Low carb on a budget.

With the lousy economy and poor job market many of us are having trouble stretching the food dollar and stick with a low carb. Hey, let's face it, carbs are cheap!! You can buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter for less than $10 and make, what, 10-12 sandwiches? A couple of boxes of cheap pasta and some jarred sauce can feed a lot of people....again, for less than $10. But these foods are not good for you and you will end up spending more in the long run when you figure in the cost of medications and physician appointments for treating your high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes!

Here are some tips for low carbing on a limited budget.

1. Watch the sales. Almost every food store has weekly specials. Check them out. You may find your self buying meats you've never tried but you may find you link them! Fruits and vegetables go on sale too, so be sure to check them out!

On sale at Food Lion* this week:

• Boston Butt steaks - $1.99/lb
• Chicken breasts, frozen - buy 1 get 1 free
• Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters - 10 Lb. Bag/$.69 Lb.
• Whole fryer chickens - $0.57/lb (Whole, cut up are $0.87/lb)
• New York Strip Steaks:Value Pack, Boneless - $5.99 Lb.

2. Check out the in-store specials! You can often save 10% and more on meats that are marked down...either as an unadvertised special or ones that are reaching their expiration date (but still quite safe to eat!).

3. If possible buy in bulk! If you have the storage space, buy family packs or buy several meals worth of an on-sale meat/fish/fowl.

4. Try to invest in a stand-alone freezer. A brand new upright freezer at Sears goes for $149 (1.3cu ft) to over $1400 (21cu ft), but a quick search of Craig's list (for Raleigh, NC) shows a 13cu ft for $100 and another for just $50! Chest freezers tend to be a bit less expensive and actually save money on electricity. If possible try to get a manual defrost as they use less power and your foods will stay fresher. If money is really tight try to put aside $10 a month and in a few months you might be able to buy a used freezer. You will likely get your money back by being able to bulk shop within 6-12 months (less if you are feeding a large family).

5. Try to invest in a vacuum food sealer. These are not too expensive, but the bags can add up. Look on Craig's list and EBay for good buys. Vacuum sealing foods prevents freezer burn, so you will save money by not having to throw out food due to freezer burn.

6. Check out your local farmer's market. Many of the farmers at the markets have fantastic prices, but not all of them, so be sure to wander around and look for the best prices. You may also be able to "bargain" with the farmer if you are interested in buying large quantities, especially if it's close to the end of the day!

7. Switch to water for cold drinks. If your tap water doesn't taste good, or you're concerned about it's purity, invest in a filter. One that mounts on the faucet can be purchased for about $20 (replacement filters run about $10 each and they last 2-3 months, depending on your use). Water pitchers with the built in filters run about $10-20. If you can't or won't drink plain water, add a few drops of lemon or lime juice (the plastic lemon and lime juices in the produce sections are usually 100% juice, but do check the label!). Food stores also sell their brand of sugar free drink mixes for just a few cents for each serving.

8. Add bulky low carb salads with your meals. A small head of lettuce with a few slices feeds several....add cucumbers, tomatoes, or what you like for usually just a few cents per serving.

9. Don't forget about eggs!! A dozen eggs are inexpensive and can fill you up. Eggs can also be used with ground beef to stretch it a bit. In my opinion, eggs are pretty much the perfect food!! All that nutrition packaged in a tasty, versatile package! Having "breakfast for dinner" is a great choice.

10. Learn to cook! While convenience foods are often very convenient, you can usually save money if you make it yourself! If time is an issue try "batch cooking" on weekends or your days off. With batch cooking all you have to do is thaw and heat.

11. Make friends with a butcher! If you're lucky enough to have a local butcher, go in and ask about special deals you might be able to get. Soup bones add a lot of nutrition and can sometimes be had for low prices. See if you can get some of the fattier cuts of meat for lower prices....the time the butcher saves in trimming the meat might make it worth a few cents a pound!

12.If there is a "warehouse" store near enough, get a membership! These are especially good if you have a stand-alone freezer! Prices are low and the quality is usually excellent.

Low carb on a tight budget can be tough, but it can be done!! Look for sites online that cater to busy moms and check out the recipes. Sometimes you can make substitutions for the high carb ingredients. The main thing about sticking to your budget and your diet is to plan! Check the ads and make a list. Plan out what you need for the week....or the next few days and buy accordingly. If you're lucky enough to have a freezer it is easier, but you still have to plan!

If you're tempted to give in an buy some "filler" carbs (pasta, bread, rice), remember that fat and protein fills you up faster and keeps you full longer! That $100 worth of pasta may fill you up, but it's likely you'll be hungry sooner than if you ate $100 worth of meat or dairy!!

What are you budget savers? Post them in comments so others can benefit!

*In Raleigh NC, the week ending 8/4/2010.

Low carbing on Memorial Day!!

Low carbing on Memorial Day!!

Memorial Day weekend is usually considered the first summer weekend of the year. Many people party and cook out. Perfect for those of us following a low carb lifestyle!

If you are hosting or attending a Memorial Day cookout, here are some things to consider:

Salads:

Tossed salad, garden salad, Caesar salad, spinach salad! Lots and lots of salads. Some have mixed greens, others are all one type. Tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onion and so much more! Hopefully assorted dressings, but if you're visiting someone, best to bring your own, just in case. We all know vegetables are encouraged on low carb plans....no, they are mandatory! Most salads contain the very types of vegetables we should be eating! Low sugar/starch vegetables are the ones we want....and usually the ones found in salads!

Potato salad, pasta salad....these are the ones you want to avoid. If you find that these are things you have to have, at least make and bring your own. Virtually all commercial brands contain added sugars. At least if you make your own, you can control the amount of added sugars....and if you can tolerate low carb pasta, you can cut more there! Some of us can tolerate higher levels of carbohydrate....and some of us can control ourselves to eat "just a taste". If you can tolerate them here are a couple of really easy recipes.

Potato salad:

For each pound of potatoes, any kind except Idaho, mix together 1 fl ounce Vinegar, 2 fl ounce oil, 2T mayonnaise. Cut (and if you want, peel) the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Boil in salted water until cooked. You want them done, but not overdone, so watch them. (overdone and the salad will have a more creamy consistency with smaller pieces of potato) When potatoes are cooked, drain well and add to a large bowl. (Rinse them if you want, but use HOT water!) With the potatoes still hot, pour in mayo mixture and stir well. Add a little salt and pepper, and some cut up onions to taste. Let sit in refrigerator until thoroughly cooled. Stir every couple of hours if you want. Stir well before serving.

Easy pasta salad:

Boil 1 pound elbow macaroni. When tender drain and rinse well with cold water. Let cool. When cool, add 1 can chunk light tuna and mayonnaise. Stir well and chill. You can add just about any vegetable you want to make it pretty and spice it up.

Main course:

Hamburgers and hot dogs. Although hot dogs are a highly processed food, they are usually fairly high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrate. Calories for Oscar Meyer beef are about 14% protein, 83% fat and only 3% carbohydrate. Hamburgers, we all know, are a very acceptable low carb food!

Steak and chicken. Again....very low carb friendly!! Do avoid added sauces though, most are loaded with sugars!

Stuffed hamburgers:

For each person, use enough ground beef to make 2 good size but thin patties. In the center of one patty put chopped vegetables, cheese, bacon, or whatever you can think of. Keep filling in the center but well spread out. Put second patty on top and "seal" the edges. Thoroughly cook burgers on grill. These can be fragile, so take care when turning them! Top with a couple slices of tomato....or add more cheese and bacon!

Drinks:

Alcoholic drinks are highly individual. Do remember that many low carbers report having less tolerance for alcohol! Most agree that a drink or two of alcohol is fine on occasion. Some even promote daily intake. Beer, even low carb beer, is probably not something you should be having....and mixed drinks can be loaded with sugar. But you can enjoy some wine....or bring your own sugar free mixers!

