SWEETTWEETS LIFE PLAN

EAT LESS - MOVE MORE

2012-01-05T08:37:00.001-05:00

Eat Less - Move More - There are many diets, but this is truly the only effective one. Unless you have a medical problem that prevents you from losing weight, this is the ultimate weight loss tools. It is really that simple.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Dance while you use the vacuum. Don't bend over to pick up something, squat. Use commercials on TV as your exercise break. (most of them have terrific, upbeat music). Walk to the store down the road instead of driving. Play with the children in the snow. Someone once told me that your body burns more calories when you are trying to keep warm.

Put your comments or ideas here! Lets all do this. We can:

EAT LESS - MOVE MORE

Fitness and Quality of Life

2012-01-04T22:02:00.000-05:00

Guest Post by David Hass

Fitness may not cure cancer, but it does make a significant impact on quality of life. The National Cancer Institute recommends that adults receive about 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most days of the week. Although you might not be able to maintain this level of activity after diagnosis, you should still do what you can to improve your energy levels and achieve optimal treatment results.

Effects on Energy Levels

Physical activity is known to increase energy in cancer patients. A 2004 study found that prostate care patients who exercised regularly experienced less fatigue during radiation therapy than those who did not perform any physical activity. Increased energy levels may also make certain cancer treatments more effective, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Effects on Common Symptoms

Cancer patients who require bed rest also benefit from gentle exercises and stretches. Low impact exercise decreases common bed rest symptoms like stiff joints, weakened muscles, breathing problems and digestive issues like constipation. Other studies by the National Cancer Institute have linked regular yoga practice to decreased risk of insomnia in cancer patients.

Effects on Survivorship

Although exercise is not a cancer cure, some studies suggest that it may increase survival rates. A 2005 study found that women with breast cancer who exercised frequently had high survival rates than those who did not. Exercise was particularly beneficial for women with hormone responsive tumors. Other studies suggest that exercise may decrease the chances of cancer recurrence in colon cancer survivors.

Effects on Emotional Wellbeing

Many cancer patients experience periods of depression and emotional distress. However, studies show that physical activity may decrease the severity and frequency of depression symptoms. Yoga is particularly beneficial, since it focuses not only on physical well-being, but also relaxation and breathing techniques.

Challenges

Some cancer patients may find it hard to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. For example, mesothelioma patients often experience severe breathing difficulties due to lung tissue damage. Even if your cancer symptoms prohibit moderate or high-intensity exercise, consult your doctor or caregiver to discuss lower intensity options, like walking or yoga. Even a small amount of physical activity can make a significant difference in your quality of life.

Trying to get Back

2011-12-29T08:24:00.003-05:00

We were so bad over the holidays. You all know how difficult it is to be around relatives who cook. You have to try that one piece of pie, that chocolate cookie, Uncle Bill's Peanut Brittle, Grandmas' wonderful dressing/stuffing with her famous gravy, etc.

Ray took me to NC the weekend before Christmas so I could help my daughter and get the dust bunnies out of our weekend home. I got out the decorations and the children helped me decorate, but of course we had to have food for them to eat, since they are not too crazy about our life plan.

Ray came down on Thursday night and out son-in-law brought NC Barbecue for dinner, along with cole slaw, and that wonderful Carolina cornbread. Then, there was dessert. . . . . .

Friday night, my daughter's family went to have Christmas with her father's family, so Ray took me to the Mayflower for dinner. Shrimp, cole slaw, unbelievable hushpuppies, and fried okra. What the heck! It is Christmas!

Christmas Eve was wonderful and I helped the children make their big chocolate chip cookies for Santa Claus. Well, Santa was not the only one who got a cookie that night. We had our big family dinner at my daughter's house. There was turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, jello salad, real butter, cranberry sauce, wonderful rolls. Then for dessert, there were choices of course: cheesecake, pumpkin roll, and fruit cake. You just can't hurt anyone's feelings. We went to bed that night feeling guilty.

Christmas morning started early with a call from my granddaughter around 5 a.m. We loaded up the car and drove over. There was plenty of coffee and cookies that Santa left. After all the gifts were opened, I discovered that one of Taylor's gifts from Santa was a doll that poops. You actually spoon in this mushy stuff and she fills up her diaper. What was Santa thinking?

Then, of course, Rhonda cooked eggs, sausage, and biscuits. We hadn't had enough to eat the day before, so we ate a good breakfast. Later, after going home and cleaning up, we drove to Hubert to Deborah's home. Deborah is Ray's daughter and she has 3 grown children and a fiance. Her mother (Ray's ex) was there with her husband, Don. We all get along well, so we didn't eat because of nerves. Deborah had most of the same food that Rhonda had the night before. Just add macaroni and cheese, collards, old fashioned homemade dressing w/gravy, deviled eggs, Hawaiian Rolls, fruit cake cookies, apple pie, peanut butter cookies, Carrot Cake, and Red Velvet Cake.

