Biscuits Or Cookies...

     It has been a solid month. I should have lost at least 5 to 8 pounds. As I do not have a scale, haha, I have no idea of how I am doing. I do not think I have lost any weight. This is exceedingly harder than I thought it would be. Today I have been craving chocolate chip cookies. I love England, instead of cookies they are called biscuits. Either way I love them and they are sweet, delicious, cheap in price and fattening. I ate .49p worth.
    I am hanging on by a big fat long pasta noodle and sadly the danger is I will eat it! Oh well. Let's see how the next 30 days go.

What does BS really mean???

     The thing about a blog is, when you do skip it, people know you are eating donuts! OK. This is a battle. I am in a full scale war against my fatty self. Ha ha. It seems this eating self is rather stubborn, however, I have chosen to be and live a healthy life. Today, health wins the battle. Water, salads, eating right, fresh apple and even some yogi stretches and walking.
    I am not so sure counting the days is a help, but it does give me a timeline with a practical goal. I still have not lost any weight, BUT I have not gained any. This is the first step. Stop gaining weight, maintain. Then, be persistent, and I will start to go down the scale.
    My initials are BS. Ha ha ha! If/when I succeed, how cool would it be to start a program called, BS4Health. Hope this does not offend anyone. BS is to stand for, Beautiful Soul. Life is full of BS. Lets start a movement and change what that means. People from all walks of life, house these beautiful soul's! BSS!

341 Days Or 8189 Hours To Go...

      341 -365 = 24. Today is the 24th of January. Haha. That means it has been 24 days and I have not lost any weight, however, I have not gained any either. I do look a tad thinner around my ears. So, I need more inspiration and motivation. My husband and I love good art, great movies and music of all genres. It takes hard work, commitment and perseverance to create great art, whatever that art may be or maybe just a bit of luck.
     Likewise, it takes the same type of commitment and work to get back into shape. I have read it all, heard it all and tried it all. Yuck! What is left. A saw a twitter the other day of an artist who tweeted about there walking/exercising. HA! I found motivation in that for some reason. Good grief Charlie Brown, just go for a long intense walk.
    Today I ate 6 jam and custard filled day ole cheap donuts. They where out of this world and I enjoyed every bite. Oh phooey! I had a salad for tea. HA ha. No walk. Today was not such a great day for this wanna be artist. I do have a cold, and the donuts said they could cure me of the sniffles, sadly I believed them and like I said, ate 6 of them. If you don't know me, please do not be concerned, food doesn't really talk. Ha ha. I have a unique sense of humor.
   If it is not raining in the morning, I commit to go for a good hike out. Inspiration helps in that as you struggle, you refuse to give up!

Hee Haw...I Am Here

      Well, I have been skipping blog school for several days. Shame, shame, know your name.
      When I was a little girl I lived with my Memaw and Grandaddy at times. They watched a show called, Hee Haw. There was an old man who would sing a song, it went like this, "Doom, despair and agony on me, ohhhhhh. If it weren't for bad luck I'de have no luck at all. Doom, despair and agony on me." Then he would tell a sad story as part of the song. This is mine. Doom, despair and agony on me, ohhhhh, I went down to the shops and I got some cheese, then I ate it. Ohhhhhh!
      I personally think this is extremely funny. I made it 22 days without eating cheese. For those of you without food or cheese issues this may not seem like such a big deal. However, I am proud I made it that long without cheese.
     Today I ate cheese. I also had a salad. No walk as it snowed and then rained and was really cold and nasty out.
     I think I look thinner around my earlobes, that's something, right?

348 Days To Go...Not Losing But Not Gaining

     Yesterday I had a very nice pasta dish, a recipe from the cookbook my husband gave me. A simple dish of onion and peppers, you just roast in oven and mix in pasta, tasted great, is cheap and filling. I also had some beans. I am putting lemon in my water and that is helping allot, it gives a bit of variety to just plain water.
     Today we will have potatoes and a piece of baked chicken. Plus I am making my favorite carrot salad. First grate carrots, an onion, and an apple. Chop some fresh parsley, mix in bowl with mayonnaise or fresh lemon juice with a splash of olive oil. It is no surprise I prefer the mayonnaise. Anyway, its cheap and healthy.
    Walking. It is cold and raining. Yuck. I confess, I do not want to go for a stroll down the lane in bitter cold rain. No walk today. However, there are other exercises I could partake in, right here in my home. Shhhhh! Let's not discuss that.

