Healthy Low-Carb Living Blog

This blog has moved!

2009-11-19T00:54:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I've finally got the new blog done enough that I can start using it. So from here on out everything will be at the new address:

http://www.healthylowcarbliving.com

Please come visit me and update your bookmarks and links!

Never judge a study by it's headline

2009-11-16T15:01:00.000-06:00

Here's my thoughts on the recent study and headlines concerning moods and low-carb diets.

Low-carb diets and moods: what the headlines aren't telling you

Would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please leave your comments here or on examiner.

Does the Diet You Choose Affect Your Mood? - ABC News

2009-11-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

I was interviewed yesterday by ABC News for this article. Be sure to read all three pages. I have my personal thoughts on this coming soon, but wanted to share this with you first. Enjoy!

Does the Diet You Choose Affect Your Mood? - ABC News

Gluten Free Diets and MS

2009-11-08T12:18:00.004-06:00

A good friend of mine, Lucinda Gunnin, has been dealing with multiple sclerosis for many years now. She recently tried a gluten free diet and is experiencing some great results.

You know how you feel if you step on something while swimming? When it hurts, but the pain isn't as sharp of immediate as it should be? That's sort of how my right leg has felt for most of eight years.

So, when I walked out to the mailbox this morning and felt some soreness in the ball of my foot, I was dang near ecstatic. Whether its coincidental, anecdotal or just plain weird luck, I feel amazingly more health since getting gluten out of my regular diet.

I recommend reading the rest of her article: Treating Multiple Sclerosis with a Gluten-Free Diet

MS is a difficult disease to live with and finding any method to improve quality of life is a blessing. I know many of my readers follow a gluten free and low-carb diet. I know you understand the difficulty of finding food products free of ingredients you don't want. If you have any tips, suggestions or just want to offer her a word of encouragement, please do leave a comment on her article. If you want to learn more about MS and the gluten free diet, I recommend you subscribe to her column. I believe you'll learn a lot in the coming months as she shares her experience and journey with us.

Wellsphere Health Blogger Awards

2009-11-07T20:52:00.002-06:00

Wellsphere is having it's annual Health Blogger Award contest and once again my name is in the hat. If this blog has helped or inspired you in anyway, please take a moment to vote for me. If I've given you a chuckle, made you think, or kept you from buying something awful (or lead you to something awesome), please take a moment to vote for me. If I've been no help you at all, then I don't deserve the award so don't worry about it. :)

Just click the graphic below or to the side to vote. ----------------->

THANKS!!!

Moving soon!

2009-10-31T09:51:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! I'm working on moving the blog over to the new address today. Blogger is making me crazy so I'm tired of messing with it. I will let you know as soon as it's moved. We will also have a whole new look soon, so can't wait to share that as well!

Have a safe low-carb Halloween!

Books For Treats

2009-10-30T16:24:00.003-06:00

I'd like to direct your attention to my latest article. This one talks about a cool and healthy idea for those little trick-or-treaters that visit you each year.

Books For Treats: give brain candy this year

Hope you enjoy!

Links and Updates

2009-10-27T10:07:00.006-06:00

(Cool photo by elessar x)

Hey everyone!

It's a nasty, bleak, rainy day here in Illinois. I'd really still love to be in bed right now, but knowing me I'd toss and turn and think about all the stuff I should be getting done. So here I am working on some projects at the computer. Part of my daily routine is to read my favorite comics (and I have loads of them so it takes a few minutes) and catch up on my favorite blogs. I've found several interesting links lately I'd like to share.

First, an awesome post by one of my favorite bloggers - Tom Naughton. In his Fat Head blog, he gives us an idea of what life would be like if mechanics were nutritionists and nutritionists were mechanics. It's a hilarious, but true-to-life read that really helps drive the point home about how messed up some "health experts" are in their thinking. Check it out. And if you don't subscribe to his blog, you really should.

What If Mechanics and Nutritionists Switched Jobs

For those who do not know, my friend Dana Carpender started writing for CarbSmart early this year. Her weekly column is full of fun, advice and information. I especially like her column from last week about Halloween and traditions. Make sure you check it out, along with all her other great articles.

Have A Low Carb Halloween

And speaking of Halloween, I'll repost my examiner column link from last year when I wrote about non-sugar treat ideas.

The best Halloween treats for little goblins

Another friend, Laura Dolson, is looking for low-carb stories to share on about.com. If you'd like to tell your story - whether it be about weight loss, health benefits, or blood sugar control - be sure to check out her page here.

Now for an update: The scale dropped again this morning. That's now a total of 12.6 lbs gone since starting the Eades 6 Week Cure. I'm doing it a bit different than written, but Dr. Eades did say it was ok to stay on any of the week you like for as long as you like. I rotate between weeks 1-2 and weeks 3-4. So I have a shake week day or a meat week day, depending on what I feel like doing. I know I owe you all a review on the book, so I'll try to get that up asap.

Have a great low-carb day and I'll try to be back later with more interesting news. :)

New blog and website under way!

2009-10-26T15:38:00.002-06:00

I have officially switched hosting and am working on the new blog and website now. If you try to visit www.healthylowcarbliving.com you'll get an "under construction" message, but I plan to have it all up and running again in a few short days. I'll keep this blog going until the new one is ready to go and I'll try to transfer all the content over as well.

I'll let you know as soon as it's all working! :)

Is it Friday yet?

2009-10-20T09:23:00.002-06:00

I know it's only Tuesday, but it feels like it should be Friday. It's already been a long week.

So, just an update.

Weight is staying the same, but had a couple of bad days, so that's really pretty amazing considering I didn't do so well. I'm back on track now and just plugging away each ounce at at time.

I have a couple of reviews I'm ready to do. The new Atkins bake mix and a new bathroom scale from EatSmart. Lots to tell you on these so will hopefully have them up soon. Kids have a thing to go to this afternoon though, so not sure if it will happen today.

I purchased new hosting and domain transfer yesterday for my website - Healthy Low-Carb Living. As soon as that is all up and running, this blog will move there using WordPress. I'll be sure to let you know once it is all working correctly. I'm also working on a new design for all of it, so I'm excited about that.

On the photography front, I finished and sent in another unit. I have 3 more to go and my goal is to have them finished by the new year. This is another reason I'm having to push daily blogging aside a bit. I gotta get this schooling finished pronto.

On a different note, I'm really looking forward to the low-carb cruise in March. I hope many of you are able to go so I can meet you in person. :) It's going to be a great time!

Okay, gotta get them kids ready for their shindig. Lay-tah!

Would you please vote for me?

2009-10-15T11:51:00.003-06:00

Hey gang! I just applied for a short-term blogging job and I need your vote to make it to the final round. This gig will allow me to do what I love, blogging, and pay some of those pesky bills that refuse to go away. ;) And don't worry, it won't take away from my blogging here. :)

I have to make it into the top 250 in order to be considered. I will be eternally grateful if you would vote for me every day up to October 30th. And please ask your friends and family to vote as well! This would be a tremendous help to my family and I and we will love you forever! *muwah!*

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

It's Wednesday...

2009-10-14T09:44:00.002-06:00

And I am way behind on posting here.

You'll be proud of me though... at least I hope you will. I took several days off to just concentrate on taking care of myself. Yes - I spent time walking on my treadmill, working on menu plans and getting some R&R that was badly needed. I've gotten a second wind and I'm excited about moving forward with some ideas I have. Most of them include this blog and my website.

I am working on getting some things set up, so be looking for some changes to the blog soon.

On the weight loss front - weight is standing still right now. But the good news is that I've passed a set point that I was stuck at. I'm now stuck at a new lower number. :) I expect it to all move soon and I'm happy with the way I'm eating.

Ok, gotta run. Have a full day. Have a great low-carb day and I'll be back later with some cool stuff I've found recently. :)

Atkins Recipe and a Contest

2009-09-21T15:58:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick post to tell you about my latest on Examiner. I gave a quick review of the new Atkins penne pasta and a yummy recipe. Just keep in mind that the penne is really suited to someone on maintenance. But it does taste great and if you are wanting the occasional pasta treat, this will work nicely.