Non-alcoholic drinks are most likely going to be high sugar drinks, whether it's "natural" or "added" fruit drinks contain sugars. Soft drinks, diet ones, aren't going to add to your glucose intake, but excessive intakes of any soda is not healthy. Water is perfect! Lots of ice....with a sprig of mint, or a slice of lemon or lime....fantastic!

Deserts:

Well this is one area that most of us will agree is a mine-field unless we plan ahead and bring something "acceptable" for ourselves. If you tolerate fruits, you can usually find a bowl of fruit salad or chunks of various fruits. Dips are often nearby, but do be careful....again most people are going to make (or buy) the ones that are low fat and high carb. Bringing a dip that is low carb friendly is a good idea....and probably will be raved about. Just about any dip recipe can be adapted....use full fat milk, yogurt, etc and leave out the added sugars.

A light and airy coffee cake, a beautiful low carb cheesecake, maybe even some ice cream are all possibilities when thinking of desserts to bring.

Most important, have fun! Enjoy your friends and family! Play with the kids! A little planning makes it all easier. I've never met a host that didn't appreciate someone bringing something extra or different. Talking to the host ahead of time is always a good idea. Find out what's going to be served and figure out what you want to eat. If you like something high carb and don't want to miss out on it, see if you can figure out a way to make is healthier!

Product review: Tropical Traditions Virgin coconut oil, (Gold label standard)

Tropical Traditions, Inc is located in Springville CA and you can access their site here: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/

Tropical Traditions has been posting notices on Twitter and Facebook asking for writers and bloggers to sample and evaluate their product at no cost. About 10 days after signing up, the jar arrived.

According to their web-site, their coconut oils are Non-GMO and certified organic. No solvents are used in processing. The Gold label is made by hand, in small batches, from fresh coconuts with no refining.

Coconut oil is largely saturated fat, medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are felt to be highly beneficial to health. It is stable for long periods of time at room temperature, so needs no refrigeration.

When you first open the box and pull out the jar (which weighs over 3 pounds!) you notice the pearly white color of the oil in the glass jar. Coconut oil should be pure white when solid and clear when liquid. Coconut oil should become liquid at about 76 degrees (F). Because of the way it cools in the jar it has a pearly quality to it....but no grays or other colors are evident.

Opening the jar and smelling the oil isn't much. This particular brand does not have a strong coconut smell to it like some brands do, but it is a pleasant smell! (The web-site says there is a mild scent of coconut, but I couldn't detect it and neither could my son).

When you use Tropical Traditions coconut oil you will notice how smooth it is. Even when solid it has almost a creamy texture to it. Your spoon scoops out the oil with little effort. When you place it into an already hot pan it melts almost immediately into a clear oil. (Occasionally you will see tiny black flecks, which is normal as this is not refined)

Coconut oil has a higher smoke point, usually around 360 degrees and is very stable, so it an excellent oil to use for pan frying and baking.

There are a few things I make and do to test different oils.

First, I make candy! Yep, chocolate candy with nuts. Melt about 1 T coconut oil and add about 1/2 ounce of pecans or walnuts. When nicely browned, add 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate and a little sweetener (to taste). Mix well to be sure oil and chocolate is well blended with sweetener. Pour mixture onto foil or silicone and allow to cool. Break in chunks and enjoy! As expected, TT coconut oil blends well and doesn't have a coconut taste.

Second, I pan fry something. For testing this oil, I cooked hamburg patties, pork chops, steak and lamb chops. All browned nicely without sticking to the pan.

Last, I use the oil as a moisturizer! Put a little oil in the palm of your hand, then rub hands together to melt the oil. Smooth over face, neck, arms, etc and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then blot off excess oil with a tissue. Some oils will have hard pieces that don't melt well, or feels gritty on your skin, but Tropical Traditions is smooth and creamy feeling and melts quickly at skin temperature.

All in all, I'll gibe Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil a big thumbs up!

Disclosure: I was sent a 32 fl oz jar of this from Tropical Traditions at no charge so I could evaluate the product and post a review.

The Cure - Week 4

I have been bad about posting.....sorry. I completed all 3 of the first 3 weeks and am doing great!

I haven't lost a ton of weigh like some others doing the plan, but I am very happy with the weight I've lost and the inches I've lost!

Here are the figures:
Week 1: weight loss = 0.4 pounds
Other measurements not taken

Week 2: Weight loss = 1.4 pounds (total 1.8 pounds lost), waist = down 1.25 inches, hips = down 1.5 inches.

Week 3: Weight loss = 0.2 pounds (total 2.0 pounds lost), waist = down 0.5 inches, hips = no change.

Other changes: Almost no indigestion, heartburn etc. Arthritis fairly stable, taking naproxen as needed, about 3-4 times each week. Also taking occasional aspirin for headaches, about once daily (I have a history of headaches due to neck problems)

BP started at 124/76, down to 113/68

Clothes fit better and I have a whole lot of "new" clothes I can wear! Clothes that have been hanging in my closet for a year now fit again!!

Week 3 & 4 are pretty much what I've been eating on low carb all along. Three to four times a day I have meat (meat/fish/fowl) along with a vegetable or two. Several days I've had my shake in the morning, simply because it's easy.

I posted several of the meals I've had on WebShots...you can see them here. No registration or sign in should be needed. (Berry cobbler and White pizza are old meals, not ones I've eaten on the plan)

All in all, I'm feeling good! Very happy with the results so far.

As per the book, I think I'm going to continue with weeks 3 & 4 for a while as I still have more weight to loose and weeks 5 & 6 are more for maintenance. Maybe do a week of shakes on occasion too.

The 6 Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle

Today The 6 Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle hit the markets! The book was written by Mary Dan Eades, MD and Michael R Eades, MD, authors of the various Protein Power books.

A couple of months ago Dr Mike asked, on his blog, for volunteers to try "The Cure" and be willing to submit for interviews, pictures, etc. Of course I volunteered, but as they received hundreds of offers, I was rejected. Not surprised, but disappointed. Well, a week or so ago I received another email noting that they were able to get a few more "galley" copies and I was selected to receive one!! I started the program today, and plan to use this blog to give a running commentary of how I feel and how it's working (or not working).

The program is designed to address the abdominal, or visceral, fat that we tend to accumulate as we hit middle age. As explained in the book, this weight gain is not only common, but more dangerous than "regular" subcutaneous fat accumulation. This visceral fat is more dangerous because it leads to inflammation in the body, which can then lead to all kinds of other problems, including the development of coronary heart disease. Everyone pretty much agrees that visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat!

The cause of this accumulation is caused by a number of factors, including hormonal changes, and is not as easy to loose. And the simple orders to eat less and exercise more usually doesn't work!

The Cure is designed to address this visceral fat accumulation. And I am sure I have at least some.....so I'm trying the program and will let you all know how I do!

Today was day 1. No caffeine, no alcohol, 3 meals of a protein shake (formula in book) and 1 "real" meal. Dairy is limited to a little cream in the shake. Medications should be limited to only those that are necessary and a good night's sleep is encouraged. Several supplements, including a good multivitamin/multimineral and potassium is also part of the plan. Pretty simple!!

OK....so I had 2 shakes earlier today and then dinner was a steak with cooked mushrooms. I intended to also have a small salad, but was full enough that I decided to forgo it. I still have one more shake for later tonight, before bed.

I'm not a drinker, so the no alcohol part is easy for me....but I love my tea and I'm missing that! The shakes are filling and last several hours, so hunger has not been an issue. Late this afternoon I developed a headache, which I assume was caffeine withdrawal. After several hours I did take aspirin and it went away. Lots of water means, for me, frequent trips to the bathroom, which can be a pain.....but I know it's good for me!