So you think you had temptations over the holidays? Made me hungry just writing about it. Almost all of the bad food is gone. Anything left goes to a friend's New Year's party. We are going to start off the new year right. I know it will make us feel better, both of us are having digestion problems, lethargy, and nervousness. I am sure that it has to do with all the carbohydrates that we ate.

Low Carb in 2012 is our goal! Want to get on the program? It is fairly easy. We are starting from the beginning again: lean meat, cheese, and eggs. You can have mayonaise (reasonable amount) and mustard. No catsup (it has sugar). Watch the carbs on everything you eat. We start with 20 carbs per day. A friend went on the program and decided he didn't want to eat any carbs at all. He lost weight but he felt awful. So remember, you need a certain amount of carbs to be successful. We don't want you in the hospital.

So, you see that no one is perfect. Even those who are putting themselves out there as role-models are real people with real people problems. But, you can start over any time and pledge to live a healthier life. Join with us on our journey. Leave a comment, subscribe to our blog. If you do, we can exchange phone numbers and you will have support whenever you feel weak and want eat something you shouldn't.

This picture is last Christmas before we lost
weight. I am putting it out there as a reminder that I don't want to go back there.

Barbara and Ray

Maintenance is Not What it Sounds Like

2011-12-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

Maintenance on a diet is for the birds. I find myself falling back into the old carbohydrate habits. It started with a few crackers in the soup, a bite size candy bar after physical therapy (my reward). Now there is a can of ginger cookies, the chocolate ones haven't been opened yet. At church last night, they had mashed potatoes, green peas, roast beef, roll, salad, cake, and tea. I ate the whole thing. I haven't eaten that much at once in quite a while. Although, when I got home, I got very sick and lost most of it.

This morning, I had my eggs and cottage cheese. I had a healthy soup for lunch, but then I smelled the ginger when I opened the cabinet to get something else out. This is so difficult. I cannot have anything around, or I will eat it. What is a girl to do?
Ray seems to be okay, but I have seen him in the cookies too.

I am going to be by myself next week. First thing is to make sure there is nothing to eat that I shouldn't. We will see how that goes

Maintaining the Status Quo

2011-12-12T18:56:00.000-05:00

So far Ray and I have been able to maintain our weight loss, even through Thanksgiving.

We have even eaten out a couple of times. We just don't eat those high-carb sides on the menu.

I have been in physical therapy 3 times a week to strengthen my core muscles. They think that is why I am falling down. I still have little head rushes and get dizzy. I am pretty sure that doesn't have anything to do with my core muscles.

Both of us are too large for our clothes. Ray has had to buy some since it has been many many years since he was this small. I, however, have clothing from size 8-18. But I am getting into smaller sizes. I love it when I try something on and it fits or is too large.

I hope that some of you are following along. I really would like to hear your experience with weight loss.

Later, Barbara

Maintaining the Status Quo

2011-12-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

Back on the Plan

2011-12-02T07:37:00.001-05:00

One of my Pen & Ink Pictures

Ray and I went to Kentucky for the week of Thanksgiving. Needless to say, we did not stay on the plan. The difference was we didn't overeat like we normally do. We ate one plate at Thanksgiving. When we got home, Ray had maintained his weight.

I, however, lost three pounds. I went in to get my Protime done today because I am on Coumadin. They always check my weight, heart rate, and blood pressure, so I am using their scales for my official weight. The weight is put into my medical records. That makes a total of 26 lbs. since we started. Ray has lost 37 lbs.

We are back on the plan. We ate cheese and pork rinds in the car coming home from Kentucky. We stopped and Ray got a hamburger and a salad for me at Wendy's. He only ate one piece of bread and I couldn't eat the whole salad. It had chicken in it and was a good salad. I love being able to use regular salad dressing. I love being able to eat butter. The only thing I really don't like is 'no bread'.

I have learned to make roll-ups with ham or turkey, and cheese. I buy the pack of cheese slices that has 4 different cheeses to make a variety. Sometimes I add a little mayonnaise or Grey Poupon Mustard on the inside. Sometimes I mix the mustard and mayonnaise to make a little dip for the roll-ups.

I have been buying frozen stir-fry vegetables to put in my soups. Sometimes I take a couple of chicken breasts and put them in the slow cooker with a little olive oil and a whole onion sliced up. I put some salt and pepper. When the chicken is almost done, I take it out and cut into smaller pieces or shred it with forks. I put in about 4-6 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes (chicken or beef depending on what I use for the meat). Sometimes I will add garlic or another spice that I think might change it up some. The stir-fry veggies make for a good flavor in the soup. When it is almost ready, I add a can of diced tomatoes. Sometimes I add 1 oz. of cream cheese or some cheddar cheese (or both). I try not to eat more than 2 cups. No crackers. That is difficult, because I really love crackers in soup.

If you are just reading this, or if you are trying to top our weight loss, let me know. Leave a comment, join the discussion. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, just share your experience. Or if you want to Be a guest blogger on this site. We would love to have you share your story. Take care, and Low Carb happy eating.

