Trying to get Back

We were so bad over the holidays. You all know how difficult it is to be around relatives who cook. You have to try that one piece of pie, that chocolate cookie, Uncle Bill's Peanut Brittle, Grandmas' wonderful dressing/stuffing with her famous gravy, etc.

Ray took me to NC the weekend before Christmas so I could help my daughter and get the dust bunnies out of our weekend home. I got out the decorations and the children helped me decorate, but of course we had to have food for them to eat, since they are not too crazy about our life plan.

Ray came down on Thursday night and out son-in-law brought NC Barbecue for dinner, along with cole slaw, and that wonderful Carolina cornbread. Then, there was dessert. . . . . .

Friday night, my daughter's family went to have Christmas with her father's family, so Ray took me to the Mayflower for dinner. Shrimp, cole slaw, unbelievable hushpuppies, and fried okra. What the heck! It is Christmas!

Christmas Eve was wonderful and I helped the children make their big chocolate chip cookies for Santa Claus. Well, Santa was not the only one who got a cookie that night. We had our big family dinner at my daughter's house. There was turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, jello salad, real butter, cranberry sauce, wonderful rolls. Then for dessert, there were choices of course: cheesecake, pumpkin roll, and fruit cake. You just can't hurt anyone's feelings.  We went to bed that night feeling guilty.

Christmas morning started early with a call from my granddaughter around 5 a.m. We loaded up the car and drove over. There was plenty of coffee and cookies that Santa left. After all the gifts were opened, I discovered that one of Taylor's gifts from Santa was a doll that poops. You actually spoon in this mushy stuff and she fills up her diaper. What was Santa thinking?

Then, of course, Rhonda cooked eggs, sausage, and biscuits. We hadn't had enough to eat the day before, so we ate a good breakfast. Later, after going home and cleaning up, we drove to Hubert to Deborah's home. Deborah is Ray's daughter and she has 3 grown children and a fiance. Her mother (Ray's ex) was there with her husband, Don. We all get along well, so we didn't eat because of nerves. Deborah had most of the same food that Rhonda had the night before. Just add macaroni and cheese, collards, old fashioned homemade dressing w/gravy, deviled eggs, Hawaiian Rolls, fruit cake cookies, apple pie, peanut butter cookies, Carrot Cake, and Red Velvet Cake.

So you think you had temptations over the holidays? Made me hungry just writing about it. Almost all of the bad food is gone. Anything left goes to a friend's New Year's party. We are going to start off the new year right.  I know it will make us feel better, both of us are having digestion problems, lethargy, and nervousness. I am sure that it has to do with all the carbohydrates that we ate.

Low Carb in 2012 is our goal! Want to get on the program? It is fairly easy. We are starting from the beginning again: lean meat, cheese, and eggs. You can have mayonaise (reasonable amount) and mustard. No catsup (it has sugar). Watch the carbs on everything you eat. We start with 20 carbs per day. A friend went on the program and decided he didn't want to eat any carbs at all. He lost weight but he felt awful. So remember, you need a certain amount of carbs to be successful. We don't want you in the hospital.

So, you see that no one is perfect. Even those who are putting themselves out there as role-models are real people with real people problems. But, you can start over any time and pledge to live a healthier life. Join with us on our journey. Leave a comment, subscribe to our blog. If you do, we can exchange phone numbers and you will have support whenever you feel weak and want eat something you shouldn't.

This picture is last Christmas before we lost
weight. I am putting it out there as a reminder that I don't want to go back there. 

Barbara and Ray

Maintenance is Not What it Sounds Like

Maintenance on a diet is for the birds. I find myself falling back into the old carbohydrate habits. It started with a few crackers in the soup, a bite size candy bar after physical therapy (my reward). Now there is a can of ginger cookies, the chocolate ones haven't been opened yet. At church last night, they had mashed potatoes, green peas, roast beef, roll, salad, cake, and tea. I ate the whole thing. I haven't eaten that much at once in quite a while. Although, when I got home, I got very sick and lost most of it.

This morning, I had my eggs and cottage cheese. I had a healthy soup for lunch, but then I smelled the ginger when I opened the cabinet to get something else out. This is so difficult. I cannot have anything around, or I will eat it. What is a girl to do?
Ray seems to be okay, but I have seen him in the cookies too.

I am going to be by myself next week. First thing is to make sure there is nothing to eat that I shouldn't. We will see how that goes

Maintaining the Status Quo

So far Ray and I have been able to maintain our weight loss, even through Thanksgiving.

We have even eaten out a couple of times. We just don't eat those high-carb sides on the menu.

