Celebrating Our Birthdays

This past weekend was "our" birthdays... mine July 16th & my sweetie's July 18th.  We have tended to make a long weekend out of it and this was no different. We started on Thursday and went through Monday. LOL  Okay so an EXTRA long weekend. I am so lucky. I have a wonderful "Sister In Law" - whom I just call my sister because technically my guy & I are not married nor will we ever be until we're both retired at least and because she's just like a sister.  Her son, our nephew, also celebrates his birthday around ours so she invited us up to enjoy lasagna, drinks and cheesecake which started our "celebration" on Thursday. Yes, I ate all of those things and I did not gain an ounce. As a matter of fact all weekend we partook of quite a few delightful items only in smaller portions and we hit the gym (in my case the pool as I've explained so many times before) to work out.  We loved having the extra time to do what we wanted for as long as we wanted and I literally spent HOURS in the water. For me this is like a slice of heaven on earth..... okay that and the Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake & the Cheesecake. LOL   My lesson in this paragraph:  YOU CAN EAT THINGS THAT ARE "BAD FOR YOU" BUT YOU CAN'T EAT THE ENTIRE CHEESECAKE OR THE ENTIRE DQ CAKE! PORTION CONTROL AND BURNING IT OFF WHEN YOU'RE DONE CREATES THE PERFECT COMBINATION TO KEEP FROM GAINING!!!!!  *Side note here... I would have LOVED to enjoy both the entire cheesecake and the entire DQ Cake as I am a sweets-a-holic.  Instead of waking and enjoying leftover DQ cake for breakfast, I awoke and had a good for me, organic bowl of Banilla Low Fat Yogurt with Fiber One (technically I buy Wegman's Fiber Essentials which is much cheaper) for breakfast and got my creamy, sweet flavoring.  Was it a DQ cake? Hellz no.  But was it good?  Double hellz yeah!  End result almost a week of "misbehaving" as some would see it (I don't) but doing extra hours in the water and actually I lost 0.8 lbs.   So let me recap this... I ate out almost every day of the week from Thursday THROUGH Monday.  I ate cheesecake.  I ate lasagna. I ate a steak (purchased the smallest one & cut it in half & accidentally dropped it.. oops on the floor so it was inedible) with steamed veggies (which I didn't really eat a ton of & mashed taties (which I ate all of).  I ate 2 pieces of DQ Cake (but normal sized pieces not 1/2 the cake per slice, nor did I allow myself to go back to eat more and more and more).  I also filled up on some good foods in the mornings to take me through the day so my portions would be reasonable.  I filled up on things like my organic yogurt with fiber cereal in it (did I mention that already? LOL), LaraBars = high protein and filling, took me well into late afternoon. When I was craving some sweetness I gave in to a fiber bar and not a candy bar (which I had eyed up at the checkout I might add) or once again my love and addiction - Stonyfield Banilla Yogurt with a few carob chips or a few Fiber One Caramel Delight pieces of cereal in it.

