Better Fruit

I read this from TIME on September 13 issue:

" Sure, they're easier on the environment, but are organic strawberries - free of pesticides and synthetic growth promoters - actually more nutritious? Yes, at least according to a new study that compared conventionally grown and organic strawberries. The organic fruit not only contained more antioxidants and other compounds beneficial to healthy; in a blind test, it tasted better too."

Duh... I swear I can tell the difference taste-wise between organic vegies and fruit and sprayed vegies and fruit, eggs, milk and meat too. It's a win win win situation, better for the environment, more nutritious, and better tasting. All these MUST be worth paying a few cents more.

Happy Halloween!!!
Sue

Halloween Treats

Halloween is always a real challenge for me. I love dressing up, telling tales, and eating candy. I remember when I was a freshman in college a guy that I was dating gave me a whole package of mini Reeses Buttercups for Halloween. I ate almost every one and thought that was about the best present ever. They were my favorite and still are. Of course, this is something I cannot have around because I cannot control how many I eat. Reeses also have special meaning because my mother used to buy them for herself as a special treat when I was a little girl. She would hide them. I never saw her eat them. She thought I saw nothing, but I did see her buy them, but never eat them. When I finally got one myself I could see why she liked them so much. What's not to like - peanut butter and chocolate? Nothing better. Yum.

My best costume was when i went to a party dressed as Charley Chapman. I used no make-up, just Bob's tux and my Grandfather's Boller hat that covered my entire head and hair (I put my hair up underneath the hat). I drew on a small mustache on my upper lip and said nothing at the party. Yes, I know, hard to believe. But it was so fun. Nobody knew who I was.

My nutritionist advised that if you have to have something sweet like that, to get M&Ms peanut style. She says the peanut slows down the digestion of the sugar. I don't know if I truly buy this one, but I find I can control how many of these I eat. I guess it's because I don't like them as much. I can have a couple and be satisfied. Tomorrow I must buy some candy to give the kids for trick or treat night. So the challenge looms.

Happy Halloween,
Sue

What Shall We Do?

If the scale doesn't act nice.

Killer Zumba class. Good weights this morning. Lost of dancing, story telling, singing, and playing the instrumentarium. Salad for lunch. Very tired. Popcorn with scenes of a movie I like (1900). Very active day. Got to get some sleep.

Sue

Which Plan Works for What Body Types

Some eating plans work better for some people than others. (Quotation from November MORE magazine)

"Those with big bellies do well on a low-carb low-glycemic diet. This kind emphasizes meat and dairy products which generally produce small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin, as well as carbohydrates that contain a lot of fiber, such as bran cereals. On the other hand, people with big butts tend to do better with low-fat, high-carb diets - eating plans that often center on vegies and grains while minimizing read meat. And those who are large all over seem to do well with a Mediterranean diet - one that is rich in fruits and vegies, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes and healthy fats like olive oil."

I fit into the Mediterranean style the best I think. At least it seems like I have had the best success yet with the least hungry times.

Food for thought, so to speak,
Sue

Severe Weather

We had a tornado warning today at school, so we had to move to safe places for about 45 minutes. It was pouring when we had to come inside, so my class and I were soaked. So was the principal who was worrying about us and came out to the trailer personally to fetch us. He also was soaked to the skin. The one positive was that we did get some rain out of it. We so desperately need it.

So, my roughest day is over for the week. Tomorrow we have data day which means we get to enter grades for our Early Release time. This is good. I can actually work in my room. We have conferences coming up too pretty soon. Those are always marathon days too.

Weights were rough this morning too because there was waiting at some machines. Not good, so I had to skip two of them. Tomorrow I ride the bike.

Sue

Frost on the Pumpkind

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay...
and sweep and brush the crumbs away...
The frost is on the pumpkin
and the wind goes Woo-woo...
And the goblins will get YOU if you don't watch out.
-James Whitcomb Riley (or at least what I remember from one of his poems from my childhood. I always get his book of poems out this time of year. They are in dialect and probably not politically correct these days, but I remember them affectionately)

Tomorrow, we'll have the wind and the rain. Then Thursday we'll have the frost on the pumpkin.

Nice meeting with my nutritionist, the guru of healthy living. I'm making progress along the path of getting healthy. It's an attitude adjustment for sure with a lot of other choices, a shift in thinking.

Fun with the kids today with my Halloween lessons, More tomorrow.

