I'm Off To See The Wizard!

I'm leaving on a road trip to Southern California today and it's all about the Belly Fat Cure! I've known about this event since October when I joined a class and started the diet. This is the first thing that I wrote:


"I am blogging about my experience following Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure diet. I am 40 yrs old and have 40lbs to lose. I used to be "The Skinny Girl". Now I'm not!

.....

I have named my blog Me and Jorge, because this is about Me and my experience. Jorge's personality (charm and enthusiasm) is integral to this plan for Me. I hope to meet him in the Spring."

One day, to my surprise, a friend forwarded me video of Jorge talking about my blog and reading that exact statement! He called me his "Future Skinny Girl" and hearing those words motivated me beyond measure. How could I let Jorge down?! Ha! Most importantly, I didn't let myself down and I will be meeting Jorge 43.5 lbs lighter then I was that day.

This long weekend is all about ME, and while that sounds completely selfish I think it is really needed. No kids, cooking or T-Ball. My kids have playdates arranged out the yin-yang and the Husband has agreed to get home at a reasonable hour. All I have to worry about is me...

I'm stopping along the way to finally meet my BFC Buddy Dave in person. I'm so excited about that! Then its further South the BFC Spring Event. Here is what's on my check list:

* Photo with Jorge
* Meet a few readers and fellow BFCers
* Ask Jorge a few questions
* Learn about lifetime maintenance on the BFC
* A little relaxing time in the sun to read the first book I've bought in over a year... the Oprah Biography!
* Maybe another photo with Jorge... with his shirt off perhaps? I kid, I kid.
* Have fun!

All details will of course be reported here, follow me on twitter if you can't wait! I expect to hear lots about the Belly Fat Cure Fast Track Program he is developing and he has promised a few great surprises. If you have a question you want me to ask Jorge, post it here! If you are going to be there too, email me to meet up.

My Favorite Thing: Hulled Sunflower Seeds

A big part of my weight problem pre-Belly Fat Cure was snacking. I would eat very healthy dinners, skip breakfast and have whatever for lunch. But snacks were my real weakness. That is why I love these little things - Hulled Sunflower Seeds!

Jorge Cruise recommends lots of nuts on his plan, but I have a peanut allergy that hasn't been specifically diagnosed. Some other nuts trigger it too, so I have to be careful. Funny thing is that I asked to be tested by my Dr and she recommended that I just try all the nuts and note my reaction. I breakout in a rash on my chest and get cystic acne on my face. Soooooo I don't really want to do much testing! Its really ugly! The good thing about the allergy? It keeps me away from my favorite candy; Butterfinger, Snickers and Peanut M&Ms.

Sunflower seeds have a really great S/C Value of 0/1 with 0 grams Sugar/5 grams Carbs and 1 gram of Fiber for a 1/4 Cup. They are inexpensive too. I get the hulled bag of Roasted & Unsalted at Trader Joes for $1.29. Most stores carry them, even big chain grocery stores and gas stations. Which make them perfect to grab on the road. At first I preferred the Salted variety, of course who wouldn't! But I weened myself off those and get the Unsalted now.

My 8 yr old son and Husband really like them too, so that is always a plus. I packed them in my carry on for vacation and had them on the plane and took them to the beach everyday. They were perfect for between meals! I will totally be taking these on my roadtrip to "meet Jorge" too. While I do sometimes measure out a whole 1/4 Cup, more often then not, my Husband and I stand in the kitchen and pour little bits into our hands and snack. Sometimes we sprinkle them on top of a salad, but mostly we eat them by the handful.

What is your favorite low sugar snack?

Weigh in: Week 27 and I'm Shocked!

I realized this week that I have been on the Belly Fat Cure for 6 months now! That is by far the longest I have ever "been on a diet". I think it has really moved beyond a diet now, and truly is a lifestyle. I am very true to the plan, sticking with an S/C Value of 5/2 per meal and 15/6 per day max, but I was still a little shocked when I weighed in today... I lost 3 lbs this week. That is a total of 43.5 lbs lost and that puts me a 152.5. I am just a few pounds from my new goal weight. I noticed this week that when buying something that I weigh less than the fudged weight on my drivers license!

