Jorge's Fast Track program again for a few weeks to get back to my goal weight. I had drifted up a few pounds. But a few weeks into it, I loved it so much that I decided to give a year. My sister is following Wheat Belly, which is basically the same thing (although she has sucralose/splenda on it) and I thought it would be a great way to support her too. Fast Track is a version of the Belly Fat Cure where we have no grains and legumes at all.

But for the last several weeks I have been floundering between meals, and clearly not eating enough during my meals. We have been doing a lot of entertaining, which means all sorts of kids snacks in the house. I thought I would be fine with it, like I have been ever since I started the Belly Fat Cure. But I wasn't. And I found myself binge eating disgusting kids desserts, that made me feel sick afterwards (honestly I wanted to throw up and was completely upset with myself). SO I decided it was time for a change. Clearly I am craving something and am not getting what I need at meal time. I am adding back grains.

Do I feel like a failure? Eh, a little bit. But it is way more important to be true to myself and maintain my weight than to stick to an arbitrary goal. Grain-free has been great for me... until it just wasn't. It is important to know when to make a change, when to switch things up a little bit. Was the problem just my will power and being lazy with meals? Possibly. I notice a pattern that I put on a little weight after each Half Marathon, but I really love doing and training for them. So I'm making a change, and switching things up. Something isn't working, so change it so it does work.

So I am back to doing strict Belly Fat Cure, just like the original blue book, and following an S/C Value of 15/6 max for the day and 5/2 max per meal. Truly I was always doing that, I just took away grains and legumes too. I am sticking to high fiber grains, making them really count. We have been going to and hosting tons of parties in May and I have not been as strict with my alcohol, so I need to really watch that this summer too.

I am also tracking on My Fitness Pal too, just to make sure I am right on track. I think every six months this is something I need to do. Get super strict, just like was doing the losing phase. No popcorn at the movies, no bites of that special gelato, not a single cookie... because the deal is I don't want a little, or a bite or just a single cookie. I want the whole tub of popcorn, the whole gelato, the whole row of cookies. Somewhere in my genes it is programmed - give her a little of those foods and she'll take it all! I'm just glad the same doesn't apply to alcohol, because it feels very similar to alcoholism but with certain foods. So here I am, relearning this lesson again. For the 3rd time? The 100th time? It doesn't matter, because I AM learning it. I am stopping myself and making a change! Maintenance is hard ya'll.

ps. We went to a Cinco de Mayo party and I was thrilled to wear an outfit that a. fit and b. was cute. I was dreaming of a white blazer with skinny jeans and a belt. I want to make sure this outfit fits me next year, and the next year and the year after that.

Product Review: Refine Cocktail Mixers

One thing I really miss on the Belly Fat Cure, or any low carb diet, is a nice cocktail. Cocktails are loaded with super sweet fruit juices or simple syrups so there are very few options. I've looked at the Sugar-Free mixer options and those marketed as lower calorie, and they have agave (high sugar content) or artificial sweeteners.  I was so excited to find Refine Mixer with it's All Natural - Zero Calories label and see it is sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol.

I'm  not a big drinker these days, but I am really looking forward to serving the Refine Mojitos this summer! Add in Club Soda (make sure it is also void of all sugar/carbs/artificial sweeteners) rum and a muddle a little mint and lime and you have a great summer cocktail! It is really refreshing and light, and nice change.

Refine has 10 grams of carbohydrates, all from the sugar alcohol (the Erythritol) and 0 sugar, for an S/C Value of 0/1 a drink.  They are carried nationwide at Safeway and CostPlus World Market. Click HERE to find it locally. Click HERE for a few other low carb/sugar cocktail ideas. Happy Summer!

What's In Your Omelet

Eating out and making the right choices on a low carb diet can be tough. But what about when you  know the choices, and resist the obvious high sugar/carb options? My sister recently pointed out that IHOP adds pancake batter to their omelets. That's right - they add wheat, carbs and sugar to their eggs for the omelet base. If you read the menu clearly it says:

"Made with a splash of our famous buttermilk and wheat pancake batter for extra fluffiness".

That means for a plain omelet, just eggs folded over one would think you, get 10 grams carbohydrates and 3 grams sugar. And that is before you ADD anything to your omelet. See below for details.

