Liposuction Lady
We get one body and one Earth! I’m on a mission to get Both Healthy!Archive for carb
Some Days It’s HARD!
Some Days It’s HARD!
Yesterday was a rough one. Someone brought in bagels for breakfast and, since I didn’t eat breakfast before I left home – bad girl!! – I had a raisin bagel with cream cheese. Then came a lunch meeting and I ate half a turkey sandwich on wheat and a salad. I was trying to make up for the bagel (carbs!) I had for breakfast. Then, in the mid-afternoon, there was a celebration for one of the secretaries who had reached her 5 year milestone. She was given a watch and yes, there was cake. By this time I refused to eat any more food that I didn’t prepare beforehand.
So I stood there while everyone else got in line to get a piece of cake. It was a banana and pineapple cake with a rich cream cheese frosting, and topped with chocolate sprinkles. Yes, it looked yummy but I was determined not to get any.
People asked if I was in line and I said no. Most of them, however, only saw the cake and walked right past me. I continued moving further away from the door so as not to get trampled. Then, when everyone had a piece (except me, of course), we sang “Happy Anniversary” using the happy birthday song. Then everyone started eating.
Several eyes fell on my empty hands and a few pushed their plates towards me, offering to give me their plate before getting themselves a new piece. “No problem, “take it,” “you were waiting before I got here,” and my favorite, “I haven’t touched it yet” were comments I had to endure.
“No,” I said. “I’m fine,” waving away yet another plate.
“Why not?” Further questions were asked in incredulous tones.
I smiled. Shook my head. Said again and again, “No thank you.”
Finally, when I could not take it anymore, I walked over to the anniversary girl, said congratulations and left the room.
Why is it when you’re trying to be good there are plenty of helpful people around to shove food in your face?
I’m just saying.
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Goal Achieved – Stay Diligent
Goal Achieved – Stay Diligent
Once you reach your goal, don’t think the journey is over. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not just a diet. You have to continue being diligent as you maintain your weight loss. Just because you feel healthier, your clothes are fitting great, and your attitude is positive does not mean that those things will never change.
Take me, for example. Before I had moved to South Beach, I had lost 50 pounds and was finally back into a size 12 (was size 20). However, instead of maintaining, I instead concentrated on my surroundings, enjoying all that this new area had to offer, including new foods. I ate and sat and partied and didn’t worry about my weight. Six months later, I had ballooned two sizes up to size 16 before I even realized what was happening. I had to restart my journey to get back to size 12. No fun!
You don’t want that to happen to you.
Don’t be like me. Continue being diligent. It will be easier because you are now “maintaining,” not “losing.” You know all the steps. You’ve been there…done that.
One other thing. Get rid of those clothes you can no longer wear because they’re too big. I didn’t, so when I was searching for an outfit to wear to work, I merely reached further into my closet for larger clothes. Still, it didn’t occur to me that I was getting bigger and not maintaining. Not until I wore what I considered my “fat” pants (elastic waist, of course) did I realize that I had not been diligent. Now that I’m back in size 12, those pants are out of my house for good – donated.
So smile as you pull out those oversized shirts or pants you can no longer wear. Revel in those dresses or skirts that hang on you much like they do on a clothes hanger. High five the elastic waists for getting you through the worse of it. Place them all into a bag and give them to charity.
What’s left should be what you can comfortably wear today. Remember, if they start getting tight, get back on the journey to maintaining the new healthier you.
I know I’m going to be more diligent.
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Halloween Candy – OH NO!!
Halloween Candy – OH NO!!
Halloween is here and we’re bombarded with candy sales everywhere we look. We purchase bags and bags of the stuff for our kids, to give out for trick-or-treaters, to take to work – all for one day – Halloween.
The timing is terrible. We just spent the summer getting healthy and training our minds and body to eat healthy. That doesn’t mean we never had a candy bar during this transition. On the contrary. I’ve had candy bars and cheesecake and still managed to lose weight. That’s because I ate them in moderation. But with Halloween there is no moderation. Only bags and bags of candy. Chocolate candy!!
Sure, we say we’re buying them for the kids but let’s be real. We only buy what we like just in case there are not as many trick-or-treaters as we thought would show up. When I touted leftovers, I didn’t mean Halloween candy.
It’s impossible not to give into temptation. I can’t and haven’t. I went grocery shopping over the weekend and saw lots of those big, family size bags of candy on sale, so I purchased four of the assortment bags. I went home to sort through them and, of course, I had to check to make sure they weren’t old. Then I had to try all the flavors to see which ones were my favorite. Before I knew it, one bag was almost gone and not a single kid had stopped by yet.
You put chocolate in my house and you can bet I’m all over it. That’s why I get one bar at a time when my taste buds demand it, not a whole assortment bag.
I didn’t get away with it though. I had been really good for the past 6 weeks and the chocolate took the expressway south through my system and out the other end.