Atkins Chicken over Penne

I also wanted to let you know that Atkins is having a great contest right now. If you like coming up with recipes then this contest is for you. Looks like lots of great prizes.

Atkins Recipe Contest

Hope you win! :)

It Be That Time Again

2009-09-19T09:43:00.006-06:00

Swanky photo by Strangeguy @ sxc.hu

We`ve waited fer 't all voyage long. Today be Sept. 19th! That means 't be me favorite holiday - Talk Like A Pirate Day!

For ye landlubbers that be new t' this distinguished tradition, two scallywags decided that talkin' like a gentleman o' fortune be fun an' ortin' ta be havin' 'tis own holiday. Arr!!! I wholeheartedly agree! Mr. Dave Barry (aye, THAT Dave Barry) helped th' fella`s get `er goin' from thar.

So how do ye take part in such a classy celebration involvin' grunts n` growls n` other such fantastical noises, th' likes ye`ve nereheard before? First, ye needs a name!

Me name for this year be:

Cap'n Jean Mauvebeard

And don't ye be forgettin' it!

To find yer sea dog name, ye can use th' fancy name generator machine. Just click here.

Then, If ye new swabbies canna figure ou' seafarin' hearty language, ye can always use the pirate translator.

Now, go ou' an' don yer eye patch, peg leg an' smelly parrot. Show th' world ye`re proud t' be a gentleman o' fortune! (Or a lunatic. But I prefer th' former.)

The Cure Update

2009-09-14T12:34:00.004-06:00

My yummy orange sherbert protein shake.
Hey everyone! I'm giving you a quick update on my progress with Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades new program The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle(I still plan to review the book, but that will have to wait for a bit longer.)

So far I am very pleased. I'm half way through day 3. This first couple of weeks consists of lc meals and shakes. There is obviously much more to it than this, but I don't want to give too much away. That's why you buy the book. :)

So far I've had a 3 different flavors of shakes. Regular Chocolate, Turtle Sundae and Orange Sherbet. Orange has one hands down at this point. But I'm going shopping today for more ingredients so I can try other flavors as well.

The exciting news? I'm really starting to feel the energy pick-me-up AND I've lost 4.2 lbs in 2 days. Not too shabby at all. And it hasn't been hard to stick to. It's actually been just what I needed - simple and planned out. My brain is on overload most of the time anymore and not having to analyze every stinking meal has been like Heaven.

So, will keep you updated on this. Also will get that review soon. Not quite finished with the book yet, but should be shortly.

Update

2009-09-11T16:45:00.004-06:00

Hey gang. I'm working on several things at the moment for this blog that I think you'll enjoy. For now I'll just have to give you an update on some things, at least until I have these other posts ready.

Blogging: I have some product reviews in the works - complete with a few recipes. I can't wait to share some of the yummy stuff I've tried! I'm also in the process of reading Dr. Eades The 6 Week Cure for the Middle Aged Middle. So far it's been a stellar book and I'll be sharing my thoughts on it soon. I'm also going to try out the diet plan they use, so will try to update on that progress when I can.

Photography: For those that are interested, there has been a lot going on with me in this area. I was recently accepted as a participating photographer for Think Pink Photography. I find it a huge privileged to be listed among some of the most amazing photographers in the business. Think Pink is a completely volunteer network of photographers who donate their time and talent to photographing breast cancer patients and survivors. Some of the stories these photos tell are simply awe inspiring. And if non-cancer patients book a session and tell us they found us on Think Pink, we donate a portion of that session to the Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation.
On a similar note, I'm also participating in the one day event called Images for a Cure, in which all session fees for Oct. 11th, 2009 (in my case Oct. 10th) are donated to breast cancer research.
My photography schooling is quickly coming to a close. I should hopefully be finished by Jan. of 2010! :)

Ok, gotta run, but will be back very soon with some great stuff for you!

Coming Soon!!!

2009-09-10T09:25:00.004-06:00

Actual blog posts! Yes, you heard that right. Real posts! But these won't be your ordinary run-of-the-mill posts. We are talking reviews, recipes, sarcasm, science and more! Stay tuned - I'll be back just as soon as I find my head and get this straight jacket off...

Sharing another pasta recipe

2009-08-31T17:02:00.002-06:00

Hey gang. It's still a little crazy here, but getting better. Either that or my mind is so far gone I no longer notice the lunacy of my household. :)

Sharing a recipe today from Dreamfields pasta. If you aren't a fan of Dreamfields, then go check it out anyway and use the sauce recipe. ;)

Classic Tomato Sauce with Linguine

Unexpected Inspiration

2009-08-26T17:06:00.005-06:00

This video isn't exactly lc related - but sure says a whole lot about life, working towards goals, and in the end, what's most important.

Atlanta based photographer Zach Arias made this video for Scott Kelby's website. For those who aren't familiar with photography circles, Scott in an amazing teacher and photographer. And in all honestly, so is Zach.

The reason I felt so compelled to share this video is because I know we ALL go through these phases - whether it be photography, writing, weight loss... or just getting through each day. This video has single-handedly brought some sanity back into my life. It's helped me see so much. I hope it's as helpful for you.

Probiotics

2009-08-17T08:19:00.004-06:00

Source
Dr. Briffa's latest blog post about probiotics is very interesting. As someone who takes probiotics daily, I especially found it interesting that they may help prevent common illnesses, such as cold or flu, in children. I've been giving my kids probiotics as well and now that I think about it, we have had less of the sickies around here than we usually do. Of course the true test may come when winter sets in and everyone we come in contact with is hacking and sniffling.

For those who aren't familiar with probiotics, here's the definition from Wikipedia:

Probiotics are dietary supplements of live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but also certain yeasts and bacilli are available.

At first, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

I buy my probiotics from GNC and, if I remember correctly, they contain around 14 million live bacteria. (Do they pay someone to sit in a lab and look at these with a micrscope, while they count 14 million of these little suckers???)

For those of you who eat store bought yogurt, (watch those carbs!) Activa has probiotics in it as well, but I'm told it's not as effective as taking the supplements.

Spaghetti Squash

2009-08-06T12:10:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! I'm trying to get things organized for the new school year about to start. I'm cleaning, purging old books, etc. It's taking some work to get it all done, but I'm confident I will start this year of homeschooling better organized than last year. I can't say it will stay that way, but at least I'm on the right foot to begin with.

Just posting a link today since I'm still working all this stuff out. I put up an article on Examiner yesterday about that awesome lc food the spaghetti squash. Go have a looksie and tell me what you you think!

Low-carb foods 101: spaghetti squash

New Carb Tracker for iPod and iPhone

2009-07-29T18:57:00.004-06:00

Now I need to get one of these:

Cool photo by nickwinch

So I can get one of these:

It's totally cool and will work on the iPhone or iPod. Hubby has the iPhone and the above shot came from a screen shot of his phone. He's loving this application! The rest of the screen shots we took are in the slide show of my latest article on Examiner. Please visit me there to see the rest and get all the fun details!

Scarlett Johansson uses low-carb

2009-07-28T09:54:00.000-06:00

Found an interesting tidbit about Scarlett Johansson's diet strategy while preparing for her role as Black Widow in the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie. You can read more about it here.

Too bad low-carb can't fix ugly. If so I'd be gorgeous by now! ;)

The zoo can be great for exercise

2009-07-27T21:53:00.002-06:00

Hey gang! Here is the latest from my Examiner column. This particular article talks about our closest zoo, but I'd wager the same information applies to most zoos around the nation, sans prices or specific attractions.

Please stop by my column and say hello!

St. Louis Zoo: exercise, fun and low-carb food

Low-carb bake mix, chocolate almonds and sugar habits

2009-07-21T09:43:00.001-06:00

Hello all you wonderful people out there in internet land! Isn't it just a peachy day!?!

*This is me trying to be chirpy and happy. I think it comes across as more annoying than anything though, so I'll stop.*

Honestly, yesterday was a rough one. I'll spare you the details. Let's just say I burned myself 3 times by the end of the day and it was no surprise ending. :{

Today is a new day, so I'm working on a better outlook. And if you have some good mojo, please send it my way just in case.

