the weight loss papers

Well, hello! Long time, no speak. I’ve had sick kids - one with allergy and sinus problems, one with a toothache, one with a stomach flu and a pre-schooler with a serious case of attitude. And I have had another sinus infection (allergy related, too).

Anyway, I wanted to briefly update my plan and talk about some things I’ve been doing lately that I’m really liking a lot. The last few times I posted, I mentioned Blended Salads and I’m still drinking those - I really like them and I can even get my husband to drink them. That’s always a bonus. I’ve found, though, that although I love avocados, I don’t really like them in the blended salad.

My favorite blended salad is a couple handfuls of 50/50 Spring Mix (lettuce variety with spinach) and a handful of extra Baby Spinach blended with 12 oz of water, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed, 2-3 cloves of garlic, and a splash of fresh lemon juice.

I like to drink the blended salad in the afternoon and I’ve been making a quart size container of it which lasts 2-3 days in the refrigerator and still tastes fresh and great.

Now, breakfast is the hardest meal for me because I’m either allergic to, or just plain don’t like a lot of traditional breakfast foods. It’s one of my biggest struggles food-wise - what to eat for breakfast. I’d just as soon not eat it at all. However, skipping meals is not a good idea especially for a person intent on losing weight and maintaining it.

So, in the mornings, I’ve been drinking a fruit-berry smoothie - once at breakfast and then again for mid-morning snack. My favorite blend is 1/2 cup of raspberries, a medium banana, 1/2 cup of mangos and about 20 oz of water. It makes a couple of 10-12 oz servings. (Make sure to cut the banana up into 1-2 inch chunks for easy blending.)

I love oranges but I’m allergic to them so I can’t eat them. But I’ve been adding some extra fiber to my meal plan (and some orange flavor) by using an orange-flavored, powdered fiber supplement (like Metamucil). Sometimes I add it to my morning smoothie and sometimes I just drink a glassful mixed as per the package directions. I also generally have a slice of a good whole grain or oat bread with the smoothie.

You know, I’m the kind of person who could pretty much eat the same things day in and day out and not get tired of them. But part of a good, healthy eating plan includes a variety of foods and combinations of foods. Lunch is one of the things I have the hardest time with in getting a good variety because I don’t really like to eat sandwiches and such. As a result, I often eat soup - lentil, black bean, split pea or tomato. Sometimes I will eat beef stew or chicken noodle or some other variety.

Sometimes I’ll have a blended salad or tuna on whole wheat pita bread with a little spinach and fresh tomatoes for lunch. That’s pretty good. I don’t put anything on my tuna other than sometimes a bit of mustard or some roasted red pepper vinaigrette. I also have some tomato basil vinaigrette that’s very good on with tuna or I’ll put my tuna in some lemon spinach couscous.

One of my favorite dinners is a plate with a couple handfuls of baby spinach, some green beans, a couple tablespoons of chickpeas, some diced tomatoes, a couple minced cloves of garlic and a splash of tomato basil vinaigrette. I briefly warm the spinach, green beans and chickpeas in the microwave (just enough to begin to wilt the spinach - 45 seconds or so and warm the beans) and then add the rest. Once in a while, I’ll crumble a bit of feta cheese on top or add some chicken breast pieces.

Other vegetables I really enjoy are broccoli, zucchini, carrots and peas. I’ll often stir fry them with some peppers and onions and put them over warmed spinach with a baked salmon filet. Very good. Salmon also tastes great with couscous.

When I follow the six small meals per day plan, I don’t get hungry and I don’t have to eat as much. I think that’s where most people have the problems - they let themselves get too hungry. And I know when I do that, I have a greater tendency to load up on things like rice or bread and stuff like that or to eat things like sweets or quick boxed meals. I think the biggest key is to eat enough to feel satisfied throughout the day. It also helps keep metabolism up and thus burns more calories.

And lastly, I continue to exercise. Now, I’ll admit I haven’t been working out in the mornings. Since I got sick back February, I just can’t get up that early. I’ve never been a morning person and I think trying to push myself to be one, really was more harmful than good and is what lead me to getting sick in the first place. So, I haven’t been working out in the morning - other than my daily walk (1.5 miles in the morning and 1.5 miles in the afternoon) - and I still need to find a good time to get that in. Once I get the kids up for school, though, everything becomes a rush and I find it’s lunch time or after school before I have a chance to even think about working out.

I might have to get the little kids settled into an activity when we get back from walking the kids to school and do it then. That might just work. The key will be finding something to the occupy them long enough to get a good workout. I like to aim for 20 minutes at the least and 30-40 at the most so if you’ve ever been around pre-school age children, you know finding something for them to do for that length of time can be quite the challenge!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on enough for now. I hope you haven’t gotten bored!

See you next time, (hopefully tomorrow)

This is a recipe of my own concoction. Can’t promise the flavor is good, but it’s not horribly bad either. One of those flavors I can live with.

Combine and mix in blender the following:

• 1-2 teaspoons Flax Oil (I suppose you could use ground flax seed as well)
• 1 scoop of HealthyGreens (or an equivalent product)
• 1-2 teaspoons Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tablespoons MLO Vegan Brown Rice Protein Powder
• 8-12 oz cold, purified water
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (optional)

You can adjust to suit your taste but not much is going to make it great, I don’t think. Like I said, it’s certainly not delicious but it won’t make you puke, either. At least, I hope not. If you use yogurt, I would suggest not using a flavored one - it tastes worse! Plain or vanilla is best and will tone down the taste of the HealthyGreens which can be overpowering and although tastes a bit like licorice, is not that wonderful. I think it’s the texture more than anything that makes it that way.