I remember having this problem at McDonalds on vacation and ordering an Iced Coffee, just wanting Coffee, cream and ice... it ended up having 45 grams of sugar. And NO it was not a Vanilla Latte or made with ice cream. It is some premade mixed drink actually, not brewed coffee at all. I returned it and ask for "a cup of actual coffee" and added half and half to it.

Always, no matter what, it is a good idea to ask for the nutritional information at a restaurant. Or be proactive and look it up online before you go. I've been shocked more than a few times when I check afterwards and that my simple salad was loaded with sugar.  For IHOP's full nutritional chart, click HERE and for McDonald's click HERE. 

Leave a comment if you've ever ordered food that you just knew was the right choice, but later discovered it was woefully NOT low carb/sugar. Sometimes you think you know the right choices, but it seems they change the game on you. 

Weight of the Nation

Tonight I am watching Part 1 of a four part HBO special called Weight of the Nation. It's free online or through you cable provider in the On Demand menu, even if you don't have HBO. It is SHOCKING, really just shocking. The Husband and I are both typing away on the laptops, too busy to really pay attention... except we constantly stop, pause and replay (thank you Tivo) what was just said. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by it all. And also to start to think it's okay to be overweight, it's not really hurting anyone.

One of my biggest questions was "Why are Americans more overweight than Europeans?" My in laws all live in the Netherlands and we visit frequently. While not everyone is skinny, you almost never see an obese person and morbidly obese... well I don't actually think I've seen a morbidly obese person on my trips through out Europe. I don't know if this series will answer all these questions, I don't actually know if the show will agree with the Belly Fat Cure at all. I think it will, since the BFC questioned these questions for me. (They don't have all the sugar and artificial sweeteners in their food like we do) But I love how half way through a man says "It's not a matter of saying 'I want to or I'd like to'... it's what will be". And he is right... it is all about making up YOUR mind that you are going to make the changes you need to lose your weight.

You can watch it all HERE. Watch it. Don't let it upset you. Let it motivate you. Let it help you move on step closer to your goal weight. It's not about what size jeans you wear. It's about your health. Being around for you kids, really being there for them. And your grandkids. You can do this. You are doing this.

Busy Busy May

What is the deal with May? Everyone seems so busy, myself included. Way busier than usual. A lot of it has to do with school activities for the kids and the beautiful weather getting us out more. Today is the Hubby's birthday! I'm going to make the Carrot Cake from the Make it Paleo book. He is Vegan, but is mostly grain-free, sugar-free too. I was going to completely skip making a cake, but decided he was worth the effort ;-) This weekend the whole family is going indoor sky-diving for his gift. w00t!

In the midst of busyness I wanted to share some of what I have been eating. Ever since vacation (which I am still dreaming of) I may sneak in a grain food item here or there. Like last night, I made the kids Chicken Tacos and I just had their regular taco shells instead of making up the flax seed tacos I usually make. They are allowed on the Belly Fat Cure and I just did not have the energy or time to make anything else. But I'm 99.5% Grain-Free Paleo/Fast Track.


#1 biggest change for me lately is that I am getting my vegetables and fruit from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It is delivered to a nearby location once a week with whatever is ripe. It is all organic and from local (within 300 miles) farms. I'm not sure how this is going to work since after the first week, I still have tons of it left! The Hubby has said he wants us to have all organic now, and while I totally see his point (after years of disagreeing) I realized how difficult is to find the foods we need that week that are organic. I'd come home and say "We had to have apples for the kids lunch box, but the market did not have any organic, so I got these" and he would say "Next get something else instead". So this left me really frustrated and determined to find something that would work for our family... I'm still looking. My CSA is Freshness Farms and includes eggs and fresh made bread.

I made Bacon Wrapped Chicken and it was wonderful, the kids loved it too, even they initially they acted like they would not. They actually just picked it up and eat it with their fingers. I splurged for nitrate free bacon and LOVED this meal. I made Cheesy Broiled Cauliflower to go with it. My friend Anne turned me onto this dish, and its is really nice. Fresh or frozen cauliflower chopped up, grated sharp cheese and seasoning under the broiler until its browned and bubbly.

