Food Steamer

My awesome sister bought me a food steamer for Christmas.  I love it!
So far I have cooked root veggies, frozen broccoli and haddock in it.  It is so easy, 10-15 minutes and 20 for the root veggies (potatoes, turnips, carrots).
The fish turned out great and the clean up was easy, I don't know why I didn't get one sooner.
From a caloric point I am saving a lot of calories not using oil to cook the fish and steaming is supposed to be the best way to retain the nutrients of the veggies.
Buy one, you'll feel so healthy! Rival food steamer

No Caffeine Day 8

No head ache! The head aches on day 5 & 6 six where bad.  Just a hit of coffee would take it away instantly but nooooooo.
I felt good all day today, taught an all day ski lesson, had energy, no head ache and I seem to be getting a deeper sleep!
I can take the coffee expense off my bill!  For me that's about $400.00/year and that's just from making it at home!

Salad

Eat one everyday.
And no, not with blue cheese dressing!
I buy organic spring salad mix
Add a little of each: sweet peppers red or yellow
carrots
chi chi beans
nuts
olives, I like any greek type
organic sunflower seeds, good iron source
seasonal fruit: summer is berries, fall apples, winter oranges, spring anything
Top it off with crumbled (blue) organic tortilla chips.
Dressing:  a good quality aged balsamic vinegar and pepper, skip the oil if you are trying to lose weight.
I try to use everything as fresh as I can and preferably organic. Organic foods tend to be higher in nutrients and keeps you from putting cancer causing farmer chemicals in your body.  This is so healthy and you get so many nutrients including a balance of carbs, protein and fat.  Your body will love you.
I made a large version of this for a party and it was gone in 10 minutes.

Stop Eating!

Stop eating cookies!  I know that it's the holidays but enough!

Me, where I am the happiest!

Okay I confess... I had some chocolate last night, mmmmmmm.  But it was a treat, only about 6 oz and allowed myself to enjoy it guilt free!
I think that I am finely able to not feel guilty about it because I am so proud of my healthy eating lifestyle!
My family is actually starting to be more tolerant of my eating choices, I got 2 vegetarian cookbooks and a food steamer for Christmas.
I think it was very thoughtful!  But why are Veg. cookbooks all cheese?  How can you be a vegetarian and eat cheese? That's just gross and it doesn't make sense to me.
As you have read I am not a vegetarian, I eat fresh caught local fish, and meat if I shot it myself (no factory farmed meat).
He is a new years resolution: pay attention to where your food comes from and know the negative effects that it has on our planet.

Merry Christmas

Ho ho ho!
Merry Christmas everyone!

4 Days Without Caffeine

I started to go without caffeine on the 19th of this month.  The first day didn't really count because I had half a cup in the morning.  The second and third day I had no caffeine at all.  My head was in a fog until noon and I was ready for bed by 5pm.  Today is day 4 no fog but I have had a headache all day kind of like altitude sickness.  It is now 8 pm and I keep getting these throbbing shooting pains in my head.  OOOHHHH.
I'll live.  Remember caffeine is a drug and there is bound to be withdrawal symptoms. I am sleeping ok but not great yet, I still have hope.  One thing that I have noticed is that I am thirsty a lot in the morning which is good to drink water instead of coffee. I think that drinking coffee has definitely made me more dehydrated than I realized.  I let you know when the headaches stop.
Oh yeah, my teeth look whiter!

Hot Cocoa

Here is my hot cocoa recipe:
1 Tbls real maple syrup
1 Tbls cocoa powder
pinch salt
Stir
Add 1 c or so of almond milk
Stir
microwave 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high
MMMMMMMMMMMM
Make adjustments in the amounts of ingredients to your taste and remember it's a treat not a daily ritual to have a cup of hot cocoa.
Enjoy!

Thinking Screws Me Up

If you change how you think, you will change your life.
I take pride in my healthy choices.  It's a great feeling knowing that you are doing the right thing.
Educate yourself on healthy lifestyle, take action, change the way you think.  This works.

