Sat. June 14, 2008

Happy Flag Day!

On the lowcarb front:
I am having some blood sugar issues so at the moment I am using Atkins for Life until I can get a call into the doctor. In the past, my blood sugar has tanked on induction. I was hoping that wouldn't be the case this time, but I am noticing the signs - the chief one being extreme irritability. So I am taking it day to day to see how I will need to do things on lowcarb.

Here is my menu so far for today:

Breakfast:
Cafe latte
Mock danish

Lunch:
cheesy joe (velveeta and ground beef)
revolution roll
WW yogurt
BBQ pork rinds

Snack:
Atkins bar

Dinner:
Dixie Diner flax muffin with 1 T. peanut butter
1 oz mixed macadamia nuts and peanuts
1/2 cup Breyer's No Sugar Added ice cream.

Carbs for the day: 50 Calories for the day: 2180

There is a discussion going on right now on several forums about calorie counting on Atkins. Here is my take on the issue. I keep track of calories for this reason; as a compulsive eater, I am not able to "eat to satiety" as Dr. Atkins recommended. For the compulsive eater, there is no such thing as satiety. Most of us don't even know what feeling full or feeling hungry feels like. We never experience either one. We may eventually learn it, but in the weight loss stage we have to use numbers to impose limits. Using a calorie limit allows me to put parameters on my food intake. This may make no sense to anyone except another compulsive eater, but there it is. I do believe that a calorie is not necessarily a calorie when it comes to low carb, but I do think that there is a breaking point beyond which you can't go without gaining weight no matter how few carbs you take in. That breaking point is definitely higher on low carb than on low fat - at least in my experience.

In an earlier post I mentioned that I use a program called Diet Power to log my foods. Well, what do you know, the Diet Power people emailed me asking if they could use me as a testimonial. I said, "sure, but I have a really old version." They went nutso because I was using an outdated program. I have tried their upgrade, but since the version I have does everything I need it to do, I see no reason to pay for an upgrade. I set my own macros and input my own food. After 3 or 4 emails, I quit responding. I'm not saying that the new and improved version isn't good - I'm sure it is, but I am an old dog and I am unwilling to learn new tricks - especially if I have to pay for them.

On the home front:
This morning I discovered I was out of laundy soap. And I had a ton of laundry to do. But do not fear. I have been making my own laundry soap for quite a while now. I started out doing it because I thought it was kind of cool. I make soap and sometimes there is a batch here and there that isn't quit up to my standards to sell, or a scent might have disappeared in the saponification process but I can't sell it as unscented because the fragrance oil is in there. When I have a botched batch, I shred it and put it into a 5 gallon bucket. My plan was to some day re-batch the stuff so as not to waste my resources. Guess what. I discovered I don't have any desire to re-batch. So what to do with the soap shreds? I found a recipe on the net for making my own laundry soap.
Here is the recipe:

1/3 bar of Fels naptha shredded (I used 4 ounces of my own handmade soap shreds)
1/2 cup washing soda (NOT BAKING SODA)
1/2 cup borax
1 T. body safe fragrance oil (optional)- I use oatmeal, milk & honey
3 gallon bucket (I use an old Sun powdered detergent bucket

Melt the soap shreds in 6 cups of water in a large saucepan on the stove.
When melted, stir in the borax and the soda until dissolved.
Remove from heat
Pour 4 cups hot water in bucket
Pour in the soap mixture
Stir well
Add another gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.
At this point I funnel the mixture into old 110 fluid oz detergent jugs for easier pouring, but you may leave it in the bucket and just scoop it out.
Let mixture sit for 24 hours. It will gel into a kind of gloppy substance - not a solid gel and, no it ain't pretty but it does the job. It is not a high sudsing soap, but suds aren't what clean your clothes anyway.
I use 1/2-1 cup of this per load depending on the size.

Besides being cool, homemade laundry soap is economical. I figured up the cost for making a batch. The most expensive ingredient for me was the washing soda because I can't find it locally any more. I ordered 14 pounds off of Ebay and paid a total of 33 dollars counting the shipping.

