**REVIEW** Nutritional Yeast Flakes (by Sari Foods) ****UPDATED****

What if I told you about an edible product that:

• is Non-GMO
• is Vegan
• is Kosher
• is Halal
• is Gluten Free
• is Dairy Free
• is Low Sodium
• is Non-Toxic
• has No MSG

And, wait. What if I also told you that adding this product to your diet might help:

• Fight aging, promote cellular repair, and guard against free radicals
• Curb appetite and promote natural and healthy weight loss
• Boost immune system, energy levels and overall sense of well-being
• Increase memory, clarity and mental function; eliminate brain fog
• Improve sleep; reduce insomnia, depression and ongoing fatigue
• Balance hormones, improve mood and reduce feelings of irritability
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers

Since this was the first I was hearing of nutritional yeast, I wanted to check out some information. When I saw how it's "often high in B-12" (and could potentially cause some calcium deficiency), I wanted to know more about it. I am still reading what doctors have to say about nutritional yeast flakes, but at least one of them has a positive take.

But back to the flakes I am getting to try out.

Okay, so first thing that you could say is that I copied all of that right off the back of the package of the product. I did, yes. This package:

This is Nutritional Yeast Flakes from Sari Foods. It's the first time I've heard of what I think must be a real "wonder food", but I wanted to give it a try. Let's face it, if the flakes do even half what the packaging claims, it's worth trying out, right?

I noticed two things right off when I saw the package. First, it was "Ancient Egyptian Superfood", then it was "P.S.: Tastes like cheese!"

Okay.

By the way, this is what the flakes look like:

Ingredients: Large nutritional yeast flakes (deactivated, dried yeast. Free of Candida Albicans.
They are flaky (obviously) and a little bit powdery. (Once I opened the package, I ended up storing the flakes in a plastic baggie because the original package seal was loose and prone to spilling.)

Once I got over my irritation with the package's seal, I looked around for something to try the flakes on. Usually, I try stuff by adding it to my coffee but, since I'm not interested in cheese-flavored coffee, I needed to go a different route.

First, I just dipped a finger into the flakes for a little raw taste test. And, um... No. There was a cheese-like flavor, but "like" yeast-flavored Cheese Puffs dust. Ick.

So, I moved on to adding the flakes to food. What better food to add something "cheese-like flavored" to than a burrito? Amma rite? Obviously. This way, the flakes weren't half-bad. Usually, for my version of the home-made burrito, I take a flour tortilla, add some seasoned ground beef (or taco meat), lettuce, tomatoes and a quarter to not-quite-half-a-cup of cheese. Just roll that bad boy up and get busy. This time, I used only a sprinkle of cheese and added roughly a tablespoon of the yeast flakes.

The verdict: Not bad. Not bad at all. I could get used to eating the flakes on the right food - which is great because I'll be get rid of some fatty stuff and (hopefully) benefiting from the flakes.

So far, all I've found to use it on is the burritos (and I love) those burritos. I think the trick is to use the flakes on any food that is bland and needs some added bang, or on foods that are well-seasoned and compatible with the cheese-like flavor. I have a holiday visitor who made the excellent suggestion for using the flakes on some homemade kale chips. That got me to thinking that the flakes would also be delicious when sprinkled on popcorn (similar to the way I use Parmesan cheese).

However you decide to use them (and there are plenty of recipes floating around), the flakes are worth checking out. Sari Foods will also email you an ebook of recipes for the yeast flakes and their other products.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

UPDATE: One of my regular (a favorite) blog readers had something to say about nutritional yeast that I want to share with you. The following are her comments/experiences (BTW: Thanks, dollface!)

I love this you have to be very careful what you choose to put it on...but overall it is delicious and it does taste like cheese especially when used on top of pasta dishes. it is very beneficial to a nursing mother it certainly helps increase your milk supply. I used brewers yeast, ground flax and natural oats to help with my milk supply with J. but the Brewers yeast was the most beneficial! One time while I was nursing I got a flu so terrible I was dehydrated and had to go in for fluids. I was so worried about my milk supply and we were running low on the stored bottles we had. I ate Brewers yeast on 2 meals in one day and the next day it was like everything was back to normal I even had extra. Brewers yeast is just another name for this.

**REVIEW** Living Natural Yacon Syrup

In my quest to eat healthier, live healthier and stay in shape, I've tried making small changes in my life. One of the changes was trying to get away from so much processed sugar. I talked about this before. And then again. One of my favorite substitutes for white sugar is raw or brown sugar. A favorite  substitute for those sugars is Yacon syrup. I've tried others and now I've had the chance to try Living Natural's  Yacon Syrup.

Yacon syrup has lots of benefits over the usual sweeteners a lot of us use. For me, the taste is the biggest positive. There is non of that metallic, artificial tinge or aftertaste.

Living Natural's Yacon has an exceptionally nice taste because, to me at least, the molasses type flavor was a little more pronounced that in other syrups I've tried. The texture was a little different also - almost grainier-looking but not actually grainy at all.