Holimont

Remember, Nay sayers are usually jealous and ignorant, keep your pride.

Trans Fatty Acid

Trans fatty acid can kill you. maybe not instantly but eventually.
Trans fat is formed when oils are hydrogenated in order to make food a more consistent texture and to keep it from becoming rancid.  It is one of the major causes of atherosclerosis or plaque forming in the arteries.  Over 40,000 deaths per are attributed to trans fatty acid. This caused the FDA to require that trans fat be listed on all nutrition labels.
Where can you find trans fat? margarine, oils used in restaurants for frying french fries, packaged baked goods, some chips and some peanut butters like Peter Pan and Jiff.
Bottom line: if the label list more than 0.5 trans fat, don't buy it and definitely don't eat it.

My BFF Hooty!

Sleep or lack of...

Mount Snow Vermont Dec. 2010

I have had many problems with sleep dis-orders.  I have gone to the doctor, the neurologists and even done sleep studies.  The results, squat!  The doctors couldn't find anything so they decided to prescribe me some anti-seizure medication.  WTF?  The side effects among many are that they make you tired, stupid and fat.
They also told me that my inability to sleep was due to hormonal changes, stress, age and phycological.  Maybe it is but they were just guessing, there was no proof and the only thing that I can do is manage is my stress.
Since I have changed my diet and am working on stress management, I am sleeping better but not great.  So this is what I decided to do: Quit drinking caffeine!  I was reading an article in Outside magazine Jan. 2011 called 31 ways to better health.  One of the things the article explains is the effect of caffeine: "It can lead to drowsiness, insomnia and increased blood pressure",  "Imagine you buy two plants and put them in the same windowsill.  One of them you feed only water and the other you feed caffeine and vodka.  You know what will happen"?
My plan is to replace caffeine with herbal tea.  I will let you know how it goes.
Wish me luck!

Mount Snow Instructor Training 2010

My good friend Walter from Pa.

What a great week of ski instructor training! 

Just goes to prove no matter how good you are eating healthy, it's still calories in calories out.  Ate a little too much during the week and boy can I feel it.  It's a never ending battle.  But I chose not to beat myself up because I had such a great time and I am happy!

Maintenance

Anyone that has been successful at keeping the weight off has their own story, we are all different.  I chose the healthy chemical free path because it was something that I could actually do.  I can not eat a regular* balanced diet and limited my caloric intake.
I just can't maintain it.  I think it's because this diet is too calorie dense I feel like I don't get enough food and I am hungry all the time.  Eating mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains are less calorie dense so I can eat so much more for the same amount of calories as sweets, meats and dairy.
 Eating very clean, green and sat fat free is something that I can maintain everyday for the rest of my life.  The bonus is that I am proud of what I am doing.

*Based on the FDA

Spend Time Outdoors

Xcelskiing.com

Get outside!  It's good for your body and your mind!  Find a club or a group or like me, make your own group (we are the Barkeaters).  It is so important to be social and active.  It keeps you motivated to be healthy and may even burn a calorie or two.  Just skip the cheese, crackers and the beer. www.xcelskiing.com/barkeaters.html

Getting Greener

I just got a little greener.
When I first started hearing about the conflict between mankind and the environment I figured that all I had to do was by a car that got really good gas mileage, unplug things and change my light bulbs.  And I did it.
Just like anything else, going green is a learning process, the more you learn the more you learn.
As I started to clean up my diet I realized the impact that poor diet of processed and factory farmed food have on the environment.  I am proud of myself for this change.
Yesterday I bought eco friendly shampoo, soap and lotion. Next will be dish soap and cleaning products!
I love this stuff!

Enough Nutrients?