I weighed and was happy with what I saw, but it took me doing some math to figure out it was 3 lbs. A few weeks ago I had gained 3 lbs and that got me all confused. I actually had to read old blog posts and use a calculator to figure it out! I think that is good, and shows I'm not totally obsessed on the number on the scale all week... just one day of the week! Once I get to my new goal weight of 149, I'm looking forward to not standing on a scale so much.

The same week I gained weight, I fell while running and cut my hand. There was also a pain in my lower leg that was starting to intensify after running. It had been there for about a month and I'm pretty sure it was a stress fracture. So I've been taking it easy the last three weeks on my hiking/running and just started back into it regularly. Today I went, and it was hard and I couldn't run as much of as I could before. BUT my leg didn't hurt at all, so I think I'm all healed up. Keeping up a good exercise schedule is very difficult, about as difficult as staying 100% true to a diet I realized today. I do the same trail twice a week which is between 7.5 - 8.25 miles, I just try and to run more of it each time.


Lots of Jorge news too. This weekend I'm going to meet Jorge! (How pissed will I be if I don't actually "meet" Jorge? Very... but I'm going anyways) Please email me if you are going to be there too and want to meet up! He also has a new book available for pre-order on Amazon.com. I was able to get a preview of the book, I know some of you did too. It is basically Sugar, Carbohydrate, Fiber grams and the calculated S/C Value for thousands of items. There is a brief forward that also talks a bit about the Belly Fat Cure. A while back Sister M recommended the Biggest Loser Complete Calorie Counter Book for this same purpose. Looks like Jorge saw the same big gap in the book market too! He is also working on something called the Belly Fat Cure Fast Track, which a small group is doing with him right now and Amazon.com has listed as a future book too. It appears to be a more extreme version of the BFC, but I don't want to give any details until I know more on the program.

Sister M is MIA

In case you were wondering Sister M has gone MIA, diet-wise that is! It seems about the time I left on vacation she hit a speed bump in low sugar dieting and completely jumped ship. She way over did it on exercise one weekend and ended up gaining weight. The weight gain was upsetting and led to going off plan a bit, which I can really relate too. But that weight gain totally discouraged her further... and frankly I think she is avoiding me...

Her workplace is literally a diet war zone. Not only are there boxes of donuts in every meeting, coworkers will hold pastries under her nose to tempt her. They think its funny to try and get her to stray from her diet. I cannot imagine having to go through my day with those kinds of temptations! As a Stay at Home Mom, if I don't buy it I don't have to see it in my house. Other Mom's at school and my Husband are extremely supportive, and I've never once had someone wave food at me and say "Too bad for you!" My big temptations come from eating out and the California Budget Deficit (small family edition) has pretty much eliminated that all together for us.

If I didn't live 1725 miles away from her, here is what I would do: I'd come over bearing a bag of great Belly Fat Cure groceries. Maybe make her my favorite BFC dinner, pepperoni pita pizza with a spinach salad. To remind her how good the food is and that it doesn't taste like diet food. I'd bring my favorite tea and make us a big pot. We would plan a week's menu together and talk about cravings and what has worked best on them so far. I'd make a list of snacks that she can take on her 50th birthday cruise that is coming up, ones that worked great for me in Hawaii. I'd tell her not to overdo things, like the exercise. Baby steps are okay. I'd tell her its okay to slip up, we are human. Don't concentrate on the bad week (or two) but on all the other great weeks she has had on the plan. Put this behind you, and move on.

I told her I had a great photo of when she lost a lot of weight about the time my youngest was born. I kept promising to find it and send it, as she thought it would be really motivating. I was searching for a photo of my son's "baby steps" to include in this blog post tonight and I found it!

