No, it isn’t true: A calorie isn’t just a calorie. The quality of the calories is far more important. Need proof? Here’s your tweet of the day courtesy of Dr. Ted Naiman (if you don’t follow Dr. Ted’s tweets you really should).
Can’t Sleep? Try Sleeping Under the Stars
Besides being fun, camping can reset your circadian rhythm. I always sleep better in a forest.
Having issues falling asleep at night? Just not getting in your full 8 hours of shut-eye? Try a weekend in the woods…seriously.
I’ve written before about how a good night’s sleep is critical for weight loss. Unfortunately modern technology is disrupting our sleep patterns. Thankfully there is a possible solution:
The Scale Isn’t The Only Way To Track Weight Loss
Don’t let the scale define you. In a given day, the scale goes up and down more than the stock market, so perspective is needed. The scale only shows one data point. Never let it control you.
There are other ways you can track how you are doing.
- Take your measurements monthly — way better than a scale
- Before and after photos — pictures don’t lie
- How your clothes fit
- Getting more sleep
- Progress on creating healthy habits
- Keep a journal tracking how you feel (more energy, happier), mobility (can you climb stairs without feeling winded), your overall well being
My Fasting Challenge: Day 3
My Christmas present of assorted, yummy teas helped drive down my hunger on Day 3 of my fast.
Day 3 didn’t start with a bang. Where I was loaded with energy morning, noon and night on Day 2, my third day of fasting transformed me into low energy mouse. Low energy mouse is much different from my lazy mouse days. When I’m a lazy mouse, I have the energy. I just don’t want to use it.
On Day 3 I had absolutely no energy for a little more than half the day. I also had a slight headache and a whole lot of hunger pangs going on. Read More
Bookending My Day With Essential Oils
Early this morning I mixed rose and bergamot oils in one of my diffusers to help focus me. The smell is divine!
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Me…the one who’d make jokes about power crystals, meditation and all the rest of that “hippie” science. Well I’m not laughing anymore. Essential oils are now a big part of fighting my wacky hormones.
If I wake up feeling a little down then I add a few drops of lavender, chamomile, bergamot and ylang ylang into my diffuser. Soon I’m feeling pretty awesome.
No energy to plow through my to do list? Then I load up my diffuser with a few drops of grapefruit or sweet orange and voila! I’m a bundle of focused energy moving from task to task.
In the evenings, about an hour before bed I load up my bedside diffuser with lavender. While that lovely scent is filling my cool, darkened bedroom, I’m relaxing in the tub with some lavender infused bath salts. When I follow this ritual I’m out like a light when my head hits the pillow. If not, I’m in for an evening of tossing and turning.
Science Be Damned. This Works For Me.
The science on essential oils is very light to say the least. I know that humans have a long history of using plants for healing. But I’m also aware of the power of suggestion. Read More
Merry Christmas From My Family To Yours
Merry Christmas and a very happy 2017! Two cool videos for you and yours.
If you like tunes, here is one of my favorites:
Or if you ponder the REAL meaning of it all, this is the best explanation of what it’s all about!
Here’s to seeing less of (but a very healthy) you in 2017!
Top LCHF Drinks For The Holiday Season
With all the holiday parties coming up, here are my top LCHF friendly adult beverages. Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and Rawich.
I can’t believe tomorrow is December. Where did the time fly? That mean the seasonal parties are just around the corner. After Thanksgiving, the party season picks up steam as we head into the New Year. Funny how those seasonal festivities always coincide with the us packing on pounds. Hmmmmm…
So starts the time of sugary desserts and carb-heavy comfort foods. But the one thing we tend to over look when it comes to the holiday madness is booze. Hooch. Liquid bread. Sauce. Hard stuff. Oats soda. Liquid courage.
Yep, I’m talking about alcohol.
The good news is you can still enjoy adult beverages in moderation while living a low carb lifestyle. You just need to know what to drink.