Weight-loss has been slow, but steady. Can't ask for more than that really.

I've recently put up 3 new articles on Examiner. Please come visit me at these links so I can buy my kids some shoes.

Atkins announces new Atkins Cuisine pasta and bake mix

Kick the sugar habit with 12 week teleclass

Cocoa Roast Almonds make mouths happy

Healthy Kids Winner!

2009-07-19T10:22:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! Sorry this announcement is a day late. Yesterday was filled with my kids 4-H activities and it totally slipped my mind in all the chaos.

I had my boy draw a name from the entries we've gotten and I'm happy to say the winner of Fred Hahn's Strong Kids Healthy Kids book is....

Sally B in WI! Congrats!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I wish I could give you all a copy.

Sally B, I'll be shipping your book out this week. Watch your email for details. :)

Win Fred Hahn's Strong Kids Healthy Kids!

2009-07-07T15:43:00.005-06:00

Well, you won't win HIS kids, just the book with that title.

So anyhoo, I'm super excited today! Why? Because my 12 year old son has decided he'd like to take better care of himself. He's trying to watch his carbohydrates and exercise. He's become my diet buddy! :)

To celebrate I'm giving away a copy of the very book we are using to help him. As someone who has used Fred Hahn's Slow Burn approach, I can tell you that it is one lulu of a workout in a short amount of time. With the release of his fantastic book Strong Kids Healthy Kids, I can now feel confident in helping my son get through an effective workout. And the cherry on top is the fact that this book contains great carb-conscious nutritional advice just for kids!

I've just finished a full review on the book at my Examiner column, so please go check it out. I'll wait.......

*humming off key*

*attempting to whistle but pathetically spitting on the keyboard instead*

*picking lint off my shirt*

*inspecting the gunk trapped between the keys in my keyboard*

Great! Your back!

Ok, so here's how you win this wonderful book. Simply send your full name and address to healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com and be sure to put in the subject line I WANT HEALTHY KIDS. This will help me keep it out of the spam-a-lot box. (We delete all your information after the drawing so you'll never be spammed or bothered!) Send me your info by midnight central time on July 17th and you'll be entered into the drawing. On July 18th my son will randomly draw a winner from the pile and I'll announce it here. (So be sure to check back!)

That's it. That's all you gotta do. :)

Chick-Fil-A giving away free food

2009-07-06T11:15:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! Chick-fil-A is giving away free meals this Friday, July 10th to celebrate the 5th annual Cow Appreciation Day. To learn more, check out my examiner column here.

And please, please let me know if you do this. I DO want photos! :)

Happy Independance Day!

2009-07-03T07:40:00.004-06:00

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to wish you a safe, fun and happy 4th of July!

Instead of posting fireworks photos this year, I thought I'd share a cool little video from GoDaddy.

Enjoy!

Happy Independence Day from GoDaddy.com!

My review of EA Sports Active for the Wii

2009-07-01T10:31:00.002-06:00

Hey gang! I'm short on time but wanted to share my latest article on Examiner. (Don't have time to post it all here.)

Today I reviewed the EA Sports Active for the Wii. I've included links and a slideshow, so please go check it out!

Those simple carbs may be hurting your ticker

2009-06-29T08:20:00.005-06:00

Photo source: lusi

Reprint from Examiner

Many people spend a good part of their days counting calories, limiting fat intake and exercising until they collapse from exhaustion. The reason for all this torture is to prevent heart disease and live a long, happy, healthy life. For most though, just putting yourself through all that nonsense is enough to make you wish yourself into an early grave. The saddest part is that studies are consistently showing that it’s not only unnecessary, but probably counterproductive. The standard American diet (SAD) is high-carb and low-fat in nature and has yet to be proven the most effective or the healthiest option.

A study conducted by Dr. Michael Shechter and colleagues, of the Leviev Heart Center in Israel, set out to learn the effects of a glycemic- index dietary carbohydrates on the arteries. To accomplish this they assessed 56 men on four separate mornings, one to two weeks apart. After an overnight fast, each subject was examined and then fed one four meals to gauge the effect of said meals to the arteries.

The meals consisted of cornflakes, glucose, high-fiber cereal and a placebo (water) and were served in a rotating randomized fashion so that the subjects received all four meal types. They found that fasting blood glucose levels were the same in all patients, but rose significantly after the glucose and cornflake meals compared to the high-fiber and placebo meal. The result shows that high-gylcemic carbohydrate consumption (AKA sugar, starches and other junk low-carbers avoid) may enhance the risk for cardiovascular disease.

(My notes: I would have loved to see this compared to say, bacon and eggs. I would have also loved to see this study continue for a while, with repeated meals to be sure results were accurate and not circumstantial. As you know, I like longer studies and more through research, but at least this is being looked into.)

Come... laugh with me, won't you?

2009-06-26T14:25:00.004-06:00

Awesome photo by s-s, text added by moi

Follow me as we journey through the fields of expertise that run rampant at Yahoo Health. Ah, what is this I see? A registered dietitian who thinks low-carb is unhealthy for the brain? *GASP* Thank goodness we have such knowledgeable people like this making sure we understand how the body works!

OH.

Wait.

Say what? She's relying on a 3 week study in which the LC participants were subjected to drastic diet changes compared to participants with little change?

You're telling me she doesn't realize the body can make it's own glucose from protein?

Umm... can 3 weeks even be considered a real study? (Nah. That there ma'am is called Junk Science!)

Yeah, you're right. She doesn't get it.

*****Rewind Sounds*****

Follow me as we journey though the fields of biased opinion that run rampant at Yahoo Health.... (pointing and laughing at the trained monkeys is entirely up to you.)

Low-carb living can benefit those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome

2009-06-26T12:20:00.004-06:00

"Meat" your answer to IBS. HA! I kill me!

Reprint from Examiner

According to an article found on Modern Medicine, Gregory L. Austin, M.D., of the University of Colorado in Aurora, conducted a study involving 17 patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. After following a two-week standard diet, the participants were then put on a four week very low carbohydrate diet, consisting of only 20 grams of carbohydrates a day.

The abstract shows that of the patients who completed the diet, which totaled 13, all responded with their results. 77% of the participants (10 of the 13) reported adequate relief of symptoms during the low-carb phase of their diet plans. (As someone who suffers from this malady, I can vouch that these results are accurate.) “Pain scores and quality-of-life measures significantly improved. Outcomes were independent of weight loss.” states the author. Their conclusion: “A VLCD provides adequate relief, and improves abdominal pain, stool habits, and quality of life in IBS-D.”

Visit the Mayo Clinic Website to learn more about Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

My Easy Low-Carb Meat Sauce

2009-06-24T21:41:00.005-06:00

Easy Low-Carb Meat Sauce

(My homemade sauce with Dreamfields pasta.)

Reprint from Examiner

Pasta is a staple in many American households. It’s inexpensive and tasty. For those who have to carefully watch their carb intake, pasta is also a nightmare of epic proportions. Freddy Krueger has nothing on a big bowl of linguine drowning in tomato sauce. Thankfully there are ways to enjoy sauces and pasta-like meals without needing therapy for those sleepless nights.
Today I’m sharing with you my personal recipe for low-carb meat sauce, which will work wonderfully with whatever type of pasta substitute you prefer. It’s thick, hearty, and simple to make. Keep in mind that this kind of meal is generally best saved for later phases of weight loss or maintenance, but could be enjoyed occasionally, without guilt, in most circumstances.

Easy LC Meat Sauce

* 1 cup onions, chopped
* 1 ½ lbs ground beef
* ½ cup tomato paste
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 2 cups tomato sauce
* 1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/8th teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 3 tablespoons real butter

In a large non-stick skillet brown hamburger and onions until hamburger is no longer pink. Drain grease.

Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble.

Cover skillet and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve over your favorite pasta substitute.

Severs 8.

Per Serving:

347 Calories

27g Fat

16g Protein

10g Carbohydrate

2g Dietary Fiber

Feel free to spruce it up with some of your favorite veggies as well. You can add in zucchini, squash, mushrooms or any other low-carb favorite that floats your boat. Add enough veggies and you won’t even need the pasta substitute! Just be sure to add in the proper nutritional counts when tweaking to your liking.

