Thursday, October 27, 2011

Easy apple crisp with honey.

Yummy goodness!

Easy Apple Crisp with Honey:

Ingredients:
4 1/2 C peeled, cored and sliced apples
1/2 C honey (or less?*)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
**I also added more spices like ground cloves etc...**
1/2 C  brown sugar (or less??*)
3/4 C ground rolled oats
3/4 C rolled oats (not ground up)
4 tbsp butter (or less?*)

*to your liking...

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Evenly spread the apple slices in the dish
Drizzle apples with honey
In a bowl, mix the spices, brown sugar, all of the oats, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles.  Sprinkle over the apples.

Bake 25 minutes until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.


I ground the 3/4 cups of rolled oats up in my magic bullet blender until it looked like the same texture of flour.  I like that by using the oats and honey, you avoid using so much refined sugar and flour.    And I don't worry so much about using butter as this is a TREAT and not something I will eat everyday.  Instead of topping it with ice cream or whipping cream, I put my serving over plain Greek yogurt.   SO GOOD!

Make it!  Right now!!  If you have any other suggested substitutes or add ins, please let me know!  Pecans would be awesome in there.

Shocking but true. Awesome documentary.

Hi from Anne!  I'm so pumped up about Kristin's revelation!!  Woo-Hoo!!  Let's celebrate with some roasted kale!! 

If you have approximately an hour to kill, please, PLEASE watch the following documentary.  Big Tobacco has nothing on Big Seed Companies. 

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/onlinevideo.html

Oh. My. God.  Ohmygodohmygodohmygaaaahhhddd!!! I've watched it about 4 times already.  whoa.

WHEAT BELLY EPIPHANY!!!

Kristin here...  OMG, Anne!  I am reading every "Wheat Belly" article I can.  The dude has it figured out.  I am addicted.  This works for me.  I cut out  99% of the wheat I was eating after reading your post about this and I have lost 7 pounds in the last 11 days - all off my STOMACH FAT!!!  

Um, YEAH.  I'm loving it.  And I haven't had any time to exercise in the past 11 days.

More soon... 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Easy as apple pie...

and tasty, too.  Greetings from Anne's world!

Need a sweet treat?  You've maybe already tried this and I'm sitting here thinking I'm so awesome when really I'm not as genius as I think I am.  Oh well!

Anyway, slice up an apple, simmer it in a pan with a little bit of water and some cinnamon until tender to your liking. (it smells heavenly)  Let it cool, then pour it over your plain vanilla yogurt.  Top with pecans (or not) and enjoy. 

Flippin easy and it's so yummy. 

I also made oatmeal and honey apple crisp (yes, I have a ton of apples to use up from our trip to the orchard) that was soooooo good.   And relatively sorta almost totally healthy.  I could post that recipe if anyone wants it.

Peace!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Hey, check this out...

Hi there!  It's Anne with some good stuff (not bragging stuff).  Coach Lisa shared with me some articles that she found on line that talk about what she's been preaching to all of her "slimmers" as she likes to call us.  I hope I don't get in trouble by copying this article on to this blog post but I hope you find it interesting.  I know that I did.  (This doc is a cardiologist)


Do you have a wheat belly?
By Dr. William Davis

Low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, small LDL particles: the most common triad of abnormalities today behind heart disease.

Along with this pattern comes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, diabetes and pre-diabetes, increased inflammation, increasingly blood clot-prone blood. This common collection that now afflicts over 50 million Americans goes by a number of names, including metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, and syndrome X.

But I call it “wheat belly.” Let me explain.

You’ve heard of “beer bellies,” the protuberant, sagging abdomen of someone who drinks excessive quantities of beer.

Wheat belly is the same protuberant, sagging abdomen that develops when you overindulge in processed carbohydrates. It represents visceral fat that laces the intestines.

I thought so, too, 12 years ago when I followed a strict vegetarian, low-fat diet, rich with “healthy” whole grains. I gained 30 lbs, my HDL dropped to 27 mg/dl, triglycerides skyrocketed to 350 mg/dl, small LDL went crazy, my blood pressure was 150/90, and I developed diabetic blood sugars─while running 5 miles a day. It’s the wheat. I eliminated the wheat and promptly reversed the entire picture.

If you don’t believe it, try this experiment: Eliminate all forms of wheat for a 4 week period–no breakfast cereals, no breads of any sort, no pasta, no crackers, no pretzels, etc. Instead, increase your vegetables; healthy oils; lean proteins (lean red meats, chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, Egg Beaters, yogurt and cottage cheese); raw nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans; and fruit. Of course, avoid fruit drinks, candy, and other garbage foods, even if they’re wheat-free. (And don’t confuse this conversation with celiac disease or gluten enteropathy, an allergy to wheat gluten, an entirely different issue.)

