Fat burning keto foods for Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge

Hello friends of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds. I issued a Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge a month ago and that month is almost up. But wait, there's more! Tomorrow begins my March to Weight Loss challenge and to round out this month, here are fat burning keto foods to cleanse, build brown fat, boost metabolism and bust white adipose tissue ("bad fat.") 

Before I begin, I want to address a question that comes up about how I lost 100 pounds. People with morbid obesity, like I had, will often ask if it's possible to lose weight without gastric bypass. Will calorie restricting (or keto, intermittent fasting or some other type of diet change) alone lose weight? Answer: YES! As shows like "My 600-lb Life" have proved, it's actually gastric bypass alone that won't lose weight. 

Yesterday I blogged that patients with morbid obesity on "My 600-lb Life" are required to lose weight prior to surgery. And to do that, they must follow a calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet which includes eating keto fat burning foods and avoiding sugary, junk carbs. After gastric bypass, "My 600-lb Life" patients must continue the 1200 calorie diet to continue weight loss. 

And lose weight you will with calorie restricting, even if you are calorie restricting for completely different reasons. The Catholic church calls for intermittent fasting during the Lenten season, which we entered earlier in February. For 40 days, we eat more fish and vegetables and less fatty, junky, fried and sugary food. And every year, if we follow practice Lenten fasting correctly, we lose weight. 

So without further ado, here are:

Keto fat burning foods for weight loss: 

avocado

BERRIES (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, cranberries)

olives (yes, these are berries too)

coconut oil 

tomatoes (tomato juice, zero sugar salsa)

lemons

limes

oats and oatmeal (so not necessarily keto, but high fiber so super good for fat burning)

kiwi

grapefruit (tons of fiber)

pears (high fiber)

apples (high fiber)

cantaloupe and watermelon (loads of lycopene so great for men's health, especially)

seeds (chia, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

nuts (best are almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts)

spinach, kale

broccoli

cauliflower

spaghetti squash

peas (high in fiber and protein)

cabbage and brussels sprouts

Stay tuned for more March to Weight Loss tips! #howilost100pounds

Does Fat Free February weight loss challenge address morbid obesity?

Hi friends! This blog covers how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass and recently I issued a Fat Free February weight loss challenge. It piggybacked on my No Junk January new year's weight loss and next month is March to Weight Loss. Maybe you're wondering how challenges like this can help lose weight when morbid obesity is a problem. Sure, 50 pounds, but what if I am 200 pounds overweight? That's different, right? I have to get gastric bypass surgery, don't I?

Well, the short answer, no. Weight loss, with calorie restricting as I used on the 1200 calorie diet, was how I lost 100 pounds. And if I needed to lose more weight, I'd have kept going. It will take longer to lose weight the more there is to shed but the process remains the same. That said, starting weight loss sooner rather than later is a good plan. And Dr. Now of "My 600-lb Life" will back me up on that. 

"My 600-lb Life" began with older overweight patients. Recently, the demographic seeking gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity seems to be getting younger. Alarmingly, many teens and even tweens of "My 600-lb Life" patients can't wait to reach majority to have a gastric bypass! This is systemic, generational obesity at its most terrifying. 

I was deemed overweight as a child and put on a 1000 calorie restricting diet. In 1972, what was considered overweight, for kids, was lower. And did that intense calorie restricting help me lose weight? No that was called adolescence. Adult obesity set in well into my 40s, after losing to stillborn babies and being on the antidepressant Paxil for depression and anxiety. 

But I digress. So how can weight loss challenges like Fat Free February end obesity? By getting the ball rolling. Even if gastric bypass is on the horizon, patients still have to lose weight prior to surgery. Yes, there is a lot of back-and-forth about the effectiveness of calorie restricting on a 1200 calorie diet. But I will say, from experience that how I lost 100 pounds began by realizing that I had to change how I ate. I couldn't keep making excuses and overeating because I was getting more overweight every month. 

If you need to lose weight, won't you join me on this Fat Free February weight loss challenge then stick around for March to Weight Loss! 

Obesity, mobility scooters and "I hurt all the time" T-shirt concerning

Shopping yesterday, I saw a morbidly obese woman on a mobility scooter wearing a concerning shirt. It stated "I'm in pain constantly, every moment of every day." I believe it was a fibromyalgia awareness T-shirt. I've seen this woman countless times, bossing staff around, being rude to other customers and complaining when the mobility scooter wasn't charged. It was pointed out that it had just been used but she expected that "someone" should have somehow known she was coming in and had it ready. Her behavior represents what I call "weaponized obesity." 