With options like these you can pull up to the table without fear. I don’t recommend inviting Freddy to dine with you though. I hear he’s a messy eater.

This, that and the other

2009-06-23T05:48:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick update.

Diet ~ Still working on keeping water my main drink of the day. I haven't cut out the diet soda, but I'm doing better. (And for those of you who are determined to leave comments about how too much water will kill me, please save us both some time... and don't.) I'm also back to using my fitday program again. I'm getting way too lazy about counting so I need to pay closer attention.

Blogging ~ I'm going through writers block I think. It stinks. I was hoping that once things calmed down I'd be back to my old self, but I'm really struggling to write anything very interesting. Sure, I can blog about all the chaos in my life, but the dog chewing up my underwear kind of stuff can only go so far. I promise to keep trying though if you promise to keep reading. :)

Photography ~ This is taking up a good part of my time right now. I'm not complaining. I'm happy to be doing it because I love it so much. I'm constantly studying, experimenting and learning. And spending... spending seems to be a requisite to being a photographer. One day I might actually make enough to pay for all the equipment I've bought. Maybe.

Speaking of, I found this hilarious little youtube animation from a comic called What the Duck. WTD is a comic about photography and photoshop. It's hilarious to photographers and I'd guess anyone would get most of the jokes.

This animation is funny to me because I can't count the number of times my family has complained about how bright the flash unit is.

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic day. I'm going to try to stay out of this 105 heat index weather as much as possible. (Outside feels like a sauna already, thanks to the 1 billion percent humidity, and it's only 7 am. Cah-razy!)

Water Challenge Conclusion - Baby Steps!

2009-06-19T09:57:00.005-06:00

I've learned something about myself while attempting this water challenge. I've learned I am REALLY addicted to diet soda. I suspected it, but this confirmed it. I did not make it the entire week without diet soda, but I DID get a whole lot more water in than I usually do and I drank LESS diet soda. So overall that's not too shabby. At least some progress was made. I did catch myself snacking a lot though. Again. :( I was consciously trying to avoid doing that and it happened anyway.

So my new goal for this week will be to continue as I have been. Lots of water - limited diet soda. It's certainly better than the way I was doing things before. To borrow from Bob in What About Bob?...

Baby steps away from the soda.

Baby steps toward the water.

In other news, I have an inbox full of all kinds of stuff I want to blog about. Now I just need a day full of time to do it in. Here's to hoping it actually happens.

GASP Corruption in health care reform?!?

2009-06-15T08:45:00.005-06:00

When speaking of politicians it comes as no great surprise that our first thoughts tend to run in the direction of underhanded dealings and dishonest intentions. In an environment enclosed in the motto “I’ll scratch your back, you pad my pockets” you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t subscribe to this way of thinking. Sadly, this same bit of unethical palm-oiling is rampant in our health care system. According to this recent article from the AP several key health care senators have ties in the industry. Conflict of interest anyone?

This is no real surprise to anyone who has studied, in any length, the details of our health care recommendations for the last 30 years. All paths lead to the green. When Senator McGovern shoved his low-fat dogma down everyone’s throats, he wasn’t worried that the science didn’t back up the doctrine. As you’ll see in this clip from Fat Head, his reply to someone attempting to use common sense was something along the lines of “We don’t have time for this. Take your science and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.” (That’s not an exact quote, obviously, but you get the idea.)

According to the aforementioned article, many of the key players working to reform health care have some kind of connection to the pharmaceutical industry. Do you really believe they will make changes in the system that allows these companies to lose profits in exchange for natural alternatives? Do you think they will be excited about health restoring diets like low-carb, which can eliminate a host of issues that millions of people take prescription drugs for on a daily basis? If history is any indicator of the future, then my guess is no.

Pay close attention my friends and stay armed with knowledge. In this battle it's our best weapon, although there are times I think a blunt object would do nicely as well.

Water Challenge: Day 1 recap

2009-06-09T06:49:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone!

Well, so far I've done very well. Yesterday I went from barely getting a glass of water a day, to getting almost 64 oz. I was just about 3 oz. shy is all. No diet soda, even though we had some in the house. :) Yay me!

Today I plan to carry my water bottle with me as we run errands so I won't be tempted to go through the drive through and get the gallon sized diet soda I usually get. While I find I'm not actually craving it that bad, like I thought I would, I do know old habits die hard. Getting a diet soda at certain places is definitely a habit for me. I catch myself instinctively heading for the soda machine when we are in Wal-Mart. Why? Just something I've always done. I walk around and shop with a diet coke in my hands. So my battle will be breaking routines as well.

Hope you are all doing good as well. Feel free to check in and let me know how it's going.

On an off-topic note: I've found some really great stuff lately that I'd love to share with you. Hope to get to that later today.

Water Challenge

2009-06-07T10:44:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I've decided I'm going to challenge myself to drink more water. And while that's great by itself, I'm also challenging myself to go without a single diet soda for at least 1 week. Why you ask? Because I want to see if I'm capable of doing it. I drink way too much of the stuff and I'm afraid is has become an addiction of sorts. While I think an occasional diet soda is fine, I drink it all day, every day. And it's not Zevia, which would be better for me. It's that fountain stuff with caffeine and aspartame. Diet Rite isn't available at most restaurants and Zevia is sadly in none. Since we are on the go a lot I'm always grabbing a soda somewhere. You know, one of those BIG monsters that last me all day.

Yesterday I drank mostly water and only one diet soda, so I'm thinking that maybe I can actually do this. We shall see. Anyone wanna join me? My goal is to start tomorrow, Monday June 8th, and go all the way to Sunday, June 14th, without so much as a single diet soda droplet passing over my lips. Now the last time I did this, I gained weight because I started snacking more. My plan this time is to be aware of that snacking and avoid it.

If I can do this for a week, then maybe I can do it for two. Then three. Then... who knows! I might just kick this habit all together. Then I make sure my diet drinks will be unsweetened tea and Zevia, AFTER I've consumed all the water I should be drinking.

Feel free to join in if you have similar issues. I'll be posting daily, if possible, about my progress.

Chicken Puttanesca with Spaghetti

2009-05-22T06:47:00.004-06:00

I know the subject of pasta is a touchy one in the low-carb realm. Some people are able to consume regular pasta on occasion, others can't even look at the stuff without an insulin spike. (I fall in that last category.) For those that really miss this Italian favorite, and just can't get into the veggie substitutes, there is Dreamfields.

I've heard various people report that Dreamfields products caused them to gain weight, or they checked their blood sugar afterward and noticed it rose significantly. Then there are those who found eating Dreamfields had no effect on them at all. This is one of those your-millage-may-vary things, as is the case with most "diet" foods.

If you are looking for something different than your usual fare, here is a delicious looking dish called Chicken Puttanesca with Spaghetti. While the carb count suggests you save this kind of meal for maintenance, you could also enjoy this as an occasional indulgence during weight loss phases, providing you keep in mind that you may or may not see results on the scale for a few days afterward. I occasionally like to change things up and I have always loved pasta, so this is a great fit for me.

CHICKEN PUTTANESCA WITH SPAGHETTI
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 box uncooked Dreamfields Spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
7 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained (reserve liquid)
15 Kalamata or black olives, pitted and finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons capers, drained (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan.

2. Meanwhile, heat half of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add half of chicken pieces. Cook about 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Remove chicken from skillet. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken. Remove chicken from skillet.

3. Add garlic to skillet. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until golden, watching carefully so garlic does not burn. Once garlic begins to turn golden, add tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes; stir in olives, anchovies, capers, tomato puree and red pepper flakes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.Return chicken to skillet; heat through. Add spaghetti, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper as desired. If sauce is too thick, add all or part of the reserved tomato liquid until sauce is desired consistency.
Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information (1/6 of recipe): 530 calories; 30 g protein;
15 g digestible carbohydrates*; 23 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 74 mg cholesterol;
475 mg sodium; 8 g total dietary fiber.

*If traditional pasta is used in this recipe there is a total of 55 g carbohydrate. For more information go to www.dreamfieldsfoods.com.

