Tag Archives: Sugar-free

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Date with a Dude

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Day 76 in my undertaking to be as healthy as possible, for a woman my age in the condition I’m in, when I meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October 2015

I have a date at 3:30 today with my personal Mayo Clinic Health Coach.  I have been blessed to meet with Alex by phone four times already and I have two more complimentary sessions.  As always he will want to hear any measurable progress, so here is what I have for him today:

  1. My emotions appear to be on a much more even keel.  I like living without the sugar highs and the inevitable lows of sugar crashes.  I find I have more patience with others and even with myself.
  2. I have more focus at work.  I can formulate plans and then follow through to accomplish tasks much more efficiently.
  3. I have more energy than I have had in a very long time.  I used to be exhausted at the thought of doing anything outside the norm.  Now I actually get excited about deviations from my schedule.  I think, “Ooh, what does God have for me today?” and I am more open to new ideas.
  4. And as a side-effect of making healthier choices, my scale says I’ve lost 24.8 pounds as of this morning.  But oh, what I have gained!

Thank you for reading, dear friends.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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My Demon: Sugar

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Day 74 in my assignment to assimilate a better life-style to meet up with Mickey

I’ve been asked, “How did you completely go cold-turkey and give up sugar if you were such an addict?”  Well…that’s just it.  I haven’t completely given up sugar for the rest of my life.  The thought of never having sugar again for the rest of my life is daunting indeed!  It makes me feel deprived and more than a little sorry for myself.  So,  I’ve just given sugar up for today…and for yesterday…and I plan to give it up for the day that is tomorrow.

I have a date with sugar.  A one day date.  Not to go crazy and eat anything and everything in sight.  Believe me, I’ve been there and done that.  But on Halloween my morning treat is going to be a vente, decaf skim-milk pumpkin spice latte, no whip.  Starbuck’s speak for a sugary, delicious Halloweeny treat.  Then my evening treat will be a Halloweeny cupcake from Bent Fork Bakery.  Mikey will join me in this evening treat.  (It turns out he likes cupcakes.  “Something plain,” he said, when I asked him what kind.  If you know him at all…it figures.)  These treats will replace my usual treat of several bags of Halloween candy: candy corn, marshmallow pumpkins, chocolate bars, and whatever else caught my eye at Walgreens.  🙂

We will purposefully and completely savor our Halloween treats.  And then on November 1, I plan to go cold-turkey again.  You see, after 73 days of being sugar-free, I like what I see and feel and hear, and taste and even smell.  Things just seem clearer and brighter and more intense when I’m not living under the shroud of sugar.  Confession time:  My name is Donna, and I am a sugar addict.  (The appropriate response is, “Hello, Donna.”)

My plan for today is to share this truth with you.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Efforts to Unearth the Past

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Day 67 in my amble toward a meeting with my favorite mouse

Yesterday was interesting.  I did remain sugar-free.  Yippee!  And I looked for a dance tape that I have from years back.  Yup, straight up VHS.  It’s from a program called “The Neuropsychology of Weight Control” by SyberVision Systems.  The program was really good, and talked about the “glycemic index” long before I had heard it anywhere else.  It suggested a cookbook called “Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat” by LaRene Gaunt which I have used often in the last 20 years.  And it came with an exercise VHS with a really pleasant woman, who talked you through several levels: beginner, intermediate and hard core.  I CANNOT remember the name of the tape.  ARGH!  But she even counted down one time in Finnish, the language of half my peeps.  So cool…and motivational!

So today’s plan is to continue the search for my awesome VHS cardio workout.  And to remain sugar-free.  And to make the best choices I can today.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: My goals for yesterday were accomplished.  And I did a 15 minute McDonald’s cardio workout DVD for the dance portion of my workout, followed by a five minute cool down walk.  I still miss Emi, but it’s good to get back to the routine of work and daily life.

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Eradicating Emotional Eating

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Day 66 in my expedition to maneuver to Mickey

Confession time: I am an emotional eater.  The problem is that it doesn’t matter the emotion.  If I am happy or celebrating, then what better way to celebrate than with my “favorite” foods?  Cupcakes or donuts or cheesecake and Cheetos and Bridge Mix, etc, etc, etc…  Or then if I’m bummed out (depressed) or just plain sad or tired and nostalgic,  what better way to comfort myself than with my “favorite” foods?  Yup, you guessed it:  cupcakes or donuts or cheesecake and Cheetos and Bridge Mix, etc, etc, etc…

I have just lived through a two week incredible high which was filled with family, fabulous friends and a lot of food.  Praise God, and thank you, dear readers, for keeping me accountable.  I made really good choices most of the time.  I remained sugar-free, and (tun-ta-da-da!) I ate NO wedding cake.  That is the first time in my life that I went to a wedding and didn’t eat SEVERAL pieces of wedding cake.  Instead I danced with my family, and boy oh boy, was it ever fun!!

Now Emi (my sweet daughter) has gone home.  The house is very quiet, and I am craving sugar like mad!  So today’s plan is to fight the urge.  I won’t make any promises about tomorrow, but for today I refuse to eat my emotions.  Instead, I’m going to allow myself to feel my emotions…to live through my emotions.  And I am going to eat in a balanced, nutritious and sensible manner.

And just for fun, I’m going to put on a music dvd and dance for twenty minutes reliving some of the fun of Nathan and Jordan’s wedding reception.  (BTW:  They are the cutest ever!  And their love is so precious to see!)

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW2: “favorite” is in quotes above because my new favorite foods are those that actually give nourishment to my body.  I am SUCH a work in progress.  🙂

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Recommitment to Change

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Day 65 in my  trek toward Mickey

Holy wah!  One year from today, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, we will be at Old Key West in the heart of Disney World.  I have twelve months to get to a healthier state.   So today I am recommitting myself to a healthier lifestyle.

