Dukan – My Last Walk to Work

Posted on September 19, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today marks the end of my contract here in Hangzhou, China AND my last day of work. I fly home to the U.S. tomorrow and I am more than ready and SO excited!

I took the east sidewalk today… I would say that 80% of the time I take the west side. It depends a lot on the traffic lights 🙂 The darker tile is the Blind Person walkway, it is on every sidewalk in China that I’ve walked on. And the lane next to the sidewalk is the bicycle, e-bike, scooter lane. They have their own lane separated from the car traffic.

Last year I walked on my first day of work. I was a month into the Dukan Diet and I weighed 236 lbs/107.5 kgs. I was walking every day in Abu Dhabi for the prescribed 30 minutes. On that walk to work which is 1.5 kms/0.92 miles I decided that I was going to walk to and from work EVERY SINGLE DAY for the whole year of my contract. AND DAMMIT… I DID! I walked every single day to work for 12 months. My estimate (taking into consideration vacations and trips to work in other cities, where I also walked to work) is that here in Hangzhou I walked to work approximately 200 times. That’s 200 miles! Woot!

I have to admit that there were days that I was SO tempted to hail a cab or take the bus (it’s a .35 km walk to the bus stop, then it’s just one bus stop up)… there were 7 weeks in February and March where EVERY SINGLE DAY it was 41F and raining and it sucked… but I walked, because you set goals and you reach them and you feel like I do right this minute! 😀

I also walked home 90% of those days. The only days I didn’t was days that I was going into the city for groceries or dinner and caught a cab or bus. So my best guess is that I probably walked to and from work about 380+ miles over the course of this past year.

Did you get in your 30 minutes of movement today???

Ciao!

Recipe – Low Carb – Veggies Steamed in Coconut Milk

Posted on September 18, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So the other night when I made the Coconut Flaxseed Bread that I posted about, I had this half a can of coconut milk left over and had no idea what to do with it… then it hit me… why don’t I pour it in the veggies that are steaming… Mmmm Mmmm Good!

steamed vegetables, coconut milk, vegetables steamed in coconut milk

Thai inspired steamed veggies!

VEGGIES STEAMED IN COCONUT MILK
Total time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 6

1 head of broccoli
4 medium carrots
A big handful of asparagus
1/2 c water
1 c coconut milk

Cut veggies into bite size pieces.
Put carrots into pan and pour water over them.
Simmer on med-low for 10-15 minutes (until they are just becoming tender)
**Add a little more of water, if needed
Add the rest of the veggies to the pan and pour the coconut milk on top.
Stir well.
Steam for 5-7 minutes.
Serve.
Enjoy!

Per serving: 74 Calories, 5 g protein, 2 g fat, 13 g carb

Recipe – Paleo – Coconut Flaxseed Bread Tweaked

Posted on September 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So I tweaked this recipe to make it even better. Well, actually, at first because I didn’t have enough of the original ingredients AND I had coconut milk that I wanted to use this week, since I’m moving back to the States on Thursday (WOO HOO!!!). Tatiana came to dinner and had the first batch and said this was, “MUCH BETTER!”… Sweeter and moister. So here goes:

COCONUT FLAXSEED BREAD – IMPROVED

COCONUT FLAXSEED BREAD
Serves: 8
1 serving = 1 slice

Ingredients:
3 Tbs coconut creme powder or coconut flour
12 Tbs flaxseed, ground
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 pkts of Splenda (or 6 tsp of your favorite sweetner)
5 eggs
1/4 c coconut oil
1/8 c coconut milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (not quite sure that’s what I used, lol… this is China, had to guess at it in the little store)

Preheat the oven (in my case the toaster oven) to 350 F.
Grease up a loaf pan with coconut oil.
Mix the dry stuff together, Mix the wet stuff together, Mix the dry and wet together 🙂
Pour into the pan.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Loaf is done when you stick in a chop stick (hey! I live in China!) comes out clean!
Enjoy!

This loaf came out browner, sweeter and moister than the last loaf.

dukan bread, paleo bread, low carb bread, atkins bread

Coconut Flaxseed Bread

Nutrition info per serving: Calories 150, Protein 5.5g, Fat 13.8g,
Total Carb 2.8g, Net Carb 0.4g

Dukan – Sunday Celebration and weekly wrap-up!

Posted on September 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Consolidation Phase Day 128 of 500!
Weekly Weight: 146-149
Goal Weight: 155
So Consolidation DOES work 🙂 I can’t believe it’s been 128 days since I met my goal weight! This summer has flown by! I am very consistent with my weight, still weighing every morning and still VERY happy with the results!