This is Living Natural Brand Yacon

To compare a difference of textures, this is a photo what another brand of Yacon syrup I use:

This one is darker & a tiny bit thicker

As for quality and taste, both syrups I have tried are nice. The Natural Life syrup is (to me) slightly sweeter while the other one has a more wine-like undertone. The main thing is the benefits of using them as an alternative to sugar. Some info straight from the product page:

• 100% natural with no additives or sweeteners and is extracted purely from the roots of the Yacon plant (Smallanthus Sonchifolius)
• high amount of fructooligosaccharides. This natural soluble fiber has been shown to reduce symptoms of constipation and improve metabolism.
• high in antioxidants and potassium and studies have shown it increases the levels of 'friendly' bacteria in the digestive system

From my own use over the months of Yacon syrup, I can tell you that using it on a regular basis did decrease my sugar cravings. (I have not used white table sugar in a few years, but I don't even use my brown or raw sugar in my coffee now except on an occasional basis.) When I started using Yacon syrup some time back, I was still coming down off my prednisone weight of (I shudder to even type this) 204 lbs. I am down to the 160's and would be doing better if I had not gone back on a steady diet of bread in the past couple of weeks... Also, it helps if you actually use the Yacon on a regular basis.

The suggestion is to use Yacon in beverages and I have grown to like the taste of it in my coffee. This time, I also tried adding a little bit to some rice (plain white rice with butter) and to some oatmeal. The taste was interesting and pleasant, but I had to experiment with how much to add to get the right amount of sweetness. (I ended up using about half a dinner spoon full.) Because Yacon has a distinctive taste, I got a sort of molasses-flavored treat with my oatmeal. I have to say that I like using this particular brand in my warm/hot food where I use the other brand in my coffees and some of my teas. I think it's going to come down to preference. Personally, I want to keep a variety around for my different uses.

I'd also like to add (as I usually do) something about customer service. The product page has a nice message:

When you order today, you're protected by our 100% quality and satisfaction guarantee together with our focus on exceptional customer service!

Finally, I will say this about using Yacon syrup: Any one of us who is trying to revise our diet and lifestyle to be healthy know that big changes come from lots of small efforts. Using an alternative to white sugar is one of the best changes I've made. Lord knows, I'm not giving up sweets if I can help it. Using Yacon syrup is a good way to make a single but important effort. Did that make sense? I hope so!

I will suggest to fellow healthy minded people that if you take one part of your daily diet that costs you the most calories from sugar, then use Yacon (or some other sweetener alternative) instead.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Smart Weigh Digital Pro Pocket Scale

Since I have added to my diet tracking arsenal with their bathroom scale (and love it), I decided to try out this:

 The Smart Weigh folks produce this Digital Pro Pocket Scale with Tare, Hold and PCS (pieces) Functions.

It`s a (heh heh) mouthful, right? But since I'm using it to measure what I will be putting in my mouth, I can't fuss. That`s what I will be using it for, but it has other uses - such as checking mail weight, jewelry, or any other item up to 2000 grams.

My niece will want to borrow it to check mail weight (because of her business) but me - I`m strictly about the food. And, no, I don`t think I`m being obsessive. I just like the idea of being able to use this with recipes and checking on my intake of certain ingestibles. Then I have another niece who is way into baking and all kinds of ornamental food design. I have a feeling this is going to be a great gift idea for her.

Whatever you decide to use it for - business, personal, or kitchen use - the features are so useful:

• It`s small for storage (5 x 4 x 0.6 in./ 8 oz), but efficient
• The LCD screen is easy on the eyes
• Has an auto shut-off that will save battery wear
• Looks great (better even than the pic I took)
• The stainless steel tray is easy to clean
• Easy to use (I figured it out in a couple of seconds!)
• Accurate, with readings from 1 tenth of a gram to 2kg
• Reads in grams, ounces, troy ounces, pennyweight, grains and carats
• Has a "Hold" funtion that will lock the weight reading.

My favorite feature: When you want to get the weight of something minus the container it`s in, you can use the Tare function. Coolness.

If I get outside my selfish self for a minute, I can think how useful this scale would be to small business owners, bakers and cooks, and craftspeople. Back to me: just perfect for the kitchen - where I spend so much time thinking about food... To be fair, I have a family member with special dietary restrictions, so this will be handy for her.

The fact that this has so many features, yet is still small and nice-looking isi what I really like. The design is sturdy and solid. It looks and feels very well-made. That surprised me because the price is so freaking reasonable.

The only negative to this is that I have family already wanting to borrow mine. I'm going to remind them how afforable it is to get their own.

Okay. There might be one more negative to having this scale. I mean, I don't always want to know how much that last grab of chips I scarfed down weighed out at...

Seriously? But it was just a hand full

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Smart Weigh Body Fat Digital Precision Scale

Remember when I talked about another scale that was perfect for the non-smartphone person in your life? Well, here is one for the gadget guru (like me, if you go heavy on the 'gadget` and lighter on the `guru' in that phrase).

The Smart Weigh Body Fat Digital Precision Scale is loaded with features:

• Is very sturdy and well made.
• The design simple and is neat-looking (see the body shape in the center? Makes me envision my future self!) This will compliment any decor.
• Measures weight, and
• Body Fat, and
• Water mass, and
• Muscle mass, and
• Bone mass.
• Has a 440lb weight capacity, and
• Recognizes up to 8 users.

Nice looking scale

Whew! 

Now, because of all the features, I did need to use the instruction book to get acquainted and comfortable with this beauty. That doesn`t take long - though impatient technophobes like my sister would probably recruit help using it the first time.