So why does her fibromyalgia shirt trouble me? Not that fibromyalgia isn't painful. I was diagnosed years ago with a chronic and intense type with neuralgia. I also hurt all the time. But I know from experience that obesity or just being overweight makes these chronic pain conditions so much worse. And there's such a thing as weaponizing pain or obesity, with rudeness, self-pity and entitlement. Using store mobility scooters, which are designed for elderly or people with disabilities, for example. If you need one, get your own and leave it for people who NEED it. 

Watch one episode of "My 600-lb Life" and you'll see what I mean. Gastric bypass patients will find any excuse and then invent some to avoid weight loss and blame their health problems and chronic pain on every thing but the real problem: morbid obesity. This blog covers how I lost 100 pounds and I know those excuses well. I will say I never expected special treatment, though. 

I'll be the one to say the non PC thing that many others are thinking. Obesity is not a disability in itself because it's manageable with diet, exercise and weight loss. Dr. Now proves it time and again on "My 600-lb Life." And if people are in so much pain that they have to wear T-shirts telling us, then maybe lose weight and see if it helps. But no, then that would take away the excuse to expect special treatment. 

Part of how I lost 100 pounds, without gastric bypass, was to lose weight, the old-fashioned way, with calorie restricting, like Dr. Now uses on "My 600-lb Life." When I did, many conditions improved (pre-diabetes, liver functioning, depression, hypertension).  Chronic pain is still an issue. So am I saying weight loss will fix fibromyalgia, back pain, knee pain, etc? Maybe not completely but, obesity sure isn't going to. 

If you are overweight and want to lose weight, like I did, let me assure you that you can do it! Even if it doesn't clear up every problem, I guarantee it feels a lot better than self-pity. 

Is obesity healthy and beautiful?

I don't know what article I opened but lately my news home feed is flooded with the "I'm overweight and hot" articles. Well, they're not actually articles, but more blog posts (truthfully I don't read them so I don't know the source). Anyway, the poster shares her height, weight and photos of herself , declaring something to the effect that even though she is "overweight" or even "obese" many people find her attractive, guys hit on her, etc. 

I find these posts disturbing, frankly. Because obesity isn't attractive? No. Because women can't be overweight and acceptable? H to the NO! Because this sad "pick me" attention seeking behavior makes them vulnerable (a little--the comments can be quite hurtful)? What bothers me is them trying to prove that overweight can't be beautiful because men think they are attractive.  

This need for validation is concerning, as weight loss blogger. The issue isn't whether women are beautiful despite what the scale says because someone says they are. Beauty goes far beyond looks and I believe everyone is beautiful because we are made in the image of God. The concern with obesity is the multiple health concerns attached. 

HAES, Healthy at any Size, says that all bodies are healthy and that no one should work at weight loss unless they want to. Certainly someone who weighs say, 40 pounds more than what the BMI (body mass index calls for) will have fewer issues than someone who is 100- 200 lbs (or more) overweight. But HAES doesn't care how much you weigh, it's all healthy. 

I'm sorry but no it's not. The nature of weight gain is to snowball. The more I gain, the incrementally more, and faster, I gain weight. And even if I could stay at just 40 pounds overweight, I would still be predisposed to certain health risks: diabetes, hypertension, back and leg problems, heart problems, liver functioning, even Covid poses a greater threat to those outside the recommended weight. 

In shows like "My 600-lb Life" we meet gastric bypass patients who have gained to extremes. But they began at the same place everyone else does and got to that point by ignoring weight gain. And they are riddled with health problems. "My 600-lb Life" gastric bypass surgeon Dr. Now always sees them when they are literally at death's door. 

Will the women in the articles mentioned get as big as "My 600-lb Life"? Probably not. But I'm sure the people on "My 600-lb Life" never imagined it would get that bad either. With movements like HAES encouraging weight gain, there's a greater chance of seeing more of these situations. Because it's common for people who are overweight to ignore weight gain. Many are just as overweight as those on the show, but in denial. I know what I'm talking about. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to open my eyes to how big I was and do something about it. 