I'm not going to post my measurements and weight, but will post any gains or losses. I weighed myself this morning and was surprised to have lost over 2 1/2 pounds since 2 weeks ago! A great start, huh? Oh yea....that doesn't count as I hadn't started The Cure yet!

Not sure how often I'll post, but at least once a week when I weigh myself. I'm still reading the book, so I'm not sure how often measurements are to be taken, but when I take them I'll post to show any gains or losses!

Sign the petition!!

We've got a long way to go to hit the goal!!

Jenny says it best on her blog.

Sign the petition here

Ex-Kimkins or New to Low Carb?

For those that are switching from a very low calorie diet (or looking into low carb plans for the first time) you'll want to plan to get the most of your diet. Don't just start out cutting carbs and adding fat. You'll want to find a plan and follow it, at least until you know how your body is reacting. If you have been following a very low calorie diet, your body will likely initially react by holding onto fat and water. While this can be distressing, try to ignore it and realize it's temporary!! Take this adjustment time to plan and learn about your diet choice.

Now, I would like to post my own recommendations for anyone coming off Kimkins or just looking into a low carb plan.

1. For the next month or so don't count calories, and don't worry about weight gain or loss. You weight may fluctuate wildly for a while and you need to be prepared so you won't get discouraged. Don't count calories as they will likely regulate themselves and can always be cut back later if necessary. During this time start researching and reading about the different plans.

2. First, cut out all "whites". White flour, rice, sugar, potatoes, etc and all items made with them. So, no white breads, rolls, etc. No potatoes of any kind....and that includes baked as well as fried. No sugar. If you must have sweet, find an acceptable artificial sweetener (AS) and make/buy drinks that contain it. Observe your reactions to the foods you eat, noting especially how soon after eating you get hungry.

3. Start eating 3 regular meals a day with small high protein low carb snacks if needed. Cheese is a great choice for snacks, but many say eating it can lead to a stall. At this point, don’t worry so much about counting things, just eat natural unprocessed foods. If you do used processed foods, choose the one with the best ingredients. You should be eating enough at each meal so you are satisfied, but not overly full. The amount you eat should last until the next meal, although initially you may need snacks to hold you over. If you're used to very low calorie or tight portion control be open to having more than one serving of your protein/fat source. You should never leave the table hungry!

4. Start reading labels. You’ll want to start reading labels on any processed foods you buy or consider buying. Look for the least processed and best ingredients. For example, if you need salsa check out the carb counts and the ingredients. Buy the one that is lower carb especially if it's more natural. Dairy is also a good example. Fat free American cheese contains no fat, but 4 grams carbohydrate per ounce, while full fat cheese contains only 2 grams. Sour cream too....fat free, no fat, but 40 grams of carb per cup while full fat contains only 10 grams per cup. Watch ingredients too. If something says it has no trans-fat, or "0% trans-fat", check the label. Look for “hydrogenated” in the ingredients listing. If that word is there, it's very likely that the food contains at least some trans-fat, but by law can be listed as 0 if it's less than 0.5 grams.

5. Start reading up on low carb plans. There is a ton of information on the web and there are many plans to choose from. Go to your local library or bookstore and read a bit of the plans and see which one you can live with. If, for example, you like to have convenience foods, including frozen meals on hand for quick and easy meals, South Beach might be a better choice than Atkins or Protein Power. Each plan has it's specifics about how much fat, protein, and carb you should eat as well as what kind of foods they come from.

6. Once you decide on a plan, read the book. Front to back, at least once. Take notes or highlight text if you can. But really read the book. Pay attention to the science behind each of the author's points. Does what the author say make sense? Check the claims by searching online and verify facts when you can.

7. When you start on your plan you should follow it as closely as you can. For the first 2 weeks, minimum, do what the plan tells you. If it says to have as much green veggies as you want, then have it. If it tells you to limit something or increase something, then do it. Give yourself a month to decide if this is the right plan for you. Be sure to include exercise in your plan. Resistance training is felt to be more beneficial than cardio by many, but anything that you enjoy is fine.

8. Prepare to record everything you eat as accurately as possible. FitDay.com is an excellent product and is available online for free. If you really want to be accurate, measure and weigh everything you eat or drink. Record any exercise too. Check your weight and measurements and decide on a goal. Write this all down, or record in an online product. (SparkPeople.com is also an excellent free site that has a place to record food, exercise, goals, etc and also features support forums and teams as well as recipes and articles.)

9. Set a start date and de-carb your house. Remove as many of the "unacceptable" foods as you are able to. If you have family that you live with, be sure to get their buy in and agreements to work with you and your plan. At this time, if you haven't already, it would also be a good idea to talk to your doctor and get some baseline blood work done. If you are on any medications you may need your doc's assistance in changing dose as you loose weight. Getting baseline blood work is great to compare to additional work done later.

10. When following your plan, continue to learn more about diet and nutrition. Follow the research, but question anything in the mainstream media. Check out my links to blogs and web sites if you need a place to start!

11. Tweak your plan, after at least 2 weeks of following your plan exactly. If you don't like a certain aspect of your diet then change it. If you prefer meat over veggies it's not likely to cause you problems as long as the meat you eat is unprocessed and the veggies are good quality and as natural as possible. If you're not loosing enough and feel your carb intake is a bit too high, then lower it a bit. And if there is a food that you really miss see if there is any way to incorporate it or a substitute once in a while.

Following low carb may not be for everyone, but for the majority of us it is beneficial and results in lower blood sugar and insulin levels, lower blood pressure and usually significant weight loss. If you feel you are not loosing fast enough, cut back on carbs, and also rethink your expectations. Rapid weight loss is often not sustained over the long term and can cause several physical reactions.

If you properly follow a low carb plan you must make it a life plan. Sure you can follow the plan until you loose the weight you want to loose then go back to "normal" eating....but if you do you will regain the weight you lost, no question. And, if you are going to make this a life plan, you must find one that works for you!

A friend of mine recently asked me to find a list of foods that she cannot eat. Well, unfortunately it's not that easy!! Some people can eat fruit without a problem, but I'll be plagued by cravings if I am not really careful and have adequate fat and protein along with it. On the other hand, most people experience stalls from eating foods containing sugar alcohols (SA), but they don't seem to influence my weight at all. The foods that you "can't" eat are the foods that induce cravings and early hunger.

Limits should be placed on the total number of carbs per meal and not the food. If you are allowed 15 grams per meal and you want a veggie, you have a lot of choices:
Asparagus, cooked = 2 cups
Broccoli, cooked = 1.6 cups
Cucumber = 5 cups
Romaine Lettuce = 11 cups
Corn = 1/3 cup
Brown rice = 1/2 cup (1/3 cup of white rice)
White potato = 1/2 cup
So...you have a lovely piece of roasted chicken (eat the skin!) and along with it you can have a nice salad of lettuce (2 cups), tomato (1/4 cup), cucumber (1/4 cup), and mushroom (1/4 cup), along with an ounce of shredded cheese and 2 tablespoons of full fat creamy dressing, and some broccoli on the side, all for less than 15 grams of carb...or you can have 1/2 cup of potato. If you don't like salad or you're craving potatoes, maybe eating the 1/2 cup serving will be enough. The other thing to consider, and this is highly individualised, but it's likely that the starch in the potato is going to be rapidly metabolized and you will start to feel hungry sooner than you would if you had the salad. But, it's still your choice!! That's what makes any diet doable!