They say (who "They" are I'm not exactly sure) that our excessively obese society is starving to death nutritional. In other words we eat to much food the has little or no nutrition and is packed with calories. Eg: soda pop and sugary foods.
Now lets say that you are a very conscientious eater.  You eat all the EAR (estimated ave. req.) of nutrients.  You eat nine servings of fruit and veggies/day, low sat & trans fat, low sodium, low sugar, etc.  Are you really getting in all your EAR? Probably not.  Why? Because of the way our food is being produced.
The soil that our food is being grown in has been striped of nutrients and replaced with chemical additives.
A colleague of mine was telling me about a study that was done with a head of romaine lettuce from a popular local grocery store. It was tested for its nutrient value against one grown in someone's private chemical free backyard garden.  The store bought variety had 60% less nutrients than  the home grown one.
Now I know that studies can be vague and mis-interperted but is the food that we think is healthy really healthy enough?
This is one of the reasons that I take my all natural multi-vitamin.

Doing The Dishes

A moment of realization that I had about the relationship with my health and the the food that I eat. After about a week of eliminating dairy (cheese) and other saturated fats (meat) I noticed a big change it doing the dishes; nothing sticks!
You know that 13 x 9 glass pan after you finished that yummy cheesy lasagna? After you soaked it over night and you still need a chisel to get that crap off the pan?

Chilean Andes

That's the same thing that it is doing to the inside of your body, cholesterol you know, taking up space in your arteries, not letting the blood flow through, heart disease, heart attack.  Maybe that's why it takes three months on the proper diet to get your cholesterol down because crap sticks.
Now everyday doing my dishes quickly and easily it reminds me of how I am doing my body good.  Now there's some pride in that!

Am I a vegan?

Kinda but no.  A true vegan eats no animal flesh of any kind and doesn't wear it either, like no leather boots or belts.

I am not a vegetarian either, the tend to eat eggs, dairy and sometimes way too much sugar.
So what am I ?
I've been pondering this one for a while.  I don't eat dairy or eggs, I won't eat any meat that I didn't shoot myself (and I will never shoot anything unless I am starving to death), I won't eat commercially caught or farm raised fish and most of all I try my best to never eat anything that is chemically laced.  (This includes but not limited to, dairy, meat, fish, junk food, junk drinks, most packaged foods.....). I eat little or no white sugar and try to limited bad fats to minimal.
I did eat some organic turkey for Thanksgiving and I will eat a little venison this winter maybe.
I came up with: "I eat chemical free" or "I'm chemical free", for lack of a better label.
I am I perfect with this healthy diet? No, it's reasonably impossible in todays factory farmed society.  But I find trying to eat chemically free makes me feel really good about myself.  Eating this way really works for me and the more I learn about eating healthy the better I get at it!
www.realizedhealth.com

Exercise

It is a must!
If I don't exercise I think of it like forgetting to brushing my teeth, my body gets scuzzy! Gross, huh?
I think that it is very important to do what you like.  I like to do seasonal things.  In the spring I like to hike and run, in the summer when it's hot I like to ride my road bike.  In the fall I like to walk, hike and run and in the winter I like to ski, ski, ski!
Then there are the days like today, we are getting flooding rains now turning to wet snow.  I have turned my basement into a gym for just such an occasion.

 If you think that you can get healthy without a good dose of exercise, you are fooling yourself.  We are meant to move!
The least that you should do is walk if you are physically capable.  And everyday!  None of this 20 minutes three times a week, the only thing that does for you is keep your ass looking like cottage cheese. (Ooow, sorry for that image :).                    
Now get moving and make it fun!
www.xcelskiing.com

Don't Buy It!

Beware of TV commercials and infomercials!
Why is it that the diet and fitness industry is a billion dollar industry and we keep getting fatter?  2 out of 3 people are obese in this country and the new number one cause of death is obesity related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

I found the best way for me to lose the weight and keep it off was through education.  I learned how to change what I eat and how my body reacts to it.  I read whatever is available on the subject of healthy living and I don't buy into the diet and exercise scams on TV. It's a temporary fix to long term behavioral problem.


 How's it working for Kirsty Alley?