Most people will report that a cloud has been lifted from their brain. Thinking is clearer, you have more energy, you don’t lose in the afternoon, you sleep more deeply. You will notice that hunger ratchets down substantially. Most people lose the insatiable hunger pangs that occur 2-3 hours after a wheat-containing meal. Instead, hunger is a soft signal that gently prods you that it’s time to consider eating again. You may even find that you miss meals, just because you forgot to eat. Very curious.

It’s unconventional, I know. The last 500 patients I’ve done this with also thought so─until they lost 15, 20 . . .70 lbs along with all the undesirable metabolic “baggage.”



While nearly everyone knows that candy bars and soft drinks aren’t good for health, most Americans have allowed processed carbohydrates, but especially wheat products like pretzels, crackers, breads, waffles, pancakes, breakfast cereals and pasta, to dominate diet. I blame the extreme over-reliance on these foods for the obesity and related abnormalities: wheat belly.

How did this all come about?

Back in the 1960s, we had sandwiches on white bread, hamburgers on white flour buns, spaghetti made with bleached, enriched flour. Data from the 1970s and 1980s, however, demonstrated conclusively that using whole grains, with the bran and B-vitamins left in, was better: better for bowel health, blood pressure, cholesterol values.

Fast-forward to the 1990s and the new century, and the mantra has evolved to “eat more whole grains, eat more whole grains,” repeated by “official” organizations and propagated by countless media conversations. And Americans have complied.

But while video games, unhealthy snacks, and vending machines have been roundly blamed for the nationwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes, it’s curious that increased  weight has befallen even active people who eat “healthy”: yes, plenty of whole grains.

In my view, it is the grains that are largely behind the obesity and diabetes epidemic, at least among the frustrated health-conscious.

But not all grains. Oats and flaxseed, for instance, seem to not contribute to weight and the associated patterns like small LDL.

**********************************************************************

There is more to this article, but you get the picture.  It's HARD to change.  It's HARD to go against everything that is being pounded into our brains every time we watch TV, read a magazine, or see the labels on the packages while we food shop. 

I had an interesting talk with a gal that runs the Fresh and Natural Food Store in town.  I was asking her if she buys locally or what and she said, "Well I try to bring in as much local produce and products as I can but if I can't find what our customers want locally, then I have to expand my search out state."  We went on to talk about how much we're going to miss the farmer's market now that the season is changing and she commented on how much good food is produced right here in our own city and county, but she can't really sell it because these farms aren't certified organic.  She said, "I can't blame these mom and pop farms for not going thru with certification because it is SO much work to get that little piece of paper from the government."   Why is big government making it so hard for us to get the real healthy foods that we actually need??  I can see making sure that there is a type of protocol in place to be considered organically grown, but why make it such a pain in the ass?  Are the corporate farms that afraid of losing business?? 

Sorry, it sounds like I'm standing on my political soapbox here!  I'm usually not this fired up about this.  If you have any comments either agreeing or disagreeing with my schpeel, I'd love to hear it.  I need to be open to both sides before I shoot my mouth off.

p.s.  I'm down 16.25 inches and I WILL BE UNDER 170 LBS very soon (right Coach? right!).   I've started doing some kettle bells training.  Total. Awesomeness.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Cheese is THE DEVIL

First of all, let me congratulate Anne on a fantastic job!  You have a fantastic attitude - keep it up!!!  You can do it - it's obvious you can; you already ARE!!!  I applaud you.  You even have the success to back up a clothes-updating trip;  I haven't dropped a size since April.  I've been stuck at the same weight since April.  My attitude has sucked since April.  

I had Book Club last night.  I starved myself all day in anticipation of the inevitable carb-fest.  Sarah was there; she witnessed this.  I cannot hide from it.  I ate my weight in cheese.  Havarti cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, REAL CHEESE.  I was puking sick all the way home, and all night.  I didn't actually puke.  I was just desperate to.  The food was fabulous.  I had a grilled cheese sandwich (an inch thick with 4 or 5 exotic cheese; no cheddar here, no sir-ee!), and I added tomato and homemade hummus to the mix.  Top it off with homemade, dense, whole-foods-type bread, and you have ecstasy, ladies.  I didn't really need TWO bottles of creme soda to wash it down.  I could have stuck with one, and then ice water.  And I didn't really need that piece of pecan pie after I was already so stuffed I couldn't MOVE.  Or the glass of 2% milk.  
UGH UGH UGH.

