Patriotic RWB foods for Memorial Day weight loss

 At Memorial Day or Fourth of July picnics, you can usually find patriotic cookies, flag cakes and red,white and blue goodies? But what about those poor dieters who are trying to lose weight? What can they eat that's patriotic and fun? How 'bout these red, white and blue vegetables? Here are patriotic salads recipes, RWB appetizers and American themed veggie trays for weight loss, even on Memorial Day. 

Red vegetables: 

Tomatoes: vine-ripened, cherry, grape tomatoes are the best for patriotic salads. 

Radishes: perfectly patriotic vegetable with bright red skin and nice white flesh. Hold that thought, because we're going to get a little blue into our radishes later on. 

Red Peppers: Cut into strips these can be the stripes on your patriotic flag vegetable salad. Cut star shapes from red peppers and garnish potato salad or cole slaw. 

Red potatoes: Pierce skins, brush with cooking oil and roast on grill. Dice red potatoes with skins on for patriotic potato salad! 

Beets: Add peeled diced fresh or canned beets to potato salad. 

Cut star shapes from canned beets with cookie cutter. 

Blue vegetables: Purple cabbage: chop or shred for field of blue on the flag salad. Add shredded cabbage to patriotic potato salad. 

Purple Peppers: Cut into stars and stripes as you did red peppers. 

Eggplant: blue on the outside and white on the inside, here's a perfect patriotic vegetable.

Dye vegetables blue. Remember those blue radishes I promised? Here's how to get 'em. Tint water blue with food coloring, grape or blueberry juice. Place stem and root vegetables in water upright to absorb blue and dye the flesh. Dye lettuce leaves, celery, parsnips, cucumbers, bok choy, onions and cauliflower. Obtain natural dye, soaking purple cabbage

White Vegetables: Cauliflower: Chop fine and use for stars on patriotic flag salad. 

White sweet onions: dice or cut star shapes. Cucumbers: Peel, slice and cut star shapes. The inside already has a star pattern. 

Green cabbage appears white closer to core. 

Patriotic salads and vegetable appetizer recipes for weight loss

American Flag mashed potatoes. Smooth white mashed potatoes. Place diced or star shaped eggplant or purple peppers in the upper left hand corner and red pepper stripes. 

Stars and Stripes Vinaigrette: Toss red and purple pepper, cucumbers and onion stars with sliced grape tomatoes. Marinate in a sauce of half cup olive oil, 1 cup acai vinegar, 4 Tablespoons of mayonnaise, salt and pepper, garlic and celery seed. 

Patriotic Memorial Day slaw: Chop radishes, onions, white cabbage and purple peppers and blend with mayonnaise, horseradish and pepper. 

Patriotic potato salad: Cook peeled white potatoes or unpeeled red potatoes. Cube and add diced radishes, purple peppers, dyed celery, egg whites, cauliflower and onions. Blend with mayonnaise (light tastes just as good and saves tons of calories!)

Even if you're trying to lose weight you can still enjoy other foods on the Memorial Day picnic menu. Just remember moderation, or mind over platter, is the key. Eating these foods is part of how I lost 100 pounds.

Have a blessed Memorial Day and don't forget to give thanks for those who made it possible. 

How I lost 100 pounds with plant protein smoothies vs. juicing

Juicing has always been touted for weight loss and general health. But while I'm sure juicing good for you, I found protein smoothies more more effective to help me lose weight. Dr. Now of "My 600-lb Life" doesn't recommend protein shakes for treating obesity in his gastric bypass patients. That's probably the whey protein kind he objects to. But having a plant protein shake every morning is part of how I lost 100 pounds.

You may be wondering, does it need to be an either/or thing, juicing vs. protein smoothies for weight loss. Yes, it does and here's why. Juicing removes all the of membrane, pulp, seeds and well, fruit, from fruit. That's where the antioxidant and fat burner goodness live. Part of Dr. Now's gastric bypass "homework" on "My 600-lb Life" is to lose weight ahead of bariatric surgery. A great way to do that is to fat flush (sorry to be graphic but that's basically pooping it out). Fruit "guts" (all the aforementioned innards) work as natural fiber cleanses (laxatives). They can even help treat Type 2 diabetes.

So the problem with juicing in fighting obesity, is that it removes everything that aids weight loss and leaves only juice where most of the sugar and calories reside. So, how I lost 100 pounds with smoothies? Every day, I make a protein shake and cram that sucka full of high fiber fruit guts, LOL. Note certain fruits are better than others. The "My 600-lb Life" gastric bypass diet calls for cutting high sugar concentrate fruits, like oranges, grapes, bananas. I also eliminated stone fruits (peaches, mangoes, apricots) to treat diabetes and lose weight. 

The best fruits I found for weight loss  are: apples, berries and grapefruit. Here's my "how I lost 100 pounds" smoothie recipe. 1 scoop pea protein powder (120 calories and 24 grams of plant protein), fresh spinach, half a grapefruit, fresh cranberries (in season) and berries (fresh or frozen). I get 12 oz of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries) from Dollar Tree.  Total calories: about 210. Drinking these plant protein shakes helped me manage obesity, avoid diabetes and lose weight. 

How I lost 100 pounds when obesity is easier and weight loss is harder

 Hey guys and dolls! Tis moi, back from the brink of Covid 19 (that's an exaggeration...we only had "mild" cases but they sure were long and complicated LOL). I just had lovely conversations with grandkiddos and I'm revved up on good juju and rarin to go! 

And with Covid 19 pretty much under control, I'm back to sharing tips on how I lost 100 pounds. Today's post is advice in the negative, meaning what not to do to avoid obesity and/or lose weight. Nod to "My 600-lb Life" for ideas. 

I've been thinking a lot about why obesity is such a (pun intended) huge issue now compared to oh, say, 1982, when I graduated. Why are SO many more people overweight and even "My 600-lb Life" obese? Well, as we age, it's harder to lose weight. But why are even teens obese and seeking gastric bypass weight loss surgery?

The culprit, in a word, is food: more choices, more bad options and WAAAAY more availability. When I was a kid, grocery orders were smaller. Portion sizes were smaller. You didn't have cupboards, fridges and freezers crammed with junk. No wonder obesity is so common now! I remember once, ONCE, my mom bought a box of Twinkies. That was about it for the snack cakes. We got A box of cookies occasionally. 

And don't even get me started on fast food and how it's breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. You can't NOT get overweight eating at McDonald's all the time. Oh sure, there are salads but I'd lay money that 99% ignore them and order the American diet: burgers, fries and pop, all supersize. That people are queueing up for gastric bypass on "My 600-lb Life" says we have a problem, Houston!