Recipe courtesy of Dreamfields® Pasta.

Crazy season is almost over (I hope!)

2009-05-21T10:09:00.002-06:00

Well, I keep intending to post low-carb information here, and then something gets in my way. I think we are about done with all the extreme busy-ness here, so maybe things will get back to normal soon. School is almost out, and with that comes summer break and less "scheduled" activities, which I hope leaves me with a bit more time for posting.

The good news is that I'm currently doing well in the area of diet and health. I'm taking better care of myself, enjoying a little extra energy (and I'll take ALL I can get in that area), and losing weight.

OK, back to the grind.

We are rattled, but safe -The Illinois Hurricane.

2009-05-14T10:23:00.005-06:00

For those of you who may not have heard, we had a freak storm hit us on Friday. Six Illinois counties, including the one I live in, have been declared a disaster area by Gov. Quinn. It literally was a hurricane on land. That's even what the weather people are calling it. One weatherman said in the 30 years he's been a meteorologist, he's never seen anything like it.

We were privileged to be among the few who got power back a little earlier than expected. We had power by Monday night. We had borrowed a generator from my parents on Sunday to keep from losing the contents of our fridge. We lost a few things, but thankfully not a huge amount. And let me tell you, there is nothing more precious than a hot shower, clean clothes and a hot meal after something like this. Today is the first day I've had internet service since around noon on Friday May 8th.

First, I wanna say that the people in our area are nothing short of amazing. People have come together to help each other and get through this crisis. I want to thank the River Radio stations for their ongoing marathon of information the last several days. Without their hard work, we would have been uninformed about a lot of important things during this disaster. I also want to thank Ameren and all the amazing volunteers who have worked tirelessly to get the power back up and clean up all the debris. They have sacrificed meals, sleep and their own comfort to help others. God bless them all!

I'll share with you a few youtube clips I found of the storm below. I have my own story to tell in all this, but I'll save that for later. Maybe today. I also have lots of photos to share.

First, what it looked like on the radar:

Some footage (keep in mind that there may be some language in these videos):

From a storm chaser:

From a resident (this one really gives you an idea how it sounded inside your house while this was going on)

Aftermath:

Link to newscast with video.

I'll try to post later with photos from our house, talk about the damage we saw/felt/experienced and what it was like to be inside a house while it moved and creaked around you.

Vacations are good for you

2009-05-05T08:22:00.004-06:00

Ok, well here is part one of the post I promised. Yesterday I said I'd post it by this afternoon, which turned into tomorrow morning, which is now today. Got it? Good.

There's nothing quite like a vacation to remind you of what life SHOULD be like. And while getting away isn't always 100% non-stressful (especially with kids), you should strive to make your getaway as relaxing as possible. Not just physically, but mentally too. By physically relaxing I don't mean inactive. I mean treating your body with the rest and nourishment it needs. Our room had a jacuzzi tub and you can bet I spent some time in it. We also slept in a lot, which felt really good. Mentally, many of us need to "get away from it all". That's easier said than done, but is vital to de-stressing. We all need to step back from time to time and evaluate our life, direction, motivation, goals, etc. I find I can do that better when I've had some time off. Time to remember who I am, what I want and why I want it. This also works for your diet. If you are frustrated or finding you are losing interest, step back a moment and look at the big picture. Determine your goals and what it really takes to get there. Decide if your current plan of action is helping or hindering. Or maybe it's just your attitude and expectations need some adjusting. Whatever the case, re-evaluating is always a good idea to get you going again.

I did just that this past week and find I'm more excited than ever about the direction I'm heading in life and in my health.

A quick summary:

Our vacation was a nice little getaway to Branson, Missouri. For those of you that have never been to Branson, it's a great place to take the family. You'll find Sliver Dollar City Amusement Park, White Water, Tours (Ride the Ducks) and mini-golf/go-cart racing galore! Shopping is great there and you can easily find something for everyone. Loads of restaurants as well to suit every appetite. And the shows are always a blast. I have no idea how many shows there are, but it'd take you weeks to see them all.

We opted for a couple of days at Silver Dollar City and a couple of local attractions during the week. Sadly it rained most of the time we were there and most of the outdoor rides were shut down due to lightening about half way through each day. We arrived early enough though that we were able to ride everything we liked. While the rides were shut down we spent time wandering through the shops in SDC, watching the shows available, and watching the demonstrations. I highly recommend watching the blacksmith and the glassblower - very cool stuff! Also the saloon show is always a riot.

Depending on when you get to SDC you can find a variety of shows. We were there during World Fest and saw a show from Ireland called Feet of Fire. Being of Irish heritage myself, I loved every minute. But even if you don't have any Irish blood in your veins, you would enjoy it. We also saw a Chinese Acrobatic act. Amazing how limber these people were! If you twisted me up like a pretzel I'd be broken for life. These people bended like they were made of rubber... they just bounced right back to a normal human form. AMAZING!

As for food in SCD, lots to choose from. As with most places, you can make about any meal LC if you know what to look for. If you go to the Lumberjack Skillet, they have what they call a low-carb fajita skillet. Honestly, it's only lc if you don't eat the tortilla that comes with it, but it's filling enough you don't need it. I get it every time we go and enjoy it immensely.

We also spent some time at the Hollywood Wax Museum. My kids have never seen a wax museum and though they'd enjoy it. We all thought it was cool, but it was a bit expensive for no longer than we were in there. If you have little kids, keep in mind there is a Hall of Monsters (which look pretty real... so it's kinda freaky, even for an adult) but you can bypass it though and alternate route.

The highlight of our trip was seeing the Bob Nelson show at the Clay Cooper Theatre. Bob has been one of my favorite comedians since I saw him in TV when I was about 10. When I heard he was there I knew we had to go. My only reservation was that I knew Bob used to curse a little in his routines. Before buying tickets I asked the clerk about his act and she said he'd cleaned it up in recent years. Later I learned that Bob was now a Christian and wants to keep his act 100% family friendly. Let me just say that this show was so awesome that we will go again next time we are there. We all laughed until we cried. And we were on the front row, so I got great shots, as well as the fact that we were actually a part of the show here and there when he decided to use people from the crowd for something.

All in all the trip was relaxing and much needed. We haven't taken a vacation since 2007 and needed the getaway badly. Now I'm back and renewed in mind, spirit, and my determination to take care of myself. (Nothing like traversing up and down hills on foot to make one aware of their physical condition, or in my case, lack thereof!) I'm also ready to get back to writing full time. I'll be honest. I've had so much on my plate the last month or so that the idea of blogging for writing for Examiner just stressed me out. But now that I'm looking at it through refreshed eyes, I'm ready to get going again.

I'm running short on time, but plan to come back later today to talk about the steps we can take at home to give ourselves a "mini-vacation" when we can't physically get away. (Also I'll probably share some photos, because you know my camera and I are never far apart.)

Coming soon....

2009-05-04T08:34:00.002-06:00

I'm working hard to catch up after being gone all of last week. We had a fantastic vacation though and later today I'll tell you all about it, plus share a few photos. Also we'll talk about setting realistic expectations. Right now I have to get my kids to a rehearsal, so will be back this afternoon with the aforementioned subjects. See ya soon!

Friday Lots-O-Links

2009-04-24T14:11:00.005-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures Don't ask... I just liked this one. Reminds me of my Jazzy Kat. (Curse you non-resizable photo!)

I thought I'd give you some things to peruse this coming week. I'm taking next week off and spending all my time with my family. It will be wonderful and 100% non-work-ish.

I'll be back and posting like the writer-wannabe that I am on May 4th. Until then, check out these interesting tid-bits I've gathered up for you.

Choosing by color may backfire ~ Dr. Mary Dan Eades discusses how many people choose their sweetener by simply looking at the colors (yellow is sucralose, pink aspartame, blue saccharine and green stevia). If you do this too, you really need to read this post. There's a good chance in the near future you could end up with an unhappy surprise!