I figured the cost at about $3.50 for a batch that does 64 loads if I use 3/4 cup (2 of the laundry jug capfuls) per load. That's about 5 cents a load. Not bad. And I can make it smell any way I want. It's a good soap to use for anyone who has allergies. Makes me feel like Ma Ingalls.

Now, for a good cheap fabric softener - take a jug of vinegar and add 1 T body safe fragrance oil. I fill the fabric softener dispenser cup or one of those Downy dispensers.

later . . .

God bless the troops

Thurs. June 12, 2008 - Atkins Induction Day 3

On the lowcarb front:
Not much to report except that I am feeling really good.

I am making contacts with a lot of supportive people. It's all about support and community. There is a saying in OA to the effect that many can do what one can't do alone. Remember way back in the 70's when Jean Nidecht founded Weight Watchers? The success didn't actually have anything to do with the diet. Weight Watchers was originally based on the diabetic exchange diet. What made Weight Watchers different was the camaradarie, the fellowship, the accountability, the structure.

Have you ever noticed on message boards that when people are struggling, they tend to stop posting? I'm like that too. We tend to beat ourselves up and then drop out of the group. That is the absolute worst thing we can do, but there it is.

Here is my menu for the day:
Breakfast:
Omelette with sour cream, cheese, and Salsa
Mocha latte double

Lunch:
Romain salad with ranch dressing
Chicken salad on revoloopsie roll

Snack:
Advantage bar

Dinner:
Don't know yet - Probably the pork steak that Harold took out of the freezer and forgot to eat. LOL!


On the business front:
Made apple jack 'n peel soap last night because my mica powders haven't arrived. It looked pretty gross in the mold - something one of the kids creatively dubbed "bubbling brains".



The finished bars look pretty nice though. I love apple jack 'n peel - especially in the fall. It seems to be a classic favorite at our craft shows.



On the home front:
For the last few weeks we have been investigating high speed internet. We are out in the country so our options are limited. We took home a data card to try. I was hooked! But DH keeps going back and forth between a data card and a dedicated cell phone. At this point I don't care which. His reasoning on the cell phone is that we can drop our land line and assign that number to the cell phone. (We've had our landline number forever and we're afraid to let it go.)
Good point. Make up your mind and do it already!!

It's time for the yearly "when can you get off for vacation" discussion. It starts like this.

DH: When can you get off for vacation?
Me: What month are you thinking?
DH: Some time in July
ME: Could you narrow it down? (I'm a church musician - I work weekends) Are we talking Saturday to Saturday? Saturday to Sunday? What? 'Cause I need to get back up.
DH: I don't know - I'm not even sure we can get the place.
Me: (mentally having a conversation with the substitute organist) "Hi Sue, can you sub for me some time in July? I'm not sure when and I may need you for a weekend and an extra Saturday. Let me know will ya.

It eventually all works out, but for some reason the church thinks that because they are paying me, my tush should be on the organ bench - or at least a substitute tush. Slave drivers!!

On the work front:
Got to church last night around 7:00. Waiting for me were several cantors, one of whom had her pool pump and rubber scrubby broom thingy in hand. We were ready, we were focused; empty the font, clean it out, fill the font - and in the down times, practice the music for this weekend. The reality: as I was putting the cantor book on the ambo in the santuary, I noticed some bat offerings on the altar - eyyweeeeewww!! So we started looking around the church. That %&*$^% bat (and possibly several friends) visited every single pew. The thing you need to know about our church is that it is carpeted. A mustardy yellow plush carpeting. And not just the floor. The pews are also carpeted. And they are not straight. They are curved because our church is a designer church and it is round. So it wasn't a matter of tripping merrily through the place with a broom and dustpan. Oh no - we had to drag out the custodian's work horse. This thing weighs a ton and our church is not small. We pulled out the humongous extension cord and took turns removing the evidence of our nocturnal parishioner. It was 9:00 o'clock before we left. God bless you, Marlene, Jennifer, Angela, Teresa, and James. I hope St. John of Alma had a good laugh from his heavenly home.

