Category Archives: Health

A Walk in the Fog

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Good Day!  It’s been a rather enjoyable morning and day here in the neighborhood.

The day started off with a dense layer of fog and the temps were just a little chilly at 58 on the bare arms.  But by late morning the sun was shining and melted both the fog and chill right away.

My chilly hike started here.

Once I start truckin’ the hills, the chill soon wore off.

And I’m on my way thru another successful week of exercise and eating for my health.

I adore my neighbor’s yard.  Especially now that those climbing roses are in full bloom.

My hike ended on a high as I met some more friendly neighbors.  We even stopped for a nice little visit.  I just love mornings like this.

After my hike and shower, I fixed my newly cut hair and took a few pix such that I can remember the day and the cut.

I love this style, it’s so easy to blow dry and go.  I also think it’s going to be a fun summer cut.

Now on to a few afternoon chores as I’m trying to get the home ready for the weekend.  Tomorrow is hubby’s Friday off.

With that I leave into the weekend with a happy heart and so much to be thankful for.

Blessings – Debbie

My Cup is Full

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Good afternoon!  Is your cup full?  Well, mine just reached the overflowing part and I have some to spare.

Although the last couple of months, it hasn’t been this full.  And I’ve notice my glass at the half full mark.  There’s been a lack of things in the cup like fruit and veggies.  And I could tell my system was off.

So I was thinking this week, why not get back to my green monster that I love so much?  It’s packed full of all things good!

Today was just the day to make it happen.

I used Chobani yogurt instead of the Almond milk that I’ve used in the past.  I quite like the creaminess it produced.  It was nice and thick without adding ice.

For this full glass I used:  1 Black Cherry Chobani Yogurt + 5 oz orange + 3 oz fresh spinach = a 235 calorie beverage

I’m learning along the way that our cup doesn’t have to remain at the half full mark.  If there’s something we lack, why not fill the void in a big way?

Cheers to a full cup!

Blessings – Debbie

I've Been Thinking

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I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the ways I’ve been slipping on my health.

While I’m thrilled with the progress, I don’t want all the bad habits that slipped in to take center stage.

A big area was the non-existent water intake.  The slippery slope started this winter when I picked up some Diet Dr Pepper, just for a little treat around the house.  And it ended in full-blown Diet soda consumption All. Day. Long. for the last several months.  Water is a bad word when I get into this habit, shame on me!

So last week, while food shopping, I made a point not to purchase another box of diet soda for myself.  When my soda stash ended was the moment I would quit cold turkey.

That moment occurred yesterday afternoon.  And I celebrated that very last soda with a bowl of 100 calorie butter popcorn.  And just like that, it is out of the house.

It seems I’ve taken a liking to water now that the other stuff is no longer at my dispense.

Note: I have my coffee every single morning and I will have Diet Coke each and every time hubby and I have a date.  Just wanted to clear that up.

Another area I’ve given a lot of thought to is the lack of exercise. It completely fell to the side during the move.  Good excuse, ay?  I know, I tend to get myself worked into a frenzy when I have a lot going on at once.  And things seem to fall off my priority list.  Something I did not intend to let go for so long.

But this is the week it all changed.  Today I got right out there even tho it looked like rain.

I loved the cool 54 degrees with a little breeze.

I was concerned (when we were looking for a place to call home) I wouldn’t be able to replace the paths like our old home had.

But I’m pleasantly pleased that I’m able to achieve all of that and more right here from our doorstep.  Today’s hike took me 3.53 miles with an elevation gain of 1,134′. That = a mountain and makes me happy.

I feel blessed to have this opportunity. Now is the time to turn these new adjustments into daily habits.

Blessings – Debbie

What A Weekend Is Made Of

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Good evening friends!  I can’t express the amount of joy coming from my being, but know it is there.  The reason?  The blog silence has lifted!

I hate it when I get behind, behind on anything.  When things begin to snowball, I’m left feeling a bit overwhelmed.  And I don’t know why that is and doubt I ever will.  Just know I’m happy to be back!

  • We made progress in the house.
  • I caught up on the blog – 2 months worth of information crammed into approximately 6 posts.
  • We enjoyed the most amazing BBQ brisket ever.  Love those kind of dates with hubby.
  • We indulged with a little sweet serving at Cold Stone, Friday evening.
  • All that and I managed to lose 2.2 pounds this past week!
  • And the icing on the cake – As of this morning, I’m down exactly 50 pounds!
  • Today was relaxing and peaceful around the house.
  • I enjoyed a nice visit with my mom over the phone while sitting out by the pool.  I love that we have such a great connection.  I just wish we didn’t live worlds apart, or so it seems.

