Fightin' the Frump

This morning I made a yummy shake that I thought I would share with you. This has been one of the ways that I've been fighting the frump lately. It must be working since I lost 2.2 lbs this past week. Slow and steady, steady and slow that is the way to go!

Cucumber Melon Misty:
(Can you tell I was inspired by the popular Cucumber Melon scented powders, lotions and perfumes?)

1 large cucumber pealed and quartered
2 large slices of honeydew
1 c. green seedless grapes
1/2 c. apple juice
1/2 tsp. Vitamin C powder
1/2 tsp. flax seed
1 Tbsp. Agave

Pulverize in a juicer or Vita-Mix. Enjoy!

Fightin' the Frump

Well, I thought I would join the ranks over at
Mrs. Fussypants where she is working hard to help us all fight the frump.

So, you may ask, what have I been doin' about that lately? A few things actually. I joined Weight Watchers and have just started my eighth week. I wish I could say I have been doing well at that, but as I'm only down 4 pounds I do believe I've got to work a bit harder. Somehow I did manage to avoid gaining any weight this past weekend, which was a small miracle considering the resort food we ate on our retreat! In fact I lost 1.8 pounds! I do believe I've turned a corner on the weight loss, as my own scale is continuing to decrease. Curious how much I might be down by next Wednesday? Hoping to get in to that 2 lb per week decline to be ready for summer!

In addition to writing down everything I put in my mouth, I have increased my activity. I'll be heading over to the gym to try out the Elliptical machine again. I tried that for the first time on Wednesday. . .what a work out! I definitely have to keep that in my routine as I felt much better after that than I do on the tread mill (not nearly as dizzy and my back didn't hurt - go figure!)

The last thing I want to mention is what I've been eating for lunch the past couple of days. I've been listening to the book Doctor Yourself by Andrew Saul (info here), and he is continually praising the benefits of vegetable juicing. Unfortunately, I'm not a big veggie fan, except of course about Larry and Bob! Despite this, I decided to give it a try. Since he talked about fruit juicing too, I combined the two to make a more palatable drink for myself. Gotta tell you, it was quite yummy and satisfying.

I tossed in my Vita Mix blender (this is an awesome blender, it can pulverize and juice pretty much anything) the following items:

1/2 c. pure blueberry juice
1 whole cucumber (peeled and halved)
1 1/2 c. strawberries (tops and all, just rinsed them)
3 stalks of celery (washed and chopped in medium size pieces)
1 c. frozen raspberries
1/4 c. frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Flax Seed
1/2 tsp Vitamin C

Blend til pulverized into a beautiful smoothie! It was delicious. Next week I'll experiment with some other veggies, but the cucumber and celery was as brave as I got for the first time 'round.

The only drawback to this type of smoothie, was that it didn't last. It was very filling at the time and I felt no need to eat anything else, but I was quite hungry and craving protein a few hours later. Hmmm, any suggestions?

Have fun fighting the frump today! I'm off to the gym.

The Sweet Life

This week's healthy habit tip is: avoiding refined sugar. We've all heard this one, right? I myself have tried many times to give it up with little success. So let me correct myself here, the tip for the day is reducing refined sugar. That's better. I think I can handle that one, how about you?

Failure to avoid or reduce refined sugar in our diets is usually predicated upon that fact that there are not too many great replacements out there and, let's face it, we do need to keep a little sweetness in our lives!

Cheer up, though, there is hope. Sugar substitutes are being more widely marketed. Just check out your local health food store or the organic aisle in your neighborhood grocery chain (they seem to be expanding continually!) No longer are we limited to the heavyweights of NutraSweet and Equal.

In fact I highly recommend staying away from those heavyweights as they have been known to cause cravings and much worse. If you are not aware of the controversies surrounding aspartame, then I suggest checking out Wikipedia. I found this to be the most objective, informative and helpful resource. My conclusion: consider aspartame (NutraSweet & Equal) dangerous to your health.

I no longer allow my children to drink or eat anything sweetened with aspartame (that includes gum!) A bit of pure sugar is better for them then processed chemical sweeteners.

In our household we have tried different types of sugar substitutes. Below is a list from least to favorite:

Stevia: I have this on hand for use in drinks, but I have found this the most difficult sweetener to incorporate. It tends to have a prominent after taste in beverages which makes it an acquired taste. I never quite figured out how to bake with it successfully.

