Desperation vs. Determination

Today I wanted to talk about the difference between desperation and determination. How these two characteristics define who you are and how you deal with life. Lets start with desperation. The dictionary defines it as recklessness of despair. Desperate recklessness. That is not a very comforting word. There are so many times in our lives where we have been desperate and have made bad choices out of that desperation. One thing that I have learned over the years is that a decision made out of desperation is usually a bad one. It usually carries more pain and grief then the original problem. There have been many times on my journey to better health that I responded out of desperation. I would go on a deprivation diet or I would start to do some dangerous workout routines. I was so double minded when it came to my health. I would go on every fad diet and try every new, crazy scheme to get healthy. I was desperate to lose the weight and get healthy again. I was desperate to be skinny and what I perceived as beautiful. Unfortunately due to my desperation I did more damage to my body than good. Oh sure I would lose a few pounds but it would only last for so long. When you are desperate you are not thinking clearly. All you can see is the right now. You don’t feel like you can step back and take a breather before you make this life altering decision. When you are desperate you convince yourself that it is now or never. You can’t find any peace. Being desperate very seldom works in our favor.

What about determination? My definition is taking the time to think it through and make a decision based on facts not emotion. That is easier said than done, I know. But when you have accurate information and an make an informed decision the outcome is usually much better. You have a peace because you did your homework and feel well informed.

When it comes to your health I strongly encourage you to take the road of determination. It is important to realize the obvious, which is easily forgotten when you're desperate. Some of the keys to losing weight are just so obvious that they are very often overlooked. But when we acknowledge the obvious and start to put those changes into practice, we just might start to see some positive changes toward our end goal to get healthy and lose weight. When you're determined to get healthy and lose weight you need to make sure you have easy to obtain baby steps. Have a plan and lay it out in small easy to obtain goals. For example a good first goal might be to drink more water or stop eating anything with sugar. Maybe just starting to workout a little or starting to add healthier choices to your menu. Do what will work for you but make sure it is actually a challenge for you. If it costs you something to obtain it then it was a goal you worked hard for.

When it comes to what you eat on a daily basis, try to make smarter choices. Go for lean meats or beans, good grains, and lots of fresh fruit and veggies.

Drink plenty of water on daily basis. It will really help in the weight loss department as well as keeping your body running better.

Dessert is something that should be eaten only in moderation. You don’t need to eat it every night. Not only is that not healthy for you to be overloading on sugar, but it is also a great way to pack in a lot of extra calories late at night that are only going to turn into fat. Dessert needs to be something you eat on occasion, and even then don’t go overboard.

Another obvious is that going out to eat several times a week is a bad idea. Bad for your health and your diet but equally as bad on your budget. When you go out to eat you have no say about all the chemicals and poisons that are put into your food. You have no say in how the food is prepared. None of that is good for you if you're trying to lose weight and get healthy.

Next obvious would be portion control. If your plate is so full that the food is falling off the sides, then you have too much food. This is an obvious sign that you need to work on portion control. We eat way more food at every meal than our body could possibly need in one day. Your body only needs a small amount of balanced food to run properly for several hours. With all the supersizing and buffets that people frequently eat at, it's no wonder that people are confused when it comes to portion control. Try eating off a smaller plate and cutting your serving size in half. Add some fresh salad to your meals and this should be an easy goal to reach.

If you're looking for quick results, then you're desperate.You didn’t get unhealthy and overweight overnight. It has taken years and years of bad choices that got you to that place. Don’t expect it to come off overnight. That is just not logical. Instead of being desperate, try being determined. A determined person is going to realize that the only way to get healthy and stay healthy is to change your lifestyle. That is why I call this my Journey to better health. You have to be in this for the long haul. This has got to be about changing your life and your mindset. The greatest journey of your life begins with one step or one small change.

Planning for Thanksgiving

Hard to believe that it is that time of year already. It feels like summer just ended and now I am thinking about what I am gonna serve for Thanksgiving dinner. I know for most people they use the holidays as an excuse to eat way more than they need to after all, they will do a New Year resolution and everything will  be fine. Right??? Sorry. That is not the way it works. If you are not careful through this time of endless food and parties, you are going to need a lot more than a resolution to help get back on track. Did you ever stop to think that if you plan ahead and swap some bad choices out for healthier ones, you can still enjoy the "feast" without the guilt? I can hear you now getting all worked up because you don't want to give up the mashed potatoes and gravy -- and don't even think about taking my pie. Before your blood pressure goes through the roof, just calm down and keep reading. I said we could still enjoy the feast by swapping bad things out and replacing them with much healthier, chemical-free foods. How do you do that? Well I am glad you asked!