This is the second scale that I have fallen in love with. (The name, "Smart Weigh", is cute, right?) When you are on a quest to get in shape, it`s somehow motivating to have lots of information about your stats at hand. Also, most people (okay, *me*) hate dealing with charts about BMI and water and muscle, and blahblahblah... This puts it right out there for you.. in private!

The display is nice and large. There`s nothing not to like about this scale. It even came with batteries so I could try it out immediately. And the warranty is for 2 years from date of purchase.

Just to give you a better look at the display area:

I like that the symbols are easy to decipher

This is the first of 2 products from Smart Weigh that I am reviewing, so stay tuned for the next one.

There are some Warnings: This, like other scales using an electrical current, should not be used by certain people. If you are pregnant or have medical implants and devices, you should not use these types of scales. 

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Food and Choices

Finally, I've lost enough weight that I feel comfortable again in my clothes. I'm wearing pants that fit a little closer and tops that aren't made to hide things. My clothing choices really marked my journey from the prednisone poundage to the return to a more normal size for me. I didn't realize this until recently when I was tossing old clothes.

The first clothing milestone was when I went from wearing loose pants to prevent chafing to some that were less loose but didn't hug any curves. My tops went from extremely baggy sweater-types to still-baggy but not as thick. I think it was when I was able to see the slimming effects of leotards that I begin to feel like I was making real progress. Before then, any slimming products would just roll up and bunch at the waist and make me feel my blood pressure rise.

My happiest moment was when I was able to wear t-shirts again without feeling like a stuffed sausage. It's so nice now to put on clothes and feel comfortable. No matter what I wore at my heaviest, I always felt like I was bound and bandaged too tight by any fabric.

Now that I am at this point and aiming for my ideal weight, I can focus more on maintaining an intake of good food and nutrition (instead of fighting cravings and feeling guilty when I caved).

Looks sooo good. Except in a pair of jeans...

A lot of my friends and family have commented on my progress. If it helps anyone else, here are some things I've learned on this weight loss journey:

• As adults, we don't have to eat by set rules. Traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner is just that: traditional. I can have a salad for breakfast if that's what I want (and I often do).
• Canned food is underrated. I love smoked oysters, kippers, and clams. Sardines with crackers and olives is a favorite snack. (I have a best friend who likes to eat her fruit with hot sauce & spicy dips.)
• A meal does not have to have the traditional layout of a meat, vegetable and starch. Sometimes, I just have a piece of well-seasoned chicken or fish - or pork chop. I love a good chop.
• I've learned to eat outside my comfort zone. I've tried (and love) lamb. I'm learning to use more seasonings. (Love basil. Not crazy about cilantro.) I'm trying different kinds of breads and cheeses and sauces. Salt is not my go-to seasoning now that I'm finding other flavors.
• When I enjoy cooking a meal, I enjoy eating it. Instead of frying or baking everything, I'm learning new ways to prepare food. Who knew (I didn't) that there are 7 "basic" methods of cooking and even a list of 15 methods? If you want to go wild, you can try many, many more. The other day, I watched Guy Fieri cook some skewered meat between two cast iron skillets, one skillet place on top of the other. Neat.
• Fast food is not going to go away. If I want a burger or fries or tacos from someplace with a neon sign, I have it. I don't want any of that as much as I once did. I think my system has self-detoxed!
• It helps to learn what other (healthy) people are eating. Right now, I'm really interested in Mediterranean food, but it's interesting to search out what's known about the health of other cultures. I'm reading articles about the 10 "healthiest" and such.
• I think that any regional/cultural food can be healthy with some adjustments.
• Instead of eating (or not eating) to look good, I'm eating to live good.

Try it with hot sauce

My little brother and his wife have inspired me with their garden. I'm going to taste my way right through their yard when I see them! They were telling me about the fresh and "old-fashioned" taste of the veggies they've grown. (Hid your green beans, you guys. I'm on my way! LOL)

I want a garden. NOW!

As far as the suggestions, that's just me and my take on it, but everyone is different. You have to do what is "do-able" for you and your lifestyle and health needs. By the way, even if you are "skinny", you still need to eat well for your health. I have a very thin male friend who had a bypass in his mid-40's. Looked as good in a hospital gown as he did in his jeans...

Peace

--Free

The "I'm Gonna" Shopping List

I'm so fickle sometimes.

As I was writing out my list for my next shopping trip, I found last month's list. And made myself giggle.

This is last month's list (with its notes):

• Granola (organic, bulk)
• Grapes (for the hydration and late-night snacks)
• Berries - raspberry, strawberry, blackberry. (If on sale. For my smoothies. This month is going to be smoothie month.)
• Prune juice (to make prune pops & to add to smoothies)
• Cereal (the usual: Honey Bunches, Quaker Squares. When I'm tired of grapes & instead of chocolate.
• Only one jar of Vanilla Caramel Creamer. (Gotta cut back on the coffee!)

Okay. I pretty much stuck to the shopping list, but what I did with the items is a whole other story.

I made cookies with the granola and ate the whole pound of grapes during a Netflix night marathon of "Nightmare Next Door". (Gave myself a serious case of "bathroom runs" and made a solemn vow to stay away from the prune juice for a week.