I love Halloween,
Sue

Mini Vacation

It's good to take a bit of time off. Friday I had a day off. I spent some extra time with Bob. We spend a lot of time talking, and I think this is a good thing.

Weigh-in was good - .8 lb. so this brings me almost to 15 lbs since June 1. It's not very fast, but at least it's in the right direction.

Today was a beautiful day, kind of warm and breezy. I sat on the porch and hemmed a couple pair of pants I needed to take up.

This week is Halloween week and will be fun. Now I'm headed into the kitchen to make some butternut squash soup. You roast some vegies, mush them up in the blender, then add some chicken stock and a few spices, not difficult.

Have a good Halloween week, everybody,
Sue

The Secret

I know sometimes I say the same things, but the secret is small long term changes. That's it in a nutshell. Stop thinking about dieting and start thinking about living, doing things that you can do the rest of your life to be healthy. Dedicate yourself to those things and make the small daily choices that make them possible.

Today I mailed an application for my father to receive the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, only given to pilots who have had safe flying records for over 50 years, My father qualifies, FOR SURE. Nobody else could deserve this award more than my dad. I think it would be cool to present him with the award in front of the Wright B flyer, which is kept very near to here in Springboro. We'll see if it can happen. He's coming out here for Thanksgiving. This would be cool. But even if it's not available before then, it will be a neat thing for him to have this. He has been flying for 66 years and has a safety record second to nobody.

Cheers and TGIF,
Sue

Frost Forcasted

Preliminary weigh-in shows I got my pound. We'll see at the official weigh-in tomorrow morning. I did Zumba after school and we have tomorrow off. We're having a frost tonight, widely scattered. Temperature will get to 33. I'm never ready for the killing frost, although it is nice to have cooler weather. We are now 8 inches behind normal in rainfall. This is bad news going into winter. Any tree, bush , or plant that was struggling will probably die.

Until tomorrow... frostily yours,
Sue

Better Feeling Feet

Ahhh... it's feels so good when it stops... foot pain, that is. My PF has been tempted into remission, at least for the present. I am grateful to go back to just arthritis upon first standing up.

I have been having a lot of fun with Halloween lessons in school. It is one of my favorite holidays and always has been. Kids of course have fun at this time of year, so I am joining them this year. We have a day off Friday for fall break (a little sanity break). I have not missed one hour of school yet. This is good. My air machine is doing its job. Hip, hip, horray.

We have an owl that hoots in the night. Bob had heard him and I finally got to hear him this morning. Neat sound. Lower in pitch than i thought it would be. I don't think I have ever heard one hoot. He is keeping with the Halloween spirit.

Hoot, hoot,
Sue

Have some Easy Lunches?

My most difficult day is done for the week. It was made all the more wonderful by having to run to the bathroom a couple times this afternoon. Something I got from the cafeteria disagreed with me, It seems like every time I get something, it makes me sick. What to do? Don't get anything from the cafeteria anymore except milk. Case solved! I guess I get tired of the same thing for lunch: a small salad from Kroger with some extra vegies. Any suggestions for lunch that are easy?

To bed to get some rest so I can get up tomorrow morning to ride the bike.
Sue

Breakfast Ideas from Liz and Me

Here are some great ideas from an article a friend of mine sent me. They mostly are an answer to people who say they don't have time for breakfast. Good hints here, though.

Eat Right, Even When There's No Time

-- By Liz Noelcke [my comments are inside the square brackets]


If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 937 times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why? You just spent eight hours with no food or water. You’re dehydrated, your blood sugar is low and you have little energy. And now it’s time to hurry the kids off to school before the eight-hour workday. More than any other point in the day, you need nourishment. Right now.

Besides, eating breakfast actually helps you lose weight. Those who skip the meal tend to snack before lunch and throughout the day, usually on unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Breakfast eaters typically cruise until lunch, while beaming with energy. [Also very important is to start the day with a glass of water!!!]

So what are some breakfast ideas? Scratch that--healthy and quick ideas? Here are some of our favorites:

Prepare a casserole the night before. Pop it in the microwave when you wake up and it will be ready to go when you are. [right... who has time for this? unless it's leftovers from dinner]

Incorporate complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat toast and bagels. Spread peanut butter and raisins on top of either for added flavor. [Yes, this is a good one. I also sometimes put a slice of thin ham or turkey with a bit of cheese and throw it into the micro for a couple minutes. And don't forget the fruit. I keep my fruit on the counter. It tastes much better at room temperature. ]

Bake bran muffins early in the week, then grab one or two each morning. Or check out a local bakery for healthy varieties. [Most muffins are very high in calories unless you make them yourself. We have a new cupcake place that sells carrot cake like cupcakes that are kind of like muffins. They are very good, but probably high in calories.]

