In preparation...........

Yesterday was Christmas Eve. I cleaned house, set the table, got the ham ready, got the meatballs ready, blew snow from my driveway, etc., etc. I got done in the late afternoon so what to do with the rest of the day? Watch TV? Read a book? Go for a walk!! Yeah! So I made the 30 mile drive to the sports center that I joined and walked a quick two miles! Boy did I feel good when I got done! Both emotionally and physically! I had exercised my body and mind! Then I took a leisurely ride home taking time to look at all the different outdoor decorations! It was a very peaceful feeling and gave me time to give thanks for all my blessings!! I even pushed the envelope and opened my moon roof so I could enjoy the beautiful snow flurries!!



We are having our celebration this afternoon, so I really feel good that I took the time to focus myself on whats important to me and it feels great!! I will enjoy the Christmas meal along with everyone else and I have the resolve to eat only the right foods and in the right amounts for my program that has allowed me to loose 250+ pounds and keep it off!!



Good luck everyone!! It truly is a Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I count my blessings everyday, but take extra time during this season and really give thanks! I am richly blessed! God's Blessings to you too!!

Quick personal note: My weight is great at 223 pounds! That's two pounds under my goal. I'm not going to go crazy during the holidays, but its nice to have a couple pound buffer! I will remain focused on whats important and, to me, its important to maintain my weight loss by healthy, focused, eating and exercise! Enjoy the holiday, but just remember that every calorie we consume has to be dealt with in one way or another! Good luck everyone! Read my earlier post from December for a little inspiration!

Holiday Season 2010!

Thanksgiving is history and we are only a couple weeks away from Christmas and New Years. There is still time to refocus your program! If you need to get back on track, do it now, do not wait until after the holidays! Tweak it now!

As you know I gained weight last winter! Its back off now, but it took me all summer to get back here! I'm doing everything I can to guard against that this year:
1). I've joined a nearby sports center that has a walking track so I will be able to keep up my walking which really helps me focus on my program!
2). I weigh myself everyday!
3). I continue to search for new recipes that fit my program!
4). I talk to anyone and everyone about my weighloss thanks to my learning how to eat healthy and changing my destructive attitude toward food!
5). I eat for the health of it!

I like to maintain my weight at 225 pounds! I went into Thanksgiving week at 221 pounds. After Thanksgiving I weighed 227! Today I'm back down to 223! My goal now is to go into the holidays with a few pounds in the bank so I have a little cushion to fall back on and hopefully I'll start 2011 in good fashion! I will continue to work my program!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy new year!!

Goals!!

During my walk the other day I got to thinking about goals.. What are your goals? Do you have a goal of getting to a certain weight or a number of pounds that you would like to loose? I talk to a lot of people about my weight loss and how I did it. Everyone asks what I eat? How much, etc.

Years ago I went to weekly meetings of Overeaters Anonymous and I was surprised that no one talks about specific foods or recipes or diets. Everyone has their individual likes and dislikes and what I eat, you might not like at all and give up on your goal or loosing weight! That is the goal of OA, but it is up to us to find our own way to that goal!

During this journey I have modified my philosophy and my goal! In educating myself on loosing weight I started to realize that my focus (goal) should be on healthy eating and NOT loosing pounds! Although I have found out that by eating healthy and portion control loosing weight is one of the pleasant side effects!! Now that's a side effect that I can LIVE with!!

So today I challenge everyone to have a goal of eating healthy every day and every meal! Don't eat with your eyes, eat with your head for your bodies sake! Ask yourself "Is this good for my body?" or "Why am I eating this?". Work at it everyday and it will get easier. Peace and good luck to everyone!

Vacuum anyone??

I've been doing my fall cleaning the past few days. Yes I even "do windows"! Inside and out! I exercise everyday and find different ways to increase my cardio etc.



Yesterday while vacuuming I had to chuckle as I thought of a tip that I've done for a long time and never seen it anywhere else and I've never shared it before! I have a self-propelled vacuum and its very nice, but I always vacuum with the self-propelled option switched off!! So I'm pushing it manually and it pushes harder then a regular vacuum! Ten minutes vacuuming feels like I've walked a mile! I feel it in my arms, legs and increased breathing! It feels great!