I know it's hard and it's easier to just give in and give up. But you CAN do this. Come back Sister M!

Best Breads on a Low Carb Diet

One of the things a LOVE about Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure is that it is a Low Sugar/Carb diet plan, but we can have bread! It just has to be the right bread. I've compiled a list of breads with great S/C Values here and where they are available. This list is just a starting point and not meant to be definitive! If your local stores don't carry these brands, just read the labels carefully find the most similar.

Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Light: Jorge mentions this bread in the book and it is readily available in most major chain grocery stores (Safeway, Krogers, etc). It is easy to find and priced very low, especially since it is 2 slices a serving, so it is a great choice!
Serving Size: 2    Sugar: 3    Carbs: 18     Fiber: 7    S/C Value: 3/1

Oroweat Double Fiber: This bread doesn't have the best S/C Value of the bunch, but its a good alternative that is easily found. I get it at Costco for a great price and this is what I serve my kids, who are not overweight. When I use this bread myself, I tend to do the sandwich open faced and just use the one slice of bread. I know the S/C Value isn't that great, but its the high fiber that goes along with this product that makes it a smart choice.
Serving Size: 1   Sugar: 2     Carbs: 16    Fiber: 6    S/C Value: 2/1

Alvarado St. Bakery Essentail Flax Seed Bread - This is my bread of choice on the BFC. I get mine at Trader Joe's in Northern California. The slices are a little small, but I always have one of these in the fridge and one in the freezer. If your Trader Joe's doesn't carry this, they should carry a TJ brand with the same S/C Values. My area Costco carries the Alvarado St line, but not this bread, which has half the sugar/carbs of the othes.
Serving Size: 2   Sugar: 3   Carbs: 15  Fiber: 3   S/C Value:

Ezekiel Bread: This bread is mentioned in the book, and Jorge frequently uses it in his recipes. Primarily available at specialty food stores, namely Whole Foods, in the refrigerated/freezer section. It is the only bread I know of that has 0 Sugar and my BFC twitter buddy John recommends it!
Serving Size: 1    Sugar: 0    Carbs: 14   Fiber: 3  S/C Value: 0/1

Henry's Market Sprouted Low Carb Flaxseed: Well, if you live near a Henry's Market, I am totally jealous! Along with this bread, which my BFC Buddy Dave says is the best, this chain carries so many great BFC items. When I'm in San Diego in a few weeks I will definitely be checking out Henry's!
Serving Size: 1   Sugar: 1   Carbs: 10    Fiber: 2    S/C Value: 1/1

Hamburger Buns:
Both Earthgrains and Oroweat have hamburger buns called Thin or Skinny Buns or Sandwich Thins brands that have great S/C Value with lots of fiber. These can be found at Costco and major grocery chains. They look like regular hamburger buns, but just much thinner. My kids are really picky eaters, but this is what we use now. They will be great for summer BBQs!

Weigh In: Week 26 on Vacation

So I followed up my worst week on the Belly Fat Cure with a week on vacation! Brilliant, right? Last time I weighed in I was up 3lbs, the first weight gain I had on the BFC. But right before I left I weighed again, and it was up even more! Grrrr... I was really upset about all this before we left, I just felt briefly out of control about eating and was so mad that basically one day had just ruined every thing. But that is all so dramatic, and one day can not ruin everything. So I jumped back on the wagon. Last week I was gone on Monday, so I don't have a weigh in for week 25, but for Week 26 I am down 1 pound. That puts me at 155.5 (up 2 lbs from my lowest).

A good friend said to me "treat yourself, you deserve to do that on vacation". But I totally did not take that advice! I really want to move beyond rewarding myself with food and it was pretty easy to do on this vacation. So I pretty much did what I said I was going to do! I did not really enjoy eating my La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious quesadilla on the plane ride, but I ate it and felt satisfied. Christine, a blog reader here, emailed to tell me she lost 2 lbs while on a cruise on the BFC, and that was really motivating too!