Now if I could only attach another day or so to this weekend.  Then again, I’m thankful and blessed for the weekend we were given.

Blessings – Debbie

Our World Revolves Around Home

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Whether near or far from home, there is one thing for certain, there is no other place on earth as comforting and soothing as home sweet home.  We depend on it to always be there no matter what.

It’s just the place to find that perfect peace and rest.

It’s the place where love abounds.

Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays.

Where we come to grips with ourselves and life.

A place of refuge like none other.

It’s these times during the holidays and seasons of good cheer when our kitchens are a buzz with all sorts of treats.

And the time of year when weight can creep on like a leach.

Last week I spent many hours in the kitchen preparing for our annual Christmas party.  Many hours went into making sweet treats and an assortment of all kinds of food.

And yes, last week I gained more weight than I care to admit.  But I will, because this blog is about truth and honesty and it’s totally freeing to just get it out in the open.

I gained just under 5 pounds last week.  Eekkk

I truly wanted to go into denial and not weigh in, but that was not the way to move forward.

And it felt like the end of the world.  Like I would never get back to where I once was all those (almost) 5 pounds ago.

However, on this journey, I’m learning more about myself than I have in the past.

I’m learning that our bodies are VERY forgiving!  It’s extremely shocking how forgiving our bodies are, if we get right back up and keep on going in the right direction.

I got right back up after the party was over.  All sweet treats and food was sent away with guests, such that there was not a single thing to tempt me.

And don’t you know, those (nearly) 5 pounds melted off in just 3 days!  I’m still in disbelief, but I also know that this is the way our bodies behave when we get right back to eating healthy.  Thank you Jesus!

I’m going to remember this as we go into the Christmas season.  I may (who am I kidding,) I will put on some poundage over Christmas.  There is no way around it.  There will be fudge, peanut brittle, brunch and dinners to attend and I’m all about being on board with the celebrating.

I love this quote “Most people worry about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, when they really should worry about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas”.

That said, Christmas celebration is in order.  And I know when it’s all over, those pounds too shall drop off just as fast if not faster than I put them on.

As I contemplate the New Year, I look forward to finding complete health, a new place to call home, family trips and continued spice in life.

Blessings – Debbie

The Dr is Here

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When this season rolled around, my drinking lots of water rolled out.

  • Drinking water right now doesn’t sound as good as it did during the summer months.
  • I’ve been dipping into hubby’s Diet Mt Dew the last couple of weeks and thinking about my old friend Diet Dr Pepper.

So apparently I talked myself right into purchasing these guys a day or so ago.  The Dr made it to the shopping list and into the shopping cart today.

I’m thinking this could turn into a slippery slope.

They were brought into the house in quite a large quantity.  The reason = they were on sale.

I’m sure in the days to come, I’ll come up with a really good reason to drink lots of water again.  Until then, I’m going to ration these guys and enjoy the Christmas Season.

On a really bright note – I’ve continued to make healthy living a top priority.  I’m down another 2 pounds this week and I’m amazed to see these unusual results.  Being down 2 dress sizes and celebrating how great I feel is pretty exciting.

The thing I continue to remind myself when I want to splurge on sweet things is this fact.  Eating healthy is not a piece of cake.  The End

Blessings – Debbie

A Walk in the Park

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It’s one of those beautiful cool autumn days.  A little too cool for my thin blood to get out for my walk first thing.  So I hung out doing laundry and a few things around the house until it hit about 64 degrees.  That’s the time (9:30am) I hit the beaten path.

The combination of sunshine (vitamin D) and the crisp air, made the perfect blend for a hike.

This tree loaded with buds and blossoms made my heart sing.

I ended my membership at the gym and can’t imagine going back.  I get free day pass offers, but this is the place I’d rather be.

Many days I take on new paths.

Remember Forest Gump and how he took off walking?  That is exactly what I felt like doing today.  I struggled with the thought of going back inside.

Note:  Boo at me for not having my camera.  All pictures were taken with my cell phone.

Another mile was added to my route.  And stops to enjoy the view were necessary.