Here are some of the plans I'm somewhat familiar with:
Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. Probably the best known and most misunderstood of all the plans. You start out with very low carb, no more than 20 grams per day, then increase them after the first 2 weeks. The increase in carbs is to allow people to figure out what their "critical carb level" (CCL) is. Your CCL is the level at which you no longer loose. Drop your carbs back a bit and you should loose steadily. As you get closer to your goal you increase carbs a bit more to slow your loss and gradually transition into maintenance. With this plan the emphasis is having a high intake of fat and a low intake of carbs. You are encouraged to eat veggies and some fruit. Exercise is a part of the plan, no exceptions.
Protein Power Lifeplan. My personal favorite, although what I do now isn't exactly by the book. For Protein Power plans the emphasis is on getting a minimum of a certain level of protein and keeping carbs below a certain level (30 grams/day to start). The original plan was a bit lower in carbs than the later one, but still the emphasis is on the protein (hence the name! LOL). In the first book there was a formula to figure out your minimum protein intake, but in the later book there's a chart for you to look it up. Fat isn't really addressed except to caution to use natural fresh fats over commercial ones.

And some that I'm less familiar with:
South Beach. Basic low carb for the first 2 weeks, then fairly generous for ongoing weight loss. Emphasis is to NOT remain on the initial phase for longer than 2 weeks. (Dr A and PP plans both "allow" you to stay on the initial level longer) This plan is considered low fat to many low carbers, especially those on Atkins. The emphasis isn't so much on quantity of fat as quality. It cautions against trans-fats (just like the Dr A and PP plans), but also cautions against saturated fat. Dr Agatston is/was a cardiologist, so it makes sense that he would fear saturated fats.

Dr Bernstein's books. I've read one and was impressed, but was already doing well with PP so I've never tried any of his plans. Dr Bernstein is a diabetic, a Type 1, who basically experimented on himself, then went to medical school so he would have more credibility. Unfortunately the general media tends to ignore him. He has a lot of good things to say, and promotes a low carb diet for all diabetics.

Other books about low carb, controlled car, low sugar plans:
Paleo Diet. Basically you eat what was available to our ancestors. So meats and any fruits and veggies that can be eaten as is. No processed foods. Meat, fish, gathered or foraged fruits, leaves, and roots of plants, mushrooms, nuts, eggs, and honey...that's pretty much it.

Sugar Shock. Connie Bennett figured out she was having a reaction to eating sugar and started investigating why. Her book gives and excellent explanation of sugar addiction and reactions in the body. She also has some excellent suggestions for those just looking to kick their sugar addiction.

The Zone diet. This one is about balance. The plan is to keep your carbohydrates, protein and fat in a certain ratio: 40/30/30 to be exact. I've heard that the diet can be confusing....and also that it's fantastic.

Sugar Busters. Basically with Sugar Busters you avoid all processed carbs and carbs that are high GI (Glycemic Index), like potatoes and corn.


Check out MY LINKS to low carb sites, books, and information....and have fun!!

Tonight's Dinner:

Brussels Sprouts with butter
cucumber with Caesar dressing
homemade chunky applesauce
herb rubbed roasted pork loin.

Starting over

Now that vacation is over I'm back on plan!!

OK....I've been home 2 weeks, so this is the new start of a sugar free, low carb, high protein diet. This isn't a "diet" in the sense of loosing weight, but a "diet" as in a way of eating. (see 1 a and 1b below)

Main Entry: ¹di·et
Pronunciation: 'dI-&t
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English diete, from Anglo-French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life
1 a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight diet>
2 : something provided or experienced repeatedly diet of Broadway shows and nightclubs -- Frederick Wyatt>

So, to start back on track, I want to report I've lost more since vacation!! Since returning from vacation on August 26, I've lost an additional 2.8 pounds! And! I'm at a new low! I have not seen this weight in over 23 years!




This is going to be a short post. I'm taking today to rest and get back on track. I've been under a lot of stress lately, which hasn't lessened yet....and I'm tired. So today is a day to rest and get caught up on blogs and message boards!!

I've sold my house, but everything isn't finalized yet! The buyer had inspections done yesterday, and all passed except for a problem with termites! I'm not sure how extensive the damage is, but I'm sure I'll loose even more off the price of the house! Oh well....as long as the buyer doesn't back out, I'll take it. I really need to get out of here!

I'll be posting 2 additional posts today. One will be a special comment by Keith Olbermann and the other will be my review of Kimkins that I posted on the Better Business Bureau.

Weigh In week 17

And down another pound this week!!



Still eating high fat and protein and keeping my carbs as low as possible, most days under 30g total.

Had one night this week that I had some lc ice cream and an Atkins Endulge bar, but other than that I've done very well. I really have no desire for most "treats" that contain sugar and starch, although I did go by Goodberry's (frozen custard) and wondered if they have a sugar free version!! (they don't according to their website).

Oh yea! I bought a new scale today....and a new food scale earlier in the week. Both are digital. The bathroom scale is weighing me about a pound heavier, but I'll just accept the new weight. That new weight will be reflected next week, as this weeks weight was Sunday morning, before I bought the new scale.

The food scale is great! Has a nice big bowl and a nice display. I've been weighing all kinds of food....tomatoes, jicama, cucumbers, etc! My new toy! LOL And, at the suggestion of a friend on one of my boards, I'm buying a second scale, which will be used for ounces, and the first one will be set at grams.

Bathroom digital scale

Kitchen digital scale

,

Not much else to say, thanks for all that read and comment!! You're all so supportive!!


.

Weigh In week 16

Whoo Hoo!!! Down 2 more pounds!!!

I've changed my ticker to reflect my total loss and goal.

I've drastically increased my fat and protein and dropped my carbs over the past few weeks and have found my weight going down again!!

I've been recording in Fitday and taking all my supplements. I've been concentrating on getting the protein up and the carbs down.
As you can see, my protein and fat intake is high. Much higher than the "experts" recommend, and that's just fine with me. I've been going for 95g protein daily and got at least that except for yesterday (Saturday). I've not been looking for added fat, but have been adding cream to any shakes I have and I've not been avoiding it!!





And, as you can also see, I've been meeting and exceeding the recommended levels of vitamins and nutrients. In fact, the only thing I'm "deficient" in is carbs and fiber! And sodium, which is getting to be almost as "bad" as saturated fat. I don't add salt to many foods, but this isn't because I think it's bad for me, but because I often forget to!


I've been trying to get moving more, but I'm still not being too consistent with exercise. I've now bought a Tai Chi DVD and am going to try it for a while. It's for people with arthritis and stiff joints, so I figure it can't hurt!

I've also been doing some weights, but until I get my bench out of my son's room and into a more accessible area, this will be spotty.

Weigh In week 6

OK...I'm in a definite pattern. Once again, a week after no loss, I'm down 5 pounds!!





Over the weekend, from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening I was over my daughter's for a visit. I didn't eat much, but everything was low carb, except 1 small piece of garlic bread. My calories were only 1200-1350/day. Yesterday was better, but still a bit low.

Today, however, is a different story. I've had small breakfast, a huge lunch, and a decent size dinner....and I've had 2 pieces of sf chocolate candy. (Normally I restrict the candy to 1 day on weekend only, but missed last weekend, so had it tonight instead.) My total for today was over 1600. Again, still low carb and natural, except of course the candy.

Today I knew I had to have a big lunch. We went out for lunch to a buffet. I had a plate of salad and 4 different meats! The salad had mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, black olives, sunflower seed, bacon (real) bits, and Caesar dressing. I had a few ounces each of beef pot roast, chicken breast, pork tenderloin and some bourbon chicken. I also had a couple of small chunks of cantaloupe.

For dinner I had 3/4 of a home made pizza. A LC whole grain wrap with pizza sauce and cheese. It doesn't look like much, but it's very filling. I usually put mushroom on top, but didn't have any. Also didn't have any veggies in the house as all spoiled during a power failure.

I love low carbing!!!


