Low Carb Happy @ 6 Months

Well, here we are at the 6-month point and we're still going StRoNg!  Meaning this is something we can live with and trust.  Mark is feeling much much better and we're looking forward to new lab work in a couple of months.  It's certainly a different feeling to be looking forward to getting lab work done rather than dreading it as we have for so many years!

I've lost 45 pounds in this six months.  Some people lose much more quickly than this, but I'm averaging a 6 pound loss a month these days.  Six pounds a month at 60 years old--I'm so thankful to have finally learned that grains, potatoes, and sugar (GPS as Dr Hallberg says) are the culprits and that we only needed the right information and the right support in order to lose weight and heal our blood sugars and feel so much better. 

 I have to say thank you to my mama & sister who were so supportive during my visit this month.  In past visits, we were all into cake & pie & pasta & bread and well, you get the picture. . . But we had a great visit even without the bad carbs, which again helped me learn that going low-carb  actually means eating lots of full-fat healthy foods, not being hungry, and feeling satisfied and happy--not deprived! I even lost a pound while I was there on vacation! 

PJ made this wonderful loaded cauliflower casserole.  Mama made a yummy almond flour biscuit and Jeff grilled hot wings for us. And did I mention the fresh strawberries from Peggy's u-pick farm??  

Let's see, what else have we been eating? Fathead pizza is one of my favorites.  Yes, pizza! No, they don't deliver it from Antonio's--unfortunately, but maybe one day??  Actually, someone should talk to them about that.  Anyway, until Antonio's finds their way to low-carb, fathead is easy to put together and well worth the effort.

This is what I've been ordering when I go to Starbucks:

And this lemon cloud pie was a hit!

For the recipes, check out my pinterest low-carb board.  If you explore Pinterest, there's an endless supply of low-carb recipes--pretty much anything we want to eat, there's a way to make it low-carb.  

For those of you who have joined me in this low-carb way of eating, thank you so much!  It makes me happy to hear about your successes, your weight loss, your lowered blood sugar numbers, your new-found energy.  You help me keep going too!

If you're interested in knowing more about low-carb, check out those facebook groups Ketogenic Success and Low Carb & Losing It Original Group.  There's a mother-lode of support, inspiration & hope that will show up in your news feed.  And if you have questions or need help getting started, get in touch with me and let's talk. We can do this!

Michigan June

A few pictures from the birthday celebration in Michigan:

Not one, but TwO birthday cakes :)

Where's Ray??

Rachel posted this sweet birthday message

My mama has been urban gardening ever since she was transplanted to Michigan 40+ years ago.  It's amazing to see how many vegetables & flowers she can grow on her little plot.  The strawberries were delicious!  They were my splurge instead of cake this year.  

 If we look a little sad here, it's because we were saying good-bye.  It's always hard to leave.  Time to plan the next visit!

Visit The Farm

Raised bed of Kent Beauty Oregano

What to do when you're upset about something you can't do a thing about?  Visit The Farm, of course!  The garden is gorgeous this year.  And then the world is right again.   

Coral and peach begonias--they don't look real!

Bear's breechees in bud

A Thank You to Bernie

You know, I may have mentioned politics on this blog before, but I really can't remember when.  In over 2000 posts, I have stuck to things that make me happy like flowers and my grandchildren and golden retrievers who love me and the garden.  But today, I just want to say:  thank you  Bernie Sanders. 

When I was a teenager, I remember talking to my mom one night when she was working on her taxes.  She told me to always check the box to contribute $1 to the presidential campaign because "it's there so that one day a poor man can become president".  I checked that box for a lot of years.  But I haven't checked it in a long time because. . . well, who believes that anymore?  And then Bernie came along.  I've never given money to a political campaign before, but I gave a few of those $27 contributions to him. 

