Two Year Anniversary of Eating Cleaner

We recently celebrated our second year anniversary of eating cleaner as well as our 49th wedding anniversary! Along with anniversary wishes, several friends commented on our weight loss and the fact that we are keeping it off. That is the challenge for so many of us who have battled weight for years. So, I am prompted to do a blog update!

Hubby and I are both at the stage where we are no longer really trying to lose weight, but want to maintain where we are. I weigh 80 pounds less than I did 2 years ago, & hubby has lost 140 pounds. We did not find find a magic diet, nor did we do weight loss surgery. We have just changed our view of eating.

The main thing we have accepted is that we can't give in to eating just because it tastes good. We like most everything, so we are more selective in what we eat. The main thing, though, is that we are careful to not eat too much. It really has become a way of life!

So, what did we do? We watch carbs and calories, limit sugar and starches, and eat very little grain. So, what do we eat? We smoke, grill, or bake meat. We're very creative with salads, eat lots of fresh or frozen veggies, and enjoy fresh fruit as a treat. It's really simple, clean eating. We hardly ever buy much  processed food.

We try to get some exercise each day. We enjoy walking the trails in our neighborhood, but sometimes yard work is the 'chosen' exercise. It actually feels empowering to be able to walk briskly without getting short-winded or being in pain.

When we go out, we may indulge in favorites such as Tex-Mex or fresh Gulf-coast seafood. We just don't order the huge platters, and it is more special when you don't have it daily. Instead of buying a half gallon of ice cream, we buy a pint. I've found several good recipes for making cake in a mug in the microwave. Anytime we treat ourselves, we are extra careful to get back on track the next day!

Our journey was not for vanity, but better health. My hubby has gone from 6 blood pressure pills a day to 1, and no longer has elevated cholesterol or sugar levels. The fact that we may look better is a bonus! His recent lab work resulted in his doc saying to keep doing whatever he is doing!

In closing, I encourage everyone to find "Whatever Works" to be healthier. For us, we just had to change our eating habits. When we look at pictures of when we were heavier, it's like,"Who are those people?"  Notice the pictures above. I think they look like completely different people. We don't plan on ever going back!

14 Month Anniversary of Eating Healthier!

I will never forget the day 14 months ago that Earl got the phone call from his doctor's office that changed our lifestyle. He was told that his bad cholesterol was high, the good was low, & his sugar was also high. Nothing was bad enough for meds, but awfully close. It was very easy to convince him that it was time to look at our eating habits. We refuse to think of ourselves "on a diet". "Diets" fail when you get off them. Been there, done that! We had to sincerely make a change.

 Vanity was not the reason for our change in eating, but the results have been amazing. Earl has lost 140 pounds, and I have lost 77! We consider ourselves to be in maintenance mode. We are not really trying to lose any more, but refuse to gain it back! We feel fortunate to have each other for support.

It is rather amusing when we see someone we haven't seen in a while. The really funny thing is that when we look at old pictures, it is hard to recognize those people! First pic is October 2015. Second is July 2014.

We did this totally on our own, no medicine or surgery, and no particular program. The basic idea is watching carbs, avoiding grains, avoiding refined sugar, and avoiding packaged foods. That means we buy lots of fresh or frozen veggies, fresh fruit, and raw meat. It's really pretty simple! We do "cheat"from time to time, but the next day we resume healthier eating. We both feel that our metabolism has changed, and we just don't eat nearly as much as used to.

We both feel so much better, and are amazed the difference this has made! We have both had to buy a whole new wardrobe. We have both gone from the "Plus Size/Big Man's" departments to regular sizes. When we eat out, we no longer have to request a table because of concern that the booth might be too tight. Earl can now easily tie his shoes. I could go on and on.

I do have a couple more ideas for posts on food that I plan to share soon. Here is a simple recipe that we came up with that we really enjoy, and it is goes with so many things!