I've been doing much better with my joints, although as I type this I have my left wrist wrapped and am off resistance training until it heals. This time, I think it's my fault. I've been doing upper body exercises with dumbbells and have noticed that my wrists seem weak and wobbly. After the trouble I had last week, I decided to put a wrist brace on both wrists. I have 2 different ones, but both work pretty much the same. I don't think I got the left one on tight enough, and re injured it. So...complete rest of the wrist for the next few days. I've not been doing as much lower body lately, and have been meaning to get serious....so I guess this is it.

For those that don't already know, I'm a RN and have had several job related back and neck injuries. I've also had 3 auto accidents that caused varying degrees of neck trauma. I've been told I have at least 3 "old" ruptured discs in my back and neck, arthritis in my neck and back with bone spurs in the pelvis and the neck. The bone spurs are causing spinal stenosis, luckily still mild.

I was doing great on exercising regularly a few years ago, until I was put on Lipitor and ended up with muscle problems and "exercise intolerance". Where I had once walked several miles without problem, I started having leg pain after just a few feet. I was also doing very well with resistance training, following the Body For Life program, and had at least doubled my starting weights. All of a sudden, each workout seemed to get harder and harder, and I ended up dropping weights, then stopping all together. It's has taken almost 2 years for me to feel back to "normal" with my muscles. I still don't have much strength and my endurance isn't great, but at least I'm able to reasonably exercise again. Small weights and slower pace.

I've been taking my fish oil and krill oil, and cannot believe the difference! I don't have as much discomfort in my neck and back, and really no "pain". I'm going to continue. I seem to have different levels of comfort, almost in a cyclical manner. I've noticed this over the years. Not including times when I was recuperating from an injury, I've noticed that the level of pain/discomfort came and went according to a cycle. It never seemed to be related to my periods, but a definite cycle of the pain getting worse then easing off. So I'm going to continue for at least another month, but I think I'll continue to see a distinct difference. I cannot remember the last time I was completely pain free in my entire spine! If I have that only a few days a month, I'll take it! Right now I'm taking 6000iu Fish oil and 2000mg krill oil.


I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment this Friday. It was with a new doc, and I was a bit stressed about it. I've been trying to find a new doc, but haven't had much luck. Well, yesterday I get a message that the doc has to cancel my appointment, and I can't get another one until at least mid-August! I did end up getting an earlier appointment with a different doc...and actually one I'm more hopeful of, since I saw him several years ago and liked him.

I'm tired, and going to bed now. Hope to be able to post again before next weigh in, but it's been busy!!! Work has been busy and I've been trying to get my house in order to get it ready for sale. I've also been looking for a new house and will post later on some I've seen.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!!! You've all been a great support!

Gout?

Gout?

Well, I went to the doctors, an urgent care center, for severe pain in my right ankle. His first impression was gout. Or a strain. Kept asking me if I'd injured it, and I kept repeating, no....not that I can remember. But a strain is exactly what I thought it felt like. I also mentioned that I have 2 fairly good sized dogs that I frequently walk with on uneven ground, so there may have been a minor pull at some point.

Do I have gout? Who knows, time will tell. If I have another "attack" I will have a joint aspiration done, and that will prove positive or negative. I doubt it's gout, simply because I don't really fit the profile. Recently I've had a lower protein intake than normal for me, I've not had a big massive gain or loss, have no family history and the symptoms don't match. This feels like a pull. According to what I've read, gout feels like there are needles or broken glass in the joint....and that is not what I felt. This was an ache. The more pressure I put on the joint and the more I flexed it, the more it hurt. The area was red and a bit swollen, but not like "typical" gout.

The first doc was fairly young, and I guess an intern or something, as he had to talk to another doc before prescribing. He immediately said gout. Now I know my age was a factor in his diagnosis, but I can't help wonder if my weight also was an influence. I didn't dare tell him I followed a low carb diet! Of course, he never asked. Never asked about "purine intake", which is supposed to increase chances of developing gout. He never asked about menopause, which is also supposed to increase risk. He did have my blood pressure, which was very normal.....120/82, and he did ask about kidney function....I'd had a creatinine level done recently and was fine. But he never asked about alcohol intake. (See The "risk factors" for developing gout here)

OK....so he knew my BP was normal, and I am "obese" (but only a couple more pounds until I'll be "overweight"....but they didn't check or ask my weight). He knew I was a woman, but did not know my menopause status. Now I am completely grey, so I am sure to a young kid the assumption is that I'm well past menopause, despite my age of 53. He also knew I had, per my report, normal kidney function. I was never asked about diet, exercise, alcohol intake, other diagnoses other than for the meds I mentioned I was taking. I was never asked about thyroid function, or if it had been checked, nor was I asked about family history.

As I sit there, obviously very confused, the doc said he had to run things by the other doc (can't remember how he referred to him, but he was obviously in training). After a few minutes, the second doc came in. An older man, he also examined my foot and said he didn't think it was gout, but just an inflammation. He did say he wanted an Xray, and that if it didn't get better or if it came back I should be tested for gout (joint aspiration), but at this point didn't think that was the diagnosis.

I had an Xray, which was normal, and got a prescription for a "stronger" NSAID, nabumetone. I'd taken ibuprophen and tylenol with no little effect. I was hesitant about the prescription at first, the latest NSAIDs seem to be more dangerous than the older ones, but when I found it was one that is indeed older, figured I'd give it a try. I did, and the pain was gone within 15 hours or so. I only took 2 doses of the prescription (I got 20).

So....is it gout? Who knows. I have been having a problem over the past few months with joint pains. One joint in my body will just ache like crazy....it might be my right elbow, or my left wrist, or one of my ankles, or a shoulder. Sometimes the pain last 3-4 days, but most of the time it's gone within 36-48 hrs. I think this was just another "attack" of this pain. I'd still suspect gout, but the joints involved are all over. My jaw, my back, knee or wrist. Never fingers and toes...and according to the literature it's more often seen in distal joints, meaning joints farther away from the body core.

Week 2 weigh in!

Down another 3 pounds! Whoo Hoo!!!



Went out to lunch today with some co-workers. A burger joint. Great meal! They have a "Cheeseburger salad", so of course, I ordered it, but I did ask for the meat on the side (didn't want the lettuce all wilted).

What a great lunch! Good quality meat, cooked perfect, 8 oz patty. The salad part was a plate of lettuce with either tomato and cucumber or jalapeno and banana peppers. I had the tomato and cucumber....not much for peppers of any kind.

The restaurant itself is kinda cool. The owner has pretty much dedicated the place to firefighters. There's all kinds of equipment and other memorabilia all over the place. Their delivery truck is an old fire truck!

Here's their web page. If you live in the area, Cary NC, stop by and get a great burger!


Got a nice surprise today. About a month ago, after reading about it in someone's blog, I registered at the DLife site. Apparently when I signed up, I also agreed to have them send me a free glucose monitor!

So I now have a glucose monitor, and of course I'm going to be checking my levels.

2 readings so far:

This AM, 90 minutes after breakfast: 86. Breakfast was 1/2c yogurt, 1/4c blackberries and 1/4c chopped walnuts.

This evening, 90 minutes after dinner: 80. Dinner was a low carb wrap with taco meat (beef) and cheese along with a little bit of sour cream and salsa. I also had a wedge of cantaloupe, a SF soda, and 2 SF Popsicles. Oh and 4 pieces of SF gum. All this eaten within 45 min. Testing done 90 min after last eaten.

Tomorrow I'm going to check what I am fasting. Until I get more strips, I'll probably only be testing in the AM. I'm rarely hungry in the AM, so I'll probably get "perfect" numbers. Later in the week I'm also going to have my poached eggs on toast and see what my readings are.



So now I guess I'll check EBay for testing strips!