Everyone goes out to eat all the time, it seems. That was the big bitch in Covid 19 pandemic, that restaurants were closed. Gasp! People had to do what we did every day when my kids were young: cook! At home! Using real food! I'm not bragging...okay maybe just a little, but we were able to lose weight during the pandemic (when lots of people were gaining) because we couldn't go to the Chinese buffet. And yanno what? We really didn't miss it. 

And don't get me started on how real food ISN'T! I'm a Shipt shopper and I see firsthand that amount of SHIpT people buy. Lots of frozen and pre-packaged. Little lettuce. Few carrots. No cabbage. It's pathetic how processed food dependent we are. Oh, I'll admit, I was too. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to nix the snack addiction. 

And on that note, snacks: when did they become meals?? What we consider dinner now is basically just pub grub: pizza, nachos, wings. Or tailgate food. Obviously all this junk food becoming the norm makes weight loss imuch harder. You literally trip over bad food choices and have to hunt up good ones. 

So how do we avoid getting overweight? How do we lose weight in this chaos? Is gastric bypass the only answer? NOOOO!!! Said it before and I'll say it again: it's about mind over platter, one bite at a time. Is it difficult? Eh, I lost 100 pounds, and challenging is the word I'd use. But who doesn't love a challenge, right? It's good for us, esp. us oldies...keeps us young! 

Love you guys, more than you know! So make good choices, k? And remember, I'm pullin' for ya! 

"My 600-lb Life" shows why obesity is out of control and more people are overweight

No, it's not just your imagination: more people are overweight than ever before. But how did obesity get so out of hand? The reality TV weight loss surgery show "My 600-lb Life" demonstrates why. I'm going to parallel with my own story of how I lost 100 pounds. 

Ideas about body size have changed. When I was a kid (circa 1960s and 1970s) obesity like on "My 600-lb Life" was a thing for carnivals. In high school, "overweight" was less than what I weigh now, even after I lost 100 pounds. Few of us were overweight and now almost everyone I know is thinking about weight loss. And it's harder than ever to lose weight because...

Food quantity has upgraded and quality has downgraded. When I was young we ate three meals a day of real food, in normal portion sizes, at the dinner table. Now, food is pub grub and snacks and sweets, eaten anytime, everywhere. "My 600-lb Life" shows extreme examples of overeating junk food, but even regular food is just a calorie explosion of sodium, sugar, HFCS, fat and junk with no nutritional value. 

Portion sizes have ballooned. In the 1960s, a Coke at McDonald's was 7 oz. Now Big Gulps are 42 oz. People drink pop by the 2-litre bottle. Cookies are humungous. Cake slices are 3x what they used to be. Weirdly, everyone's obsessed with weight loss. Yet we're food addicted to horrible food choices. 

Manufacturers don't want us to lose weight. How many commercials show super skinny people eating huge portions of junk food? That's because Madison Avenue and food producers want us to think we can have our cake not gain weight. It's in their best interests to keep us overweight and getting more obese. 

Food addiction is the hardest to break. With this growing wonderland of food all around, we have too many food choices to make. An alcoholic or drug addict never has to touch their abused substance again. But everyone has to eat. It's like trying to quit heroin while still using 3 times a day. 

Nobody moves anymore. You hear people bitching about how kids don't play outside anymore. But the irony is the adults are doing the  bitching on Facebook! We're all guilty of sitting around wasting our lives playing on phones and computers. How can we expect our children to learn healthy exercise habits when we ourselves worship screens all day?

So what do we do? Give up? Celebrate obesity? I can only speak for me, but how I lost 100 pounds was to keep trying, one day at a time. When I fall, I don't stay down. I get up and start over. 

"My 600-lb Life" inspired pizza recipes for weight loss

You may be wondering how the reality TV show "My 600-lb Life" inspired me to write diet pizza recipes. Every episode features morbidly obese folks working (or not) toward gastric bypass. There are many trip-up foods to weight loss and the biggest I've seen is pizza. I know it's my kryptonite. But it doesn't need to be. You can have pizza and lose weight. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was with keto diet food swaps like low calorie pizza. Here's my recipe. 

2 Diet 4 pizza

Pre-made thin crust from Dollar Tree.  Only 130 calories per serving (which is a whole third of the pizza!), these cheap good-for-you ready-made crusts make great pizza for those trying to lose weight. If you're going for keto or gluten free you could make your own. I'm just too lazy! 

OR (better yet) high protein keto flatbread. Joseph's lavash, Aldi Fit & Active, Flatout or one of the flatbreads with at least one gram of protein per 10 calories. These make great pizza crusts for weight loss. 

3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella cheese. Save tons of calories on your diet pizza without sacrificing taste by cutting the cheese (literally, not figuratively LOL). Use one ounce per 1/3 pizza serving. You could use fat free but you don't save that many calories, the consistency is weird and I don't trust the ingredients.). 

Turkey pepperoni: Here's another way to turn "My 600-lb Life" obesity-causing pizza weight loss friendly. Use one serving of (or a little more) turkey pepperoni for an entire pizza. Those 15 slices go a long way and you don't need all the extra fat. 

Marinara spaghetti sauce for diet pizza sauce. Marinara has the lowest calories but still only use a small amount. Just cover the crust lightly for pizza that works for weight loss. 

Okay, so now that we have the "My 600-lb Life" obesity-building pizza ingredients replaced with weight loss ones, it's time to load up on the "freebies." Go to town on the veggies and make that diet pizza work to help you lose weight! I use mushrooms, green or multi-colored peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes, garlic, oregano and fennel seed. Jarred olives are higher in calories but also good sources of fat. So enjoy black or green olives! 

This diet pizza is actually super high in protein, keto friendly and great for beating obesity! Eating pizza like this is how I lost 100 pounds. 

Fixing obesity: Body positivity or weight loss or both?

me in 2011

me in 2014

I doubt anyone will argue that obesity is a huge problem in many countries. There seem to be two camps of thought on how to deal with weight problems: body positivity and weight loss. If I'm overweight, which is better: accepting and celebrating yourself or trying to lose weight? I suggest both. It's part of how I lost 100 pounds. The reality TV show "My 600-lb Life" demonstrates why. 

I'm the last one to suggest that anyone shame themselves. Body shaming as "my 600-lb Life" shows doesn't work. However, I'm concerned about this big body love movement. Loving yourself as you are is good. Embracing obesity, refusing to even attempt weight loss and expecting others to accept that it's okay, even great, to be very overweight is not. When I lost 100 pounds, I had to be realistic about my body size. I had to stop making excuses. 

"My 600-lb Life" shows participants making many, varied and bizarre excuses for being overweight. They lie about how much they eat. Despite having massive lymphedema filled legs and stomachs they fight weight loss. They insist the scale is lying. They fail to accept that they weigh as much as 4-6 full-grown adults. Clearly, obesity clouds reason and self-awareness. 

