31 December 2010

regular holiday

It's Brisket time in the Pseudo-South....
Texas is a whole 'nother country.
and not in the South per se
Although it might very well be south of where you live!
And probably is!

Brisket with Sugar Free Pancake syrup and hot sauce.
It's pretty good!


My new fave snack is Pork Rinds with cheese...
Made like nachos...
And covered with hot sauce!

Can you really lose weight eating cheese and brisket?
Yep. You can. It's called "LoCarb."

Still holding strong on the Yerba Mate
and no coffee, no Monster Energy Drinks.

Divide up the stash of peanuts....
Although I think it would behoove me
to drop them altogether for now.
I found the Yerba Mate has a few carbs!!
Who knew?

More to the point - the bigger question is
Now What? 
Time to dig a little deeper 
into my Problem Solving Repertoire
and see what needs to be done - and do it!

I can cut back here and there - 
it's all good!

LOW carb is not NO carb.
(But it IS the new Low Fat!)

Conflicting reports show anywhere from 2 - 8 grams 
of carbs per serving. How can that be? Is it even true?

My Mother used to say that every thing is either animal,
mineral or vegetable. Or VitaMeataVegamin.
She always loved and accepted me.
I'm lucky that way. Probably more lucky than I know.


I found this while cleaning out old emails and files from
my Mac. Out with the old. To make room for the New and
Improved! This was 1998 - ish. Hi Mom!
She would be 90 if she were still living.

I couldn't take her anywhere!
She was always fun and the life of the party.

This was probably the first time 
she had ever seen a computer.
Even one with no sound.

I have a good feeling about this whole 
New Years thing....
Thanks to Everyone who has been so 
supportive and kind through my
amazing and occasionally tumultuous
weight-loss journey!

Blogs and Kisses!
And I hope that where ever you are,
you are happy and healthy and
know that you are loved!

Happy New Year!

ripples going out


A very excellent Hospice Teaching example 
is one of the ripple of water.

Like when you drop something into water.
The ripples go out. Of course.

But when a person is deep into their own issues,
The ripples tend to go back in, so to speak.

They lose interest in world events.
Then, they lose interest in national events.
Soon, the ripples get smaller - going inward.

They don't care what happens in the state...
In the city..... in the neighborhood.

All too soon it starts to get personal.
Now they don't care what goes on in the house.
Or in the next room.

Eventually, the only thing they are concerned about
is what goes on, right in their bed.
Right inside their own skin.


Conversely, when a person starts to get "better"
They start to notice things again.

Flowers, and clouds, and things that are right within 
their once - limited line of sight.

And maybe they take an interest again 
in the way they look.
Maybe they have enough energy to spare, 
to concentrate on something other than just
putting out emotional fires.

Maybe the future doesn't have to be a source of fear.
Or the past, a source of shame.

Somewhere between "puppies and kitties,"
And "eff the world."
F as in "feed."

Click the picture for a link to the YouTube video!

Hope you are having a great day
And looking forward to a great year!

30 December 2010

an army day


I was at work this week,
Out of town again.
I was at a Veterans Facility
Taking care of my own people.

Walking down the hall, 
I turned around and literally ran into a guy.
A young guy.
In a wheelchair.
A double amputee.
I almost landed on his lap -
If he had one, that is.

I was more shocked than he was....
But he never missed a beat.
He said - "Well, Hi There! May I have this dance?"

So we got to talking.
He said he just lost over 100 pounds!
After the bomb. After the surgery.
I asked if it was on purpose.
Yes! He was beaming!
I asked him how he did it.
He said he "gave up dieting!"

And what's more, as he made
his way down the hall,
He was singing! Singing and pushing
his wheelchair.


I am sure learning that
it always could be worse!

Hope your day is wonderful!
Looking forward to a great new year!

29 December 2010

frustration tolerance

Quitting Monsters
Not because I ran out.
They are still right here in the apartment.
Even in my hand.

That would be too easy -
to quit after I drank the rest of the stash!
*Just one more - then I'll quit--- right?*

Well,  I never opened one of them.

The old equal and opposite reaction thing.
As much as I love them, that how much I crave them now.
That is to be expected.

And it's not good to give your control away to
something or someone that cannot love you back!

It's like a diet - I was tired of being at the mercy of
advertising and food-porn suggestions.
When I would see some yummy food product,
It was like my mind was pre-occupied with it.
And determined to buy it and eat it!
Or at least think about it all.day.long.

But it never delivered the enjoyment it promised.
Well, once in a great while it did.
And the randomness of it all was addicting!

A sign?
Stop when PRE-occupied!
Stop  messing around
Drop what you are doing
and Listen....inside

Learning Frustration Tolerance is like taking a plunge 
in a really cold pool. It's not so bad, once you get used 
to it. I might even be learning a thing or two.
As for the easy way.... not always so easy....
(The "can I haz a kitteh" pictures are from the inter*webs...)

Hope your day is wonderful!
And not too frustrating!

28 December 2010

learning days

Every 2 years, Nurses must take CEU's
(Continuing Education - 20 hours)
Mine was due, so I chose the topic of Obesity.

I thought it would be the same-old thang....


"The Muffin Top"


"The Pear Shape" and "The Apple Shape"

But no - there's alot of  "new"  info
(as in "new to me")

Like TEF
REE and TEE

Thermic Effect of Food
Resting Energy Expenditure
and 
Thermic Effect of Exercise
All good stuff....
Different Learning Modalities,
Treatment Theories.


And some of the nasty things 
that can happen with co-morbidities

 
And our old friend insulin - we barley know ye!

