Rough Sketch

 

While cobbling together ideas for how I'll proceed to create a good, healthy diet,  I'll list what has worked and what has stymied me in the past. 

-If counting calories then all simple fruits and veg are free, unlimited, uncounted calories.  Even if they are mixed together in a salad or a smoothie.

-Need to figure out how to get enough iron and protein.  Dark chocolate every day will help with the iron, but the protein is a big deal.

-Taking MSM everyday seemed to alleviate loose skin while losing a lot of fat, but I wonder/worry if it also contributed to the gall bladder issue.

-Motivation to make good food choices everyday was really helped by focusing on the goal of being slim and healthy.  The unexpected joyous consequence was being included in the unofficial slim girls club . Among women who give you unsolicited tips on delicious treats that won't ruin your diet.  Like the cashier at the gas station/grocery store telling me about buying little mini cups of ice cream in from Wal-Mart that were only 120 calories each.  She made me feel included in the most wonderful club in the world.   And guys who he told me I was "out of [his] league".  It was weird and wonderful to be treated like a special person for nothing more than being slim. Although the negative part of that was like being rich, it made me feel like I didn't trust guys really liked me, I thought that I just fit the image of someone who would increase their perceived value.  That creeped me out.

-Motivation to make good food choices everyday was really helped by focusing on the goal of looking good in clothes like pretty underwear, sexy footwear and stockings.  Being able to shop at second hand shops and find the cutest little clothes that look adorable.Trying them on in the dressing room and being a smaller size than the last time I went shopping.

-Need to figure out how to get more exercise in everyday. Two problems: my job is sitting down all day for 10 hours. Used to walk my dog everyday but taking care of an elderly person now means they get anxious if I'm not at work and also not with them.  They are very needy/dependent on my company to keep their emotional equilibrium.  This is a burden when I already have the burden of sitting all day.

-Need to figure out a good daily menu that is easy to bring to work, and make when I get home. Lack of time to care for self is the real issue, caring for others whether its work or caretaking means time away from self-care.

-Favorite diets are Dr John McDougall low-fat diet -as well as High Carb Hannah who uses Dr McDougall's plan. Also Medical Medium's daily celery juice and focus on fresh fruit and veg are great.  Hoping that Mireille Guiliano's Fat Women Don't Get Fat ideas will be helpful too.

-Mireille Guiliano suggests making yogurt everyday and I like that idea but I have to figure out the way that would be easiest for me, and how to make non-dairy yogurt. 

-I'd also like to learn how to make kombucha that I love. Dr Pepper, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, and Cola flavors. For some reason I'm nervous about making kombucha, maybe if I just start it will be easier than I imagine it would be.

-Vegan yogurt, kombucha, frozen fruit smoothies, vegetable juices, and fruit juices to flavor water are my favorite fast foods that feel at least not unhealthy.  My favorite physicians argue they are junk food but I think if homemade they are easy and deicious, and much better than ice cream, and soda pop.

French Women Don't Get Fat, part 2

Part two is at least 48 hours of Magical Leek Soup

"For in America, I had gotten into some habits: eating standing up, not making my own food, living off whatever (n’importe quoi, as the French say), as other kids were doing. Brownies and bagels were particular hazards; we had nothing quite like them at home, so who could tell how rich they were?

Forty eight hours of Leek Soup.

Dr. Miracle, the family physician who helped me wake up and recover from my weight gain, was something of a gourmand. He gave me a number of recipes, but none more important than the one he gave me for the first, and only, “tough” weekend. On reflection, it wasn’t so tough at all, because of his “magical leek soup,” a trick used by many of the local women for generations. He had pscribed it to both my mother and grandmother at one point or another.

Leeks are a mild diuretic, and 48 hours or so of leek soup would provide immediate results to jump-start the recasting. For me, it was the start of a lifelong commitment to wellness as well as the beginning of my appreciation, my love, of leeks, about which there is much more to say. It is a trick I still use from time to time; do try it the first weekend.

It’s a pretty basic regimen: The juice is to be drunk (reheated or room temperature to taste) every 2-3 hours, a cup at a time. This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 – 6oz.–don’t lose that scale yet!), with two vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or oil, and a piece of fruit.

Recipe for Magical Leek Soup 
Serves one for the weekend

2 lbs. leeks
Water to cover in a large pot

1. Clean leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut end of green parts leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.

2. Put leeks in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer with no lid for 20-30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley if you wish, and voilà!