I'm going to say something that is probably going to sound insensitive. Body positivity often masks laziness. It can be self-delusional. If I'm very overweight (as I was before I lost 100 pounds) it can be just another excuse not to lose weight.  Obviously, hating and belittling oneself is hurtful. But so is ignoring something that is causing health problems. So is pretending that celebrating a too-big body will somehow nullify all the dangers of obesity. 

But happily, the two are not mutually exclusive. I can accept myself as I am AND work to change. Fixing parts that aren't working doesn't mean I hate myself. It's because I care about myself that I want to lose weight and be the healthiest person I can be. 

Scales aid weight loss but can also shake confidence to lose weight

 Hi guys, time for some more thoughts on weight loss from your friendly, if scatter-brained dieet blogger. I say scatty because what I'm going to suggest today--ignore the scale-- I don't actually do. I'm a confessed, obsessed, compulsed slave to the scale. And I think that has made it harder for me to lose weight, or at least feel good about my progress. 

I'm not saying you shouldn't weigh yourself. The show "My 600-lb Life" (where I get a lot of inspiration) demonstrates that the scale is essential in recognizing morbid obesity. I was never overweight till I put on 100 pounds after pregnancy problems, depression and antidepressant use. Seeing how I obese I was kicked my butt to lose weight. It  helped me keep my weight loss on track. 

However, the first half or so of weight loss is a freebie if you're doing diet correctly. Even people with morbid obesity on "My 600-lb Life" demonstrate this. But then as you near your goal. Bang! The door slams shut. Those last recalcitrant 15 pounds just will not come off. Or you get to goal weight but then bounce back up 20 pounds. And you can't lose weight no matter how hard you try. That's when the scale becomes a tyrannical enemy. 

I'm at this place now. Obesity is not a problem. I'm technically only 15 pounds overweight. I'm not obese and according to some BMI scales, not even overweight. I've been dieting like crazy. But it's heavy weather and I'm getting discouraged. What's weird is that my clothes fit better and pudge pods (you know, those belly fat blobs) are smaller. It's not just my imagination or wishful thinking. 

I'm not saying the scale is broken, like the folks on "My 600-lb Life" do. I just can't get the bloody thing to prove weight loss. And so what? I know I've lost weight, or fat, at least. I feel better. I look normal size. I'm following the diet. This is the point at which I say, ignore the scale.  Babysitting it is just shakes my confidence and stresses me. And maybe I'm just not supposed to lose weight? According to one BMI scale, I'm not overweight. It said further weight loss would have no benefit. So maybe I'll just do what's best for my mental health and be grateful for
where I am. 

BMI aided my weight loss but "My 600-lb Life" shows BMI fails obesity issue

 The BMI (body mass index) scale is coming under fire again and it probably should. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was discovering that my BMI made me morbidly obese. This spurred me to weight loss which is good. But to fix the larger issue of obesity, the BMI scale fails. The reality TV show "My 600-lb Life" demonstrates how. 

"My 600-lb Life" shows overweight people trying to lose weight with gastric bypass surgery. These people have extreme examples of obesity but they are not uncommon. According to the body mass index scale, 70% of the world is obese and more are overweight. 

But is that just because an arbitrary number deems us overweight? Is it in someone's, or many someones (cough, doctors, cough) best interest to have obese patients that they can help lose weight or provide gastric bypass surgery for? That there's a branch of healthcare called "obesity medicine" shows two things: lots of people are overweight and weight loss is lucrative! 

So how is this the BMI scale's fault? Maybe I'm attacking a straw man but it seem that the BMI helps and hurts the wrong people. Being labeled obese pushed me to lose weight but because I once had obesity, doctors still treat me like I'm overweight. My former GP now runs an obesity medicine clinic and wanted me to join (pay her to help me lose weight). After congratulating me on weight loss and acknowledging that I am at a good weight! 

Cuz that damn BMI scale still says I am overweight, but only just. It kinda drives me crazy stressing over it. Sometimes I diet to extremes, just to get that stupid number down. I wear a size small. I've trimmed fat and look a normal size. And the BMI only looks at mass, not fat. So why am I trying to hit a random goal? Because I'm one of those people who takes BMI too seriously. Now that I'm not obese, it hurts rather than helps

And it hurts people on "My 600-lb Life" BMI but in a different way. Obesity accesses them to disability, caregiver assistance, Medicaid and food stamps. Which they abuse to get further overweight. Their overeating and then obesity treatments, gastric bypass surgery etc., are funded by taxpayers. So there's no real motivation to lose weight and a lot of reasons to stay obese. 

How I lost 100 pounds with weight loss supplements, appetite suppressants and fat burners

I've been blogging about how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass or any other bariatric surgery. I'm happy to share weight loss tips but there's one that I'm hesitant about: appetite suppressants and diet supplements.  But people want to know how I lost 100 pounds and kept it off and diet supplements did help. I'm not talking about drugs to lose weight, but natural, mostly fruit, supplements. 

There are several reasons that I don't talk much about weight loss supplements and fat burners. I don't want anyone using them on my recommendation and then having problems. I also don't want it to sound as if diet supplements are magic and that there's nothing else to weight loss. The biggest parts will always be diet, exercise, calorie counting and portion control. But there are a few diet supplements that helped and here they are. 

* Green tea: This fat burner is an appetite suppressant that aids weight loss. I've tried green coffee bean but that was too much caffeine for me. Another ingredient that while natural can cause issues is guarana. If you have trouble with caffeine, don't take the full amount. 

* Acai: This fat burners supplement works great as a system cleanse. Without being graphic, let's just say it purges me and keeps me regular!

* Berry blends: Different manufacturers use various berry and fruit combinations: blueberry, bilberry, cranberry, raspberry, capsicum. I've used most all types and they each work well as fat burners (because of the seeds) and antioxidants.

* Yerba mate leaf: I've tried green tea blends without yerba mate and they don't seem to work as well to lose weight.

* Uva-Ursi leaf: I'm not sure exactly what this herb does, but I know that I have been able to lose weight using weight loss supplement that contain it.

*apple cider vinegar is a great fat burner and appetite suppressant

* Coconut oil also known as MCT or CLA fat burner

* Garcinia cambogia appetite suppressant

* Raspberry ketones fat burner

* White kidney bean and cinnamon to neutralize carbs and sugar

* Fruit and vegetable supplement: There are many varieties on the market. My favorite is Sundown Whole Food Multi. It's got all the letter vitamins, plus blends of green food, probiotics, omega, digestive enzymes, herb, fruit, vegetable and mushroom blend. It's the cheapest compared to Vita-Life, Alive or Your Life.

"My 600-lb Life" myths: working hard at weight loss or obesity?