I  will confess to spending more than "normal" times both at the gym/pool - I was truly in heaven doing that because it was hot out plus I just love being in that water.  When I'm in the water I literally NEVER stop moving. I go to the deep end and if nothing else tread water for over an hour on top of whatever "exercising" I do.  I also confess, *smile included*, to spending a few more hours um... snuggling with my man & burning some calories too.  May I add that this is a WONDERFUL way to burn calories and stretch muscles... just saying. Celebrating has become more of an occasion than it ever was before for my/our birthdays yet we didn't really "buy" each other gifts or over indulge in huge cakes made for 20 people and only shared with 5 others.  We bought an ice cream cake to last the entire weekend that was made to feed 10-12 and fed 9 of us (keeping normal portion sizes).  We dined out together with friends and alone but ordered using our brains. I didn't go for the fried things and eat double portions that were brought out.  I did however indulge in some spinach artichoke dip (everyone gasp.. do you know the calories, the fat, etc. in this?!) but I didn't wipe out the entire bowl myself.  Three of us enjoyed it and had some left, of which the waitress asked if we wanted to take home and I quickly answered NO.  Any other time both myself and my sweetie would have answered YES thinking (a.) We paid for it, we're eating it all - But instead this time thinking "We paid for it and enjoyed it immensely, that was good, now we're done!" and (b.) We can eat that again later! - Instead realizing that we treated ourselves this time and that's all we needed.  Again, the lesson here is that celebration (as long as we are American or heck even 90% of the human race) revolves around food. We're not going to change that. It's expected. I'm certain if I had invited everyone over for an hour at the gym to celebrate our birthdays they would have looked at me like I was from Mars.  It's okay that we expect to celebrate with food but what we need to do is rethink how much food, how often, how big of portions and most of all what do we do to compensate for the indulgence?  In our case we truly would have fallen in the class of over-indulging a bit but then again in comparison to our old lifestyle we weren't even close to what we would have done. I would have eaten that entire 9 oz. steak! I would have eaten 2 DQ Cakes to celebrate (1 for day 1 with friends & 1 for day 2 with friends). I would have had that 2nd piece of lasagna easily, without even thinking. Instead I stepped away from the food and played with the kids and laughed. My end result was still indulging in some wonderful foods that I don't have often but love and also finding as much enjoyment in the company and the workouts (I use that word in a much different sense than others I'm sure) at the gym/pool to make up for the over indulgence.  In a nutshell..... We Have Changed Our Way Of Life!

On the "Weight Loss Front" I am at about 118 lbs lost thus far (I know I have to update my bar on top). I seem to be keeping that nasty 8 lbs that kept fluctuating back and forth off finally.  I also am reviewing a new book for an author called "Eat All Day - Drink All Day: A Never-Hungry way to get slim and stay slim" by D.G. Long.  At a glance the book has some great recipes in it and it may be just what I need to continue my thought process on my lifestyle while changing up some foods. You'll have to check out my Book Blog listed below when I'm done with it to see how it's worked for me and what I think.  I won't lie about a book, believe me. What I will do is find the positives in it as much as possible because I think anyone who takes the time to write and publish a book deserves that before they deserve to be beat down for the bad points; but I will point out what I find to be the bad points too if needed.

The love of my life is at about 48lbs off so far (since April 2011) and was amazed he lost this week. Again this is a man who went from eating healthy foods when he met me (he had no choice) but in huge quantities to eating healthy foods in proper portions AND moving again. He had gone 30 years since he'd even seen the inside of the YMCA nearby and together we've made it a regular stop at least 3-4 times a week or more.  He loves the new lifestyle, the way he feels and he glows when he tells others about how he's changed.  There's so much to be said about changing your lifestyle, not just dieting again. He decided this "long weekend" would be a real off the typical lifestyle weekend but in the end he realized how much different we think now that our typical lifestyle is so much healthier. He couldn't wait to get to that gym every day he was off. It was unreal. He's looking so good and feeling sooooo much better too. That's the most important part.  I could care less about a big belly or a big butt, etc.  What I want is the healthy aspect of it. I want to avoid diabetes, cholesterol drugs and blood pressure medications if we have the ability to do so.  I think we are finding out we definitely have the ability to do so and the byproduct of this change in lifestyle is that the weight is just coming off.  He weighs himself weekly or so. I weigh myself once a month anymore. I don't really care what the weight is, I can tell by the way I feel and my body itself.  To me it's the same if I lose 2 lbs or 12 lbs, I feel better.  Yes, it does feel good to watch my clothing change in the way it fits or go try on a size I've been in for the past 8 months or so and realize it's too big but I don't bank on the numbers. I bank on the feeling & I encourage you to do the same.

I leave you with this thought.... if you're on the line about "dieting" I say this: Don't do it!  Dieting is not a lifestyle.  Dieting is a life change that is temporary.  Instead think long and hard about your life and how you can change completely, wholly, to bring out the real you that God created.  If I can do it, you can do it.  If the love of my life can do it, you can do it.  Most of all, if you have even an ounce of love for yourself and those around you... you can do this.  Make the choice to change your lifestyle not just start "dieting" because it's really true that DIETING begins with 3 letters that just proves you are going to feel deprived "DIE" and you don't want to DIE... you want to LIVE.  Changing LIFEstyle begins with the words you want to.... LIFE.  Best of luck and please feel free to share your ideas, your recipes, your thoughts here on how you are becoming a more healthy person by changing your lifestyle.