Lenten fasting and weight loss? Amen!

 A blessed Ash Wednesday to all. Whether you're Catholic or not I invite you to join me as we kick off the Lenten season in a Fat-Free February weight loss challenge. Lent is a time in the  Catholic liturgical calendar when we walk with our Savior, through the temptation in the desert on His way to the cross. We practice Christian values of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We are called to follow these all year long but in a special way in the Lenten season. We return our attention to these core habits which I can really admit in my own life, sometimes gets diverted. 

The focus of this blog is on weight loss, specifically how I lost 100 times without gastric bypass. So you may be wondering does it really count for spiritual reasons if I'm trying to lose weight by fasting. This question came up in a q&A on an orthodox Christian site as well. And my answer to that is yes if you are fasting for religious reasons first and weight loss as a happy outcome. Actually, having said that, any practice that gets us focusing less on ourselves, our needs and more usually our wants, has spiritual benefit too. 

And if you are fasting as the church calls for, by eating simpler, low to zero sugar, fish instead of fatty heavy meat, less dairy and no junk, then you will lose weight regardless. So part of my Family at Free February weight loss challenge will include a Catholic Lenten type fast. And I will follow my Lenten fast by being more faithful to calorie restricting in a 1200 calorie diet. I will also do intermittent fasting every Wednesday and Friday, following the (keto) bread and water fast that Our Lady, the Blessed Mother called us to at her Medjugorie apparition. I will talk more about that later. Blessings to you all. Love mar

Fat Free February weight loss challenge asks if calorie restricting really works

 Hello and welcome to this blog on how I lost 100 pounds (without gastric bypass) and you can too! Last month I issued a No Junk January weight loss challenge for the new year and this month, we're keeping the mojo going with Fat Free February. A friend was kind enough to say that these challenges motivated her to lose weight and hopefully they've helped you too! 

Not fat free as in zero fat foods: experience and research shows that those don't always address weight loss goals sufficiently. Fat Free February means that we're working to rid our bodies of excess "white adipose tissue" (or white fat, stored fat). Stored fat encases organs to protect them but if there's too much, restricts healthy functioning. It clogs arteries, slows metabolism, makes us lethargic, depressed etc. 

So in Fat Free February we don't want to get rid of all stored fat. It just makes for good alliteration lol! We do want to increase brown fat (healthy fat) by increasing intake of MUFAS (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFAS (polyunsaturated fatty acids) which dissolved saturated fats. I love the names: MUFAS and PUFAS. They sound like junky Saturday morning kids breakfast cereal! 

To lose weight, the keto diet would have us eat lots of fats, including saturated fats. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to eat a modified keto diet (though I didn't know at the time that's what I was doing). I have my reservations about keto because. So many people I've known to use it, while having initial success with weight loss, were not able to keep it off as the keto diet is pretty difficult to maintain. I'm not even sure it's healthy to eat that way long term. 

What's worked for me is GOCR--good ole calorie restricting--for me, 1200 calorie diet--including limiting  sugar, particularly refined sugar, saturated fats, junk or empty carbs and balancing fiber, protein and fats. Calorie restricting (1200 calorie diet) has gotten a lot of bad PR, particularly from groups like HAES (Healthy at Every Size). HAES maintains that obesity isn't really unhealthy and that body positivity really matters. Even many basic weight loss diets eschew calorie restricting. 

However, I've found that the only way to end obesity is to portion control which is in effect calorie restricting. Exercise as in movement is important too. But alone, it will not lose weight. I went from  normal to overweight to obese by eating more and moving less. Not all by choice, sedentary job, etc. Didn't matter though because those two things shot me to morbid obesity. So the path back has to include calorie restricting in 1200 calorie diet and portion control. 

Stay tuned for more Fat Free February posts and be ready for next month when we'll do a March to Weight Loss challenge! 

(P.S. Don't you love the very serious look 😶on my grandson Emmett's face? 😁)

Does HAES promote obesity and eschew weight loss? 8 Ball says yep

Most everyone my age probably remembers the Magic 8 Ball which you asked random questions and received random answers based on the luck of the roll. A concerning movement,  HAES (Healthy at Every Size) seems to advocate obesity and eschew weight loss. And based on a variety of things, I'd say it's about as reliable as a Magic 8 Ball in determining how healthy one is. 