I also get my meat from a local CSA that is up in Sonoma, Marin Farms. The Vegan Hubby said "If you're going to eat all that meat, make sure it's the good meat". Okay. It's great stuff, comes fresh once a month with whatever was ready for slaughter. It could be beef, lamb or goat - but after WAY too much goat, I asked to remove goat from my order. I gave it a try, it was fine actually but didn't really fit into a regular meal plan for us....  One of the first things I noticed about this meat was that it smelled like, well, raw meat and, well, blood. My store bought meat smells like ammonia and sterile by comparison. At first it grossed me out, but then I realized Hey! This is fresh meat and SHOULD smell like it! I'm completely sold on the meat CSA, we've been doing it for many months now.

These are my meatballs, made without breading. Just meat, egg and spices mixed, rolled into balls and baked in the oven. They are so good and I love to serve them with Zucchini Noodles and Alfredo Sauce. One of my very favorite meals! The kids get regular noodles with meal.


I hope everyone is doing well and still working on their weight loss goals! Summer is right around the corner and makes for a great goal to fit into new clothing. Remember the secret to losing your weight is to eat EVERY MEAL, EVERY DAY like it counts. Don't give into cheating urges, make something allowed and yummy instead. The urge to cheat will pass....

Local Harvest lists CSA's all over the country, even in places you would not expect, in case this got your curious. This is not a sponsored post (I've never done a sponsored post) just my personal love of CSA's kind of took over here!

I Smell Zex and Candy

I'm a big fan of the comic xkcd and my husband forwarded this to me. This is how it often feels trying to explain to people how I lost my weight by reducing my sugar - they totally don't get it! The most common response is "Well, I don't really eat a lot of candy bars". Really, Um I didn't either. It's the sugar in your everyday food. The hidden sugars...

On a funny note, my blog was categorized by a major web security company as being a "ZEX" site.  Now I'm totally scared to even USE the word zex (minus the Z and add an S) because I think it will be miscategorized again :) Hilarious, except my blog was blocked at a lot of work places, libraries, airports, etc. It's fixed now, thankfully. 

I saw Jorge Cruise appeared on local San Diego TV recently. Here is a link if you'd like to check it out HERE. Said he was going to be on all week, so there should be more videos later. BTW I don't do any of these exercises of Jorge's. I do the Belly Fat Cure and Fast Track and I run (slowly), that is it.

I've been in a total funk lately, Vacation Withdrawal Depression. Is that a thing? Several people pointed out my problem is that I have not been running much the last few weeks. So it might actually be Running Withdrawal Depression? After getting a talk to from both my sisters, I put my running shoes back and on took to my very favorite trail. It kicked my ass for 8 miles, but that night I felt good and I slept good. This morning I was less sore, less cranky, less funky.

The Belly Fat Cure has always made my think of this Marcy's Playground song, but never more than this week! It's funky song, for a funky mood. Like Disco Lemonaide.... and Zex and Candy.

1 Year 100 Pounds: Month 4 Weigh In

Well, after a hectic March, April was a great month for me! Physically (and probably mentally!) I’m probably 90% better. Hip, feet, ankles and heart are all in a better place. I tested out my Achilles a couple of times; I can still feel the tightness walking down stairs, but other than that, there is no pain there. So enough of this! How did the scales look this morning?

 Ok – 5.6 pounds down for April for a total of 34.8 pounds since 1/1/12! While I did miss my 8 pound monthly goal, I’m still on target to lose 100 pounds this year and have stayed faithful to my grain-free plan. I can honestly say, I have not knowingly ingested any wheat or other grains in the last 4 months. So what do I eat?

 I am following the Wheat Belly Diet. This plan is very easy. And once you get un-addicted to those blobby carbs, there is little to no craving. The plan is unlimited vegetables (except potatoes or corn), raw nuts & seeds, meats, eggs and cheese. I can use extra virgin olive oil & coconut oil. There are other foods that I can have in limited quantities like berries, rice, oats, potatoes, beans or tofu. But besides frozen blueberries, I have rarely had the others. I don’t like to measure or track, so staying away from these foods moves the scales more and keeps me on track.