350 Days To Go...Ruffage

     Today I ate a banana, water with a slice of lemon and a black coffee. Went for a walk. Ironed. Had a salad with steam potatoes. A great day.
     I have decided my blog is the most boring blog going. Ha ha.

351 Days To Go...Not Giving Up

    Monday was a day of beans and eggs. My husband and I love music, ha ha. We also had family over for a visit, and that was great! Today we went for a nice long walk and then came home and had a salad. It was crisp, light and refreshing. Got some fresh fruit too. Love those sales at the Supermarket!
    Fresh fruit and vegetables make all the difference in the world and I can report that I did very well on an extremely modest budget. It boils down to choices and sales. I was tempted to buy some salad cheese, but resisted. I got a plain Greek yogurt instead. I am halfway through to my goal of NO Cheese for 30 days. It is a good feeling that I didn't give in to the cheese! Cheese is powerful, cheese is almighty, cheese rules! But not today, HA! Those of you that do not know me, I have cheese issues. Anyway, going to rest now, long day.

Sunday Was A Great Day!

      Yesterday my husband and I went to church and had a great time. We really enjoy it. Allot of couples are age and went to lunch with a great couple, getting to know them. I ate baked chicken and veggies. However, I did eat dessert too. Oh, shame on me. We all than took there dog, whom I have fallen in love with and want one, for a walk.

Beans...And More Beans

     Beans are cheap. Beans are high fiber. Beans are fun. Apparently, I am full of beans. I had a bowl of beans for breakfast and beans and rice for dinner. I love beans, however, I had better find some diversity to my menu and soon or I run the risk of overdosing on beans.
    No walk today, my excuse was the rain. Today was a lovely day, we had company and nice company at that. Plus, I have had some most encouraging comments and I really appreciate them! Slow and steady wins the race! Thank you.

354 Days To Go...Crisis Over

      OK. I am not giving up. I am doing this for myself. For my health. After all, it will make me a better person, right? It is a funny thing to just type stuff and put it all out there in cyber-space, but I see no one is really there, are they? Family and friends don't count and the two friends who have commented have really encouraged me. I am enjoying blogging and hope if anyone else is reading the blog, they get my sense of humor. I started the blog in hopes of encouraging people to get on board with me and we could all encourage one another. Anyway, today will be a piece of baked chicken and beans, black coffee, water and raisins for a snack. A walk if it stops raining.

355 Days To Go...Pasta

     Today my husband went for a walk. He had 1 pound in his pocket. He came home with a massive recipe cookbook for, yes, you got it, Pasta. Not the, oh, I am skinny and can eat one bite of pasta cookbook. No, he came home with the, oh, I am Italian fat Mama, manga, manga, manga, cookbook. Manga is Italian for EAT! It is a really cool cookbook and a real bargain from our charity shop for just a pound. It was a nice gift. I have come to the conclusion I am never going to lose weight and frankly feel like giving up.

356 Days To Go...9 Slices Of Toast

        It has been 10 days of monitoring my eating habit, time for an assessment. Much of what I eat has to do with our budget. As people/consumers we tend to want to get the most for our money. Sadly, I am seeing that quantity outweighs quality. You can fill up your buggy with all sorts of junk and stretch that pound pretty far. Now, a choice presents itself to me. Chose fresh veg and fruits, you eat healthy and you eat less. Which leads me to the biggest deception as an American we have been told via advertisements, and that is, "YOU NEED TO EAT MORE!"
      As Americans there is a very sad development in the culture of food portions and I fear here in beautiful England too. Biggie size me please! Who in the world needs to eat a 315g, 770 cal, and 48g fat sandwich (BK Whooper) and they don't stop there, you can get a double or even triple Whooper! Not to mention deep fat fried chips to go with it. WHY!? Money and addiction. Food is the drug of choice for most people, it simply feels good to eat, which I call, "Happy Mouth!" and it is legal. Corporations know this and simply want to turn a profit. So now I have some serious re-education and training to do.
     So now on a more comical note, no I did not eat a whooper today. I ate 9 slices of toast, 2 fried eggs and a tin of mushy pies, oh the shame of it all. Unfortunately bread is cheap .29p per loaf and in my defense, it was low-cal wheat bread, HA! You see, there you have it. The bread was cheap so buy lots of it and freeze it and live off of cheap food. This is what I am going to work on changing this week, plus I need to feel hunger, shame on me for overeating. Don't get me wrong, I am not damning myself to hell, just facing myself. There use to be an ancient cultural understanding for all of this, I believe they referred to it as, Gluttony.

