Thinspiration

My Weight-loss Inspiration

Since I have to change my diet plan, I feel a little lost.  I'm spinning my wheels.  I know I'm going back to lowcarb dieting... in fact, I've already returned to lowcarb ways for the most part.  I've done it before, so I know the ropes: no bread, 'taters or sugar, for starters.   My struggle, as always, is sticking to the plan.

Seeing others who've succeeded in meeting their weight loss goals helps me alot with motivation.  Maybe it will help you, too, whatever your goals may be.  Here's a list of blogs and websites by ladies who met their weight loss goals.  They rock, and they're my Thinspiration:

Roni's Weigh
Roni lost her weight on Weight Watchers.  She stays active and looks fab.  Check her site for lots of helpful information, motivation and recipes.

SherylYvette.com
Sheryl also lost her excess weight on Weight Watchers.  And stays active and looks fab.  If you're interested in photography or the Big Apple, those are more reasons to stop by her blog.  It's chock full of gorgeous photos of New York City.

The Tippy Toe Diet
Cammy lost her extra weight by changing one little habit at a time... for big results!  She's another lady who stays active and looks great.  I should make note of the "stays active" part, that seems to be creeping up alot with these success stories.  Cammy's blog is down-to-earth and interactive. 

Sugar Free Sheila
This isn't a blog, but it's a well-maintained website by Sheila, a veteran low-carber.  She lost weight and has maintained that loss for about 10 years, all via low carb eating.  She shares a great deal of helpful information about low carbing.  If you're interested in low carb dieting, or even just curious, I recommend you stop by her site.

If you're struggling with motivation, check out their stories.  I'm all pepped up now, as soon as I finish this post I'm going to go plan some healthy meals!

Who or what inspires you?

Shrimp And Spinach Soup With Cilantro And Lime

This soup is fat-free, low-carb and my new favorite for Phase Two of the HCG Diet.  If you're on Phase Three or Atkin's, start out by sauteing the garlic in a pat of butter.  Then add the broth and go from there.

Ingredients (one serving):

1 cup broth (I used salt-free chicken broth because I didn't have any veggie broth on-hand)
1 garlic clove
1 lime
100 g frozen shrimp
3 cups spinach, chopped
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Blend
salt and pepper

Crush and chop the garlic clove and saute it in the broth.  Add the shrimp and juice the lime into pan.  Let the shrimp warm up, then add the spinach and seasoning to taste.  Once the shrimp is heated through and the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

I like my flavors bold and bright.  If you don't, you might want to halve the amount of lime juice and cilantro. 

This soup is a snap to make but no one has to know.  Serve it at a family dinner and tell them you spent hours in the kitchen.  For a non-dieting crowd, saute the garlic in butter as a first step, reduce the amount of broth, skip the spinach, and serve over brown rice.  And don't forget to give them some healthy veggies on the side.

Sugar-Free Me

Hello again, peeps.  Hope all my U.S. readers had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend.  I know I did!  We spent Saturday with family who lives on a lake.  There was lots of good company and fun in the sun.

I know I've been MIA for a while.  I have had no energy for what seems like months.  And my weight-loss efforts have been just about nil for several weeks, maybe two or three months.  I've been coming to terms with the fact that while my health is good, for several reasons I am heavily predisposed to developing diabetes.  And with my weight slowly creeping up again and my 39th birthday on the horizon, I knew it was time to make some serious decisions about doing what I can to avoid this disease. 

So after doing some research, talking to my doctor and saying goodbye to white bread and refined sugar, I've gone sugar-free and low-carbohydrate.  I'm 14 days in to this new way of eating, and I'm still alive.  Who knew? 

With the exception of yesterday and today, because I've experienced some challenges while travelling over the holiday weekend and have been very tired because of not sticking to the food-plan... except for the last couple days I have felt great!  I've had no cravings, and so much more energy.  I wake up before my alarm clock goes off and am ready for my day.  I don't have energy highs and lows.  I no longer get sleepy mid-afternoon; I just start getting a little tired in the early evening and become steadily more tired until bedtime. 

I've avoided bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.  I'm eating alot more salad and vegetables.  I've fallen in love with raw zucchini, which is much better than the way I've always had it, cooked.  It has a fresh, delicate flavor and if my stomach is upset, raw zucchini is just the ticket to soothe it... way better than saltines, and I never would have discovered that if I hadn't turned over my new sugar-free, low-carb leaf.

Besides the zucchini, I've found some other good substitutions.  Many low-carb websites recommend using portobella mushroom caps as a base for pizza, so I gave it a try.  I used a very low-sugar pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni and some mozzarella on the olive-oil brushed bella cap, and it was fab!  Not quite the finger food that pizza on a crust is, but I eat my pizza with a fork anyway.  And I've rediscovered the peppery crunch of celery sticks, and the mild sweetness of raw broccoli.  Much better than cooked broccoli!

So that's where I'm at and what I'm doing.  I've lost a few pounds but it's probably just water-weight.  I'm thinking this week I may put my new found energy to work at the gym.  We'll see.

Have a fab week!