This past week has been busy! I am moving back to the States on Thursday after living abroad for 4 years. I have been packed for over a month 🙂 I know, a bit OCD, but what to say. I’ve got 2 large suitcases and a large box as checked luggage (things I didn’t want to risk never seeing again if my shipped boxes disappear into the stratosphere or something.) It’ll be worth paying extra for the peace of mind.

Exercise this past week included running 4-5K 3 times. Walking 4-5K the other 4 nights. I also did 30-45 minutes of yoga 4 times the past week. I hiked the mountain 1 time this past week and hope to do it Tuesday morning as one last hurrah 🙂

I met Hanna and Diana and Jacob (next photo) on the street a couple of weeks ago. They are from Sweden and here to attend the University just down the block from my flat. Jacob had on a Miami Dolphins hat, so of course I stopped them 🙂 They’ve been to dinner a few times and I wish I had met them sooner!

Jacob

The weather in Hangzhou has been PERFECT this past 4 days. Sunny and a cool breeze. I’ve had the flat windows opened and the whole place is fresh. The summer heat was oppressive! So it’s a nice break.

Let’s see… what did I eat this week. Lots of tea eggs, as per usual. Lunches consisted of leftover roasts (both pork and beef), salad, cheddar cheese and almonds. Dinners were steak stir fry, pork roast, beef roast, shrimp stir fry and my new favorite way to cook veggies; veggies (broccoli, asparagus, carrots and garlic stems) steamed in coconut milk… OH MY you have no idea how good THAT is… a must try! I also had a dinner out with friends at a local sushi restaurant and a hot pot dinner… guests for dinner almost nightly, trying to cook up all the food in the freezer AND say good bye to friends, new and not so new.

Pork roast… Mmm!

Out for sushi with Baby Milva!

Out for dinner with Joe, Chiara and baby Nunu!

You throw in the meat and veggies and it cooks in the hot pot… the liquid on the left is spicy, spicy!!! Mmmmmm!

And I did my last water birth lecture in front of a hundred people or so in a nearby town. I hope my message got across to some folks and they have gentler births!

Me and Liang… on our way to my last water birth lecture. She’s the lead midwife supporting water birth at Hangzhou AIMA.

So, that’s my wrap up! How did your week go? Is it cooling down where you live?

Ciao!

Creating a Powerful & Inspiring Vision for your Life – Step 3

Posted on September 15, 2012 by flamidwyfe

And now Step 3 from the powerful ideas of The Wellness Warrior…

Sit down and meditate on your vision. Call it in.

What does this mean? Sounds real “froo froo” as I like to call it. But, from a positive point of view this is an excellent way to envision what it is that you want to inspire and create.

I dedicate time to do this 5 days a week. I actually have it in my iPhone calendar to ensure that I am reminded to do it. This is time that I sit quietly, with no distractions like TV, podcasts, Facebook, etc and simply think deeply about what my vision is. Nearby is my trusty Blue Sparkly Notebook, ready and waiting to take down ideas. If it’s in the evening, I light a few candles, close the curtains in the room I’m in and make sure I have a nice cup of tea (Earl Grey is my preference!) sitting next to me. Also, for some reason I like to sit on my yoga mat while I’m meditating/thinking about my vision.

By taking this time, creating this space and meditating on what I want, things are coming to fruition in regard to my health and fitness business. I can truly see them taking shape and I can see myself hitting the ground running once I arrive home next week.

It is sometimes difficult to just take the time to sit and think. Or sit and meditate. Or sit and envision what it is that YOU want for your life. However, the rewards for that 5 minutes of time, even if only once or twice a week are astounding!

Do you give yourself quiet time every once in a while to just sit and ponder your vision in life?

Ciao!

Positive Affirmation: I am attracting EVERYTHING I desire!

Creating a Powerful & Inspiring Vision for your Life – Step 2

Posted on September 13, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I came across this blog while clicking through links on a different blog The Wellness Warrior. Her post about the 3 Steps To Creating a Powerful and Inspiring Vision has me filling out pages and pages in my journal! So here goes Step 2 of that process. Perhaps it will inspire you to create a vision!

Step 2 – Write it out.

To give you an idea of how I am working this, in regard to volunteering in Sierre-Leone to lower maternal mortality this is what I’ve written in my journal:

What is your vision of what you want?

I would like to do a 3-5 year program in Sierra-Leone that focuses on reducing maternal mortality. It would include educating the maternity care providers, the community about the importance of prenatal care AND bring in the necessary tools needed to enable the maternity care providers to care for women in the region.

What would that look like?

A small room set up in local hospitals with educational dolls and books and videos. Clinics in out-lying areas that have the necessary tools for delivery if not able to get to a hospital. The staff would be trained to deal with life threatening issues like post-partum hemorrhage and would have the adequate medication and emergency life skills to fix the problem.