I did use the berries for smoothies. Mostly. Then, since I had no grapes left for snacking, I finished off the berries - all of them - in two days.

The creamer lasted all of three and half days. (Did you know that vanilla caramel creamer is yummy in vanilla chai tea?)

I ate cereal a few times, but I was still pretty cleaned out by the grapes and I heard that the cereal might have the same effect. I still have most of both boxes left over.

Besides the laxative effects grapes have on a grape glutton, I learned that it's very easy to justify making a store run for just one chocolate bar to go with the last of the peanut butter in a jar. I also learned that I really don't like organic, plain granola unless it's in a cookie.

This month's list looks like this so far:

• Grapes (but just half a pound this time)
• Just two jars of Vanilla Caramel creamer.
• Apple juice to blend with the prune juice (just in case I get around to making those pops)
• Two chocolate bars (to save myself the gas money of midnight store runs)
• Some more of that delicious vanilla chai tea (because I'm still cutting back on coffee!)
• Some frozen yogurt (to go with the berries I get on sale)

~sigh~

I should just start shopping meal-by-meal. The way I'm going now, I'm just feeding my fickle belly.

Peace

--Free

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Remember back when I was complaining of the all the weight that damned prednisone slapped onto my butt? Remember when I was really struggling to find a good balance of diet and exercise? Remember when I was- Oh, wait. You guys didn't get to see me wearing baggy pants and sweaters because I hid from cameras like celeb with a zit. Take my word for it: I wore nothing that snugged any part of my body.

When I gained weight, I wasn't one of those cute and curvy gals. Looking good has more to do with how a person carries their body weight - whatever that weight is. You know there are some smoking hot ladies who can carry the curves with serious swerve. I'm not one of them. For one thing, I didn't have curves in any of the right places. My gut curved like a pregnant woman, but I didn't gain an ounce of ass. I did get some boobage. Yes, that was nice. For the first time in my life, I had enough boob to actually fill a hand. Nice. Other than that, I was a mess. As a thin-framed gal, I can do "skinny". This double-chin here...

chunky-chin me

...I can't make that work for me.

Pre-prednisone, I was heavier than I'd been for a while (140-some pounds), but I was still fairly thin. And sick, which is why the prednisone was a necessary evil. Life-changing time.

Lovely hospital, amazing staff, but I never want to see either again!
(See, no boobies! LOL)

Once I got off the prednisone, I was determined to do two things: wear heels again and wear them with my favorite pants and skirts. Other than eating better and getting a lot of regular exercise (mostly just walking a treadmill at the gym and dancing while at home), I didn't really work that hard. I did take some good advice early on about not weighing myself all the time. That alone would depress that happiest person to nose-dive into a bowl of ice-cream. Since I was stopping smoking at the same time I was starting my weight loss, I had to put my stubborn attitude to work for me when I encountered obstacles.

It's been a grind, but I have actually come to enjoy my healthier lifestyle. Also, I got this body back into some cute clothes.

Thank you, Planet Fitness

Yeah, buddy. That's me. I had an appointment this morning and just decided to pull out that skirt to see how far I could get it past my thighs before the fabric started weeping. About three months ago, I could get it just over my knees before I'd sit down and cry off at least 20 ounces of water weight in tears. Just about a month ago, I found that I could get it on - as long as I didn't attempt to zip it.

This morning, I almost scared myself when I not only got that thing on, but zipped. I damn near cried with joy when I realized I could even sit down without ripping the seams.

Oh, happy, happy, happy me.

It sounds so vain and silly, but getting into that skirt (and my cute-as-hell boots) did my heart more good than dancing in the rain.

I still have a ways to go, but getting to this point is just the motivation I need. If, like me, you are working to get in shape, just know that it really can be done. I will do a post soon on some of the healthy(er) recipes I've been concocting for myself.

If I can say anything to other people who are going through what I am, it's just this: Make sure to take care of your soul and mind while you are dealing with your body issues. Don't hurt yourself with diet pills, don't go to extremes in anything, and don't buy into fad foods that you wouldn't want to spend the rest of your life eating. Do what feels right and works best for you. Do it healthy so you can do it forever.

Peace
--Free

Having a Fit, Living Fit

Your girl here has been trying hard to stay on the path of healthy living. Summer is here - even though no one has told the weather that - and there are no more excuses for me not to work out more. There are no more great piles of snow in the parking lot or slick side roads. And I'm back driving, so... As I proclaimed on G+ the other day, "I got a belly roll, belly roll, so off to the gym I go, to the gym I go." I do amuse my simple self at times.

I have been dared - no, double dog dared - to put up before and after pics. Ha! If I still looked like the blueberry gal from Willy Wonka, I'd be able to show an impressive "after" photo. But I look way better than that, so... Pics coming soon, so keep your eye on this space.

Some folks I know have asked what I am doing to get my skin and body back into shape. You do know that gaining and then losing a lot of weight puts your skin through its paces, right? You know now.

