past the half way point :+)

Today has been my 11th day of no added sugar, my goal is to make it 21 days. i've passed up ice cream cake at the office yesterday too. I feel freaken awesome right now. i know that a "taste" will not hurt me... i just don't want to at this point. no chocolate, no cake, no pie, no ice cream, and i won't even do my sugar free chocolate pudding yet.... no splenda or other artificial sweetener. Love my tea brewed with out anything added... i do a green tea with a hint of red raspberry herbal tea........ still have my frozen berries with my protein shake. haven't had anything processed this week. have been sticking to, chicken, fish, turkey,veggies, limited potatoes, herbs, olive oil, vinegar and brown mustard...... yummmy!!
i make these turkey burgers that both bill and i just love... ground turkey breast, chopped red sweet pepper, chopped red onion, chili powder, Cheddar cheese shredded (i use less than a cup for 12 servings), sea salt, and pepper. i form into patty's and freeze them. so every morning i go to my freezer and pull out either a piece of fish, chicken, or the turkey burger for my meal. The other evening i made Bill and I the burger..... pan fried in a little olive oil put on one of those 100 calorie whole wheat rounds with lettuce tomato and brown mustard. Bill asked me where the potato's or rice or noodles or chips were? I told him it wasn't needed.... i am learning i do not have to have 3 or 4 courses to my meals... and he agreed.
well i am still at work and need to get going........ another busy day tomorrow.
the photo is from my office door.... step out from my desk two steps and i am surrounded by flowers. Have a great day and many blessings........ hope to get out on the trial for a 5 mile hike or more this weekend...... test my orthotics out so i can go back to doctor on my next appointment and give him some information.

My NO sugar days remain intact

Today was my seventh day of No added sugar ( i only get sugar from low glycemic fruits at this point). and i did not falter from the path ;+)
I must be honest, it isn't hard right now, not like it was earlier this week. for instance today My group from work went Kayaking, and afterwards we met for a lunch of "Bills" wings, apples, rice crispy treats and Bill ended up picking up and bring some kind of chocolate covered Oreo cookies. I DID NOT HAVE ONE, and actually when i made the Rice crispy treats, i started to mindlessly put a hunk in my mouth, but caught myself in time. I am 1/3 of the way to my 21 day Sugarless Quest! Today I had a few chips, but next week, i am going to incorporate no "none sugar" junk foods.... which would eliminate chips, no matter how few, and other processed foods.
I must tell the truth, my body is dying from doing a three hour Kayak trip, not sure if my arms are still attached. i also ended up in the River twice.... both times i had to walk to the shore, dump the water out of the kayak and get back in........ thank goodness for my Buddy Jeff, gentlemen still exist in this world, i mean besides my husband :O). he stayed with me, and helped me empty my kayak. my co workers, and the boss i have are incredible. such beautiful people. So much more to say about Kayaking, but dang i think i'm gonna go to bed.... maybe i'll chat later............

The Fifth Day !!!

Yesterday was a repeat of the day before no added sugar day. again had my shake with berries. lunch was grilled chicken breast with red peppers. dinner my co worker Jeff made Caribou in a homemade tomato sauce with whole wheat pasta, i even tasted pigeon ( similar to beef in texture) didn't have much of that.... not sure i liked it yet. so i had my light yogurt with berries, and then i had a grilled chicken flavored with buffalo sauce in a tortilla with lettuce, a little blue cheese dsg and a TB. of shredded Cheddar when i got home.
So i have finally, at least for now, got over the intense craving and need for sweets. And i am almost afraid to start even with a taste again for fear i will not stop. I am going to keep this going for 21 days....... that seems like an impossible task,.......so i'll just take it one day at a time. that it takes 21 days to break a habit........ wonder if that is true?
Well another busy day, i go to my foot doctor today. my foot aches so bad and sometimes the burning throbbing pain wakes me up from a dead sleep. i have new orthotics that i am picking up this morning, and then i am heading to work..... Sam is injured today and isn't even dressing for football so i may stay home and start washing clothes. we went two weeks without a washing machine, Our new one came in yesterday........ can't wait to use it and get caught up.
Have a great day and a relaxing weekend.