357 Days To Go...I Am Hungry

     Today I ate an egg sandwich, to which I did not poach the egg but fried it, plus two hot dogs with mustard. Later, I had some pumpkin and a baked sweet potato, which where delicious! Finally, I had some beans. A simple account of what I ate today. I am still hungry! Trying to shrink my stomach and decrease portions. Fun.

358 Days To Go...No Worries

     Today is a good day. I am eating less and making better choices. My husband is a huge encouragement and support to me. This morning we read an article. It was about, how when you worry it doesn't add to your life, but it takes away from life. So I am telling myself not to worry. When I catch myself in worry mode, I remind myself about the promises I believe in. That does not mean life is perfect, but simply I chose to trust my God through it All.
     Some people eat when they are sad, some eat when bored or upset. I have discovered I want to eat all the time. If I am happy, I want to celebrate. Celebrate implies food! If bored, why not get a little something to nibble on, and of course if a bit down, the all knowing comfort food to ease away those pesky rainy days.
    Solution. Turn my foodie obsession into something constructive! I love food and whats more, I desire to be a help and teach others how to eat healthy on a humble budget. It can be done, I am learning more and more how to do this, example, a bag of apples for 1.30 over a bag of Doritos for 1.95. Even more so, I would love to cook and feed the world. There is something wonderful about cooking for people and seeing them enjoying a good meal.
    I shared earlier how I quit smoking, but you can't quit food. One does need sustenance to survive and what's more food is culture, tradition, fellowship, family time and on and on. So much of who we are as people revolves around food. It boils down to a daily, even hourly choice. Over and over one must simply choose consistently the right foods to nibble on and the right portions. I am determined to gain the self control to push the plate away after eating the proper amount. No more or no less. No fads here, just right choices. Today is a good day, right choices and no worries.

359 Days to Go...Cheese Withdrawal

     Cheese. This morning I ate a bowl of shredded wheat with a teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 cup soy milk and some black coffee, but thought about eating a block of cheese. Lunch I made a pasta salad and raw carrot salad, which turned out to be very tasty. I used mayonnaise plus yogurt in the salads. Finally, I have finished the jar of mayo. I have discovered that you can substitute plain yogurt for many things you would typically use mayo in, and it is half the calories and fat plus it taste great. I prefer the Greek style of yogurt, as it is thicker in texture and inexpensive to purchase. This is good news for me! 
    Cheese. Now is that not a lovely sounding word. I can honestly report that I have had NO cheese this year. For me this is nothing short of a miracle. I have been known to eat cheese with peanut butter! Next to mayonnaise, cheese is the single most food I love. I have decided to go 30 days cheese free and am on the road to success. I also have done some research and when I incorporate cheese back into my diet it will be Feta or Swiss as these are the two cheeses lowest in fat and calories and Tesco's sells a block of Feta for just .75p, doesn't get any better than that! Of course portion control is an issue and that is one of the areas I am working on.
 Comments. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage comments from anyone out there. Tips/advice, humor, antidotes or just plain silliness. Thanks!

360 Days To Go....Help!

     Today was a great day. I awoke and ate 3 jam donuts. All things considering, I thought about making an Amendment to Rule #1, but as it is, I should just face the brutal facts, I eat! I am more determined than ever to make changes. For dinner we had beans. I like beans and they are a high fiber food. For a snack I have pineapple from a tin, and to drink, soy milk and water. I am not giving up. I am going to blog my way into health! No exercise today, but my husband and I had a great day at the Vineyard.
    Back in the day, I was a heavy smoker and I really enjoyed my cigarettes, 3 packs per day. I stopped smoking 15 years ago. I prayed and with Gods help I quit. I am now in the same process with food. I do need help to gain knowledge, how to shop smart, how to put healthy meals together on our economy. Help with inner strength and self control. I can't give up. I refuse to give up. Even though there are times I think it is impossible. Today I am not quitting.

361 Days to Go....The Birth Of Rule #1

       Rule #1: Allow yourself one day a week to eat what you want, when you want. OK. That is what I am telling myself about this mornings feeding frenzy, but let me back up a bit. Last night I had the choice of eating day old donuts and crisps/potatoes chips, or 1/2 cup of dry shredded wheat and some yogurt. Proudly, I chose the wheat and yogurt. Then, I woke at 4AM and ate 2 slices of high fiber low cal bread with mayo, how awful is that! So, then this morning I woke and made a poached egg, that turned into egg drop soup again, 2 toast, a cup of raw carrot salad, which was delicious, water, and black coffee. Pretty good huh?
      Well, something evil happened next. The day old custard donuts took some sort of physical form and overpowered me, forcing me to eat 4 of them! Then the chicken nuggets came alive, baked themselves in the oven, plated themselves and jumped into my mouth before I could mount a protest. So that means I have 7 whole days to eat healthy and in portion control, but then on Saturday I am allowed to have a Miss Piggy kinda day. There you have it! The birth of Rule #1.

