How Not to Die Cookbook by Dr. Michael Greger

 I spent the afternoon looking at the photos and recipes on this new book just out, How Not to Die Cookbook, by Dr. Michael Greger.  The photos are beautiful and there isn't one recipe that doesn't look good to me.  This book is a companion to another book of the same name, also written by Dr. Greger. 

Dr. Greger has a eating system that he has boiled down to what he calls the Daily Dozen.  All the recipes in this book adhere to the healthy, whole foods on that list.  So, as I picked out the recipes I'm going to try first, I made sure I was ticking off as many items as possible of the daily dozen.  That way I know I'm getting the most nutrition possible from what I'm eating on a daily basis.

I've been a fan of Dr. Greger since I decided to switch to a plant based, whole food way of eating.  This cookbook makes eating that way look really good.  This cookbook is going to help me balance my diet and continue to loose weight.

I paid $17.99 for this hardback book on Amazon and I got it in two days.  What a deal.  It's a very well put together cookbook with beautiful photos of every recipe.  If you are looking for a vegan cookbook, I highly recommend this one.

The Simple Life - Weightloss Update - Listen to Your Body

 This is how I look when I'm at home.  I live in athletic attire.  The tee says "Stong & Fierce"  I definately feel like that these days.

Listening to your body is important; very important.  I've been in this weight loss journey for almost nine months now.  I know the feeling of loosing weight.  I can tell when I'm loosing weight.  I like the feeling of going to bed slightly hungry because I know that means I'm loosing weight.

So, why, after a week of going to bed hungry did I gain a pound instead of loose one?  I did everything right.  I stuck to my preplanned meals.  I worked out hard all five days.  How could this happen?

On Thursday I noticed that decimal number on the scale had gone up instead of down.  But it was only .2 so I ignored it.  The same thing happened on Friday and by Saturday I was up a full pound.

Why didn't I stop what I was doing as soon as I noticed that something was wrong?  Maybe because I knew I was doing everything right and I assumed the numbers would auto correct.  Wrong.

I knew that I was consuming too much salt.  I ate rice every day and I poured a cup of broth over it that was very high in sodium.  There was also sodium in the soup that I ate for breakfast.  Combined, I was consuming way too much salt and not drinking enough water to flush it all out.  The net result was weight gain even though I was doing everything right and I should have lost weight.

I knew it was happening and I ignored it.  I was so upset with myself on Saturday morning as I stood there on my scale a pound heavier.  I did it to myself.  A single pound isn't so much in the greater scheme of things but it reminded me that I have to listen to my body. 

The scale isn't my only tool, but it's important.  It helps me stay honest about where I am and what I'm dong on a daily basis.  So I lost a week but I learned a valuable lesson.  I don't have to panic when the numbers inch up, but I should take stock of everything I'm doing.  There was a reason the numbers went up even though I was doing all things.  There was one thing I wasn't doing right and had I paid attention I could have corrected it mid week and not been up that pound by the weekend.

Lesson learned.  Success, to a great degree is in the details.  It's a lot of little things that I do now.  It's all those little things that I've changed about my life that have gotten me where I am right now.  If I start ignoring enough of those little things, big mistakes can happen.  I don't want that.

On the fitness front I'm doing great.  As I continue to make my workouts a little harder I am strengthening my muscles and I find that I can do more.  I'm ready to add a little weight to my weighted vest so that will add intensity too.  I feel stronger and I can see the difference in my shape.  It feels good. 

My 33rd wedding anniversary is next weekend and I've bought a couple of new bathing suits.  I'm so excited about looking slimmer and feeling better than I did a year ago.  I continue to be excited and motivated to be the best that I can be.
This is me this morning, heading out to church.  These pants are very baggy on me now.  This time last year I couldn't even squeeze into them.

Simple Life - Winning the Battle

Some things stayed the same and some things changed.  I'm still fasting from 5 pm - 7 am the next morning.  No that I'm in the habit of fasting every day I can't imagine not.  It gives my body time to full digest my last meal.  I don't feel so full when I go to bed and I sleep better.

I'm still doing my 3 mile walk/job every morning at 5:30 am.  It gets my metabolism going and energizes me for the day.  I has become so much of a habit that I never set an alarm and I wake up and get up early on the weekends too.  I'm a morning person and I embrace it.  The downside is that I'm ready for bed early in the evening.  That can be a bummer for my husband sometimes but I'm doing what works best for me.  On the weekends I stay up a little later to watch a movie with him. 

I'm still doing 45 minutes of step/weight bearing exercises in the afternoon, after work.  I've added weight to my workout but I keep the workout to 45 minutes.  I feel like this has become so important.  I've let myself get so soft and when you add my age to that you get a recipe for a flabby old lady.  I don't want to be that so I put all my effort in this.

I'm still eating a plant based whole foods diet.  I really don't miss dairy at all.  I will admit that when I smell fried chicken or a cheeseburger I want one.  But I want to be skinny and healthy more.  So, although the smell is still pleasant to me, I'm not going backwards.

What's new this week is that I'm paying attention to food density.  My morning meal and lunches are both made up of foods that are very low in calories; fruits and non-starchy vegetables.  I have my starch at dinner.  Here's what that looks like:

Breakfast - I had cooked, non-starchy vegetables for breakfast each day.  I don't normally reach for these foods for breakfast, but I love vegetables so I just pretended it was lunch or dinner.

Lunch - For lunch I took a container of chopped greens with a sprinkling of tomatoes or bell peppers.  My goal with lunch is to fill up on greens.  I love salads, so as long as I have a little bit of topping that I like and a dressing that I like, it's not a problem.  I use the Skinny Girl dressings because they are sugar and fat free and taste great.

Dinner - I had my starches at dinner each night.  Most nights that mean a mixture of rice, beans and a starchy vegetable like potatoes, carrots or sweet potatoes.  I did limit the amount I ate to 3 cups.  It was plenty and I never went to bed hungry.

I lost a solid pound this week so this plan definitely works.  I feel lighter, my clothes are getting loose and I feel great.  I'm not saying that this sequence of eating is for everyone, but for those like me that are trying to loose weight, it works.  Once I get down to where I want to be I'll add a little starch back to my breakfast and lunch.  Until then, I'll keep doing what works.