I AM VERY ANGRY - PEOPLE CAN BE CRUEL

2011-11-15T09:06:00.001-05:00

I read something this morning that totally wiped me out. It also made me very angry. It is an article about Obesity by Shannon Brownlee in the New York Times. It is totally heartless and mean. Ms Brownlee obviously doesn't have a clue what it means to be overweight. She suggests that we treat obesity like smoking and punish obese people for being fat. Someone being fat is not going to affect someone else, you can't die from lung cancer from breathing the same air as an obese person.

This is just another thing that we can make people who have a problem about. It is not like they haven't been shunned enough, she is trying to make them feel even worse for being overweight. Doesn't she know that obesity isn't at all like smoking. Especially now, when we are no longer bombarded by endless commercials and advertisements about smoking. When I smoked, I tried lots of times to quit, but all those commercials showing how 'cool' it was just enforced my behavior. Then, they banned cigarette commercials, I quit and it worked. I haven't even had an urge to smoke in years.

This country is constantly bombarded by food advertisements. Not to mention cooking programs that promote butter and sweets. We have famous chefs that are promoting cooking that is "retro." "Use butter and sugar, it doesn't hurt you. You deserve this." Do we deserve all those calories? Just sitting here watching TV, in the last 3 minutes, I have seen commercials for cookies, sugar laden 'healthy' cereal, chunky cheap soup full of fat and calories, fiber, vitamins, chocolate truffles, and even an insurance commercial that mentions 'ramen noodles.'

Everything we do seems to be centered around food, our holidays, business, dates, government, shopping, watching TV, etc. When you are constantly offered food, how do you expect people to react? When you try a diet, there are always people around who are trying to upset it. Don't they know that if you eat that piece of chocolate or pie, there goes the diet?

Ray and I were doing so well, until we went to the convention in Richmond. There was the most wonderful piece of chocolate cake that we have ever seen set on the table in front of us. How could we not eat it? The awful thing is, it was like a kick start of sugar. The next day when I went around all the booths at the convention, I was practically bombarded with candy at every booth. I think they were all trying to get rid of all their Halloween candy. I kept reaching down in the bag during the meeting, getting chocolate to eat. I craved it and I found out that Ray was doing the same thing.

When we got home, there was no more chocolate, but I found some wonderful fruit cake that I put in the freezer last Christmas. You can imagine how that tasted. A little freezer burn, but what is that for a person on a diet? Just a little bite. So good. Then, after quite a few 'bites' all the fruit cake is gone. Now I am craving and starting the life plan all over again.

Please don't punish overweight people, we punish ourselves enough. It is not like people haven't made fun of us or belittled us all our lives, with comments like "it is just baby fat,' 'she is pretty in the face, if she would just lose weight, she would be a beautiful girl,' 'have a cookie dear, just one won't hurt,' 'You are not overweight, just under-tall,' or my step-dad's favorite 'if someone told you to haul ass, you would have to make two trips."

How do you think it makes someone feel to be constantly be berated about their weight on one hand and then on the other hand, told that just a little won't hurt you? A 'normal' weight or a 'thin' person wouldn't know how hard this is. Quit offering me food all the time. Quit making those hurtful remarks that make us depressed and just want to fill the void with food.

Making people feel bad about their addictions, just feeds the addictions. It doesn't matter whether it is cigarettes, food, alcohol, or drugs.

One of the best quotes I have come up with is "When there is a choice, be kind." There is a choice and we should all be kind to each other.

This is the link to the article: I really hate to put this on there and promote her hate speech, but you all need to see this. Please feel free to make comments here. This really needs to be talked about. What is your opinion?

Send this link to others and let them chime in with their opinion. I feel like the guy in the movie that said "I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore!"

We need to make obesity more socially unwelcome, says @ShannonBrownlee http://ti.me/vUwoIg via @TIMEIdeas

By the way, I apologize for using a couple of mild swear words, the effect of the words would have been diminished if I had changed them. I don't normally use them, but there are some that I consider mild and not hurtful. There are some that seem to be everyday words for some people, but not for me.

We had an OOPS!

2011-11-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

Ray and I went to the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) Meeting on Monday and came back on Wednesday. It started with a dinner at the Marriott. We were go good during dinner, we ate the chicken and broccoli, I ate the roll. Then came the dessert: the most heavenly CHOCOLATE cake that I have ever eaten. We both tried just a taste and that was the last thing we thought about until the plate was clean. OOPS! It was so good, we were willing to put a couple of pounds back on just for the experience.
Tuesday morning, we were so good, I had cottage cheese and Ray had boiled eggs and cheese. Then we went over to the conference. They had a room set up for the churches and Baptist organizations that were there to show off their venues. There were Christian universites, college, and businesses. Each booth had candy, not just candy, CHOCOLATE candy. Of course, each booth had lovely people that loved giving candy to us children who could not resist. I did come home with lots of grocery bags. Unfortunately, we didn't come home with any candy, we ate it all before we left Richmond.