Day THREE........ was a four star day

yesterday was my third day of no added sugar. And other than a short time in the evening..... I did not miss it. my morning protien shake has 3 grams of sugar, plus the sugar from my frozen raspberries. that was breakfast, lunch was 3 oz of grilled fish and 1/2 cup of fresh cut pineapple, dinner was two slices of thin crust pizza, snack was light yogurt with raspberries. I drank tons of water.
I love my Krill oil, and a couple of months ago i started Bill on it. well he just saw his doctor today to get the results back from his lab work. before his Cholesterol was 346, sadly he hasn't changed his eating habits yet...... and i am not saying it WAS the Krill oil, but that is the only thing that has changed.... His Cholesterol is still high but it is 236, and that was only being on Krill a little less than a month. they gave him a Cholesterol medication to take for 30 days. He wants to try eating right and the Krill to see if the numbers can drop without using the medication. So i will keep you posted.
busy next couple of days for me......... heading to work soon, then i have to work the concession stand at the football game, just to come home to sleep, and start again on friday..... work, football game, home late........... :0).
Have a blessing filled day

Survived day II

Well yesterday another day with no added Sugar, didn't realize how many sweets was in this house.... until i looked, i am EVEN living with Oreo cookies in the house and did not have one!!! they are in the house for a recipe that the kids love, "Dirt", cool whip, chocolate pudding, oreo's and gummy worms. yesterday was easier than the day before, so i am hoping that today will follow the same pattern. One more day of just focusing on Sugar, and then i will start to focus on more simple carbs, i had a baked red potato, and a little mashed potato yesterday and 6 tortilla chips. and i did have pasta last night.... Actually i need to focus on portion sizes before i focus on simple carbs. I notice the Lapband is finally starting to tolerate a little more food, so I may call and change the date for me fill, especially if i am decreasing my Cardio cause of my foot issues.
Today i go to work, and i am hoping that it is a decent day........ we shall see, what will be will be.
Have a great day folks

Cravings

Yesterday NO SUGAR, Nada, Nothing, Zip. I should actually say no added sugar because there are alot of natural foods that have natural sugars, but damn.... i am talking about a bite of Blueberry coffee cake, a small chunk of chocolate, a sliver of homemade apple pie, a taste of rice crispy treat or a chocolate Zinger.......... My lapband prevents me from sitting down and eating alot of any of the above, but it doesn't stop me from "tasting" it all day long :0(. And this is where i have to be accountable.

I was going to eat strictly just veggies and lean protein yesterday. BUT i figured that would be too hard right now and set me up for failure. So for three days i will focus on No SWEET treats.

I still have my shake which is low sugar, with some frozen berries. i am not doing any type of bread, my carbs are some fruit and a type of potato. *not french fries either. I did eat more low fat cheese yesterday, because i'd grab a chunk of that when i really wanted the apple pie. so today i'll be more in tune with my 3 hour rule. (*using my alarm on my watch)

You see, my foot isn't doing the greatest, and i know soon here my Cardio is going to get cut back. This weekend we surprised my dear friend Kellie in Ohio by attending the Chairi Walk. it was only a 5k, however it was on a paved road, and i still feel it!! I have two options, i either stop hiking and postpone surgery for 10 or more years...... or I get my foot fixed. it is a no brainer.... hiking, being out on those trails are a part of my heart and soul. Until i figure out if/when surgery is going to occur i will just bike a little more than I hike. Well i should figure out what i am going to do in the exercise department now....... i also babysit today and i have to take my son Sam to get fitted for a leg brace (*injured in football)

Have a blessed day

.........so yucky!!!!!

