It's Time to Put My Money Where My Mouth Is

After 6 months of cancer treatment for my husband ~ I found out today that my always good blood lipids are totally out of control. My doctor says try 2 months of diet and exercise before resorting to drugs.  Now that's a plan I respect!

I always knew this day would come.  I've been preaching the benefits of low carb eating for years.  I've responded to my husband's eating of pie, cake, cookies, candy, etc. with "that sh_t will kill ya" for even more years.  While that kind of sugar hasn't passed my lips since I was 40 years old (and that was before the year 2000) I haven't always lived by my own rules of low carb eating.  Nevermind that it made me feel great.  Nevermind that I was the thinnest I had been since 18 (and that was before the year 1980!)  Nevermind that I absolutely believe that our medical community is generally clueless about proper nutrition and that our government is more interested in keeping the corn industry going that really understanding what's good for our health.  I didn't always follow my own rules, often consuming foods that I personally think we are really  not designed to eat.  I will just have to give myself credit for not breaking the no sugar, no trans fats and never ever HFCS rules rather than beating myself up for often breaking my own no refined carbs rule.  I can't help it, I've always been a rule breaker.

But no more!  It's time to actually prove what I've always believed.  I had my annual check up and guess what - my cholestrol was totally out of whack and all over the place.  This from a woman who is not overweight, never eats processed foods and follows the rules above.  My doctor - God love her - instead of saying "here's a scrip for NastyCholesterolLoweringChemical drug" she said "change your diet and exercise and come back in 60 days."  Yes, she's awesome.  A doctor who actually recommends lifestyle change instead of pushing a prescription is the one for me.

So...if I were to ask her what diet should I be on...you all know what she would say.  It wouldn't be the Atkins diet or some version of it.  But I absolutely believe that strict adherence to a low-carb, high protein diet made up exclusively of proteins, vegetables and good fats will turn my numbers around.  And for those of you who don't believe - I am about to prove it. 

So follow along while I document this journey - beginning tomorrow 4/19 with results measured on 6/2.  That's about 7 weeks of a major lifestyle change involving diet and the most dreaded thing of all - regular exercise.  UGH.

I knew this day would come.  The day when I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted, do whatever I wanted (or not do what I should), and still have those awesome blood lipids.  That's ok - I'm thinking I'm pretty lucky to have made it this long.  And now I'm about to not only prove that Bob (that's Dr. Robert Atkins you know) was right, but also that you can teach an old dog new tricks.  Exercise and diet tricks, that is.

How Much Do We Hate the Word Lymphoma?!

Yesterday my husband had a needle biopsy on a lump in his neck.  It's a lymph gland that was swelling up and down as the result of a bone infection he had last year - and then it never went down.  That's the good news, but still we have to be sure it's not something else.  Yesterday was the first time I'd heard the word "lymphoma" used in reference to my husband - or anyone I love for that matter.  I can hardly bear to write it and I certainly cannot say it. 

I am quickly learning how when you're dealing with this kind of problem there's more uncertainly than fact.   The biopsy results will tell us if it IS the dreaded L word, but they will not tell us for sure that it is not.  The blood tests he's already had don't LOOK like there's anything to be worried about - but we can't tell for sure from that either.   When will we know for sure?  And how?  I don't know. 
So we'll see and we are both optimistic.  He is strong, healthy, young and feeling fine - there's just this gland that is still there.  The bone infection didn't come from poor health, it came from a surgery he had after breaking a bone.   Everything points to all is ok. 

But in the meantime I am haunted by the hated word Lymphoma and am thoughtful of the so many others who have gone through the uncertainty, the hope, and the despair of a loved one with any kind of illness.
No Rachael Ray talk today.  I'm focusing my mental energy elsewhere.

Why is Everyone Around Me So Overweight?

Maybe it's because I'm writing this blog, but suddenly I am noticing the number of women around me who are overweight. Like yesterday at Sam's, I'm there during the early business hours so there are a smaller number of people in the store - and mostly women. Women who are much younger than I and not one appeared to be under 200 pounds - some didn't even appear to be under 300 pounds. What is going on? How does this happen to these poor women? Please know I am not judging. I am old enough to remember when being that size was not the norm. I look at these women and feel like they must have accepted their size and all of the health conditions that go with it. They must feel powerless to do anything about it.

So my question really isn't rooted in "why is everyone so overweight?" but really more in "why does everyone feel so powerless?" For one I suspect that losing that kind of weight must just feel OVERWHELMING - especially when we all have other responsibilities in our lives. I have not experienced the need to lose major pounds and I can only imagine the struggle it must be. I also suspect that because it's a struggle, these women feel like failures. It's hard to stay motivated when that little voice in your head is saying "you're fat, you're not disciplined, you're a failure." That alone makes weight loss overwhelming, even if you have only 5 pounds to lose! But how did they get to that weight in the first place? That's really the question.