Hi friends! In today's chapter on how I lost 100 pounds (and kept it off) without gastric bypass surgery, I'm looking at weight loss myths. During Covid 19 recovery, I've been been catching up on a favorite bariatric surgery show "My 600-lb Life." This show follows morbidly obese people as they try to lose weight. And for misconceptions about obesity, you can't beat "My 600-lb Life!" 

Today I'm honing in on the misunderstanding that weight loss is difficult. Every episode of "My 600-lb Life" features overweight participants whining about how hard they're working and how rough obesity is to shed. When they don't lose weight, we hear tall tales about how they've been following Dr. Now's 1,200 calorie gastric bypass diet to the letter. 

These are obviously lies because weight loss is simple...less food in, more weight off. If you're gaining weight, you're actually working to stay obese. One surprise in how I lost 100 pounds was how easy it was to lose weight at first. The more overweight patients are, the easier weight loss is, if they follow Dr. Now's gastric bypass diet correctly.  

And I have a problem with the overweight folks of "My 600-lb Life" complaining about everything being so hard. Your caregivers, or should I say staff, who wait on your obese self? They have it hard. Covid 19 is hard. Watching your loved one die from Covid 19 is hard. Cancer is hard. I lost 100 pounds and let me tell you, dropping obesity is easy-peasy compared to these real-life struggles! 

What Covid 19 dehydration taught me about water retention vs. obesity

Hi friends! I'm getting back to normal after a long bout of Covid 19 (*tosses confetti!*)  The gist of this blog is to show how I lost 100 pounds and believe it or not, I've learned quite a lot about weight loss from coronavirus, specifically regarding dehydration, obesity and water retention. 

If you follow my blog, you know that I follow the gastric bypass reality TV show "My 600-lb Life." Now, you hear a lot of bizarre stuff from patients and a common excuse for gastric bypass weight loss fail is water retention. 

"My 600-lb Life" Joyce, for example didn't lose weight before bariatric surgery, as Dr. Now told her to. In fact, she gained 60 pounds in one month!! When questioned, out came the invariable "it's just water weight gain." There are a few problems with that which having Covid 19 has made clear to me. First, it's not "just" water weight gain. If you are retaining 60 pounds (or 6 gallons) of water, there's a problem.

Water retention can mean that you are seriously dehydrated. Dehydration played a big part of my coronavirus trip. A rogue fever that came and went for two weeks used up all the fluid I could take in. I got (and still get) nasty headaches, nausea and diarrhea (which caused further dehydration). No matter how much fluid I drank, I got insanely thirsty. 

Covid 19 reminded me of my mother-in-law's nightmare. She was hospitalized with dehydration. Neither the doctor nor we could figure out why because she drank water constantly. Then I noticed that  mom, who weighed 100 pounds soaking wet, had developed an abnormal belly bulge. I suggested fluid retention (she also avoided salt on her doctor's instruction). The conclusion was that while she was drinking, she was retaining water and so not getting electrolytes or salts, which help to process fluids. 

So, back to coronavirus. While we were drinking water, we weren't getting enough electrolytes either. Ergo the dehydration despite being hydrated. My takeaway is to avoid plain water in flu or Covid 19, which seems to just flush out electrolytes and drink Emergen'C or Gatorade. 

To those ridiculous "My 600-lb Life" obesity excuses of water weight gain, I say, bollocks. Even if it is "just water" that's not good. Also, the gastric bypass surgeon is telling you that it is fat weight gain. Lastly, there's no such thing as water weight gain of a 60-lb magnitude. A big part of how I lost 100 pounds was to listen to health experts and take my obesity seriously. I also take every opportunity to learn more about weight loss, even while sick with Covid 10. 

How I lost 100 pounds by being honest about obesity and weight loss

 (Me above with red purse in 2011 and below in 2014 after 100-lb weight loss)

I've been sharing tips on how I lost 100 pounds (and now am working to lose weight again after shoulder surgery). I've been following the show "My 600-lb Life" because though I'm not morbidly obese anymore, nor seeking gastric bypass, the weight loss lessons are invaluable. Today, I'll share how I lost 100 pounds by getting serious about diet. 

On the reality TV show "My 600-lb Life" we see morbidly obese patients working (or not) toward gastric bypass surgery. It probably won't surprise you how many weight loss fail stories there are. The bariatric surgery patients didn't get to be 500 to 800 pounds overweight by making healthy choices. Some of the most dangerous choices that "My 600-lb Life" patients make are the lies about obesity. 

We saw Joyce, who was supposed to lose weight before gastric bypass, actually gain 60 pounds in one month! She made a bunch of excuses, how it was just water retention, and told many lies about how she followed the 1,200 calorie bariatric surgery diet. Joyce actually told bariatric surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan that she didn't know why she failed weight loss. The subtitled translation should have read "I won't tell you the truth about how much I really ate."

Clearly, morbid obesity, is not about candor and self-awareness.  So how I lost 100 pounds? I started being honest about being overweight. The scale may be off by a few pounds but it doesn't lie about obesity. I quit the self-delusional excuse-making about the need to lose weight. I stopped telling myself lies about diet and how much I was eating. 

Were there other mitigating factors causing obesity? Sure. But they're a moot point if I'm just going to use them as an excuse to avoid weight loss. Because no matter what other health conditions I have, none will be improved by being overweight. But being obese will make them worse.  

Covid 19 nausea abates, diet and weight loss back on despite husband's protest

Hiya friends! Good news from the Covid 19 front...my nausea and that other icky d-word have abated! I'm offering up prayers of thanksgiving! And now, back to the purpose of this blog to detail how I lost 100 pounds. I'm back to working the diet and weight loss program.  This despite my husband's protestations that I should just skip dieting and worry about healing from coronavirus. 

His disapproval stems in part from his own 17-lb weight loss in two weeks during Covid 19 illness. For him, who is not overweight, such a big, rapid weight loss is dangerous. Arguably, it's not good for anyone to lose weight so quickly. I have lost about 10 pounds, though I was debatably overweight (depending on BMI scale). And I have been obese, clearly, as this blog is about how I lost 100 pounds. 

I'm juggling my own desire and need to lose weight, with my husband's firm conviction that it's a terrible idea now. Obviously, if one is overweight or obese, it's a good thing to lose weight. But weight loss as we've had with Covid 19, whether needed or not, can be kinda scary, especially for someone like my husband who has been underweight and worked hard to gain weight. 

If you've read this blog for awhile, you know that I set a lot of store in the teaching of gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan of "My 600-lb Life." The "My 600-lb Life" physician tells people seeking gastric bypass that they must lose 30 or more pounds in a month. Granted his patients on "My 600-lb Life" are morbidly obese while I only have about 15 debatable pounds to lose. I'm not working toward gastric bypass. Bariatric surgery was not part of how I lost 100 pounds seven years ago. But I am not going back to being obese, period. 

