DaVinci

                           
It was delivered last week and it is hmmm hmmm good.  These sugar-free flavorings make a cup of coffee or a cup of hot chocolate so much better.  Just ask my sistopher as she had the Cinnamon one in her coffee this morning with a little fat-free cream.  Yesterday, I had the Peppermint Paddy in my hot chocolate....very smooth.  It's like drinking an almost calorie-free dessert.  You will have to try some.  I am going to find a store that sells them.  

NO Wheat.....

the last couple of days.  Had a little sugar....one little gingerbread man....or was it two.  And then there is that one piece of chocolate I must have.  I tried my sugar-free DaVinci peppermint patty in my sugar-free hot chocolate and it was hmmmm good.  I have been actually hungry this weekend which is a change for me.  That is why I am going swimming at 7:00 a.m.today with my sister; I am sure we will be dragging ourselves there. She has been wanting to come and try it out.  She has lost weight, you can tell.  But somehow the thought of getting in a pool in the winter is not appealing especially when it is dark and cold when you start out, but exercise with diet is VERY effective.  Get on it people!  Find something.  Riles wanted me to go to Zumba with her Brownie class ha ha.  That one is not for me.  Whatever it is you can do, do IT!!!  And watch that sugar in the next two weeks, so you don't have to start all over again with the weight loss next month.  I am really talking to myself here....

Old Habits

are hard to break.  I had wheat on Tuesday night in the form of pasta in spaghetti and yesterday I had a grilled cheese sandwich on whole grain bread.  Oh, boy, my stomach suffered yesterday afternoon and last night.  Today, I have a headache.  I think there might be something to this wheat sensitivity thing; so today I stayed "clean." 
I mentioned coconut sugar in my last blog and I googled it and found an article about it on Wikipedia.  If you are interested you might check it out.  The glycemic index of coconut sugar is 35 and is classified as a low glycemic index food.  It is considered healthier than traditional white sugar and brown sugar.  It can be used as a 1:1 sugar substitute for coffee, tea, baking and cooking.  It has a high mineral content and is a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.  It also contains B vitamins: B1,B2,B3 and B6. Compared to brown sugar it  has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc.  It was a very intesting article.  I bought mine at Vitamin world. 

It's even organic!

I Did It!!

Yes, I peeked at my weight again today; back down to my new normal weight of 123.   Anyway, I had to go to the doctor and they weighed me on a digital scale and it was the same....IN BIG BOLD NUMBERS!!
Couldn't miss it.  I have to tell you about a new sweetener I found; it is Organic Coconut Sugar.  It is an unrefined alternative to cane sugar.  1 tsp. has 4 grams of sugar and you use it 1:1 replacement for sugar.  It was great on my oatmeal this morning; good.  It is gluten free and made by MADHAVA.  I also found a sugar-free Chai Tea. It is made by OREGON CHAI.  That was also good.
Good news, my MRI was normal!!!  I am also feeling much better.  What was the pain?  Medication?  Perhaps some intestinal swelling.  The doctor told me to come back in April unless I have problems again.  I really like her; which is saying a lot for me-to LIKE a doctor. 

Don't Do It!!

I just had to weight myself again today...I usually do it on Fridays.  Never do it on a Monday after the weekend.  So I am way up (no pun intended) and can't figure it out at all, except it goes along with my unloverly Mon DAY!! I know, wait (no pun intended again) until Friday.  Everyone always weighs more on Monday.  No more ice cream for me.  I had it 2 nights in a row.  Don and I threw it out; not good for us.  Tonight the chef is cooking up some blueberry pancakes; he is going to BSF and we aren't that hungry.  I will have my gluten-free ones which are quite good.  I will have to snack on carrots later tonight to get some veggies in.  And then weigh in on Friday...no more Mondays!
BTW, bloggers use some of their own language; unloverly being one of them.  I need to make a list of my "blog words."

I Confess......

I had some sugar tonight; slow churned ice cream-pomegranate blueberry-very good.  Okay, but it made me feel yucky afterward.  You know that feeling......just kind of sick and asking yourself  "why did I just eat that?"  It took what 2 minutes?? HA!  2 minutes of pleasure for hours of guilt and yuckiness.  I gotta remember that next time.
I also didn't go swimming this morning because I didn't go today.  I had gone six days in a row; so needed a break; but I had no energy, so I am going tomorrow a.m. before church.  Wonder if I can get the Donald to go with me???

Weight Is Holding.....

between 123 and 124 and has for some time now.  I was down to 122 a week ago; but today I was 123.5.  I am not eating wheat.  I do have some sugar though; pretty hard to stay off it completely.  I eat some wheat-free graham crackers sometimes, a piece of chocolate and I have had some ice cream or frozen banana with a little chocolate sauce on it and I have some wheat-free cereal that has some sugar in it.  
I have stepped up the exercise- this week I walked and swam in the pool 6 days for 40 minutes each time.  I have the gals running a few laps now and boy is that fun.  Norma is always at the lead and no one can catch up to her; which bugs her friend Paulie a great deal.  Boy can those two talk about each other behind their backs. Hmm Hmmm.  I even have Paulie going under water a few times with her super-duper professional goggles.  I enjoy going swimming even more now that I finally know everyone and we move fast while we talk.  Walking against the current is new for me and I am finally able to do it without as much strain as before.  I have gone down 2 sizes now.  Happy about that except my clothes are kind of big.  I feel better and think this is probably a good weight for me.
I really believe that at any age, exercise AND food portions is very important, but especially the older you get.