Most cole slaw is either too sweet or greasy for my taste, so we revised it to suit us. We like this with smoked chicken, smoked pork, ribs, fish; just about anything! I call it "Revved Up Cole Slaw".

Dressing:
Blend 1/3 C bottled Cole Slaw Dressing, 1/3 C Honey Mustard Dressing, 1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar, about 3/4 C finely chopped Cilantro, and 1 heaping teaspoon red pepper. (The red pepper makes it pretty spicy, so if you prefer, you might use a bit less.) The Honey Mustard and red pepper really give this a unique flavor!

Stir this into a 16 oz. bag of Cole Slaw mix. We have also added chopped bell pepper and a few tomatoes at times. This is really a nice change from lettuce type salad, and it holds well for a few days.

Staying on course is the hardest part! Focus on change, not results!

 

The choices of weight loss plans/programs can be over-whelming! Finding one to fit your preferences and lifestyle is a very personal choice. Starting any given program is relatively easy; staying on course is the hard part!

So many times Earl and I have “gone on a diet”, or tried a “program”, only to give up on it and just resume old habits. But something is different this time. We consider our “clean eating” a lifestyle change and each of us supports the other to stick with it. We are approaching the 8 month anniversary of changing our eating habits, and are amazed with the results! Earl has lost 107 pounds, and I’ve lost 61! We have focused on changing habits, and are seeing the results.

We are basically following the Paleo diet, with just a few tweaks to suit us personally. The main thing is the fact that we are keeping on keeping on! I would like to share a few points that have helped us to stay the course.

·         Leaning on each other has probably been the largest contributing factor. Each of us has been the “support” for the other. This has actually brought us closer!

·         Earl printed a picture of himself at his highest weight as a reminder to not go back there.

·         Plan ahead! We do not keep any junk food in the house. We always keep fresh fruit and salad fixings on hand. I usually have some kind of meat cooked in the fridge.

·         Vary the menu! We continue to find “new ideas” that keep us from getting bored. We recently discovered how yummy spaghetti squash is. In our fridge right now are the remnants of the first pulled pork roast I’ve ever cooked.

·         When going to a social function, go prepared. If it is a potluck, take a dish that fits your regimen. Somebody else might enjoy it as well! Sometimes taking a protein bar or piece of fruit for yourself might serve the purpose.

·         If you allow yourself to cheat, do so in moderation. Then go right back to your plan! We have to indulge in Mexican food occasionally, but we’re careful in what we order. Then we eat extra light for a couple of days.

·         Study menus of favorite restaurants so that you have several places to choose from when you eat out. Most places offer low carb or lighter choices on their menu. One of our faves is a certain barbecue place where we just order meat. Yes, barbecue is good without the bread and potato salad!

Hopefully these ideas might help someone, or at least jog your thoughts to come up with ideas to help you stay on track in your plans to live a healthier lifestyle. Just try to find what will work for you personally and keep on keeping on!

 

“Whatever Works” instead of Potato Salad

 

With summer grilling season approaching, I’ve been trying to think of something to enjoy with our grilled chicken or ribs that we love so much. I used to make a big bowl of Potato Salad and Baked Beans. Now that we are watching carbs, both of those ideas don’t sound too appealing.

Now I tried taking cauliflower and mashing it up to sub for mashed potatoes some time back and must admit I was not too fond of it. But I decided to go with that idea and flavor it up to see if I could make an acceptable dish. I realize that some of you will be skeptical, but my hubby and I were quite happy with the result!

Here is my version of “Whatever Works instead of Potato Salad”:

16 oz. package frozen cauliflower

3 eggs, boiled, peeled, and diced (sprinkle with black pepper)

2 Tablespoons Mayo

4 Tablespoons Mustard

4 Tablespoons Pickle Relish

2 Tablespoons finely diced red onion

Dash Paprika

Bring enough water to cover cauliflower to a boil. Add frozen cauliflower. After it resumes boiling, cook for 6 minutes. Remove about one third of cauliflower and cube it, as you would cube potatoes in a regular potato salad. Place rest of cauliflower in blender, add mustard and pulse it till it is creamy like mashed potatoes. Put this mixture into a bowl and add all other ingredients. Refrigerate. Enjoy!

