Michigan weather

HA! This morning it is clammy feeling out here. Still cool but the humidity tells you it's gonna be a day that you stay out of the sun. Sigh.

Feeling great, still! Hot flashes are at a minimum and my energy level is much better. Problems with bloating and gas are also gone. Wow.

I am still working to get on an exercise program but that will come. Had a lovely 4 mile walk with a gal pal of mine but am still struggling to get it done EVERY DAY..... Sigh.

So far, so good!!

THE W I D E VIEW

The Memorial Day Parade was so much fun. Mallie was marching with the FHS Color Guard. The morning was lovely, perfect weather. The afternoon...not so much. There was a BBQ for the band and the newbies (us!) were asked to come and did not have to bring anything. Next year, that will change. Afterwards, we headed home to change and put on heavier clothing. We headed out the door and over to a friends' house for a gathering.

Lots of YUMMY things there and I was able to skirt it all. I don't feel any intense cravings so it makes it easier to "Just Say No!"

Came home to warm up - the rain had begun - and enjoyed a quiet evening together. Nice, really nice!

SUMMER 2013, here we come!

Merry Memorial Day!

Stopped with the counting stuff as I am on WEEK 2! Program has been great so far and my body feels very different from one week ago. Glad I took the plunge.

It is early and I am on the porch having breakfast and listening to the birds. My phone says it's 45 degrees and I do need a robe and a blanket to be out here but it is worth it.

Happy start to Summer, y'all!

Day 4

Howdy!

Today is an infusion of protein! Yum!!!

I have started to look around the Internet for more blogs on cooking and working with a gluten-free premise.

I made my own almond butter tonight because tomorrow is Phase 3 when I can have healthy fats. I am so looking forward to a piece of (gluten-free) bread and almond butter!

Something else I now love is Good Earth Original Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea Blend. Wow!! It says, on the box, that it is caffeine free and that there is no sugar added. If I drank this, and had not read the box, I never would have known!

Here is a great blog......http://glutenfreegirl.com/new-to-gluten-free/

This "diet" (HATE THAT WORD) is really opening my eyes to a whole new life. Bring it!!!

Day 3

Feeling more "with it" today and the effects of the caffeine withdrawal are fading. I  think I feel a bit more energy.

Dinner was cod with a lime-cilantro-red chili marinade, some sauteed mushrooms with onion is a balsamic vinaigrette and steamed kale.

Good stuff. I figure if  work is slow then I can cook and really take this "fast metabolism" diet out for a real spin!

So far, I really like it!

DAY 2

Well, it is true what they say about caffeine withdrawl.... Yesterday was okay but today I feel kinda crappy. Headache, a little depressed, achy. Wow. Really? Makes me think I should do a little caffeine cleansing on a regular basis.

I really love coffee so saying goodbye may be a bit too extreme but pulling way back..? I'm thinking..maybe yes.

This do over, rev your system diet (HATE that word) is a system clearer, for sure. No wheat, no dairy, no soy, no sugar and no caffeine. Well geez, when you look at it that way it sure sucks!

For several years I have been reading books by Marilu Henner and thinking....oh I could never do that. But, when I stood back for a moment, that IS what I am doing. She is ten years older than me and have you seen this woman? Remember "Taxi"? Yup, that's her. She looks ten years younger than me.

Now I do want to add here also ...that I am just as vain as the next woman.  I am doing this because I hate how I feel and that is reflected in my face and body.

And now, in my 50s, I am starting to look beyond and watch all the older folk out there who can barely move around. Yikes. That did not happen overnight!!!

Side note - watched the last in the series "The Big C". A-MA-ZING. Do yourself a favor and see if you can buy or rent the series. One of the very best I have seen. I am a little biased because I lived through my mother's battle and death from breast cancer so it really hit home. However, today, can anyone say they have not been touched by this disease in one way or another?

Would have been better with a cup of coffee......grrrrrrr.

Walking past the line

Okay....here's the deal. We all want to CHANGE something in our lives, right? We agonize over how the process will  start. There are so many obstacles. Can I follow through once I start? What if I fail...? That final thought stops the process and we go back to complaining about X and Y. Sound familiar?

Ending a bad relationship or marriage
Taking control of a messy, unorganized house
Speaking up and talking to that person you need to say something to
Making a budget and getting control over finances
Controlling your weight
Starting an exercise program

Yup, all these things are hard to get a handle on. How do you draw the line in the sand? Sand...why sand? It shifts constantly?

Or....do you wake up one morning and realize that, somehow, at some time, you walked over and past that line? You have pondered and "composted" the idea for awhile and now you are sick and tired of being sick and tired....yup. That old adage.

So...all weekend I have been hot flashing like crazy. Yikes. And it's not even summer yet. I am going to be miserable all season....all seasons! This is not changing. It is getting worse. I had a good 6 months off from this. Poof. Done! Cool! (Pun intended!) This Menopause stuff is a lark. HA! HO HO! I am finished with it all, free!

Right. Oh and the weight gain. Right. Tried South Beach. Loved it. Dropped 25 pounds. Gained it all back. WHAT? Crikey.

Today I am embarking on a whole new deal and I am going to work on blogging about this, every day, to keep on track with what I am doing. I really need to get a handle on this or spend another summer - year - of feeling miserable, wearing clothing sizes that I find whacked and not taking care of myself. That last one is the kicker. I have a wonderful family and I want to live into my 90s and THIS ain't the way to do it!

So...over the line I have gone. Hadn't planned to start this program today. Hadn't done the shopping, didn't have the foods in the house...etc. ALL CRAP. Old thinking. Not doing that.

Scrounged around and found enough to start off. Will go shopping later. Done. Started. Let's go. No more crap.

This morning I did have a small cup of coffee. A no-no according to the Fast Metabolism diet but it was my last hurrah. No Splenda...and little half and half.. Not good for the UNWIND portion of this phase. Tweaks the adrenals too much. Time for a café vaca.....ouch.

Strawberries for a snack. Not ready for breakfast
Breakfast: a cup and a half of wild rice and cut up strawberries. - low on the recommended fruit!
Lunch: Cantaloupe, brown rice and adzuki beans with some blood orange balsamic vinaigrette
Snack: An orange and snap peas
Dinner: Crockpot filled with cubed B/S chicken breast, wild rice, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped mushroom, garlic, basil and oregano.

And we're off. In this program, Phase I  and Phase II are  two days and Phase III is three days.
I can do that. Mixes it up. Four week program. I'm gonna give it a whirl. You can do anything for a month, right? Maybe, I will love it.....  That's my hope because I need to probably do three rounds of this to get more comfortable in my skin.

And.....I'm off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. One more thing. I saw a man at church yesterday who is changing his life in a big way. He is the incredible shrinking man and he is looking great. It's a long, slow process and he has a ways to go but the empowerment you can see in his eyes. Exciting. Jumping on that bandwagon!