Let's start with the most obvious item on the menu, the turkey.  Everybody loves that big, beautiful roasted masterpiece just waiting to be carved. It really is the center of the meal. When buying your turkey, the only word of caution I have is read the label. Believe it or not, the solutions they add to a turkey can be really bad for you since they are made up of a salt solution,usually MSG based. I try to find the brand that has the lowest amount injected and believe it or not there is a worst brand you can buy. It rhymes with "nutterball". This brand claims to be the juiciest and they are because of the solution added to them. Don't be fooled by this dangerous chemical that is added to your food.

Next comes the stuffing. Do not buy boxed stuffing. I can't put it any plainer than that. The boxed stuffing is loaded with all kinds of chemicals and the biggest one would be MSG again. Stuffing is just stale bread and spices. No chemicals. You can find a lot of different varieties online, so try something new!

Mashed potatoes are a must at any Thanksgiving dinner.But a lot of times people have the mashed potatoes and they also make a sweet potato dish. You don't need 2 kinds of starch. I usually make mashed sweet instead of white ones. The are so much better for you and taste so good! I usually just add a little butter and a dash of salt and they taste great. Sweet potatoes don't need a lot of junk added to them like marshmallows; they are naturally sweet on thier own. So pick the potatoes you like the best and stick with that.

Green bean casserole is must at any Thanksgiving feast in my book. But have you ever stopped and read what is in those crunchy onions we pour over the top? These little things are loaded with some very dangerous chemicals. Since I refuse to eat foods that are loaded with chemicals I had to find a healthier way to make this dish. I have a recipe I got from the Suzanne Somers message boards many years ago. It is a much better option then the chemically loaded one. Recipe to follow:)

Don't worry, I didn't forget about the gravy. In the name of all that is good and tasty, don't buy canned or jarred gravy. It is so easy to make and taste way better then any premade junk. I will post my favorite quick recipe at the end as well.

Cranberry sauce is easy to make from scratch, but beware of the sugar content here. It takes a lot of sugar to make and really should only be eaten in a small potion.

I don't make rolls anymore because it is just another carb I don't need. After all, I already have 'taters and stuffing; that is more than enough for anyone.

Onto dessert we go. I keep it pretty simple in my house. I make 2 apple pies and that is it. I cannot stand pumpkin pie and pecan pie is just way too sweet for me. I make my pie filling with agave instead of sugar to make it healthier and honestly you cannot even tell the difference. Agave has no bitter after taste that a lot of sugar substitutes have and it won't cause your insulin levels to spike. We also skip the ice cream on top and use fresh whipped cream sweetened with agave as well. Makes my mouth water jut thinking about it...

See you can have a feast and still eat healthy! All it takes is a little time to figure out what items on your menu are non-negotiable and how you can tweak them. Also keep in mind that portion control is big must. You really only need one plate of food and one piece of dessert. A little planning will go a long way in keeping you on track with your weight loss goals and trust me there is no better feeling then when you come through the holidays still losing weight!

Deb's Green Bean Casserole

1 bag frozen green beans(unthawed)
8 oz chopped mushrooms
1/2 onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mayo
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Melt butter in skillet. Saute onions, celery, and mushrooms till soft. Blend mayo and cream. Add spices. Pour over green beans. Mix well. Mix in cheese. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover for the last 5 minutes of cooktime.

Pan Gravy

1 1/4 cups of rich brown drippings*
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat your drippings in a sauce pan. Combine flour and milk and shake till combined and dissolved. Slowly add to boiling broth and stir constantly till thickened and smooth. Add salt to taste.

*Be sure to allow time to separate the fat and drippings. Oxo makes a great fat separator or you can just chill the broth and all the fat will solidify on the top for easy removal. Just scrape it off!

Beans !!Glorious Beans!

In my last blog I wrote about how we only eat animal protein 3x a week. This is due to several facts, but the main one being that animal proteins take longer to digest then plant based.  I am currently on a journey to better health and am in the process of losing weight.With that fact in mind I need everything I eat to burn quickly so my body is a constant fat burning machine. If I was to eat animal protein more often ,it would slow my 'Burn" down and that is not something I am willing to do. Plant based proteins are used immediately which gives me the added bonus of ready to use vitamins and minerals.It is a win win situation for me.

Because this is the way we eat I get asked a lot of different questions about beans so let me answer  few.
1) Which is best..canned or dried?  In my opinion dried is the best. You have no chemicals added to them like extra salts. In a pinch canned beans are fine just be sure to rinse them very well before you use them.

2) How do you cook dried beans? I have a simple method for this one..It is called a crock pot.. I rinse my beans,throw them in the crock  pot with 2x as much water then beans, and cook them on low overnight. Then I drain and cool them. I bag them up in 2 cup portions and freeze them,thus eliminating the need to ever buy canned beans. They unthaw very well and are much cheaper then buying a bunch of canned ones.