Skinny Bitch

Yes, Skinny Bitch. It's a series of books written By Kim Barnouin.
The one that I am reading is the newest one: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.
The first part of the book talks about our food, how it is chemically produced and the effect that it has on our environment.  There is great information in this book not to mention the recipes. The one part of the book that caught my attention is the part about the green house gas emissions (page 17): "Animal agriculture makes a 40 percent greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change."
I did not know that!
It's a good book, it's going on my blog book list.  Hmmmm, good Christmas present idea.

Vitamins & Supplements

Vitamins and supplements are important to aide in a healthy diet but what to take?
I think that it is important to take a multi vitamin (all natural) and one that is age and sex specific.  Otherwise what you take is specific to your individual needs.
Talking with your doctor is important to help you figure out what you need.
I take a multi vitamin, calcium with D, B complex and E (for exercise recovery).
The only supplement that I take is L-Lysine and only if I feel a cold sore coming on.  I take 3500mg and it seems to do the trick!
I am very leary of most supplements,  they tend to have bad side effects. Some even change they way your skin smells gives you bad breath.  If you are taking a supplement or thinking about one, google it first and find out what potential harm that it can do.  Most aren't worth it, save your money.

Statistics

This is where I will list statistics that I find interesting, educational and shocking.
I will update this as I find information.

• 23.6 million Americans have diabetes including 5.7 who don't know it!
• 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year!
• 57 million Americans have prediabetes!
• 1 in 3 Americans (1 in 2 minorities) born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime if present trends continue!

It's VERY likely that you or someone you love dearly will be diagnosed with diabetes. So stopping diabetes must start now!

Source: The Cooper Institute Blog

Eliminating Certain Foods

I was watching a TV show on ion TV and the fitness expert said that you should allow yourself to eat whatever you want just limited the quantity or else you will feel deprived and are more likely to cheat.  This is not the first time that I have heard or read this statement.
Here are a few reasons why I totally disagree with that statement and why it doesn't work for me:
If you allow yourself to eat anything then you are definitely not eating healthy.
Certain foods have highly addictive qualities such as sugar, alcohol and caffeine.
Certain foods and edible food like substances are proven to cause cancer and other obesity related diseases.
Certain foods have way to many calories (even in small portions) and not enough nutrients.
Foods have the ability to act like a drug, negatively change your mood, make you tired and lethargic.

You seriously need to eliminate unhealthy and food like substances from your diet or you will always be "on a diet" and never be successful.

Thanksgiving Eating

Thanksgiving is a hard one especially when you are eating at someone else's house.  If you are eating at a family member's house, maybe you can negotiate with them to cook healthier and volunteer to bring a dish or two to pass.  If anything else, just don't eat until you explode.
This is the first year that I have had Thanksgiving eating a healthy diet.  I had dinner with my beloved boyfriend so we got to make whatever we wanted.
All the years that I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner I always felt the need to stay traditional. That is what Thanksgiving was to me, being grateful, family and traditional eating.
I had to tell myself that it was ok to change that tradition.  Letting that one go for me isn't easy but isn't that what healthy is?  Letting go of unhealthy beliefs? Well I did and it turned out great.
We bought an organic turkey, yum! It was expensive but we saved so much more on not buying all the other "Stuff".  The turkey roasted great and was juicy and the best flavor I've ever had.  There was about 3 cups of juices from the turkey that I put in a 4 cup measure and there was only about an 1/8 inch of fat that surfaced.  Even the skin had a different consistency (the dog got that).  The difference from a non organic turkey was incredible. (Beware of all natural turkeys, they are not organically raised).
About 40 mins before the bird was done I add (to the roasting pan) chopped sweet potatoes, onions, red & yellow sweet peppers carrots and my own dried parsley, salt and pepper.
I let the turkey rest and made gravy out of the fat skimmed juice.  I mixed a little turkey juice with 2 Tbls of whole wheat pastry flour then heated it up in a small pot and slowly whisked in the rest of the drippings.
I served the roasted veggies on a bed of organic spring mix lettuce, with sliced turkey and gravy.  It was more then enough to eat and so delicious.
Dessert was baking while we ate.  In a dutch oven on the stove: 1/2 c water, 6 skin on cored sliced apples, 1/4 c cranberries and a pinch of salt.  Cook until the apples are soft.
stir in 1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup, 1 cup of oat meal.  Top with whole pecans and bake @ 350 for 1/2 hour. Mmmmm.
No guilt here.
Happy Thanksgiving.

