My Journey to "Back to Healthy"

[bonnie-12-28-14]

Well I'm 53 and I quit smoking on 12/28.  The next week I went out and bought a fitbit to get me moving more so I would keep control of the weight gain.  I am as of this morning 161.  When I started my quit back on 12/28 I was 155.  I am not looking for skinny I have no desire for that at all.  With my walking I have had some issues with my knees and hips and know if I can get down 10 pounds I will be able to move easier.  

I know you might think 10 pounds is easy peasy.  It's not for me.  I have always been able to control my eating at night.  It is just a habit to eat small at dinner and nothing else period.  I brush my teeth and even if I go to bed a little hungry that's OK.  

Even though this has controlled my weight to a certain point I eat a lot during the day and don't have much control over it.  I stress eat and geeze do I have a lot of stress at work.  I have started walking 3 times a day at work and two of the walks are small walks but they do help and distract me.

I really want to cut back slowly I would totally fail if I tried something like you are doing Donna.  I just don't have that much control with food.  Still Matcha tea free but once I get it I will happily report on how it is.  

PS:  did not do any cut back today on food but did get at 5:45PM 8,515 steps so did not get my 10,000.  Once it warms up I can do a little walking in the evening but too cold still.  

[John10forteen]

Oh Dear Bonnie, No Way! This group is intended as a health journey. It is bringing attention to our activity, our habits, and yes, our weight but that is not the star here. YOU ARE the Star here!

I just learned Donna's plan allows her to weigh herself once a week. Well MY plan calls for a weigh in every morning. I log my weight on my page. It inspires me. Different strokes for different folks.

You got us all talking about the fitbit, I'm loving your DVD ideas, You are sharing healthy ideas. I'm happy with myself because I'm starting to pay attention to myself again. I guess our success is not as easy to measure as it is with "not smoking"

I don't think we should measure our progress by a weight standard, but more from our healthy habit developments. ( How we express those I'm not sure but that is my idea on how all this works.) Also, 10 lbs is a high goal to shoot for and maintain anyway, so whatca talking about,. No worries OK?

Reminds me of that tv commercial about a lady posting pictures on her  wall, "No Thats not how any of this works!"

[bonnie-12-28-14]

Just received Matcha tea and I wanted to print this out.  Trying now and to me the tase it not bitter it reminds me of a seaweed taste.  Added some honey and it's good to go,  Will let you know if it adds more energy or not.  I have a long day in town with my niece.  Below is from the site about it.  

But more than simply ground up green tea leaves, matcha is derived from tea leaves grown in the shade so that the leaves achieve a dark green color, which gives matcha its magnificent amino acids. It’s quite a long process to produce matcha but serious tea drinkers rely on matcha to enhance their culinary experiences from comfort food like macaroni & cheese to their happy hour matcha mojito. Now you know the difference between regular old green tea and matcha, let’s talk about why you should be making matcha part of your diet. Benefits of Matcha Green Tea The reason matcha is slowly edging out traditional green tea in terms of health benefits is because those who ingest matcha are consuming the entire leaf rather than brewed water. One glass of matcha green tea is equal to 10 glasses of regular green tea as far as antioxidants and nutrients. In fact, a 2003 study published in the Journal of Chromatography A found matcha has 137 times more of the powerful antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) than other types of green tea. EGCG has been proven effective in the fight against many forms of cancer, HIV, heart disease and a host of other illnesses and diseases. Fat Burning. You’ll see more and more people skipping coffee or black tea for their afternoon pick me up thanks to the study that found matcha green tea has unique thermogenic properties that nearly quadruple fat burning. Imagine burning as much as 40% more calories simply by adding matcha green tea to your diet! Drink a cup before your daily workout and you’ll increase fat burning by 25%. Pick Me Up. Another reason many people are forsaking their daily cup of java? It turns out that matcha green tea provides a significant energy boost while also providing far less caffeine per cup than coffee. You can enjoy up to 6 hours of clean energy without jitters, nausea and the dreaded caffeine crash associated with highly caffeinated beverages. Chill Out. You know that regular green tea is advised to those suffering from anxiety or insomnia, but did you know that matcha was originally used to help Buddhist monks during periods of intense meditation? Matcha contains much more L-Theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and well-being within the brain, than other green or black tea

[John10forteen]

That's great and thanks for posting more information about it. Sounds real good to me! It might not be ... or could be.... a one day wonder, but also may have acuumalative benefits which could make it a great staple for a forever healthy cupboard. Let us know how it goes, but I'm definetly going to try it too.

Thanks Bonnie 

[djmurray]

Hey, Bonnie -- Just strolled into your "living room" and read all the new information.  I may try the Matcha after you've given it a fuller review.  I am learning to drink tea, and I made sure I had Stevia (which is a natural sweetener) and lemon juice because I really like tea with lemon.  I don't know if I'm allowed to have honey on my diet.

You have nothing to be concerned about in terms of being dismissed for "only" having a 10-pound weight loss goal.  We each have our own journey -- you could just as easily dismiss me for buying my "aspirational" dress in a size 12, but I know you won't.  I think part of this process of quitting smoking and getting healthier all around is to be kinder to ourselves.  We're so good at always being kind to others, but we are our own harshest critics.  You are inspiring me in both the weight loss and the smoking quit -- we bring many dimensions to this process and they're all interesting, valid and valued.

[elvan]

That is so true, Donna, I know that I am much kinder to others than I have ever been to myself.  I am much less apt to criticize another person than I am to criticize Ellen. 

[djmurray]

Just wanted to pop into your living room and say Hi, Bonnie.  So sorry you won't be coming to Nashville, but I promise lots of pictures and blogs.

[bonnie-12-28-14]

I'm going to keep using the Matcha tea since I have four ounces but I can honestly say it's nasty!!  It does not disolve good either.  I hope it burns off enough calories to make up for the honey I have to put in it.  

The dreaded Monday time change . Ughhh the older I get the harder it is.  

[John10forteen]

So what's gonna happen when you start getting younger from all this healty stuff? Will ya like it then? Have a good Monday today, smokefree, warm & happy.

Thanks for the headsup about the matcha tea, I think I'm still going to try it, depending on the expense maybe. It will fit well with my juicing regimen

Instead of doing it straight with honey, maybe adding it to yougurt smoothies. The blender action will dissolve it better and the smoothie ingredient wiil disguise the flavor and you still benefit from the tea. Maybe, if you do smoothies.

I just noticed "your discussion" showed up in the left column of "my page" on the main site under friends activity, I didn't know it was going to do that.I like it.

[John10forteen]

PS. you are doing so good not smoking with a smoker in the house. Good Job Bonnie. Have a great day!

[bonnie-12-28-14]

Only have a short time taking a shorter lunch and had a long walk.  OK the scale was at 162 this morning. YIKES!!!   So I guess oreos don't count as dark chocolate?  Ha I know they don't and actually love dark chocolate but I still have to get my eating under control.  Walked longer at lunch and I actually have ate a little less today.  Still not tracking food. 

Seriously though one of my favorite things is double stuff oreos with peanut butter on top.  YUMMMMMM!!!!!

It's 11:53 and have 7,499 steps in already.