And I may give him another $27 today.  Yes, today, even after Hillary's  speech about being the first woman presidential candidate and her touching tribute to her mother.  Bernie may not get the nomination, but here's the thing.  Bernie's input was all over her speech.  If he hadn't run with his message of social justice, she wouldn't have said a lot of things that she said in that speech.  I hope she means them.  I'm not convinced, but I sure hope so.

I don't have much patience for those who keep saying Bernie should withdraw right now because he's hurting the country if he doesn't.  Bull hockey.  He's still fighting for social justice. And as Hillary said--though I'm sure it must have taken some intestinal fortitude for her to admit it--his fight is good for America.  

I liked his message from the first time I heard it.  But then he said "When you hurt, I hurt.  When your children hurt, I hurt.  That's my religion". . . Well  that's  the kind of president I'd like to have.  That's the kind of world I want to live in.  

I trust Bernie to get out  when the time is right.  He said he'd stay with it til every vote was counted and through the convention.  I don't expect him to get out before he's squeezed out every last bit of progress that can possibly be made towards the goals he has been so tirelessly sharing with us.

Thank you Senator Sanders, for fighting this fight for me, for my children, for Betsy & Kyle.  And for those of you who follow me here at this little spot on the blogging world, we'll get back to low carb & flowers real soon.    Now where's that e-mail with the 'contribute now' button?

We've Been Cooking

Layer of chorizo with two eggs sprinkled with melting cheese and baked. Mark gave this one two thumbs up.

Layers of ground beef,  no-sugar added pizza or spaghetti sauce,  mozzarella cheese, and topped with pepperoni. 

Soul Bread--it was really good just out of the oven with butter and then later toasted with cinnamon-swerve-butter. And pretty good for a grilled cheese "sandwich".

Cashew waffles--still our favorite.

And a picture of Bets & Kyle with their strawberry harvest!  While we might not be eating pie these days, a few strawberries fresh from the garden with the grandkids sounds like a perfect food plan :)

Low Carb Happy @ 5 Months

If weight watchers works for you, then that is terrific! I'm happy  for you and wish you the very best.  I wish it had worked for me. But if--like me--joining weight watchers for the 11th time leaves you feeling rebellious and mad and sad and just plain hungry--well then no more.   No.  More.

Maybe my (your?) body is just not going to process those carbs in a way that makes us feel healthy and energetic and alive. Maybe bread--and yes Oprah I love bread too--causes my body to release insulin and then stashes every single calorie securely in my fat cells.

Maybe eating bread and pasta and yes, even my beloved sugar -- has been making me fat and sick.

I think so. Because now that I've been lchf keto for the last 5 months, here's what's happened:

•  I don't have cravings. I eat good filling food when I'm hungry.
• I know that "cheating" doesn't make me happy (actually when does cheating in any part of life ever make you happy??).  
• I've lost 39 pounds. 
• Everything in my closet fits or is too big. 
• I'm off the NSAIDS for the first time in ages.  Most all of my aches and pains have disappeared.  Without medicine.
• I have peace of mind.   I don't worry about gaining weight week after week after week and where am I going to end up? 
• I'm getting better healthier leaner.  And not knowing what to do about being fat is not one of my life's problems anymore.   

If any of this sounds familiar, join me in learning more about the low-carb high-fat way of eating.  There's tons of research out there, but by far the most inspiring place to start is the online facebook support group:   Ketogenic Success.

Don't let the closed group status scare you--just send a request to join and you'll be part of a group of thousands of people who are losing weight, getting healthy, and lowering their blood sugar.  If it's not for you, you can always leave the group too.  No cost, no commitment, but be forewarned--all those stories of inspiring change and yummy recipes and helpful advice is addicting!

Or if you need to hear it straight from a medical doctor, check out Dr. Sarah Hallberg's video  Reversing Diabetes Starts with Ignoring  the Guidelines.   She practices in Indiana, right next door to us. 

Do you have questions or need any further info?  I would love to help you find this kind of positive change in your life too.   If I can do this, so can you!

What?!?  I can hardly believe it myself. 

What's for Breakfast?

