Shawn's journey

[ShawnP]

Well where do i start? I love to cook and bake when I have time. I am an extreme couponer so I am always stocking up on something that most likely isn't always good for me. With the price of food these days, its hard to feed an army of guys. So you have to do what you have to do. Its pricey to buy all  fresh meats, vegetables and fruits all the time.  I can't say I am in love with food. I just eat to get by. When i used to smoke, i smoked and hardly ate which helped me to maintain my weight even though i wasn't at a healthy weight, still am not either. I used to eat once a day and my mom would always scold me and tell me that i need to eat 3x a day that i am putting my body into starvation mode. I know thats not how i got this way in my teenage years but it might be the scenario dating back 20 yrs ago to present. I have tried quite a few diets but never stuck with them cause i get discouraged when i hit plateaus.  I have done everything from Adkins, mayo and WW.  I had put on about 30 lb after i quit smoking and also after i tried my moms diet from her dr. Not sure what happened but i went the opposite way of what i was supposed to go immediately when i started hers. I know i am close to mid 40's now and going through some changes. I was able to lose that 30 when i had one day decided to order a fitbit zip and start tracking my food. I feel naked when i dont have my zip. Its on me 24/7. I really love it cause i have become more energetic with it. I dont really have an exercise plan besides walking.  When the weather warms up, i will get to the parks daily. I also get my steps in at work too. I do cleaning so i am always all over the place 🙂 Although the weight isnt coming off as it used to,  i think its cause my body has adapted to my night routine. I just started a new diet today from the book "the miracle metabolism" by Diane Kress. So day 1 is almost over and 2 more to go. You have to go through a withdrawal period of 3 days. Sound familiar to when we stopped smoking? So bear with me if i get cranky LOL. I will update you along the way. My journal, hmmm

[ShawnP]

  I was going to comment  to Johns LR but realize i needed to put it here instead as it pertains to me and that i can reference it if need be. Today or tomorrow is my weigh out for my bet. I stepped on the scale and it was  3lb above where they say i should be. You have to lose approximately 8 a month. Other times, i was discouraged and beat myself to death that i failed but for the first time i am ok with it all. I am not looking at this as a diet. i am really trying to change period. I am finally seeing it from a different perspective. Its the ah ha moment. When we put that label "diet", there is an end somewhere and we anticipate that day that we can eat " normal " again. Have our sweets but we dont realize, thats how we programmed our minds with this addiction. Just like smoking, its mental. 

  I know a couple days this week, i had saltier food. I know this is a water retention and i wasn't getting in my 64 oz of water as well. Makes a HUGE difference!!!!! I can't stress this enough but, it is what it is and i am good 🙂 I will see it come off one of these days. Last week i read something on fat that i never knew. It changed my thought pattern too. I am going to try to remember and find that article again that i can post here. It really did help.

  @ Bonnie, I am going to try that recipe that you gave. Sounds delicious. In the past, I would already put the yuck word to it and never try. We ate what mom cooked and that was that. i had already  put it down before i had the opportunity to try. This time i am going to look at it different as a new experience and see how it goes. Today i am making yellow squash casserole with my pot roast. I will report back with my new experience hehe. Have a great day!!! 

[John10forteen]

I do count my blessings because I like everything, Which allows for some great adventures which is good because I have to eat every day. (Why not explore?)

TIP: When trying new foods. Try it  cooked all ways before striking it off your list.

Boiled, Baked, Mashed, Saute'd, Pan fried, Deep Fried, Broiled and Grilled and with different ingredients and seasonings. To miss out because you had something one way and it was bad is not fair to you. I love hearing you are trying different things and ideas. THAT'S AWESOME!

[bonnie-12-28-14]

Wow it really sounds like we are all doing the right thing here.  This truly is a lifetime change.  Somehow John I think the Deep Fried needs to be gone from our menu:).

Yeah Friday.  Just taking a few minutes at lunch. 

[ShawnP]

I had my dinner today and i have to say that squash casserole was good!  Another vegetable i can add to my list. Going to post the recipe in the other discussion.

[djmurray]

Hey, Shawn -- I'm doing exactly the same thing with trying not to think of this as a diet, but rather a lifestyle change.  I have learned so much about nutrition and eating healthy that I didn't know before, and I don't see how I could go back to eating those high calorie - highly processed foods.  I am eating lots of fruits and vegetables and fortunately I REALLY like all fruits and most vegetables (raw).   I am not a cook, but I've been trying a little harder lately. 

We're all doing this the best we can, and yay for us for doing it!

[ShawnP]

@ Donna...thats fabulous! i learned to cook watching all those tv shows, youtube has so much on there now too. Something i didnt have back then lol. I learned from the cookbooks. I collected so many of them. Its crazy.i hardly use them anymore cause its easier to just google what u want now. We only learn from educating ourself and trying 🙂 It gets better. hmmm i sound like i am giving out advice for smoking haha

I still cant find the exact article i read on fats but this one is the closest.

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

So what do we learn from this? we cant base anything on the scale necessarily. Its how we feel. We know when we werent obedient and it will show. Measuring tape is probably the best tool. Its so easy to get depressed when that scale doesn't read what you want it to. I always placed the scale at the top of list and i know this has been my downfall, self destruction. On to my next thought.

Need some input on this one...i want to make coconut chicken today with a bean sprout recipe i found. (trying another new veggie) here is the recipe

https://kidsinthesink.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/coconut-chicken/

I can't have cornstarch and sugar....need to convert it into low carb. i know the cornstarch plays a role in thickening this up, so i have to keep that in mind. I dont want to lose the flavor either. i was thinking about dipping them in parmesan, but since that is slightly tarter, omit the cider vinegar? i read also sour cream or whipping cream can be a thickening agent. U think i should add some of that to the recipe? I have packets of stevia and will use the converter to replace sugar. I really want this to work. Any input would be great.

[John10forteen]

Maybe dipping the chicken in rice flour or coconut flour for frying and after the oven work is done and if the sauce did not thicken, how about some powdered geletan to thicken it prior to serving.

[ShawnP]

I did find the coconut flour today. I used part that and part parmesan. I adjusted the stevia pkts. All came out good but i still need to tweak it to perfect. I might try the gelatin or xanthan gum. The sauce didnt thickin up like it was supposed to. Something that i was expecting since i wasnt using the cornstarch. i made the bean sprout recipe but didnt care much for it. I like bean sprouts so i am just going to hunt down something else to try instead.

[John10forteen]

That sounds good. When substituting things, it's hard to get the exact results of the original but "Getting Close" is great, especially when it allows us to enjoy a wonderful recipe while removing what does us harm. GOOD JOB.

HAPPY EASTER!

[bonnie-12-28-14]

Happy Easter Shawn.  It looks like you guys got this under control:):).