Dropping the pounds... woo-hoo!

I've dropped 11 pounds now. I'm very excited about my newfound healthier lifestyle! I feel better and am starting to look much better as well. I could've dropped at least five pounds more than I have, if I hadn't fallen a bit off the wagon last week when I was sick. During the week I had grilled cheese sandwiches with soup and I shouldn't have had any cheese.... or all that bread. I was a bad girl. I also had one fudge bar and yes it was good. **) After that week when I weighed myself, I had stayed the same weight and not changed. If I had stayed on my healthier path, I may have lost an additional 5 pounds or so. Oh well, its still all good. I can't complain about losing 11 so far because I'm super thrilled about that.
I've learned to like such dishes as tofu stir fry and frozen bananas. There are so many different fruits and vegetables that I had never tried before. I still drink coffee but I have cut out the cream. I only use Hawaiian cane sugar in my coffee or tea and I no longer drink soda, no more chips or cookies, just natural fruit and veggies. You can really make some great tasting snacks without using junk foods.
 I'll be weighing again next week on Wednesday. I hope to drop some more soon!
-SS

Healthier Eating....who knew it could taste so good?

Losing weight is a difficult task. I didn't realize how much I had "blown up" since my wedding. I was a size 8, not too thin and yet not too toned either, but comfortable. I'm a short gal, only 5' 1". I should be more of a 4 or 6, but that's ok, I liked my size. But then, I guess I got lazy. Married life came with new expectations and new financial strains. Eating out or throwing something in the microwave was just so much easier than trying to cook or making anything from scratch. At Christmas time this year I realized just how big I was when I went to buy some new dress pants and 10's did not fit. I needed a size 12. Crap! What happened? How did this happen and when???? Oh well, time to do something about it. Every day I said I would start exercising or eating better, but I kept having one reason or another why I hadn't started yet. Then I began a research paper on dieting and weight loss for my English class. After reading several books on the subject and researching article after article, I really liked one book called "Eat to Live." It was very good and had a lot of information that I could relate to. Having RA since I was only 18 months old, I've battled many inflammation episodes which prevented me from running or exercising of any kind. This book talked about getting healthier and not just losing weight. But to do that you need to almost re-train yourself on what to eat. No more processed foods and to limit dairy & animal products. Yes, there are certain vitamins and such that you need from animal products and you can take supplements for those, but I actually like to eat chicken, tuna and sometimes meat. So I decided not to go full force with the plan but to follow it to a degree.  I slowly started to add more beans and vegetables and fruit to my normal routine. Then I began limiting junk. No more chips, no more cookies, no more cutting chunks off a block of cheese. (That one was the hardest!) Anyway, as I increased my fruit and veggie intake it was easier not to miss the other things. I am satisfied when I eat and I feel better all over. I've never been a fan of green veggies, but boy are those things very good for your body and you really should eat them. I cook mine with garlic or fake bacon bits or onions. That helps me to like the taste a bit more. Or, if I am eating them with a baked chicken breast or something, I mix all my food together and that helps me to enjoy it more as well. And who knew that black-eyed peas and chick peas were so good? What the heck is wrong with me and why didn't I just try them a long time ago?? Anyway, I stopped the junk food and dairy 2 weeks and 3 days ago. I increased my fruit and beans as well as veggies and I've lost 8 pounds and I'm fitting into my old size 8's. Now my old clothes are a bit stretched out, so I'm not sure if I go buy new ones if those 8's will fit, but I'm in no hurry to buy anything new yet anyway. I am going to continue with my healthier way of eating and see how far this takes me. I also have the next book by Dr. Fuhrman on an audio book, that one is Eat for Health. I really like his books and I use some of the recipes in the books and add my own flavor to them. **) I feel good and hope to feel even better! My RA hasn't been acting up and my eye problems have gotten a bit better as well. Not that those two things have anything to do with changing my eating habits, because I'm also on new medication, so I don't know. But what I do know is that I can do this. I can eat healthier and be happy with what I'm eating. Yes, there are a few things that I miss, but I'm not depriving myself. I do sprinkle a little cheese on my salad a couple times a week if I want to and I also have a beer or glass or wine if I want. I'm just making smarter choices now, and I like the way it is looking on me! I'll keep updating my progress and hope to be writing about entering size 6's soon! **)
-SS

Where are the flying cars?

Hello everyone! I know its been a while since my last post and its thanks to a very busy holiday season. But now with 2009 behind me, I am looking forward to a better and brighter year in 2010. It feels very strange writing 2010 on everything. It seems like just yesterday I was writing '92 and '93 on my school papers. Yikes! Time sure flies. But the funniest thing of all is that I was sure that by the year 2010, we would be driving in flying cars and have moving sidewalks and all sorts of fun stuff like that. But alas, I was wrong. What happened to the futuristic Jetsons family? Oh nevermind, I just looked up the show and it was actually based in the year 2062. I guess we still have 52 years to catch up to that cartoon. Is it possible? Will we be around to see it? These are fascinating questions that I will leave you with today. Have a great day and Happy New Year to you all!
-SS  **)