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 1 – National Health Blog Post Month

Posted on November 4, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So, this month is National Health Blog Post Month and I’m going to attempt to put out two posts a day for this month 🙂

The first assignment – “Why I write about my health”

I write about my health because I began my amazing journey 15 months ago by starting the Dukan Diet. I decided to post daily to hold myself accountable to myself, my family and friends and it has grown to so much more!

I’m most proud to say that I’ve maintained my weightloss within a 5 pound range for SIX MONTHS!!

Do you write about your health? If so, why?

Ciao!

Here’s a few pics of my amazing week I’m having…

Yoga on the beach, photo by the Amazing Mona

Halloween Day at work…

Me and Angie Z…

Me and BeBe…

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…

Gluten-free chocolate torte!!!

Now rushing out mom’s door to head across State to see friends and then back to Stuart… Waiting to get off the roller coaster… WEEEEEEEE!

Dukan – Day 160 – Awesome Vacation and I still have a week!

Posted on October 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Cleaning up the blog and finding posts that never posted…. This one from January 2012. Update this afternoon, I promise 🙂
Sandi

Friday was a PV day 🙂

Daily weight loss: 1.3 lb/0.6 kg
Total weight loss: Will update when back in China on MY scale and with my progress sheet.

So to update everyone from the past week…
Wednesday…
The walk that I went on was at Devil’s Millhopper sinkhole in Gainesville. I went with my friend Mary and it was great! It is 220 stairs down to the bottom. So we walked to the bottom and then back again and hiked the rim twice. Nice morning for walking. Then off for lunch in Ocala with an old friend. Then out to Bronson to say Happy Birthday to my niece Tasha and meet her 3 year old, Abigail. Too stinkin’ cute! Then back to cook dinner for my mom.

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs and a slice of turkey
Lunch: 6 oz sirloin and asparagus
Dinner: Turkey sausage with onions
Snack: FF yogurt with Splenda and flax seed meal

Thursday…
An early morning start at 555 am back to south Florida for a dental cleaning appt at 10. Got there with 5 minutes to share 🙂 A nice visit with my daughter, Jenni at Panero’s, then a long 2.5 hour hike with my friend Jamie in Johnathan Dickenson State Park. Saw an alligator, literally 2 feet away, in a retention pond very cool, but scary 😀 then met the crazy friends at Kona’s for Jammin’ Jensen.

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs
Lunch: Turkey slices and 2 small pieces of nearly fat free (1.5g) of sharp cheddar.
Dinner: Seared tuna on a stick and grilled pompano with mixed steamed veggies.
Snack: FF Greek yogurt with Splenda and flax seed meal

Friday: up early, long walk through Stuart, across the bridges, down by the river walk, all before the sun comes up! Then I drove up to Melborne to visit my son. An evening visit with my friend, Tammy then to bed early.

Breakfast: 2 hard fried eggs and bacon
Lunch: turkey slices and a couple of small pieces of nearly fat free cheese
Dinner: chicken sausage (spicy and not, out of the cases), stir fried in a small amount of olive oil, with cumin, cinnamon, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and chilis. Then had 4 bites of bacon wrapped cobia nuggets at Tammy’s… Could not resist!
Snack: FF Greek yogurt with Splenda and flax seed meal.

So, I’m apparently eating fine, since I’m losing. Still holding off on a total weight loss until I get home to my scale and progress sheet. I’m having a great vacation and nothing can beat that!

Ciao!

Quote of day: If you do not tell the truth about yourself
you cannot tell it about other people.

~ Virginia Woolf ~

Devil’s Millhopper

Me and Tasha

Abby

Update and Standing while Eating

Posted on October 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So, I’m wiped out, as a lot of you have noticed (thanks for the emails) and I’m still healing. My arms hurt, but look awesome… I’m pleased with my decision. I’m still too exhausted between recovery, working my new job and homeschooling my amazing granddaughter Sydnie, to blog. I’m hoping to get a good blog in. I haven’t run since my apparent 13 km run in the middle of the night my first night post-op… I’ll post that story, as well… Sigh.

In the meantime, here’s some interesting info from one of my favorite Paleo blogs… She advocates sitting and eating while thinking about what you eat… I don’t necessarily agree. I KNOW what I’m eating and I stand while I eat. Good food. My last meal was stir fry organic chicken breast, sautéed in coconut oil with squash, mushrooms, onions, peppers and asparagus. That was 5 hours ago and it was delish and colorful and healthy… eaten while standing 🙂 I believe if you are being intentional and aware of what your are eating, standing is good… Burn more calories, lol.
Ciao!

Paleo RD Tip of the Week
By Amy Kubal, MS, RD

Get off your feet when you eat
Quick – what was the last thing you ate? No really – what was the VERY LAST thing you put in your mouth? Most of you are probably envisioning the last meal you ate; the one where you were sitting down and actually aware of the food on your plate and going into your mouth. Now, think about it again; what was the LAST thing that you ate? Were you sitting down?

image credit: guardian.co.uk

These days much of what we eat is actually consumed ‘in motion’ – standing up, running between appointments, on the way to work, you name it. Sometimes we just grab a bite of something, (or a piece of candy from the office candy dish), on the way to or from somewhere. Maybe we have a couple bites of something we’re putting into a meal, or into the kids’ lunches. Don’t forget the grapes you grabbed when you opened the refrigerator or the leftovers you nibbled on while clearing the table. How many meals, snacks, bites and samples have you eaten all while on your feet? Do you even remember all of these ‘foot feasts’? Did you actually taste or even enjoy the standing snacks?

My guess is that we are ALL (yes, even me) guilty of mindlessly putting something into our mouths without really even realizing we did it. One of the rules that I made for myself and my clients (because I’m mean like that), is that if you’re not sitting on your butt you can’t eat it. I don’t care if you are mid-way through a bite – sit down – right there on the floor, until the food is chewed and swallowed. Let me tell you, it makes you think. After having to pick my butt up off the floor about 20 times (I’m a slow learner) I figured it out and I’m betting you will too.
If you want to eat – you must take a seat! Are you sitting down?

Amy Kubal is a Registered “Paleo” Dietitian and the ring leader of Robb’s RD consulting team. She works with a wide range of clients from competitive athletes to those dealing with complex health problems. Check out her bio and consulting options, and her blog Fuel As Rx to get your Paleo nutrition fix.

And to finish things off, this is my new baby… BeBe. She’ll be 5 October 21. She’s a cat poo eater, so now she’s mine. I’m so glad her former mom and dad picked me 🙂

Arm Reduction

Posted on October 3, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So this one will be brief… Monday I had brachioplasty. Basically I ~~have~~ had these lovely tone arms from yoga and exercise, then the flappy stuff underneath. It’s gone. I feel like yuck, recovering, did too much 24 hours out and paying for it this morning with swollen hands, headache and a fever 😦
So will update the blog this weekend when feeling better!
Ciao!