Corruption within the FDA ~ Surely not! Be still my sarcastic heart! According to one of my favorite bloggers, Dr. Briffa, some insiders are accusing the FDA bigwigs of some foul play.Potential whistle blowers are being intimidated into silence, knowing that once they speak out their professional career will be left in a pile of ashes at their feed. The FDA's motto is “Protecting and Promoting Your Health”. Seems to me they should change it to "Protecting and Promoting Drug Profits".

3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise ~ Yep, it's already time to start thinking about next years cruise. Unlike the last two years, 2010 will be taking us to the Bahamas! Let me say that again... I like the sound. THE BAHAMAS!!! And wow - the speakers for the coming year are going to be *singing* FAB-U-LOUS! Not to mention you'll get to meet some amazing people and make lifetime friends. Last year we had the misfortune of having to cancel just a month before we set sail. I am bound and determined to not let that happen again! So, I plan on being there - do you? I hope you'll join us! You can learn all about it here. Oh, and you only have until May 1st to save your cabin for only $50 each. After May 1st you'll have to pay the whole deposit to save your room.

Low-Carb may be helpful to diabetics? ~ While I don't agree 100% with everything in this article found on the US News & World Report website, It's nice to see low-carb getting the kudos it deserves in controlling blood sugar and helping diabetics live a virtually drug-free life. This is a close to a cure as we've got and it's high time diabetics were aware of the option! Of course, there are those who swear they couldn't live without their sugar, bread, pasta and potatoes. Obviously it's easier to live with an insulin pump or take injections then it is to say "No Thanks" when the macaroni and cheese is passed around the table. *Envision a huge Barney Fife eyeroll here*

Speaking of good 'ole Barn... I want this T-Shirt:

Nip It Barney Fife Mayberry Dark T-Shirt
Buy this product at CafePress
Designed by Best Tee Shirts Gift Shop T-shirts Tees Gifts

I'm a huge Don Knotts fan, although I'll admit to not liking his Ralph Furly character from Three's Company. He reminded me too much of a guy I knew. :)

Have a great week and I'll see you soon!

New Sponsor

2009-04-24T08:27:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone! I hope you've been having a fantastic week!

I'd like you to help me welcome Zevia as a new sponsor of Healthy Low-Carb Living. Zevia is a diet soda I can feel good about drinking and I'm thrilled they've come on board to help me spread the message about the low-carb lifestyle! With their help I'll be able to continue blogging and keeping you updated on the latest in health, diet and fitness in the low-carb world. (I'll admit to being a slacker on this lately, but that will all be changing soon.)

Zevia is a great tasting alternative to the artificially sweetened diet sodas that are on the market today. Sweetened with stevia, Zevia allows you to enjoy your soda without the worry of chemicals or sugar spikes. They just added two new flavors, so now you can enjoy the following:

Root Beer
Twist (Still my favorite!)
Cola
Orange
Black Cherry
Ginger Ale

Here is a review I wrote last August about Zevia on Examiner.com.

I really appreciate Zevia's support and I hope you do as well. If you'd like to try Zevia for yourself, check out the banner at the top of this page.

Ramblings from brain in diet mode

2009-04-14T07:14:00.006-06:00

Just some thoughts that came to me when I really should have been sleeping. I thought I'd share them here and start a discussion of sorts. So here goes nothing...

Weight loss isn't really that hard.

Ok, before you decide to string me up with licorice whips and pelt me with potato chips, let me explain.

Once you discover what makes your body work efficiently, it's really just a matter of putting he plan in action. I know that eating processed carbs is bad for me and causes weight gain. I know if I restrict those carbs and eat meats, veggies and the occasional low-gylcemic berries, I will lose weight and feel amazing.

Doesn't sound that hard does it?

So why are doing these things so difficult for so many?

It's because of our mindset. We can't wrap our brains around the idea of denying ourselves anything. Sure I hate Twizzlers... but what if someday I don't! What if I discover I really do want some of that. The world will end if I have to give it up!!!

Yeah. Keep working that.

So in our minds the battle rages and we find ourselves fighting to make the right choices. We KNOW what the right choice is, and yet we struggle. Why can't it be as easy as making a choice on stealing. We all know stealing is wrong. Normal people don't think "Hmm.. I really would like to have that, and I know stealing is wrong, but what if??? This one time won't hurt!" We KNOW the smart answer to that, so most people chose not to steal. (Don't ask me about those that do. I have no clue what rationalization is going on in that mind and I don't think that's a journey I want to take.)

So one day we make the choice to eat right. We are rewarded with a feeling of health, excitement, hope... maybe even a loss on the scale or looser clothing. We might do well for several days, weeks or even months. As in my case a few year ago, we might even reach our goal! So what happens? Some people make the choice to continue on with what they are doing and enjoy their new healthy lifestyle to the fullest. Then you have me. I obviously have some defective thinking. What did I do after reaching goal? I spent 6 months working to stay there, then got lazy and started very slowly allowing myself some "indulgences" here and there. Wanna know where that got me? C'mon, take a wild guess. I know you already have it figured out. So once again I fight the mental battle of weight loss.

Over the years I've come to the very disturbing realization that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. My whole attitude towards food is wrong. It's not a joy. It's not a reward. It's not even my friend. It's just food. It sustains my life, nothing more. I'm not saying it can't be enjoyable, but it certainly shouldn't be the highlight of our day.

(Before I make this next statement, let me just say something. I am no where near perfect. I am not a model for all to emulate. I'm a dork with a blog who happens to have learned some things here and there. I battle this stuff just like you...)

I now find myself thinking that food is my enemy. Anyone ever have these thoughts? I want to hate food. I wish I didn't have to ever eat. Now don't go getting all freaked out. I'm not going anorexic on you. I still eat. I've never been good at being hungry and probably never will be. I still like to eat, I just wish I didn't. Make sense? Going cold turkey on any addiction is hard, but sometimes that's the best way. Alcoholics, drug addicts, cigarettes... sometimes you have to just avoid those temptations completely to keep from going back to them. But we can't do that with food. We have to eat, we have to be around it. Some of us are around it a lot more than others due to jobs or our family situation (ie your the one who cooks all the meals).

So I guess my real question is, how do you beat the addiction of food when you can't avoid it? It's always there to tempt you.

So far my only working strategy has been to assure I have nothing in my house that is not healthy. That is much easier said than done, but I still try. It's not THE answer though. I know myself too well. I'll overeat on the healthy stuff too if I'm not careful. (Although I've yet to binge on a salad... someone explain why THAT seems to be impossible? LOL)

Again I think it's more mental for me than anything. I need to change my mindset and attitude about food. Give myself a chance to realize that I don't need food for comfort or rewards. I also don't need to punish myself with food. There are some of you that know what I mean. We get into this whole self-depreciating attitude and start stuffing our faces because "we don't deserve to be slim or healthy. We are getting just what we have coming by being obese." It's crazy how the mind works.

So, how do YOU deal with your mental battles over food. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject.

I'm branching out...

2009-04-09T07:47:00.006-06:00

Well. Not really. I stumbled across this crazy website from another blog I like to read. You pick the characters, the backgrounds, the voices, etc. Then add in actions, sound effects and type in the text. Makes a fun little animated movie.

What does this have to do with low-carb? Well, it really doesn't. Has more to do with the fact that I still have a fat behind and my kids noticed it one day. Usually I tell you about these funny conversations in the whole "he said, she said" dialog. Today I thought It'd be fun to make a movie about this most recent humiliation. Besides, making it and laughing after wards has been a great stress reliever. So, without further ado, enjoy the first in my little series I call Adventures in Raising Kids. (You'll have to use your imagination and envision the props, like the laundry that needs folding, etc.)

What's up in looney land

2009-04-06T09:49:00.002-06:00

Hey peeps! (And I'm not referring to those marshmallow kind.. those are EVIL!)

I'm going to start this post out with an apology of sorts. My lack of posting here on the blog and virtually nothing new on Examiner for 3 weeks is not good. Sadly, life has decided I have more important things to deal with right now. I'm going to do my best to get back to a regular schedule, but we'll just have to see how things go. So here's what's up in my crazy world...