I have been in physical therapy 3 times a week to strengthen my core muscles. They think that is why I am falling down. I still have little head rushes and get dizzy. I am pretty sure that doesn't have anything to do with my core muscles.

Both of us are too large for our clothes. Ray has had to buy some since it has been many many years since he was this small. I, however, have clothing from size 8-18. But I am getting into smaller sizes. I love it when I try something on and it fits or is too large.

I hope that some of you are following along. I really would like to hear your experience with weight loss.

Later, Barbara

Maintaining the Status Quo

So far Ray and I have been able to maintain our weight loss, even through Thanksgiving.

We have even eaten out a couple of times. We just don't eat those high-carb sides on the menu.

I have been in physical therapy 3 times a week to strengthen my core muscles. They think that is why I am falling down. I still have little head rushes and get dizzy. I am pretty sure that doesn't have anything to do with my core muscles.

Both of us are too large for our clothes. Ray has had to buy some since it has been many many years since he was this small. I, however, have clothing from size 8-18. But I am getting into smaller sizes. I love it when I try something on and it fits or is too large.

I hope that some of you are following along. I really would like to hear your experience with weight loss.

Later, Barbara

Back on the Plan

One of my Pen & Ink Pictures

Ray and I went to Kentucky for the week of Thanksgiving. Needless to say, we did not stay on the plan. The difference was we didn't overeat like we normally do. We ate one plate at Thanksgiving. When we got home, Ray had maintained his weight.

I, however, lost three pounds. I went in to get my Protime done today because I am on Coumadin. They always check my weight, heart rate, and blood pressure, so I am using their scales for my official weight. The weight is put into my medical records. That makes a total of 26 lbs. since we started. Ray has lost 37 lbs.

We are back on the plan. We ate cheese and pork rinds in the car coming home from Kentucky. We stopped and Ray got a hamburger and a salad for me at Wendy's. He only ate one piece of bread and I couldn't eat the whole salad. It had chicken in it and was a good salad. I love being able to use regular salad dressing.  I love being able to eat butter. The only thing I really don't like is 'no bread'.

I have learned to make roll-ups with ham or turkey, and cheese. I buy the pack of cheese slices that has 4 different cheeses to make a variety. Sometimes I add a little mayonnaise or Grey Poupon Mustard on the inside. Sometimes I mix the mustard and mayonnaise to make a little dip for the roll-ups.

I have been buying frozen stir-fry vegetables to put in my soups. Sometimes I take a couple of chicken breasts and put them in the slow cooker with a little olive oil and a whole onion sliced up. I put some salt and pepper. When the chicken is almost done, I take it out and cut into smaller pieces or shred it with forks. I put in about 4-6 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes (chicken or beef depending on what I use for the meat). Sometimes I will add garlic or another spice that I think might  change it up some. The stir-fry veggies make for a good flavor in the soup. When it is almost ready, I add a can of diced tomatoes. Sometimes I add 1 oz. of cream cheese or some cheddar cheese (or both). I try not to eat more than 2 cups. No crackers. That is difficult, because I really love crackers in soup.

If you are just reading this, or if you are trying to top our weight loss, let me know. Leave a comment, join the discussion. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, just share your experience. Or if you want to Be a guest blogger on this site. We would love to have you share your story. Take care, and Low Carb happy eating.

I AM VERY ANGRY - PEOPLE CAN BE CRUEL

I read something this morning that totally wiped me out. It also made me very angry. It is an article about Obesity by Shannon Brownlee in the New York Times. It is totally heartless and mean. Ms Brownlee obviously doesn't have a clue what it means to be overweight. She suggests that we treat obesity like smoking and punish obese people for being fat. Someone being fat is not going to affect someone else, you can't die from lung cancer from breathing the same air as an obese person.

This is just another thing that we can make people who have a problem about. It is not like they haven't been shunned enough, she is trying to make them feel even worse for being overweight. Doesn't she know that obesity isn't at all like smoking. Especially now, when we are no longer bombarded by endless commercials and advertisements about smoking. When I smoked, I tried lots of times to quit, but all those commercials showing how 'cool' it was just enforced my behavior. Then, they banned cigarette commercials, I quit and it worked. I haven't even had an urge to smoke in years.

This country is constantly bombarded by food advertisements. Not to mention cooking programs that promote butter and sweets. We have famous chefs that are promoting cooking that is "retro." "Use  butter and sugar, it doesn't hurt you. You deserve this." Do we deserve all those calories? Just sitting here watching TV, in the last 3 minutes, I have seen commercials for cookies, sugar laden 'healthy' cereal, chunky cheap soup full of fat and calories, fiber, vitamins, chocolate truffles, and even an insurance commercial that mentions 'ramen noodles.'