Wish me luck on my journey to trying to "eat more clean" and  healthy! 
Take care of the one body God gave you, please... before it's too late.
Inspire someone you love to do the same.
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean" and losing weight by changing to a healthy lifestyle!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

 Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter! His tips were very inspirational in helping me take many of his routines to the water so I have less pain while being able to move!



 

 BWJEN - Another WW Buddy and a 'bookworm' too!?



.



Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Changing Lifestyle - Not Dieting

I really need to start making more time for blogging. I have so much going on in my life and so much to share but rarely take the time to do so here! I promise I'll try harder!

I  am a "grandma" as of about 5 months ago. My son & his girlfriend had a baby.  While I'm definitely not "thrilled" in many ways because of many reasons (biggest being he's 19 & not married & very unstable as a mature adult living with a very psychotic woman who has some major issues) but I must confess to being fully in love with the little guy that will eventually call me "Gramma" or whatever he ends up calling me.  First I have to share a pic or two.  Here's Ryan at 5 months (taken in July 2011) just giving that adorable smile he gives to melt your heart.  He's a sweetie for sure!

On the "Weight Loss Front" I've really been at a plateau but I must confess I lost the drive I had when I lost my first 100 lbs.  I seemed to be fanatical and while I still eat the same I'm not nearly as fanatical and dine out more often now too.  I don't care what anyone says, you CAN dine out but it tends to lead to bad choices for most of us and when done too often it just isn't a healthy lifestyle.  I have, however, been able to maintain and have small losses.  At one point I had gained about 25lbs or so back of the 100 I lost but I'm not only holding steady at the 100 lost but added on another 10 or so lost thus far.  Part of my issue is not being able to get out on my own anymore. I have no car during the week to get to the gym (I swim and "run/walk" in the pool plus do a bit of aerobics in the pool to keep my back from totally breaking/hurting) like I did when I lost the first 100 lbs and while it's an excuse because I could bus it I just don't.  BUT... I do get there as often as possible with my guy when he's off from work. Sometimes we'll hit the pool after his work but not often. He comes home exhausted from the heat and long days so that's generally limited to once a week during the work week.  But he only works 4 days a week so we generally do get there Friday, Saturday & Sunday.  When he has vacation (like the 4th of July vacation time... 11 days off) we went EVERY day with the exception of one - which was because of my MS & the fact that I literally slept 21 out of 24 hours that day.  So I'm at least getting 3 days a week workout.

The bad part is that I can't do much unless it is in the pool. For those that don't know I had cancer 6x of which the radiation & chemo has led to the deterioration of my spine & literally a crumbling spine. A neurosurgeon has said I shouldn't even be walking (who listens to doctors anyways? LOL) and that there's no way he would operate because my spine is so weak he can't assure that he'd cripple me and have my spine crumble if he were to "fix" the issues at hand from it all.  I'm in constant pain and live on morphine that controls the pain as much as possible but I have good and bad days.  Add to that the Multiple Sclerosis and you can understand why my "workouts" aren't typical and I am very limited.  I got the Dance Vibes Wii game hoping I could do that and once in a while I can but most of the time it results in me being "down" for a few days afterwards with pain so it's not worth it.  I've found the best workout for me is anything I can do on land being taken to the pool.  I jog/run in the pool, walk, do aerobics, swim & tread water for a minimum of an hour when I "workout" and it's truly been a God send as far as finding a way to do any exercise to lose weight without literally putting myself in a vegetative state from pain.  I highly suggest that anyone that suffers from joint or back pain from any reason who feels they cannot "workout" due to that pain to try working in the pool. It's also how my fiance has lost his first 45 lbs so far (since April) without having back aches & joint aches from the pressure of his weight on his body. He also plays some "fun" basketball by himself, just shooting hoops and working up a bit of sweat before showering and getting into the pool to "walk" for about 1/2 hour or so with me in the water but he doesn't have the chronic pain issues either so he can do that.  It's funny but he commented not too long ago that he never realized he could "exercise" without being forced to do things he hated to do. He's played hoops since he was a kid and loves it so I showed him that just walking around, slight jog, shooting hoops can work up a sweat when you're out of shape and haven't left the couch in 30 years and THAT is called "exercise" even if it's not a set class or on a machine.  When he realized simply moving made a difference he couldn't believe that losing weight has been so easy for him.  Of course he's changed his lifestyle in eating but not as much as he thought he'd have to.