3) What about the gas issue?  Lots of ventilation is the answer to that one. Your body will build up the enzymes it needs to digest beans but it will take a few weeks.

4) How do you know which beans are best?  I have a system that I use based on trial and error which tells me which beans work best for different meals.

White beans: Great for mild tasting herbs like thyme,basil,rosemary,sage.
Black beans: Excellent for strong spices like chili powder,cumin,and anything Mexican.
Red beans: Great for saucy dishes like chili.
Lentils: Need a strong flavor to accompany them. Good in salads or even a stew.
Chick peas: Great in hummus or even in salads. Have a great texture and flavor of there own.Don't need much spice.

Beans are so versatile and so good for you ,and an added bonus that they are easy on the budget. There are a lot of really good recipes out there if you just look a little bit. Make it a goal to try a new bean dish once a week. They are such a  forgiving food that they have easily become one of my favorite to experiment with. At the moment I am perfecting a white beans sauce that I use in place of Alfredo . It is still a work in progress but each attempt has turned out amazing. I will post the recipe with pics when I have perfected it so stay tuned..

My Take on Protein

I have some very strong opinions on what is good for your body and what is not. These opinions have not been formed in ignorance , but in years of reading many kinds of books and my own personal experiences. This post is going to be all about proteins. What kinds there are, why your body needs them ,and some of the more questionable forms. I really believe that we need to be armed with as much information as we can get our hands on so we can make informed decisions about our health. I for one am not comfortable leaving my health in some one else's hands. So lets talk protein.

Protein is something your body absolutely, positively needs to have to function properly. Protein is the main ingredient for growth, repair and maintenance of your body’s tissue and muscles. Protein is the only nutrient that is directly responsible for building lean, shapely muscle. Eating protein speeds up your metabolism which is a big plus when your trying to slim down and tone up. Protein is what feeds your muscles. In order to lose weight you need to be swapping out fat for muscle but you can’t do that with out protein. But getting protein is not as easy as eating a hamburger. All are not created equal and your body recognizes that and does not use them all the same way. So we are going to brake them down into 2 kinds.

Complete and in-complete.

A complete protein is exactly what it sounds like.It has all the amino acids your body needs, to brake it down and use it for muscle food. The most common source of a complete protein is animal products. Chicken, beef, pork, dairy products, eggs, and fish. The great thing about a complete protein is that your body can use it immediately. It causes a positive release of the hormone glucagon (the one that raises your blood sugar) and counteracts the hormone insulin (the one that lowers your sugar) which results in a stable sugar. And a stable sugar means no fat is being stored.

An incomplete protein means that there is a lack of amino acids and in order for your body to be able to use them you need to complete the protein by adding a whole grain carb to it. Some incomplete proteins are beans, nuts, and processed foods like lunch meat, bacon, and ham. An example would be if your having beans then add some brown rice to it. Very simple and easy to do. One other fact about proteins that is very important to know is that proteins don’t start to digest until they reach the stomach.

A lot to comprehend, trust me I understand. Let me throw a few more facts at you before your brain explodes. There are a lot of protein sources you can use but some of them are not a very healthy option. I always try to eat my food as unprocessed as possible. That means I don't want any chemicals added or strange things done to my food. Some examples of these 'franken-foods" are lunch meats and hot dogs. No real meat and loads of crazy chemicals in them. One meat that we do not buy or consume in my house is pork. A few of my top reasons are more in the form of questions..Have you ever seen how these animals are raised? How about how they are slaughtered, processed and packed? There are a lot of documentaries on that kind of thing out there and if half of what they say is true on this subject then I am very glad we don't eat it. I also don't buy sausage ,ham ,or bacon do to the fact that the chemicals they use to cure the meats make me deathly sick. If it has nitrates or MSG in it, I do not allow it in my house. We will talk more about that on another post.
I also limit my beef consumption to 1 time every few months. It is really hard for the body to digest red meats so moderation is the key. People often ask me how I get by without eating ground beef. The answer is very simple:ground turkey or ground chicken. They are a great substitute and tend to take on the flavor of any spice you add. One big turn off for me and ground beef is that it is the most re-called meat on the market. I would rather not take the chance of getting food poisoning.There are few things that are worse in life then emptying my stomach contents.

This is what we do in my house. We eat animal protein 3x a week,usually chicken or ground turkey,and the rest of the time we eat plant based sources like beans. Works great and is actually easier on the grocery budget as well. One other quick thing to add is that we do not eat soy based products either. Some forms I jut don't like and others are what I consider 'Fraken foods". I do not want the food that I am feeding my family to be genetically modified. As I mentioned earlier I like to eat as close to natural as possible and if you read the labels on some of the soy based foods you will see that they have chemicals in them. Don't just take my word for it.Look at your labels and read up on stuff. It is so important that we arm ourselves with truth.