The hardest part? Passing up nightly ice cream or Hawaiian Ice with the kids. I took along 2 Green & Black's 85% Dark Chocolate bars and that really helped (and I ended up only eating one of them the whole week). Eating out Breakfast everyday, and seeing/smelling pancakes and French Toast would have been too hard. I packed a box of Uncle Sams instead. I sent the Husband and boys off to the restaurant and went for a 3 mile run nearly every morning and ate that dry cereal on the balcony. I grabbed the largest coffee I could find each morning later on the walk to the beach. Sunflower seeds and Pistachios were a big hit with the whole family on the beach, and we found Macadamia nuts to have an excellent S/C Value too.  One night we went to my favorite restaurant Roy's. It is a big splurge, but is really good. They were pushing pear flavored martini's, but I settled for glass of wine. They also pushed their famous chocolate soufflé, but I settled for watching the kids eat their sundae. My Husband was kind enough to pass on dessert every night, which really helped me. I'd say "get one if you want, I'm fine", but he didn't.

We had a really, really wonderful vacation. A last minute super discounted trip to Hawaii for our little family was just what we needed. The boys surfed, I paddle boarded and kayaked. We visited the set of Lost and even saw the never aging Richard from Lost at a restaurant. We saw whales, sea turtles and an old friend. I was really proud of myself for staying on the plan. It was completely hilarious when a friend emailed and said Jorge was also currently in Hawaii and talking about Macadamia nuts too!

A few funny things... the size 8 shorts I wanted didn't fit yet, so I didn't buy them and decided my old size 14s would be okay. So I put them on one day and they were just hanging off me. I could take them off without undoing them. I jokingly told my sons that I was like the teenagers at the mall. My 8 yr old said "You mean the ones where you can see all their underwear? Not a good look Mom." And he was right! But they were the only shorts I brought and the photos of me those shorts are awful! I discovered that almost all the clothes in my closet are all big. And clothes that are too big, don't look good on a person that has just lost weight!

I felt comfortable in my bathing suit, but not GREAT. That was a good step forward htough. The Husband snapped this when we were night snorkeling, and I think it unfairly shows me looking better then I did in the moment. But usually its the other way around right?! Usually you think you are all looking all good and then see the photo and think, "I looked like that?!" But it hides the thunderthighs and my badonkadonk, which are desperate for their own cure now! So I'm pushing towards the 140s...

Hi, my name is Amber and I'm a Carboholic

Today over at CarbSmart I'm talking about the effect of carbohydrates on my life.  I first realized I was addicted to carbs when I tried Atkins after the birth of my oldest son, but it has taken me years to find a way to really get control over the cravings. I hope you will take a moment to pop on over and read my article Hi, my name is Amber and I'm a Carboholic.

Product Review: Aged Parmesan Cheese Mini Crips

Looking for tasty, crunchy low Sugar/Carb snack? Aged Parmesan Cheese Mini Crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers fits the bill perfectly. I am a cheese and chip lover, so I was really pleased with these little crisps.

They really satisfied that crunchy snack need that only chips could have satisfied in the past. They have a really strong, aged cheese taste and are a bit salty. They are great as a snack or to serve with a dip at a party. They are 0grams Sugar/0grams Carbs for an unbeatable S/C Value of 0/0. There are about 50 crisps in a package. So my only complaint would be that there aren't enough in the little bag!

Rachael Ray featured them on her show a while back, and she liked them too! Like most low Sugar/Carb products, unfortunately they are difficult to find in stores (what is up with that!?) but their site says they are available Whole Foods. I haven't seen them there yet. Thankfully , they are also available at CarbSmart and Amazon.com.


Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of review. In no way did that effect my opinions on this product.

Checking in from Paradise

I thought I would check in mid-trip! Sister M is having trouble with her blogger account, so she isn't able to guest post this week as planned.