Words can’t express how great it was to breathe in the cool fresh air.  Nor can I describe the joy this peaceful setting brings.

Losing weight is a beautiful walk in the park.  Cheers to the weekend, good health and walking!

Blessings – Debbie

The Journey

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We’ve heard a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.  There are days on this weight loss journey where the view seems to stay the same.  And no matter how hard I work the number just doesn’t budge or it even goes up.  It’s those type mornings I grow thick skin, suck it up and accept that our bodies vary and the downward cycle will come.  I say that especially for those of us who weigh every day.

This morning was one of those major rewarding type of mornings.  I had a really happy meeting with “The” Digital Scale.  It was extra loving and it totally made me feel special.  It’s a crazy good feeling when the numbers are honest and the hard work finally shows thru.  It’s mornings like this when my skin gets a little thicker knowing I won’t see a result like this for a while.  All the more reason to work hard and eat healthy.  Good results will continue to come.

My days are taking much better shape now that I have my hiking game on.  Exercise has become much less of a struggle getting out the door.  I’m driven and I feel stronger than I did weeks ago.

The journey begins when I walk thru the door…

The path less traveled proved to be quite enjoyable.

Oats and walnuts were the perfect hearty boost after the hike.

My healthy journey started back in June, but it’s taken this long to finally feel equipped with all the tools I need to settle into this life commitment of good health.  It’s been a great one day at a time experience and no doubt I still have lots to learn.  In the meantime, I’m gonna keep on truckin’!

Blessings – Debbie

I Believe In Me

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I enjoyed a wonderful lunch date with hubby (yesterday) – As we were talking about health as a whole…I said “The key to success is believing in me”.

Climbing that mountain just over a week ago did something to me. My attitude has drastically changed towards exercise.

I feel empowered with an “I can” attitude. I will climb that mountain again ~ I believe in me.

I don’t want to forget this moment, it’s pretty amazing.

Blessings – Debbie

New Is In ~ Old is Out

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It’s a big surprise to me that I’m a fan of Greek Yogurt.  Having tried it (plain) years ago, I knew we would never jive.

That is, until the Dietician encouraged me to give this guy a try.  So far, I’ve tried the pineapple, peach and raspberry.  I have no favorites, they’re all so good.

We’re getting along quite well.

Fiber One on top provides nice crunch.

 I can see a future for us!  It’s that good.

Continued from the other day regarding my coffee cream delemma…I can’t get away from the fact that the cream I love has trans fat in it.  It messed with my head and I haven’t been able to drink coffee since.

While food shopping this week, I stood in front of the cream selection for quite a while and nothing looked as good as my best friend (Creme Brulee Coffee Mate) there on the shelf.  Right then and there I talked myself out of drinking coffee.  I even poured the bottle (in my fridge) down the drain.  And just like that, I’m not a coffee drinker.

Honestly, I think I’m mourning my old cream, the aroma of coffee first thing in the morning, the feel of that nice warm cup in my hands, the sheer goodness of the coffee paired with my favorite cream.  It’s a sad day.  This too shall pass…

Perhaps I’ll find something in the future, but for now, I need to just let it go.

Blessings – Debbie

A Visit With The Dietician

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Much has been running thru my mind the last few months as I seek a life long healthy approach.  Answers came in form of what I’ve always heard and sought out via internet, magazines and books.

But I needed more, something concrete such that I can hold the tools properly without second guessing what I’m doing right/wrong.

My questions ranged from food combining to eating for your blood type.  And searching for something reasonable.  I’ve done the Weight Watcher program in the past, love their program and would highly advise anyone struggling to go for it.  However, for me for now, I’m ready to go dig a bit more into health, eager to shine the spotlight on things that need to be addressed.

For the last couple of months, I’ve stuck to:

  • 1,000 – 1,200 calories per day
  • I don’t eat until I first take inventory of what is going in.
  • Weigh myself each day and plug the numbers into a graph
  • Measure all servings with either the kitchen scale/measuring cups/spoons
  • At least 8 glasses of water a day – No diet soda (except when we dine out)
  • No sweets – except for special occasions and vacation
  • At least 5 + servings of fruit and veggies a day

It all sounded good, I was doing great and the plan was working.

I was finally to the place that I wanted more and that’s when I found myself face to face with a Registered Dietician, yesterday afternoon.  After viewing my history and the plan, the RD put a spotlight on two areas that hurt.