Sucralose: When it comes to candy or gum I will allow the kids to have items sweetened with Splenda. As it is still a chemically altered sweetener, I do limit exposure and no longer use it for baking or sweetening. In addition to my concern with long term use, our family's constitutions seem to be quite sensitive to the product.

Xylitol: This is one of the many sugar alcohols you may see listed in ingredients (pretty much anything that ends with "ol".) Xylitol is also sold separately for use in baking, cooking and sweetening. I find this to be the best replacement for baking, but because the sugar alcohols have a laxative effect similar to Splenda, I advise using it in moderation. Typically, I will replace only part of the sugar called for in a recipe with Xylitol and use either date or maple sugars for the remaining part. I find that our family is able to digest Xylitol in baked goods with no adverse effects. The only problem seems to be when I make lemonade. So now I make the real thing as a treat, instead of the forced colon cleansing. (Please note that some people do not have any negative reaction to Xylitol in beverages. My friend's children drink their sweetened lemonade all summer with no problem!)

Xylitol also has great health benefits. It is low in calories and does not contribute to high blood sugar. Those suffering with diabetes, hypoglycemia or candida are most likely able to incorporate this sweetener into their diets safely. (Remember to check with your doctor first!) Additional benefits include increased health in teeth, ears and bone density. I've replaced our household chewing gum with only xylitol based products (available at local stores) because it is supposed to be very beneficial for protecting children's teeth.

The final three sweeteners are great for combined use in baked goods, but be warned they do contain calories!
Date Sugar: Works great as a substitute for brown sugar in baking recipes. I use it in combination with maple sugar for the topping in my apple crisp.

Pure Maple Sugar: Oooh! This one is especially yummy mixed in oatmeal or apple pie. My son has to avoid refined sugar due to candida, so I mix this with cinnamon for his cinnamon toast!

Agave: This is my ultimate favorite sweetener! Use it just like you would honey. The best thing about agave, is that it does not affect glucose levels, so it is typically safe for diabetics. (Remember to check with your doc first!) I use this in lots of stuff. It is great for sweetening beverages: iced tea (but for some reason, not lemonade), hot tea/coffee or homemade cocoa. It works well in baked goods, breads, and pies. For a tasty salad dressing just mix it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.

I hope these tips will help give you some motivation to experiment with some of those less marketed sweeteners as well as provide you with informative links to guide you in making the best choices for you and your family! So, go! Enjoy the sweet life!

Go Ahead, Bragg A Little Bit!

As I peruse various blogs, it seems that many of you are interested in eating more healthfully. Now, I'm no authority on health food, but I am an expert on dieting. I certainly have attained the know how, I just need to work on the follow through!

To sum up, over the past 15 years I have tried the following diet fads: The Cabbage Soup Diet, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, an elimination diet, Marilu Henner, Atkin's, Suzanne Somer's, South Beach, E-Diets, Medifast, The Pericone Prescription, and the Rotation Game.

Pathetic, huh?

The only successes I had was with Weight Watchers and the elimination diet. The first I found to be a bit tedious. The second was done to determine food allergies. As you can gather from the name, you pretty much eliminate everything from your diet and add foods back in slowly one at a time. You can't help but loose weight during the process, but you can only live like that for so long.

My point here, is that I have tried many programs that have worked well for others, but not for me. Perhaps some of you may find yourself in the same boat?

As I forge ahead on our family's current meal plan, The Rotation Game (doctor ordered for food allergies, not weight loss), I find myself utilizing helpful bits and pieces from those past diets. As I have wasted time, money, sweat and tears trying things that either didn't work, were too complicated to follow or just plain tasted horrible, I thought I would share some of the gems I have gleaned and possibly help others avoid similar grief and frustration.

See, I'm here for ya. All those years of yo-yo dieting were not for naught!

So my healthy habit tip for the day: Bragg's Liquid Aminos. (Thanks, Marilu!)

This stuff is great. It's chock full of protein and nutrition, not to mention that it is very tasty! If you need to avoid gluten, this is a perfect replacement for tamari or soy sauce.

Give it a try! I use this for much more than Chinese stir-fry. Try it in place of Worcestershire sauce to give meat loaf, steak, roast, chops, soup, etc. a healthy boost and a little zip. It also tastes yummy on baked fish or drizzled over steamed veggies. Spritz it on salad to replace a high calorie dressing.

Below is a yummy dish I created for dinner this week. I'm not one for recipes. I never seem to follow them, as I'm always substituting things or adding stuff to suit my tastes. So bear in mind that I am estimating the amounts that I used and I advise the taste-as-you-cook method.