What's to drink?

When you are trying to loss weight and be healthy about it, don't over look the beverages that you consume.  Remember, don't drink your calories.
Here is a list of what I like to drink:
Water
Simple, huh?
The truth is Sometimes I will drink chamomile tea.
I'm not big on caffeine, too much is not good for you. It stains your teeth which ages you. One small cup of plane black coffee a day at the most.  Flavored coffees are done so artificially.
Do not drink pop (soda) ever.  Beer and all alcohol is fattening and wine acts on your body like sugar, also fattening.
Juice also has way too many calories, substitute a piece of fruit.
Do not drink "no calorie" diet beverages.  They taste sweeter than their sugar alternative and they trick your body into craving more sugar.  Also Aspartame the fake sugar substitute (NutraSweet) should be banned due to their proven cancer causing and brain damaging effects. This is so dangerous! For more information watch this video:  Aspartame is dangerous!

Health Cost Statistic

America spends 25 trillion dollars a year in health care.
It makes buying organic and fresh foods not seem so expensive!

Dealing with Criticism

When you simply say "No" to an unhealthy food item that is offered to you, you are opening the door to unbelievable ridicule and criticism.  It is shocking to me but it happens all the time.
2 out of 3 people are obese in this country and when the subject arises, for example turning down Grandma's famous cheese lasagna, 2 out of 3 people will ridicule you.  The worst people are usually your own family.  My family and my boyfriends family are the worst.  When we go to family gatherings I don't expect to have separate healthy food prepared for us but the relentless, "Oh you can have it" or "you used to like it" and "so you're just going to sit there and not eat and embarrass me?".  And these comments will continue the whole time that we are there. My favorite is my cousins 350 lb husband saying "Just one won't hurt you".  My response was "Yeah, how's that working for you"?  That did not go over well, how dare I be so rude!
So How do you deal with it? I just keep saying "No thanks" and not say anything rude or you will be behaving just like what you don't like.  In other words, don't become them.  Don't cave!  Don't cave into their unhealthy world just because "it's easier" or just to get them to get off your back.  Just stand your ground, you'll be proud of yourself in the long run, thinner and healthier.
If it is a gathering or party that you know won't offer food that you are willing to eat, eat before you go!
Why do people criticize so much? Many reasons. You are making them feel bad about themselves (no matter how much they deny it).  You are indirectly announcing that you are no longer a member of their self deprecating club.  If they can get you to cave in then you stay a member of their club and then that justifies their unhealthiness.
Once in a while you will get someone that is interested in your nutritional ways and it is always fun to talk with someone that is open minded.  Explain and don't preach.
So when you come across controversy, smile, be polite, say very little and always be diplomatic.

The Cost of Diabetes

Last night I was watching the NBC special Harmony with Prince Charles, it was quite good.  It was mainly about the earth and the damage that we are causing it.
Our obesity problems are directly related to environmental issues such as eating highly chemically processed foods coming from nutrient poor soils.
Here is a stat that they reported that will knock your socks off:
Obesity related diabetes have a global expense of 130 billion dollars per year.
Wow.
Click here to watch: Harmony

My Turning Point

   In January 2010 was a turning point for me in my weight loss endeavors.  After a lifetime of diets, excuses and sabotages, I decided to start reading books about eating healthy.  Luckily the first book I read was the right one to start me on the road I was looking for, better health and permanent weight loss.
   The book was Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.  I saw part of an interview with the author on Oprah and ordered it the next day.  This is a great book and an easy read. 
   I realized that there where things for me that needed to be eliminated from my diet in order for me to lose weight and stop feeling like crap.  Number one was dairy (look for my "Dairy" post).  Then saturated fat, white sugar and all chemicals, added hormones and preservatives.  I lost 10 lbs. immediately.  By June I had lost 20 lbs.
    At this point I needed to do more because I had hit a plateau.  I quite alcohol and white flour, boom 15 more lbs!   
   Keep in mind, I still eat (no starving here), I exercise (not insanely) and I continually educate myself on the values of good nutrition.
   Things are working for me.  Will my story help you?  Maybe yes maybe no, we are all different.  But maybe I can be a part of your success. 