yesterday i didn't feel well, today started out okay, but as the day slowly ends, not feeling it! and then i realized, although i cannot eat alot of food, i am not eating the right food, too much sugar, too much carbs, too much processed junk....... who's fault?..... MINE, what's the excuse? .. ISN'T ANY!. who is in control of what i put in my mouth? ME. So i am going to make a conscious effort to clean up my gut, tomorrow i plan on my morning shake, actually i think i'll have that for lunch too........ and for my meal........ a serving.... ( Pulling out my small plate again) with 1/2 of veggies, 1/4 of complex carb, 1/4 of lean protein. my fourth meal will be 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of Red Raspberries. Back to measuring my water for a few days to make sure i am getting it.....
I am so used to eating so healthy, i think even a few days of this really shocks my body.... they had a special on this today on the daytime show The Doctors Eating wrong does put stress on your body. and that is what i know i am feeling........

:(, i'll chat later and let you know how it is going......

My Faith

A quote i used on Facebook today:

Go ahead burn a Bible.... the Word lives in my heart......... burn an American flag....my pride for this country lives in my soul. These can't be touched. my boss is Muslim, and i am pretty sure his faith in God isn't going to change with a burning of words on paper... the man that wants to burn the Qur'an wants attention.... and that is what he is getting :0(

this spring it will be two years since i started working for a Muslim Doctor.... and i am learning so much. I was curious about his religion and was asking him a lot of questions... he picked me up a simple book for me to read......... I loved reading the book. You see the Islam faith do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God......... Jesus Christ is the heart of my Faith! Learning about other Religions, has not hurt my Faith, but my Love for Jesus has strengthened.

Of course Dr. C (my boss) is still a man with human flaws as WE all are flawed, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim etc. It doesn't matter. There are extremest in all religions, not the majority BUT the minority.... look at the White supremacy Christians too. The Christian extremist that killed and murdered for centuries....... Religion has been the influence of War since the beginning of time. and will be so until the end of time :0(.

Dr. C believes that he is put on earth to help mankind, hmmm, that is what i believe too. I was thinking not too long ago ....... the people that touch my life in a way that made me want to live more like what I feel Jesus stands for........ happen to be one Christian Minister ( pastor Tom), and three Muslim Drs. (Dr. Chaudhary, Dr. Ahmed, and Dr. Jabir) .

I am a born again Christian, Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I can learn from the Islam and Buddhist religion, I can honor my Faith by respecting others.

okay so enough of this, i could go on and on today for some reason......however i must get to work..... there is tons to do and i am going early... then i go directly to work the concession stand at the Junior high football game..... won't be home until 9 or 10 tonight

Have a wonderful day....

20 MILES today

went Biking today, did another part of the ghost town trail. Bill drove me towards Ebensberg and then he met me at another trail head about 20 miles away. 5 miles into the journey i realized that my tires were low on air..... not a good thing on the type of trail I was on. and i had to work extra hard to move the bike.... Me miss prepared one......... my tire pump was not in my bag. * there is one in my backpack NOW!!! it didn't start out well either, i got stung by something in the trapezius muscle *between neck and shoulder. it started to burn and throb so bad and started swelling up, i used my sting relief spray (had that in my backpack) and was holding my benadryl and my inhaler, waiting to see if i'd get wheezy.... NO wheezing. but even now hours later, it is red and swollen and the entire muscle is throbbing. My feet cramped on and off today but more tolerable than the last time i biked 20 miles. Oh and i can't forget I had to pee so bad, and didn't want to wait 10 miles to the next trail head with a bathroom.... it was busy today..... so it wasn't easy to just go somewhere on the trial.... found a spot..... climbed down an embankment~over a small stream~up another embankment~behind a tree~ the quickest pee i've ever had~ back down the embankment~crossing the stream~back up the embankment and back to my bike, ....... in about a minute. i was out of breath.... i got time to put on my backpack, get on my bike before another biker passed me..... i think my heart rate never really recovered.... it was a beautiful day......... and i soaked it all in......... I so love biking.......... an even though it wasn't a perfect ride......... i wouldn't have it any other way.......
Have a great week........ i babysit tomorrow........