Since I have had a gastric bypass (2001), there is a thing that happens to me when I eat sugar. I really don't want to mention it here, but it is not pleasant. When we got home yesterday evening, I made my famous carbohydrate-free soup. Today, we are back on the Plan.
I am being painfully honest about our slip, because I want you all to see that no matter how good you think you are, you can slip occasionally. But, you can get up, dust yourself off, and get right back on that horse (or diet). Never say die! We both know that we have to be careful for the rest of our lives, but we also know that we are not perfect, we are human. The thing is not to give up.
To date, Ray has lost 37 lbs and I have lost 26 lbs. I haven't weighed this morning. I am having a blood test at the Riverside Cancer Center this afternoon and they will weigh me. I will let you know the results.
Remember, you are not perfect, you may slip sometimes. Lets see if we can keep this going. Your comments are welcome.

Another Week, More Pounds Down

2011-11-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

Ray and I have been doing so well on our new life plan. So far, he has lost 36 lbs and I have lost 27 lbs. Neither one of us are craving carbohydrates anymore.

Last night, I put a T-Bone in the skillet with just a little olive oil. I cut up a whole onion and added it to the pan. I put on salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. I had taken it out of the freezer and put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes to thaw it out some. I braised it in the skillet with the onions. When everything was browned on both sides, I covered it and turned the stove to low. I let it cook a little while, plated it up and we really enjoyed it. I only cooked one steak. Ray ate the large part and I ate the small part. Oh, we had a small salad with real salad dressing, too. I just love this diet.

We had a situation today. We had a wonderful cheeseburger with sauteed onions. I am not too fond of hamburger but this was great. I guess I am a pretty good cook. Later we had to attend a deacon party at a friends home. It was covered dish. It really was difficult. They did have shrimp cocktails, just left off that sugary sauce. I had some of my friend, Judy's famous Texas dip. It was cream cheese, sour cream, chipped beef, and seasoning. She was amazed that it was one of the few things we could eat. I have to admit, I did cheat a little. Someone had cornbread cake and I had a 1"x1" piece, it was awesome. I have to have the recipe to make some for Thanksgiving at my brother's home. I may even put it on my Thoughts of Pink blog if I get it. It probably wouldn't be appropriate for this one.

I fell in the back yard a week or so ago and really hurt both knees, my shins, my hip and arms. Now I have to do physical therapy. I did it last week but will miss most of it this week. I have to go to Richmond for a couple of days for the BGAV Convention. Tomorrow night is a big dinner. Hopefully, there will be meat and veggies that I can eat. Whoever picks out the food always picks out an awfully sinful dessert. That will be the big test.

I found that I really like salad. I bought some cole slaw mix and mixed it with lettuce, cheese, chopped eggs, bacon, onions, sunflower seeds. I then took my little hand chopper and chopped it all up with some Blue Cheese dressing. It was wonderful. I made some for Ray with Thousand Island dressing. It was finely chopped. I actually had some left over and mixed it up. I have some wonderful glass storage bowls that have snap tight lids. It was still fresh the next day. Of course, I didn't mix the tomatoes in until I plated it up.

Guess I better go for now. Let me know how you are doing.

Our Life Plan

2011-10-18T14:30:00.002-04:00

Ray and I are doing well on our eating plan. He is beginning to like the healthy soups as much as I do. Although, I did promise him a cheeseburger (without bread) for dinner tonight. We are eating veggies now. I have been buying veggies, like stir-fry frozen at BJs. They are so good. The wonderful part is that we can actually have a little butter on them, or I cook them in chicken stock.

We have been doing some yard work. I cannot do much. but I can cut branches off bushes. Ray does the heavy-lifting. Our neighbor put up a 6 ft. vinyl fence. A handyman was supposed to come last Saturday and take down our chain-link fence. He didn't show up, so I just cut branches myself. We had a nice day outside after we got back from VA beach. We went of the Lions District 24-D Fall Conference. It was good but we did not stay at the Cavalier Hotel. We just came home this year. We usually stay the weekend but there was no need because for the first time in 17 years, we were not on the Cabinet. It was nice to be able to leave and come home.

Sunday I drove back to Va Beach for training as a mentor for membership. It was really nice and when I got home, Ray had brought a roasted chicken dinner for us both from church and I didn't have to cook. We could even eat the chicken and the bean, just had to get rid of the rice.

We are still avoiding the carbs. I do not remember if I said or not, but the doctor told me to take B-50 every day and Metamucil or Citracel. I am not obsessing over chocolate or sugar, and it is wonderful. We have talked it over that as soon as we get to our target weight, we will continue to eat thinning meals, but then when we go out to dinners or with friends, we will watch what we eat, but eat normally like everyone else. We don't want to be set apart from others forever. Last night at out Lions board meeting, Lion Earl's wife, Judy, fixed NC barbecue with cole slaw. It was awesome. I am so glad others are trying to help instead of trying to sabotage our life plan.

I do not know if this works for everyone, but I find that if I sip black coffee, it seems to dull my appetite.