In any case, enjoy! Let me know if you try and what you think.

~ Annie

Spring is my favorite time of year. Everything is beginning to grow, the sun starts shining a little more often and of course, days get longer. It means I can get outside more. Sometimes being stuck inside due to bad weather all winter is mighty draining. I welcome Spring with open arms!

Today it’s relatively nice here in the Pacific Northwest, albeit a little cold. At least the sun is out. Walking when the sun is out and the air is a bit chilly is refreshing. I walked twice day, as usual. Once this morning to take my kids to school and then again to pick them up this afternoon.

I still have not gotten back to the strength training, though. The last time we all got sick back in February, it really just took a lot out of me and then the time change a few weeks later didn’t help any. The time change always royally screws with my inner clock and although I can usually shake it off within a few days, I haven’t been so lucky this year. But as soon as I can get to back it without causing any adverse health effects for myself, I plan to do so. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.

Anyway, I’m still not seeing much effects from the veggie juice yet. Today I haven’t followed the suggestions all that well - I had a pita sandwich with spinach and chicken for lunch. I must say, though, that my nose doesn’t seem quite as stuffy as it has been for the last several weeks and I can smell better. Maybe it’s having some success? I’ll keep trying it and find out.

Hope you’re enjoying your day!

~ Annie

I got an interesting email yesterday about candida and how it can cause problems with losing weight. I have heard of candida causing such issues before but this article really got me thinking about my own weight loss issues over the past several years and I think perhaps candida overgrowth could be a major contributor.

Now, I haven’t asked permission from the author, so I’m not going to quote his article or anything but I will paraphrase what he recommends if you think you could have this problem. Recognize that I am not an expert and if you choose to follow these suggestions, you do so at your own risk with no warranty of any kind from me. I have not (yet) tried these suggestions, however, I will be in the coming days and will report any progress here.

So . . . the first thing that is suggested is that you do a cleanse to rid your body of the candida and get it functioning again. He recommends a vegetable juice cleanse of fresh, juiced veggies and says this should be done for at least 10 days and a maximum of 30. If it’s difficult for you to do nothing but fresh squeezed veggie juice every day, try 2-3 times a day and eating normally the rest of the day.

It’s also recommended to stay away from all sugars including honey, fructose, molasses and such and especially to stay away from foods like cakes, candies, sodas, fruit juices and the like. He does say using Stevia is ok.

You should also avoid white starch foods like white bread, cakes, white pasta, white rice, potatoes and etc. Whole grain flour is ok in moderation as is brown or wild rice and whole grain pasta.

He recommends no dairy products, though eggs are fine. Which actually makes sense because whomever said eggs were dairy products in the first place, must not know much about animals.

Then he says to increase your essential oils like omega-3. You can use fish oil, flax seed oil, borage or evening primrose. I used fish oil and flax seed myself though I have to be careful with the flax seed as it tends to upset my stomache. One tablespoon or 3 capsules daily is the suggestion.

Also increase your acidophilus intake or add it to your diet if you’re not taking it. He says to use it both after breakfast and dinner daily. Now, one can find these in good yogurt which is what I usually do but since that’s dairy, I guess I’ll have to get some supplements or something. Although I heard elsewhere that yogurt is ok in moderation as long as it does contain the probiotics and live cultures. So, it’s a toss up, I guess.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing how this works for me. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

~ Annie

One of the dilemmas I often have is deciding what to eat. Honestly, I’m a pretty picky eater mostly because of my allergies but still, there’s just some things I really don’t like. My likes and dislikes have changed a little over the years - for example, when I was a child, I didn’t like spinach though I do like it now and we tend to eat a couple of times per week. Fortunately, my husband is not as picky as me so I don’t have to worry about that.

Here are a few of my favorites -

• Lemon and spinach couscous with tuna
• Spinach with cucumber salsa, green beans, garlic and tuna
• Black bean soup with tomatoes
• Broiled salmon with broccoli, carrots and wild rice
• Lentil soup with a slice of homemade 10-grain bread

As you can see, I eat an almost vegetarian diet. We only have red meat about once a month anymore. But the real key here is the portions. I’ve been following a general rule that one should eat a half cup of protein and one cup of vegetables per meal. That’s really easy to figure out and if you’re eating 5 mini-meals a day, it’s quite filling. And a cup of vegetables is a LOT more than it sounds like. The second key is combining the right foods together but generally, this half cup of protein and one cup of veggies is quite doable for me most of the time.

Now, my kids won’t eat salmon or spinach so I usually prepare 2 meals - one for my husband and I, and one for the kids. Well, actually, usually just the protein portion. I’ll fix chicken for them and salmon for us and the same vegetables for everyone. Since I usually make 2 or 3 different vegetables at a time, everyone ends up with something they like.

I’ll post recipes of some of my favorites soon, probably on a separate page just for recipes only.

Really, the truth of the matter is that I hate eating. I like cooking but eating is a pain. I’m the kind of person who could go hours without eating something and not notice. If I had my way, I’d never eat. It’s just a bothersome chore. And that’s’ probably why I’ve had trouble losing the last 30+ pounds - I forget to eat so my body keeps hanging on to the fat because it’s gone into “starvation mode.” I think that’s why eating 5 small meals works so well for me . . . it keeps me fueled and helps my body realize it doesn’t need to store the excess - it can just get rid of it.

I like that a lot!

~ Annie