As I've done since I've been dressing myself, I've been using any and every moisturizer I can afford. I am in love with the Gene's Creme I told you about before and I still use it on my feet at bedtime. Now I am into coconut oil (organic, un-refined) because it's so versatile. I use it top to bottom - literally. I use it under any makeup and then to take off the makeup. It goes on my hair, my face, body and feet. It doesn't leave a greasy feel so I can use it without staining my clothes. (Ladies, it can even be used in the bedroom, and  I'm not talking about getting dressed.) I even have been substituting it at times for butter on my hot cereals. I really don't want you to lose your mind when I tell you I have been adding a touch of it to my morning coffee. I got started with it because of this chick here. After using it for a couple of weeks, I noticed that it works. Now, after about a month, I walk around soft as a baby's hind parts and smelling like something sweet and tropical.

Of course, I am still NOT smoking! (Yay, me.) I am keeping up with the gym visits. I don't go and stay for hours, but I get in there and do my circuit of 15 minutes on treadmill, elliptical and/or bike and the damn ab machines. I'm starting to hate this one ab machine, but she's the piece of metal trickery that's going to help me get into my skinny jeans! My big goal is to do last 30 minutes on an elliptical. There's one lady at the gym who looks to be about 70 years old. She does nothing but the elliptical the whole time I'm there. I was dripping a river of sweat after 5 minutes and she was watching the news while doing a couple minutes forward, a couple backwards. Switching it up like a boxer skipping rope. True story.

In addition to the outer body care, I've been paying attention to my insides. I'm giving the Activia thing a try. It's only been about 4 days, so I will report back later if I remember to. I'm drinking tons of water. I think the biggest positive (meaning fun and healthy) new thing I'm doing is using yogurt in more of my cooking. And trying new things in the kitchen. With food, people. Get my mind out of your gutter!

BzzAgent sent me coupons to try Fage yogurt for free. I did. I love it. I'm not crazy about plain yogurt, but I wanted to skip the fruit-flavored for something I could incorporate into actual meals. I have tried substituting the Fage for sour cream on food (yum-yum) and I added it to a cake I made. The cake was amazingly moist - and I'm sorry for sounding like a bad commercial, but it's the truth. After I tasted my "sample" cake, I decided to add some Fage to the store-bought chocolate frosting. Oh, good mercy! That was the best idea ever. I hate how sickly-sweet canned frosting sometimes are. The yogurt added a really creamy texture and such a nice tang to the frosting. The best of all: I doubled my frosting. I've refrigerated it and have been dipping fruit and cookies into it. I have to pat myself on the back for that idea! The Activia is fine for my snack, but I don't think I will be using any other yogurt from now on for my kitchen other than Fage.

Now, the best advice I can give for anyone going through the whole it's-a-life-change-not-a-diet thing is to put a really good friend to full use. In my case, it's a guy I bonded with online right after I first got sick. P.D. lives about as far away from me as you can get, but he's become a sort of long-distance platonic lover. I adore him because he is so freaking honest. Brutal, at times. He's lucky he lives on another continent, else I'd get to him and kill him in his sleep two or three times a month. My point, though, is: get someone like P.D. in your life. P.D. encourages me to do a little better every day. He calls to see if I made it to the gym or if I am eating right. That kind of a friend would be known as a nag if it weren't for the fact that he's so happy for the most minor positive thing I manage to do. Having a guy-friend is better when you are dieting; they aren't competing with you like your gal-friends.

Yeah, so, get a P.D. in your life or at least get a mindset of "I can do this,"and you will be on your way. Be your own cheerleader and coach. Right now, I have a pair of my pre-sick favorite jeans hanging on the wall next to my closet. About every other week, I can get those bitches pulled up a little farther. I can't wait for the day I can get them on without removing a rib.

I hope that you manage to find your motivation.

Meantime, here are a couple of sites I like for the information:

• Rodale
• Fitnea
• Care 2 (under health & wellness and green-living)

Welp! I am off to the gym.

Peace

--Free

Laughter Can Be the Best Diet and Exercise

So... I've been making it to the gym. Can't back out of that 20 bucks a month contract now. Damnit.

I'm proud of myself. Eating better, still not smoking, and belonging to a gym for the first time in about 8 years. Yay for Planet Fitness.

The roommate and I dragged our out of shape butts over there twice last week, but since it takes us a good thirty minutes of pep-talking each other to go, we came up with a plan. Three days a week is going to be our goal. That's pretty much giving us a day in between to rev up for and bitch about the next workout. Saturdays are going to be our "treat" day: a luscious, creamy coffee concoction from the Sugar Shack or a burger made by someone who has no idea how to spell "healthy."

When I talk about "treats," I mean, anything decently delicious is the real deal. A Thin Mint would be a treat. Most days I survive on cereal (hot or cold), bowls of chunked-up fruit (cheaper as summer approaches) or those liquid yogurts I've become addicted to. Sometimes though, I have to give one of those staples a break. Last week I ate so much cereal, I wanted to beat a turd out a the Quaker Oats guy.  Seriously.

I can't even cuss about any of this.

Grocery shopping makes up about a fourth of my walking exercise since I can't get it all done in one store. I generally shop at Walmart, Carrs-Safeway and Fred Meyers. I get my canned goods at Walmart. I don't mind getting the occasional apple or watermelon there, but I prefer other places for my colors and packages. (Is it just me, just in Alaska - or does the produce from Walmart seem to start turning the moment you get past the theft sensors?) Walmart clerks already know me by my first name since I use the store as my clothier, Deli and stationers. They see me coming and start pointing out the current bargains.(Who the hell needs Bergdorf when you have Walmart? Hah!?) Lately when I go in, they start re-stocking the canned hominy and seltzer waters. I can't afford much else but fruit and veggies on sale at Fred Meyers, but I have loyalty cards for them and Carrs.