If you were living your dream life what would you be doing?

I would be organizing the program from the States, from writing for grants, holding fundraisers and training volunteers. Then I would take my band of volunteers to Sierra-Leone and begin the long process of making a difference.

What would be happening? Write it down.

Benefactors with BIG hearts would contribute the money needed to buy supplies (both education and medical) and to fund the project. They would commit to this being a long-term project. Once the implementation of training began, hundreds of healthcare workers and parents to be would sign up for the classes.

What are the characteristics of your dream job, your dream man, your dream body?

LOL… I could write a book on the 3 of THOSE choices! But I’ll stick with the first one.
1. Successful reduction of maternal mortality resulting in…
2. Successful reduction of infant mortality
3. Immense satisfaction in seeing the community empower themselves with knowledge

What would it feel like when you had this? Write it down.

AMAZING

What would an ideal day in your dream life look like? What time would you get up, what would you eat, what type of work would you do, where would you be, who would you be with, what would you be wearing? Write it down.

Up at the crack of dawn… some yoga and meditation to get the day started. Review of what training would be done that day, what clinic or hospital duties that day, review or audit of success or failures. I would eat lots of meat and veggies. I would be in or around the Capital Freetown. I would be with local healthcare practitioners, volunteers from the program (I’d love to have a nice mix of med students, midwifery students, nursing students, anthropology students and people that had graduated from those types of programs or ANYONE who enthusiastically embraced the philosophy of reducing maternal mortality in this region). I’d be wearing whatever I was comfortable in, of course respecting the culture of the people I am around.

So, what say you? That is A LOT to think about! If you were living your dream life what would YOU be doing?

Ciao!

This is a powerful slide show: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1993805,00.html

Sad, yet real truth about maternal mortality 😦

Creating a Powerful & Inspiring Vision for your Life – Step 1

Posted on September 12, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I’ve been doing a lot of blog reading these past few weeks and listening to a lot of podcasts. I am researching ways to better my life and have a positive impact on starting my new business when I get home in EIGHT DAYS!!! I know, I’m not excited about moving home AT ALL! 😀

I came across this blog while clicking through links on a different blog The Wellness Warrior. Her post about the 3 Steps To Creating a Powerful and Inspiring Vision has me filling out pages and pages in my journal! So here goes Step 1 of that process. Perhaps it will inspire you to create a vision!

The first question is why is it so important to have a vision? Well I am a firm believer in what you put out into the world happens. Kind of a “if you build it, they will come” kind of thinking. BTW, I love that movie! When you envision something as happening, it often will. I often go to sleep thinking about what I’d like to see in the future and then dream about it. I am able to manipulate my dreams (not sure how that works, but it works for me) and come out with multiple endings to my visions. I have been creating intentional dreams the past couple months of how I’d like to see my business work out and often wake up and write ideas down in the Blue Sparkly Notebook. Otherwise, they are lost forever, or at least until it springs back up in my mind and I’d rather not miss the opportunity. Not to get too far off track, but I am also able to wake up, write things down, go to the bathroom and lay back down and resume my dreams… When my mom would come to wake me for school when I was a little girl, I used to tell her to give me 5 more minutes so I could finish my dream, and I would!

So, Step 1 is: Get clear on what you want. I used a simple formula that my friend John posted on his Facebook wall a couple months back… I’ve been using this nearly daily while writing out my plans:

This is a very simple formula, but it laid the foundation for me to start thinking about where I wanted to go with my plans AND my life.

After you’ve answered those questions, you dig deeper…
If I was not afraid, what would I do?
If I had all the money I needed, what would I do?
If I knew I would be loved and supported unconditionally, what would I do?

I’ve taken these questions to heart and written them out in my journal… each one has a WHOLE page dedicated to the answers. I also have 2 subcategories for the answers:
LIFE & WORK!
Here’s a couple notes I’ve made next to these:
#1: Jump feet first into the black water called “a new business and career” and not have any qualms about it (WORK)
#2: Go to Sierre-Leone and devote 3-5 years to lowering the maternal mortality rate (LIFE & WORK… or is that LifeWork?)
#3: Dance barefoot and naked in the rain (LIFE)

And then you dig even deeper…
1. Why do I want what I want?
2. What do I think this will give me?
3. What qualities do I want to experience on a daily basis?
4. How do I want to feel?

These have been more difficult for me to write out… as you must be very open to ideas you may find absolutely impossible… and I’m a concrete thinker! You also have to think from a “self” point of view, instead of thinking about how you will be helping others, you have to think about what it is YOU want to get out of it.