I love eating out and since I’m a working mom and wife, the opportunity arises quite often. The best places to go? Surprisingly, for me, it’s Mexican! Friends and family ask how I can possibly swim thru a menu of enchiladas, chips and tacos and stay grain free. It’s simple – I eat my salsa – with a spoon; my guacamole on my salad. I usually get some version of fajitas. My fav lunch spot will add mushrooms to the mix and let me substitute rice and beans for a salad. Hamburger joints easily convert to bunless (remember no ketchup!). I enjoy mongolian barbeque where you go thru a raw meat/vegetable bar and add oils or sauces and they cook it on a big wok. I just have to stay away from any sugary sounding sauces and stick with what I know…and skip the noodles or rice. I like hot wings (unbreaded) and dry rub barbequed smoked meats (no bbq sauce). Steak houses are easy, but I usually end up ordering salmon. So yah, I do eat out often.

Chicken with mushrooms and salad

Bunless bacon cheeseburger with the works

But I DO love to cook. I usually make a pot of some great vegetable soup once a week and I’ll have that for lunch a couple days a week, or dinner. I love roasted butternut squash soup, but I’m the only one in the family who likes it and it does take some time. I make a great chicken and vegetable soup and no one misses the noodles. I sauté up onions, celery, carrots and add baked or poached chicken breasts to it and add some broth. When I serve it up, a tablespoon of cilantro and a couple dashes of low sodium soy sauce adds an unbelievable aroma to the bowl. I also make a great chili. My secret there is that I add spinach, carrots and celery to the broth (in my vitamix) and no one is the wiser! Lots of taste and nutrition. Baked chicken marinated in Caesar dressing with parmesan sprinkled on top is a quick and easy go-to meal. I do a lot with cauliflower – bake, sauté, mash, puree. I make a mean meatza with a thin meat “crust” with veggies and cheese on top.

 For breakfast – I tend to go lighter. I usually grab a handful of raw almonds or pecans and have a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of cream and a sugar free hazelnut syrup. Yes – on Wheat Belly, I can have splenda or stevia. I use stevia if I add it; splenda if it’s already in there. I usually have a snack of string cheese or nuts or sometimes ¼ cup of frozen blueberries when I get home.

 Enough about food.

Wanna Ride?

May is going to be a great month for me. Tonight, the hubby and I are headed downtown to see Van Halen. A month ago, my feet would not have taken me there. I’m 20 pounds away from riding on the back of same hubby’s new hog. I’m going to attempt walking around the block in the evenings. I bought new undies cuz the old ones no longer clung to me for their life. (tmi – I know). I’m less than 2 months away from a great California vacation on the beach and amusement parks. So I’ve got a lot coming up and a LOT of motivation. Will May be the month you stick to your plan? Now you’ve gotten me excited! Are you?

 Sister M
************
1 Year 100 Pounds is written by my sister Misha who is on a journey to lose 100 lbs this year. She started Jan. 1 with a goal to lose about 8 lbs a month. Her issues with weight are very different than mine, but I thought my readers could really relate to her and she can definitely use the support. You can follow her weigh-ins and full story HERE.

Sanjay Gupta's Sugar Report

Dr. Sanjay Gupta did a special on 60 Minutes on sugar recently. I thought this was great for many reasons. For me, it 100% backs up Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure. You don't often see this in the mainstream media, and he does a great job of keeping it simple yet getting the message across. I've tried to include all the segments available from 60 Minutes and it is well worth your time to check out and share with friends and family curious about whether sugar is making them fat.

Main segment:


Interview with Sanjay Gupta on the segment:


How sugar TURNS to fat:


How fructose makes us fat:


Calories are not all equal:


Sugary drinks versus actual fruit:


Some people love Dr. Oz, but Dr. Sanjay Gupta is my favorite TV Doctor :) I have his first-ever fiction novel on my summer reading list too!

I wanted to say a super special thanks to all you who left comments for my sister. She wrote a little about the problems she is experiencing on her weight loss journey, but her body is truly revolting against the changes she is making. I did not experience ANY of these problems she has while losing weight, in fact my body felt better by week 2. All of the comments have meant a lot to her and keep her going on tough days! So thank you and XOXO from me to you for that gift to her. Her next weigh in is just right around the corner.

