Week 21, Day 3

I love discovering new treats! Yesterday I went shopping at a store I hadn't been to for ages and it was like I'd never been there before. Since I've read the Michael Pollan books, my whole view of food has changed, and this store fell right into line with what I've been learning.

The store is No Name Nutrition (an Omaha store), and I never paid attention before to the fact that in addition to the usual line of nutritional supplements you can find at pretty much any good health store (sorry, but it's true), they carry frozen food. And to my delight they carry buffalo, grass-fed beef, and cage-free, grass-fed chickens. I know Whole Foods carries a lot of good meats, and I love that store. But Whole Foods is about 6 miles from me. No Name Nutrition is 2 miles.

So, tonight we feasted on buffalo hot dogs from The Buffalo Guys. Okay, "feasted" is maybe a bit of an exaggeration. But I felt like having fun by experimenting with new foods I'd never cooked before, and it sure was yummy. No hormones, no artificial colors, no MSG, no nitrates or nitrites, no fillers, just buffalo meat, salt, spices, and beet juice for color. Also no plumping when you cook them. That was a bit of a surprise. I got whole wheat buns at the store, and it took two hot dogs for each bun. I also added lettuce, cheese, and a bit of ketchup. And I'm stuffed. Very filling. The meat was spicy, though not unpleasantly so. It just had enough to give it a bit of pizazz. The flavor reminded me a bit of gyro meat, so I'm thinking maybe next time a light cucumber sauce would be good to try instead of a dab of ketchup. Oh yeah, buffalo hot dogs is definitely something we're getting again!

If you don't have a retailer near you that carries buffalo, you can order online from The Buffalo Guys. It's a little pricey, but totally worth it when you remember two things: 1) meat should only be the side dish and veggies should be the main part of the meal, and 2) eating healthier food saves you medical costs in the long run.

I also got a pound of ground buffalo from a nearby ranch, and I'll have that over the weekend. I'm still debating how to prepare that. Maybe rolled into meatballs. Or maybe some meatballs and some reserved to put in a couple of omelets. Either way, it doesn't have preservatives, so I'll have to cook and use it promptly. I'm looking forward to it! I'll keep you posted on what I do with it.

So...for food today, I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a peach smoothie for lunch. Then, of course, the hot dog thingie for dinner. Exercise hasn't been vigorous today, only about 15 minutes of walking. Actually, I don't feel very well -- kind of like I'm catching something. And frankly, I didn't feel like doing much.

Today's Tip:
Food should be fun! I'd never cooked buffalo before, but what fun I had experimenting with it tonight! Sure, it didn't cook up like I expected -- not plumping up like I thought they would -- but that just meant I got to be creative and add some cheese and lettuce, thus making a really yummy sandwich that filled us up well. Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things as you eat different, healthier foods in your efforts to lose weight and work toward a healthier you.

Week 21, Day 2

Adam's back at work today after more than a week off. It's so good to see him well again! I've taken the time alone to get out and walk at the store and spend some time on the bike here at home. It's kind of shocking what a week or so away from activity can do to muscles -- they go away quickly! Sure, I've been doing leg lifts and working with my resistance bands, but getting back on the bike was hard! But it's good to be back at the previous routine that was working for me and helping me lose weight. Onward!

Food today: eggs for breakfast, a few mini raviolis for lunch, a bowl of cereal for dinner, yogurt later on. Exercise: biking for 15 minutes, walking for 30 minutes, weight work for my arms for 10 minutes, stairs for 15 minutes.

Today's Tip:
Now that I'm able to do more and am feeling more fit, I find that I'm smiling more. And the more I smile, the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the more work I do toward my fitness goals. So today's tip is to SMILE! And with that in mind, I share this joke (it comes from Backwoods Home magazine):

In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear confrontations, the Montana Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and be alert for bears while in the field. ...We advise that outdoorsmen wear small bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears that aren’t expecting them, and to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter....

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings. Black bear droppings are smaller and contain lots of berries and fur. Grizzly bear droppings have little bells in it and smell like pepper.

Week 21, Day 1

Dang, no weight loss this week. No gain, but no loss. I'm guessing it's mostly because Adam slept in the living room and that's where my exercise equipment is. With him being sick all week, I stayed pretty quiet so he could rest. He goes back to work tomorrow, though, so it's back on the bike for me. I'm only asking for a couple of pounds a week, so surely I can start making progress again and have a better report next week!

Tonight's Biggest Loser show was great. Not because of the show so much -- I always enjoy it because I see these people who look just like me, struggling and striving and working hard to lose and I know I can too. But tonight was great because Kristin Steede, a contestant from a past season of Biggest Loser, hosted a chat session on her website during the show. What fun! There weren't a bunch of us who showed up, so it wasn't hard to keep up with everyone, and it was just a real nice bunch of people. What a great way to spend an evening!