Fruit is the current love of my life, even though, just like with a boyfriend, I want it to go away so I can miss it just a little. I have eaten so many melons and grapefruits that I dream in yellow, green and orange. Melons of any kind make me pee like crazy. They make my roommate burp. My roommate does not care when or where she does this. I was brought up Southern and Pentecostal. We hold stuff like that in until we have a bit of privacy. I once almost put out my back after eating beans that weren't soaked overnight. But. I was talking about diet and exercise...

I don't want you to think I'm complaining. At least, not about the food. No, I save my complaining for the gym. And I'm not talking about the workout itself. The workout is only half the struggle. The real fun started for my me and my roommate when we had to walk around with our reading glasses on to study the label on each machine. We looked like two grandmas come to town for the day.

"Why, looka here, Bessie Mae! This 'un is for your 'pec-, pec-, uh, something-oral." (Sounds like country porn, doesn't it?)

Thank God that Planet Fitness does mark all their machines with nice clear instructions. Hell, they even have illustrations for the really stupid people. I just wish the pictures were bigger so I didn't need my glasses to see them!

If you think we looked crazy trying to figure out what each machine was for, you should have seen us using some of them. That was true entertainment. My roommate will kill me when she reads this post, but, I swear, she was straining so hard to get on the seat of an ab machine that she ripped a big loud toot-toot. And by loud I mean, imagine an air-horn in an echo chamber. I have never been able to hold my laughter. All that came to mind was what my uncouth roomy likes to say after she rips one: "At least it don't stink." She says that every. single. time. This time, I just about slid off the little ab-swivel thingie laughing. I was thinking that a bad smell couldn't make this situation any worse. Thank God and His universe that the gym wasn't very crowded. Besides, Planet Fitness members tend to ignore one another. It's part of the "No judgement" code they have. I'm too new to this code. I laughed so hard I'm sure I dropped about 12 ounces of water weight.

Yeah. We stayed only long enough to slink to the lockers and grab out street clothes. Slid right out of there, quiet as we could.

The excitement over my roomy's oops should have died down by the time we go back on Monday. If not, we will just have to go across town to another location. Whatever. Maybe now the roomy will listen to me and not be so free about dropping toots and belches in public.

Peace
--Free

111 days, 23 hours, 49 minutes.....

Free is still SMOKE FREE!

Getting Better - Inside & Out

Getting back into shape is hard work. I have pounds to take off, body parts to tone up. It's like a job. I have been walking and stretching and bopping around while holding weirdly shaped objects. I've got ankle weights and a pedometer and this stretchy-band thing that could be used as a weapon - against myself... And that's just for the outside.

See?

Well, that Burlington gift cert went to good use!

But it's all working, even though I get a lot of my exercise just walking away from certain foods. When I went on the regular Saturday outing with my sister, she said that I looked very nice in a blouse that I haven't been able to get into for months. My jeans looked very un-mom-like, thank you very much, and I felt a lot like the old me. The best thing is, I'm not going to have a problem keeping up with all this. The walking is fun and calming. On the days I don't walk and do indoor workouts instead, I enjoy myself because music can make anything bearable.

Like I said, though, that's all just for the outer part of me. The tough part is going to be getting my insides into shape.

Since I gave up smoking and started eating somewhat better, I do feel... better.  I could be, and need to be, doing a lot better.

But I have come a long way...

From here...

I want to feel THIS happy again

...and here...

THIS healthy & THIS in shape

...to here... when the sarcoidosis hit me...

I never want to be HERE again (July 2011)

...and here... when the prednisone hit me.

That is almost a double chin. June 2012

I have started looking into ways that I can change up and make my diet more interesting and healthy. There is a difference between dieting and living life. I want to live life. I'm bad at diets. I've done the juicer thing, the no-white thing, the low-carb thing... What I want is to do my thing.

About six or seven years ago, I started drinking soy instead of milk. I made that a part of my life. Now I just need to find a way to replace some of the burritos and red meat with fish and vegetables. That won't be too hard or expensive since I do live in Alaska: land of salmon, halibut and hooligan. (I love hooligan!) Vegetables are wonderful here - in the summer. We make the record books for cabbage and such. Our weekend Farmer's Market gets written up. Yeah, it's great. In the summer. In the winter time, you have to take out a signature loan to buy tomatoes, or groceries in general. (That's because the cost of living is a bit higher here.)

I've been reading about the various things I can do to improve my whole self by what I put into my inner self. It's interesting. And confusing. Here's the latest:

Cashew butter vs peanut butter
Nut butters in general
Green juices
Juice cleanses
Almond milk vs soy milk vs ...

See? This crap gets complicated.

Here's my verdict: I need to just keep things simple. Some of this trendy stuff, I can deal with, but a lot of it is too much for me.

I can do cashew butter because I've lived without peanut butter for years. I only need an occasional hit of creamy any non-dairy butter. I like the idea of green juices, but juicers cost too much and so do the store-bought juices.