In answer to #1 I’ve written that I want to focus on health & fitness because I feel amazing and want to share that amazing feeling with others. I have also written that I want to find a sustainable career that will help others while helping me continue on my plan for eventual retirement.

So I’ve given you a lot to think about with this exercise 🙂

If you had an unlimited resource of money, what would you do?

Ciao!

Life – Happy Birthday, Baby

Posted on September 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

My baby turns 27 today… 27! How is that possible? I’m only 48! She is, and always will be, called “The Baby”. And she is the most amazing adult a mom could ask for!

Tiffany was born on September 11, 1985 by planned cesarean section. Early in my pregnancy I was diagnosed with a Class IV pap smear which back then was considered cancer of the cervix in situ (meaning just there). It was recommended at the time that I terminate the pregnancy and receive treatment. I didn’t give that a second thought. I knew in my heart that she was sent to me for a reason. So on with the pregnancy we went.

I was hospitalized several times during the pregnancy, but loved every minute of it. Tiff was due on Friday the 13th and I wouldn’t have minded having her that day, as 13 is my favorite number… but Dr. Holder said he didn’t want me to risk giving birth normally and scheduled me for the 11th. In addition to having Tiffany delivered by c/section I also had a hysterectomy, as that was the only treatment option available at the time. It was a rough recovery period and I am ever so grateful to my mom and to my ex-mother-in-law Pat for their help while I recovered. Pat came to Florida from West Virginia for a couple of weeks and stayed with us… my mom lived next door!

Tiffany has grown into an amazing woman. She’s been married for 8 years and has blessed me with 4 gorgeous grandchildren!

Sydnie (8), Jose (2), Shane (6) and Sofia (4)… this was halloween a couple years ago.

All 4 of her babies were born at home and into my hands. I feel so fortunate that she trusted me with that.

She is now pregnant with surrogate twins. She is amazingly selfless. She works hard assisting teenagers with disabilities and raising her brood. I’m so lucky to be her mom!

Happy Birthday, Baby… I love you and can’t wait to see you in 9 days!

Tiffany and Jenni 1992 West Virginia

Tiff and me after Sofia’s birth.

Tiffany and Sydnie with Sofia who is 1 day old.

Me with Tiffany… 2009, pregnant with Jose

2009 the moment Jose was born.

Ciao!

Dukan – Celebration Sunday & Mountain Hike

Posted on September 3, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Sunday was Consolidation Day 114 of 500.
Today’s Weight: 145
Goal Weight: 155

Sunday is my Celebration Sunday day on Dukan. When you enter the third phase of Dukan, the Consolidation Phase, you get one celebration meal a week. You can eat whatever you want. This is in the first half of Consolidation (mine is 500 days long and the rule applies until I hit day 250). In the second half you can have 2 celebration meals a week.

I’ve chosen to remain wheat, gluten and sugar free, so my celebration meals usually include something like french fries (i’m not eating white potatoes) or lots of fruit! That was the case today.

I started the morning out with a 2 egg omelet with onion, asparagus and garlic. I then went on a 5.59 km mountain hike with my friend Tatiana. This is the trail that I try to hike every Sunday morning when I’m in Hangzhou. I have to say that during yesterday’s hike up I realized that I was really going to miss this part of living in China. Moving back to Florida (which I love more than any place in the world) won’t include mountain hiking!

Burned off breakfast and then some!

runkeeper, mountain hike, hangzhou, china

286 meter = 938 feet… not a bad climb 🙂

Tatiana

mountain hike, west lake, hangzhou, china

And I wore shorts… in public. You can see West Lake in the background. It’s a beautiful view from the top of this mountain!

And this was my reward… a fruit salad for lunch, along with a iced cafe latte with Splenda and a TON of water… like 2 liters.

I shared this delicious fruit platter with Tatiana. So fresh and cool after a long hike in the heat.

My driver Jerry met us at the restaurant and took us to the wet market. I’m going to have to go back and get pictures… I’m always so busy picking out my stuff that I don’t pull out the iPhone and take pics! The wet market has the freshest veggies, fruits, meats and live poultry and fish to choose from. I get my veggies, pork and beef there. The stands that I purchase my pork and beef from both have range free farms. The meat is butchered the day before and I can pick my cuts. Tatiana picked out a 1/2 kilo of live jumbo shrimp to make us a late afternoon snack.

We got home, I separated out all the meat and spent time reading for a while. Around 4 Tatiana simmered the shrimp with fresh ginger, sea salt and pepper corns. I made a wasabi & tamari mix and we had some yummy shrimp!!!

Didn’t have dinner, as I was stuffed. I had a couple of bites of cheese and a handful of almonds to round out my evening.

What did you do on Sunday? Were you active?

Ciao!