So post coronavirus, I'm getting right back on the diet wagon. It's too easy to make excuses or let others' ideas derail me. My husband means well but is to some extent speaking from his weight loss concerns. He can afford to beef back up again where I cannot. So for awhile, the skim and whole milk will have to coexist in our frig, LOL! 

Love you guys and thanks for all the prayers and will wishes! I'm so grateful that our coronavirus journey has a happy ending. 

"My 600-lb Life" shows weight loss devil is in the details: How I lost 100 pounds counting every bite

 

 (me right, 2008 and below, 2014)

Covid 19 has given me lots of time to think about how to lose weight. I also have time to watch the weight loss reality TV show Yeah, okay, you say but these are extreme examples of obesity. Most of us, Thank God, aren't that overweight. Agreed. Sort of. But you might be surprised at how common morbid obesity is becoming. Part of this blog is to share how I lost 100 pounds. I wasn't just overweight, but obese. 

I also thank God I never had gastric bypass. But I did learn a lot from "My 600-lb Life" bariatric surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan about weight loss. That gastric bypass diet he uses is a gold mine in itself. One thing I've noticed about bariatric surgery patients on "My 600-lb Life" is that the devil is in the details. And that oftentimes wee tiny details can trip you up royally. 

I'm referring to little calorie leaks that aren't big in themselves but which can make it very difficult to lose weight. Often it was not the 500 calorie hot fudge sundaes that caused me to be overweight, but many ignored small bites. Obviously, on "My 600-lb Life", large and small calorie leaks have led to morbid obesity. But I'd guess that like me, it is mostly in the little details. Happily, those little calorie leaks are the easiest to plug up. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was by counting every bite. 

For example, on one episode, we watched Penny, after gastric bypass surgery, eating salad, which is great. But instead of adding the RDA serving size, she bathed that sucker in salad dressing. It wasn't diet dressing either, but thousand island which has a whopping 150 calories per 2 T serving. Penny put probably 3 servings on her salad and all the vegetables were robbed of their nutrient goodness being drowned in fat and sugar. 

Covid 19 has forced me to be VERY mindful of what I eat, because the nausea makes everything taste icky. Plus my tummy has shrunk and that's left me easily filled up but also quick to feel sick. Covid 19 has also made it easier to lose weight but harder to monitor what I eat because so little actually sounds good. But I will not let up. I will still count, add, and measure because it works. 

But I don't have time to count and add up calories, portion sizes, etc. It's boring. I'll do it my way, "My 600-lb Life" Penny told Dr. Now. And that translated to changing none of the bad habits and losing precisely 15 of the 400 pounds Dr. Now wanted her to lose after bariatric surgery. Tedious is may be to mind those devilish details but the proof is in the massive weight loss you can achieve by doing so! 

"My 600-lb Life" family members responsible for weight gain but not weight loss

My Covid 19 recovery has given me lots of time to catch up on a reality TV show that has had a big impact on this weight loss blog. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was following TLC's "My 600-lb Life." Each episode features patients with morbid obesity, seeking gastric bypass. One of the issues addressed is responsibility for weight gain. Commonly, bariatric surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan will confront not only the patient but also family members whom he often calls "enablers." 

"My 600-lb Life" features extreme examples of morbid obesity, but sadly the reality TV show participants aren't that unusual. The World Health Organization finds that 70 percent of the world is obese. This isn't just the number that are overweight. This is a BMI of <30. So clearly the question of accountability is crucial. Whose fault is it when someone is hundreds of pounds overweight? Whose job is it to make someone lose weight? Gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Now would say the family, as well as the patient, if they are enabling overeating. But he says that weight loss is the patient's task. 

Why is that? Let's first explore a term bandied about by "My 600-lb Life" families: caregiver. I have a real problem with that term if obesity is the main health issue. Why do overweight people need "caregivers?" It seems to me that it's just a misnomer for "staff." If these folks want bariatric surgery, they need to practice self-care and stop expecting to be waited on, catered to and pampered. 

Take the episode about "I want medical transport" Joyce. Yes, I've been picking on poor Joyce a lot lately. We heard all about how hard Joyce was working to lose weight. But what we SAW was her family working hard pushing her around in her wheelchair, fetching, obeying and generally carrying the can. When asked why she gained 60 pounds on Dr. Now's bariatric surgery diet, you could see her sister I believe it was biting her tongue not to say "because she eats all the time and is lying about following the diet!!!" 

Dr. Now wisely lays morbid obesity squarely at the door of both the patient and the enablers. If someone is so overweight that they can't get around, then they aren't feeding themselves. Someone is providing the plus-size portions. (And where DO they get the money to feed these massive appetites? But I digress) However, the gastric bypass surgeon also wisely puts weight loss directly in the hands of the patient and them alone. They must stop laying there waiting to be fixed (Joyce). 

As I've learned along the "how I lost 100 pounds" road, ain't nobody can lose weight for you. You got to walk that lonesome valley by yo'self. You can do it. I did and if I can, anyone can. 

How I lost 100 pounds putting energy into weight loss not whining

I've been writing about how I lost 100 pounds a few years ago. The top two pictures are me with morbid obesity, in 2011. I'm back to working at weight loss again (Thank God, I'm not obese this time and only need to lose weight gained after surgery). I have learned a great deal about obesity and weight loss from the TLC reality TV show "My 600-lb Life." 

This show features morbidly obese patients working toward gastric bypass with bariatric surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan and his team. It's obvious from "My 600-lb Life" episodes about Joyce and Jeanne that excuse-making and self-pity are a big part of being overweight. It occurred to me that if these folks put a fraction of the energy they put into whining toward dieting, they'd have their obesity licked! 

I adore the Brits' word for complaining: whinging. It perfectly sums up the constant bellyaching from from overweight "My 600-lb Life" patients. It's part whine, part bitch done in that high-pitched "oh woe-is-me, oh how I've suffered, wornout Scarlett O'hara" nasal fret (to quote Divine Secets). Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to quit whinging and get busy getting the weight off. 

Because that's the way to get gastric bypass surgery, people. If that's your goal, do what Dr. Now tells you to do. Quit telling him (Jeanne, I'm talking to you) how you deserve surgery. Show him. It has nothing to do with deserve and is all about earning bariatric surgery by proving that you will do the work to start and continue the weight loss process. 

Quit lying (Joyce) about how you've worked so hard to lose weight yet gained 60 pounds. It is not water weight gain or Dr. Now would tell you that. You have not been following the 1,200 calorie bariatric surgery diet. And I'm sorry you're in pain, madam, but obesity will do that to you. You are not having a heart attack. You're out of breath from being overweight.  

