Fat - Be - Gone

[ceeboo]

ETA: big hunk of a guy...remember you posted your pic early on in your participation here? I recall what you look like and by the way, you do NOT deserve such a beautiful wife.

I did?

I honestly don't remember ever posting a picture of myself (And yes, I most certainly married up! Still have her convinced I'm the bee's knee's.)

[Jersey Girl]

ETA: big hunk of a guy...remember you posted your pic early on in your participation here? I recall what you look like and by the way, you do NOT deserve such a beautiful wife.

I did?

I honestly don't remember ever posting a picture of myself (And yes, I most certainly married up! Still have her convinced I'm the bee's knee's.)

Yes, as I recall it looked like a restaurant pic. I'll test you out in messages.

[Jersey Girl]

You read all of that?

Yeah, all of it!

No, he didn't go with me but only part way by default. I changed all the recipes I make so he'll eat those but he basically eats crap. He did start eating those dark chocolate almonds this year. He developed type 2 diabetes and he will eat safely for a while then brings home a whole pie and kills it in one night.

The reason I asked the question was because I am wondering (should I actually do this and make these changes) how this will all work if the rest of my family living in the house doesn't want to continue or if they bring home a whole pie (I do all the cooking and I think I would be pretty tempted by a banana cream pie sitting on my freaking counter next to my grilled chicken breast )

So, I guess in your situation you made two different dinners? One for you and one for Mr Jersey?

Ceeboo keep in mind that what I put here, that I'm not a big hunk of a guy like you are. I'm small and mostly lightweight and so my dietary needs are different than yours.

Understood.

Yeah, I make what I make and if he wants it, he takes it. If not, he makes something for himself. So with the pie thing...if it's a pie that I like (I really only like apple and pumpkin pie) I take half a slice. Like I sliver the thing and have some.

My best advice to you is not to go to extremes. Think baby steps. One little change at a time. Trade outs. Example: If you are the main cook, you can change out the oils you use. I use only olive and canola now. Vegetable oil has been eliminated for years. If I need to use butter or margarine, I use regular butter in reduced amounts. I've also tried olive oil butter I think it's called? Anyway, I don't buy margarine any more. In baking you can even trade out oils for apple sauce, things like that.

Everyone is going to have differing advice for you. I think overall, my best advice is baby steps.

Here's another little transition....white bread. We were raised on white bread. So you can go white bread to oat nut bread to whole wheat bread without too much shock. I did that for my husband and he mostly eats those breads exclusively though last month I saw a loaf of white bread on the counter . I didn't touch it. I don't eat bread any more to start with though I do eat crackers. I ate some French Bread two years ago. That's how long it's been, we had guests staying with us so I bought it to go with minestrone. They loved the whole thing, I had a piece of bread with that meal. (See? It's gotten so weird that I can tell you the last time I ate something I normally don't eat).

Another transition and I did this myself---white bread to oat nut bread to crackers.

Pasta---well I tried the whole wheat and veggie pastas and I can't stand them. So I chose to still eat white pasta in smaller portions. I do have a package of lentil pasta in the pantry, I'll report back on that.

I like Italian food, I am sure that it shows.

[Jersey Girl]

I did?

I honestly don't remember ever posting a picture of myself (And yes, I most certainly married up! Still have her convinced I'm the bee's knee's.)

Yes, as I recall it looked like a restaurant pic. I'll test you out in messages.

Just for the record here, I was right about what I saw in the pic.

[ceeboo]

...... though last month I saw a loaf of white bread on the counter . I didn't touch it.

[Jersey Girl]

with regard to to the baking stuff...my next step is trying almond flour in baking. I'm very interested in that. I did experiment with a protein muffin mix earlier this year, I liked it. So I'll try tweaking some of my recipes with almond flour next. Go half/half almond and regular flour and then go completely almond...and just see how that goes.

[Jersey Girl]

...... though last month I saw a loaf of white bread on the counter . I didn't touch it.

I told you, the man eats crap. I ain't lyin'.

[canpakes]

I don't eat bread any more to start with though I do eat crackers. I ate some French Bread two years ago. That's how long it's been …

This is strong advice for Ceebs.

I haven’t given up white bread but it’s almost completely out of my diet. It was such a staple (in the form of Italian bakery goods) when I was younger but it all just looks like unnecessary calories now. I do sometimes miss the days when I’d cut up a whole baguette and Brie for a meal, but that wouldn’t be the brightest idea now. That would take about 7 miles to walk off.

Note for Ceebs: holiday rolls always remain on the menu!

[Jersey Girl]

I don't eat bread any more to start with though I do eat crackers. I ate some French Bread two years ago. That's how long it's been …

This is strong advice for Ceebs.

I haven’t given up white bread but it’s almost completely out of my diet. It was such a staple (in the form of Italian bakery goods) when I was younger but it all just looks like unnecessary calories now. I do sometimes miss the days when I’d cut up a whole baguette and Brie for a meal, but that wouldn’t be the brightest idea now. That would take about 7 miles to walk off.

I think everyone has to choose their own path towards wellness. If the tribe is together I add in all the things to a meal. I just don't eat them myself, except I do sample the whole darn Thanksgiving dinner! I've gotten really good at saying no, thank you and everyone else has gotten good at hearing it. They know it's not because I am rejecting their hospitality. The offspring watched me change my diet over a period of years and they know the mental state their mom was in for two years with the heart thing and they respect my choices because they know I'm at peace. If I am at peace they are at peace, too.

About 3 years ago now, I guess, we were going to a restaurant for JB's birthday--the whole tribe. I looked up the menu online and tried to find the lowest sodium thing on the menu because I thought that was a trigger for me...Famous Dave's BBQ--yeah, good luck with that. Anyway, while we were waiting to order I got so worked up in my head that I had my hand on my purse ready to leave the building to calm down...offspring were sitting across the table and knew I was shrinking inside and about to cut and run. I don't know how I managed to stay there. I went through living hell during that period of time. That Thanksgiving (see I remember this crap) I was making dinner when the tribe all arrived and at one point, I had to leave the house and go walk the driveway on account of the anxiety build up about eating. I didn't realize I was nearing panic attack level during that period of time. Then with the medication withdrawal, I went into full on panic attacks for 8 weeks and looking back, I realized how close I was to that state prior.

Ugh. Don't wish that on anyone.

[Jersey Girl]

CEEBOO!!! I just went into the kitchen, took one look at the dehydrator, and decided I better issue you a word of warning just in case you think that you can't teach and old dog new tricks and to let you know where the whole removal of processed foods and such could take you.

Um...I've gotten to the point where I grow my own organic herbs, currently dried basil and mint. (The deer ate my tomatoes and green peppers or I'd be talking about that, too.) The basil will get crushed for storage and cooking. The mint is going to get crushed and put into (true confessions here) biodegradeable unbleached filter paper tea bags (I'm putting my life on display now) that after each use they will go into the garden, direct composting method, (don't worry it gets worse), I make banana tea out of peels for plant food...and I make my own household cleaners out of natural products.

Yeah so, if you eliminate bread, a few years down the road you might find yourself living your best granola life!

p.s. I'll be drying fruits for snack and decor next. Yes, I decorate with food and then I compost it. (I can't believe I just admitted that.)