Teeth. Yeah, again. I got the one crown cemented back in and it's doing fine, but... (You knew there was a but) The tooth next to it, my other front tooth, suddenly started causing me severe pain. So I woefully drug myself to the dentist only to leave in horror. I. Need. A. Root. Canal. And this one will be complicated, so I have to have it done by a specialist. My regular dentist doesn't want to to do it. Turns out the injury I received to my front teeth some 25 years ago could be the cause of this recent problem. When I was around 10 I hit my face on a metal pole playing tether ball. Broke my left front tooth clean off. That's the tooth I've had problems with ever since. A couple of root canals and several new crowns, or reattached crowns later, here I am. The front tooth on the right side has never bothered me, but I've noticed over the last few years the color has been changing. It's darker, especially at the top. Almost a grey color. Little did I know that this tooth has probably been dying slowly all these years from the trauma way back when. Soooooo... now I get to have a complicated root canal and another new crown. Can we say EXPENSIVE????? The only silver-lining I can find in all this, other than I'll no longer be in pain, is that now my teeth will all be white again. I'm on antibiotics and darvacet,(Pink elephants anyone???) which is a blessing since I can't get the procedure done until the 21st of this month. Pray they knock me out. I suffered through enough RC's to know that they are not comfortable and they take way too long.

School. Both the kiddos and mine. We are reaching the end of the year and this is when we get in rush mode to finish everything up. Lots of activities that keep us busy on a regular basis. I'm throwing a party when this school year ends... let me tell ya! My school work is not going so well. I now have less than 1 year to finish up the rest of my schooling.. and I'm still stuck at the half-way point. It stinks. So I'm scrambling to get finished before the deadline. Just another issue taking up my time right now.

Work. I'm finally starting to get real photography work. I've recently done work for a local restaurant and also shot a Senior/family session. I'm working tirelessly to finish my editing and get them done. Then there are all the little things I'm learning on the way. The kind of stuff you only learn from experience and not books. I'm also working to get some kind of website up that reflects my current work. I have a new blog at the moment that I'm updating with my work, when I have the chance. You can see it here if you are interested:
www.amydunganphotograhphy.com/blog

Weight-Loss. It's slow going, but then that doesn't surprise me since I'm burning the candle at both ends. Stress is not conducive to quick weight loss. I'm trying to avoid the mindless eating that comes with the territory. Some days are better than others. I need to get this weeks menus planned so I don't fall flat on my face in a moment of weakness. As soon as I have the plan up, I'll post it for you all.

Ok, of to get more work done.. or school.... or housework... or whatever jumps in front of me and demands my attention for the moment.

Planning Ahead

2009-04-01T06:48:00.002-06:00

Many people have expressed their desire to see my menus. As a general rule I don't post daily menus because, to be honest, I don't have time to update them. I've tried it a few times and I never keep up with it for long. So today I thought I'd compromise just a bit.

I like to plan my meals a week in advance, then do my grocery shopping. It's great for staying on a budget and it really helps you stick to your plan if you already know what you are having. Now I'm not saying I always stick to the menu. Stuff happens. I'm far from perfect, so I goof up now and again. But I think if you try this approach you'll find it a huge help.

So here is my menu plan for this week:

Sunday March 29th

B - Eggs & bacon
L - Baked Chicken w/veggies
D - Salmon and Just Like Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Monday March 30th

B - Hot Flax Cereal
L - chicken Salad & a pickle
D - Gumbo w/cauliflower rice

Tuesday March 31st

B - Mock Danish
L - Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Soup
D - Meatloaf and Salad

Wednesday April 1st

B - Omelets
L - Meat and Cheese roll-ups and salad
D - Chicken Enchiladas

Thursday April 2nd

B - Eggs & sausage
L - Baked Cod and green beans
D - Sloppy Joes and Cole Slaw

Friday April 3rd

B - Mock French Toast
L - Hamburgers and steamed veggies
D - Taco Salad

Snacks for the week may include: deviled eggs, home-made low-carb granola, home-made protein bars, cheese sticks

Obviously my menu items like Sloppy Joes, enchiladas, etc. are all low-carb versions and fit well into my plan.

Hopefully this helps you get an idea of how you can plan your meals, stick to your plan and assure a variety in your diet.

Grace Island Cheese Crisps Winners!!!

2009-03-30T11:22:00.002-06:00

I want to thank everyone who played along in the scavenger hunt! It was a lot of fun and I appreciate Kalista Johnston donating the prizes for this drawing.

So two of you lucky peoples just won a sample pack of these delish cheese crisps. And you WILL love them. I kid you not. They are wonderful!

So to choose the winners I used an online random number generator. I told it how many entries we had and asked it for two random numbers. The numbers were 7 and 23. Then I looked at the entries to see who was the 7th and 23rd entry. :) Easy peasy.

Entry #7 was Gail B. from San Antonio, TX

Entry #23 was Josi K. from Willard, Utah

Congrats to you both! You'll be getting an email from me soon about your prizes.

As for the rest of you, I'm so sorry you didn't win. But keep checking back because we have more giveaways lined up in the future! :)

Babies everywhere need your help

2009-03-27T05:48:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone! It's that time of year again. The time where I talk about the March of Dimes. As my long-time readers know, my daughter Rachel had some problems when she was born. While we never got any clear cut answers, we did benefit from the research and the technology that organizations like the March of Dimes have funded. But a few years behind that, my nephew Julian also needed the life-saving help that many preemies need. From my sister's MOD March for Babies page:

As many of you know Chris′ son Julian was born 4 months premature at just over a pound. Julian had many complications and as a result had surgery to help close a cardiac anomaly known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and laser eye surgery due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)---both problems common to premature babies. He also had surgeries to repair Bilateral and Inguinal Hernias as well as procedures to alleviate cranial pressure due to hemorrhages.

When Julian was born (mid-term) the doctors gave him a 20% chance to live. They told his family that if he did make it through alive, he would certainly have one or more disabilities including cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, mental retardation and other arrested development.

Julian was strong and was able overcome all the odds stacked against him. He has worked through his asthma by being active in soccer and swimming. Through ocular therapy, he was able to improve his vision to the point where he wears contacts. Chris is a proud father of a healthy teenager, Boy Scout, big brother, honor student and scholastic mentor.

The March of Dimes funds research to try to prevent premature birth and birth defects. It also helps expectant mothers with prenatal care. If you know Julian you know the world would be a much different place without him. I am proud to know him and happy to be apart of his life.

Please help with what ever you can for this important and life changing cause.

Thank you!

Julian, my sister Lana and my brother-in-law Chris

Julian is an exceptional young man and a blessing in our lives. I can't imagine what life would be like for so many of us if organizations like the March of Dimes weren't dedicated to seeing the end of premature births and birth defects.

I know times are tough right now. We are all trying to stretch those dollars as far as we can. If you can find it in your heart to help this organization who have helped so many for so long, we would all be very grateful. My sister is participating once again in this years March for Babies and has set her goal at a very low $300. She's just over half way there and has just over a week left. If you'd like to help babies everywhere, please visit her MOD page for more information. I've also added a MOD widget above in the sidebar for those who may decide to help before the deadline of April 6th.

Thank you from all the Rachel's and Julian's of the world, and those who love them.

Review and a Giveaway: Grace Island Baked Cheese Crisps

2009-03-19T18:19:00.008-06:00

When I first heard about this tasty sounding new product called Grace Island's Baked Cheese Crisps, I'll admit to having high hopes. Having lived through the whole "low-carb craze" era, where every manufacturer and his dog were pushing their products as low-carb. I'll also admit to being skeptical. Many of those products were not truly low-carb, and some of them were down right nasty tasting. (Nasty as in maybe a dog really did come up with the product.)
With these conflicting emotions fighting for precious, but rare, real estate in my brain, I took a bite of the Baby Swiss flavor. I immediately sold all remaining land to Hope and gave Skepticism it's eviction papers.

I. Am. In. Love.

Not only do these awesome little crisps taste great, but they are also all natural. Grace Island's Baked Cheese Crisps are gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, sugar-free, corn-free and contain no MSG. Does it get any better than that? To quote Kalista Johnston, owner of Grace Island Specialty Foods Inc. and creator of the snack, "The really exciting thing about my crisps is that they are not the usual low-carb new product 'frankenfood'. They are just plain old fresh, wholesome ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now..."