My hat is off to all those professional food bloggers out there.  Photographing food is much harder than flowers!

This was my breakfast today--cashew waffles with blueberries.  Does this look like a diet?  And if I had had some whipping cream made up, that would have been okay too!   Sunday mornings are  waffle mornings here.  Mark loves them and he takes the leftovers  to go with his first coffee when he gets to work.  They help him resist whatever sweet breakfast foods might be around.

As for an update on our journey, we both came back from vacation with weight loss!  Has happened never!  What's it like to go to Patti's 1800's settlement and not get the mile-high pie?  Well, in some ways it's tough.  There is a grief when you give up sugar, potatoes, and grains (GPS as Dr. Hallberg says).  It requires a willingness to embrace the positives.  Like not feeling sick to overflowing after you eat.  Like your pants fitting, even after a good meal.  Actually Patti's can actually be a pretty good place for low-carbers.  Their pork chop sauce is less than 1 carb per serving.

I'm so happy and grateful to have found this way of eating.  I'm thrilled when friends and family  express an interest in going along for a test-drive with us.  One of my friends just lost 12 pounds in her first week!  You go girl!  One of my family members just told me that her digestion has been so improved that she doesn't have to worry about staying close to the bathroom anymore.  Mark's diabetes & blood pressure meds have been halved.  Okay, well you get the picture :)

Are you sticking around for the waffle recipe?  It's adapted from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain,  I love her cookbook and her story.  She's not strictly low-carb, but her bread recipes are easily adaptable to LCHF/Keto.

Cashew Waffles:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or almond milk whichever you have on hand 
• 1 cup cashews raw & unsalted or roasted & salted whatever you can find for a good price.  I get ours in the bulk section of the grocery.
• 3 T coconut oil
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1/2 t baking power and 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt; if you're using salted nuts, may not need the extra salt
• 4 T flax seeds

Mix them up in a food processor and bake in the waffle maker.  Each waffle is 1 net carbs (as opposed to 30 for your general everyday waffle). Be sure to top with butter.  Butter is our friend even though we've been brainwashed for the last 40 years to believe otherwise. 

The blueberry topping is  frozen blueberries cooked in a saucepan with a little water until they're soft and the liquid is cooked down.  Blueberries are the lowest carb fruit out there.  Still they're 11 carbs for a half-cup with 2 fibers. Total carbs minus fiber equals net carbs, so that little half cup berries is 9 carbs.   But just a tablespoon or so of blueberries is a good way to use them.  It's just enough to light up the waffles and not so much that they spike your blood sugar or stall your weight loss. 

Okay, bye for now!  Thanks for stopping by and checking this little spot of the infinite world of blogs :)

 








. 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Mark, aka the best husband in the whole wide world!  I am so proud of him--this low-carb-high-fat way of life has taken his beloved potatoes and bread away but he's seeing amazing results.  His A1C is down by a third, he's gotten off two long-term meds, and all of his clothes are too big.  YaY Mark!  I love you so much and am so proud of you. 

Mother's Day 2016

By the Artist Betsy

Happy Mother's Day!

 1975

 JD's birthday 2016

Everybody's favorite flowers--straight from the garden :)

Low Carb Happy

Christmas 2015.  231 pounds.  I was miserable unhappy eating all the time. And I. Did. Not. Know What. To. Do.  I didn't want to be overweight.  I didn't want to see the scales go up every time I stepped on them.  But I didn't want to be hungry either.  And changing my eating had always meant being hungry.  I love you Oprah, and I love bread too, but every time I went on Weight Watchers I was HunGrY.  And mad about it.  Oh wait--that's another blog post. 

Through some unknown way, I found a  facebook group that told me about a low-carb-high-fat ketogenic way of eating.  Yes.  Low Carb and High Fat.  Keto.   And now I'm down 32 pounds.  My husband is managing and reversing a serious case of diabetes.  Seriously, this group and this information changed the course of my life.