Vacation and Oprah

Me on Napili Beach

We had a wonderful time in Maui last week. We did part of the time in a simple beach front condo on a quiet bay and then last part at a big resort. One of the biggest perks of living in California is cheap airfare to Hawaii! Costs me less to fly there than to visit my family in Tulsa. I took that bikini, but I don't claim to look great in it. Weirdly, my stomach isn't my problem area, it is still my thighs. I sat in the shade and read Vanity Fair cover to cover (I love VF!), Eighteen Acres and the 4th book in the Game of Thrones series. I really love to read, but never find more than a few  minutes at a time to do it. So that was a big treat for me. We got in some really great snorkeling at the reef right on the beach and saw huge sea turtles pretty much every day. We took a whale watching boat trip, but could see the humpbacks just as good right from our beach! That was my favorite part. I did some standup paddle boarding and my boys did surfing lessons again. We played a big Phase 10 tourney and I was really impressed that my 7 yr old kept up with us. Overall it was a great family trip and I feel very fortunate.

Honestly, I used to obsess over food on vacation, because I can't eat in private on a trip. It would make me nervous thinking of meals, and I'd constantly be thinking about when I could eat next and wonder if that would satisfy me. But all that is gone... truly gone.

Favorite Dinner on Vacay: Filet and Scallops

That said, I did not stay grain-free on the trip. We enjoyed trying the local Hawaiian beers (and then trying them again!) I have been on maintenance for over 18 months, and I was not as strict with myself as I usually am. I stayed true to the Belly Fat Cure, aside for the alcohol. Mostly I didn't plan well and Maui's food options are very expensive and limited. But I think I'll be able to jump right back on the Fast Track and grain-free band wagon. I think it was a good time to take a little break from grain-free (I'm at about the six month mark with grain-free and was feeling a little constrained right before the trip).

I'd like to work on my arms before summer. They are kind of huge and I can preform tricks with them that make my kids laugh. Most of the time I can hide the flab, but I guess I could work on them too, right? Shut up or put up is my new motto for my arms :)

I am watching Oprah's Lifeclass tonight with Deepak and Perez Hilton. I LOVE Oprah and was able to attend one of her Lifeclass tours in person in Denver a few years ago. And I have secretly been a Perez fan for years, even back when he was mean and snarky. If you aren't familiar with Perez, he is a celebrity blogger who has lost nearly 80 lbs and really transformed himself, heart and body.  I admire when a person stands up and says "I'm sorry, I was wrong". That takes a lot of courage. I really recommend watching this episode. I have let negative thoughts run my life in the past and as part of the process when losing my weight, I learned to ignore them until they died away. I know some think overweight people reward themselves with food, I see maybe I was actually punishing myself with food in the past. Watch the show if you have time.

Guest Post: MiniChick's Bread Pudding

I'm on Spring Break this week with the family, but I asked my BFC blogging buddy MiniChick to guest with one of my favorite variations of the Minute Muffin. Please take a minute to check out her lovely blog, she is also grain-free and gluten-free.

*************

Oh my gosh, this is soooo good!!! The credit goes entirely to my sister. I told her about these muffins, and the next time I talked with her she told me that she made it this way and how good it was. What a great idea! 

Make the muffin as usual (I made the cinnamon version), but cook it in a bowl instead of a coffee cup. After you take it out of the microwave, pour 1/2 C. coconut milk (or almond milk) over the top of it. Let it sit a minute or two so it can seep down throughout the entire muffin. In the second picture you can see how the milk has seeped through to the bottom of the bowl. The muffin does not become mushy; it maintains it's shape and texture, it's just milky goodness moist. :) I took a scoop out of it so you could see what I mean.

 I was very surprised at how much the muffin was able to expand in the bowl; it almost completely filled the bowl! It was twice the size of the coffee cup version, and so much fluffier because of that. Whether I make a bread pudding out of it, or not, I'm making my muffin in a bowl from now on. If yours doesn't seem to get as fluffy try using 1/8 tsp. of baking soda, 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar, and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice instead of the baking powder. I haven't been using baking powder because it has cornstarch in it; maybe the baking soda and lemon juice creates more rising power. It's worth a try.

 Also, I wanted to let you know that I'm continuing to add ideas for variations of the coconut muffin in the comment section of that post. So, check there periodically to see what new ideas are there, and to add your own ongoing ideas for this wonderfully versatile muffin.