Dinner tonight: Enchilada feast

One thing I very strongly believe is that in order to be healthy, you need to eliminate All processed food out of your diet. By the term" processed food" I mean anything that is pre-made, whether it is canned or frozen. The chemicals that are added to these convenience foods are in fact very harmful to your body and need to be avoided at all costs.  Very early on in my journey to better health I began to realize that chemicals in my food were causing migraines and IBS flareups. Not a fun way to live. The neat thing about eating the way I recommend is that you can still eat what you love, you've just gotta find a way to make it from scratch--chemical free. One of my family favorites is enchiladas. Everything from the sauce to the beans are made from chemical free foods. I even save myself time and cook my beans overnight in the crock pot. This meal is delicious and sure to become one of your family favorites.

Karen’s Enchilada Feast

(Chemical Free)

Refried Beans 4 cups of cooked pinto beans ¼ cup finely chopped onion 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp cumin salt to taste Add all to blender and puree till smooth. Add water as needed. Heat on stove for 5 min to heat through.

Enchilada Sauce 1 cup finely chopped onion 2 garlic cloves chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups crushed tomato ½ cup water 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp oregano ⅛ tsp pepper Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer uncovered 15 min.

Fiesta Brown Rice 1 tsp olive oil ½  cup diced onion ½ cup diced pepper 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 2 garlic cloves minced ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 2 cups tomato sauce 1 can diced chilies 2 cups cooked brown rice Saute onion and pepper in oil till softened. Add garlic, salt, red pepper, chili powder, cumin. Cook for 1 minute to release flavors. Add diced chilies. Cook 1 minute. Add sauce and simmer 5 min. Adjust seasoning as needed. Add rice and heat through.

General Assembly

To assemble enchiladas put tortillas in a hot dry pan and brown on both sides.
Add a layer of rice to the tortilla.
Add a layer of beans.
Place a small amount of sauce on bottom of pan.
Roll tortilla and place in pan.
Cover tops with remaining sauce.
Add a small amount of parmesan cheese to tops.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min till heated through.

Chug-a-lug!

One of the biggest keys to losing weight and getting healthy is actually very simple to follow. It is something that is easy to do, doesn't cost much, and is essential for your body. I am talking about drinking water. Since your body is made up of mostly water it makes sense that you need to drink lots of it to keep everything working properly. You skin needs it to stay hydrated. Your organs need it to keep things pumping, flowing , and running smoothly. I think the greatest benefit to drinking water is that it flushes out toxins and fat. With the toxins out of the way, your body can work more efficiently like the great machine it was created to be.

I had a trainer one time that told me if people would just drink enough water they would start to lose weight immediately. Your body doesn't have to go into freak out mode and retain fluid out of fear of a shortage. She told me that everyone needs to drink half of their body weight in fluid ounces of water. So if you weigh 100 pounds you need to drink 50 fluid ounce of water a day. Now I know what your thinking. You're thinking "Karen if I drink that much water a day I am going to float away"... My response to that would be, "Yes you are!!!" You will be floating toxic chemicals and waste out of your body which is good no matter how you look at it. Yes , you will find yourself running to the bathroom every 5 minutes for a short time, but once your body is convinced that there is not a shortage, and speeds up the process of dealing with the fluid,you will not have to go so frequently. I promise you that it will be worth it if you can stick to it for a week.

Another question that I know your dying to ask is, "How in the name of all that is good in the world, am I supposed to drink that much water in one day?" The simple answer is one sip at a time. You need to make sure you have a good spill-proof water bottle that is easy to carry with you everywhere you go. Find out how many bottles you need to drink to meet your quota for the day, and then keep it to sip on at all times with you. Do this and it is really not too hard to meet your goal. One word of caution, try to get all your water done at least an hour before bed time or you will regret it. This is experience speaking.

So this is the first and possibly easiest tip to start you on your journey to better health.Go get a bottle of water and start chugging!

I decided that starting a blog was the next natural step for me to take on this journey to better health that I have been on for the past 2 years. It has been a journey of high mountains and very low valleys.A time to reflect and heal.A time to seek truth and wisdom. A time to draw a line in the sand and take back my health. This blog will be a place that I can look back and see how far I have come and encourage myself for the duration of my journey. A place where I can write about new things I have just discovered about health and weight loss. A place to post some amazing recipes.And hopefully a place that people can come when they have decided that now is their time to get healthy. Hopefully my journey and discoveries along the way will help and inspire you who read this ,to change your life for the better. Let the journey begin!!!