Later . . .

God bless our troops.

Wed. June 11, 2008 - Atkins Induction day 2

On the lowcarb front:
I did well last night at the staff "bye bye party." I ate before I went. I had diet coke. There were only two of us who weren't drinking beer or wine. Our drinks came in plastic cups. What's up with that?

I have not been doing well with exercise. But I'm working on it. I'm working on it.

Here is my menu for today:

Breakfast:
Mocha latte
Low carb cheescake

Lunch:
ham and cheese sandwich on revoloopsie rolls
sugar free jello cup
romaine and spinach salad with ranch dressing

Snack:
Atkins Advantage bar

Dinner:
Probably an omelette (I am such a creature of habit)

I found a way to have ice cream on induction. (see below)

On the home front:



I am so looking forward to Monday and the official start of my quilting season. I love Eleanor Burns. Her quilting videos which are available free at quilterstv.com are not only great for quilters, but she is a wealth of knowledge on the history behind the patterns. She dispenses her tidbits as she sews the quilt tops. Her folksy style is endearing and I just love to have one of her DVDs going in the background while I am working in my quilting/knitting room.

On the business front:
I have the oils melted and the lye mixed for a batch of soap. I am hoping that my mica powders have arrived because I am eager to make a batch of "Hunter's Soap." The fragrance oil arrived a couple of days ago. It definitely smells earthy. If the mica powder hasn't arrived, I will be making one of the other fragrances that I am low on - either Country Roads or Apple Jack 'n Peel.

I have found some neat new soap dishes that I plan to put on the website. I have been looking for something unique to offer with our hand-made soap. These fit the bill very nicely. I filed for our LLC this morning and now I need to quit spending money for a while. Except that I need more base oils for soaping. Then I close the checkbook. You heard it here folks.

I have some new candle molds that I want to try. They are the perfect size for tarts and for adding to potpourri. I am retiring from the school next January and I am really looking forward to having only one job "off the farm." That will give me more time to get our website stocked.

On the work front:
Tonight I have rehearsal with the weekend cantors. (My other job is music director at my church.) I love our cantors. They help keep me grounded in a sometimes very stressful job. One of our beloved cantors died suddenly last October. He was the "go to" guy for anything that needed to be done. If ever there was a saint on earth, John was it. He did everything around that church. The cantors and I decided to take over one of his duties as a memorial to him. That is the cleaning of the baptismal font.

Our baptismal font is huge, and what John used to do by himself, several of us now do. We have some visitors of the "bat" persuasion. This makes keeping the font clean a challenge. I can usually tell when there is a bat living in the church when I find dust on the floor of the sanctuary. That means something has been flying around and stirring things up.

Sunday we noticed some other, ummm, debris in the font and on one of the walls. (?) Tonight we will be draining the font and cleaning it. And all the while, I hope John will be looking down on us and smiling. We miss you, Cute John!



Some have asked me about the name for this blog. For those of you who don't know, a sugar bush is a maple syrup operation. We are farmers and syrup is our winter crop. Guess who doesn't partake of it very often. But, if you ever get a chance to try a maple cream - and I mean 100% maple cream - it is not to be missed. Of course I don't eat it now, but I plan to work it into my maintenance plan. Maple syrup, in very small quantities is probably doable. It has never caused cravings for me, but I will not being using it for a while.

Challenge of the day:
With what shall I reward myself after an evening of cleaning up bat poop? I'm open to suggestions.

Later . . .


God Bless the troops

Tues. June 10 - Atkins Induction - Day 1

On the lowcarb front:
I've decided not to wait until next week to get back on induction. I felt just too darn good while I was on it. I have re-read the rules and I am just going to dive back in. I was thinking about what I wrote. How next week would be easier because I would have less distraction etc. I was making excuses. If I weren't holding myself accountable here, I'm not sure I would even admit it to myself.

Dealing with distractions is exactly the point of making the Atkins WOE a way of life. It's being able to focus on this battle yet still being able to function in the world. I think that it the primary obstacle to ANY weight loss plan.

