Sensational Sunday

Posted on March 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wow what a Sunday I had! And the sun even peeked out for a few hours through the smog!

I started out early with Kitty meeting me downstairs and the driver taking us out of the city to a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor. Something I’ve found funny and ironic is that China is the birthplace of acupuncture, but damned if I could find one! I personally know 4 acupuncture physicians in South Florida, none of whom are Chinese, and it would be far easier to get it there, than here!

Well, it was worth the early wake up call on my day off and the drive there! In the course of 90-minutes he gave me massage, acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, cranio-sacral AND reflexology treatments all done on a massage table waterbed! The bed was HEATED and had the cut out for your face. I have never been so comfortable face down on a massage table. Worth it and a great way to start my day!

After the treatment, Kitty and I met Vivien at the bus stop and I rode the PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION system here in Hangzhou for the first time. And it wasn’t bad and it’s CHEAP. Vivien and I hopped off the bus to get a cafe latte…

Riding Public Transportation

Yummy Cafe Latte at 35mm Coffee Shop

Then off to the end of Gudun Road to pick up the trail! There is a gate next to a gas station that leads to as set of stairs that go up, up, up, up the mountains and then the trail takes you across the top of the ridge… we decided to walk for an hour and turn around and walk back… it is up and down for most of the walk and the views, while not so great in photos because of the smog, was spectacular. Steps taken going up, prior to leveling off 3754! Total walk that we did was 2.67 miles in just under 2 hours. It was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again!

After our nice hike I had a lovely dinner with one of my favorite families and play time with my buddy Soren… 2-year old wonder child! I then walked the 3.5 miles/5.6 kms home at a pretty brisk pace 46:17.

I took 2 days off from running and miss it. I think mountain hiking made up for it 🙂

Nice Sunday… I hope your weekend was as nice 🙂

Ciao!

Pics of the walk:

Have to have a shoe pic!

The views were stunning through the smog... LOL

ViviMokaLaka

Dukan – Day 202 – Lime Shrimp Recipe

Posted on March 8, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Cleaning up my blog and found a few posts that never went through… This one from February with a yummy recipe!!
Update post by the afternoon 🙂
Sandi

Thursday was a PV day.

Daily Weight Loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 75.7 lb/34.41 kg

I only had to work half a day on Thursday because of International Women’s Day… which was kind of cool. I got to take the morning off and worked the afternoon. I got a promotion at work, which is kind of cool. I have been asking to do the work I will now be doing since I got there in September.

Walked home from work and straight to the gym across the lane from my building. I can see the people working out from my bedroom balcony, but didn’t want to start there too soon in my weight loss. Besides, I’ve been doing my own stuff, C25K, the swiss ball, wii yoga and the exercise bands. I tried to do C25K on the treadmill, but that ain’t happening. I felt confined and not in a good pace. So I did the machines and worked on my pecs, the back of my legs and my triceps.

Then home to make dinner. I thought I had chicken to make the Lime Chicken and Shrimp, but I didn’t, so I just made it with shrimp… Yum!

1 Tbs olive oil
As much shrimp as you want
1/2 onion, I chop mine in biggish pieces
A handful of fresh mushrooms
1 lime, cut in quarters
1 small chili pepper, diced small
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
A dollop of Fat Free Greek yogurt

I threw all of the ingredients, except the lime and yogurt, in a hot pan with the olive oil, stir fry 1 minute and then squeeze the juice of all 4 quarters of the lime on the cooking food. Throw the lime rinds in to the mix and stir fry all of it another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and plate. Take the rinds and squeeze the rest of the juice out of them… mmmmmmm, and then put a dollop of yogurt on top… YUMMY!

Lime & Chili Shrimp Stir Fry

Lime & Chili Shrimp Plated

After dinner, went out for a 35 minute run… in, you guessed it, the cold friggin’ rain… LOL

Ciao!

