Recipe – Thanksgiving Meals – Dukan – Paleo – Gluten-Free

Posted on November 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I’m going to post some of my favorite Dukan friendly meals that are PERFECT for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, over the course of the next few days. My son-in-law said to me the other day that there would be “no dieting” next Thursday, sigh, my family still doesn’t get that I #1 DIDN’T DIET and #2 You don’t have to eat wheat ladened crap to have an amazing meal 😀

So… here’s recipe #1… it’s a simple one. My turkey is the moistest, yummiest turkey I eat. Why? I don’t do much to it.

TURKEY

Serves: A lot of people

Ingredients:
One big turkey
1 large green apple (or red, but the granny smith’s are yummier) chopped
1 large pear, chopped
1 large red or yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
8-10 garlic cloves, mashed
1/4 c olive or coconut oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 F

Rinse your turkey.
Stuff turkey with the veggies.
Put him in the pan breast side down.
With your fingers, cover the turkey with oil. Make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies!
Generously salt and pepper.
Stick in the oven 20 minutes for every pound. So if it’s a 10 pound turkey 200 minutes (or 3 hours 20 minutes)
Let set for 30 minutes before carving.
Eat.

Easy peasy! Don’t be covering up the bits with aluminum, don’t be puttin’ that turkey in a bag! Just cook the darn thing… PERFECTION, I’m telling you 😀

Mmmmm!

Here’s a link from last year’s Thanksgiving dinner, where I had the pleasure of introducing my Turkey Day culture to a family in Hangzhou.

https://flamidwyfe.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/dukan-day-99/

Day 6 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 10, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today’s Topic: News-style post

Breaking News!!

You can eat and eat and eat and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight and lower your cholesterol! This is excellent news for people who like to eat real food!

No more berry pills, no more hCG shots or liquid, no more fasting, counting “points” or 500 kcal diets. REAL, clean, healthy food.

How is this? Well it’s been discovered that it isn’t meat and eggs that are bad for you. It’s wheat and other products with gluten. That wheat has a higher glycemic value than sugar! That it converts to glycogen in your body then stored as fat! Gasp!!! You get fat from wheat? How could this be!

We interviewed Sandi Blankenship, a woman that lost 111 pounds cutting wheat out of her diet. She said, “I couldn’t figure out why, after just losing 20 pounds, my knees weren’t hurting and my arthritis went away. Thankfully someone told me about Wheat Belly”. Ms. Blankenship has maintained this weight loss for 6 months.

For more info check out http://www.wheatbellyblog.com.

Day 5 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 9, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today’s Topic: Health Activist Soapbox.

I know, I know it’s the 9th and this post is Day 5… I’ve been busy, lol. New job that keeps me very busy, traveling last week over 2600 miles in a rental car. North Florida to see my son, back to the south, Orlando to go to Disney with Cathy, back south, Tallahassee for a State meeting in regard to changing the fee structure for midwives and birth centers and back south and then STREP THROAT — UGH 😦 As of this morning it’s turned into full-blown upper respiratory infection and I’m thisclose to calling the doctor. I’m trying to avoid antibiotics, but know that they may be necessary.
Hell, THAT subject could be my soapbox, but it isn’t.

Wheat. QUIT WHEAT is what I want to shout from the rooftops!! I didn’t quit wheat intentionally for any other reason than its not on the Dukan diet. And I lost and lost weight. By December last year I had mentioned many times in my blog how I hadn’t had heartburn, painful IBS, headaches, sinus stuff, knee pain, arthritis in my fingers was gone, no vertigo, the list goes on and on. Mel from NZ sent me what I call “the best link ever”! She sent me to Dr. William Davis’ blog and his book on Amazon, Wheat Belly.

I read the book on my trip home to the States in January and it was an eye opener! I’ve bought numerous copies for people, I’ve shared the info, I encourage everyone to read the book. It makes sense, a light goes on. I can’t tell you how many people I know that have quit wheat after reading this book, Lee did and is now writing her own blog! I saw my dear friend Cathy and her daughter Sarah last week up in Orlando. They’ve bought the book and taken my challenge 😀 Sarah has said that if her tummy troubles go away by cutting out the wheat, she’ll buy me a side of beef!! Woo Hoo… I plan on collecting!

Having quit wheat I know my insides are happy 😀 My knees are 😀 My head is 😀 I can run! RUN! Without pain 😀 I can type without my right index and left middle fingers being sore because my arthritis is gone 😀 And I don’t have debilitating vertigo anymore 😀 (Can you tell I’m happy?)

So here it is… I ONCE AGAIN CHALLENGE YOU TO QUIT EATING WHEAT FOR ONE MONTH. Yes, through Thanksgiving! I will start posting recipes from last years Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts that I cooked and that were completely wheat and gluten free. All the “traditional” goodies.

Who’s joining the challenge? Who’s still on the challenge from September? I’ll work on putting a separate tab up to track our progress! Join me, get healthier, lose unwanted weight and more importantly, lose the gut aka wheat belly!

WHEAT BELLY – With Cathy summer 2008

NO WHEAT BELLY – With Cathy November 2012

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Ciao!

Day 4 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 6, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today’s topic: Disclosure post. How did you decide what to share? What do/don’t you share?

Well, as most of you know, I disclose almost everything 😀

However, when I started this Dukan journey in August 2011, I did not disclose my weight. In fact, I didn’t disclose my beginning weight until after I was almost thru with my weight loss. I did give hints the last few months of my diet, but it was painful to admit I was 255 pounds when I started the diet.

And just as a reminder, this is what 255 pounds look like:

And this is what 146 looks like:

I’m thinking that whole clean eating and living thing is worth it!

Ciao!

Day 3 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 5, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Todays’s blog prompt… “I don’t know about this, but I’d like to.”

The effects of a high protein-low carb diet on running, exercise and training for a triathlon.

There is A LOT of conflicting information out there in regard to eating a Paleo/Primal diet and how it affects your body during and after high impact exercise. Even some of the most hard core Primal supporters like Mark at Mark’s Daily Apple says its nearly impossible.

Mark says:

So, how does an endurance athlete go as “primal as possible”? Here’s my take. When you go for endurance training, you face (among other physical strains) the necessity of increased carb intake and all its negative results (e.g. inflammation, AGEs, impaired immune function, etc.). Myself, I had a half-gallon of ice cream, loaf of bread and cereal habit going to refuel every day for years. At the time, I didn’t see an obvious impact on my performance, but I later realized I was causing long term damage. A better, more Primal approach to a training diet includes meals full of veggies (universal recommendation, yes) as well as the judicious use of fruits and tubers for added “healthier than grains” carb sources. (Of course, your diet should include a hefty supply of protein and natural fats.)

So his suggestion is to add tubers, lots of veggies and fruits to boost the carb intake during events and training. I’m going to work on that this week.

What health info would you like to know more about? Or what health info would you like featured here? Working on doing research everyday to continue improving my life 🙂

Ciao!

My colleagues went to Bali and all I got was this very cool outfit…

On a side note, I am 3 pounds over my “5 pound window”, which is 143-148. I was 151 this morning… ACK 😦

I totally know what caused this, lol! Halloween and Disney. They should both be banned! Going to do 3 PP (pure protein) days to knock it out. I’ve also not been getting in my flaxseed meal (I use that instead of oat bran) on a daily basis, so need to be more mindful of that! I’m back to running and it feels so good and I’m back to near daily yoga, even if its only 10 minutes!

Day 2 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 5, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Day 2 is Write about the weirdest thing about your health…

I’m going to start off by saying I’ve had a couple of amazing days this weekend up in Orlando with my friend Cathy and her daughter Sarah. I also want to type a nice long paragraph so that the weirdest thing about my health doesn’t show up on Facebook… LOL, you’ll have to click on the link to read it… Now on with the topic 😉

For the most part, my body has responded amazingly well to the Dukan Diet and now Paleo Diet.

So, this is something we’re not “suppose” to talk about, but I’m going to. The weirdest thing about my health, now that I’m on a wheat and gluten free diet is…

I DON’T FART 😀 Yup, I don’t pass gas, I never get rumbly tummy and I never get the “oh my God I’m going to die IBS pain. Who knew that by cutting the wheat, you would cut the cheese no more!?!

What’s weird about your health? My weird thing is a good thing, I’m sure!

Ciao!

It’s Magical!

Photo Bomb on Thunder Mountain

Cathy and Me!