Whether or not you are a Christian, there are some wise words in the Good Book. Jesus talked about being "in the world, but not of the world." That's pretty much how one who chooses the Atkins way of life needs to operate.

In a sense, when it comes to how we eat, we need to put blinders on. Someone on the lowcarb board (please forgive me, but I can't remember who it was) said, "for me sugar doesn't exist." It's not a matter of giving up sugar, or white flour, or anything else. It's taking the attitude that for me they just don't exist. You can't miss or feel deprived of something that doesn't exist, can you?

Jimmy Moore has a YouTube video in which he talks about sugar being rat poison. (see video below) He's right of course, but I can't think about it being poison otherwise I would be jumping all over other people for eating it. (Kind of like the ex-smoker who feels called to evangelize the smoker.) I think that people need to make the decision for themselves.

I used to smoke. I smoked for 30 years. There wasn't a thing anyone could say that could make me quit. Guilt didn't work, health threats didn't work. Quitting smoking, or giving up sugar, or accepting Jesus, or any major lifestyle change entail much more than quitting smoking, or not eating sugar, or going to church. These are major life-changing decisions and once having made them your life changes. I don't know about you, but major life change scares me. These changes that we choose to make are not really about what we do, but rather, about what we become.

Well, that's my sermon for the day. As they say in OA take what you need and leave the rest. :)

Today's menu:

Breakfast:
Mocha latte double
Raspberry Cheesecake

Lunch:
Chicken salad on revoloopsie rolls
Romaine and spinach salad with dressing
SF Jello cup

Snack:
Atkins Advantage bar

Dinner:
Omelette with salsa, cheese, sour cream, and olives

Challenge of the day. Tonight there is a going away party at a bar in town. It is for one of our staff members. I don't drink and I don't plan to eat. My purpose for going is to wish the staff member well. (In the world, not of the world.)



God Bless Our Troops!

Later . . .

Weigh-in - June 8, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
I am down 1.8 for the week. That is not a stellar loss, but - hey - a loss is a loss. Since I was supposed to be doing Induction, I had hoped for more. As I said yesterday, I found several errors in my implementation of Induction. I think for this week I am just going to limit carbs to under 30 and then begin Induction again next week when school is out. I will have more time to concentrate on what I am doing and more time to plan out Induction menus. I want to do things exactly as Dr. Atkins wrote them so that I will have a benchmark to work from. One thing that irks me to no end is when people take liberties with Atkins and then blame Atkins when they don't lose. I do not want to be one of those people.

One thing I will not do this week is throw the whole Atkins WOE out the window. I have felt way too good this week. And this is coming from someone who is in the throws of hot flashes and the weather has been hot and we do not have air conditioning in the house. I have been pretty even tempered even while phasing off of some of my meds. Some of the foods I will be using this week are not approved for induction and they need to be used up. DH dropped a package of Dixie Diner/Dobie muffins out of the freezer and I stuck them in the fridge because we were going out the door and we were late. I have to use those up this week. I also have some yogurt that needs to be used.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I use a program called Diet Power. I love it. It keeps track of all kinds of things that I don't have time to put into spreadsheets. It also gives a projected progress line which keeps me motivated. I have tried lots of other programs, but I keep coming back to this because it is so user-friendly.

Today's menu:

Breakfast:
Mocha latte
Dixie diner/flaxmeal muffin
1 T. Smucker's natural peanut butter

Dinner:
Romaine and spinach salad
Omelette with cheese, sour cream, and salsa

Supper:
Not sure yet -

On the Flylady front:
I absolutely am chomping at bit the for school to be out. Clutter has been building since I got behind at Easter. The house is driving me nuts. The laundry room is torn up in anticipation of a new window being put in. That hasn't happened yet because of the whole well pipe leakage problem. Remember the cubby I had to clean out? Well that stuff had to go somewhere so at the moment I am suspending Flylady's zones in favor of getting rid of some of the junk I have accumulated. I found a whole box of floppy disks. Does anyone even use these anymore?