LOSING IT

2011-10-11T07:56:00.001-04:00

This has been an awesome week. Ray has lost a total of 30 lbs and I have lost 23 lbs. Ray had to buy new pants because all his pants are beginning to look like skirts. He has gone from a 42" waist in pants to a 36" waist, and they are not tight. I have gone down a couple of sizes also, but fortunately I have a lot of smaller clothing. I have purchased a few blouses. My tummy is flat. I am working on my backside and legs. I have been trying to walk more, but this RA makes it difficult. I went walking around in Tuesday Morning yesterday. Not a good idea for my budget, but I purchased a few Christmas presents. Of course, I got one for me.

This past week I have been starting to incorporate veggies. I bought LARGE frozen stir-fry package at Costco.
I also bought our favorite, Roasted Chicken. We were able to use that chicken for 4 meals so far. Actually, we had left-overs last night that we will be eating tonight. I put EVOO in a pan and sauteed onions. When they got clear looking, I added a good helping of the stir-fry veggies. Then I put in the rest of the roasted chicken that had taken off the bones. I put in a little butter when it was done, stirred it again, and plated it up. We both had a nice helping and felt full. I think the reason I love this diet so much is that we get to use real butter.

We bought some Price's Pimento Cheese and Chicken Salad at Sam's Club and finished it up yesterday for lunch. You can get Chicken Salad if it does not have raisins/apples, I usually make it myself.

For breakfast, I have been having cottage cheese and a scrambled egg. That is pretty good. For lunch, we mostly eat roll-ups. I take turkey or ham and put a little mayonnaise or mustard on it, top with a slice of cheese and then roll from one end and put together with a toothpick.I usually eat one and Ray eats two or three for lunch. We snack on sugar-free jello. It is really as good as the one with sugar. Neither of us are big fans of Jello, but right now we think it is pretty good.

Neither one of are big on exercise; we could probably lose even faster if we were. I hope you are having a healthy day.

See the fist "wasted time"; don't waste your time. Get a mammogram this month. It doesn't make any difference if you are a man or woman, do it soon. Men can get breast cancer too.

Love to all, Barbara

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

National Breast Cancer Homepage

GOOD NEWS

2011-10-06T09:49:00.000-04:00

Ray has lost a total of 26 lbs and I have lost about 23lbs. I am really excited by this. I am trying to be creative with our diet so we don't get tired of eating the same thing all day.

Last night we had dinner at Angelo's Steakhouse. Ray ordered meatloaf and green beans. I tasted his meatloaf and it is my considered opinion that it had more bread crumbs in it than necessary. It looked almost like sliced dark bread. I told him he cannot order that any more. When I make meatloaf at home, I don't use anything but real ground beef and pork. He probably had his carb load for the week.

I was very good and ordered 2 eggs scrambled with bacon. I said no bread, but ended up with toast that I did not eat. Why can't waitresses understand, that when you don't want bread, don't bring it? Why make it more difficult for us? Sometimes it seems like people are trying to sabotage our efforts. I know that in the past, even though I told people I was on a diet, they still offered me other things, like chocolate pie, cake, etc. "Just one bite won't hurt." Who are they kidding? In the Bible somewhere I read that it is a sin to eat in front of other people that could not eat like you do. I will find it again and let you know where it is.

We went to North Carolina to be with my daughter and family this past weekend. It was my birthday. I love spending it with them. Jesse cooked steaks on the grill and we had salad. Rhonda even fixed orange sugar-free Jello with fat/sugar free whipped cream. I insisted on no candles. I wasn't sure if their fire insurance was paid. LOL!

Even the children are supportive of our diet. No one wanted to eat anything we couldn't eat in front of us. It was very nice.

I have found that we can have chicken salad and pimento cheese. I buy water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, french cut green beans, garlic, and onion to go in my beef stew. Actually, I buy the Steak-Ums to make soup most of the time. Or I roast pork or chicken in the slow cooker with onions and garlic. I even use those same veggies to make chicken soup. Sometimes I mix in greens like mustard, turnip greens, spinach. I buy the big cans and only use half. I put the other half in a jar and keep in the fridge. For the chicken soup, you can use real chicken and boil or you can use canned chicken. Sometimes I will crack a few eggs, whip up in a bowl and drizzle into boiling soup. It kind of makes noodles. You can season to make it taste like Mexican or Italian. At times I also throw in a can of diced tomatoes.

The main thing is to eat as low carb as you can. Exercise. Just remember, even though this may seem the be all and end all diet, it isn't. Of course, after I got over the craving for cookies and ice cream, I seem to eat less and less often. I chew gum for a snack instead of eating 5 or 6 cookies.

On top of all of this is the warning:

CALORIES DO COUNT!

So don't eat a whole pot roast or chicken.

Good Monday

2011-09-19T07:14:00.001-04:00

Wow! What a weekend. We are doing so well. We helped with the Lions Efforts at Denbigh Days selling Deep Fried Tornado Potatoes and Twinkies. The good news is, Ray and I didn't eat any of them. They looked so good. Oh, well, I must confess, I did have a small bite of the Tornado potato, but not enough to mess up my carbohydrate intake.

Ray is getting so thin. He has lost around 20 lbs and all his clothes are too big. Looks like I am going to have to get the sewing machine out and tailor his suits. He is singing 2 solos at church next Sunday so I better get on the ball. His waist has gone from 42 inches to a 36-38 inch waist. I am so proud of him.

He was walking behind me at COSTCO the other night and he said he could really see that I was losing weight too. That tells you where I put on my weight. LOL! I have lost a total of 17 lbs. I am really beginning to see it in my clothing. I actually fit back into a black suit for church yesterday. I needed something nice because I was Lead Deacon and had to say the offering prayer. I had so many people tell me how nice I looked, I was beginning to get a big head.

The wonderful thing about this diet is that it works quickly and you feel so good. It is a modification of the Atkins diet. I have been researching all kinds of books and finding things we could eat and continue to eat forever. I really don't miss sweets. Friday, Benita went to the XYZ luncheon at church. We needed to take a covered dish and I didn't have time to fix one. Anyway, we went to COSTCO and I let Benita pick out what to take. She chose a double chocolate cake with extra chocolate all over the icing. When we got to church, I cut it and put on plates. Benita had a piece but it was so huge that we ended up having over half of it left. I left it in the fridge so the kitchen crew could have some. When our Lions went to cut fruit for kabobs Friday night, the didn't eat any. So, I took it home, cut a couple of pieces to send home with Benita, and then preceeded to cut into small squares to serve tonight at the Lions club meeting. I covered them good and put in the freezer. So we will see if they get eaten tonight. I hope so.

I will be fixing chicken vegetable soup for the Lions dinner tonight. It is all thawed out and I will be adding onions with a little olive oil and let it roast a while. Then I will add about 3 chicken boullion cubes and water. I will add chopped bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, green onion, 2 tablespoons mixed greens, and any other veggies that are low carb to the mix. I even put in 2 tablespoons of butter for flavoring. I beat up about 4 eggs and when when the soup is almost ready, I slowly add to the pot when it is in a rolling boil. This gives the illusion of noodles and actually adds a great flavor to the soup. You can also add 12 cup sour cream or 2 oz. cream cheese to the pot to make it more creamy. Then you can serve it. Or, if you like put it in a blender and have a really creamy soup.
the calories are not bad and your carbs are really low.

I hope that someone is reading this. I would like comments too. Love to all.

2011-09-12T12:31:00.001-04:00

Well, here we are on a Monday. Ray has reached 173 lbs. His goal is 165. I think that is too much, but that is what he wants to do. When he went to the doctor, he told her that he hadn't had any of the diabetes medication in over 3 weeks. She was amazed and very supportive of the Atkins plan that we have been on. She told him as long as his blood sugar remained low, (average 96) he shouldn't take the medication any more. He is so happy. This means that we are going to have to go through his clothes and see what he can wear (probably out-dated). That is what he wants to do. To me, it means that I get to make some decisions in what he will be wearing from now on. I am telling you, he will be much more fashionable than he has been in the past.

As for me, I have lost 14 lbs. I don't get as much exercise as Ray does. I cannot do the treadmill. Sometimes when I do my bicycle, my knees swell up. I try to walk whenever I can. I find that too much exercise of any kind hurts me for days. I took last Saturday and cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom. It took me all day, because I have to have frequent rests. I hurt all day yesterday and my feet are feeling like mush today. Benita and I went to get my blood checked for my Rheumatologist appointment tomorrow. I have to go get a bone scan at 1:30. Oops! better look for my order. I will write more later. I have to put a great soup recipe that I dreamed up on here for everyone.

Our New Life!

2011-08-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

The first paragraph is copied from my blog, Thoughts of Pink

Ray and I started on the Induction Phase of Adkins Diet on Monday, August 8, 2011. Ray has diabetes and was afraid that they were going to increase his medication if he didn't get his blood sugar down. I had gained about 20 lbs because of the steroids that I am on and if I wanted to get into my fall and winter clothes, I need to lose some weight. I have been very inventive and will be chronicling our venture on one of my other blogs, along with recipes. I will let you know when I get it going. We both lost weight by day 15: Ray, 15 lbs - Barbara, 12 lbs. I am so excited. Ray didn't realize it before but he was out of his medication that morning when we started. He had to call it in to Express Scripts and to took 3 days for delivery. His blood sugar stabilized between 93 and 110 so when his medication came he didn't take any. He still hasn't and his blood sugar is still between 93 and 110. He is so happy and feels so much better. I am trying not to weigh in every day. I get a PT/INR test every 2 weeks and they weigh me, so I am being weighed at the doctor. We do have a good scale here, but I figured that was "official." I cannot cheat on that one. LOL! (Not that I would.) I will periodically mention the diet on this blog and carry a link to the other one. I did see an article yesterday that I think everyone should read.

The induction phase includes 20 grams of Carbohydrates a day. I went through some Atkins books, but I also looked at other books and came up with very low carb foods. Looks like you can eat just about any kind of meat. I find that it is good to find low carb but you can never forget the calories completely. The really good news is that eating lots of protein fills you up.

I have been very inventive. Of course, we have the meat and cheese wraps. You can even add a little mayonaise. Ray loves these. I started by going to Sam's and stocking up on eggs, lunch meat, and cheese. Remember to keep your calories in control. About 1200 per day for females and 1500 for males. Eat small meals more often. If you eat a little more or a little less, don't beat yourself up. The most difficult part was getting off the carbohydrates. Here is a link to an awesome article."146 Reasons Why Sugar is Harming Your Health." I will be adding our Life-Plan on Atkins, hopefully, on a daily basis. I may not adhere to all their things, but this article actually confirms my "no sugar" attitude.

Here is to your good health.

SweetTweets on the O2 Breakthrough - @ZnaTrainer (Twitter)

2010-07-12T19:24:00.003-04:00

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I was on the O2 Breakthrough from Body by Zna for 3 glorious weeks. It was really working for me, but my one-on-one time with Zna has run out. I couldn't get anyone to talk to her or sign up. It was really a good deal for me. I feel stronger and pain free. I did take notes and have done it by myself today. I think I will be fine. I am going to follow the Vegan diet and continue to do the exercises.

I am so thankful to Zna for all the time she has spent with me. She is so generous and she has such a lovely spirit. When she says: "Beautiful Body by Zna Love cures people~both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. Dr.Karl Menninger *My heart wants to know you. *YOU* are my priority, your youngest, yummiest you yet as healthiest, wealthiest, richly deserving of abundance. Your dreams come true!" she means it.

In the course of 3 weeks, I lost 7 lbs and gained lots of energy I haven't seen in over a year. I lost 4 inches off my chest, 2 inches off my waist, 3 inches off my hips, 3 inches off each upper thigh, 2 inches off each lower thigh and 1.5 inches off each calf. The inches are what really mattered to me.
This is my update for my Life Plan. I am going to start looking for more updates.

Like I recently volunteered to work at the Chesapeake (Virginia Baptist Homes). So, we will see how that goes this week.
My daughter was here and she organized, labeled, cleaned my shop, upstairs and down. And, she cleaned the garage. Something about having everything in order, relieves stress for me. What relieves stress for you?
Tell me about yourself.

Starting the Week Right

2010-06-06T13:08:00.000-04:00

Hello, I got up and fixed my coffee this morning and drank it while I was getting ready for church. Once all that was done, I made my egg in the microwave, then put salsa, cottage cheese and some shredded cheddar in a bowl and warmed it up. When it was all done, I put it all in a Ramakin. They are not very big and I know that that is what I can eat every day.

I did a lot of walking at church. I am the Lead Usher and I have to make sure that everything runs smoothly so the service won't be disturbed. We have an 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. service, so I do a lot of walking and talking. Ray calls me his "Walkie-Talkie."
When we arrived at home, the crockpot was cooking away. I made a beef roast and I put a package of mixed veggies in before we left this morning. I Threw in a little rice and broccoli when we got home. I made a salad, measured the meat, and 'voila' dinner. It sure was good. We ate sensible portions and will have either more salad or fruit snacks later. Meat is a once a day thing. Ray has those Morning Star Farms veggie sausage. He really seems to like them.

It would be nice if one (or more) of my Twitter buddies would get on the bandwagon and help me out. Maybe I could even help them out. I was President of Parents Without Partners Chapter 275 in Newport News for 3 years about 20 years ago 9250 members). Ray tells people he had to marry me to get me out of there. Anyway, I was a member for almost 5 years and worked with singles every Wednesday night in a program called We Care. It was very nice. Members could come an have their Wednesday Therapy. I facilitated it nearly the whole time I was a member. I learned so much and I also took classes on psychology at our local community college.

At our church, First Baptist of Newport News, I facilitated a Celebrate Recovery Program for people with drug and alcohol problems for over 2 years. Both programs allowed me to observe people and I read about the psychology all the time, not to mention that people would call me almost every night and I talked hours on the phone with them. From talking about the perils of being a single parent to how to tell if their spouse was cheating. The advice always was well received and I don't remember giving bad advice.
I am an ordained Deacon and I will pray for any who needs prayer. I know it has worked for me and it can work for you.

A Better Day

2010-06-04T00:48:00.001-04:00

Thursday was a much better day. I had my egg, cheese, salsa & cottage cheese for breakfast. I got myself together and went to church to meet the ladies for our quilting class. We are making baby quilts for sick children. I actually got to work on one today.
The good thing was, there was no food there. When I got home, I made yellow squash with onions, salad and chopped chicken. It was great and very healthy. Ray liked it a lot. He likes his salad chopped very small, so that is how I did it. It was great. I think I will fix talipia on Friday evening.
After dinner, we went to COSTCO. That is always interesting and expensive. We really didn't stay very long. We only bought fresh foods like strawberries, apples, grapes, etc. Fresh foods for us. I am beginning to feel like I really could do the plan.

Can you follow your life plan?
Contact me and let me know your opinions. I feel like the jellyfish pictured.

Second Night

2010-06-02T22:01:00.000-04:00

I wonder if I am doing this right. No one to keep me in check. I had my salsa and egg for breakfast. It was really great with some cottage cheese.
I warmed up the soup that I made yesterday for lunch.
So far so good.
Oops, found some white cheddar popcorn we brought back from Kentucky. Put it in baggies and ate one bag full.
Picked up my elderly friends and took them to church for dinner. We had baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green peas, salad, roll, and pineapple upside down cake. I ate desert first, then salad and half of my chicken, little potatoes and peas. When I dropped everyone off at the Chesapeake, I went to the Farmer's Market and bought vegetables, lean meat, and some fruit and honey. At the check out, I found a Twix with PB and ate it on the way home. I am so bad. I need someone to answer to. How will I ever lose weight? I need some people to keep me honest. HELP!

The First Night

2010-06-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

I started out really good. I had a microwave egg w/cheese/salsa/cottage cheese for breakfast. It was great and I didn't feel bad for a while. Took my morning pills.
Made large pot of chicken soup using ramen noodles. added corn, peas, onions, garlic, canned chicken, water, beaten egg. Cooked it a while and put in ramen noodles when almost done. Salt & pepper to taste. It was great and enough for Ray and I for lunch and dinner. Although at dinner, I fixed Ray a hot sandwich with thin rolls and a veggie burger and thin cheddar cheese slice. I cooked it on a grill like the Forman grill. Later we had strawberries and blueberries with a tad of Cool Whip on top.
That sounds great until I confess that I ate half a sandwich bag of tiny chocolate peanut butter cups when I had a urge for chocolate this afternoon. Oh well, at least they are all gone now. LOL!
One person followed today and I think that is cool. I hope someone else joins. It is much more fun to lose weight with other people.
Here is to tomorrow.

#SweetTweets Life Plan

2009-10-28T21:28:00.017-04:00

Today, we are starting a life plan. What is that? This is where the rubber hits the road, as they say. Although I have never figured out who 'they' are.
We all have issues:

Weight
Diet
Love
Hate
Redemption
Forgiveness
Egotism

The big difference is that we are not going to follow someone's "life plan." We are going to create one for ourselves. "The #SweetTweet Life Plan"

Tell us about what you eat, how you feel, how you think of yourself.

Do you feel thin/fat?
Do you feel pretty/ugly?
Do you feel stylish/frumpy?

Print this out and we will use this as a guide. If you would like, email the figures to me to keep in a chart (not to be shared). You don't have to, but sometimes it is important to be accountable to someone. You will need a scale and a tape measure.
Height:
Weight:
Chest:
Waist:
Hips:
Left Upper Arm:
Right Upper Arm:
Left Wrist:
Right Wrist:
Left Upper Thigh:
Right Upper Thigh:
Left Lower Thigh:
Right Lower Thigh:
Left Calf:
Right Calf.
Left Ankle
Right Ankle

All measurements should be at the widest part.
We will measure and weigh-in on the 1st day of each month.

     My email is barbara.p.duke@gmail.com. Please put 'SweetTweets Life Plan' in the Subject Line.
Your information will be kept confidential and only used to give overall success that we are all striving for in the end.
There is no cost for this, I just want to know your stories and help if I can. I have had weight issues all my life and other problems. I have learned so much in the past years how to handle situations and how to take care of myself. I have taken classes and read extensively on human behavior. I would like to share. I think it is important to start with weight and branch out into other things.
    I only ask that you be one of the people that follow me on Twitter. I want to create a network of friends helping friends. Feel free to contact me if you have ideas to expand our world and create harmony for all.
    Use your own diet plan, but follow one. If nothing else, write down your calories and limit to 1600 per day. Keeping a record of what you eat is very important for you to see where you are going from where you have been. Purchase a small notebook just for this purpose. Help others by posting your ideas in the comments. Don't forget to move. All movement is important. If you have a pedometer, use it. Try for Dr. Oz's 10,000 steps a day.
Feel free to join the blog and post your comments. Lets make this our Plan for Life!
Love, Barbara

My SweetTweets are Awesome!

2009-09-23T12:24:00.002-04:00

#SweetTweets are the people on Twitter who are following me. They are extraordinary people. I love them. They have stood by me over the past months while I have been ill. They retweeted me when I couldn't and increased my followers to over 10,000 from April to October 2009.

They were there each morning when I woke up with encouraging words of love and prayers. I don't know how I could have made it without their positive support. They lovingly call me "the Queen of Twitter." Isn't that sweet, but I know that I am not. I am the Encourager. I am there to encourage them socially, personally, professionally. I don't see every using Twitter for anything other than my original intent. I do send links to my blogs occasionally but not constantly.

My blogs are:
http://thoughts-of-pink.blogspot.com/
http://thoughts-of-Christ.blogspot.com/
http://thoughts-of-harmony.blogspot.com/
http://barbara-duke.blogspot.com/
http://attitudeaptitude.blogspot.com/

See the new "#SweetTweet's Life Plan" tomorrow!