3/20/07 14:34 - Edited to add last night's reading. CM

Week 1 Weigh-In & more

Oh boy!!!

I lost 4 pounds this week!!!


Been staying on plan, lost a lot of fluid.

Blog Roll: I would like to point out some recent blog posts that I think are excellent:

1. Regina Wilshire. Remember the study that was in the news last week? Atkins vs Ornish vs LEARN vs The Zone? The study that I notice is not in the news anymore? Well Regina, as always, has posted an excellent essay on the study. Check it out here. And be sure to take a look at her batch of quotes about said study.

2. Dr Michael Eades. Same study here and an excellent article on anti-oxidants and the importance of saturated fat here.

3. Suzique. If you have a recipe for veggies, or want a recipe for veggies, check out Suzique's Veggie Recipe Contest. There are several links, so be sure to check out all the recipes! Submissions for the contest is March 14.

4. Dr Davis. Excellent, but long article on Vitamin D.

5. Sherrie. A disturbing post about cholesterol, alcohol, and pregnancy. I've done a little research and it seems the women on statins were not put on them during their pregnancy, but were on them and got pregnant. Makes me feel a little better, but not enough.

6. Suzique again. Another disturbing post, this time about the lack of medical care available in New Orleans.

7. Dr Vernon. Ask Dr Vernon. She does answer. She has responded to various questions personally and in her blog.


My take on The Study?

It's interesting in how poorly everyone did in following their plans. I am also getting a chuckle about how all the "experts" are tripping over themselves saying how it's a bad study.

I can see good and bad. People didn't follow their plans, none of them did from the looks of it. Why? We don't know. Lack of support I would imagine is one factor. Lack of motivation I think is a major factor.

I also wonder about exercise. Were the participants told to exercise? If not, then I don't think they were doing any plan "properly". They certainly weren't doing Atkins!

I'd like to see a second study:
1. Allow people to decide which diet they want to try. Give each one the books, or at least a print out of a summary of the plans, and let them decide which one they feel they can live with.
2. Give more support, in weekly meetings or online support. Something to keep them motivated and to have a source to clarify things.
3. Have experts in each diet teach the classes. Personally I think longer classes over a shorter time, with more followup would be better.
4. Get people that not only want to loose weight, but also improve their health.


That's about it. I'm going to leave you with some pictures of wild dafodils that are in my front yard.


3/12/2007, 11:32PM EST: Edited to add Dr Vernon's column!

Low carb for your dog!

Raw feeding your dog

I posted a response to a comment and decided to create a post on raw feeding your dogs.

Raw feeding is commonly referred to as feeding a BARF diet. BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Diet.

I came across raw feeding as a result of trying to figure out how to treat a severely overweight cat I'd adopted. Georgie was at least 18 pounds...and this was a cat that should only have weighed, at most, 9 or 10 pounds! After I adopted him I started doing research on cat foods, trying to find a good, nutritious food that would allow Georgie to eat, but still loose weight.

In the middle of doing Internet searches one day a friend called and we were talking about what I was doing. I'd already started low carbing, and I knew that all the carbs in the packaged cat food couldn't possibly be good for Georgie, and all the "diet" cat foods were even higher in carbs! Now, remember cats are true carnivores! Cats in the wild eat meat.....and only meat. they don't eat veggies, or grains, they eat meat!

I remember commenting to my friend that I wished I could find a low carb cat food. She laughed and said something to the effect that low carbing may be good for people, but probably not for cats and dogs. After hanging up the phone, I did a search on carbs in cat and dog food and found a bunch of articles promoting raw feeding!!

Well, that was the start. I read article after article and found so many web sites I was amazed! It seems that there are people all over the planet promoting a raw, meat based diet for not only cats, but dogs also.

Cats are carnivores. Many experts call them "true carnivores" because they eat meat. Just do a search on lion, tiger, cougar, or any large cat and you will find the same thing. These animals eat meat. They don't eat grass, they don't eat berries or other fruit, they don't dig for root veggies, they eat meat! Depending on the size and location of the cat, they may eat deer, or antelope, or even rabbits, but whatever the animal, they eat meat!

Dogs are also carnivores, although they will be omnivores if it suits them. In the wild, by preference, dogs will eat meat. They will, if necessary, eat almost everything, including vegetation, which I guess makes people think they could do well on a vegetarian and/or grain based diet. BUT, in the wild, they prefer meat, just like their ancestors the wolf.

I don't think anyone disagrees that dogs are descendants of wolves. The controversy is what wolves eat in the wild. Wolves will eat meat. They hunt in packs and the leader gets the choice. The controversy comes with the stomach and intestines. It seems that wolves have been filmed eating the stomach and intestines of animals they kill, however, many people say that the wolf will shake out the stomach and intestinal contents before eating the organ.

OK....so I'm researching all of this and find that there are actually sites that give instructions on raw feeding your dog (and cat, but to a less extent). I start reading this information and find that, when fed meat and bones (and to some extent veggies and fruit), dogs will have stronger and whiter teeth with little or no decay and fresher breath, less poop that isn't as foul smelling, less body odor (including "wet dog" smell), more resistance to disease, healthier and shinier coats and a host of other things.

Hmmmm.....now this sounds good. So I start to research more and decide to start feeding my 4 critters (2 dogs, 6 months old and 2 cats, 8 & 10 yrs old) raw meat and bones. I decided at first to try toe veggie feeding too as it seemed that most experts in this area recommend veggies and a tiny bit of fruit for dogs, but not cats. The only problem with fruits and veggies (other than watching the ones that are NOT good for them) is that these have to be "pulverized" as dogs are unable to digest whole ones, but can digest ones that are pulverized like they would be found in the gut of the animals they eat (hmmmmm...this sounds unnatural, but OK, let's give it a shot.)

So.....I go to the store and stock up on meat for the puppies and cats. I buy ox tails, beef heart, cheap pieces of beef and pork, chicken of various cuts and a bunch of veggies as per the instructions in the raw feeding sites. I also joined a raw feeding group on Yahoo.

When I get home I start preparing the veggies....put everything in a blender and blend until it's well pulverized, and then put in smaller containers and freeze. I also separate the meats into individual servings and freeze all but a couple days worth.

Dinner time!!! I give each dog a few pieces of meat along with a couple of chunks of beef heart and a good dollop of "veggie slop". I also give each of the cats a good amount of meat. (Cats and puppies were kept separate, as they didn't get along at all!).

So....what happened? Well, the cats flatly refused to touch their dinner, and Georgie proceeded to cry and howl. I gave in and fed them their kibble. I tried several times with the same effect, and finally gave up, but did feed them canned cat food over dry.

The dogs on the other hand, were in heaven!!! They loved it! Well, except the veggie slop. That they pushed aside and ignored. The next day, the same thing. Meat? yes. Veggies? no!!!

After reading more, and talking to other raw feeders, I decided my pups probably don't need veggies. They do get my leftovers on occasion, especially if they are buttered! Some people insist on veggies, but I personally figure if I have to prepare it, it's probably not crucial for their health

Today they pups (now 3 1/2) are still being fed mainly raw food, although because of financial considerations they also get canned food and occasionally kibble. I hate that I have to do this, but money is tight, and I just can't justify the expense involved in the amount of meat these 2 eat. They are both around 60-65 pounds, and can easily eat close to a pound of meat each! I do insist on buying canned food that doesn't contain rice or other grains, but I just can't afford the amount of meat they would like.

My two dogs are perfectly healthy. Neither of the dogs has ever been sick. They have no immunization, except for rabies (required by law) and they receive only heart worm prevention and flea/tick medication. They both have the whitest teeth I've ever seen in dogs, soft shiny coats, and are energetic and perfect weight. On every check with the vet (yearly) they are declared "perfect". They're friendly, well behaved and so much fun to have around.