Dukan – Another milestone Bites the Dust

Posted on March 8, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day…

Daily Weight Loss: 0.9 lb/0.44 kg
Total Weight Loss: 75.3 POUNDS! 34.21 KG

OH MY GOD! I screamed out loud on the scale… I got on, I got off, I got back on, I got off, I got BACK on and it said the same thing… I rushed out to my trusty weight loss spreadsheet created by Charlotte and put it in and there it was 75 pounds… GONE 😀

I am also under 180 pounds for the first time since 1988 AND I put on a pair of Size 12 pants that I have been holding off trying on… and they SLID RIGHT ON! I’m so happy I have no other words… glad I told you guys what I ate by posting recipes 🙂 I will say that it has washed the raining for a month blues away… I hope that lasts! So happy, I’m going to run extra tonight!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb I’m standing up for good!

Vivien took some shots of me and my happiness today 🙂

Dukan Dinner – Asparagus Pork

Posted on March 7, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I’ve had a very creative and busy day… this makes 2 recipes in one day for me 🙂 I got the idea for this meal from A Hapa Couples Dukan Recipes specifically their Dukan Asparagus Chicken. But I had a big piece of pork in the fridge that needed to be cooked so I used that instead… I followed their recipe to the letter… Oh My was it GOOD!

Pork marinating and cut veggies.

Marinated meat simmering

Veggies cooking.

Instead of just asparagus, I added in 3/4 of a large onion and some garlic stems.

It was a fabulous dinner… it’s for PV (Protein/Veggie) days, Consolidation and Stabilization

I also had a nice long run in the 41F rain! And even after my C25K was done, I did 4 more reps of running/walking… just because… I’m really, really enjoying running.

Ciao!

Dukan – Day 198 – Back in Hangzhou

Posted on March 5, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Monday was a PV day.

Daily weight loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total weight loss: 74 lb/33.61 kg

I have no idea how I lost weight while out of town in Taizhou. Having eaten pork intestines, pickled octopus and various and assorted other things… I was careful not to eat anything in gravy, and I even had half a piece of fruit that was like an apple and pear together… but the scale was kind to me… thank you scale!

Whirlwind couple of days on a trip that was a surprise… holding on to the fact that I caught 2 babies keep my spirits up. Coming back yesterday was challenging, I’m not sure which event launched me into a “Michael Douglas in Falling Down” mode, but I felt like a volcano ready to erupt… was it the guy hocking loogies in the restaurant? (everyone here hocks up loogies openly… loud and proud, and spits them on the floor, wherever they might be… men, women, children) or was it the fact that my employer forgot to pick me up at the train station and I had to get in a 1+ hour que to get a taxi… Or was it the lady in said taxi que that did the Haitian nose blow onto my FRIGGIN hiking boot… my reaction parted the crowd like the Red Sea and we moved right up to the front of the line 😀 Or, it could have been the fact that I couldn’t get a taxi to go to a friends house because they do shift change at 5 p.m. and it was GOD FORBID 4 p.m…. her flat is a 15 min. taxi ride… SO I WALKED THE 3.5 MILES… or it could have been witnessing, for the 1000th time, a kid who’s grandmother is hovering her over the sidewalk while she craps, then wipes her and leaves the tissue on the sidewalk… Yeah… FALLING DOWN… argh!
I also walked the 3.5 miles back to my flat… so I think I got my exercise in for the day!

So the sun is TRYING to peak through the pollution, and it’s time to walk to work and confront them about the fact that they sent me on a 2 night trip, with no extra clothes or panties AND forgot to pick me up at the train station… should be a fun mornin’ 😀

Ciao!

Dukan – Day 196 – To Shanghai For Boxes

Posted on March 3, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Friday was a PP Day.

Daily weight loss: 0.2 lb/0.10 kg
Total weight loss: 73.5 lb/33.41 kg

So I’m sitting on a train writing this. Taking an impromptu (at least I wasn’t aware) trip to Taizhou to be the guest speaker, presenter and media darling for the opening of their water birth room. This is what Kitty is doing…

Dukan – Day 195 – Cruisin’ Along

Posted on March 2, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today was a PV day.

Daily Weight Loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 73.3 lbs/33.31 kgs

Just cruising along here. Little tiny bits at a time. When I’m out running I imagine it all flying off of me and getting fitter and healthier.