Even a bit on people who maintained the weight lost,
and those who did not:

Those that lost weight and kept the it off
1) exercised regularly, and 2) monitored food intake.
[Kinda like Blogging?]

Also, the Maintainers had a more proactive and
effective way to solve problems.
Not just food problems, or weight.
Instead of using escapism and avoidance, or denial. 
Sounds about right.

Another class I took (years ago) talked about
Sexual Child Abuse.
They said that if an abused person
cannot run AWAY from the problem,
they tend to run INSIDE!

Very profound insight!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

   
Hey Nurse Anne - What about me? Can it work for me?
(Actual patients, actually!!)

 
Well, I'm no expert....
I just know what worked for me.
Well, actually, I don't really know what worked.

But I do know I lost some weight, and gained some health.
And I am learning a wee little bit about true self-respect.
What ever the heck that is!

I know I'm learning, because that's what I wish for you:
health, and love and true self-respect!
.............................................................

Thanks, Loretta for letting me 
play along with you on
Toon Tuesday!
All of the drawings were done on my cell phone!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hope you all are having an excellent day
Somewhere Out There

27 December 2010

monster sub

I reconstructed some of the yummy and oh-so-good for ya
supplements in my beloved Monster LoCarb Energy Drink....

Taurine (link)
and Ginseng (link)
and even some Eleutherococcus Senticosus (and, link)
so-called Siberian Ginseng.

And left out, of course, the 
Guarana (lots o' links)
and caffeine @ 10mg/oz
In other words, 600mg w whole lot!


The herbs in the ginseng family are "adaptogens," 
which claim to help you adapt.
When I went to basic training, the only things I took 
with me was Ginseng, Arnica, and Aconite.

I loved homeopathy at the time.
And was also a Vegan.
Then, later a Vegetarian, for many, many years.
But that's another story for another day.


I'm never good at setting goals...
I never was. And I'm even worse now.
But if I had a goal, it would be to continue with the 
"fitness" part of my weigh-loss journey.

And now that I have the caffeine consumption down to a 
manageable level, I can work a little harder on that.
It just sneaks up on ya, it do.
I'm holding steady at about 100mg a day.
I like the Yerba Mate, too.
2 cups of tea - no Coffee, no Monsters.

By the way, one cup of coffee has 100 - 150 mg of caffeine.

May 09 and May 10
In March 2011 it will have been 2 years
since I started LoCarbing. My weight 
is staying within the same range for the past 
few months. But my body shape has changed.
ALOT!  Guess I've got some settling-in to do!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hope your Week is going great,
and your Year is ending with a bang!
But not the kind that give you a headache!

yerba mate


I forgot to eat the other day..... again....
Food no longer occupies my every waking thought.
And neither does Blogging, or weight-loss.
So I must be getting better!

I was filling Trucky up with gas, and saw the obvious parallell.
Food is fuel! And nothing more. 
Except for what we make it.

Maybe we are making peace with food 
as a representation of making peace with our past 
or peace with our Selves.

Even Breatharians define themselves
by what they eat.... or don't eat. (link)

Thanks for the Comments and support on my 
(very true) efforts to cut back on caffeine.
I really did try, and I am still trying!
I'm holding my own at about 100mg a day.
Two cups of tea. No Monsters, no coffee, no guarana.

Certainly a substance as wonderful a Coffee 
was not meant to be abused. But enjoyed!
Anything can be taken to extremes, I guess.
Which is one thing we all know.
But it's all good, because we are learning alot!

Every day is maybe a good day if we learned something.
No - that's a really good day!

Enter: Yerba Mate
Something new to exploit discover!

This is a cup, by the way.☝☝☝☝
These are mugs and mega mugs.☟☟☟☟
Just saying!

Lots of people have switched out coffee for Yerba Mate.
(Pronounced Yer-ba Mah-tay)
Plus you get to drink from this really cool gourd.
And a metal straw, called a "bombilla."
There is an entire culture around it.

Put the loose tea in the gourd, pour in hot water,
and drink it through the straw.
Now honestly. How cool is that?

 
Celebrity guest shots for Yerba Mate

It has a smokey flavor. Kinda like a campfire, maybe.
Central Market only had the bags.
[Tsk tsk - go figure!]
I already ordered a gourd and bombilla!

The caffeine content of Yerba Mate is a topic of debate.
Some say it has a different kind of caffeine than coffee. (link)
Or is "mateine"  another name for caffeine? (link)
And all kinds of wonderful claims. 
Still, a cup comes in at around 50+ mg of "caffeine."
Just about the same as green tea - or a little more.
Still less caffeine than coffee.

Meh - I live in a great big ol' city.
So getting it is no problem.
It seems to be increasing in popularity.
So the trends make it easier to find.

This is the 2nd time I quit coffee.
First, during induction of Atkins.
Because the book said it helped.
About 4 weeks. And it did!

Caffeine is an Alkaloid.
Atkins is all about the Ketones.
Mutually exclusive, and diametrically opposed.
That's just my thinking.

And now, quitting the Energy Drinks
and only having decaff coffee.
Cutting back now, so I can still enjoy it later!
No more staying up all night blogging, I guess!
At least not for now. Maybe later. Maybe!

Regular green tea kinda makes me gag.
But it's a good base for protein drinks,
or a good mix with Rooibos tea.

And about the Visceral Fat? 
That's what started the whole thing.
I'll take a set of measurements later,
and see if my efforts made any difference at all.
We are almost at the one month mark!
☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕
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Yerba Mate Videos are abundant on YouTube
if anyone is interested. Click any pic to watch a different video!







Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay,
Ecuador, and Chile - everyone is loving 
them some Yerba Mate!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
If you were here, 
I would make you a cup of Yerba Mate!
Hope you have a great week!