Below are my top 5 alcohol choices when hitting the party circuit this season. Read More
My Turkey Day Carb Challenge
The number I’m staying under for Thanksgiving is 30. Thirty grams total carbs for the day. Not net carbs. Total carbs. I think I have a menu that gets me there. Of course I’m doing a 24 hour fast that ends with Thanksgiving dinner. To me the real challenge isn’t keeping my allowed carb count for the day. It’s cooking while fasting. Yikes!
Anyway, I hit the grocery stores today. Yep, that’s stores with an “s” because this is the week I rarely find what I need at one grocery store. Fingers are crossed that won’t be the case, but Thanksgiving grocery shopping is the one time where you really need to expect the worst but hope for the best.
So, I have my list. I’ve already posted videos of the turkey and stuffing recipes I’m using. I’m adding in a high fat veggie dish — Brussels sprouts au gratin. For the crunch on top I’m skipping the breadcrumbs and going with bacon. Yum!
I’m making a cranberry sauce too, but I’m not making that much. We always have way too much of it stuff leftover. So I’m cutting back on the recipe. I debated whether I should even make it. It is difficult to get a reasonable carb count. But folks love it so. My plan is to limit myself to half a serving.
The husband put in a request for an apple pie. Not a low carb apple pie, but a real apple pie. His argument — “It’s Thanksgiving after all and you’re fasting afterwards.”
True. I planned to try a 7 day fast shortly after Thanksgiving. More on that next week.
I do make a mean apple pie. It isn’t healthy, but it is glorious. So I might just make tiny apple pies for the husband and my mom. As for me? I’d rather have an extra glass of champagne (1.5g of carbs, ya know!).
Dot’s Thanksgiving Menu
- Turkey (2g carbs/serving)
- Mushroom Sausage Stuffing (5.5g carbs/serving)
- Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin (est. 4g carbs/serving)
- Cranberry Sauce (est. 3g carbs/half serving)
- Champagne (est. 1.5g carbs/serving)
Overall that puts me just under 20g of carbs so far. So room for seconds, but only if I’m hungry. Just need to stay strong and avoid nibbling while cooking.
Awesome!
Savor The Victories No Matter How Small
Post-surgery victory this morning. I can officially fit back into my skinny jeans!
Since surgery I’ve dreaded trying on my skinny jeans. Mostly because of pain. Abdominal surgery isn’t fun and thanks to the hysterectomy, it takes my body a long time to rebound. Everyday at 2:00 p.m. my waist starts bloating and the area around the incisions start getting sore. At that point off go the yoga pants and on goes the oversized cotton dresses.
Once I could start wearing pants again, I’ve stuck mostly to yoga pants. Soft and stretchy, what’s not to love. I also never got around to tossing out my size 16 jeans. They are big on me, but at least there is comfort around the waist.
But those 16s, nearly 4 months post surgery, helped me put off the inevitable. Sure my yoga pants are size 14, but they do stretch. I’ve put off trying on my pixie pants or skinny jeans (the Holy Grail for us fatties).
With the stress of recovering from radiation, dealing with menopause and the 10 extra pounds, the last thing I wanted to do was add another thing to worry about. But putting it off just added to my anxiety. In the back of my mind I knew I’d have to try getting into my regular clothes. The anxiety was there, I just chose not to recognize it.
Well this morning I opened my closet and realized I need to do some laundry. The only pair of pants left hanging were my size 14 skinny jeans and pixies. I have a lot of errands to run today. And on this cold, windy morning a dress just doesn’t cut it. It was time to bite the bullet.
With the slightest of hops and jumps, I got them on. The big bonus was buttoning the skinny jeans without sucking in my gut (woot!!).
I know that I’ll rip them off in a few hours, but this was a victory and I’m going to savor it.
LCHF Sausage & Mushroom Stuffing
As promised, here’s the stuffing dish I’m making this Thanksgiving. While I enjoyed last year’s stuffing that I made using an awesome Keto Bread recipe I found, I decided to try something simpler. So no “bread.” Just root veggies, mushrooms and sausage.
It came out pretty awesome. For an added burst of flavor, I highly recommend adding in some sun dried tomatoes in oil. Oh my mouth is drooling thinking about it.