Here's the link--just ask to join and they'll add you as a member:

Ketogenic Success  (11,000+ members and counting)

I'd also recommend the book  Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore. 

The New Atkins book. 

And Dr. Sarah Hallberg's Ted Talk   

Reversing Type II Diabetes Starts with Ignoring the Guidelines 

And Butter Bob's Butter Makes Your Pants Fall Off . 

Pinterest is full of low carb recipes.  If you have a favorite high-carb food, there's a low carb version of it out there.  It may take a while for your sense of taste to adjust, but  it will.

And one last link for now:  MyFitnessPal a free app where you can track carbs, fat, & protein.

Some doctors are on board with LCHF keto way of eating.  My doctor is.  I hope yours is too, but don't be surprised or sidetracked if you hear the 50-60 carbs per meal message--that's still part of the ADA's food pyramid.  See Dr Hallberg's video above for more on that.   

We don't have to be overfed or starve and feel deprived.  It really is possible to be Low Carb and Happy. And if you need some help along the way, join me in the support group, read and watch the links above.  And let me know how it goes!  I wanna hear about your journey too :)

By the Artist Peggy

Mama's angels at The Farm :)

Lilac Bouquet

And That Was March

I got to spend a few days with Judson and the kids last week.  We had a great time.  Here's Bets with Bo-bo.

Off to school.

We made gummy bears.  I'm ready to go back to visit again!

And a little update on our Skye girl.  Here she is with a new toy.

And here she is in puppy class.  She's my little therapy-dog-in-training girl :)

ISFA 2016

Inspired by the class led by Rene Van Rems this past weekend at the Illinois State Florists' Spring Show.  This was originally a hand tied, but I always want to take class projects apart and put them back together once I get home. The compote is very in these days and this one was grandma's.  Rene's work is gorgeous and some of those bouquets were absolutely breathtaking.  Like this one with hyacinth & ruscus, so simple and it smelled like heaven.

  Deborah de la Flor is an ambassador for florists everywhere.  This was my favorite of her bouquets, roses & tree fern. 

 

I made a floral necklace for the banquet Saturday night, inspired by Francois & Susan with some of PJ's beautiful vintage finds.  Wish they had all been at the show with me  too :)

LCHF Ketogenic WOL (Low-Carb-High-Fat Way-of-Living)

Two months ago, I found  Ketogenic Success on facebook.  They  provide a daily stream of education, hope and inspiration on my news feed.

With their help, I've lost 22 pounds.  
And I'm off NSAIDs for the first time in 15 years.  

I used to think there was something wrong with me because I couldn't lose weight--that I was weak and had no willpower.  Turns out the sugar and grains were making me fat and keeping me hungry & craving all the time.

If you're interested,  join us at  Ketogenic Success.
And let me know what you think! 
  

 

60 and Counting

 

Thank you Mark for the birthday flowers!  

I have dreaded the day, but it's here and of course it's all good.  

Hard to believe I'm all of 60; but really, don't we all feel ageless inside?  

I have been blessed beyond all I ever dreamed.  

Golden Report

 Mark has cleaned up all the flower beds for me and the sun is shining, promising another spring.  G is so happy that we'll be having coffee in the garden again. 

 Skye graduated from her beginning Dog Manners class.  She's going to intermediate school next month.  Maybe she'll even go to graduate school :)

Leap Day

The sign reads:  When Life Gets Too Hard to Stand, Kneel in the Garden."  

It was made for me by Amy's rehab class at the hospital. 

Since this bench is on the verge of rotting though, 

I could ask them to make another sign for a caption that reads:

 "Cause you sure as hell can't sit on this bench."

January Golden Report

It's been a up & down kind of January at Canada Garden with new puppy Skye and G Dog having surgery.  Skye is  growing every.single.day and is overall such a good puppy.  G has recovered from his surgery but continues to have a few digestive issues along the way.  It's warming up out there these last few days of January so now instead of snow, we get to deal with mud!