It’s been a rough week, but I’ve hung in there. Usually when I hit a rough patch I eat things that aren’t good for me. That was the old Sandi… the pre-August 20th Sandi… I am so proud that I haven’t back slid into the bottomless pit of feeding my rough patches. To be honest, it feels good not to do it!

Overheard, by me, while running last night… “You’ve got this girl”… “Woo Hoo, that’s 5 minutes!”… “You WILL be fit and healthy”… “Yes, Yes, Yes… I think this is the last patch of run for the night”… “oh wait, nope… this one is… ugh”… “Put on your big girl panties and get on with it”… and finally, “Yes… I DID IT!” When the C25K lady tells me “1 minute to go” I rejoice and last night shed a few tears, during the cool down… last night I was pounding it out in the pouring rain in my waterproof jacket and a crocheted hat that Sandy O’Connor Huntley made me and loved that I was soaking wet. Running in the rain is cathartic… as I passed the gym in my complex for the 3rd time and the people were in the heated room on treadmills I thought, “girl, they ain’t got nothin’ on you”… LOL A bit cheeky I am these days.
So awesome workout… I preceded my run last night with a 20 minute yoga routine on the wii and 20 minutes of balance exercise, then a kick ass game of wii bowling… I scored a 172 🙂

Breakfast: 2 Tea Eggs (what else would I have??)
Lunch: 3 ham slices and a tea egg
Dinner: Pollo Saltado… damn was THAT good… I’ll do a recipe blog while on the train tomorrow night… don’t ask… part of my rough week b.s.
Snack: Didn’t get my yogurt in… it was too late when I realized it and I wasn’t hungry
Water: 2.6 liters… woot!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: “Put on your big girl panties” ~ First heard by me years ago by my midwife friend Deb Wage of Nashville.

Dukan – Day 194 – Well, now, that’s better!

Posted on February 29, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day.

Daily weight loss: 0.9 lb/0.44 kg
Total weight loss: 72.8 lb/33.11 kg

Well, that has me feeling a little bit better! I was beginning to think that I was going to be in a plateau for a week or two. Phew!

For those following the visa saga… it looks like I’ve been granted a 30 day extension. I will get final word next Wednesday, and that’s good enough to get my 2 ladies to their due dates. Everyone is very relieved and a little less stressed 🙂

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs, coffee, lots of water
Lunch: 3 slices of ham and a tea egg, lots more water
Dinner: Stir fry steak chunks with zucchini and onion
Snack: FF (Fat Free) Greek yogurt with flax seed meal and splenda

I did 30 minutes of yoga and 25 minutes of bowling, both on the wii. It was pouring down rain last night and I didn’t want to get soaked while running… hopefully it’ll be drier tonight!

Dinner recipe:
Sauteed 1/2 a red onion and 1/2 a zucchini in 1 tsp sesame oil (ran out of olive oil 3 days ago, none to be found in the little shops, will get some on my trip to Shanghai tomorrow). I added Italian seasoning, ground garlic and cumin. I sauteed for 2 minutes.

Sautee onions and zucchini for 2 mins. in 1 tsp of oil

I then placed those to the side and stir fried steak chunks for 5 minutes, about 2 1/2 minutes each side. I didn’t add any more oil, I did shake on a little Italian seasoning.

I then tossed the veggies back in, simmered together for 2 minutes and done!

Fast, simple, tasty and Dukan Friendly!

Total time to prepare: less than 15 minutes!

I hope you all are having a good Leap Day!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement ~ Brian Tracy

Final word: RIP Davy Jones… you were the silly Monkee 😀

Dukan – Day 193 – Peace On Earth, Begins With Birth

Posted on February 29, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tuesday was a PP Day.

Daily Weight Loss: 0
Total Weight Loss: 72 lb/32.71 kg

This is Day 3 of my weight being the same 😦 I didn’t have the chance to write a Dukan Blog on Monday morning, but it was the same that morning, as well. Funny thing, it is happening to a fellow blogger, Mel. We are both eating what we’re suppose to, and frankly, my carb consumption is below even Dukan standards… so what gives?