To feed your dog RAW:
1. Don't worry about bones, as long as they are RAW. Cooked bones are brittle and can splinter and cause major problems, but raw bones shouldn't be a problem. If you are nervous, you can either buy a grinder or ask your local butcher to grind the bones for you. You can also buypre-packaged (usually frozen) BARF food that contains ground bone.
2. Always keep an eye on your dog when they are eating. If they start to choke, you want to be close by. After a while, if you are confident your dogs are OK, you can leave them alone, but always be aware that they may need you!
3. Make sure the pieces you give the dogs are big enough that they don't try to swallow them whole! You want them to eat them slowly, chewing (and crunching) the bones before swallowing. Gulping can lead to choking. Within reason, the general rule is the bigger the better.
4. Buy human quality meats, although you can buy meats that are older and probably not good for humans to eat. Dogs can handle the bacteria better than us and seldom have a problem with meat that's a bit old. Remember, in the wild, dogs will often eat meat that is downright rotten!
5. If you choose to feed your dog veggies (and a little bit of fruit) be sure to completely pulverize them before feeding. No need to cook.
6. Give a variety of meat and bones. Chicken quarters, oxtails, organ meats are all great for dogs. Too much bone can cause constipation, so watch your dog's poop until you get the hang of it. All meat and no bones isn't good either, as they need the minerals in the bones and the fat in the marrow. Be careful with large marrow bones as they can be too hard for some dogs. Ask your butcher to cut them into large pieces if necessary. Also, be aware that some dogs cannot tolerate the high fat of marrow, and may get diarrhea. If this happens, limit the amount you allow them to have at any given time.
7. Be sure to give organ meats a couple of times a week.
8. Look for balance over the long term, not daily. If the dogs have chicken several days in a row without organ meats, that's fine. Variety is usually the best, but some dogs are picky and have favorites.
9. If possible, get yourself a freezer and find a butcher. Most butchers will order meats for you. Often there are raw feeding groups that will buy in bulk and share with you. Freezers make it easy to take advantage of good finds. Some stores will also sell you scrap meat and bones, but the ones in my areas won't.

Be aware also, many people will think you're strange, including your vet! My first vet was never told I was raw feeding. I found him fast, due to the way I adopted the puppies, and really didn't like him. (How I found my puppies, click here) When the pups were only 8 months old, even tho he said they were "perfect" weight, he told me to change them over to "senior" food! Now, I understand large breed dogs can sometimes grow too fast and too big on puppy chow, but to go to senior food at their ages??? His reason was that it was lower in fat (sound familiar low carbers?!?!) and would prevent problems "down the road". I never went back to that vet. (They also wanted to vaccinate against every known disease, regardless of risk of the pups being exposed!)

I have a new vet that I love. She is very accepting of my way of feeding, and completely understands my views on vaccines. She sees them once a year, checks them out and has so far declared them healthy. She also gives me a prescription for the heart worm so I can buy it online (I lost a dog to heart-worm, so that is a must!).

Some of the "weird" things I feed my puppies:
Oxtails. They love them, but are often too expensive. Once in a while I'll see them marked way down at the store and when I do, I always buy them.
Pork neck bones. Personally I wouldn't feed my dogs beef neck bones (not that I've ever seen them in the store) due to fears of "mad cow" disease.
Beef heart. Not weird, but what I do is cut the heart into large chunks and put them on a cookie sheet. I think freeze them. Once frozen, I place them in a zip lock freezer bag and give them out as treats. I do the same thing with chick hearts and giblets.
Pigs feet. Mostly meat and fat with a little bit of bone. The dogs love them! I usually feed these with a little extra meat.
Chicken feet! Yep, chicken feet. They are popular in some stores, depending on the ethnic makeup of the area, and are usually available from butchers. These too I put in the freezer and give out as treats. They're pretty gross looking, but the dogs love them!

Here are a couple of pictures of my dog's food.


Pork neck bones with a pig's foot and some beef heart.















Pork neck bones
















Discarded pig's foot





















Daisy with a pig's foot.




















Beef heart, pork neck bones

Give raw feeding a try! Your dog will be happy and healthy and less likely to develop heart disease and diabetes, like so many dogs are developing today!

Do some research. Google "BARF", "raw feeding" and see what you find! Of course you'll find some that are totally against it, but you'll also find people that have been feeding raw for many years and have healthy dogs to show for it. Even some reputable breeders feed raw!

Feel free also to ask any questions, either in comments or by email. I'm no expert, but I'll be glad to try and help you find answers!

A note about cats. I no longer have my 2 cats. Georgie ended up being adopted due to the constant battle with him and the puppies. The other cat has since died. I've been told it is harder to switch cats and there are a few precautions you have to take with cats. Be sure to get all the info before you try to switch your cat! You may have to just leave them the food for several days before they'll "give in" and eat it. But most say once switched, the cats never want to go back. If you do feed commercial products, be sure to get only food that is 100% meat and fish! (One ingredient, I believe it's taurine, will be added to canned food, and is essential for your cat)

Plans

OK....as promised, I've made up my mind what I'm going to do about exercise.

At least once a day, I'm going on a walk, at least 20 minutes for now as I'm still recovering from a chest cold. I'm going to work up to at least 30-45 minutes. My dogs are going to love it.

Also, my son doesn't know it yet, but we're going to move my weight bench out of his room into the front room so I can use it!!! I'm going to use the Body For Life program (the resistance part), at least for now, for my routine. I really want to check out the Slow Burn program, but I have no money to buy the book, and my local library doesn't have it right now (but I'm going to request it, once I figure out how).

Here's my new ticker:



This is not my total weight loss, but just for my new goal.

My weigh day is Monday.

My measure day is going to be the first of each month.

I am going to walk daily, do resistance training at least 3 days a week, and stick with my low carb plan!

Back from the land of Binge

Yes, that Binge, with a capital B.

I can't believe I did this, but I fell headfirst into a lot of garbage carbs! I'm not going to go into details....partly out of embarassment of what I ate. Let's just say Easter is around the corner, and the stores are well stocked!

Anyway I'm back. I decided I had to start this out with a fast, so I'm fasting today and part of tomorrow. I'll start eating again tomorrow at lunch.

I know lots of people will fron on this method, but for me it works. I'll fast for 24-30 hours, then start eating again, keeping to "intervention" level carbs for a week or so, then moving to "transition", where I'll stay until I get to maintenence.

Fasting breaks the cycle for me, especially when I go on a bad binge like I did this time. It's been a tough day. Telling myself that I'm fasting....then wanting to have something. But, I stuck with coffee, tea and water and I'm good now. I probably won't even be hungry tomorrow, but lunch will taste soooooo good! I'm thinking Caesar Salad at my favorite place near work, Baba Ghanoush (Cary, NC).

I've also set a new goal. I'm trying to get up to Massachusetts again this summer. One of my "adopted" daughters (my DD's friend) is getting married and I want to see it happen!!! I also want to have ankles that I want to show off. I want to get a sexy summer dress to wear. I want to look GOOD!!!

So here's my goal. Today is March 5, 2007 and by August 6, 2007 I want to loose 50 pounds. That sounds like a lot, but it's not too bad. That's 5 months to loose 50 pounds. That's 10 pounds per month. If I stick with my plan and do my exercising, I should be fine.

Not sure just yet what I'm going to be doing for exercise, the first few days after a binge I'm usually not good for much. Right now, stick with walking the dogs, and I'll figure out what else by the end of the week. I have to get my weight bench out of my son's room so I can get back into my strength training.