So far the trip has been fabulous! I'm so pleased that I'm comfortable in my bathing suit and beach clothes. I didn't buy new shorts because the 8s didn't fit, so I just brought my old ones. Well I look like a teenager are the mall with my rear sagging down and my underwear showing! My boys said it was not a good look, I think it looks better then too tight close!

I am extremely happy to report that staying on the Belly Fat Cure on vacation as been pretty easy.  My choices are pretty automatic.  I've been going for a morning run while the rest of the family eats out for breakfast.  Then I have my Uncle Sams cereal and grad a coffee on the walk to the beach. Lunch has been loaded cheeseburgers (avocado, mushrooms, jalepanos, pickles) with a salad. We had roadside BBQ chicken, no sauce,  and a BBQ at a friends house.  There have been a few temptations, but I haven't given in. I'm very happy I brought sunflower seeds and pistachios. I discovered Macadamian nuts the same day Jorge posted about them! They are 4 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber and 1 gram sugar. The nuts and higher fat lunch really keep me free from cravings! I'm surprised and thankful.

I hope you are all having a great week and thanks for all your well wishes! I hope Sister M updates because I'd love to hear how she did last week!

Vacation Planning on a Diet

Spring Break is right around the corner and we are taking a trip! Yippie! The family and I are headed to Hawaii for a week and I'm really looking forward to it. Me, a beach, sun and a book. Yes, that also includes screaming kids, sand in my underwear, a huge credit card bill from all the eating out and anxiety from my irrational fear of sharks. But its vacation! Yippie!

I won't be weighing in my Monday and Sister M has agreed to be my guest blogger for the week!

I even bought two new swimsuits. My old ones where all worn out, thin and too big. I'm really pleased with what I picked and I didn't need to cry in the dressing room. My thighs and rear end are still looking sad, but I'm really working on them! I am even going to take my running bra and shoes on the trip to run while I'm there and I'm looking forward to that.

Of course, I have a plan for eating. Several people have said to me "You deserve to splurge on vacation!" I don't plan on cheating on my vacation at all. I feel like I really am past rewarding myself with food (you know, except for with chips). That is no reward at all. I imagine there will be slip ups and times where my meal S/C Value go over 5/2. But I'm going to plan for success. That means no restaurant desserts, Hawaiian Ice or fruity frozen cocktails. And I can live with that. I don't want to deny myself at all. But what I really don't want to deny myself is a beautiful body, good health and freedom from sugar induced mood swings. So here is my plan:

Plane: (Its a long evening flight during dinner time)
Babybel cheese or Cheese Sticks
Sunflower seeds
Water or Bloody Mary Can mix (I think its the best beverage choice on the plane aside from seltzer water)
I'm going to my dinner at home for me and kids to eat on the plane: Chicken quesadillas made with the Smart & Delicious tortillas and a spinach salad.

Breakfast: This should be the easiest of the day, I'm taking a box of Uncle Sams, which I eat dry. I'll add some protein either in the form of a shake or a little cheese. I'm thinking of taking some singles packets of Jay Robb and Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk. I'll pack Sun Crystals (my Stevia sweetener of choice for now) and find a good Coffee place for my morning fix. I'll also pack a baggie of Benefiber to add to my morning coffee.

At the Beach: Sunflower seeds, salami and rice cakes. I'm packing some of the Stevita flavored sticks (Strawberry and Line) that CarbSmart sent me to mix with water. I'll review them when I get back.

Lunch: This will be the most difficult and take the most willpower. Its mind over matter! I love that on the Belly Fat Cure I can have a Fish Taco with all the fixin's.

Dinner: I'll stick with lean proteins and large amounts of green veggies to feel full. Avoid breads and sauces. I love seafood, so I'll go with that as a first choice.

Treats: I packed two 85% Dark Chocolate bars for evening cravings, protein shakes if I end up taking them.

And just in case, I've checked out McDonald's wonderful nutrition website. If we end up there for a quick meal at the airport or during the day, I know the good choices. Wish me luck! In a way it gives me longer to correct the weight gain from this week, but I don't eat out much so I'm a little scared too. But I think a tan will work wonders on my jiggly thighs....