So how I lost 100 pounds? By shutting my mouth both to overeating and complaining and putting my energy into positive, proactive weight loss homework. 

 

"My 600-lb Life" patients mistake obesity pain for mystery ailments

Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to learn from the success and failure of others. I have learned a lot about weight loss from watching TLC's gastric bypass reality TV show "My 600-lb Life." The most important lessons are how delusion and denial lead to obesity. Every episode features patients deceiving themselves and trying to lie to gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Nowzaradan. One of the most common deceptions is the notion of pain and where it originates. 

A good example is the "My 600-lb Life" episode featuring "I want medical transport" Joyce. This overweight 44-year-old woman is struggling with morbid obesity. She was supposed to lose weight for gastric bypass surgery and instead gained 60 pounds in two months. She can't imagine how she didn't lose weight when she supposedly followed Dr. Now's 1,200 calorie a day weight loss diet. Joyce tries to convince the "My 600-lb Life" surgeon that she put on 60 pounds of water weight gain on the ride across town (!)

So that's a pretty big delusion (which many viewers have wisely called out as a lie). With that kind of self-deception, it's not hard to imagine how Joyce gained weight despite "doing everything right." Weight gain like that equals more like 12,000 that 1,200 calories a day. Also, Joyce is obsessed with getting medical transport everywhere she goes. She believes that an ambulance will be more comfortable than a taxi and that discomfort and not being overweight, is her biggest problem. She even fakes a heart attack to get the medical transport she so desires. 

Setting aside the freakish cost of ambulances (I'm always boggled by how "My 600-lb Life" weight loss surgery patients afford this), Joyce is ignoring the fact that she is in pain because of her obesity not obese because she is in pain. She may feel like she's having a heart attack because she is so overweight. She won't walk anywhere because of all her pain, which is caused by not walking anywhere. 

The "My 600-lb Life" participant tries to con Dr. Now that a simple ride to the doctor is life-threatening. She melodramatically has to "rest and recuperate" from being checked out for the faked heart attack but will not admit that her obesity, lymphedema, enormous stomach, caved ankles--are what she needs to heal from. She only feels better flat on her back but can't or won't see that this is what causes the fluid pooling, edema and feelings of heart attack. Joyce describes in lurid detail all her mystery ailments but won't do one simple thing that would stop them: lose weight. 

And that's part of how I lost 100 pounds, by waking up to facts: when I was obese, I didn't have mystery ailments, I had obesity pains. I could and did lose weight and thereby fix most of the health issues. 

Covid 19 "morning sickness" nausea, diarrhea and weight loss but still grateful

Howdy friends, time for today's Covid 19 update and if you've got a weak stomach, better give this one a miss. My husband and I are into our third week of coronavirus symptoms. He's back to work: still exhausted but out of time off. I've got the symptoms variety pack with nausea and diarrhea playing a double feature for the past week and a half. We've both had weight loss from lack of appetite. 

So that's been kinda weird. I understood Covid 19 to be more cold and flu symptoms than stomach bug. But that's exactly what's been plaguing me in coronavirus, are those nasties associated with stomach "flu." I haven't eaten or wanted anything to eat. Everything tastes and smells awful, even water. Bottled water tastes like saltwater. Tap water tastes sickeningly sweet. It feels a lot like morning sickness that never ends. I wanted weight loss but not like this. And my husband has lost weight and he cannot afford to.

And the diarrhea...that's been bizarrely similar to that of food poisoning. Four years ago, I had campylobacter jejuni and it got so bad that I essentially had dysentery. Poop turned black and watery, which I was told was basically just dried blood. Charming, I know. Whatever food I do eat, well, goes right through. Needless to say, I've got the weight loss thing down, but it would be nice to at least want to eat again. 

BUT, throughout this 3-ring circus called Covid 19, I'm very grateful. I have been coughing and had a lot of mucus problems (sorry I warned you that it would be gross). Sometimes it's hard to catch my breath. But I don't have respiratory issues or fluid in my lungs (I don't think). It's getting better and I think both my husband and I have turned that corner away from the danger zone. THANK YOU, LORD! Also, my loved ones haven't gotten ill. So if I had to take coronavirus for our team, so be it.  It could be so much worse! (And yes, I'll be getting that vaccine ASAP).

Love you all! Hope I'll be back to good ole healthy weight loss talk real soon! <3

Covid 19 weight loss, dehydration and all that entails

Greetings from the Covid 19 sick bed. Almost two weeks ago, my husband came home from work sick and tested positive for coronavirus. He was kind enough to share it with me, LOL (well we do everything else on the buddy plan, so why not this too?). I've taken a break from writing about how I lost 100 pounds, to share with you what our Covid 19 journey looks like. And it does have a weight loss component but not the kind I would have liked. 

Yesterday, I wrote about how coronavirus symptoms are like an Advent calendar with each day bringing a new surprise behind the little window. Today's is dehydration and all that involves. Which is a lot more than I expected. I have been waking up with a killer headache. I remembered that this is one side effect of being dehydrated. 

My husband has been having brown urine. Another indication of Covid 19 dehydration. And possibly, I hate to say it, kidney issues. But we have not been neglecting fluids. In fact, we both drink non-stop. I wake up about 10 times a night literally parched. My mouth and throat are so dry they feel like they're closing up. My nose is bleeding, probably because my sinuses are so dry. 

I drink at least two bottles of water at night. We've also had a revolving door fever that we get under control only to have it restart the next night. I think the problem is that this ongoing fever dries up any fluid we drink as fast as we can drink it. 

And then there's the Covid 19 weight loss. My poor husband has lost 12 pounds in as many days. Any nourishment he gets seems to go to feed this fever. This is not healthy weight loss. It's starvation. So this is really scary, but again, as I said yesterday. We are the lucky ones. We will get through this. We will survive. But coronavirus is certainly an illness like no other. 

Covid 19 struggles and gratitude

My husband and I have both been sick with coronavirus for over a week now. And I do mean sick. Covid 19 is NOT just a straightforward flu. We are not the lucky ones who've gotten through it with only loss of taste and smell. We've had ongoing fever that breaks and restarts every day for eleven days. We've had intense body aches and exhaustion. Despite drinking loads of fluid, he got dehydrated from fever. His urine turned brown. I've been coughing and have had migraine-like headaches. We have been unable to eat and nothing tastes or sounds good. 

Thankfully, neither of us have been short of breath but we know that could come. I've heard Covid 19 symptoms referred to as an Advent calendar where each day brings something different. A few days ago I started feeling nausea and vomited. Today's new thing is dizziness and a persistent lightheaded feeling. I have fainted once and even laying down with my eyes closed I feel faint. 