I'd really like to set a size goal, rather than weight, but I have NO idea what size I'll be when I get to goal. I know I'll at least be a size 14, but no idea if any lower. I'm 5'8" and good size build, so I know I'll never be a size 2. And if I ever DO get down to a size 2 there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with the sizes they sell today! LOL

I'll post my weight ticker and exercise goals later this week. I wanted to commit to this and now I have to get to sleep!!!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

I love eggs!!! I eat a fair amount of them. Poached, fried, hard boiled, deviled, egg salad, and so forth. I usually buy large eggs. When I was a kid we only had medium eggs, but even mom switched to large many years ago. We bought our eggs from the local egg farm. The farm was just at the end of our street, and the old guy that owned it (just him and his wife) would sometimes let us watch the egg sorter in action!! What he sold us as "medium" were comparable to "large" in the food stores. When the egg farm closed (they retired), we started buying eggs at the local food store and I think always got large.

Well, I bought some jumbo eggs a few weeks ago because the "large" were tiny. These jumbos looked like large to me. Well, when those ran out I asked my son to pick up another dozen and he again got the jumbo. Boy were those things big!!! I almost choked when I saw the size of the eggs!! Of course I was thrilled! I have 1 or 2 eggs with 1 slice bread when I eat them for breakfast. More egg, more yummy!

I have never, until this current dozen, seen a double yolk egg. I know they exist, but I have never seen one. Out of the 10 eggs I've cracked so far, 4 of them were double yolk!

The last 3 eggs I've opened out of this dozen

The ones I cracked today I also broke one of the yolks, so those will go to the dogs. I was making poached/dropped eggs, and broken yolks aren't good. The one that's a single was a bit smaller than the others, but not by much!

Dropped eggs cooking

Ready to eat. That's whole grain oatmeal bread by Pepperidge Farm with butter.
A little bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Yummy!

My sister had her procedure done and is doing well. There was some question as to whether there was plaque or not. They knew she had scar tissue, but we weren't sure whether they suspected plaque or not. Well, after the procedure it was confirmed that it was scar tissue only. They only opened one artery, the one that was partially blocked. The other one was 100% blocked, but had good collateral circulation, and they were afraid they'd do more harm than good in attempting to open the artery.

I guess this supports my theory about good genes along with bad ones. My mom's side of the family has rampant diabetes. As far back as my great grandmother and her siblings, right through to my current generation, of which I am the youngest, almost all were diagnosed with diabetes. I even have a niece, the next generation, that has been diagnosed.

My sister definitely takes after mom's side of the family as far as body build is concerned. My brother takes after my dad's side, but is also diabetic, so has apparently inherited the "weak" pancreas. But, so far none, including my generation, have developed coronary artery disease. NONE.

One aunt had CHF (congestive heart failure) as a result of a viral infection when she was young. This aunt eventually died of CHF. But she'd never had a heart attack or stroke, and was well into her 80's by the time it got her.

What's the one thing they worry about most with diabetics? Yep, heart disease. So, there's no heart disease in my mom's family, despite most being diagnosed with diabetes, and most of those prior to age 50 (some under 40!).

Is it because they are well controlled???? I don't know, but I suspect not. My sister's latest A1c was 6.2 or 6.3. This means her average blood sugar was in excess of 135. That's average. She doesn't take her blood sugar readings very often, on the advice of her doc, but the ones she does record are usually 140-150. The last time we talked she had one that was over 180! (and of course had no idea what may have caused the spike!) She's also on 2 medications. One med she's at max dose, the second one she's very close to max.

Average daily blood sugars
relation to A1c levels

I don't call that well controlled.

My brother is currently 55. He was diagnosed less than 10 yrs ago when they discovered he had severe peripheral neuropathy (PN). He is disabled from the damage. He presented to the doc when he started having trouble walking due to the PN. I have no idea what his numbers are, but he went on insulin immediately and is still taking it. He's thin, but has always eaten a very high carb diet, including frequent large portions of spaghetti.

I don't call that well controlled.

The rest of the family I don't really know about, at least as far as how well controlled they are, but some are overweight and some aren't. One cousin, a few years older than me, has been slim all her life, loves to exercise, and has been diagnosed for a few years. She's in her early 60's.

So....apparently my family has a "bad" gene related to pancreas function. I've long believed that we are each born with a pancreas that has a certain limit. Eventually we will hit that limit and diabetes will develop. If we abuse our bodies with high carbohydrate intake, we will hit that limit sooner. The limit for one person following a reasonably healthy lower carb diet (few or no sweets, portion control, limited processed foods) may be 50 or 60 years. For another it may be 90 or 100 or even higher!!! And for some, it may be as young as 8 or 10.

Whatever your genetic background, limiting carbohydrate intake will help prolong the "life" of your pancreas. If you have "good" genes, you may never develop diabetes, if you have "bad" genes, you may already have diabetes or be on the road to developing it.

I think my family, or at least my mom's side, has "bad" genes as related to pancreas function.

But, apparently we have "good" genes in the heart disease area! Since none of my grandparents, and none of my aunts and uncles, and none of my cousins have developed heart disease, despite a common diagnosis of diabetes, I'd say we inherited some pretty good heart health genes!

My dad's side I don't know as much about, but they too lived mostly into their 80s and 90s, none that I know of having heart disease or diabetes. There is high BP and hemorrhagic stoke on that side, as well as complications of alcohol abuse. Several died of cancer, including at least half of my dad's siblings.

I am 52 and have no evidence of heart disease. I have had several chest scans that showed no calcifications, and have no symptoms of heart disease, artery disease or high blood pressure. I don't have diabetes, but I am insulin resistant and have had symptoms of hypoglycemia.

I know I inherited at least some of the body type from my dad's side. I think a lot as I'm built more like the aunts on that side of the family. I'm actually shorter tho, so I guess I got a smidge of height from mom too. I'm 5'8", most of my aunts were 5'10 and above. My mom was fairly tall at 5'7", but she was the odd one in her family, where most of the men were under 5'8" tall!

I have the build from my dad's side. Larger frame, good size hips and shoulders. I also, I believe, get my bad back from dad's side. My stomach issues, I believe are from mom.

Who knows. Maybe some day we'll be able to have our blood tested and know exactly which disease we are at higher risk for. Until then all we can do is do our best to take care of the bodies we were given. In my case I know that limiting carbs, without eliminating them, is the thing I must do to keep my body healthy.

I'll watch my carbohydrate intake because I don't want to develop diabetes.

I'll watch that my BP doesn't get elevated and also that my cholesterol levels don't get too low because I don't want weakened arteries or high BP that may lead to stroke.

I'll watch my alcohol intake as I seem to be at a higher risk of alcoholism due to family history.



Barbaro has another setback. This is sad. They haven't given up yet, but poor Barbaro isn't doing well. He's had another procedure done in an attempt to save his leg and his life.


A Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways

A Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight in Fort Myers, Fla., when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said yesterday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.

The Kuleszas, of Worcester, Mass., planned to fly to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, Fla., after a four-day visit with the girl's paternal grandparents. She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.

Of course the parents are outraged! The airline has not only reimbursed the parents, but also given them free flights!!! What about the other people on the plane? Were they compensated too?


Mama dog. This is a great story posted on Gather.com about an amazing dog!

I first met Mama Dog two days before Christmas 2005. She showed up at my friend Brenda's house, cold, starving, badly beaten, and very very pregnant. Brenda immediately went and bought a bale of hay, and made a nice warm place for her in the garage. Brenda is very good with animals, and she was determined to nurse Mama Dog back to health.....

Update on my son. Went to the doc again last week, still no definite answers. It appears that the fracture is still unstable, so the doc has ordered another MRI. Depending on what that shows will be the deciding factor in whether the doc recommends surgery or not.

Weigh in day is tomorrow. I think I'll do well. If I haven't lost, I doubt I've gained. We shall see!!!

As of last week: