| |
|
NORTHWOODSMOM8's Recent Blog Entries
|
 
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
We are driving home from vacation at my parents. My dh dropped me off in KC, and then continued south for many business contacts, and then he came back and we spent the weekend together at my parents--even had fillet mignon on my dad's "Green Egg" grill this past weekend! Mmmmmmm! I LOVE KANSAS CITY!!!!!
My 10 days 'at home', in the house I grew up in, was SO, SO SPECIAL!
We went to the KC Symphony
www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=4837355
Ate @ Pierponts at the Union Station--DELICIOUS food!
We planted Mom's flowers:
My mom and I ate healthy TOGETHER:
Took some walks on the Country Club plaza:
We stayed up until 2:00 am. WATCHING Downton Abbey--I HIGHLY recommend this series if you like 'period' shows.
We sat often and talked on the patio:
Heard my brother Scott in concert--the Buttermilk Boys:
My brother is the lead singer and this is a pic of our whole family:
EVERYTHING was simply a PURE delight!
Of course, the BEST was just being with my mama [and dad]!!!! Seeing her beautiful face--kissing those cheeks--hearing her laugh--feeling those warm hugs --I just LOVE her so much!!!
I couldn't imagine any more blessings to this trip, but my dh definitely found a way to put the CHERRY on top! He surprised me with a visit to Brookings, SD where our best friends are moving. They are there now buying a house, and Dennis [and our friends] pulled off this AMAZING surprise!!!! I guess I'm just in oblivion while my dh drives, and just know that he is navigating perfectly without my attentions, so I NEVER knew that we were NOT in Iowa, or Minnesota, but in SOUTH DAKOTA!!! ha! Knock, knock on our hotel room door and who should appear before my eyes--OUR BEST FRIENDS!!!!!!
This is us walking into the hotel BEFORE I saw them:
Downtown Brookings [NOT Omaha]
Eating at a Brookings Grill:
And then today shopping before leaving Brookings:
 Thought all my SparkFriends would LOVE it!!!! Let's all STEP AWAY! ha!
Reflections in a T.V.
And in the mirror:
 My girlfriend is SUCH an amazing photographer. See Click!Photo for her work--it's BEAUTIFUL!
www.facebook.com/pages/Click-Photo/1
76485465716574?ref=ts
Well, this is a really good sign! If they haven't EVEN moved yet, and we are already visiting, then there will be MANY more visits to come! I give thanks to God for such WONDERFUL, treasured, forever friends!!!!
Thank you for allowing me to savor these moments together. Since this is day 38 of 'no refined sugar', I will show you all my new icon for SWEET MOMENTS:
  
Much love to you all, Susan
Thursday, April 19, 2012
I'm reading a fantastic book right now called, "Menopause Reset" by Mickey Harpaz, PhD. I've mentioned it before in this blog www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=4773153 and how much his "first step to menopause reset" encouraged me.
Now his second step: "Resetting your diet" has revolutionized my thoughts about menopause and weight loss. I'm sure I'm NOT going to be able to explain it in the depth that the book outlines, but I'm going to try and give you the highlights.
His basic premise for peri-menopausal/menopausal women is that they need to keep their blood sugars in a constant wave, with no lows [hypoglycemic] or spikes in the blood sugars.
"Normal blood sugar levels for the adult population fall between 65 and 99 mg/dl--the target zone, an ideal range for burning fat…"
"An ideal blood sugar curve throughout the day is a wavy line that has only small peaks and valleys, and that's what we are aiming for you to maintain with Menopause Reset."
He says that when a person gets too hungry, and allow themselves to go into hypoglycemia, that the blood sugars will spike, and this is a no-no for trying to lose any weight during peri-menopause/menopause.
These are his basic tips in this step:
1. Never skip eating breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack.
2. Always eat something within 1 hour of waking up. It can be just a small piece of fruit for breakfast.
3. Your morning snack must include a fruit or vegetable. Your lunch and afternoon and evening snacks can come from grains, but at least one of those p.m. snacks must include a fruit or vegetable.
4. Eat every 2 hours.
5. Snacks should be 120 calories or under and have less than 10 grams of sugar.
6. Yogurt can be an afternoon snack and can include more than 10 grams of sugar if there is fruit in the yogurt.
7. Other good snack choices are pretzels, crackers, breadsticks, and popcorn.
Okay, since I started this, I've lost 2.1 #'s. I NEVER, EVER feel deprived or hungry, or for that matter, sluggish or fatigued! And I'm normally eating about 1280 calories. There is MUCH more I need to understand, but I really feel that I've happened upon a goldmine of information that is going to have life-changing effects on my life!
Only 2.9#'s before I'm back to my normal BMI's and 6.9#'s until I'm back at goal weight! I'm THRILLED! I feel empowered and energized! Thanks for letting me share some nuggets that are helping me.
Blessings to all, Susan
Monday, April 16, 2012
I had the PLEASURE of attending the Kansas City Symphony yesterday! WOW! It was an experience I will NEVER forget, especially since I had the privilege of sharing it with my mother! We had the SUPREME pleasure of hearing a BRILLIANT young violinist named Benjamin Beilman. It was BREATHTAKING!
As I contemplated the symphony, I realized that my weight loss journey is much like a symphony, and God is my Heavenly Conductor who painstakingly orchestrates every single detail until it comes together in perfect harmony and beauty resounds.
Do I want to play in this symphony of life??
Or do I want to give up before the melodious sounds of my life are meticulously refined?
I imagine this young man, Benjamin Beilman, made MANY sacrifices to become the famous and gifted violinist that he is today! I must be willing to give up on the WORTHLESS choices for the sake of something that I deem valuable beyond words!
I want to exchange junk food with empowering and enriching life-giving choices!
I want to exchange sitting and relaxing [too much] with living an active lifestyle!
I want to find joy from WITHIN and not seek those externals that can NEVER satisfy!
I want to exchange comparison to others with contentment for how God made me and my unique body composition--I'll NEVER be my skinny sister! 
I probably sound like a broken record, but I'm very much struggling right now to lose 5 #'s! And this is 5#'s MORE than my allowance of a 5# range! That means that I'm 10#'s heavier than I was at my dad's 80th Birthday party last July.
July/2011--
April/2012
It's QUITE frustrating and discouraging because the weight has gone right to my stomach [a sure sign of menopausal gain! ugh!] but yesterday's symphony taught me a lesson and that is I want to cooperate with my DIVINE Conductor for the LONG haul! I want to play to the beat of His command! Even as a symphony conductor spends hours studying his piece of music, so Jesus has studied me--He understands me, He passionately cares that my music bless my family, my friends, and even those whom I've never met, and He is NOT giving up on me EVEN in my despair! I simply must keep my eyes on the Conductor, and move to His gestures.
I CHOOSE to abandon myself to the process!
I choose to forfeit the temporal comforts for the GREATER trophy!
And I CHOOSE to be JOYFUL in the JOURNEY!!!!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Today is Day 27 without refined sugar, and for the most part, no white flour or pasta. One of my friends lost 5#'s in 5 days, and I read another gal lost 15#'s during the challenge; however, I don't think I've lost 1#! Oh, well! There are other victories--I'm so glad the 'scales' are just ONE measurement for success!
I have a HUGE victory to share. My dh and I were at the hotel this morning, [on my way for vacation with my parents while he travels for business], and I went down for the continental breakfast before we left. I dished oatmeal and fresh fruit [peaches, grapes, strawberries and pineapple--the server showed me the package and there was no added sugar] and took it back to my room where my slimtevia awaited. slimtevia.com/index-hboc.html However, I decided to take a bite before adding my stevia ***and*** it was PERFECTLY sweet! All I needed was unsweetened fruit added to my oatmeal--NOTHING ELSE! Do you know how UNBELIEVABLE this is to me, a recovering sweetaholic!!!!!! It was delightfully sweet and almost like a 'comfort' food! Can't wait to have it again!
I'm going to share a very personal tidbit with you. My father was an alcoholic for over 30 years. He quit when I was 27 years old, and is a DIFFERENT person today! He hasn't had a drink in 23 years!
Well, as much as I don't want to admit it, I've concluded that refined sugar/flour/pasta have the same addictive power over me as alcohol had over my dad. This is a hard thing to admit! I'm not sure that I'll be able to go back to eating it or not. I WON'T make any 'rules' about it, but I think it's probably wise that I abstain from those 'substances' that control me! I SO wish I could be like my friend Terri who can SO MODERATELY control her sweets! She has maintained her weight loss for 3 years, and probably partakes daily in a sweet treat.
But that's okay--this is the body God gave me, and each and every person is SO different! Maybe in a few months, I'll feel I can be moderate in this area, but until then, I think it's best to find alternatives! And here is a GREAT website for finding sweet treat substitutes: chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ The thing I miss the most is ice cream! My dh and I LOVE to get ice cream cones together so this is the very hardest part for me, but I'm going to start experimenting with healthy alternatives--starting with this creation:
recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detai
l.asp?recipe=2073633 Each serving of this homemade chocolate frozen yogurt has 15.1 grams of protein!!!!!
The carb to protein ratio is important for me to consider! Since I've had BIG babies on my small 5'1 frame [my smallest baby was 8.5 and my biggest was 10.1--with the majority in the 9# range], I've been told that I could develop diabetes later in life; well, I'm hoping that by changing my diet in this area, I will ward off any insulin resistance. Having lived with a diabetic son for the last 16 years, I understand first hand the challenges of this disease. Here is my SWEET son who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 5.
Thanks for your prayers as we drive in the rain to KC. SO, SO, SO excited to see my parents!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Excerpt from One Choice book by Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths store.simpletruths.com/one-choice-wi
th-free-dvd-p2872.aspx?cm_mmc=CheetahM
ail-_-TH-_-04.12.12-_-ONCH-UStest1&utm
_source=CheetahMail&utm_medium=04.12.1
2&utm_campaign=ONCH
One tree can start a forest,
One smile can begin a friendship,
One hand can lift a soul,
One word can frame the goal,
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One laugh can conquer gloom,
One hope can raise our spirits,
And...one choice can change your life.
Think about that. One choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment.
That's what this powerful, life-changing book is all about...how we're always one choice away from changing our life.
In One Choice, you'll meet people from all walks of life who made life-changing choices, whether it's switching careers, losing weight, finding financial freedom, adopting a child, giving back to others and many more. I wrote the book with one goal in mind...to give people ideas and courage to choose better lives for themselves.
For me, the idea of changing your life with a single choice is highly motivational. It offers tremendous hope, regardless of your circumstances, for a better tomorrow. And, that's why the book is filled with inspirational stories from people, like you, who had the courage to make that choice and to change their life forever.
You'll be inspired and you'll be motivated by their personal stories. You'll think, if they can do it...why can't I?
Here's a "snapshot" of the table of contents so you can see the themes behind the stories…
Choose Your Career Passion
Choose to be in the "Driver's Seat"
Choose to Make a Difference
Choose Your Attitude
Choose to Take Back Your Life
Choose Financial Freedom
Choose Kindness...and Watch it Change Your Life
Choose Not to Give Up
Choose to Start a New Business
Choose to Change Your Environment
Choose to Look at the Possibilities
Choose Discipline in Your Life
Choose to Love
Choose to Simplify Your Life
Choose to Take a Chance
Here is the 3 minute One Choice Movie--SO inspirational!!!!!
www.onechoicemovie.com/
First Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
Last Page
|
|
Get An Email Alert Each Time NORTHWOODSMOM8 Posts
|
|
job in your efforts and I'm sure you are doing them in HIS strength which is why you are seeing the results you are. Isn't it wonderful to have God in our lives who doesn't want us to stay stuck where we were? 
Member Comments About This Blog Post:
and 
The additional surprise was that we all went sailing together for the weekend on a sailboat my sweetie had chartered. We still talk about his stunt and it's been YEARS! 
!!
and your positive attitude, they are a blessing from God.. 