HAES proclaims to be about healthy living through movement and eating nutritionally. But its prospectus promotes "flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than any externally regulated eating plan focused on weight control." And on exercise, it supports "physical activities that allow people of all sizes, abilities, and interests to engage in enjoyable movement, to the degree that they choose" (or don't it seems). 

To me, that reads "ignore the scale, it's all healthy, eat what you want as long as you enjoy it and move or don't if you don't feel like it. And if anyone calls you overweight (including a trained medial professional), blame them for "stigmatizing" and body-shaming." Anyone who's been overweight or is will tell you, that's music to the ears. Finally someone gets it. I'm not fat, obese, call it what you like, I'm misunderstood.  

Not only is it not my fault, I'm not responsible to do anything about it because 200-300 pounds overweight, is just as healthy as normal weight. Why WOULD anyone attempt weight loss after being told they're just as healthy no matter what and how much they eat and how little if any they move?

Okay so I get that body positivity is important but so is truthfulness. You don't have to hate yourself, and of course shouldn't,  to admit you need to lose weight. But can anyone be really body positive when they are lugging around the equivalent of 4 cases of water with every step? NO! It's exhausting and depressing. And on that note, I've found that almost everyone who turns to HAES, has depression, is lethargic, etc. They are not the smiling faces shown on the website. HAES would say that's because they've been body shamed for obesity and once they start loving themselves at any size, depression goes away. Ehh, that's a really big risk to take and very likely not going to to work. When you are very overweight, you are literally weighed down (refer to my water bottle analogy) and depression is a logical outcome. 

In fact, almost everyone I've talked to in my 100-lb weight loss journey feels better after they lose weight. Most of us didn't want to move because extra pounds made us tired and depressed. I suggest ideas feed the shocking rise in obesity, obesity related health issues and gastric bypass surgeries.  I think Dr. Now of "My 600-lb Life" would like a word with HAES. Ask patients on "My 600-lb Life" how happy they aren't being so big.

Maybe you're thinking, oh but really, HAES isn't talking about being THAT overweight and healthy?? But I think they are. If there's no such thing as unhealthy weight, why not 400-600 pounds? As long as we don't mention health risks, they don't exist, right? As long as people are happy overeating and not moving, it's okay (and they are perfectly happy overeating and not moving, watch any episode of "My 600-lb Life"). What they are not happy about is the early death looming. Because you can be as body positive as you want, you can't magic away diabetes, heart failure, blood clots, lymphedema, sepsis and the other buffet of killers associated with obesity. 

 

Body shaming, modesty policing and "inappropriate" dress: what's REALLY behind it?

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to modesty police. Every day, my home page features a woman saying she's been body shamed for "inappropriate work attire" and asking if her outfit is appropriate. Often, a large number will chime in faulting the clothing as immodest, NSFW or worse, especially when the woman is curvy. When we start down the path of criticizing others, it's a short, slippery slope to shaming. 

What's behind this obsession with body-shaming? Why do we feel entitled to comment and judge another's clothing choice? Well, the superficial answer is, that she did ask. But what prompted her to ask is, that supposedly her style choice was commented on in real life. I say supposedly because I sometimes wonder how often it really happens and how often it's an opportunity to show off. 

Now that sounds like shaming in itself. But it's not. We're a world, obsessed with looks and bodies, AKA, the superficial. We've rewarded people, particularly women, for flaunting themselves. We've told them that looks only matter. We've turned many people, again, particularly women, to pathological, unquenchable attention-seeking. 

Are many of the women who post images of themselves, what social media calls "pick me?" "Pick me" is another term for exhibitionist, someone so desperate for attention that s/he will attempt to one-up others of the same gender, usually in objectifying ways. So the answer is, yes. Often the original poster does come across as "pick me." 

But that doesn't answer why so many people negatively comment or "modesty police" the outfit in question. Some seem to get a thrill out of body shaming. They aren't objective or helpful and are insulting, almost slanderous. And it seems to be to be getting worse thanks to social media. 

We don't know anything about the commenters themselves. They hide behind anonymity and say things in much more exaggerated ways than they would if they would in real life. They feign this brash courageous outspoken, "telling it like it is" when if they were face to face would never say such outlandish things. We also don't know how they personally look or dress or if they might also be questioned on modesty. 