I am really uncomfortable today.  I am still infused with cheese.  I need a cleanse.  But I won't do one, because I hate them more than I hate the feeling of being cheese-i-fied.

My attitude isn't really as poor as it sounds.  I am only venting.  THANKS!  I am on-track to lose 15 pounds by Thanksgiving, apart from last night's binge.  I'm slowly dropping.  I need more exercise each week, and I need to start on my core/ab ball stuff, but food-wise I'm doing OK.  I'm still counting calories.  I'm eating around 1100-1300 daily.  I'm still avoiding white flour, because it turns instantly to fat on me.  That means I'm avoiding my favorite foods.  Next to zero bagels, pasta, crackers, pretzels, bread (OMG, no TOAST!), muffins, etc.  I'm eating a little bit of something every 2-3 hours.  Lots of ice water, brewed hot and cold tea; I MIGHT drink one or two cans of real pop per week (no artificial sweeteners anymore for me; got rid of all my headaches...), and I'm loading up on veggies, salads, low-cal soups, whole grains like RyKrisp, Grape Nuts, Brad Buds, Wasa crackers, etc..., protein in Greek yogurt, eggs, raw almonds, and low-fat string cheese...  It's all helping.  I'm trying.  I have my eyes on the prize.  I have my goals set.  I want to lose 15# by Thanksgiving, then eat a huge turkey dinner, then lose 10 more by New Year's.  I'd LOVE to go into 2012 without having "LOSE WEIGHT" on my resolution list again!!!

Soldier on, ladies!  Keep fighting the good fight.  One day at a time!  I cheat.  But not often.  I have a tough time at night, especially.  I was rocking a perfect 1100-calorie day on Wednesday, and suddenly looked down and had consumed an entire bag of microwave popcorn, a can of Coke, AND a HUGE bag of Lifesaver Gummies!  This was at LEAST a 1200-calorie binge.  I barely even tasted it.  So adding that to my cheese-a-thon last night, well... not the best week for me so far.  But I won't give up.  Today has been great.  I'll eat a little more protein, a little more fiber later in the day to fight my evening cravings tonight.  It'll be all good.  

Great to hear your update, Anne!  Keep writing - you always motivate me!!!

Anne doesn't mean to brag...

Oh, hell yes I do!!

Got an early start to my walk with Max this morning...  it's a chilly one so I wore my LL Bean walking pants that haven't fit me in like 2 years (brag) and headed out.  I came across a neighbor that I haven't seen much of since school started and he asked if he was seeing "less" of me??    How nice of him to notice!   He told me that he saw Max and recognized him of course, but he saw me and thought "Anne must have hired a dog walker."  It really made my day.

I wish that I had some sort of biological plug in that you could tap into just to feel how great I've been feeling.  Aside from those first two weeks of starting this plan, it really doesn't feel like all that much work.  Of course I have my hard days and lots of battles with temptation all around me, but it just keeps getting easier.

I'm sure that it has a lot to do with where I was at mentally when I first signed up for this new way of eating.  I was VERY ready for it and I couldn't stand feeling so horrible for one more second.  Mindset is so important.  And if I didn't have Coach K on the sidelines cheering me on...  well, who knows just how "easy" this would be for me. 

I told Lisa that I'm amazed at how our paths crossed.  She went through some tough times to finally get to a place in life that makes her happy.  She has found her passion and is using it to help others which only leads to more happiness in her life...  isn't that genius?  Who knew that all those years of working in a job that drove her nutso would eventually lead her to this place.  What is it about her sign in front of her business that kept calling out to me every time I drove by it on my way to Target?  What finally made me call her?  I'll tell you, the second I heard her voice, I knew.  I knew I found what I needed before she even told me any details.

Speaking of driving to Target...  I don't spend nearly as much time there anymore.  In fact, my spending habits have really changed.  Not on purpose, I just don't have as much time to waste, and I also don't need that "shopper's high" that I love so much as often since I already feel good.  I'm finding that shopping is turning into an energy drainer.  I'd rather spend my time doing other more productive things.   Weird, huh?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

I'm back baby! WOO!!

I know... you're thinking "Oh great.   ANOTHER post from Anne about how great she feels and how skinny she's getting."

THAT'S RIGHT!!   I am friggen awesome!

First of all, I swear to you that chakra massage totally flipped on a switch in my brain and I'm still feeling so damn good from that.  And trust me, we have some stress going on in our little world so for me to be sitting here feeling so good and so strong and so confident that everything is going to be OK...  well, do the math.