I am here to say that we are not failing ourselves, our food system fails us. The way food is managed in this country sets us up for nothing but failure. We're busy, we're working, we're raising families and we're encouraged to buy foods that are in a box and we just throw them together. That is if we're even cooking at all which I suspect most of these women are not. It takes time, it takes energy, it takes planning and I'm sure some are afraid it takes skill. (I would disagree.) The whole idea of preparing healthy food to care for the one and only body we have is also OVERWHELMING. And besides, if the food in the stores and we see on TV isn't good for us it wouldn't be there, right? Wrong.

This is all exactly why I am out to prove that I can lose pounds, prepare easy and quick meals with as little effort as possible (with Rachael's help) and fuel myself and my family with healthy, delicious food. I know it's going to work and I hope my little experiment will help at least one other person.

So last night was Beef Stew with Buttered Noodles from Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2009. This meal was SPECTACULAR. It is not beef stew in the traditional way - the only vegetable is onions - which made it especially good. The beef was tender. The sauce was delicious without being loaded with fat. The addition of the vinegar and the cocoa powder along with the subtle sweetness of the tiny bit of brown sugar gives this dish a rich flavor unlike a plan old pot roast. And best of all - it was super easy. I made mine in my crock pot. It took less than 5 minutes to put together and then 8 hours later - tender, delicious beef. I did not use the noodles - I had broccoli on the side instead - but my family loved it on the noodles too. This one is a 5 star keeper.



http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/on-hand-ingredients-recipes/Beef-Stew-with-Buttered-Egg-Noodles

Quality Over Quantity - This Week's Results Are In!

I lost only 1/2 pound this week which is a little disappointing but I am not surprised. I'm still figuring out the rules of my "Losing Weight with Rachael Ray" program. In my first week I faced a few challenges.

1. Figuring out the right portions.
I believe that diets fail for two reasons. I think the primary one is that while dieting people feel deprived of the things they love. So....the concept I'm experimenting with is losing weight while still eating the things I love, but in the right amounts. This is where quality over quantity comes in. I don't know about you, but I'd rather eat only a few bites of food that I love than a whole bowl of boring food that I only like. Let me illustrate the point with a food that is my personal all time weakness - mashed potatoes. First, I save them for special occasions, this is not a daily treat. But when I do eat them - only those few times per year - I make them with lots of butter and with cream instead of milk. They are rich and decadent, yes. But every bite tastes spectacular. I would much rather eat only 1/2 cup of those decadent potatoes only a few times per year than eat potatoes made with fat free milk and only a pat of butter more often. I'm not a sweets lover but for those who are it's the same concept. Only a half-cup of full fat, high end ice cream is so much better than an entire bowl of low-fat frozen ice milk, right? And you know - the lower fat products are all loaded with other crap to give them flavor and mouth feel - so you're just consuming a bunch of chemical anyway. So as I'm cooking up these recipes from Rachael, I have to find the right portion to provide weight loss (and maintenance later) without feeling deprived. I didn't do so well on that this week but no worries - that one I know I can get figured out and stick to.

(The second reason I think diets fail is because people don't eat the right things - including way too much processed food which is loaded with crap that our bodies react to. I do not believe weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight is as simple as calories in must be less than calories burned. Our bodies are WAY too complex for our nutrition and health needs to be that simple. But more on that another time.)

2. Eating 3 small meals per day - I have to eat to lose.
I learned LONG ago that if I skip meals I do not lose weight. I suspect it is because I may consume more in the meal that I do eat. On top of that, when you skip a meal your insulin levels drop (and as a mild hypoglycemic my insulin is very sensitive) and then when you eat, your body is flooded with insulin, then it drops quickly causing all kinds of issues. Insulin roller coasters are BAD. (You know how you eat something sweet and you feel like you want more and more? That's your body responding to the insulin. That's what causes cravings - the insulin roller coaster.) Sustained, even insulin levels are good. The body will not burn fat if insulin levels are too high. And for me, protein 3 times a day keeps my insulin levels just right. I didn't have one day this week that I ate protein 3x a day. I am vowing to this week and I think we'll see the difference by next week's weigh in.

So for those of you who follow low-fat diets I'm sure you're reading my blogs and thinking "of course you didn't lose much - you're eating meatballs and broccoli cheese soup!" I hear you - and I don't blame you for thinking that. But stay with me - I'm out to prove that you can eat those things and lose.  

Just Because I Eat Moose Doesn't Mean I Like Sarah Palin

You know how every guy has his obsessive hobby right?  It can be football, baseball, working on cars, racing motorcycles - the list is endless.  But whatever it is, our guys are IN to it.  Well my husband's thing is hunting.  Not the kind of hunting where you put the trophy on the wall, the kind where you fill up the freezer.   And every few years he goes to Canada for moose hunting.  Before you judge let me tell you that moose meat is delicious.  It's low fat, it's tender, and best of all it's full of Omega 3s.  I just finished reading a book about disease in this country and how we're all fat and sick because we're not eating as our bodies are designed to.  Our ancestors did not eat corn fed beef with hormones and antibiotics.  This feeding process leaves the meat with little Omega 3 - a cornerstone to nutritional health.  Our ancestors ate wild game which is loaded with Omega 3s.  So that's one more reason to feel good about eating moose that was taken in a much more humane way that cattle are - and carefully processed at home. 