Make waffles Sunday morning and freeze the leftovers. You can pop ‘em in the toaster for a homemade breakfast. Also, grocery stores sell frozen whole grain selections.

Have you ever tried a tortilla for breakfast? Wrap up cold turkey and cheese, grab an apple and you’re on your way. [Yes, this is good. Dorothy Lane market sells this tortillas made with whole grains. Very good with a slice of tomato or salsa, cheese, and/or egg]

Don’t forget cold cereal. We’re not talking about those covered with sugar, but the healthy variety. Items such as Wheaties and Cheerios are always good choices. [Ugh, I don't buy these anymore. I get Kashi or organic cereals. They are whole grain and delicious.]

Whole-egg or egg white omelets with fresh or frozen veggies (carrots, broccoli, celery, peppers, onions and even black beans make great additions). [yes, but I refuse to give up the yolk of the egg. I buy organic eggs and I know the farm where they come from. ]

Make a shake or a smoothie. Blend fruit and yogurt and then drink it in the car. [I try not to eat in the car - bad policy. But the smoothie is a good idea. We try to have one of these once a week. You need a mid morning snack, but it's low calories. Use Kefir in these too - delicious! ]

A side option is a small bag of finger foods, such as a mixture of granola and grapes.

This is a jammed packed posting! Please add your favorite healthy fast breakfasts.

Sue

Steel Cut Oatmeal

OK, we tried it this morning. Bob says he now knows what gruel tastes like (hee, hee). It took a very long time to make. I followed directions. It said for 2 servings, take 3 cups water/milk (I used 1 cup milk and 2 cups water), bring to simmer and add 1/2 cup oats. It simmered away for 45 minutes and still was kind of runny. I wonder if there's a secret to cooking them? The taste was good, but we added maple syrup (me) and brown sugar (Bob). I am not all that fond of regular oatmeal, but will eat it sometimes. This was soupier.

I'm going for a walk now. It's a nice day.
Sue

Buckeyes Go Down to Defeat

But everything else about this day was great. I went to a fantastic workshop sponsored by my Orff chapter. It had lots of ideas I can take to my classroom. I went shopping at Dorothy Lane Market, and I always enjoy that. We had chicken noodle soup and a nice salad.

Too bad for the Buckeyes, no longer number one. They just didn't do the job tonight. Bob says that's why you play the game.

Sue

Fun

An absolute requirement for health is to have fun. You can keep on a grind for a while, but it does not feed you. I really had fun with my classes today. I taught them a dance that I made up to Ghost Busters. Another music teacher gave me the idea to dance to it. The kids liked it so much, that they wanted to "do it again." It was neat to see them enjoying themselves. I was too, enjoying myself, that is. We are having Tall Tales in the fourth grade where we're sharing tales. We will pick the best of them and make a mini musical out of them, one for each class. Some are amazing story tellers. They have much to tell already at 10 and 11. I am encouraging them to use their imaginations, I am happy to see that for the most part they are able to do this. I had a nice lunch with my husband too.

Have a fun weekend,
Sue

Flu Shot, Kefir, and 1900

I got my flu shot today to keep from getting the flu. You can get it at your local pharmacy, public health office, or of course your doctor. I am delighted that I am staying healthy. I credit my air machine, exercise program and good diet. I want to keep it up.

We discovered Kefir, a yogurt that your drink, but it's got more good bacteria than regular yogurt, even the organic kind. We have tried the strawberry and another kind, both good. It's German in origin, I think. You can find it in the organic food section. It is very good for digestion, good for burning fat and making efficient use of calories. It is especially good for the absorbtion of vitamin C and calcium.

Last for today, you MUST see the movie, The Legion of 1900. It is a fantastic movie that we liked so much we have watched it more than once. Really really good.

Sue

Hard Day

It was a very tough day. Tuesdays are always tough, but this one was tougher. A colleague came to observe me, so nerves played into the mix. Plus we had a lock down drill. I didn't take enough for lunch. I had to eat a snack at 3 o'clock stuffing in a piece of string cheese and a couple bites of an apple. I didn't have my banana at noon. Somehow I made it.