Unfortunately, the loudest are usually the most vulnerable. People in glass houses are often the first to cast stones. The most outspokenly critical, like the Duggar family, usually have the most skeletons. I have made it a stern policy to avoid casting stones. For one thing, I'm not perfect. I know that judging others opens me to judgement. Mostly, because stones hurt. 

So why is shaming such a national pastime? Folks like the Duggar family have a reality TV show based on criticizing others. I suggest the reason stems from hypocrisy, fear and schadenfreude. Hypocrisy tells people like the Duggar family, and social media body-shamers that they are ubermensch, above the rules, and that it's their job to blame and shame others to get them on their definition of righteousness. 

They also fear exposure of their own foibles, immodesty and inappropriate behavior. And schadenfreude is the love of seeing someone made to look foolish, to distract attention from their own foolish behavior. Of which modesty policing is an example. Because the truth is that no one can really define what is and isn't appropriate in the wide world of clothing. And it isn't even about clothing but a need to see someone else feel uncomfortable.  

Reactions to Missy Elliott's weight loss highlight dilemma: to praise or not to

Rapper Missy Elliot showed stunning weight loss recently and the crowd went wild...mostly. A few comments expressed concern about how we praise weight loss as if it makes us somehow better than we were before losing weight.  Reactions to Missy Elliott, pounds lighter, highlight a dilemma most of us experience when we lose weight or notice that someone has lost weight. I call it the "to praise or not" proposition or "what are we praising, exactly?" 

I lost 100 pounds about nine years ago (without gastric bypass) and my weight  loss has been called "jaw-dropping" and "stunning" I've been called "unrecognizable" to my prior self. Anyone who has lost weight can probably attest to similar comments. And while this feels really good, it does set off little voices in your head that don't. Maybe I'm alone in this but it made me wonder, when I was obese, was I really that shockingly overweight? Did I look that bad? Was I unacceptable and now I am?

Don't get me wrong. I felt superb after weight loss. I was proud of  myself. I knew I looked very different before and after I lost 100 pounds. And I wasn't at all offended by these comments. They were meant in the kindest of ways. And I was in denial about how far into obesity I had gone. However, it begs the question, that some Missy Elliott fans have asked. Was I a better person? Was I ugly and now not? I think the answer is obviously, No. 

Although even that has a caveat. I did feel ugly when I was very overweight. I did not hold myself with confidence and was camera awkward. I felt out of control and honestly a little foolish that I'd let myself get so obese. So how much of this low self esteem is historic for me? Quite a lot. I've struggled with a little anorexia type thinking all my life. When I weighed 109 in college I still felt overweight and fat. 

Were people saying that, though? You were ugly and now you're not. Well, sure there will always be the judgy fat-shaming folks, let's face it. When I wrote for Yahoo! before I lost 100 pounds, some commenters would insult me not for the content but for being overweight. Which of course had nothing to with anything and was ignorant. But armchair critics will do that...hide behind their little avatars and mock. 

I don't believe that the people who praised my weight loss were saying anything negative about me when I was overweight. They were recognizing and praising the hard work I'd put into calorie restricting, practicing, portion control etc. Some friends were actually reluctant to say anything because they were afraid I'd take it wrong. But anyone who's ever lost weight by choice, will tell you, praise away!! We need all the affirmation we can get. 

Just make sure to verify if they meant to lose weight. During our first bout of Covid 19, my husband lost 17 pounds in a week. He did NOT want to. Several friends commented that they wished they could lose weight. No you don't, we said. Covid 19 or other illness related weight loss is  not to be envied. Covid 19 is starvation weight loss and really scary. Then there was Mariah Carey's famous cringe-worthy comment about wishing she could lose weight like the "kids in Africa." Ouch. 

So if you do compliment someone one weight loss, do it with tact. Make sure it doesn't come across as "way to go! You look human now!" The key is to make it about them, not you. 

Covid 2.0: A bit more coherent, less ranty discussion

 Hello friends, a few days ago I posted a pretty raw rant about my husband getting Covid 19 again despite being vaxxed and taking every precaution. And I want to set the record straight because I fear I may not have been clear. (You tend not to be when you are scared for someone you love). So first off, yes, I got Covid (Omicron) too, no surprise. I was expecting to. And second, I was not faulting the Covid 19 vaccine for us getting it again. I get how this works: the vaccine doesn't prevent you getting Covid 19. It just helps prevent you dying from it. 