Guess I'll make do with fresh and canned veggies and an every-now-and-again green drink. And not the good-tasting fun stuff like Naked, but something serious and so-nasty-it's-gotta-be-good-for-you. I will keep eating all that dang salmon that my family stocks their freezers with. I will have to just mooch more hooligan since that's a little rarer in my circles.

I really miss the days when I could eat all the starch and butter and other things that probably glued my insides together and kept me in a size 4. I miss them, but I am realistic enough to appreciate being (I refuse to use the word "Mature") grown. I want to live long enough to make up for all the hell I raised when I was younger.

Peace
--Free

Ethnicity & Food

Okay, I'm going to piss off a lot of people, but I will go ahead & say it:

Black people (in general & especially) need to eat healthier.

~waiting for hail of stones to stop raining down~

Now that I've gone and put it out there, let me explain what I mean.

Not all black folk eat unhealthily. I know a lot of black (brown, taupe, tan, deep chocolate,etc) people who do watch what they eat and understand why they need to. That said, I also know a LOT of "us" who still use the excuse of "Grandma did" to eat things that are so bad for anyone: lots of pork and "drippings," red meat, salt, salt and salt. I am not joking when I say that I knew an older woman some years back who actually ate salt sandwiches. Did you hear what I said? SALT sandwiches. She would cut up a raw onion, some tomatoes and literally coat this in salt and make a sandwich. Seriously. (She is dead now. Died at around 58 years old.)

My mother was an "old school" foodie - she ate a lot of green stuff, cooked and raw - but she had that salt habit. Salt and pepper were her seasoning staples. She also ate tomato and onion sandwiches. She didn't coat them with salt, but she did use salt.

When babies were born into our family, some of them teethed on pork gristle. Yeah. Kind of gross, but at least there was no salt involved. Yet. (I have one niece who has been a chicken-or-fish-only gal for about 15 years & if I really want to make her ill, I remind her that her teething was done on a pig ear! LOL)

The biggest excuses for a lot of poor eating habits, no matter what your ethnicity is, is: "Mama did it," "It's a black/German/Puerto Rican/Polish/etc thing." Like La Nostra Cosa (hope I didn't mangle that). Yeah, and sometime "Our Thing" will kill your ass. As deadly as it it cool-sounding.

Our family "thing" with food has always been a lot of variety as long as it's battered, buttered, fried or salted. Or all of the above, damnit. I got better about my eating habits as I got older (mostly out of shame), but until I was around 20 and got married, I ate a lot of delicious and bad-for-you food. My first husband was from a country where the food is bland but the people live for-freaking-ever! I'm from Texas. Take a look at what I can tell you about:

Homemade cakes (Pound, Chocolate, Pudding)
Fatback (deep-fried and eaten just like that, drippings poured into vegetables as a seasoning)
Grits, rice and hot cereals (with butter - lots of butter)
Hominy (which is the only "grits" we ate without butter)
Eggs, eggs and eggs (scrambled, sunny-side, runny or hard-cooked - as long as they were salted and sometimes, believe this or not, buttered)
Pork (chops - breaded or not - bacon, skin fried or pickled and funky - aka CHITLINS)
Breads (rolls of all kinds, corn-batter, hoecake, corncake, fried, grilled and sun-cooked)
Greens (always with drippings, salt and a hunk of that damned fatback)

Do you see what I mean about good food & bad habits? It's a joke among black people that we will waste no part of a pig. "From the rooter to the tooter." I mean, seriously, we eat the feet, tails, ears, ass and freaking guts. Ya know. That's not a diet, that's damn near an addiction. I remember the stench that hovered over the kitchen whenever the family sat around cleaning "chitterlings" (my British ex-husband actually called them by the proper name & I damn near laughed my ass into a fit every time he said it. He kind of liked that nasty shit. Ugh!) If the smell of "chitlins" didn't put you off any food until the smell of rotted ass died down, I don't think you can be cured of Pork. You almost couldn't fix chitlins without have the neighborhood knowing. I think the only reason folks eat that mess with so much hot sauce is to give their senses something else to concentrate on while they eat it. I'm sorry, but, damn.

Some food that I heard my parents talk about might not have been bad for the health, but it still just didn't seem right for humans to eat. Let's visualize what "Rocky Mountain Oysters" are, shall we? They are bull's balls. I promise. Apparently, my Grandma Jack just loved her some R.M.O. (What's really nasty is that I hear they have a gelatinous texture. Ewwww!)

But back to my original point. We (meaning anyone who grew up eating unhealthy foods) have got to do better, people.

One of the reasons given for a bad diet (other than the old "Good enough for Mama" excuse) is that "Mama" and her mama & daddy  ate the way they did because of poverty. Okay, a lot of people (especially in this economy) are still feeling impoverished. (And trust me when I say that I can teach you some creative ways to spell "broke.") That's still no excuse not to do what we can. Guess what's free? NOT adding so much salt. NOT adding so much (or any) "drippings." Not cooking everything in a batter or butter or fatty oil.

Guess what else? Not being a diabetic, amputee, kidney patient is cheaper than anything. We can make all the jokes we want about people having "Sugar" (diabetes) and "Salt" (high blood pressure), but that shit isn't even a little funny when it hits home or heart. I know firsthand.

