We've had the power out for a few days and the phone as well. The cyclone was a bit of a fizzier. It was quite a small system so when it passed by us, it wasn't too bad. HOwever one of our trees came down. And the power and phones are out all the countryside. Some places where the cyclone was more intense, because they are quite remote will be out of power for about a month it was said. Poor things.
Anyway Not being able to diarise my food made it tricky. And because of the book i was reading (The don't go hungry diet), i decided to eat a bit more anyway - at least eat when i got hungry and not worry too much about it. And as the writer predicted, it didn't have any negative impact on the my weight.
I can't go into it in any detail right now but hopefully i will do a post on it before too long. But she her book is about the famine reaction, the fat brake and leptin hormone which regulates our appetites and is one of the hormones causes our metabolism to either speed up or slow down depending on whether our bodies are in famine reaction mode or experience the fat brake.
As she's a legitimate scientist who not only conducted research on this hormone and as she also had her own weight issues to deal with, i gave her a fair bit of credit for what she has to say. In fact what she has to say, fits with other info on these topics i've read.
the book is easy to read and although i probably wouldn't follow it to the letter, i am definitely taking on board some of the stuff she recommends. But who knows by the end of the book i might be more committed than i am right now. I suppose my current critical feeling is that she doesn't really appear to tackle some of the other topics that i think might also be relevant and just focus on that triangle of famine reaction, fat brake and leptin hormone. Although she does talk about exercise later on too and no doubt a lot else. So far what i've read has been fairly easy to read and understand though she has indicated she will go into more depth later in the book.
Meanwhile i'm also still reading gary taubes book on good calorie bad calorie. Its the style of writing and exploration of a topic that i really like so i hope i get to the end of this book. Of course the subject matter ranges far beyond how to lose weight. Its got a historical perspective and is really quite interesting. In his introduction, i found him convincing in his assertion to be trying to present an unbiased, and accurate account of things so i am also now keen to look at criticisms of his book. I tend to trust this style of writing. And for me to know if he was being deliberately misleading, it would be impossible to know because i can't go and check up on the material he presents. He's clearly done a great deal of research into historical records.
Most what i'm reading about at this point is his argument that mainstream position taken by medical authorities on cholesterol and saturated fats has always been a flawed argument. He's making a fair case of it too. So that's why i'm interested to see what his critics say. And for the most part, i don't really have an issue with that position on cholesterol because i've already been hearing that for years. And while i've been fairly suspicious of fats lately i've started to relax my position on it, though i was never an adherent of low fat dairy. I just knew that wasn't a solution as it ruined the food and bad tasting food can't be what we are meant to eat for good health, especially when it means extracting parts of a whole food.
Breakfast was one fried egg on one wholegrain fried bread (our toaster was out so i had to fry it in butter), with a piece of smoked salmon because i thought i should eat it up. And some fried cherry tomatoes.
Lunch was 1 cup yoghurt with 1 cup stewed apple, followed by a vegemite sandwich on whole grain bread with butter.
I had grapes on my way home from work
And tonight i'm cooking spaghetti bologneses which i' haven't had for a long long time.
I will have 100g of spaghetti and about 1/2 cup of meat sauce i suppose with a bit of parmesan on top. My bolognese was made iwht lean steak mince, garlic, onion, olive oil, can of diced tomatoes and tomato puree with a pinch of sugar to take the acid out. I love bolognese sauce. I don't think i've got any salad vegies in the fridge but i i can find some i might have some too.
Back to more vegies tomorrow now that the power is on again.
Pattience- I am so happy you survived that cyclone and are ok- that had to be scary! Glad you have your power back on again, too. A couple of years ago, we went through several storms where we lost power for several days at a time- it spurned me into action, and I got a wood stove (for heat) and a generator. So glad we did, because the next storm, to which it was freezing outside, we lost the power for three days. At least we were warm and could make coffee, lol!
Trish- how are you doing? Are you still following the New Atkins plan? How are your blood sugars doing?
Aleka- how are you doing? The weather is finally gorgeous here in NH, but the blasted allergies have started, ggggggrrrrrrrr!!!!!! Still, it sure is nice to have some warm weather for a change, and no snow on the ground!
We took out a membership at that hotel for the pool- so glad we don't have to pay anymore now, just sign in. Well worth the money, it will pay for itself- even if just my sister and I use it three times a week, it will pay for itself in three months time. The bonus is that the rest of the family can use it as well- much better than paying $7.00 per person per 24 hour period! It has a hot tub and a sauna- what more could we want?