It doesn't prevent others near you getting it because for one thing Omicron is more contagious though typically less dangerous. What prevents the spread is a larger population getting vaccinated AND following protocol of distancing, wearing masks, quarantining, etc. Which was the gist of my rant a few days ago. Covid deniers and pooh-pooh-ers won't do either, mask up or get vaccinated. And that angers more for myself and mostly for others. 

It sounds so pious to prat "faith over fear" until you've had Covid or Omicron variant. When you are coughing yourself raw, so hard that you can't catch a breath, coughing so hard you gag and vomit and wet yourself, you aren't thinking much about faith or fear. You are just trying to keep oxygenated and not choke to death on your own phlegm. And don't get me started on the headaches, body aches, dehydration delirium and (worst of all) long haul Covid brain fog. Which I had not yet recovered from (if I ever will) after Covid round one 20 months ago. 

So far, Omicron seems shorter and in some ways less severe. We didn't get the revolving door fever --102 at night, breaks in the morning, spikes again at night, lather, rinse repeat for 14 solid days. We didn't get dehydrated (with crippling headaches, delirium, orange poop, brown pee) but because we were prepared with Body Armor. We haven't had any appetite so weight loss is a real probability which for me won't be a big deal but for Albert, who lost 17 pounds in a week and doesn't have a lot to spare, is. And really this kind of weight loss is good for no one. 

I'm sorry to be so graphic. Or am I? Sometimes blunt is the only way to wake people up. It's time to stop stop talking in cutesy, meaningless sound bytes, time to quit turning a blind eye, and downplaying Covid's seriousness. Time to quit flinging fairy dust in people's eye's to distract them from the real issues. To quit making up falsehoods (lying), quit faulting the "liberal media" or Joe Biden. It is time to begin taking seriously our own part in the spread of this life-altering and sometimes life-ending disease.

Covid 2, Husband 0

 And we're in quarantine again because husband came down with Covid again. And I wanna know how????God love the man, he sanitizes (and has since Covid Day One) his belt and wallet!! He wore his mask religiously, got vaccinated, donned a crap ton of extra protective equipment at work. WENT to work because they were deemed essential. That's not as cools as it sounds.  Cuz turns out, work was where he got Covid (prior to vaccines) which he shared with me.

He never bitched once about "his rights" to make a fool of himself whining about closed restaurants. He never pissed and moaned about employer mandated vaccines. He always looked out for everyone wearing his mask. He social distanced. Unlike the 8 VACCINE-REFUSING UNMASKED FAMILY MEMBERS at church, laughing and talking and lining up for confession DURING A PANDEMIC!! And other "good Christian" homeschool families who proudly flaunted themselves in stores with no masks. I gave my friend list a good spring cleaning after that.  

Husband didn't endanger himself or others denying Covid or stupidly pratting "faith over fear." Whatever the that means, I don't know and the espousers sure as hell don't. FAITH is trusting God's will be done, not clicking your ruby slippers together and declaring you won't get Covid because you supposedly love God. If you love God, you do as He says and be a good human. Be concerned about others over your mythological "rights." You don't tell everyone else how to live their lives (which is very unscriptural) and then refuse to do the simplest things to hopefully keep others safe. You don't soil yourself over mandated vaccines. With so much exploitation, oppression, marginalization and tyranny from the right wing party alone, fucking pick a real hill to die on. 

In Covid round one, he did his time and a lot of other people's too. For 14 solid days, he fevered, coughed, got dehydrated, was deathly sick and lost 17 pounds in a week. I was sick too. Like could not breathe coughing sick. They tell you to go to ER if you can't breathe. How do you know which cough is going to be the one that stops you? And how can you call if you can't breathe? And then there's the dehydration delirium which makes you so confused you barely know who you are. 

I don't say this in criticism of CDC protocol. Just stating the crux of the problem that when you are in the throes of illness you can't very well access health services. You don't dare to ask anyone for help in case you infect them. 

High Protein Keto Chicken Salad recipe for Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge

Hiya friends of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass! From No my Junk January weight loss challenge we're keeping up the momentum with Fat Free February. No fat free as in zero or lowfat, but targeted fat burning calorie restricting to lose weight and shed stored fat. Here's a zero sugar high protein keto chicken salad recipe to satisfy cravings, fill you up and beat obesity. 