Second of all, I found clothes today.  At JCP of all places...  I really had to dig, but I found just the simple wardrobe basics that I needed going into fall and winter.  Age appropriate - check.  Classic but not matronly - check.  Most important, on sale - check! 

I wasn't sure just what sizes to get so I had to take 2 of everything into the dressing rooms with me.  For pants, before my new way of eating, I was pushing a size 16.  Yes, it's true.  So I tried on a 14 just to see what would happen...  um, yeah I could pull them up without having to unzip or unbutton them first.   The 12's fit good!  I've always been a size 10/12 so it felt great even while standing there in that unflattering, flickering florescent lighting of the dressing room. 

Tops though...  that's still my flubby area.  While my midsection no longer looks like a pregnant Michelin Man's, it still has a ways to go.  I could do a large, but I'm too self conscious about that spare tire so I went with an XL.  I'd rather the sweater look too big for me rather than me looking too big for that sweater.

My next step?  Kettle bells.  Coach Lisa's husband is also a kettle bells instructor, so I'm going to start taking those classes too.  It evidently really works the core, which is my trouble zone.  Wish you girls could come with me.  I feel a little intimidated.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I just found an almond under my keyboard.

Mmmmmm....stale protein.

Hi, it's Anne.  I've been off line for a little while and I'm glad you were all so worried about me!  Oh, you weren't that worried?  OK, that's cool. 

My guru Lisa is on a little vacay - you know what they say:  When the cat's away, the mice will play.  Well, not this rodent.  I've been diligently following the plan and doing well.  The weight loss has slowed a bit, but according to the fancy-shmancy scale I'm losing fat and building muscle so I can handle the plateau that I seem to be riding.  And HELLO!  Last week I was remeasured and I have lost a total of 14 3/4 inches!!  That's over a foot of blech, people!!    Hey, I found another pair of pants that fit!!  Nice!  I need to wear a belt!  Yes!  (you gotta celebrate the little things)

I am missing my nutritionista extraordinaire though.  That counseling part of this journey is a key part of my success.  Yes, I can figure out my menu and stick to it just fine.  But it's not nearly as fun on my own.   I miss the pep talks and the overload of information and I even miss that fancy shmancy scale. I keep glancing at my crackberry waiting, just waiting for that text msg "Water?  Protein snack??" but since they are in Jamaica, and the rate for texting would probably cost more than their vacation itself, no messages are there.  AND she deserves to have a break from all of us tubbies.  We are adults.  We should be able to go a week without her.

It's harder than it sounds.

So, I'm trying not to self destruct by keeping myself very busy.  (hence the lack of posts)  I went to pick up some of my favorite long sleeved T's (the brand is Ruff Hewn - love 'em!) and I got to buy a smaller size.  Hey, L is better than XL. (I have long limbs, right?)  I also picked up a pair of pants, thought "hmm, these are cute", tried them on and they fit like they were made just for me - and in a smaller size.  And I need a belt!   (sorry, I'm a little excited about the belt thing)

Also cleaned out my closet.  Got rid of the summer t-shirts with the pit stains etc...  It's a good thing that I lost some weight as now those clothes that I kept in case I got thinner again are fitting.  Why by new when slightly used will do?  I have been shopping for some new things to add to the wardrobe, but other than the long sleeved T's, I haven't found crap.  Where the hell are the normal clothes??   So disappointed. 

Tomorrow is field trip day with the 2nd grade.  That has to burn at least 1,000 calories an hour.   And I'm treating myself to another massage on Friday.  I cannot wait for that...  the last one was heavenly.

Let's all take a deep breath in .... and let it out.  Repeat.  I need to stretch and then go to bed.  Take care ladies!

Monday, October 3, 2011

How Goes the Battle, Ladies???

Hi girls, Kristin here.  How goes it?  

Just so-so on my end.  I've been the same weight since the last week of April, and a tiny part of me views that as some kind of semi-accomplishment...I tell myself, "At least I haven't GAINED!"  Of course, if I was more real with myself, I'd admit that all this means is that I've sat on my well-padded ass for the past 5 months, eating, sleeping, and not exercising nearly enough.

I wish I could flip a magic switch and suddenly have whatever motivation I need to just lose the second half of my excess poundage.  I'm stuck in the exact center of my initial goal - I've lost half of my 40 pounds, and now the last 20 needs to go - but won't.

I'm giving myself until the end of October to lose the next 10.  My 4-year anniversary is on the 29th.  That's my new-new-new goal.  Ten pounds by the 29th.  Baby steps...

How's everyone else doing?  Would love an update!  Sarah, how's everything?  And Anne, how's the guru doing?    

:o)