I'm kind of ruing the day that I agreed to do Paleo. It is A LOT of cooking. I love to cook, but man, all this experimenting and getting this plan just right takes up a lot of time. I feel like I am living in my kitchen. I did break my stall, lost three pounds last week, so I'm relieved that the lack of exercise (thanks to all the cooking and experimenting in the kitchen) didn't affect me too bad. I miss exercising, though- it's good for my lungs, especially during allergy season.
I found ways to make grain free waffles and cookies taste spectacular. On Easter, I made chocolate chip grain free cookies and peanut butter grain free cookies- my best friends loved the peanut butter cookies and took a bag home with her. Of course, she took MY favorite cookies! I could care less about the chocolate chip, but that is my daughter's favorite, so I am sure I'd have to make another batch for her, lol. The waffles are great, too, and the good thing is I can make a few batches up for breakfast- my daughter's with the 60% cocoa chocolate chips, and tomorrow, I am going to make some with blueberries for me. At least we get to eat melted butter and pure maple syrup on them and have a side of bacon. We need some guilty pleasures, and let's be honest, eggs and bacon/sausage/ham on the side everyday would get very boring.
I also have a minute muffin (several variations of this, from cinnamon bun flavor to a garlic bread kind) and a chocolate mug cake recipe that is good. I sure do miss eating my high fiber bread and English muffins, though. It was so much easier to pack a lunch and go without having to cook every darn thing like the Paleo diet. It is a decent diet, but not one that my busy lifestyle can sustain.
I also miss eating corn, peas, string beans and legumes as well as peanuts (they're considered a legume). I had some string beans for Easter and made my peanut butter grain free cookies. That's another reason why I can't stick to Paleo for too much longer- those foods were staples in my diet, and I miss them all very much. I also had corn on the cob on Easter, another no no. We miss tacos, too. Oh, well, another month won't kill us, but I will probably still sneak in some peanut butter on an apple here and there.
Anyhow, I miss chatting with you ladies and hope you are all doing great. I will try to make it on here more often- seriously, though, the amount of cooking is just ridiculous, but I am getting the hang of it and perfected some recipes that we enjoy. By the time I get a collection of palatable recipes, it will be time to switch back to high fiber again (I am still eating high fiber, though- flax seed meal and coconut flour is loaded with fiber!).
Have a great day, ladies! I hope you are all doing very well! Tell us about your Easter! Mine was great- lots of cooking again, but we had a blast, it went by ttttttttttttooooooooooo fast.
Oh, I forgot to add, I am getting a food dehydrator this week when hubby gets paid. I'll be able to make teriyaki beef jerky and other meats as well as grain free granola. I like that you can set it and go about your day without having to stay in the kitchen and watch it cook for several hours, like the granola. That granola took me over twelve hours to cook in the oven- it is delicious, and I made a double batch of it, to which we still have a decent amount left, but wow, talk about being chained to the kitchen.
Also, I find that I have to "re-cook" the cookies after a day or two, to get rid of the moisture from the almond flour. I'm going to see if the dehydrator might help keep them more crisp.
We all love beef, chicken, and turkey jerky, it comes out so good and tender, makes the store version taste like crap after you've had homemade jerky. So, even if we don't continue with the Paleo diet, we'll still use that to make for hiking and camping foods. Win win for us.
Our thread has gone dead quiet so i'm really glad you came back.
If the paleo is so difficult, why bother with it. I was looking for a paleo book at the library last time i went but they were all out. Its the current fad diet.
But anyway, yes almond meal is super delicious stuff and peanuts are a legume and so also i believe are cashews. I only read that the other day and haven't checked the facts.
Yes at least when the power was out, we had gas and it wasn't cold. Its tropical here. In fact one night was really hot and without the fans it was hard to get to sleep especially because of the mosquitos. I don't know why but i didn't even think to light a coil.
my eating is going great. I had a few days where i wanted to eat more often. At first i thought it was a famine reaction but no i'm thinking maybe it was just because i procrastinating about my sewing and this i think could cause stress and or lower my seratonin levels. Of course i don't know what's going on physiologically at all, just guessing but now my appetite is good again.
Though i have to admit, i'm not yet ready to start cutting back and tightly controlling calories again just yet. I'm just happy to stabilise here for a while.
The funny think i just thought of is that paleo people wouldn't have eaten waffles and cookies lol. Maybe you are working too hard or pushing the limits of the diet and that's why you are struggling with it. But i think that does expose a potential other shortcoming. Its boring.
That said, in days gone by people had plenty of time for preparing food and they used to do it.
I'm still loving my bean salad. We all have been persuaded that eating protein satisfies. And recently i read that eating fat helps turn off our want more button. But i also am finding that eating a lot of vegies does it too. If i go without vegies for a day, i start to notice an increase in my appetite. I think. Bodies are so mysterious.
Gosh...Sorry of my for my late reply..I noticed from reading an old post and since my last post back in late march...due of a stomach flu..Things in my household went downhill for my disabled sister,which she had it bad that we had to call the ambulance..which that was tough, they would not take her to the hospital she wanted to go and ended up on a college hospital that Since March 25th, it was pure ****..sorry for my english...That hospital done poorly and sad to say, she passed away on April 8th..Me and my family was shocked and anger on why they done to her,,..Me, my mom and sis are hanging in there and adujusting ,my working sis had taken this very hard, since she went eveyday and we were fighting to save her,,,but the stupid hospital done a stress test without our consent and that hospital killed my disabled sis of a cardiac arrest ..This year is not a good year...
I am hanging in there and still eating fiberous foods, started this week. I am being calm with my scale,,May 3 will be my peak time.
I am pleased some of you chatting here..and thought I share on what I had been doing of not posting here..also, I am in a email loop..and lately been lurking till now.,,Our wireless connection is acting up and do not know what is going on ,so I am using our main comp when my working sis is not using it...till we find out why our wireless is down...
Will do my best on posting here more often...Now am keeping tabs on my aging mom..and been trying to get things back to normal.
Oh, Liliann, I kept getting a feeling something was wrong, I couldn't shake it! I kept checking your profile daily to see if you had signed in, I was getting really worried. I am so so sorry about your dear sister, may she rest in peace, the poor thing. She was lucky to have such loving and caring sisters during that awful time she was sick. Sending you a big hug , and if you ever need to talk, feel free to do so her or in private. What an awful trauma your family is going through, your poor Mom must be so devastated losing a daughter.
Liliann, did they give a reason as to why they performed a stress test? I find it strange after her being so sick with that flu, that they would put her through that so soon. Poor thing, that had to have been awful for her.
I'm so proud of you for trying again on your weight loss journey, but please please be gentle with yourself right now, ok? Just do the best that you can, exercise when you're up to it, but don't panic over gains or losses. Your body is suffering from emotional trauma right now, so please don't get upset if things are out of whack right now and for a month or two. I feel so bad for you, you have gone through some very rough times, just know we're always here when you need us.
Oh, Lilliann, I am so sorry for the loss of your sister, please accept my deepest sympathy. This is a very difficult time for you and your family, so just take things one day at a time.
I too find it strange why they would give your sister a stress test after she had been so sick with the flu and without your consent. Again, I am so sorry.
Our thread has gone dead quiet so i'm really glad you came back.
If the paleo is so difficult, why bother with it. I was looking for a paleo book at the library last time i went but they were all out. Its the current fad diet.
But anyway, yes almond meal is super delicious stuff and peanuts are a legume and so also i believe are cashews. I only read that the other day and haven't checked the facts.
Yes at least when the power was out, we had gas and it wasn't cold. Its tropical here. In fact one night was really hot and without the fans it was hard to get to sleep especially because of the mosquitos. I don't know why but i didn't even think to light a coil.
my eating is going great. I had a few days where i wanted to eat more often. At first i thought it was a famine reaction but no i'm thinking maybe it was just because i procrastinating about my sewing and this i think could cause stress and or lower my seratonin levels. Of course i don't know what's going on physiologically at all, just guessing but now my appetite is good again.
Though i have to admit, i'm not yet ready to start cutting back and tightly controlling calories again just yet. I'm just happy to stabilise here for a while.
The funny think i just thought of is that paleo people wouldn't have eaten waffles and cookies lol. Maybe you are working too hard or pushing the limits of the diet and that's why you are struggling with it. But i think that does expose a potential other shortcoming. Its boring.
That said, in days gone by people had plenty of time for preparing food and they used to do it.
I'm still loving my bean salad. We all have been persuaded that eating protein satisfies. And recently i read that eating fat helps turn off our want more button. But i also am finding that eating a lot of vegies does it too. If i go without vegies for a day, i start to notice an increase in my appetite. I think. Bodies are so mysterious.
oh btw, love the sound of your pool fun.
Yes, our dear thread has gone a bit quiet, but I think it's just because a lot of things are going on in others lives right now- some sad, some busy, myself, getting daughter ready for prom and graduation. I hope that Trish and aleka are both doing ok! Too bad about poor Liliann's sister, keeping them all in my thoughts and prayers.
Well, darling daughter and I switched over the the Carbohydrate Addict's diet, after we both lost a total of four pounds in two weeks time- I lost a measely 4 ounces this week, while she gained a pound. A couple of people who are health nuts and fitness trainers themselves told me that Paleo is very hard for the majority of women in terms of weight loss- that it is more suitable for guys, and that women tend to gain on Paleo. Good thing I told my daughter this bit of news the night before her weigh in, or she would have taken it personally. Poor baby blamed herself because she had a couple of treats on Easter. First magazine did a disservice printing such an article. Both of the trainers told me that Paleo is fine for when you get close to or are at goal. It did help me break a plateau though, but we're moving on, thank you very much.
On the CAD diet, at least I can eat my high fiber foods again during the reward meal. Not sure how long we'll stick to this one- we're just trying to help her get off as much weight as possible for her prom- we're hoping around 15-20 pounds. She's lost four so far, she's trying so hard, bless her heart. I know CAD will help with a few pounds the first couple of weeks- I have done this diet before and did great on it. The only problem is is that it gets boring with the Complimentary meals- you're restricted to simply proteins and low carb veggies during the two a day and two Complimentary snacks, which is the same foods allowed, only half of the quantity of a Complimentary meal. The Reward meal is when you can eat some carbs that you enjoy without guilt or deprivation. I started yesterday on this diet, and she started last night with the Reward Meal, and today was her first day of two Complimentary meals and the Reward Meal. I only eat on of each meal- I can't eat any more than that, most days. Fine by me, less cooking.
I know when I have done CAD in the past, I've lost a good amount of weight in the first two to three weeks, so I am hoping the same for her, so she doesn't get discouraged. Sad thing is, she is so disciplined- she deserves this! I just wish I could wave a magic wand and make the scale go down a little more for her.
Eventually, though, I am going back to high fiber again. Doing Paleo and CAD for a few weeks is helping get the furnace going again, so I can't complain. I do miss eating high fiber all day, though- many more food choices and no restrictions compared to these two diets.
Do you enjoy sewing? Could you be just bored of it, hence why you are procrastinating? Is this your livelihood, Pattience? Or is it a fun hobby? It sounds like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do this, that's why I am asking. I love to crochet myself, but often times the things I make take over two to three years to complete.
Glad you didn't have any heat problems! How nice to live in a tropical area year round- I would love to do that myself! I wish my hubby wasn't such a winter person- while it is pretty during Christmas and New Years, I am done b by the end of January with winter. Too bad Mother Nature doesn't agree with me!
I so missed my beans this past two weeks as well as peas. I can only have them during the Reward meal on CAD, at least I can have them again- woo hoo! I can also have croutons in my salad again and high fiber bread and pasta, if I want. I still have been high in fiber all this time, just got it a different way, but still ate around 25-30 grams a day. I'll be glad to go back to it soon, just needed to break my stall.
Have a great night, will try to post again tomorrow. Been crazy busy over here! Was supposed to go swimming today, but the wind was so ridiculously bad today, we didn't dare go. My sister's car is very light and would end up on the other side of the road, no word of lie. So, I did two hours on my recumbent bike and rocked back and forth on my rocking/reclining chair during my beloved Boston Bruins game, to which we won in over time. One more game to go, then on to round 2!
I haven't posted in awhile...life got in the way, I guess. My MIL was diagnosed with cancer, which has already spread and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that.
DH & I haven't walked in 2 weeks. My left knee has been bothering me and I've kept off it as much as I can. It does feel better now, so I'm planning on starting back Mon.
Pattience, glad that the cyclone wasn't bad and that your power was out only for a few days. I can imagine how difficult it was to sleep without electricity. We were in the process of buying a house in FL when Hurricane Charlie hit the west coast of FL, but hadn't signed papers yet. Thankfully the house was ok. For days they had no electricity and it was the middle of Aug., which is brutal down there. I don't know how they did it. One of the first things we did when we moved was buy a generator. Luckily we never had to use it. It was one of the first things we packed when we moved back to NH.
Steelslady, congratulations on your weight loss! I'm sorry Paleo didn't work out for you. It does sound like a lot of cooking. Good luck with CAD. It sounds very doable and wish you much success.
That's great you bought a membership to the pool. What is the fee and is it an annual or monthly fee? I hope you don't mind me asking, but I've been looking into the fees for the YMCA and I'd like to see which is cheaper. The reason I asked is, my DH legs bother him when we walk and walking occasionally aggravates my left knee, and I thought swimming might be better for us. Anyway....thanks in advance.
Also, if you don't mind, would you share your recipes for the one minute muffin and the chocolate mug cake? I do make the OMM, but would like different variations. I used to have a recipe for the chocolate mug cake, but it may have gotten lost in the move.
I'm so glad the wind has stopped. That was awful. Hope you didn't lose your power.
Trish..... Hope your eating plan is working for you.
Thank you all for the kind and well wishes...We are holding up well and knowing my late sis is at peace. Again..Thank you.
Pattience...Happy reading! I used to be a book worm on reading self help and weight loss books on hearing different views of the author on diets and such..Now I had recylced them and gained knowledge. Hoping your books will give you some insights.
Aleka...Hoping you will able on walking soon..I am tracking miles since March 10th and so far walked 90 miles! Hang in there and stay strong of life issues.
Steels...Good luck with Carbs Addict diet.. Back in the 80s, have read the book, but never followed the plan. Hoping it will bring some success of your journey..
I am not tracking fiber, just keeping mindful..I eat fiber bagels and fruits and some protein.. I range daily between 30-40 of fiber.
Liliann I am so sorry about your sister. I'm glad you are back to working on your weight loss, but please be loving to yourself while you are going through this stressing time.
Steelslady No, I'm not doing the strict Atkins program any more. I'm just counting calories eating what I really want within what MFP calorie recommendations and the most interesting thing is that the fiber is actually taking care of itself. I've actually had 31 g today. I eat veggies but not always in a salad, because I just don't seem to be able to eat all that lettuce on a daily basis any more. My body doesn't rejects it. Also spring fruit is coming out and I really want to be able to eat strawberries and cantaloupe etc. My fbs was 113 this morning so that is going good too. I know the Atkins had it lower, but it is too strict for me. I do like at least 1 sl of the double fiber bread with my eggs in the morning. I really love Paleo way of eating, but that is a lot like Atkins so I know I'm not going to do it. Most paleo don't promote eating grains of any kind even beans and I think they have their place. Just me.
Aleka I'm so sorry about your MIL. Hope your knee is better soon. Y'all will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Pattience - Glad you made it through the cyclone with only losing power for a few days. We went through Hurricane Wilma when we lived in FL and we lost power and had some roof damage. Quite an experience. Glad you are doing fine.
Steelslady I did CAD just before I married DH 12 years ago and lost down to the 160s and stayed on it for a while after we married and then took a trip and got off of it and gained it all back. I love the plan, but just don't seem to be able to stick with it any more. When I read the original book and saw that Rachel accidentally stumbled to eating only one meal a day because of an appt for a test that she had to fast for was changed from an early appt to later in the day. She had been afraid of going without eating and was surprised that she not only made it without eating, but she stopped on the way home at a restaurant and Rewarded herself with a meal she really wanted. She was even more surprised that instead of a gain the next morning when she got on the scale, she had lost. She decided to experiment with it and found that suddenly she could eat only one meal a day and eat what she wanted even dessert and lose weight. So I decided if she could do it, so could I. So for a long time I ate only the Reward Meal each day. When I married DH, I added one Complimentary meal and I lost very well. Good luck on your journey. And yes the nice thing about eating CAD way is that you can still eat regular food even fiber.
They have a new book out about eating your Reward Meal at breakfast. I forgot the name of it. I'm not sure I could do that. However, one of the other nice thing about CAD is that you can move the Reward Meal around for special occasions. It really is doable and works if I could ever convince myself to do it again. I guess my problem that caused me to get off of it is that when I married DH and moved to FL, I fell in love with all the fruit they had available and eventually gave up CAD.
I could care less about the chocolate chip, but that is my daughter's favorite, so I am sure I'd have to make another batch for her, lol. The waffles are great, too, and the good thing is I can make a few batches up for breakfast- my daughter's with the 60% cocoa chocolate chips, and tomorrow, I am going to make some with blueberries for me. At least we get to eat melted butter and pure maple syrup on them and have a side of bacon. We need some guilty pleasures, and let's be honest, eggs and bacon/sausage/ham on the side everyday would get very boring.
, and if you ever need to talk, feel free to do so her or in private. What an awful trauma your family is going through, your poor Mom must be so devastated losing a daughter. 
I'm sorry Paleo didn't work out for you. It does sound like a lot of cooking. Good luck with CAD. It sounds very doable and wish you much success.
Hope your eating plan is working for you.