362 Days to Go...And I Am Still Fat

   Today my husband and I did some spring cleaning. It is a great feeling to clean and organize one self. I didn't eat until 3:30PM. I do not recommend this. Finally when I did eat it was a Pizza the size of a 45LP. Anyone remember those? They where small. Later I had a small salad and HB egg sandwich. I drank water. Feeling pretty good that I have not eaten the 3 bags of .20p day old jam donuts my husband came home with today from his walk.
   The thing is, I want to eat healthy and live healthy so I have to tell myself no to the things that are bad for me.

Salad....My New Best Friend

    Yeah! I ate a salad. It was heaven. Lettuce/rocket, tomatoes, onions, well, you know the rest. I actually drank a glass of water too. My husband has a weakness for junk food. So I ate one dry old onion bhaji for his sake. I discovered something wonderful. The salad was delicious to my taste buds, where as the onion bhaji tasted like wallpaper paste with sand mixed in. If one wants to cure themselves of a favorite junk food, purchase it, let it get stale or moldy. Then with a lovely salad dinner, eat it. It will taste so foul compared to your healthy meal, you will be cured of craving it. There now, I have solved every fat persons dilemma of hating healthy food and longing for big fat juicy greasy hamburgers or a curry with chips! I am a genius. Ha!

363 Days to Go...How Hard Can It Be?

      Really. How hard can it be? I am fairly educated. Last nite my husband wanted a snack, so I ate 12 chicken nuggets smothered in blue cheese sauce. However I did not succumb to the 3AM feeding frenzy. This mornings poached egg experiment turned out a tad better. The eggs retained some of the whites, I did not drop them on the floor and I managed not to burn the toast. I then proceeded to down 2 black coffees and a cup of dry unsweetened shredded wheat, resisting the urge to smother everything in mayonnaise. One sip of water, which is very sad. No exercise, even sadder.
    A good friend suggested I put the mayonnaise on my hair instead of in my mouth. This is exactly the type of advice/tips I would like to encourage. Thank you, as my hair has been a bit dry lately. Your tip is most appreciated.
   Tonight we will have a salad, to which I am looking forward to, as the word salad can hold meaning different meanings, such as Dessert Salad!

364 Days to Go....And Mayonnaise is my Nemises

       OK. Today I poached my first egg. Which resembled Egg Drop Soup, I then proceeded to burn my low-cal high fiber bread "slivers", as I dropped my poached egg onto the floor. I decided to slather the burnt toast in garlic mayonnaise and I ate the egg yolk. HA! Then I had some beetroot with low fat yogurt, not bad. I walked 2 miles. Dinner consisted of a tin of peas to which I added a dollop of mayonnaise, dry shredded wheat and a cup of soy milk.
     Now my answer for all food groups to brighten up a dish is, yes, you got it, mayonnaise. God bless the person who came up with that sexy little sauce. I could eat mayonnaise with a spoon all on its own. Now I am coming to terms with the fact that once my current stock of mayo goes, sadly it will be gone. No more purchasing of mayo for me. At least until I get a grip and can pass the fridge without spooning the mayo. HAHA!
    The acid test will be tonight, can I go the rest of the evening and not eat? Will I sneak into the kitchen around 3AM and stuff my face with anything I can? Only God knows. I shall find out the answer to this enigma at 3AM. One can only hope. So HOPE it is.

A New Year....It is Time

      It is 2013. I am in my mid forties and am overweight. To say that my husband and I love food would be a gross miscarriage of justice to the fine cuisine's of the world. I eat food enthusiastically. Julia Child would be proud. I will not rant about my past or how I have become so overweight. I simply want to become healthy and fit. This blog will be a daily encouragement for good wholesome nutrition and exercise.
     So, this is my introduction and as for the rest of the year, well, lets see what unfolds. I am going to begin practicing a HealThy Lifestyle. I am giving myself  365 days to lose 7 stone or 98 pounds, as I weigh in at 22 stone. I will be sharing my menu and exercise routine daily. No fads no funky stuff. Just plain wholesome food with an occasional recipe from Julia Child's, Mastering The Art of French Cooking. After all, what is life if you don't enjoy it! Someone somewhere once said,"Eat to live, don't live to eat!".
    It is time.