Weigh in: Week 24, Worst Week Ever!

I knew this day was coming, but I was hiding from it pretty successfully. On my 24th week on the Belly Fat Cure I have GAINED weight. Boo, hiss. Today I am up a whooping 3 lbs. That's it, I quit!

Ha, just kidding. About the quiting I mean. The weight gain was real. On a positive note, that is the very first weight gain I have had in all these weeks. Sometimes I am up in the middle of the week, but it's the first one I've had on a Monday morning weigh in. It is normal to go up and down a bit on a diet, so I'm going to try really hard not to let this bump in the road totally trip me up. Speaking of bumps in the road....

I had one slip up the whole week, honestly I think it only contributed but isn't the full cause. I was weighing higher all week if I got on the scale. I felt a little bloated all week and my digestion was a sluggish. Then I fell while running on Friday and got cut up and bruised. I fell really hard, full body face plant, all the way to the ground kind of fall. Plus I was really stressed all week (car problems, tenant problems, vacation and tax planning, baby repeating Kindergarten issues) but I didn't reach out to food all week, until Friday.

Turns out, my worst enemy on a diet is not cake or sweets. It is a bag of Doritos. If they are in my possession, I am unable to monitor myself. This should be relatively simple to solve, right? No Doritos in the house! They are banned, I say banned! They were already banned, I thought, but my kids were having friends over for Movie & Pizza night after my disastrous Friday fall. I thought the chips would be fun too. I opened them and inhaled half the bag before I realized what I was even doing. Then I was fine all weekend, perfect for Easter. After I weighed  Monday on morning I was so let down, and thought, what the hell, I went back and finished that bag. No more Doritos in my house!

I beat myself up about it all night. I felt uncomfortably full, irritable and was blabbering on and on to my Husband how I had screwed it all up. He finally looked up from his laptop long enough to say "It was just ONE day Amber, get over it". So I thought about this little nugget of wisdom (hey, you have to take what you get!) and figured that I have  been on the Belly Fat Cure for about 168 days. And I'm going to be on it for many, many more days. Hundreds of days. So one terrible, very bad day is bound to happen. It's how you deal with the day after, and the day after that.

Part of me wanted to starve myself or do shakes for a day to make up for all those Carbs yesterday. But instead I just went right back on the wagon. No skipping or cutting corners. I'm going to dance with the one who brung me. The Belly Fat Cure got me this far and I'm trying hard not to let one day bring me down.

I would love to hear how you all have overcome weight gains while dieting. Was it the beginning of the end, or just a blip on a the radar?

Belly Fat Cure or Bust...

I got an invitation to go meet Jorge Cruise in San Diego at the end of the month! Jorge refers to this as his Belly Fat Cure Spring event and I'm pretty sure that everyone from my class last year was invited, along with those from the most recent Over 40 class. I'm really curious, did any of you also get the invite and are you going?

This event had been previously scheduled and now rescheduled with very little notice. In the beginning my BFC Buddies and I had big plans to all meet there. But now, sadly, it seems like I'll be the only one going. If you are going I would love to plan a meetup, so let me know. Knowing Jorge like I do (which is, actually, not at all) he will open the event up to more people as it gets closer.

In the  'About Me' section of the blog I mentioned that I hoped to meet Jorge at the end of this journey, and this was what I was talking about! So while I am genuinely disappointed I won't get to meet my buddies, I WILL get my photo taken with Jorge at my goal weight and be blogging all about it! And maybe I'll get to meet some of you all too!

UPDATE: Please email me at meandjorge@gmail.com if will be there and want to meet up!!

Sister M Weigh In: Wk 8 & Happy 50th Birthday!