When completed part two, then move on to part three . . . 

French Women Don't Get Fat, part 1

 On Audible I'm listening to French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.

First Step is to keep a diary of food for three weeks. Here is an excerpt from "French Women Don't Get Fat" 

"Then something of a Yuletide miracle occurred. Or perhaps I should say, Dr. Miracle, who showed up thanks to my mamie. Over the long holiday break, she asked the family physician, Dr. Meyer, to pay a call. She did this most discreetly, careful not to bruise me further. Dr. Meyer had watched me grow up, and he was the kindest gentleman on earth. He assured me that getting back in shape would be really easy and just a matter of a few “old French tricks.” By Easter, he promised, I’d be almost back to my old self, and certainly by the end of the school year in June I’d be ready to wear my old bathing suit, the one I’d packed for America. As in a fairy tale, it was going to be our secret. (No use boring anyone else with the particulars of our plan, he said.) And the weight would go away much faster than it came. Sounded great to me. Of course, I wanted to put my faith in Dr. Meyer, and fortunately, there didn’t seem to be many options at the time.

DR. MIRACLE’S WEEKEND PRESCRIPTION

For the next three weeks, I was to keep a diary of everything I ate. This is a strategy that will sound familiar from some American diet programs, such as Weight Watchers. I was to record not only what and how much, but also when and where. There was no calorie counting, not that I could have done that. The stated purpose was simply for him to gauge the nutritional value of what I was eating (it was the first time I ever heard the word). Since nothing more was asked of me, I was only too happy to comply. This is the first thing you should do, too.

Dr. Meyer demanded no great precision in measurement. Just estimate, he said, stipulating “a portion” as the only unit of quantity and roughly equal to a medium-size apple. In America, where the greatest enemy of balanced eating is ever bigger portions, I suggest a little more precision. Here’s where the small kitchen scale comes in. (Bread, which sometimes comes in huge slices here, might be more easily weighed than compared with an apple, which seems bigger here, too!)"

When I complete part one I will begin with part two . . .

Indoor Fireworks

 Today's earworm is the Elvis Costello song Indoor Fireworks, about fighting with others and internal conflict.

I've held pretty steady at the weight of 215-219 for several years now.

Having an office job that requires me to sit 8 hours a day Monday -Friday and then come home to care for Mom where she gets hard to manage anxiety whenever I leave the house means that I don't take my dog for daily walks the way I used to.  It means both he and I get a lot less exercise and we both need it.

So where to start?   Weight loss always  means for me, to change diet.  Exercise just greases the wheels for steady weight loss, doesn't create weight loss; keeps body stronger and healthier to make it easier.

So to change diet the plan is to follow the "French Women Don't Get Fat" plan by Mireille Guiliano.   To first write down everything I eat for three weeks and examine it afterwards.

Then Leek soup (or onion soup) diet for 48+ hours.

Then focus on vegetables and fruit for all meals except one dessert per day.  Perhaps limit fats and grains to a yet to be determined amount.

Now - - - - on board for a lifetime journey towards wellness!

How many calories do I need?  Female 50+

Sedentary 1600.   Moderately Active 1800.   Active 2000 -2200.

Mayo Clinic Calorie Calculator  To maintain 125 lbs: 

Inactive 1450. Somewhat active 1600. Active 1750. Very Active 2050.

Have, Do, Be 2021

 Did create a have do, be list many years ago, 2005.  Not sure if anything was checked off that list, but time to start a new one.

1. Go to a spa for a week and a half.  

-Have two colonics.  Start day with fresh celery juice. Learn how to prepare and cook clean food that is mostly fruit and veg, low-fat, low-dairy, and low-gluten.  Have a facial.  Have a hair mask. Have massages. Do yoga. Meditate daily.  Go on hikes. Swim in salt water. 

2. Start habit of morning fresh celery juice.

3. Write it down, make it happen.  Write down anytime someone gives me a compliment. Make a list of all my accomplishments.

4. Practice LOVE is a MIRROR.   When people treat me badly, realize its because they are judging self that way.  When I treat people with love its because I'm displaying the love I have for myself. And yes, its ok to fake it till you feel it genuinely.

5. Continue to thank god for my life, every day.

Optavia

 Trying Optavia since Thursday, August 12.  Will let you know more....

Update: followed it for two weeks or so, stopped, sent food back that I could get refund on. Needed daily electrolytes added in water in order to function.  