On the home front:
Today we celebrate our son Sam's birthday. He is 26 and the youngest of our four kids. Where on earth did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that I was 26. We will be celebrating at Sam and Kelli's house tonight - our family and Kelli's family. I love it when both sides of the family get together. Kelli's family is great and they love Sam. Warms the heart, it does. It's been a long year for Sam. He has been trying to build his business (he owns a collision shop and does auto body work) and he had a lot of zoning and legal hoops to jump through. On the one hand, I am glad that those hoops are there. Sam's business is on his property which is out in the country.

Farm folks have a vested interest in keeping country looking like country. Sam is a farm boy so he is heartily in favor of keeping the ever-shrinking rural areas in the hands of the family farmer. All the same, when you are young and trying to get started, it can be frustrating. Kelli's folks and all of us were at every zoning meeting cheering Sam on. My sense was that the zoning board and the planning commission were very much on board with what Sam wanted. However, as the head of the zoning board said, "it's never about the guy sitting here at the table. It's about keeping the language clear so that other's can't come in and put up a Walmart." Well, he didn't say Walmart, but you get the drift.

Now let me make one thing clear, I have no issues with Walmart. I am a capitalist. It does make me sad to see acres and acres of farmland transitioning from agriculture to urban growth, but Walmart is not the one forcing the family farmer out of business. It is other farmers - huge corporate operations that are contributing to the decline of the family farm, but I won't get into that particular rant today.

Farming used to be more than a way to earn a living. It was a lifestyle. There were trade-offs. The average farmer was not rich in the way that CEO's of large companies are, but there are other sources of wealth. There is no price you can put on the view out your kitchen window on a snowy winter morning, or the wonderful life that country kids have. I grew up in the city - a suburb of Detroit. Having that vantage point, I am extremely grateful that our kids had the opportunity to experience life as part of a farm family. I work in a school and I will tell you that I can spot a farm kid a mile away. They are just different. The work ethic is unique. I remember when Sam was on his high school wrestling team. He quit his job on a dairy farm to give his all to the team. Unfortunately he had a coach who didn't appreciate the sacrifice that Sam made. That coach could have taken Sam's strong work ethic and team loyalty and really used it to the team's advantage. But he didn't. Too bad for Sam and too bad for the team. Well, enough of that for now. I have to get ready for church and another Sunday hangin' out with the family. Does life get any better than that?

Later . . .

Thur. June 5 - Day 4 Atkins Induction

On the lowcarb front:

Here I am at day 4. I went a bit over last night. I was at 27 carbs for the day. I also have to admit that I had an ounce of peanuts. I know that peanuts are not allowed on induction and I had a weak moment, but I left it at one ounce and moved on. This is actually a victory for me. I have this "all-or-nothing" mentality when it comes to some things.

I reported yesterday that I was up a little on the scale. At my age the weight loss is a fringe benefit. Yes, I want to lose a lot of weight, but this time I also want to enjoy the journey. I have fought this battle for so long and for much of that time I put my life on hold. Anyone who has been where I am knows how that goes. "When I lose weight, I'm going to do such and such" or "I can't do that until I lose the weight." You know what? It's that kind of stinkin' thinkin' that allowed me to get to where I am now. No more! My focus is on today and today only. There is a song that Flylady (see www.Flylady.net) plays on her radio show and one line in it says, "the past is behind me, tomorrow can't find me 'till I live today." I have spent a lot of time living in the past and dreaming about the future while today slid on by. I think having grandkids has finally taught me that valuable lesson. Yes, plan for the future, remember the past, but don't try to live there. It doesn't work. When the grandkids are here, or when the family is together, I now savor those moments. Living today means that the yesterdays are remembered more fondly because it is here, today, that those memories are made.

Enough of my philosophical ramblings for now. I have a few challenges today that I need to get through so I am making myself accountable here.

The water weight (yes, that's what it was) is going. And going. And going. I actually got up in the night. I have also been drinking my water - another thing that I tend to not be very good about. I am down to one large mug (20 ounces) of coffee in the morning instead of one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Eventually I want to make it one regular sized mug of decaf in the morning. We'll see how that goes.