So what does any of this have to do with Sarah Palin?  This is a weight loss chronicle, not a political debate, but why is it that anytime we mention that we eat wild game people think we're conservative Republicans riding the Sarah Palin train?  No, no, no.  Wild game + hunting does not always equal Conservative.  Now that we've got that straight, back to the matter at hand.

So what does this have to do with Losing Weight with Rachael Ray?  Well last night we had the Hot Stuffed Meatball Subs from the October 2009 Everyday with Rachael Ray mag.  The absolute best meatballs ever are made with moose meat.  Tender, delicious, and not at all gamey, once you've had a meatball this way you'll never go back to beef.  We'll being true to my experiment, I did not use moose in Rachael's meatballs.  Rachael wouldn't use moose and the recipe certainly didn't suggest it as a substitution.  I should have listened to my instincts - while the meal was ok - the meatballs were harder and greasier than I like.  I am not thinking that meal contributed to my weight loss plan at all.  I am out to prove that you can eat delicious creative food (ala Rachael Ray) and lose weight too.  This recipe has no place in that plan.

Tomorrow's weigh in day - I've had some slip ups this week so I'm not too hopeful.  More on that tomorrow.....

Flank Steak - Deliciously Flavorful Meat or Dog Treat? - How to Know the Diffrence

Flank steak, where have you been all my life? Rachael's contribution to our diet last night was Dry Rubbed Flank Steak with Basil Butter from the June/July issue with Every Day with Rachael Ray. We are big grillers at our house I have no idea why we have never grilled flank steak. It was fabulous! The rub was the perfect mix of sweet/spicy. The basil butter was amazing - mostly because I pulled the basil from the garden right before eating it. What's better than that? Sadly those garden days will soon end here in Nebraska.

The key component here though is not an ingredient - it's the perfection in which my husband cooked this steak. Typically he overcooks which I suspect has more to do with his ability to be easily distracted than it does with cooking skill. We prefer our meat on the rare side and I suspect with this cut overcooking is the difference between enjoying a delicious meal vs. grilling up a dog treat - which is what this steak would have been if he had overcooked it.

Another 5 star Rachael Ray night! Rachael's not with us tonight but she'll be back Friday for Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.

And with all of this talk of steak and butter - I have not forgotten that the goal here is weight loss! 

Don't Blame it on Rachael...Blame it on the Frankenchicken

Smart Chicken is expensive!  So all I can say is thank God I didn't spend my money on the Smart Chicken.  It would not have made this night any better and I would have just felt worse for wasting my money.   Rachael and Food Network joined our party last night - here's what I made:

Double Stuffed Chicken Breasts
(from Every Day with Rachael Ray October 2009)
  and...

Sesame Broccoli
(from Food Network Magazine October 2010)


Here's the deal with the chicken.  First, by no fault of Rachael's and her fine culinary team, the chicken I was able to find at my local grocer that was bone in - skin on was NOT the coveted Smart Chicken.  The breasts I bought, who's producer will go unnamed, were HUGE.  No normal chicken will grow to have a breast this size - these were clearly some sort of Frankenchicken.  I recall reading about chickens who are fed feed and hormones causing them to grow such large breasts they cannot even stand up.  I almost cried when I opened the package and saw that I had unknowlingly taken part in such a cruel and disgusting practice.  No one could even eat a breast that big. 

But I'm on a mission, these poor chickens were already dead and in my fridge, so I must press on.  Preparation of this recipe was easier than expected.  Taste, however, was less than expected.  This is just a boring dish with little flavor.  I give it only 2 stars - and one of those is just because it may have been better with real chicken rather than Frankenchicken.  I'm guessing you sacrifice tasts for size.  Typically American preference don't you think?   No one hated it but no one loved it either and I won't be making this again. 

I am a huge broccoli lover and the Sesame Broccoli however was delicious.  But here's the challenge with fresh broccoli - hello did the dog poop in the house?  Oh no - sorry - just cooking broccoli.  You know what I'm talking about.  But there is a solution.  Not wind, rain, sleet or snow stops me from taking my electric steamer out on the porch and cooking it out there.  No smell to ruin people's appetites.  Anyway, the recipe was super easy and without a doubt will be served here again.  The Food Network staff successfully saved our party tonight.

On the weight loss front - well - I'm just glad it's not weigh in day.  I didn't eat breakfast or lunch yesterday, then ate about 1/4 of the stuffed chicken breast (those things were so huge I couldn't even eat HALF of one) and about 2 cups of broccoli with the sesame sauce.  I have to eat at least 3 small balanced meals with protein in each to lose.  That scale won't budge on one meal a day so tomorrow I must do better. 

On the menu for Wednesday - our first time ever with flank steak.  Using the Dry Rub recipe from the EDWRR June/July Grilling Issue.  However it turns out, at least it's not Frankenchicken.

Links to recipes:
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Double-Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/sesame-broccoli-recipe/index.html