As lot of people think that "dieting" is the way to lose weight.  It's not. Simply put "dieting" is a form of deprivation that will result in you going back to your old ways and regaining your weight PLUS more. I am proof of that because of my most recent weight issues.  I had lost 118 lbs total but had gained back about 25 of that by not really doing much exercise plus being a glutton when it came to "treats" I would allow myself. What used to be a rare indulgence was once again becoming an indulgence more and more often.  Basically I was resorting back to my "old lifestyle" and the result was a weight gain.  BUT I was also making sure that I was still buying the same foods, along with the bad for me stuff I was starting to go back to.  I continued to eat my organic yogurts and cereals, etc. along with my bad foods and I am certain that THIS was a major factor in not gaining back more of the weight.  End result, I've put myself back on the path I was on and have lost all but 8 lbs of the original weight lost (I'm at about 110 lbs total right now) and the best part is I feel like me again.  My whole reason for sharing this is that I want people to know that even if you do (and as a human you WILL) start to fall back to your old lifestyle, make sure you continue to purchase those items that you've utilized to have your weight loss from the start because losing weight is NOT a diet - it is a lifestyle change.  You have to be sure you don't resort back to your old lifestyle completely and when you find yourself falling towards that direction catch it and as long as  you've continued to eat the whole grains , the lower calorie/fat foods, the organic foods, etc. that you had success with you may have a gain by going back to those 'bad for you' foods but it won't be nearly as bad as if you were to stop buying the items you've found to be your 'good for you' foods.  In my case, in a years time I had only gained 25-28 lbs at the most and took that back off again almost as soon as I started to get back to the gym and start behaving myself.

My love of sweets and ice cream will never end so I wouldn't be realistic to think I'm going to "diet" and not eat them.  Doing so would only make me feel deprived and angry; resorting in me going back to eating like I did.  Instead I found alternative items.  I still eat ice cream but I eat Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and treats that are lower in calories and fat (yes I know this is not "clean eating" & I am not a perfect clean eater although that is something I am striving for).  I know I'm not going to NEVER eat a piece of cake or cookies so I either make my own organic, lower calorie, high fiber style of sweets (including cookies to die for) and make smaller batches so I don't over indulge.  I eat bowls of Stonyfield Organic yogurts with oats or fiber cereal instead of big bowls of full fat ice cream with all the toppings.  I try new "recipes" that I find or create myself.  When I used to not even scoff at spending $20 on a pizza with all the toppings I now gasp at that thought while not even scoffing at $4 for a container of organic Greek Yogurt that I'm going to be trying a new "frozen yogurt treat" recipe with or $8 for a container of herbs to help me stay healthy.  I spend $60 a month for a couples membership to a gym without even noticing instead of going out to dinner 5x a week spending at least that.  My point is, priorities have to change and lifestyle has to do a complete 180 to the other side.  Sometimes you're going to slide a few degrees but don't allow yourself to do a 360 all the way back to the way you were.  Let yourself enjoy that INFREQUENT indulgence of a DQ Blizzard (can ya tell what I treated myself to yesterday? LOL) or go ahead and buy a bag of skittles (just not the super sized pound bag but instead a single, small bag) to get rid of that craving.  Basically you have to be realistic about your body, your traits, your former lifestyle and your current lifestyle.

This weekend is my fiance and my birthdays.  We will be celebrating but we have made a promise that we will also be sure to hit the gym as part of our celebration.  We are buying an ice cream cake but ONE to share with many people and combining it for both our birthdays.  This gives us the indulgence one time, as opposed to two times in a matter of 3 days yet not over indulge.  OVER indulgence is what made me obese, not indulgence. In the end, we will do most of our celebrating without food but instead with activities that will burn a few calories and make our birthdays special.  In the end we are simply making it so we will enjoy more birthdays than we previously would have ever seen if we had continued our lifestyle and most of all, giving ourselves more time together.  I didn't find him until late in life so I refuse to give up years we could have together because of poor lifestyles.  Instead we plan to grow old together much longer than we would have had the chance to do with our former lifestyle and we will continue our changed lifestyle so we can hopefully spend a long, long time together enjoying life as we've now seen it can be.