Today we noticed another frightening coronavirus impact: my husband has lost a great deal of weight and looks scary thin. I've lost weight too, though not as much. The point of this blog is to talk about weight loss. Being overweight, weight loss is a good thing for me. But not like this. Covid 19 weight loss is not healthy. It's almost like a wasting away. It's similar to what I experienced when I had campylobacter or c.jejuni food poisoning. 

To the people who are angry about Covid 19 closures and worried about opening things up and getting back to normal, let me offer this perspective. We don't know how long these symptoms will last. We don't know what's behind tomorrow's Advent calendar window, or the next day's, week's, etc. We don't know how coronavirus will affect us in years to come. We don't know when, if ever, we will be "back to normal." 

And this is just what "healthy" people experience. It doesn't begin to cover the suffering of those with compromised immune systems or underlying health issues. Every day it seems my email box contains intentions from our prayer chain for families grieving loved ones lost to Covid. Those who couldn't survive the breathing complications or respirator. So I guess we are the lucky ones. We're a little battered and worse for wear, but we'll get through this. And we  have so much to be grateful for. 

I'd rather be overweight than look it: weight loss vs. fat burning

I've been blogging about how I lost 100 pounds a few years ago. Now I'm trying to lose weight again. Happily, I'm not obese this time, but I am overweight. Weirdly, despite the scale only showing a little weight loss, I look smaller. And I realized, if I had to choose one or the other, I'd rather be overweight than look it. Let me explain.

In this second round, the challenge to lose weight has been made more difficult. I'm not as active due to shoulder surgery followed by Covid 19. But although I've only lost a few pounds, I've lost fat in several areas. I think this is because my goal is fat burning vs. simple weight loss. Here's why. 

By volume, muscle weighs more than fat. A person may be overweight, even be nearing obese with the usual BMI algorithm, but still not have much noticeable fat. BMI measures body mass index, not body fat. Obese is just a categorical word. Neither are necessarily true indicators of size. So I decided that fat burning was more important than the number on the scale. 

I've seen what weight loss without fat burning looks like. Gastric bypass surgery alone doesn't lose weight let alone fat. Even with diet and exercise, gastric bypass weight loss surgery often leaves the body saggy. I want to look trimmer. I want my clothes to fit better. 

And that can be done without gastric bypass. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to aim for fat burning with keto diet and supplements like apple cider vinegar and raspberry ketones. I'm going to work on looking smaller and I think the BMI and scale number will catch up. 

How I lost 100 pounds with protein breakfast shakes: weight loss recipes 2 diet 4!

A lot of folks ask me how I lost 100 pounds. I think what they really want to know is how I lost 100 pounds and kept it off. That's much trickier. My weight loss is down to simply eating differently. I've reimagined a lot of favorites with healthier diet food swaps. To lose weight, my days start with antioxidant rich, low calorie, sugar free plant protein breakfast shakes. 

Gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Now of TLC's "My 600-lb Life" reality TV show doesn't recommend these for patients with morbid obesity. And I can see why not. The "My 600-lb Life" participants must lose weight fast to get gastric bypass surgery and have hundreds of pounds to lose. Dr. Now doesn't want them eating packaged foods. And lots of weight loss shakes are surprisingly full of junk. 

When I set out to lose weight, I was obese, but not to the extent of "My 600-lb Life" obesity. I wasn't considering gastric bypass weight loss surgery. I wanted to lose weight steadily not too quickly, and keep it off with diet and exercise alone. Also, the breakfast shakes I eat are simple pea protein with no additives except what I add and that's all natural.  

Plant protein breakfast shakes have helped me lose weight in several ways. Plant protein powder is generally lower in calories, sugarfree, transfat and saturated fatfree. Some varieties fill your RDA vegetable quota. Plant protein powder is easier to digest that whey protein and is just as filling. That's important because shedding obesity requires diet recipes to satisfy hunger. A 240 calorie shake keeps me full till lunch at least. 

I currently use Now Sports pea protein powder, but I've tried other brands. Now Sports has 120 calories of unsweetened pea protein powder that gives 24 grams of protein per scoop. I blend it with half a grapefruit, berries, kale or spinach and water. Now Sports is sugar free, so it does need a little fruit for sweetness. It can also be used as a milk substitute in recipes. I just made a dessert chocolate shake with pea protein powder, vanilla and 3 T chocolate malt powder. It was pretty tasty and all for 200 calories! Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds!

Weight loss amid Covid 19: Should I diet when I'm sick?

Well my dears, it's official. My husband has Covid 19 and I'm feeling all the symptoms. I'll get tested after the 72-hour wait period my doctor has advised (getting the test too early can often yield false negative results). As you know, I've been working to re-lose weight gained after shoulder surgery. So how am I working weight loss amid Covid 19? That's a good question. 

Here's the dilemma. Nutrition is essential when you're ill. But with Covid 19, as with influenza, you don't feel much like eating. Also, coronavirus notoriously takes out your sense of smell and taste. My poor husband is already noticing that. Typically, he can eat anything he wants without weight gain. Now, his appetite is diminished but he's only been sick for a few days and already lost 8 pounds. And he doesn't need to lose weight. 

I jokingly told him not to mention this easy weight loss to those who are overweight and working their butts off to lose weight and only shedding a tiny bit at time (raises hand). They (I) may be tempted to beat him with his own scale!  Clearly, weight loss isn't something to envy if the person losing weight doesn't need to or shouldn't be. It could be a sign of other coronavirus related health concerns. 

But what about those who need to lose weight? Should we continue dieting we are ill? If obesity is an issue, yes. A recent episode of the TLC gastric bypass weight loss surgery show "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" dealt with that. Jeanne was struggling with morbid obesity. She's hoping to get gastric bypass. However, she has to lose weight to do so safely. 

Jeanne gave her "My 600-lb Life" gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Now all kinds of excuses about why she couldn't lose weight and one of them was that she had been sick. She told Dr. Now that her body needed orange juice and that's what prevented her from losing weight. Dr. Now was quick to set her straight that OJ wasn't the only culprit for her weight loss fail that she was just making excuses to keep overeating. He also told her body needed to shed obesity most of all. 

So what's the takeaway from "My 600-lb Life"? Sickness happens along the weight loss journey. Follow the protocol: for example, for stomach bugs, eat the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) but don't overdo it. This diet is meant to work your body back to normal eating. 

For coronavirus and flu type illnesses, stay hydrated and nourished. This doesn't mean sugary desserts, snacks and empty calories. Eat the same things you would for weight loss: protein, lean meat, whole grains, balanced carbs, fruits and vegetables--in moderation. 

Love ya! 