  1. Stay sugar-free
  2. Walk more and further
  3.  Plan healthy, nutritious meals
  4. Keep blogging

My plan for today is to work out our menu for the week and make up a store list.  I am completely pooped out from our trip to the UP.   (Which was fantastic!!!)  AND Emi, my daughter, leaves back for home in England today.  So, this is what I call a low energy kind of day.

But tomorrow I plan to hit the ground running…well, walking.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Cavorting at the Carlsons

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Day 63 in my prance to the park that is the Magic Kingdom and my main mouse Mickey

I am still in the beautiful UP, and my day is all about visiting and drinking coffee.  I love me some coffee!  I usually just drink  about one cup of decaf a day, but in the UP all bets are off.  Caffeinated coffee well into the afternoon.  Yes, dear readers, I’m a bit buzzed.  🙂

Todays’ plan: We (Mike, Jake, Emi, Eliza and I) will go to dinner at Mama Mia’s tonight with my brothers and sister-in-law. It is a super-delicious Italian restaurant.  So my plan is to make healthy choices (no pasta tonight) at my  savory dinner.  Maybe a steak with veg.  I will however completely enjoy a piece of garlic bread.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I just turned down my friend Wayne’s homemade cinnamon rolls.  He did however make juustoa (a Finnish cheese).  That I did NOT turn down!  Yum!

 

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Today–I Dance!

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Day 62 in my dance toward Disney and my friend Mickey

Today’s plan is a day of planning.  I ate a delicious, nutritious breakfast.  I’ve made a healthy sandwich to get through the lunch hour.  I’m taking an apple for an afternoon snack.  And I will make the best possible choices at the wedding buffet this evening.

I want to dance today!  I hope to do so several times at the reception.  Woot!  Woot!  (Think Disco era hooting.)  This is my plan for my 20 minutes of “walking” today.  🙂

Shout out to Nathan and Jordan!  A Blessed Wedding Day to you.  Love you both!

Short and sweet today, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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A Day of Charming Choices

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Day 56 in my marathon to mambo with Mickey

Victory number one today: we met Jake and Eliza at Walker Brothers Pancake House in Highland Park.  I ordered the “Healthy Plate.”  It consisted of scrambled egg whites, fruit, and wheat germ granola pancakes with sugar-free syrup.  It was delicious!  I left two of four pancakes on my plate and some of the egg whites.

Victory number two: today’s plan was to walk for twenty minutes.  Because Emi had some shopping to do at Target, I stood and walked for 35 minutes!  Mischief managed, dear readers!   Or done deal, Dudes!

Victory number three: while we were there I shopped for the ingredients for “Weight  Watchers Chili.”  So good!  Tomato juice, black beans, dark red kidney beans, green beans and pinto beans tonight.  I usually include lean ground beef or ground turkey, but Emi is a vegetarian, so tonight’s version will just be extra beanie.  🙂  And I usually add a can of bean sprouts, because it’s like having noodles in the chili, but they didn’t have bean sprouts at Target.  Plus I’ll sauté onion and garlic first and add spices: chili powder, oregano, basil, red pepper, black pepper.  I don’t add salt to the pot because of the salt in the tomato juice and some of the canned beans.  I did manage to find some low-sodium beans though.

So all in all another fabulous day in Lake Bluff.  A special shout out to Jake and Eliza who are running their first 5K tonight…in the dark…through a graveyard.  Sounds about like a 5K that Jake would run, hey?  Love it!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Respectable Rewards

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Day 55 in my pilgrimage to the Magic Land of Mickey

What a wonderful, joyous day, dear readers.  My daughter Emi is here, so we went in for a real pampering today.  Emi, my daughter-in-law Eliza, and my dear fried Joan: there we were, the four of us, like pumpkins on a fence, all lined up for manis and pedis this morning at Graphic Nails.  It was complete luxury and a delightful reward for the hard work of living a healthier life.  About 55 days ago, my rewards were filled with sugar.  Cupcakes, candy bars, ice creams, brownies, mochas, pumpkin spice lattes, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate…  And I used plural words because I ate and drank plural amounts of copious foods to satisfy a hunger that could NOT be satisfied by sugar.

No more.  Instead I’m going to be good to my body.  So today my plan was to trade in rotten rewards for some respectable rewards…and I did.  I enjoyed delightful conversation with some of my favorite people in the world while being massaged, scrubbed, clipped and painted.  It was bliss!  Then off to a very healthy lunch with Emi and Joan.  (Eliza had a previous lunch commitment with Grandpa Toser.  Hi to Tom!)  Wildberry.  Do you know it?  Delicious, organic ingredients in dishes that you can build yourself.  I had a veggie, omelet, rye toast and fruit.  Now I’m home feeling completely sated and pampered.  It was a respectable reward, and  I am so grateful for this day.

Love to you and yours, dear readers.  Blessings on you, too.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Working on Work Days

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Day 51 in my destiny to dance with Mickey

Today’s plan is all about the lifestyle:

  1. I will remain sugar-free.
  2. I will move more often at work.
  3. I will cook us a healthy, nutritious meal tonight.  (I think “left-over turkey” whole-wheat quesadillas with a salad)
  4. I will spend some quiet time reminding myself that I am precious in God’s sight, therefore, I have value as a human being.  (In other words, the work is worth it!  And if God loves me, then maybe I can love me, too, by taking care of myself.)
  5. I will visualize myself walking around the Magic Kingdom, as I take a little walk after work today.

This is pretty much the way my work days look now.  So different from just 50 days ago!  And so much better!

Thank you for reading, dear friends.  Meet you at the Kingdom!