I leave you with this thought.... if you're on the line about "dieting" I say this: Don't do it!  Dieting is not a lifestyle.  Dieting is a life change that is temporary.  Instead think long and hard about your life and how you can change completely, wholly, to bring out the real you that God created.  You were not born obese and you did not get there by eating one candy bar or stopping for one beer.  You will not lose weight by not eating anything you like for the next 6 weeks or even year.  You will only get healthier and in that process lose weight by changing your entire lifestyle, changing your entire way of thinking about you, your life, how you spend your money and what's "worth" the price in various ways from financially to health wise when it comes to lifestyle.  Nobody can make you change your lifestyle and you're not going to do it if  you think it's going to be miserable. YOU have to find a way to create your own lifestyle and be able to enjoy it while getting healthy.  If I can do it, you can do it.  If the love of my life can do it, you can do it.  Most of all, if you have even an ounce of love for yourself and those around you... you can do this.  Make the choice to change your lifestyle not just start "dieting" because it's really true that DIETING begins with 3 letters that just proves you are going to feel deprived "DIE" and you don't want to DIE... you want to LIVE.  Changing LIFEstyle begins with the words you want to.... LIFE.  Best of luck and please feel free to share your ideas, your recipes, your thoughts here on how you are becoming a more healthy person by changing your lifestyle.

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
Take care of the one body God gave you, please... before it's too late.
Inspire someone you love to do the same.
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean" and losing weight by changing to a healthy lifestyle!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

 Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter! His tips were very inspirational in helping me take many of his routines to the water so I have less pain while being able to move!



 

 BWJEN - Another WW Buddy and a 'bookworm' too!?



.



Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

WHEN YOU CAN'T GET TO THE GYM...

I don't have a car during the week so I often am stuck at home. Contrary to what many believe, it's not as horrible as it sounds. With my chronic pain, many days I'm on high amounts of medication so although I'm not even close to "high" from them I think it's best not to drive as if I were to get in an accident and someone truly question I could get in a lot of trouble. I actually like not driving that much anymore. But the bad part is, I'm stuck NOT going to the gym more often than going.

When I do hit the gym it's ALWAYS to use the pool. In the pool the weightlessness of my body does amazing things to my chronic back pain. I've had cancer 6 times and the treatments have left me with a crumbling spine, degenerative discs, bulging discs and a ton more down my entire spine from my neck to my tailbone.  The ability to take almost all the pressure off my spine and move is nothing short of miraculous to me and one of the few times I feel ALMOST pain free in my life. You can imagine I love going to the gym/pool often and try to get there as much as I can.  While in the pool I "run". I used to be an avid "runner" and miss that adrenaline. In the water, running can take place because of the lack of pressure to my back. It also burns 2x the calories running in the water versus land so that's a huge plus! I also do a lot of treading, water aerobics, etc. to work all the muscles and hopefully burn some calories. To be honest, I could care less if I lost a pound more as long as I kept feeling healthy and going in that pool keeps me feeling healthy.

So what do I do when I can't make it to the gym?  As strange as some of these may sound, it truly does help burn off a few calories and get me moving a bit.  Of course everything is based upon my pain levels for that day but I can always change up how I do certain things to alleviate any pressure or jarring of my back.  Here's a few tips on how to just burn a bit without having to get to the gym.