So you are welcome to use this tip or pass it on to others! Keep your body moving everyday! Walk, jog, run, bicycle, garden or clean house! Anything is better then nothing! Have fun doing it and think of different ways to increase the activity for better health benefits! Remember "Happy & Healthy"!! Good luck!

Full disclosure! I confess...............

............to being human! Last winter I had a relapse! As readers of this blog know, I was enjoying a 250 pound weight loss!!! I started my "Journey to Happiness" program in July of 2004. I surpassed my goal weight and was on the maintenance plan.



I was not as careful in working my program. My daily walking suffered and I was not as eager to jump on the scale that would have alerted me to a weight gain.



Long story short............ I gained 50 pounds! I knew it without even weighing. My clothes were tighter and I had less ambition! That was my wake up call! I started working my program again and saw the results on the scale, but it was a lot harder to lose this time around! I'm happy to report that I have lost all the weight that I gained (plus), putting me under my goal weight and in my maintenance zone once again!! I am determined to follow my program and keep a close eye on it as I do not want to go through the pain and suffering of having to lose the same weight over and over again!



Thank you for all of your support and encouragement during this process! The battle continues!! That said I think I'll have a bowel of homemade soup and go for a long walk!! Thanks again!

Garden Harvest Soup

Hi! Its late August and harvest is near. I just came across this great vegetable soup recipe and would like to share it with you! Its from YOU ON A DIET by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz.

GARDEN HARVEST SOUP
10 (one cup) servings = 176 calories per serving

1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used a large banana pepper from my garden)
2 quarts low-salt vegetable or chicken stock or broth
1 can (28oz) tomatoes, undrained (I used 1 quart of my canned tomatoes from last year)
2 cups water
1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp hot red pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnish: frest parsley or cilantro

Heat a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add oil, then onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in carrot, garlic and pepper; cook until tender. Add broth, tomatoes, water and cabbage; simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Nutrition:
total fat 4g; sat. fat 0.8g; healthy fats 2.85g; fiber 3.6g; carbohydrates 15.9g; sugar 4.6g; protein 374mg; sodium 374mg; calcium 73mg; magnesium 35mg; selenium 5.6mcg; potassium 631.

That's it! I made it the other day and its great!! I like simple soups! They can be used as a main course by adding a protein or just use it as a snack between meals! Very versatile!! Enjoy!!

How about a great summer recipe?

Hi everyone!! I just came across a great summer salad! I made it today and I love it so I will pass it on:

RICE AND BEANS SALAD

Makes 10 main-dish servings.

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
3 cups broth or water or a combination of each
1/2 cup fresh parsley or chives, cut up
1/2 cup diced onions or shallots
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar, to your taste

1. Place rice and water in pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until rice is tender, about 35 - 40 minutes.
2. Cool to room temperature.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Chill 2 hours or longer.

Serving size about 3/4 cup.
Per serving:
Calories = 250
Protein = 7g
Carbohydrates = 39g
Total fat = 7g
Saturated fat = 1g
Cholesterol = 0
Sodium = 206g
Fiber = 5 g

Mayo Clinic scores it as 1 serving vegetable; 1 serving carbohydrate; 1 1/2 servings protein and 1 serving fat.

As I said, I made it exactly as above, but it lends itself to your own additions. It calls for no salt and it doesn't need any. I enjoyed it as is.

Winter be gone........ Please!!

Its a beautiful sunny day in Minnesota! I'm doing good, I'm staying on my eating program and do walk every day, but not as long as I would like due to the snow, ice and cold, but I do get out everyday!



Its normal to be a bit depressed at this time of year! Winter is long and tough and takes a lot out of us! We are looking forward to the Robins' return or the first flower blooming and feel that it will never get here! I'm the same! But that's not a reason to be lazy or to eat more then we should. I just have to take it one day at a time and soon it will be summer!



The main reason for this post..... During the past few months I have gained a lot of readers of this blog and I recommend, if you are a first time reader, to scroll down in the Archives to July 21, 2006! Thats when I started blogging and you can follow my ramblings from then until now! Instead of starting here and going backwards. I think new readers will get a better appreciation of my story by starting from the beginning!



Good luck to everyone and thank you to all my loyal fans! You all keep me motivated on a daily basis! Thank you so much!

Just remember that I'm only an email away, if you have any comments or questions; bigbill@gvtel.com. Peace and good health!!