Chicken Primavera

• extra virgin olive oil
• Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 1/4 of a green pepper, diced
• 1/4 of a red pepper, diced
• 1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small yellow squash, diced
• 1 cup green cabbage, sliced & diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 bag of Perdue Italian style grilled chicken short cuts (or 1 16 oz can chicken or whatever grilled chicken you may have. If it is not seasoned already then make sure to add your preferred seasoning to the dish.)

Here's how I cooked it. I chopped up all the veggies and dumped them in the electric frying pan. I poured the EVOO over it - I'm guessing at least a 1/4 cup. Then I turned on the pan and sauteed everything all at once. Next, I added the Bragg's until I liked the taste. Last, I added the grilled chicken and kept it cookin' til the veggies were tender.

Serve over pasta or rice. I recommend Bionaturae's gluten free pasta made with rice, potato and soy. It has a good flavor and holds together well, as long as you don't overcook it. That and white Vita Spelt pastas are the only wheat substitute pastas our family likes (and have even served to unsuspecting guests in soups and pasta dishes!)

Enjoy!

F.Y.I.: Marilu Henner has a good program if you are organized and determined. She has lots of good recipes and tips. Just be prepared to spend more money at the grocery store on the healthier fare and extra time preparing meals. As I recall, hubby's response to this program was, "I can do with a little less fish!"

Fibro Fun

Yes, that would be sarcasm you sense in the title of my post! Dealing with fibromyalgia for the past 15 years has been anything but fun. However, God is good and has blessed me with a very fun filled life despite the pain!

Last night our local news did a report on fibromyalgia and provided a list of resources. I found that Arthritis Today provided the most helpful information including a list of Fibro Fixes.

I thought I would pass along some things that have worked, and not worked, for me in dealing with my fibro.

MEDICATION: Traditional RX - not really helpful for me. I've tried a slew of things over the years and found that the side effects were more difficult to deal with than any benefit gained. That said, you need to work with your doctor to find what does work for you.

My D.O. actually ended up prescribing Nature Throid, even though mainstream docs would not have done so. In his experience, patients with fibromyalgia do best with an absolutely perfect thyroid. He was right! Mine was in normal range, but not perfect. After months of monitoring to get the numbers perfect, the fatigue began to improve tremendously. No more needing to pull over because I was too tired to drive the 20 min. home (or worse, slapping my face to stay awake!)

I also find that 4 regular old ibuprofen work wonders for me on those days when I just can't take the pain. Since I have started incorporating more of the suggestions below, I find that I only end up taking the pain meds maybe once a week and not several times a day! (yikes!)

WEATHER: Ah, the change in barometric pressure is my nemesis! As soon as all the joints in my fingers ache I can tell you that a storm's a comin'. Yes, between that and my curly hair, I'm a walking barometer!

Understanding that there is a connection with the weather has helped mentally. Somehow, knowing that the hurricane in Florida hundreds of miles away is causing my pain, makes it easier to put up with it. It's temporary and will subside when the weather calms.

CHIROPRACTIC CARE: This is my favorite treatment! If physical therapy is covered that is a great way to go or massage therapy for the "rich & famous," and for the rest of us. . .they're called husbands. Fortunately, our insurance covers chiropractic care, so that is what I like to do. I notice a huge increase in pain when I cut back to once a week. However, I used to go 3 times a week and now feel much better if I can keep it at 2. Someday I'll be even more improved and will be able to cut back more!

EXERCISE: I don't care for this one at all, but it is vital. I remember hearing a study where they deprived a bunch of people of sleep for days. The only 2 people who did not develop fibromyalgia symptoms were marathon runners! Now, you don't have to be training for a marathon to receive the benefits of exercise. Do what you can do - just make sure you do something!

Getting motivated to exercise is the hardest, because for those of us with fibro it causes a lot of pain. Doing things little by little and building up, will help. Icing after exercising helps keep my pain minimal. And of course don't forget to stretch. I stretch before I get out of bed, in the shower, throughout the day, before, during and after exercising! This, along with deep breathing, brings oxygen to those muscles and keeps them from getting too tight.

DIET: I don't like this one either. It ain't easy, but it works! Many of us with fibro suffer from food allergies and intestinal issues. Knowing what foods bother you is very important. I find that my pain increases if I eat too much wheat, dairy and sugar over a few days. Wheat causes inflammation, which therefore can cause pain and digestive stress.