With that little mammy-made rant of mine over, I will say this: I've recently learned that it is possible to do better. And it's not as hard or expensive as we'd like to think and in some ways is cheaper (go price a pound of butter if you don't believe that). It's not easy though. Breaking life-long ways and habits is never easy. Just trying is better than nothing at all.

I recently learned that I can eat my vegetables without curing them in salt. I am having a hard time getting used to eating so many vegetables, but my goal is to eat vegetables as much as I used to eat meat. I'm not giving up on meat (I'd be out of mind to swear off Lucky Wishbone forever!), but I'm not making it a part of every meal as if I can't live without it. I can and of I get any sicker or broker, I will have to.

For Memorial Day, I had a two burgers. One beef patty during the barbecue we had and one Portabello mushroom later when I went back for more. It wasn't bad at all. I consoled myself with the fact that I could have just a thin beef patty but a fat-ass mushroom burger! I think it's partly in the seasonings and partly in the mindset.

As I try new vegetable dishes, I tell myself what my former mother-in-law told me was an old English joke for the newly married virgins: "Just close you eyes and think of England." That never fails to crack me the hell up! I just close my eyes and think of life not on dialysis or in and out of a hospital.

Good eating, everyone. After a couple rough days, I'm having a lucid one so I'm off to work on the book.

Peace
--Free

Chew On This

(Yeah, corny post title, I know, but...)

As you know, I am trying to eat healthier - doing a lot of fresh veggies (juiced & steamed), fruits and good grains. I've even cut out a lot of the meat I have a hot romance with. (I had a dirty dream about Lucky Wishbone's burger & fries last night.)

The reason for my dietary change is that I am not in the best of medical health right now. This Sarcoidosis and the meds are kicking my ass. Also I am vain. Seriously. I don't like having this skimpy hair, fat ass and inability to strut my stuff. Hard to strut in "sensible shoes" - or in any shoes when you're liable to walk into a wall. So what is a chick to do?

Number one, I am trying to follow doc's orders. No smoking (ohmigoodness, that is a pain in my butt), exercising (yeah, yeah, yeah) and, on my own initiative, the food thing. Plus, after the whole Live Below the Line challenge, I feel differently about cramming bogus calories into my mouth. Somehow, it's harder (not impossible, mind you) to enjoy a burger and fries when you realize there are babies who aren't getting good nutrition let alone some crap like greasy beef and potatoes fried in fat. (I am almost petty-pissed that I am so aware.)

Another motivator is that I feel like what I eat is the one thing I can be so totally in charge of. (To a limit. I mean, I'm not eating caviar with my whole grain toast points.) For about the same amount of money that I was spending on my meats and pre-packaged foods - not to mention my sneak visits to Burger King - I can pick up enough greens and rainbow foods to keep me full and feeling better. See, I've made things interesting by thinking in color.  (Screw some Skittles, I got my own thing going on.)  Check out my box of Crayons:

The "Greens" are collards, kale, spinach, peas, cabbage and broccoli. The "Rainbows" are the bananas, apples, oranges, carrots and my beloved mangoes. I'm even starting to get a groove for bell peppers that are not surrounded by ground beef and pasta. (Okay, I still miss "Mama's Texas Spaghetti recipe!) Next week I'm going to experiment with "Earth Tones" of mushrooms and beans. Someone told me about a killer burger made completely with mushrooms and seasonings. And I haven't forgotten my background beige/taupe with the tofu for fun.  Salt is a struggle so I try to be moderate. I love olive oil so that's no biggie.

I can do this. I just have to keep myself interested. I have a strange mind, but I have learned how to play with things to keep myself on track. Some folks claim a method to their madness, I have a plan for my peculiarities. Yes, indeed.

I have to remind myself that there are some hefty-assed vegetarians out there. I know a couple. So, I am watching the fruit - because of the sugar and other, um, reasons. Last night I went to bed full of some peaches and nectarines that my nephew bought me and I woke up a few hours later breaking Jesse Owens' track record to get to the bathroom. Learned something about that fruit: Mess around and eat the wrong thing and you better not take a deep nap. Be in deep shit in a very literal way. (I do put out too much info at times, don't I? Sorry.)

Anyway, I stumbled across an interesting video over on Hulu tonight while I was folding clothes. Really I  only queued it because the title caught my eye and folding clothes bores the snot out of me, but I'm glad I caught the vid. It made me feel like I am doing a good thing for my health. In case you want to check it out, here is the link & it's called "Chow Down."

Enjoy.

Peace
--Free

*Sigh* Cravings

Not loving this whole vegetable juice thing, but I know that it's good for me. I know that because like anything "good for you," this diet sucks chunks. And are my sister & niece being any help? I don't know, let's see what they had for lunch today:

Some nicely seasoned wings from a really good Chinese place up the street.

Oh, and this is while I was downstairs fixing my lunch:

Rabbit food. Rabbit food that takes forever to turn into rabbit juice.

I was feeling pretty evil by the time I finished chopping and blending. Those gals must have forgotten I was an armed woman. Armed but still somewhat sane. I kept my violent tendencies in check & drank my damned juice, but...

This is the look I gave those bitches:

Yeah.

Damnit. Can't smoke, don't want to take up drinking & everything else is either illegal or should be...

This weekend, I'm having a Lucky Wishbone hamburger!

Peace

--Free