Todays menu:

Breakfast:
Mocha latte
Lowcarb cheesecake (my cheese allotment for the day)



Lunch:
Spinach and romain lettuce salad with ranch dressing and bacon bits.
Chicken salad on revoloopsie rolls

Snack:
Atkins Advantage bar

Dinner:
Not sure yet, probably an omelette

On the home front:
Below is what greeted me as I made my nocturnal trip to the loo. Yeeessssssssssssssssssss!!! The new toilet has now been installed! Yeaaaaaaaaa. I need to fix the wall behind it since the wall paper had been cut to fit the old one, but all in all, I am a happy camper!!! (Thank you, Kelli, for helping the guys. You went above and beyond the call of duty for a good daughter-in-law)

3:29 pm

I met this morning's challenge and emerged victorious. I am not going into the details here about why this morning's funeral was such giving me problems. Let's just say that I am having quite a time adjusting to age issues. It seems like I was in my 30's and 40's forever, not young, but not old either. Now I am at the threshold of being an old lady - well, an older lady and life seems to have tipped itself upside down. Not that life isn't good - it is, in fact, great, but I am slow to adjust to change and the changes happened a little faster than I realized. For instance, my baby turns 26 on Sunday. How did that happen? When did that happen? Yesterday we were hunting asparagus while waiting for the school bus and today he's married and running his own business. There should be a law about stuff sneaking up on you like that. And it isn't as if I wasn't paying attention. I was. People older and wiser than me warned me that life goes by quickly. But knowing that doesn't make anything go any slower. So I guess it goes back to my earlier observation - enjoy the present because if you dwell in the past or try to hurry the future, you miss out on today - which is really all we have in terms of time. No, it doesn't slow anything down, but it makes for much fonder remembrances.

Now on a lighter note - my pastor sent me this video. If you are a classical musician and you haven't seen this, it is hilarious. The language gets a little strong at the end so you might want to click off early if that kind of thing offends you.

Oh, and as long as I'm posting videos:
On the Kimkins front:
For those of you still being scammed by Heidi Diaz? This is Heidi - who on Jimmy Moore's podcast told him she weighed, oh, around 118 pounds. I am no fan of making fun of the overweight so that is not my purpose in posting this. This woman is defrauding people and encouraging them to put their health at risk. She really needs to be stopped. There is civil litigation going on right now in California.

Wed. June 4 - Day 3 Atkins Induction

On the Lowcarb Front:
This is day 3. I have 2 days of Atkins induction behind me. Do you think the scale rewarded me? Nope. I am up a half pound. The sticks are stubbornly not purple. (Yes I know they don't turn purple for everyone, but they always have for me. I have a theory about this. At my age, the TOM days are behind me, but . . . I have a suspicion that certain hormonal cycles still continue. There was only one time when those the sticks didn't turn purple (assuming I wasn't off track) and that was during TOM. Even though the scale and the sticks are not co-operating, I am committed to this 2 week stint. Hopefully, some day soon, the "woooosh fairy" will visit me.

I had intended to work out this morning, but it didn't quite pan out. What I need to do is just get it over with first thing in the morning so that I have it. Hopefully, as the weight goes down and I have more energy, I will get myself moving sooner in the morning.

I have been doing pretty well on drinking water too!

Here is today's menu:

Breakfast:
1 piece lowcarb cheesecake
mocha latte (coffee with cream)

Snack:
Atkins Caramel Brownie bar

Lunch:
Romaine lettuce with bacon bits and ranch dressing
Chicken salad on revoloopsie rolls

Dinner:
Omelette with salsa and sour cream

On the home front:
The boxed toilet is still sitting in the dining room. Tonight is supposed to be the night.