My Sister M turned 50 Friday! I am so proud of her for sticking with the Belly Fat Cure even during her party. Wow, that really motivates me and makes me want to do even better. Her total loss so far is now 17 lbs I just calculated! I included a photo here that is of me at my 4th birthday party. Sister M would have been 13 yrs old and she dressed up as a clown called "Awesome". She didn't talk, but only played with me. We are nearly 10 yrs apart and this is my absolute favorite memory of her!  If you would like to read the full story of my Sister M, click here:
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Man - getting old sucks! I turned 50 yesterday and am trying to get over a bad cold. The family threw me a surprise party last night and we all suffered through not being able to kiss and hug like normal. I just pray that no one catches what I have. I so wished Amber and family could have traveled the 1000 miles, but she sent a super video tribute to me and I loved it.  So enough of this - I lost 3.5 pounds this week! Yay for the old gal!  I'm reluctant to report the whole loss, because I haven't been eating regularly and afraid that I'll gain some back when I'm back to better health, but I'll work even harder to show another loss next week!

This was the week of the avocado.  I ate at least 1/2 of one almost every day; sliced on my wrap, guacamole with pork rinds, or guacamole ranch dressing on a salad. Those good fats really do satiate and fiber count is high! 1 = 12 carbs, 9 grams of fiber, 0 sugar with 150 mg of Omega 3, and 2300 mg of Omega 6 fatty acids.

Yesterday - I was hungry after skipping breakfast and was craving Long John Silvers...so I looked up the nutrition information and ended up having 1 piece of chicken, 1 hush puppy and 1/2 order of fries, to stay under two servings of carbs for lunch. For dinner at my surprise party of pizza and cake, my sister JJ brought a bounty of Amber approved BFC veggies and dip and our mom brought a crockpot of navy beans, so I skipped the cake and pizza and was able to stay on plan and show a great loss this morning.

Hope this post finds everyone well and in a good state of mind.  Thanks to everyone for your comments. How do you overcome sickness or parties and anything else that tries to sabotage your best laid plans?

Tea for Two, Two for Tea

The best thing about a pot of hot tea or a pitcher of iced tea? Okay, there is not just one great thing about them! They have 0 Sugars and 0 Carbs, they reduce cravings and can fulfill a sweet tooth guiltlessly. They can warm you up or cool you down, as the case may be. Choose them right, and they are filled with antioxidants. Tea helped free me from my Coke Zero habit, which I am still in shock about. But my very favorite thing is that you can share them with a friend!

I love to invite a friend and her kids over, brew a pot of my current favorite and chat as our kids play together. I haven't always liked to do this, but I moved halfway across the country a little while back and really appreciate friendships and time with other women (and this time I have home with my boys) more now.

If I find a new tea I really like, I may hand a single bag of it off to a friend to try. I'm a "tea pusher" I guess. High Tea at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver is one of my favorite things in the world to do with my girlfriends there. Of course, that was before I was sugar free. My favorite Aunt recently sent me the tiny little egg and chick cups that she used to serve me tea in as a child. So I guess it has been a lifetime love affair.

I was really surprised when my younger brother came to visit me this winter and discovered he loves tea also! I got him hooked on the Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride. My Husband returned from a business trip to Egypt with a powder green tea that he will have in the evenings with me too. To me, it smells a little too much like gun powder...


I like more fruity, citrus flavors for my iced tea. I take a clear glass pitcher, filtered water, 1 black tea bag, one flavored and sit it outside in the sun for the morning. Ginger Peach is a favorite, as are variations of green tea. Sometimes I add lemon, but never sweetener (I put splenda in my iced tea pre-BFC). I like inexpensive teas and the nicer ones too, like Republic of Tea (green apple, acai, mint). For hot tea in the evening, I like richer flavors: vanilla, caramel and recently even chocolate. Right now, the Numi Chocolate Puerh is perfect. For evening tea, I add a little cream and one sweetener for the whole pot. For my evening tea, I make sure it is decaf.


My love of tea has really helped me on the Belly Fat Cure. It helps with my water intake and sugar reduction. It really helped me get past my cravings for soda in the first few weeks. I would love to hear what your favorite teas are!


A few of my current favorite:
l