Everything we do seems to be centered around food, our holidays, business, dates, government, shopping, watching TV, etc. When you are constantly offered food, how do you expect people to react? When you try a diet, there are always people around who are trying to upset it. Don't they know that if you eat that piece of chocolate or pie, there goes the diet?

Ray and I were doing so well, until we went to the convention in Richmond. There was the most wonderful piece of chocolate cake that we have ever seen set on the table in front of us. How could we not eat it? The awful thing is, it was like a kick start of sugar. The next day when I went around all the booths at the convention, I was practically bombarded with candy at every booth. I think they were all trying to get rid of all their Halloween candy. I kept reaching down in the bag during the meeting, getting chocolate to eat. I craved it and I found out that Ray was doing the same thing.

When we got home, there was no more chocolate, but I found some wonderful fruit cake that I put in the freezer last Christmas. You can imagine how that tasted. A little freezer burn, but what is that for a person on a diet? Just a little bite. So good. Then, after quite a few 'bites' all the fruit cake is gone. Now I am craving and starting the life plan all over again.

Please don't punish overweight people, we punish ourselves enough. It is not like people haven't made fun of us or belittled us all our lives, with comments like "it is just baby fat,' 'she is pretty in the face, if she would just lose weight, she would be a beautiful girl,' 'have a cookie dear, just one won't hurt,' 'You are not overweight, just under-tall,' or my step-dad's favorite 'if someone told you to haul ass, you would have to make two trips."

How do you think it makes someone feel to be constantly be berated about their weight on one hand and then on the other hand, told that just a little won't hurt you? A 'normal' weight or a 'thin' person wouldn't know how hard this is. Quit offering me food all the time. Quit making those hurtful remarks that make us depressed and just want to fill the void with food.

Making people feel bad about their addictions, just feeds the addictions. It doesn't matter whether it is cigarettes, food, alcohol, or drugs.

One of the best quotes I have come up with is "When there is a choice, be kind." There is a choice and we should all be kind to each other.

This is the link to the article: I really hate to put this on there and promote her hate speech, but you all need to see this. Please feel free to make comments here. This really needs to be talked about. What is your opinion?

Send this link to others and let them chime in with their opinion. I feel like the guy in the movie that said "I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore!"

We need to make obesity more socially unwelcome, says @ShannonBrownlee http://ti.me/vUwoIg via @TIMEIdeas

By the way, I apologize for using a couple of mild swear words, the effect of the words would have been diminished if I had changed them. I don't normally use them, but there are some that I consider mild and not hurtful. There are some that seem to be everyday words for some people, but not for me.

We had an OOPS!

   Ray and I went to the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) Meeting on Monday and came back on Wednesday. It started with a dinner at the Marriott. We were go good during dinner, we ate the chicken and broccoli, I ate the roll. Then came the dessert: the most heavenly CHOCOLATE cake that I have ever eaten. We both tried just a taste and that was the last thing we thought about until the plate was clean. OOPS! It was so good, we were willing to put a couple of pounds back on just for the experience.
   Tuesday morning, we were so good, I had cottage cheese and Ray had boiled eggs and cheese. Then we went over to the conference. They had a room set up for the churches and Baptist organizations that were there to show off their venues. There were Christian universites, college, and businesses. Each booth had candy, not just candy, CHOCOLATE candy. Of course, each booth had lovely people that loved giving candy to us children who could not resist. I did come home with lots of grocery bags. Unfortunately, we didn't come home with any candy, we ate it all before we left Richmond.

    Since I have had a gastric bypass (2001), there is a thing that happens to me when I eat sugar. I really don't want to mention it here, but it is not pleasant. When we got home yesterday evening, I made my famous carbohydrate-free soup. Today, we are back on the Plan.
     I am being painfully honest about our slip, because I want you all to see that no matter how good you think you are, you can slip occasionally. But, you can get up, dust yourself off, and get right back on that horse (or diet). Never say die! We both know that we have to be careful for the rest of our lives, but we also know that we are not perfect, we are human. The thing is not to give up.
     To date, Ray has lost 37 lbs and I have lost 26 lbs. I haven't weighed this morning. I am having a blood test at the Riverside Cancer Center this afternoon and they will weigh me. I will let you know the results.
     Remember, you are not perfect, you may slip sometimes. Lets see if we can keep this going. Your comments are welcome.