The first area was the amount of sodium I was taking in.  My daily recommended amount of sodium is between 2,000-2500 mg a day.  The love I have for canned green beans squashed my daily recommended amount on the beans alone.  I’ll eat the whole 3.5 serving for lunch with tuna and then again for dinner with another protein = 2,380 mg of sodium.  That hurt, really big.  But I have the tools I need to get my veggies in each day, minus all that sodium.  I love my veggies, bring on the fresh produce.  I’ve got the perfect pot to steam them or I will enjoy them raw.

The next area was the hardest thing I have to swallow.  It was learning my favorite coffee cream has trans fat in it.  What makes it worse is the bottle flat-out says on the front all nice big and bold 0 g Trans Fat.  The sad part, the fat is number 3 on the list of ingredients.  We all know what that means.  I learned companies can make serving sizes smaller such that they can wiggle out of saying it on the package.  I’m sure all of you knew this already, where have I been?  Partially Hydrogenated Oil in the ingredient list = Trans Fat.  The nerve!

I’m not dumping out my newly opened huge bottle of creamer.  So I have a little while to look for the cream she recommended.  Or a while to determine if my coffee drinking days are over.  It’s all good whatever happens.  If you’re reading this and have a cream to suggest, I’m all ears!  FYI – My love is the Coffee Mate Creme Brulee,  it will be bitter-sweet saying farewell after all these years.

Since I have records of everything I eat and how much I eat a day, we were able to pretty much dissect everything.  I’d say between the sodium and cream, I wasn’t doing too bad.  And she actually suggested we have that bar of chocolate once a month or so.  In no way did she suggest we deprive ourselves totally.

Here’s my brand spanking new daily plan:

    • Calories:  1,000 – 1,200
    • Carbs:  at least 120 g
    • Protein:  at least 65 g – 80 g
    • Fat:  45 g ~ Max
    • Sodium: 2,000 – 2,500 mg

Note:  2 servings of 4 – 5 oz of protein + 2 – 3 servings of low-fat/non fat dairy per day

We touched on breakfast ideas.  She is in favor of the oats fruit and walnuts that I love so much.

It doesn’t get better than this.

We touched on the healthy snacks I was already eating, she encouraged me to work in a little more protein with my daily snacks.

Lunch and dinner were planned:  4 – 5 oz protein + 1/2 cup cooked grain or 1/2 cup starchy veggie + 1 – 2 cups steamed/raw veggies.

Multivitamins (one – per – day complete) + Fish oil supplement (1,200 mg DHA/EPA per day)

Exercise was discussed.  She encouraged at least 15 min per day x 7 days a week.  Totally doable!

And finally, a healthy weight was touched on.  Her happy weight for me left my bottom jaw on the floor.  It was more than I expect from myself, as in I think I should weigh way less than her ideal weight for me.  When she asked if I could live with that weight, I replied.  “I’ll be happy with it as long as I’m healthy”.  Once I get there she’ll work with me to keep it even for a while.  She’ll be willing to guide me at that time if I wish to lose more.

The quote (below) is one that hit me several months ago.

The patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life.  Don’t take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.  ~ Quentin Regestein

The older I get, the more I want to hang out with good health.

Blessings – Debbie

This and That

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My wings are broken; at least that’s how I described my sore arms to hubby this morning. It’s a good sore, but I listened to my body and made the decision not to work out this morning. I’ll be back at it tomorrow and hopefully break those wings a little more.

Back to yesterday afternoon. I was thrilled with my crock-pot find. I hit a nice sale and got this little gem 50% off at Penny’s.

I also picked up this samsonite spinner luggage 50% off.

This wraps up the rest of my Christmas from hubby. I was in need of a new set of luggage as the wheel recently broke on my old lap top bag.

I put off looking for luggage as it was not on the top of my priority list and I didn’t want to pay full price. However, when I looked over from where I was securing a deal on my crock-pot, the big luggage sale was in plain view just steps away. With a deal like that, I couldn’t pass it up.

I was so excited to pick out a new set as I wanted something other than black. This deep burgundy color jumped out at me and didn’t take me long to make a decision.

I’m happy and hubby is delighted that I found just what I wanted. Now I’m all set and ready for our next trip…

This afternoon was filled with friendship. Beth came my way and the goal was to relax and enjoy ourselves. So we had a lunch date. Oops, no pictures. So I’ll tell you what I had. I had white rice with spicy chicken and black beans. Oh so yummy!