I'm working hard on the stress level since I know stress can contribute in a bad way to weight issues. I chatted briefly today with a cardiology nurse, and she says the procedure Dad will have in a few weeks in considered fairly routine with very few complications, very near a miracle procedure in the world of cardiology. She's a straight-shooter who I trust to tell me the truth, so I feel much better about it all. Plus, I think this past Sunday I finally found the church I've spent a few years looking for. You know that feeling you get when something is just "right"? Well, I got that when I went to this place. Some churches have just left me feeling blah. The one I tried a couple Sundays ago made me cry sad tears when I left. This past Sunday I left the new church feeling encouraged. Vast difference. I'm looking forward to going back.

Adam and I went grocery shopping last night. I'm so glad that more and more stores are carrying organic produce. It's usually only a small section, but at least it's still way more than what there used to be even a couple of years ago. Shopping takes so much less time when you only shop the outer rim! Dairy, meat, and produce. Nothing from the center aisles but bottled water, cereal, bread, a jar of salsa, and frozen veggies. Easy peasy!

This afternoon we went to a movie. Nothing special with that except two things: 1) I didn't park in the handicapped parking spots (I seldom do anymore -- only if the air is so cold that it will trigger an asthma episode), and 2) I didn't have to stop mid-way from our car to our movie seats to rest and catch my breath -- in fact, I wasn't even close to being out of breath when we got in. Waaay different than a few months ago! In fact, I had stopped going to this particular theater because it was getting to be just too difficult for me to get in to the seats from the car. Not anymore! And no going back to the way things were before. I LIKE being able to get around like "normal" people!

So how was your week?

Today's Tip:
The most recent newsletter from the Amen Clinic (experts on brain health) talks about whether or not obesity is an addiction. In the newsletter they say:

Certain foods can produce the same effect. In The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner, writes that the high-fat, high-sugar combos found in many mouthwatering snacks light up the brain’s dopamine pathway similar to the way drugs and alcohol do. He suggests that some people can actually get hooked on chocolate chip cookies the way other people get addicted to cocaine.

With this in mind, it becomes even more important for each of us to learn what drives us to overeat. Did we simply develop some bad habits? Or is it something more complicated like an addiction? It's worth exploring and understanding. After all, our health and future depends on it!

Check out the book here>> The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite

Week 20, Day 5 and 6 WEE HOURS EDITION

It's 1:30 in the morning between Saturday and Sunday. Can't sleep. And I just came across some great info to share, so here I am writing a new post for A New Suit. Lucky you, lucky me! :) Coach Mo, one of my all-time favorites from Biggest Loser Season 8, was featured in his hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and in the article he shared some great tips:

COACH MO'S STAPLES
- Turkey bacon
- Truvia Natural Sweetener
- Honest Tea organic tea
- Brown Omega 3 cage-free organic eggs
- Skim milk
- Clementines
- Apples

NUTRITION TIPS
- Avoid all white foods.
- Limit your daily sodium intake to 25 mg.
- Eat six small meals a day; about every three hours.
- No soft drinks.
- Never trust “healthy” fast food unless you see for yourself how its made.

I was pretty excited when I saw this list since several of the things are what I either do or try to do:

• I've heard for years that avoiding "white" foods (white bread -- have whole grain bread instead, potatoes -- or at least avoid topping them with butter, sour cream, and other tempting high-calorie stuff, white rice, pasta, etc.) for years, and it's really a help with the diet.
• And of course, no soft drinks. (Did you read yesterday's blog post about what's in restaurant soda fountain drinks? Nasty!)
• Sodium is terribly overused in the typical American diet, and our heart health has paid the price. Watch out for Weight Watchers -- I got some of their snack items (as a gift from someone wanting to support my weight loss efforts) recently and was appalled at how drenched they were in sodium and MSG.
  
• Truvia is the brand name for the herbal sweetener stevia, and I started using that about two years ago. Soooo much better for you than the artificial sweeteners like aspartame or saccharin. (Look for just generic stevia rather than a name brand like Truvia and you'll save money.)
• And I've been saying here at A New Suit that the claim of "healthy" on foods either at the restaurant or at the supermarket aren't believable --be SURE before you believe. And about 3 months ago we switched to Omega 3 cage-free organic eggs ...easy to find at Target and most supermarkets.

So there you have it. Thanks, Coach Mo! Good stuff to either learn or have reinforced. And a great article! You're a wonderfully inspiring person!