Good night,
Sue

Coyotes Closeby

This morning I was backing up to go to the Y for my exercise at about 5:45 (about 2 hours before dawn now) and realized I forgot my book. I turned off my car, opened the door to go back inside and heard, believe it or not, the sound of coyotes howling and yipping, and not far away either. We live IN TOWN, not out in the country. It was really weird to hear them. I think they are coming in because it's been so dry and probably they can't find anything to eat out in the country. Weird, though. They don't seem to be too scared of being close to humans. I know people in this neighborhood with small dogs. I've heard of small dogs being carried off by coyotes. Eek!

Same routine today. It's not quite so difficult to get up. My feet are feeling much better, halleluia. We watched a really good show called Michael Steinberg's American Song Book. Really interesting.

Got to get some rest.
Sue

Chile to Spare

I just made a huge pot of chile today. I put in lots of vegies along with some meat and lots of beans, of course. The recipe also calls for corn. I made this recipe about 2 months ago and froze quite a bit. Every time we warmed it up, it was great.

My foot is better. I am doing lots of stretching. I just took Essi on a short walk, not too far.

It is hot here, like summer not like fall, and VERY dry. I can't figure out why it doesn't rain.

Happy rest of Sunday,
Sue

Sushi

I like it. I have it about once a week. I'd eat it more if I could afford it. Kroger has started offering it in the supermarket, but it's not as good as they have in a restaurant. There's a local place around here run by Chinese (yes, even though it's a Japanese thing). They have the basics of salmon and tuna with some yellow tail, shrimp, and the fake crab with avocado. Their miso soup is ok and the seaweed salad is ok. But my favorite sushi restaurant of all time is in Columbus. They have all the choices of fish. I love their sushi special that contains always the freshest most delicious fish and everything to go with it. It used to be called Restaurant Japan and is named something else now. They changed their name, don't know why. This place is owned and operated by Japanese and all the sushi chefs are Japanese. Their sushi is definitely a cut above. Bob likes their pork with rice. I think it is in my top five of favorite restaurants anywhere. They have been there 20 years and have stayed good, even improved over the years.

I did a bit of yoga today and had a face peel. My hairdresser talked me into these once a month. They're supposed to help you look younger. The peels are free, but you have to buy product every other month. I like the basic peels, but the products are getting a bit expensive.

To bed now to get my beauty rest - ha!
Sue

A NEW Grand Total

Bonus Message

Don't give up! Stay the course! Set your eyes on the goal! Small steps for the long term!

Sue

Down .8 and a day to go

I was pretty happy when I got on the scale this morning. It's almost 15 pounds and here's what I did different this week: drank more water every day, cut back a bit for breakfasts, bumped up my weights 5 lb each machine. These are little things, but I think they helped.

Today I found out I have plantar faschitis in my left heel. This is actually good news, no spur and no tearing of my tendons. I got a shot and a bunch of stretching exercises to do. Let's hope they work.

Hope the week's going well for you,
Sue

Healthy Teeth for Health

It's important to take good care of your teeth. If you put off going to the dentist, you might have to go through extra torture. I think your teeth health is part of how people live longer and better. I hate going, but go anyway for cleaning every six months. Plus I brush and floss every night and use this heavy duty mouth wash. The mouth wash is new. I don't like the taste, but I think it's helping keep my mouth better.

Tomorrow is the last early morning workout this week. Then I have a couple days off. Yeah. I don't have to get up early anyway. I'll still do something Tomorrow I'm going to take care of my feet.

Tootles,
Sue

Tuesdays and Roasting Vegies

Most of my fourth graders got to do "Mallet Madness" this week. I set up rows of instruments, one for each kid, and they get about 3 minutes or so on each rotating down the rows. They love it. It's tough on my hearing. The third graders took OATs today, a morning of tests. They were useless this afternoon. Plus they rescheduled all my classes, so I had all the third graders this afternoon. So, it was an even more tough version of my already tough Tuesday.

On Tuesdays it's about just making it through the day and my two piano students after school.

Bob fixed a nice dinner, meatless, with great pasta, tomato sauce, and broccoli roasted. Ina has really convinced us of the yum factor of roasted vegies. They have so much flavor. You take any vegies, cut them up, spinkle olive oil, salt and pepper, then place them on a flat roasting pan and roast at 425 for about 20 minutes depending on how big you cut them up.

I'm still nursing my heel spur. Tomorrow is early release with teacher meetings after school.