I can’t wait for tomorrow so I can give away all the candy left in my house. If there aren’t enough trick-or-treaters, I have several neighbors with kids. Guess what they’re getting on Thursday!
To read more about my low carb diet that helped me to lose 50 pounds (with before/after pictures), click on the link.
To get more of my story, visit us here.
You Can’t Be Too Skinny – Can You?
You Can’t Be Too Skinny – Can You?
When I decided to finally get healthy and lose the weight that was preventing me from climbing seven stairs – yes, only seven– from the family room to the living room without stopping and wheezing, I was met with resistance.
Sure, I was wearing size 26 and had not exercised in more than a decade, but I was happy, healthy, or at least that’s what I told myself. When I went to the store to buy a new dress or pantsuit (with elastic waist, of course), I thought I was looking good as I tried on the articles in the dressing room. But what did I know? Apparently nothing because the comments I received were not positive. Some of the comments I got were “You must have gotten that on sale,” or “You should not wear bright colors. It makes you stand out” or “If you let your hair grow it will make you look smaller” or, my favorite, “That’s a pretty dress. Where did you find it in that size?” They were not strangers making those comments. They were friends and family, the ones I needed support from the most, which totally surprised me.
I was ready to start working on my health goals but those comments did not help my self-esteem. I realized I was not going to get support from that group, at least not the support I needed at the time. So I decided to go it alone.
I wanted a quick fix so I went to a Tumescent Liposuction doctor who told me I had to first lose 20 pounds before he would perform the surgery. That way he could make sure my skin still had elasticity to it. I was, after all, in my 40s. That’s not fair, I thought. I didn’t want to have to lose weight. I wanted to go to sleep and wake up several sizes smaller. But that was not to be. So I started a low carb diet and quickly went from a size 26 to 20 in three months, bought more new outfits (with elastic waist, still) and finally started feeling good about myself.
Then a male friend told me I was getting too skinny. He liked me at size 26. He started bringing me chocolate instead of flowers, taking me out to dinner for a three course meal instead of the movies where I could sneak in my protein bars, that sort of thing. No matter how much I told him what I wanted and needed, he would pick me up and take me to where he wanted me to go. I was still new at this game of dieting and loved the special attention I was getting form this guy, so I went along with his program and enjoyed the company and the food until I could no longer wear my new size 20 outfits.
Something was wrong and it wasn’t the friends and family, and it wasn’t the guy. It was me. I had one foot in diet mode and the other still in my old habits. I had to decide and be firm about which path I really wanted to take. I still went out with the guy but I no longer let him talk me into the three courses. Instead, I stuck with my low carb menu. I didn’t eat the chocolate he still brought me, even though I told him to stop. One day he pressed me to take it. I did and then tossed it into the trash directly in front of him. Of course this didn’t sit well with him (he was pissed!) but he finally got the hint and stopped bringing them to me.
I’m telling you now, the choice is yours, not your spouse, not your kids, not your parents, not your friends. You have a right to decide what is best for you. And once you make that choice, stick to it. Be firm. Correct your mindset and achieve your health goals.
BTW, I dumped the guy (got tired of arguing about my low carb diet), had the Tumescent Liposuction surgery, and went down to size 16.
To read more about my Tumescent Liposuction surgery or my low carb diet that helped me to lose 50 pounds (with before/after pictures), click on these links.
To get more of my story, visit us here.
MY FAVORITE WEEKEND LOW CARB RECIPE
Low Carb Recipe Beef And Broccoli
There is one low carb recipe that I love. It’s easy to remember. It’s simple to make. It takes less than 30 minutest to do. It’s delicious as leftovers. I’m talking about Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry.
The weekends are usually when I get into trouble. I’m not at work where I can’t eat until lunch time. I spend all day at home or at the beach where restaurants and my taste buds try to take over. There’s cake and ice cream and smoothies and candy bars and French fries and muffins and mashed potatoes with gravy and…well, you get the idea. Temptations are everywhere. So what I do on Saturday mornings is make a big pot of my Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry. Then I have a quick, low carb meal I can quickly heat up all weekend and not feel guilty about pigging out.
BEEF AND BROCCOLI STIR-FRY
Carbs Per Serving: 4
2 large steaks
2 boxes of frozen broccoli (spears or chopped, your choice)
2 teaspoons of Olive Oil
2 teaspoons of Teriyaki Sauce – gluten free
2 teaspoons of Oyster Sauce
2 teaspoons of Hoisin Sauce
2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce
In a large pot, boil the steaks for 20-25 minutes.
While that’s cooking, combine the sauces in a bowl.
In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and heat on medium level. Then add the broccoli and stir until it’s no longer frozen.
Take the two steaks and cut them into 1 inch strips. Add to the broccoli in the frying pan. Add the sauces mixture and stir/cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!!
Note: For a change, you can also make this with chicken breast. To spice it up, replace the Teriyaki Sauce with gluten free Szechuan Sauce.
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