Me, Cathy & Sarah…

Travel – Life’s A Beach

Posted on October 28, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Life really is wonderful. The way that things come together always seems amazing and miraculous to me!
My bloggy friend Mona is in Miami Beach for a conference and invited me for a night at the Eden Rock Hotel. I met Mona when she was in China this summer and now here. I love how blogging has introduced me to so many awesome people!
We went for a walk on the beach as the moon rose and I didn’t get a single picture, lol. Left the iPhone in the room. We had a lovely dinner beachside and I got this pic of the moon light glittering in the rough surf…

Then a long chat about all the taboo topics and then a wonderful nights sleep listening to the waves crash and the winds blowing in through the open slider.
Up before the sun and down to the beach…

Here comes the sun little darlin’…

And finally, it doesn’t matter how much crap life throws at you, sitting on the beach makes it all better!

Ciao!

Dukan – Consolidation Day 165

Posted on October 24, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today is the 165th day of Dukan Consolidation for me… I will be in this phase for 500 days and the point of Consolidation is to teach your body that this is the weight it is suppose to be. And I have to say I’m duly impressed with how well this phase works!

I’m following the principles of the Dukan Diet, but eating Paleo, as I do not want to add wheat or any other gluten back into my diet. I also am eating more good fat in my diet (from nitrite free bacon, coconut and macadamia oil, etc) and dairy (full fat) which isn’t technically allowed on either diet, but I’m a cheese girl. The result? My weight has maintained between 143 and 148 the entire time I’ve been in Consolidation!! I’m having celebration meals once per week, but keeping wheat out. Most of my celebration meals consist of a teeny bit of sugar, my one treat. And most weeks, it’s a normal healthy dinner and a dark chocolate bar for dessert. I have no cravings for crap food… Except for the 3 minutes I mourned the loss of crispy spicy KFC chicken. I whipped out my trust iPhone pics and looked at the KFC me and decided I am better than that!

I strongly recommend reading the book Wheat Belly, Mel from NZ recommended it to me in January and I devoured every word. It explained A LOT! And the subject has come up on a couple of my favorite blogs this past week (Shannon and Sonia) 😀 I never want to have that OMG my stomach is going to explode feeling again. EVER and since quitting wheat, I don’t! It’s that simple.

In regard to exercise, I’m still restricted from running for another 5 days, but I’ve been walking daily and last night did my first yoga class since my surgery, hoo boy did those over the head stretches feel tight! Speaking of surgery, I’M LOVIN’ my arms!!!

Here’s a peek at what I had for brekkies and dinner this week. Pretty typical of my daily intake. Lunch has been broiled chicken or meat and cheese roll-ups.

Bacon and eggs with veggies 🙂

Sirloin Steak and stir-fry veggies… Mmmmm!

Now I’m off to practice a tricep move mentioned on Anna’s blog. Kaye has challenged me to take a pic and post it 🙂

How is everyone else doing weight and fitness wise? Happy hump day 😀

Ciao!

Goodbye Flabby My Old Friend

Posted on October 21, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I can’t believe it’s been 21 days since my arm surgery! I’ve been a very bad blogger 😦 Coming home has been amazing and overwhelming.

The surgery on my arms is called a brachioplasty or arm lift. It removes the excess skin from your upper arms.

I have to say that the pain is less than the liposuction I had in May. It’s different, but not as bad. The first 3.5 days I have NO recall of. The anesthesia used was Valium and Ketamine. The Ketamine causes amnesia and it sure worked for me!

So here is a before and after. This “after pic is Day 12 post op:

And this is a close up of my left arm. There is still some swelling, but I’m very pleased with the results. My surgeon is Dr. Donato Viggiano. He is awesome and I highly recommend him.

How is everyone else doing? I promise to get back on track with posts about Dukan, Consolidation, Paleo and running (which I can’t do until next week) 😦

Ciao!

Crazy 3 weeks!

Posted on October 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

What a crazy 3 weeks! I don’t even feel I’ve been home that long, but on the other hand I feel like its been a whirlwind!
Lots of ups and downs and all arounds!
I got home after midnight on a Friday, surprised by my daughters who both came to pick me up!
I left Saturday morning and drove across the State to Sarasota to pick up BeBe…

From there I drove north to Tampa for lunch with my friend, Tammy and then another 2 hours north to my mom’s for an overnight.
We left early the next morning for North Carolina. My mom’s best friend Sandy was our first stop and I left her there and went to stay with Sandy’s son Mark and his partner Eric. We had 3 days packed with mountain hikes, shopping, awesome food and hanging out.

So I’ll end this post with a gazillion pics of that trip…