I did not add salt to anything! I was careful to not be too generous with the mayo, but did use a little for creaminess. We always like mustard in potato salad, so that helped add flavor. The only change I might try is to add a little celery for extra crunch.

This made enough for 4 generous servings. I made a rough calculation, using information of each ingredient, and estimate each of those 4 servings to have about 116 calories and 9 g Carbs. Now that is better than potato salad!

 

 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

We have been on this journey of “eating cleaner” for almost 6 months now.  Earl’s total weight loss is 90 pounds, while mine is 50!  We are sincerely not bored with our new way of eating, but are constantly open to trying new dishes that fit into our regimen.

This post will feature what we had for lunch yesterday, a scrumptious Strawberry Spinach Salad. I studied several recipes online before I decided exactly what ingredients to use. The first picture shows ingredients: 6 ounces Baby Spinach, 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ½ cup chopped onion (I used 2 green onions), 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese (Feta would also be good.), and ½ cup Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.

Just mix and enjoy! With strawberries coming in season, we will definitely have this again soon!  It was so yummy!

Burger Time!

 

Doesn’t this look yummy! Whatever works! This is how we do it when we are ready for a burger. To be gluten free, I had been ordering my burgers without the bun for years, but Earl never tried it till now.  We grilled big old juicy burgers, but are staying grain free.

We have plenty of veggies on the side.  I even grilled a green pepper, just for extra flavor.  With a dollop of mustard on the plate, it is ready to devour!  We just use a fork to cut everything into bite size pieces. Put some veggie pieces onto the fork with each bite of meat, dip a little mustard onto it, and you have all the flavor of a good burger without the carbs from the bun.

One of the challenges of keeping this a lifestyle change rather than a diet is to keep it varied. This is one of those meals that help us do it.  Who could feel deprived with this colorful plate?

Whatever Works! Solving the Salad Dressing Dilemma

It seems that we are frequently eating salads for our meals these days.  So I am excited to share with you a little tip that we discovered recently!

Studying labels can be so time consuming, frustrating, and just downright confusing.  When buying bottled salad dressing, this has certainly been the case!  When comparing “light” or “reduced fat’ dressing to the “regular”, often the carbs and sodium are much higher. On top of that, I watch out for MSG and gluten.  So, what to do?

I do sometimes make dressing, but Hubby was actually eating his without dressing until we made this major discovery!  Sorry, but I’m not quite that dedicated.  (I also must give him the credit for making the discovery.)

For our basic salad, we start with a bed of chopped romaine with a little baby spinach.  Next we sprinkle chopped red bell pepper.  They are so flavorful and give some crunch.  A few slices of cucumber are nice.  Sliced or cubed avocado is a must-have! Chopped tomato is good, but with our amazing discovery, not a necessity! 

So, here it is – our amazing discovery!  Instead of salad dressing, use salsa!  YUMMY!  Here is a chart comparing the salsa and a dressing we have in our fridge.

2 T Salsa: 10 Calories 0 gram Fat 240 mg Sodium 2 Carbs

2 T Honey Mustard Dressing: 90 Calories 6 grams Fat 270 mg Sodium 8 Carbs

So it’s easy to see how subbing salsa reduces calories, fat, sodium, and carbs! (I might mention that the numbers on some bottled dressing are much higher than those I used here.)

Here is a picture of my salsa dressed salad.  (I did use about 1 T Blue Cheese dressing along with the 2 T Salsa, just because I like the added creaminess.  Hubby is using only the salsa, with no added dressing.) This is just another example of what is working at our house to keep us on track with eating healthier.  Whatever works!