Typically the foods you can't live with out, (ya know that which you crave!) are most likely the foods that are causing problems. Eliminate the culprits for a few weeks and, after the flu like symptoms of deprivation subside, slowly add them back in and see how you react. I've found that rotating wheat, sugar, dairy and coffee every 4 days has been the most beneficial in reducing the intestinal issues that go along with fibro.

PRAYER: Taking time to pray and read the Bible helps keep me from being overwhelmed and give in to the pain. Talking with hubby, playing with my kids, going to Bible study, being involved in our church and ministering to others, takes my focus off myself. . .and that's always a good thing!

I hope that if any of you suffer from fibro, or know someone who does, that these tips might help in dealing with the pain.

Now, I've been sitting at the computer way too long. . .it's time to stretch!

Symptom Free With Vitamin C!

It's that time of year - to get sick! After hearing about my friend being under the weather, I thought I would pass along what has worked in our household: Vitamin C!

Since my husband read Doctor Yourself by Andrew Saul (info here), he as become known as "The Vitamin C Pusher." As soon as anyone in our family starts sniffling, hubby is there with his precious C, pushing it on you until you give in!

At first, I found this quite annoying. Then, when hubby bought me "jewelry" (a hot pink MP3 player I can hang around my neck!), for our 15th anniversary and one of the few things he'd loaded on it was the Doctor Yourself audio book, I must admit that I found that mildly amusing and . . . annoying.

After a few weeks of "encouragement" from hubby, I decided that it would be best for me (in my efforts to become a Proverbs 31 wife!) to actually listen to the book. Before I finished the first chapter I was hooked!

Since my C conversion, I have noticed a dramatic change in the length of sickness in our household. Rather than the typical 5-10 days of sore throats, coughs, fevers, and runny noses that somehow stretch out for about a month as the nasty bug works its way through each member of the family, our illnesses have lasted, at most, only a few days.

Now, let me preface all this by reminding you that I am not a doctor (I just wish I played one on TV!) You should always check with your doctor before starting any kind of Vitamin C therapy, especially if you're pregnant or suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I actually have IBS, spastic colon and microscopic colitis, so I do react to taking C more quickly than my husband. As soon as the gurgley stomach starts, that is when you know you've had too much and it is time to back off. It's important to take C throughout the day or in time-release form since it is water soluble leaves the blood stream almost as quickly as it enters. If you purchase the buffered C in powder form it is much easier on the tummy and the kids don't mind taking that in juice. I make them what we lovingly refer to as "vita-juice" each day at dinner, so that they get their daily dose of C and other vitamins. All of the natural remedies we take in our family is under the care of our family physician, who has encouraged us to keep it up.

Forgive me for this rather long post as I recall some of our personal Vitamin C victories:

In June, hubby was actually quite sick with the flu right before our anniversary. Now, being the hopeless romantic he is not, he surprised me by re-proposing, arranging for us to renew our vows and celebrating with a reception to follow. He couldn't afford to be sick at such an important time! He ended up taking 1,000 mg of C every 45 min. the day before and by the time we completed the festivities he was only a bit tired!

In the fall, I came down with an annoying cough. I faithfully took 1,000 mg of C several times throughout the day. After a week I had had enough, so I went to the doctor. They told me that I had had bronchitis! Now, I've had bronchitis before and those coughs really hurt - but not these. I'm convinced that the C enabled my body to fight it much better and kept the symptoms reduced.

Winter arrived and Buddy Bear came down with a persistent fever. (One would think that all the C we take would keep the bugs away entirely, but it just seems to get rid of them quicker!) We kept pumping him full of C, but couldn't get the fever to go away after a week. To the doctor we went. They declared that he may have been suffering from Mono! As soon as we left the office I called hubby and congratulated him on successfully treating our flus, bronchitis and perhaps a bout of mono. . .unbelievable!

Just last week, my Darlin' was getting sick with only a week to go before her big birthday bash. We gave her 500 mg of C every few of hours, (with no tummy troubles I might add) and within 2 days she was feeling better. I on the other hand, had picked up her nasty little bug and by Thursday morning was starting to panic about the upcoming festivities. Within the course of 24 hours I took 13,000 mg of C and knocked that nasty head cold out of the park! Mind you, I did suffer from some tummy troubles on Friday morning, but I chose to put up with that rather than the alternative head cold which made me feel much worse. By Friday evening I had been able to clean the house, bake and decorate the cake, prepare for the party, host a sleep over and only suffer from lack of sleep due to giggling girls by Saturday morning!

Needless to say, I'm a true believer now! Gotta cold? "Take Vitamin C til your symptom free!"