So you know that wonderful "gourmet chicken salad" that so many grocery store delis make? I adore that stuff. And while it's pretty good for filling me up, it's also loaded with a lot of bad fat, sugar and sodium. That's because, like so many potato or pasta salads, it's slop-forward (AKA too much sauce) and healthy ingredient backward. My recipe features protein and veggie forward and very light on the slop. 

High protein chicken salad

Dice chicken breast seasoned with little olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt and cracked black pepper.  Grill or saute and set aside to cool. 

Halve and slice baby cucumbers and purple grapes. Dice cantaloupe. Slice scallions and chop celery, apple, cilantro, yellow and red pepper. Toss chicken and veggies with cashews, almonds, pecans or mixed nuts and celery seed. You can add chopped cole slaw mix (red shred, cabbage and carrots) if desired. This will give you value added rainbow diet fat burning goodness. 

Blend Dijon mustard, wasabi, avocado mayo and lime juice and lightly coat chicken salad mix. Refrigerate and serve on a bed of lettuce. Eat foods like this high protein zero sugar (or no added sugar, anyway) chicken salad is how I lost 100 pounds. Subscribe for more Fat Free February weight loss tips and fat burning recipes.  

Oh and if you don't have all of these fruits or veggies on hand, don't worry about it! Just do your best. My most recent version didn't have any peppers. But it's still delicious! 

#FatFreeFebruary #HowIlost100pounds

Fat Free February: Zero sugar Keto protein power bread for weight loss

Hi guys! After finishing my No Junk January weight loss challenge, let's keep going with Fat Free February! Not fat free as in zero fat; if the keto diet has taught me anything about weight loss, it's that eating "good fat" MUFA, PUFA and even some saturated fats in meat, avocados and coconut oil, burns stored fat (white adipose tissue). The trick is balancing fiber, protein and fats. So, here's a keto diet recipe for zero added sugar (and no sugar substitutes either) keto protein power bread. 

Part of how I lost 100 pounds, without gastric bypass was to satisfy that craving for sweets with revamped diet versions of favorite recipes. And I looove sweet breads. Not intestines, but literally sweet dessert bread, like banana bread. This keto protein bread combines high fiber metabolism boost, with natural fruit sweeteners, date goodness and nut and seed fat blast. 

Keto protein bread for weight loss

Ingredients:

Two cups almond flour

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup crushed mixed nuts (this is by way of being a leftover use up recipe for stale nuts)

2 T chia seeds

chopped Medjool or other dates

6 T milled flaxseed (sub for eggs)

2 ripe mashed bananas

1 c. homemade sugarfree applesauce (basically just stewed milled apples)

1 c. Greek yogurt

dash of vanilla

Mix first seven dry ingredients and blend last 4 moist ingredients separately, then mixed together. Fold in 1 cup berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries or blackberries). Taste batter and if not salty enough, add a little more salt. Turn into two bread pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or so. I eat this for breakfast. 

Did I mention this zero sugar keto bread is heart healthy, for Valentine's Day? Stay tuned to this blog on how I lost 100 pounds, for more calorie restricting diet recipes. Here's to Fat Free February weight loss! 

Who's up for weight loss and fat burning with Fat Free February?

 Hi guys! Last month I issued a No Junk January weight loss challenge (and was so-so successful lol). Now, if you're like most of the world (raises hand), January New Year's resolutions end about mid month. But just because I fell off the bike occasionally doesn't mean I can't get back on it anytime I want. So how's about we keep up the good work begun in No Junk January with a Fat Free February weight loss challenge? 

So first a disclaimer: not Fat Free February as in cutting out fat (other than transfat). Keto has taught me that calorie restricting with foods rich in MUFA(monounsaturated fatty acids) PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and even some saturated fats (in avocado and coconut oil) actually burns "bad fat." That would be white adipose tissue or stored fat. 

In this Fat Free February weight loss challenge I'm going practice calorie restricting to free myself of excess white adipose tissue (stored fat) and build up BAT (brown adipose tissue) or healthier brown fat. Building brown fat increases metabolism which burns calories which reduces stored fat WHICH ironically is built by eating more fats or fatty acids (MUFAS and PUFAS). It comes full circle. 

