A heart full of tears

I haven't written in awhile. So much has happened. This has been a year full of agony for myself along with my family. It began with the family pet chihuahua Mia. We have had Mia for 16 years and she passed away on Dec.22,2008. On Jan.04,2009 my Father passed away and if that wasn't enough on February 10,2009 my eldest Brother Robin passed away. It has been so much for us all to handle. As you can read in my earlier posts, I began my diet just before the loss of my Father. With the recent loss of my Brother my appetite has been out of control. It's not a matter of just wanting to eat, I feel like I have not eaten in months. The Doctor gave us some papers on the things we feel when we are grieving and I am feeling just about everything on the list! I need to get a hold of my emotions and my eating and get back on with my plans.The best thing is that I do not feel guilty for eating. I think this is all part of a healing process. Life is unpredictable and though I may never know why my family and I had to have so much grief in such a short period of time, the one thing I do know is that the loved ones that have passed on would not want me to stop living. They would want me to pick myself up, dry my tears and continue on with my plans. This is what I have to do. I know it will be along time before my heart feels whole again but in the meantime I need to carry on and push forward.

Spa Cucumber Water

I love "Spa Cucumber Water." It is so refreshing! It also improves the look of your skin. I am one of those people who would go an entire day without drinking any water at all but never missing a soda! Making my water more special has made it easier for me to drink. I have a few other water recipes I will soon share with you. This is my favorite.

In a pitcher, mix the water, 1 cucumber sliced not peeled, 3 or more mint sprigs and 1 lemon sliced not peeled. I let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours. If you prepare the water at the last minute, it just won't have a strong flavor. For your first batch I suggest you taste test every so often to see how strong you like it.You can always add more or less of everything. Before serving remove the cucumber slices used to flavor the water. Then stir with a wooden spoon. If you want add some ice cubes fresh cucumber and lemon slice and mint sprigs for garnish. You can also add Splenda. Try it without Splenda first it tastes pure and fresh on it's own. I hope you enjoy this refreshing drink.

How much water to drink in a day to help weight loss.

My Doctor told me that a big help in loosing weight is to drink plenty of water. It helps to flush the fat, toxins, regulate all your bodies functions and shrink your skin. The Doctor told me that everyone who is trying to loose weight should drink half of their bodies weight in ounces of water. For example if you weigh 200 pounds then you should drink 100 ounces of water a day. Needless to say you will be on the toilet a lot! But it is worth it. It really helps a lot. If you can't drink this amount right from the start it's ok just slowly add more water everyday. By the end of the month you should be drinking your full amount.

What a beautiful day/weight loss

What a beautiful day it is today. I must say this is the first day in a long time that I am feeling great! I feel stronger than ever before. I have more energy and I have hope and possibilities going through my mind for tomorrow and the days to come. I don't have a scale in my house. I tried on some pants and they fit much better than before! :) I know this will be a long journey but a journey I am now strong enough to take. I have been discouraged to go to the local fitness center. Tomorrow will be my first day. I am strong enough to go now.

My weight loss journey.

I began my weight loss journey just before my Father passed away. I have to admit that my mind has been on the loss of my Father and not on food or eating. In some way I think maybe my Father is helping me to get through this as he knew how I hated the fact that I gained so much weight. Since his passing I have not been able to eat beef steak or even my normal intake of that ever so wonderful dark bubbly highly addictive soda. I drank soda like I should have drank water and beef and beef steak at least 4 times a week. I am not sure why I can not have these things right now, maybe it is to heavy and the soda too sweet. I have been eating a lot of salads and chicken, fish, veggies, fruit and a ton of water. Thinking back to when this began, I feel like something inside me had just clicked and all of a sudden I was ready to go on this journey.

One of my favorite treats!

Plain Greek yogurt
1 Medium bag mixed frozen berries
2 Tbls. Rose water
1/4 C. Splenda

In a small pot add the frozen fruit, Splenda and rose water. Turn heat on low and let the fruit cook until melted and it becomes a little thick. Taste test depending on your liking you may want to add more or less Splenda and Rose water. Let cool and pour on top of the Greek yogurt and enjoy! This is a great summer treat.