Covid-19 stress, anxiety, weight loss and a message to anti-maskers

Disclaimer: not my cheeriest of posts. I've been blogging about how I lost 100 pounds. I'm trying to lose weight again because I gained weight after having shoulder surgery. I have been feeling more stressed, anxious, even depressed of late.  So I want to address these struggles and how they affect weight loss. But I'm not sure I have much in advice to give. And maybe that's where I need to begin. 

Our parish priest always says "you can't pour from an empty cup" which is an old expression but seems to fit where I often find myself. Trying to fix situations that I didn't break. That need to help paved my  road to obesity and has sometimes kiboshed my efforts at weight loss. I know that none of you has asked or expected me to fix anything. You've probably read this blog more out of kindness than from any pearls of wisdom I've given. 

But still, I feel responsible, obliged to provide solutions to weight loss. This is just one of the many situations I feel responsible for. I have used myself as a body block or buffer to keep others from feeling pain, sometimes even pain they brought on themselves. The intense pressure was exhausting. I overate not to comfort but to energize. It didn't work. I just got overweight and then obese. But I still felt (feel) driven to fix, help and smooth over problems.. 

So I may not have any answers but I do have ideas. I remember that part of  how I lost 100 pounds was to find the triggers and deal with them. So what are the triggers now? We've been under quarantine for Covid-19 for over a year. Despite doing everything he could my husband has Covid-19. He sanitized his belt for pete's sake. He never bitched about not being able to go out to eat. He never complained or blamed. He's been so patient but is stressed and miserable.  

I'm worried, scared and feeling guilty because the one thing we didn't do was to get the vaccine. Our reasons were good. But I still feel irresponsible. 

I'm also furious with the people who go out in public and refuse to wear a mask. Even to church! For those who heedlessly go to Florida, on vacation, who enjoyed a nice non-socially distanced Spring Break, oblivious to the fact that Covid-19 numbers are higher than ever. I'm sick of trying to stay healthy and keep them healthy when they clearly don't give a shit about anyone else. I hold them culpable for their selfish behavior which has caused so many illnesses and deaths. 

So what's this all got to do with weight loss? Nothing and maybe everything. I need to keep on doing what I need to do, despite difficulties. But maybe more importantly, I need to deal with the deeper issues and not take it out on myself. I think I need to quit trying to be politically correct with the problem children and speak my truth. 

Love you all!

Super protein banana bread pudding diet recipe for weight loss

Since our kids moved to Louisiana, I've learned a lot about New Orleans and Cajun culture and cuisine. Oh favorite food that surprised me was bread pudding. I always thought of it my Dutch grannies' (kinda blah) leftover bread use-up recipe, which it is. But it is also a yummy treat AND made right, bread pudding is a great diet recipe for weight loss. You can have your cake and lose weight too! Here's how I lost 100 pounds with diet recipes like my super protein, low calorie banana bread pudding. 

Banana bread pudding might not strike you as a weight loss food, but with a few tweaks, it not only helps burn fat and lose weight, it satisfies that need for dessert! Busting obesity requires fat burners and carb balancing. Start by cubing 6-8 slices of whole grain oat light bread. If it's getting stale all the better. You'll make my Hollander grannies' love of leftover use-ups! Let that dry. 

Next, mash one or two bananas (use up about to go bad ones and score even more granny points!). This will add sweetness without refined sugar (a big obesity trigger). Next, beat 4 eggs or 6 egg whites. Egg whites have all the protein and no cholesterol. They are great for weight loss! I have to eat the entire egg because I have albumin intolerance. 

Now here comes the great lose weight protein source: skip the milk and use plant protein powder. Add two scoops to water to make a creamy consistency. You get a whopping 48 grams of protein for a mere 240 calories! Blend with egg mixture, add vanilla and load that puppy with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice in any combination. 

Segue here, part of how I lost 100 pounds was learning to "fake out" hunger and cravings with what I call Jedi "mind over platter" tricks. Vanilla and spices are great mind tricks for weight loss as they give the impression of sweet" with no added sugar. AND you get none of that fake sugar taste. 

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, cover with bread cubes and sprinkle a handful of chopped dates or prunes over the top (just as tasty as raisins and better for folks trying to lose weight). Add egg mixture and blend to moisten. Top with pumpkin seeds for even more protein and a big MUFA (fatty acids) fat burner bang! Seeds are a great friend to weight loss! 

If you need a leetle more sweet, add a dash of pure maple syrup or blue agave syrup. Banana bread pudding make a great obesity-busting breakfast casserole. You'll think you're eating French toast! This diet recipe gives dessert for under 180 calories per large serving (about six total). To quote Cajun chef Justin Wilson,  "it wondermus, I guarantee!!" 

How I lost 100 pounds doing nothing: weight loss tips for sedentary workers

Greetings fellow slender seekers! Just mar, your friendly neighborhood quirky health blogger back with more weird weight loss tips! How'd ya like today's blog post title? "How I lost 100 pounds doing nothing." Obesity and dieting aren't the most thrilling subjects in the world so I try to make my tips fun and intriguing! So, how to do nothing and lose weight. 

In 2012,  I realized that I was overweight, nay obese. Not "My 600-lb Life" type obese but waaayyy overweight. I looked at various weight loss programs and put together one that worked for me.  Following it is how I lost 100 pounds. (Pause for small scream of joy and confetti throwing). Now, as with everyone who needs or wants to lose weight, I had some special parameters in my life that made it more difficult. Actually they are a big part of what led to my obesity. 

When I started my weight loss program, I was a WAHM (no, not a member of George Michael's band, wish), a work-at-home-mom. I wrote articles and blogged online. And I was very much what's called a sedentary worker--I sat all day long. So, how I lost 100 pounds doing nothing? I literally did nothing, or very little, besides hunch over a computer all day. But lose weight I did.  

I'm not saying that weight loss was easy, being a WAHM. It was made even more difficult given my office is six paces from the kitchen. Food was available all day long! These aren't ideal conditions for dieting. But the point is, it can be done. To lose weight, I had to factor my circs into the diet plan. 

Because exercising enough was challenging, I had to restrict diet more. Less energy output meant fewer calories required. Yeah, I know mental work burns calories but not nearly as much as physical. I'm doing Shipt now, and it's a very active job. Shipt shopping burns loads of calories and I can eat more. So I also had to reprogram my grocery shopping list (see my post on that) with diet-friendly foods. I had to nix and control obesity triggers: sweets, salty snacks and calorie-forward carbs and fats. 

Now I'm back to working to WAHM-ing after shoulder surgery has made Shipt impossible. I've put on some pounds and though not obese, I am overweight again. I'm working to get 30 pounds off (about 21 to go). It's more difficult now because I can't do many exercises. Also, I'm older (note to all ourselves: lose weight sooner rather than later). But what worked before can and is working again! So though I don't recommend doing nothing (sedentary work) for weight loss, I do assure you it is possible!