Why I Don't Eat Dairy

I am sure that there is a lot of opinion and controversy on this subject, but these are my reasons.
I spent most of my adult life as a dairy farmer.  My husband was a 5th generation farmer.  He died of brain cancer.  His father also died from cancer.
First of all if you are trying to lose weight remember dairy is very fattening, high in sat fat and cholesterol. If that is not enough....
Lets start with the feed.  Most feed that is grown to feed cows is not grown organically.  Chemicals are added to the soil to replace the nutrients needed to grow the feed (such as corn and alfalfa). The weeds are killed with very toxic chemicals such as Round-up.  Then some feeds are even sprayed with pesticides. And so much more...
And if thats not enough.....
Cows that are milked are constantly being injected with extra hormones for more milk production per cow.  Then there is the antibiotics that they are receiving among other chemically processed medical crap.
Are you a green person?  Trying to reduce your carbon foot print. Dairy farmers are among the top industries that produce chemical waist, excessive energy usage, diesel fuel, millions of gallons of water and high stress and abuse to animals.
So the next time you eat that creamy bowl of ice cream, a yummy piece of cheese or delicious glass of "healthy" milk, you are enjoying a slow suicide of cancer causing chemical soup.
For more information, read this: http://www.formerfatguy.com/articles/dont-drink-milk.asp

The Rules by Which I Eat

I am about to explain to you what I eat but mostly what I don't eat.  This is not a "Diet", this is how I eat all the time. As a result I have lost weight and kept it off.

I eat the healthiest, nutritionally rich foods that I can buy.
I always read the labels of what I am purchasing to make sure the there is nothing artificial, no preservatives and no words that I can't pronounce or don't know what it is.  The first time I did this I was so surprised at how much our food is chemically processed! This is cancer causing crap!

I do not eat sugar. I use a little bit of real maple syrup or agave for a sweetener.  I do not eat white flour.  I do not eat a lot of whole wheat flour just because it bloats me, I don't process it well.

I do not eat dairy products mostly because of how it is processed (Dairy will have it's own post) I call it chemical soup. I don't eat food with more than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. I eat some fresh caught fish and maybe some venison but never commercially raised beef or chicken, too many hormones among other things.

After I tell people about my diet of what I won't eat, they usually respond with, "Well what do you eat?" or "I could never give up my ice cream".  And the people who usually respond to me negatively are almost always obese.

I eat fresh salads, fruits veggies, roasted root veggies, rice, potatoes, fish, homemade mexican, homemade asian, homemade indian and vegan desserts (without white sugar).

I will post some recipes for sure!

As a result I feel better.  I have lost a lot of weight and my cholesterol is way down.

One of my biggest issues prior to changing my diet was that I was always hungry.  It was so hard to do a calorie reduction diet because I thought that I was starving all the time.  What I now realize is that I was starving, nutritionally.  My body was not getting what it needed just trying to fight off the chemicals that I was ingesting.  As a result I ate more crap to stop the hunger which is a never ending cycle that ends up in obesity and serious health problems.

They way I eat now I am not hungry all the time and when I eat it takes little to fill me up so I eat less.  Keep in mind that it did take my body a little while to adjust to this healthy way of eating and the weight came off slowly.

What You Believe

If you don't change what you believe you will not be successful in your weight loss.

I was having a conversation with a woman that I know and she asked me how I had lost my weight.  I was telling her all the things that I had done and when I came to the part where I told her that I stopped eating dairy she said, "Oh I could never give up my cheese".

That's a 'red flag statement'!  It means to me that you really don't have any intention of changing your diet which is what needs to happen in order for you to be weight loss successful.

What are your 'red flag statements'?