Calorie restricting, then, will include keto type eating (I don't do strict keto, just saying, that hasn't worked for me for long term weight loss). I limit added and refined sugar, white foods (rice, potatoes, bread and pasta). My 1200 calorie diet is high fiber, high protein, lots of green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds (specifically seeds like in blueberries, raspberries and blackberries).  

And a Fat Free February is perfect for the cold weather. Being chilly causes the body to burn calories faster and increase metabolism and to stay warm. Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds! 

How I lost 100 pounds in one moment

If you follow this blog on how I lost 100 pounds, you know that I love to write intriguing titles. Today I'm going to share how I lost 100 pounds in one moment. Really. Not that I shed all the weight in 60 seconds with the wave of a wand. But it was kind of magical. What happened was that I experienced a surprise "aha moment" which flipped my entire thought process on it's head and set me off on a path to weight loss. How it happened was, if not easy, pretty simple. 

Backstory: over a period of 8 years or so, a series of unfortunate events had plunged me into morbid obesity. Menopause, the loss of two stillborn babies, depression, anxiety, the antidepressant Paxil had wreaked havoc on my impulse control and pushed me to (what I thought was) comfort eating. Once I started gaining weight, it just snowballed and I went from healthy to overweight to obesity in a scary short time. 

Paxil had a devastating effect on my self-control. It shut off all my limit switches. Paxil made me apathetic and even more depressed. I knew I was waaay overweight but I just didn't care. And worst of all, it seemed I couldn't stop it. I resigned myself to this new me and hated myself even more. But then, my higher power sent me a lifeline (AMDG) in the form of a wakeup call. 

Like Archimedes, the aha moment occurred in the bathtub. If I despised how I looked clothed, it was unbearable unclothed. All I saw was white, bulgy ugly fat. I began to hit my stomach, wishing I could just beat it off. I'd been reading about friends who were able to lose weight and I was so angry with myself that I couldn't. Why not me??

Then, something (Someone) stopped me (higher power). In the midst of this misery, I was blindsided, like St Paul on the road to Damascus, with a lightbulb flashing out "why not you?" Literally, why can't you lose weight? And immediately followed: Zoinks, Scoob!! I CAN!! It's not rocket science! I can practice calorie restricting. I can stop overeating. 

And so I could and so I did. That aha moment of realizing my own power and ability was absolutely revolutionary. Once you find your mojo, your Zen, your Tao, you can do anything. Once you flip the record to the B side, once you quit playing "can't" on autoloop, you discover a whole universe of new affirmations, wisdom and strength. It sounds so simple because it was. Is. It wasn't always easy, but it was easier than I thought it would be. 

Top photo is me in 2013 and bottom side is 2014 after weight loss. If you're interested in more on how I lost 100 pounds (without gastric bypass), stay tuned! 

How I lost 100 pounds using Alanon slogans: Weight loss strategies that work

Hello my friends, so February is upon us but my No Junk January weight loss challenge isn't. I wasn't completely successful but no matter. As Alanon says, progress not perfection. When you fall, just get back on the bike. And Keep on Keeping On. So much wisdom to be had from Alanon. Today I'm thinking about how I lost 100 pounds (without gastric bypass) using these and other Alanon slogans. Because really, alcohol and food addiction aren't that different. 

I've blogged before about how low self esteem led to obesity and confidence to weight loss (and vice versa). Losing weight helped boost confidence. I also write a lot about the gastric bypass reality TV show "My 600 lb Life" because it demonstrates so graphically the links between negativity, low self esteem, depression and obesity. 

Because Alanon slogans are all about positivity, we can use these affirmations to lose weight. Dr. Nowzaradan ("Dr. Now") of "My 600-lb Life" finds that his biggest task with gastric bypass patients, is to convince them that they can lose weight if they want. I realize, looking back that that was a huge part of how I lost 100 pounds. Literally half the battle in overcoming obesity is realizing you can. None of the weight loss strategies will work, calorie restricting, intermittent fasting, even gastric bypass, until you  discover you have the power to overcome. 

That may seem to contradict Alanon's first step which is to accept powerlessness over people, places and things. We must understand that we rely on a higher power for the strength to beat addiction. I found that to lose weight I had to trust the ability that my higher power (whom I choose to call God) placed within me. That has been the experience of the success stories on "My 600-lb Life" as well, that we can't sit back helplessly and wait for someone else to fix us. We have to walk the walk.