Very bad for brain function, but did lead to finding a gall bladder diet that I liked, and that lead to discovering the Medical Medium with daily celery juice and I LOVE that, so have purchased all of his books and am working on changing my diet to be more clean.

Medical Medium diet is have daily fresh celery juice in morning on empty stomach.  Then eat most fruit and veg all day that is low-fat!!, as well as staying away from dairy and gluten.   So that's the direction I'm working on for diet now.

More Essential Oil Blends

From The Prairie Homestead blog  Twenty Essential Oil Recipes for Diffuser

1. Let’s Focus Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

This is a much-loved combo, and for good reason! It’s perfect to increase alertness, or when you need a quick pick-me-up.

• 2 drops wild orange essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil

2. Fresh and Clean Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

This blend is wonderful for creating a welcoming atmosphere in your home. It’s bright and fresh:

• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops lemon essential oil
• 2 drops rosemary essential oil

3. Odor Eliminator Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

We are animal-people, and we’ve had our fair share of “incidences” in our house. Whenever this happens, I like to diffuse this blend. It freshens up the air in no time:

• 2 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 drop melaleuca essential oil
• 1 drop cilantro essential oil
• 1 drop lime essential oil

4. Seasonal Support Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

These three oils together are spectacular for helping to maintain clear breathing and a healthy immune response. I use this blend especially during the spring and summer months.

• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops lemon essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil

5. Citrus Explosion Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

I love diffusing citrus blends when we have company coming over. It makes my house smell happy and clean.

• 1 drop lemon essential oil
• 2 drops wild orange essential oil
• 1 drop lime essential oil
• 1 drop grapefruit essential oil

6. Deep Breath Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

I tend to be a very high-energy person. The good part of that? I get a lot done. The bad part? I have a hard time settling down sometimes…

I adore this blend for the evenings when I’m trying to slow my brain down, and I also like to diffuse it in the bedroom as I fall asleep:

• 1 drop bergamot essential oil
• 1 drop patchouli essential oil
• 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil

7. Respiratory Support Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Use this blend to support respiratory function–especially during the winter months.

• 1 drop lemon essential oil
• 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 drop rosemary essential oil

8. Flower Garden Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Want your home to smell like a flower garden in full bloom? Try this one:

• 1 drop geranium essential oil
• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops roman chamomile essential oil

9. Man-Cave Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

I think this combo smells very masculine and woodsy… Although I enjoy it too.

• 2 drops white first essential oil
• 2 drops cypress essential oil
• 2 drops wintergreen essential oil

10. Bug Repellent Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

This combo isn’t one that I’d necessarily wear as perfume, but it contains a collection of oils that most creepy-crawlies dislike:

• 1 drop lemongrass essential oil
• 1 drop thyme essential oil
• 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
• 1 drop basil essential oil

11. Spiced Chai Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Craving a cup of chai? 

• 3 drops cardamom essential oil
• 2 drops cassia essential oil
• 2 drops clove essential oil
• 1 drop ginger essential oil

12. Spicey Citrus Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

What autumn should smell like.

• 3 drops wild orange essential oil
• 2 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
• 1 drop clove essential oil

13. Woodsy Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Feeling like a walk in the woods, but stuck at home? Try this instead:

• 3 drops frankincense essential oil
• 2 drops white fir essential oil
• 1 drop cedarwood essential oil

14. Immune Booster Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

One of my favorite blends for the fall and winter months:

• 1 drop rosemary essential oil
• 1 drop clove essential oil
• 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
• 1 drop cinnamon bark essential oil
• 1 drop wild orange essential oil

15. Goodbye Stress Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Feeling frazzled? This is one of my favorite combos:

• 2 drops frankincense essential oil
• 2 drops bergamot essential oil

16. G’Night Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

For a sweet night’s sleep:

• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops chamomile essential oil
• 2 drops vetiver essential oil

(For more essential oils for better sleep, click HERE)

17. Candy Store Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

I don’t know why, but this one smells like candy. The kids love it, and it’ll make your house happy.

• 2 drops wild orange essential oil
• 2 drop wintergreen essential oil

18. Energize Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

Diffuse this one first thing in the morning for a big boost:

• 2 drops wild orange essential oil
• 2 drops frankincense essential oil
• 2 drops cinnamon essential oil

19. Grounding Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

For those moments when everyone really needs to chill out:

• 2 drops vetiver essential oil
• 2 drops cedarwood essential oil

20. Happy Holiday Essential Oil Diffuser Recipe

• 2 drops white fir
• 2 drops wild orange
• 1 drop wintergreen