Then we had a pedicure together.

I picked the same color as Beth. It’s kind of a purpley, brownish (I’d say more purple than brown) color. We love it! I had them add the flowers to my big toes. It’s hard to get a good picture in the lighting, but this gives an idea.

We came over to my place after our little outing but our time together just didn’t seem long enough. We decided right then and there that next time has to be a full day.

I’m blessed with friendships, but thrilled beyond words to have Beth here in my life.

Cheers to Friendship!

New Beginnings

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It was all about new beginning at the gym and pushing to reach for those intense moments.

I arrived before LeeAnn so I got right to work on the treadmill. I wanted to revisit that 15 incline. This is the stats just before I turned off the machine as LeeAnn was there to get started on the weights.

Wow, she gave me a workout! I think the hardest part for me was when she suggested I do some pushups. “Pushups, sure” I said…”I’m willing to do what you suggest”. I did give her 4 really good ones, but the last two bordered on cheating. I’ll be adding those to the weight portion of the workout 3 times a week. It will be interesting to see how things progress.

I spent about 45 min with her, mind you it was not a full solid 45 min as she explained each weight and the proper way to use them. So that did factor in some time. However, I was definitely sweating through the weight portion. Good stuff!

After the weights, I moved over to the Fit Stride Total Body Trainer and pumped out 20 more min. Then I called it a day at the gym.

Post workout fuel – A big bowl of my favorite oatmeal with a med (very ripe) banana. The riper the better, especially in the oats.

I’ve got a little list of things I would like to pick up today, one being a crock-pot. I’ve got a coupon for Macy’s and perhaps I’ll check out some other places before I make the purchase. Hubby is in the mood for stew and the crock-pot back in NY is not doing us any good here in CA. I’ll have some stew on soon, my love.

Cheers to New Beginnings!

Extra Cheerful Friday

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I love this day, it’s the kind of Friday that makes me extra cheerful. I had hubby all to myself as it was his Friday off and these three day weekends with him are extra special.

Since we had several errands (Bank, UPS, PO, Radio Shack and hair cuts) on our list, we decided to hold off on breakfast and have a lunch date together.

Pei Wei was just the place that sounded great to both of us.


He wanted to pose for a picture there at the window/pass. That piping hot steam looks so cool in front of his black shirt.


Lunch was a mix of the Pei Wei spicy chicken (330 Calories) and white rice (200 Calories).


The chicken was so good, per usual.

All that was left was this potion of rice.


I opened my fortune cookie just to see what was inside. I normally eat them, but today I wasn’t in the mood.


Hmmmm, I already had plans before I opened this cookie. Let’s just say we’re going somewhere tomorrow that I’ve never been. I’m happy the opportunity knocked before I opened that cookie.

This picture hung to the side of where we were sitting. I thought he was the cutest little fella.


A recent goal is to take pictures of everything I eat when we dine out. I want to be conscious of my choices and feel it helps to be accountable on the blog.

The evening hours are upon us and we’re getting all settled in for the night. It’s been a cheerful day and looking forward to an exciting day tomorrow.

P.S. No exercise today, was busying playing with hubby. I kinda like that excuse. But I have plans to hit the gym before the end of the weekend to get that 5th day worked in. Just keeping it real.

Determination is the Key

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So I didn’t get to follow through with my challenge (from yesterday) as planned, but that didn’t get in the way of my determination.

The treadmills were already in use when I arrived so my fried AKA the Fit Stride Total Body Trainer and I got busy. Hi Regis and Kelly and Tom Brokaw.


I was able to bump up the difficulty again today and got my heart rate up to 145 and during the hills it was in the high 150’s. The duration on this machine was 40 min.

Since the treadmills were in use at the time I went to plan B and decided to try the weights. In case you can’t tell, I’m already looking forward to my Monday session with LeeAnn. I thought it would be fun to get ahead start. I did anywhere from 1 to 3 sets per machine.


I worked with the weights for about 15 minutes and got a feel for approximately the right amount of weight for each machine. The goal today was to ease into the weights. Especially since I don’t know what I’m doing with them right now.

Then I wrapped up the last five minutes on the Summit Trainer.


That is one mean machine and I plan to have another round on that next week.

My goal is to continue to challenge myself daily by taking the right steps to good health.

“Where the determination is, the way can be found.” George S. Clason