Here's to roasting vegies.
Sue

Avoiding the Winter Bulge

I read in my library that it is programmed into our DNA to gain in the winter because fat insulates better in colder weather. Well... I certainly have enough to get me through the coldest times - ha! In fact, I'm sure I'd be just as warm with less insulation, if you know what I mean. I want to ensure that I keep my downward direction. So let's share what to do when we can't go outside as much. Like today, it didn't make it out of the low 60s. The kids were outside running and jumping, so they didn't seem to mind. I had my heat on and we didn't have to run the air conditioner today for the first time in my trailer.

Here's my list to avoid the winter bulge and to keep on going DOWN: avoid too many desserts and sweets (boy, do I crave them during cold weather so keep them to once a week only), keep the whole grains in every meal, bump up something in your exercise plan (more core exercises for me), go rake some leaves, keep on schedule with eating often (but the right things), drink plenty of water, switch shoes in the middle of the day, eat early (not past 6 PM), keep switching off smaller breakfasts, don't forget your vitamin D in the winter, cook some hardy healthy soups, keep on low meat or have non-meat meals, Zumba at least twice a week, keep my air machine going strong, feet up during lunch, continue my early morning workouts 4x a week. Can anybody add some things? Comment, please.

Sue

Old Habits Make Well-worn Paths

I was thinking back on how in the world I got to where I am now weight-wise. It has a lot to do with unhealthy habits that I slip back into after a time of more healthy choices and how easy it is to slip back into those habits. It also has to do with losing weight and gaining it back plus more and doing this many times. It certainly comes back on a lot more easily that it comes off. It's too bad that you can't eat something that joins with the actual fat cells and takes them from your body. I have read that having lost the weight, those fat cells are still there in your body. This is one thing that makes keeping weight off so difficult. That, and the fact that old habits are really difficult to change.

There is a new book out that talks about how the eating habits your mother had during pregnancy affects the future child even before birth. That is, the tendency toward diabetes, obesity, and other conditions are set inside the womb. It's not heredity, but habits set before birth. There are well worn paths established BEFORE BIRTH. I find this incredible. The only hopeful news is that you CAN change the paths, but the bad news is that some paths are already there for you as a fetus. YIKES!

I was also thinking about how most people move along the path of least resistance, the path that takes the least effort. This would include following the paths of your old habits because it's much easier. This is true not only for eating, but many other areas of life too. "That's the way we've always done it" is the argument for doing it a certain way, not to question whether it is right or not, and not to put forth the effort to change. That's the way my mother did it or my father did it. I think this way of thinking will ultimately point to our undoing. You can't fight every battle on every front - age, I think, brings the wisdom of how to choose what battles you can fight and have a chance of winning. The rest you have to let go.

And on that note, I'll say tra-lah,
Sue

Italian Food

What is it about Italian food that's so great? I know few people that don't like it. Real Italians aren't overweight either, although some American Italians are. Italians eat pasta every day. When I was an exchange student, my Italian mother cooked a wonderful tomato sauce every day with some sort of pasta, not from a box or jar either. She got the pasta from a pasta maker down the street or made her own. Most Italians eat the larger meal at noon, then rest a couple hours, then go back to work. In the evening they have a light supper. They don't eat a large breakfast with eggs and such either. They have a capuccino (only in the morning) with some bread and maybe some soft cheese in these little packages. I remember my first expresso. WOW! I hadn't even tried coffee. I hadn't tried olives either. I remember a salad that Mamma Oliva fixed with slightly green tomatoes and olive oil. It was wonderful. I think that the was last time in my life that I got to eat whatever I wanted. I was 16. Since then, it's been trying to change my diet, eat less, etc.

Manga,
Sue

Being Very very thin

My Dad sent me an interesting article from his paper about a new book about how people eat. Not surprisingly, the wealthier the society, the lousier their diet. The wealthier countries (like us) consume more sugar, refined flour, and LOTS more processed food. These have higher calories for the buck, but they are not good calories. Diets high in unrefined grains are better for you. They seemed to be making the point that skinnier people are healthier - I mean VERY THIN. Personally, I have no desire to be super thin or to have the kind of life style you have to have to be super thin, as in eat very very fun calories. I want to be healthy and more thin. But I want to enjoy life and eat and enjoy food. What good is an extra year of life at 88 if you have to starve when you're 20-88 to get it?

Comments?
Sue

Less Water Is Not Good

Down .4 and I know why. I have not been drinking enough water. It's been a bit cooler, so I have been drinking less. I think your body needs the water to process out the weight that you don't need, that to loose the weight. Yesterday morning I was less than this morning on official weigh-in morning.

Sue