On the Flylady front:
Worked on decluttering the laundryroom (entryway). The guys are going to be putting in a new window which happens to be in the cubby where I keep all of my music files for church. The cubby wouldn't need decluttering if that's all I kept there, but it seems to be a catchall for those things I just don't know what to do with. Like that brand new keyboard in a box that I might need some day. Actually, that is probably a legitimate keeper. The 10 year old planners could probably take a hike. Anyway, the bookcase that sits in the cubby is now empty and awaiting the putting in of a new window above it. Of course I still have to deal with the stuff I took out of it, but there are only so many 15 minute segments in a day until school is out for the summer.

I have another wake service tonight and a funeral tomorrow.

On the Kimkins front:
The Fascination thread is strangely quiet which makes me wonder if there is something going on behind the scenes that some of us are not privy to.

_______________________________________________

Tuesday - June 3 - Atkins Induction Day 2

On the lowcarb front:

Go me! I made it through an entire day of Atkins induction. Don't know that I've EVER done that. Just before bedtime those little voices in my head (don't look at me like that, we all have them . . . . . right?) were picking and poking and trying to undo my good work for the day. But no, I stayed the course, made a cup of tea, and basked in my lowcarb righteousness. So do you think the scale rewarded me? Nope.

Here is my menu for the day - Same as yesterday. LOL!

Breakfast:
Coffee with 2 Tbsp. of cream
1/2 piece of lowcarb cheesecake

Lunch:
Ham and cheese sandwich on revoloopsie rolls
Romaine lettuce with 2 T. of ranch dressing and 2 TBS. bacon bits
1 T coconut oil

Snack:
Atkins advantage bar

Dinner:
Omelette with 2 eggs, 1 slice cheese, 1 T. salsa, 1 T. sour cream and 6 sliced olives
1 T. coconut oil

Monday, June 2, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
From my workout log:

Mon,06/02/2008
Easy/Medium Cardio
Treadmill
20 mins.
140 - maximum heartrate
120 - average heartrate
146 - calories burned

9:42 - Treadmill -72 degrees - A new month a new approach. Starting Atkins induction.

I watched Biggest Loser - this episode had the group walking backwards on treadmills. Mark won the competition. Darn! I was rooting for Ali.

Okay, so today I have a huge honkin' headache. Last night I had a sundae and a few other no no's. Could there be a connection? Duh - ya think?

This morning, in my fog of pain, I made a decision to do Atkins by the book at least through 2 weeks of induction. I don't know that I have ever done induction exactly as Dr. Atkins wrote it. Yeah, I aimed for 20 carbs (rarely achieving it) but I have never done it as written. Today I start 2 weeks. Here is my menu for the day:

Breakfast:
Coffee with 2 Tbsp. of cream
1/2 piece of lowcarb cheesecake (cheese is limited to 3-4 ounces on Induction)

Snack:
Atkins advantage bar

Lunch:
Ham and cheese sandwich on revoloopsie rolls
Romaine lettuce with 2 T. of ranch dressing

Dinner:
Omelette with 2 eggs, 1 slice cheese, 1 T. salsa, 1 T. sour cream and 6 sliced olives
1 T. coconut oil

That's it.

No sugar free coffemate creamer, no second huge mug of coffee at work. I am serious - at least for today. Can't look beyond that.

I am on my second 32 oz. bottle of water.

On the home front:
Last night we met at Anna's for those %^&**&^ sundaes. She is now officially living in St. Louis. sniff

We are getting ready to re-side the back of the house from the fire. That will be nice to have vinyl windows. The wooden ones are rotting out and are very hard to keep clean.

I have 2 parish funerals this week. They seem to come in bunches - usually 3's. The third funeral won't be at our church because the lady moved to Lansing, but she was a beloved parishioner for many years.

On the business front:
I ordered some new fragrance oils that I am anxious to try. One I will use to make a soap for hunters, and the rest just sound really yummy! I sorely need to get some soap made. Hopefully next week.

On the Flylady front:
This week is zone 1 - Front porch, entry way, dining room.
The Christmas garland really needs to find its way to the storage area. The kittens are long gone. I guess the entryway will be the back entryway since I have to clear stuff out so the guys can put in the windows. The shiny sink has not been happening lately so I need to work on that also.
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