• Use the Wii - I love my Wii! I'm thinking I'd love to get the Xbox360 with Kinects too but that's not in my budget so I keep hoping Wii has something similar that will come out at a decent price but until then I'll use what I have.  Some of my favorite things to do is spend various amounts of time (again based upon my pain levels that day) playing Wii games. Some of my faves: Baseball, Tennis, Golf, Bowling and my all time newest fave Just Dance.  I have to be careful with the Just Dance game because it's very easy for me to forget I'm not able to do certain things and I make myself hurt more for the next 3 days or so because I'm pig headed but all in all I keep it at a low level. I've always loved to dance so this is a great way for me to do so in a modified method, without being out in front of others.  Might I add I would NEVER do the Just Dance in front of others. I'm certain, for me, it's just not pretty! LOL
  
  
• Get Out The Cans... with having lost the weight I've lost I've always been concerned about those "floppy arms" that former fatties get when they lose a lot of weight. For this reason alone, I've been adamant about making sure I do exercises for my arms. I don't care if it's minimal exercising, it's still tightening up my "water wings" and can often be the exercise I pick on high pain days. As simple as it sounds, pulling out 2 soup cans and "lifting weights" with them truly helps tone those muscles.  I do this a lot when my pain levels are high because I can literally sit in a chair where my back is supported and lift the cans. I follow some very typical moves that are basic weight lifting techniques in order to tone your arms. It's minimal, but it's something and always better than just sitting on the couch!
  
• Yoga/Meditation... while we're not talking about a huge number of calories being burned we are talking about pain management and relaxation. I can't get silly with the Yoga poses but I can do a few that don't twist and push on my back hard.  Again, when I find pain levels getting out of hand one of my absolute FAVORITE places to go to on the web is Meditation For Health with Dr. Puff. It's TOTALLY free podcasts and he even offers some iTune downloads if you want to take it with you or put it on your iPod.  I'm truly a beginner but I started with podcast number 1 and keep going from there. It's amazing what meditation can do for you.  They also show you man techniques as they explain how to do them.  Meditation is truly one of my new favorite ways of relaxation and pain management. The breathing and focusing, while not high calorie burning, do bring your body in tune and I can't imagine they do anything but benefit.  It's also a great way to take your mind off food if you want to eat due to boredom.  I've often gone to a podcast when I'm craving sweets and after 15 minutes the craving's gone and I'm relaxed! Check it out.
  
  
• Turn on The Music ... years ago I was inspired by the morbidly obese Mexican man when I was watching a TV show about how he was losing weight. One of the things he did was "dance" in his bed. Here was this man, over 800 pounds, stuck in bed because of his problem with eating and he was finding a way to "exercise".  I thought about it. At the time I was close to bed ridden myself from pain that we couldn't get under control. I decided if this man could do it, my excuse of "it hurts to get up and move" was no longer an excuse. I often would sit in a comfy chair or even in my bed and "rock it out" to my favorite music.  So turn on the tunes, if you can't or don't feel like getting up off that couch or bed or chair... you don't have to... simply rock it out sitting there. You'll be amazed that given enough time and the right moves you can actually work up a sweat or at least you're burning SOME calories and getting some muscles moving! Go ahead, pull out those old CDs you've been meaning to listen to and boogie.  Nobody has to even know you do it!

So that's a few of the ways I manage to still "keep moving" or burning some calories even though I can't make it to the gym.  One other thing I do is find some exercise programs on our local cable network. While most of the time I can't participate in much of the movements I can usually find a thing or two I can do and keep moving.  If there's a will, there's a way. Believe me, I've made every excuse in the book how NOT to be active.  If you really want to change it's time to do it and find what works for you.  I'll share a secret... most people are not those die hard, "let's pump it up" types you see on television or read about in fitness magazines.  Most of us are busy with our lives and need to MAKE time and find ways to get moving. Ever calorie you burn, every muscle you move is a step closer to being fit.  Don't make it a numbers game.  Make it a game of fitness, of feeling good and of living longer and in better condition.  Your body was meant to be taken care of and it's time you do it! No excuses!!! Share your secrets to what you do when you can't get to the gym to work out! And until next time.....

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean" and losing weight by changing to a healthy lifestyle!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Gotta Have Bread

I will confess, I am a bread freak! I love my bread, plain & simple and I refuse to give it up. This is one area where I won't negotiate... I will never be without my bread! But how do you approach it with a healthier lifestyle approach?  Many will argue that it's very simple, you either "can't" have it or you can't have anything but the gluten free, non-flour, all whole types. To them I say... "good for you, enjoy it". But for me I say, "there has to be something out there that tastes good and is somewhat healthy".

There certainly is no longer any shortage of brands out there that are low in fat, high in fiber, low in calories! The real issue is, which ones truly work for you. Everyone's different so what I love may not be what you love, but  here are a few of my absolute "Can't Do Without" breads and what I use them for. I will however confess, I can be seen visiting Panera Bread once in a while to grab a loaf of asiago bread or some other absolutely divine, hearty bread for a pannini! Like everything, I think in moderation I'll be just fine with it & I don't treat myself often, as I know I can't behave!

So here are some of my faves in the bread aisle:

• Sandwich Thins - originally Arnold's were the only ones out there in my area but now there are tons. These are simple, round slices to create sandwiches in and come in a variety of types from Whole Grain White to Multi-Grain, Honey Wheat, Rye or Wheat. They're plain, simple and do the job of giving you a fairly healthy option, high in fiber, low in calories and decent in taste for making your sandwich. I love the rye sandwich thin for my ham and swiss melts! IowaGeek has some neat ideas for using the sandwich thins in a variety of ways!
  
  
• Italian Sub Thins - much like the bread above, these "thins" are a version created that is longer for a sub style sandwich. While they seem to accommodate sandwiches a bit easier since they're long, they don't offer any extra flavor or "beefiness" to your sandwich. They're good and serve their purpose as both a sub roll and a hot dog roll (although they do offer a specific thin for hot dogs too)
  
  
• Bagel Thins - These top my list for both sandwiches and stand alone. I always

  

  4 Pt. Cajun Egg White Bagel Sandwich

  purchase both styles, the plain and the "everything" bagel thin. I use the plain when I have a flavorful meat that I don't want extra flavors coming from the bread. I use the everything when I want a bagel (yes these really do hit that craving with a pack of Laughing Cow light and creamy swiss, which is almost like cream cheese) or when I have something that can handle the full flavor of a combination of sesame seed, poppy seed, onion and garlic. As you can see by my picture here, I also LOVE using them for breakfast sandwiches!
  
  
• Ezekiel Breads - these are actually one of the healthiest in terms of content but they're not exactly low in calories. They offer quite an array of flavors and generally are kept in the freezer to extend the life. They have NO additives so this bread is the REAL thing, like great grandmum used to make, without the chemicals and additives to give it a long shelf life. No big problem though with freezing it because it tends to pop apart easily and toasts up well. My favorite is the Sesame Seed bread because it has just a touch of sweetness to it when toasted. I tend to toast it and slide just a hint of peanut butter across the top to get a little protein. Downside is, if you're counting points 1 slice is pretty much all you're going to want toast up for a light breakfast with some fruit or juice on the side. For some reason I always use these breads for toasting or making French toast as opposed to sandwiches. I'm not sure why. It could be a texture thing, a flavor thing, I really don't know but it's my go to when I want toast or am making French toast. Plus side: it's hearty and completely natural! They're made by Food For Life, who also offers an array of other items! Check them out here!
  
  
• Naan Bread - you have to read the labels on these and be sure you realize what a serving is! I love these for instant and delicious Naan Pizzas! They come in so many different flavors!

Please feel free to share some of your favorite breads or styles to use the ones I've mentioned!

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Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean" and losing weight by changing to a healthy lifestyle!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Purple Potatoes Galore

My "sweetie" had commented nearly a year ago that he was dying to try something he once read or heard about called "Blue Potatoes" or sometimes also referred to as "Purple Potatoes".  He said that they claimed these strange colored potatoes made "the absolute best, most phenomenal mashed potatoes, ever!" So of course it became a mission for him to find these great little spuds. But it wasn't exactly easy!

We don't exactly live in a large city where "different" and adventurous fruits and veggies can be easy to find. If it's not pretty "main stream" it can be quite difficult to find here in Erie, PA.  Lucky for us we have a WONDERFUL grocery store called Wegmans, that is so customer service oriented that it's rare they will tell you "sorry we don't carry that and can't get it for you" unless it's pretty obscure or nearly impossible to buy it and re-sell enough to at least pay for what they purchased. Seriously, it is THE ONLY place we shop for our groceries and for many reasons... customer service being first and foremost. (No, I don't work for them, nor does anyone in my family.... so honestly just because I mention them ALL the time doesn't mean I get a paycheck... but I'll take one if they'd like to! LOL) Here's a link directly to the product itself at the Wegman's site that gives all the nutritional information also! Note that your local grocer may not have the item but ask!!!! That's how we got the store we visit regularly to start ordering them and then by word of mouth and just putting them out there, they've become an intriguingly new addition to a lot of tables in the Erie area!

So I began investigating the "Blue Potato" aka "Purple Potato" and contacted the produce manager at Wegman's (on West 23rd) who quickly did his own investigating and came back with an email that said basically... "Sure, we can get them and should have them in store within 2 weeks!".   And so the love affair began.

They aren't exactly the "prettiest" potato you will ever see. The taste is what I would call somewhat "earthy" and if there is such a thing a little more "hearty" potato flavor. They are definitely odd looking, both on the inside and out. I expected that only the skin would be purple/blue but nay, nay... the inside is just as purple and quite interesting looking. The first batch Wegman's had ordered for us seemed to be very small, almost the size of a "new red potato".  I wasn't too sure about mashing these as my first thought was "to mash them you generally peel and boil" and these little babies weren't exactly large enough to truly peel but then after thinking about it I realized DUH, when you make mashed new reds you generally wash the potato, boil it and mash, pulling the skins out a bit while mashing while leaving a few in the finished dish. So I decided to do just that. I do need to add that you have to be careful to NOT overcook these beauties because they tend to get super mushy if you do. They don't hold their shape well and are what are considered a "medium starch" content, compared to other potato varieties. The second batch we bought were much larger (I kind of liked the bigger version because you could bake them better) and close to the size of a small, average white russet potato.

We also baked them and they were quite delicious this way also. So after doing the "basics" with these little beauties I decided to find a few other recipes. Here are a few I've found, but haven't tried yet. We tend to buy them in small quantities as they are around $1.69 I believe per pound (which can add up quick with potatoes). We generally end up with between 3 and 4 pounds each purchase and if we're making mashed it takes about 1/2 of that or a little more, leaving 2 or 4 for baking.  Since we've tried our 2 favorite and typical ways to enjoy these spuds, it's now time to try a few other recipes.

• Fork Crushed Purple Potatoes - a simple, yet interesting combination of purple potatoes, shallots, lemon, olive oil, parsley and sea salt.
  
• Herby Purple Potatoes - while the pictures on this site don't really make me want to run out and make them, the ingredients sound delicious enough to definitely give them a try!
  
• Purple Spanish Tortilla - this is more of a frittata to me but WOW does it look amazingly good. THIS is my NEXT recipe to try for sure! Can't wait! (See the picture to the right of this one!)
  
• Marinated Purple Potatoes - this is more of a "potato salad" style recipe but looks very delicious. My guy won't go for the "heat" but I'm thinking I can tone it down and bit and I think in place of ricotta cheese I may do a fat free feta.
  

Why purple potatoes, you may ask? Well, I wondered the same thing. Our original reason for purchasing them was simply based upon the words "best mashed potatoes you will ever eat".  I'm not sure I'd go with that completely, but they are definitely the most interesting mashed potato you will ever try. If the color alone doesn't start a great conversation nothing will. But what are the real reasons for these strange creatures to dress your table, other than great color & a conversation piece? 

Purple potatoes were "created" so to speak in 2006, according to NYMag.Com, in Colorado. They were a natural cross breed, created for the main reason of making a high antioxidant potato. They wanted an almost "Super Spud" so to speak that was blessed with the normal great vitamins and health benefits of the potato along with super high antioxidant levels. They were brought mainstream by chef Alex Paffenroth of The Greenmarket and seemed to kind of take hold with a lot of different chefs after that.

Wish me luck on my journey to "eating clean" and  healthy! 
And please feel free to comment and share ideas for trying to live and eat "clean"!
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEED TO GET FIT BUT DON'T WANT THE GYM MEMBERSHIP?

THINK ABOUT A TRAMPOLINE!

Check out The Trampolines King Website for tons of FREE information & guidance in purchasing this wonderful piece of equipment that is affordable and helps burn TONS of calories (not to mention tons 'o fun)!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Mention Beverly's Blog "One Day At A Time"  when you order 
to get the best price available!

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.