Breakfast: 2 Tea Eggs
Lunch: 1 Tea Egg and 3 ham slices
Dinner: Pork chunks and onion cooked in dark soy sauce with soy and wasabi to dip in… yum!
I did C25K for 30 minutes, plus added 10 extra minutes of walking at the end
Snack: FF Greek yogurt with bran and splenda

Here’s dinner:

The dark soy sauce smells so yummy!

The wasabi and soy dipping sauce - divine!

Now for the part about birth 😀 Earlier today (and your night time in the States) I was chatting with my friend Miri who is also a midwife. I was telling her about a PowerPoint I was given 3 hours to develop today (I banged it out and it’s top quality, btw) and she shared a 7 minute birth video with me. Watching her midwife this woman, completely hands off and listening to her voice, it was like watching myself. My comment to her, after this gorgeous water birth was, “isn’t it sad for the momma’s and babies that don’t get to experience gentle birth like that”… It left me a bit melancholy.
Peace on Earth, Begins With Birth… being “with woman”, the meaning of midwife, during her pregnancy and labor and birth, is an honor. Honoring a birth with peacefulness can transform a woman into a powerful mother who knows that she alone birthed her baby… with HER strength, HER perseverance, HER power. Midwifing a woman with peace allows the baby to be born into quiet sacredness… to open and breathe in a peaceful setting, where there isn’t fear at the first moment of life… that is the kind of births we should be empowering women to have. Thank you, Miri, for being that kind of midwife.

Peace on Earth, does indeed, Begin With Birth.

My beautiful daughter Tiffany, her amazing husband Joey, and their children Sydnie and Shane at the birth of Sofia… May 17, 2008… born on her great-grandma’s birthday.

Ciao!

The Sunshine Award

Posted on February 27, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Words cannot even express how humble I feel by being nominated for the Sunshine Award by Olive. Olive is a brilliant writer and can her blog can be found here http://olivetwist.wordpress.com. I found her site recently and work myself through a couple of posts an evening. Her writing is from the heart and I love that!

As part of accepting the nomination I am required to post the answers to the following questions 🙂

Favorite colors: Purple and Green (ironically those are also Olive’s favorite colors!!)

Favorite Animal: Cat

Favorite Number: 13

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Beverage: Skinny Cafe Latte

Prefer Facebook or Twitter? FACEBOOK

My passion: Lowering infant and maternal mortality through education

Prefer getting or giving presents: GIVING

Favorite Pattern: Circles

Favorite Day of the Week: Pajama Day 😀

Favorite flower: Gerbera Daisy

And now the hard part… choosing 10 bloggers to pass this on to. Oh My! I read SO many amazing blogs! This is a real tough one for me… I didn’t like to have to pick teams on dodge ball!

http://wwangel.wordpress.com/ Mel keeps me motivated to get out and run.. and she has an adorable dog to boot!

http://charlottesdukandiet.com/ Charlotte is the first Dukan blog I followed… I love reading her quippy posts and her honesty about struggling to stay on this program!

http://dukandiet-journey.blogspot.com/ Moonday’s Philosophy is permanently attached to my fridge!

http://soniadukandiet.blogspot.com/ Sonia has done an amazing job on the Dukan diet!

http://dukandietress.blogspot.com/ I also follow this amazing blogger who has great advise about Dukan and her success!

http://thechunkygoddess.com
Cyn tells it like it is… I’m new to her blog, but loving it! She says what we’d all like to say, but are afraid to say it… LOL

http://lipomachia.wordpress.com
She has some fabulous recipe ideas on her site… her Mega-Power omelet is amazing!

http://apetcher.wordpress.com/ Have Bag, Will Travel
Lots of great travel writing and PICTURES here!! I have just started to enjoy this blog and I’m glad I stumbled upon it!

http://thesandytongue.wordpress.com – Warning, some may find his stuff offensive… I find it raw, funny and he speaks his truth!

http://hapacouple.blogspot.com/ And although they haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, this blog has some of the best Dukan friendly recipes on it. The pictures, descriptions and instructions make cooking delicious Dukan foods easy!

Olive… again, thanks!