Kalista being a low-carber herself, she knows just what we are looking for. With this in mind she created a product that is healthy, packaged for portion control and easy to take along anywhere - no cooler required! Let me also add that these little bites of heaven are filling and available in 4 great flavors: Romano & Black Peppercorn; Parmesan & Italian Herb; Baby Swiss and Asagio. One serving carried me over for quite a long time.

Nutritional info for the Asagio flavor:

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Serving Size: 1 bag (29 g)
Servings Per Container: 3 bags

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 160
Calories from Fat: 120
Total Fat 13g
Saturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg
Sodium 200mg
Total Carbohydrate 4g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 0g
Protein 10g

Ingredients:
Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, rennet, calcium chloride, salt), egg white, sesame seed, garlic, onion, salt, spices, natural flavor

Allergen Alert:
Contains: Milk, egg

Processed in a grain-free kitchen

To learn more about this amazing product be sure to check out her website at www.graceislandfoods.com.

Don't run off just yet though! I have a fun surprise for you. Kalista has agreed to give two of my readers a sample pack of Grace Island's Baked Cheese Crisps. To enter your name in the giveaway you'll need to participate in a little scavenger hunt. Here's how it works. Simply visit www.graceislandfoods.com and find the answers to the following questions:

1. What state does the Grace Island Specialty Foods, Inc. reside in?
2. What page do you use to submit recipes for inclusion on the website?
3. What is the catchy little saying you'll find on every page of the website?

Send your full name, mailing address and the answers to these questions to me at healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com by March 29th. Be sure to put CHEESE CRISPS GIVEAWAY in your subject line so I can be sure it won't end up in my spam filter. If you find all the correct answers your name will be entered in a random drawing on March 30th. I'll announce the winners here on my blog, so be sure you check back on March 30th!

I need your help

2009-03-17T07:49:00.003-06:00

I'm trying to determine the direction of this blog. In order to do that I need to know what my readers would like to see more of, or less of, as the case may be. I'd thought about starting a poll, but honestly, I'd probably miss some important element. So here's what I'd like, if you don't mind sparing the extra minute or two...

Please leave a comment below answering the following:

What would you like to see more of? News? Research? My psycho-babble? Let me know what you do like and what you'd like to see increase.

What would you like to see less of? Tired of hearing about how tired I am or my teeth falling out? Prefer I don't gripe about junk science? Let me know what you think.

I can't promise I'll follow all the suggestions made, but they will at least give me some things to think about.

So please, pretty please, with all kinds of non-sugary good stuff on top? Please leave a comment (anonymous is fine if you'd rather not be named) and let me know your thoughts.

THANK YOU!!! :)

Beware of falling teeth!

2009-03-13T09:02:00.003-06:00

Hey Gang! I owe you an update, but right now I have an interesting little story to share.

My poor little girl has really been fighting the sickness going around. She recently recovered from bronchitis, and just a few days later ended up going right back to the doctor for something similar. We now have her on antibiotics, steroids, an inhaler and breathing treatments 4 times a day. She is due for a recheck today to see if her lungs are clearing up. So please keep my baby in your prayers. The Dr. thinks it could be allergy related issues, but we just don't know yet.

But my story today isn't about my daughter, although you needed to know that tidbit to set up the scene. It's about my teeth. Yes, I said my teeth. So here's the scenario...

I'm in the doctors office on Wednesday afternoon. My daughter is getting a breathing treatment while I sit beside her and read. I have a small piece of sugar-free gum in my mouth. Suddenly, instantly and without warning, my front tooth falls out. BAM! And there it is, lying in my hand in all it's fake enameled glory (it's a crown). At this point I have no idea how to even react. I think I was in a type of shock. Seriously, at 35 years of age who wakes up and says "I wonder if my tooth will fall out today?" It just doesn't happen. Yeah, I could have stuck it under my pillow, but the tooth fairy can't give me near enough to replace what I paid for that crown, so I'll keep it, thank you very much.

My daughter's eyes grow huge as she realizes what just happened. Just seconds later the doctor walks in and starts listening to Rachel's lungs again. I sit quietly, my tooth clutched in my hand. And while I'm trying really hard to focus on what the doctor is saying to Rachel, it's difficult because I'm having flashbacks from my dentist visit a couple of years ago. If you don't remember that horrendous story, feel free to go check it out. It was a nightmare.

Now the doctor is talking to me, and again I'm trying to listen. I carefully ask her to repeat her instructions once again to be sure I have understood them, then I grab a kleenex and wrap my tooth up. The Dr. looks at me kinda funny and I explain what happened. She expresses shock as well, but then tells me of a substance I can use to temporarily glue it back until I can get to the dentist.

We make it home and my husband is waiting there. Obviously his first question isn't "Hey, did your tooth fall out at the doctors office by any chance?". He was concerned about our daughter and asks what the doctor said. I just start to tell him when Rachel blurts out, "Mom's tooth fell out while we were there!" I confirm the fact, then show him and in his state of I-cannot-believe-that-happened he recommends I call the dentist immediately. Sadly for me the dentist office just closed so I have to leave a message.

Anyone remember what it was like as a kid trying to talk without one, or both, of your front teeth? It's a little spitty. And a little slthurrish. And I ended up sounding like Slyvester from Looney Toons. Here's the message I left the dentist.

"Hi, thish isth Amy Dungan. I need to sthee the doctor asth sthoon asth possthible. My front crown fell out justh a few mintuths ago. Pleasth call me back at..." then left my phone number, which contains several "sthevens and sthixes".

I hang up the phone and my husband is doing his dead-level best not to bust out laughing. I give him the this-is-so-not-funny-and-if-you-dare-laugh-you-will-sleep-on-the-couch-for-a-month look. He laughed anyway. Since I generally have a pretty good sense of humor I tried to laugh too, but just couldn't make it happen. I think it's because smiling showed the missing tooth... wow did that look bad. I looked like one of those characters from some hillbilly show.

I won't bore you with the rest of the details of the evening - like trying to eat, brushing my teeth, sleeping, etc. But I will say it has a happy ending. Yesterday morning the Dentist got me right in and for $30 glued the crown back in place. I can eat, smile, talk... even chew gum without fear now. But I did learn a valuable lesson in all this. Next time I need dental work I will not be going with the cheapest dentist I can find, as I did two years ago. No, next time I'll just bite my tongue and deal with the bill.

Another Update

2009-03-06T12:24:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone. I thought I'd check in and give you the 411 on what's up with me. I'm still sick. I'm better than I was and even felt pretty good on Tuesday. But by that evening I was not feeling so good again. Maybe I pushed it a bit. I took my kids roller skating and did a little skating myself.

Anyway, I'm still struggling to breathe and am using the inhaler the dr. gave me pretty often. Hubby want's me to go back to the doctor in case this is more than just bronchitis. He's afraid I may be developing pneumonia. I've never had it, so I don't know what pneumonia is like. I have had bronchitis however and I usually suffer pretty good when I get it. I was hoping this would be a short stint, but now I don't know. I'm going to hang on and keep using the inhaler like the dr. told me to. I'm still on antibiotics, and have a few more days left of those. If I still feel like this on Monday I guess I'll have no choice but to go back to the doctor. Sometimes it feels like someone is sitting on my chest. It's not comfortable at all and the inhaler does help at those times. But at this point I really think it's just part of the bronchitis and will have to run it's course.

What stinks is that it's really wearing me out. I get tired very quickly. (I guess from getting less oxygen than I normally get.) So I get up and do a few things, then I'm wiped out again. It say the least, little to nothing has gotten done around the house, let alone the blog or my examiner column. Today I'm enlisting my kids help to get it all done. I'd like to actually relax this weekend, not freak out about how much cleaning needs done. LOL

So I'd appreciate prayers, good vibes, what ever you want to send my way. I have a photo shoot on Tuesday and really need my strength for it. Not to mention I would really like to just feel normal again. My usual fatigue will feel like an energy surge compared to this. :)

Have a great weekend everyone and I hope to be back Monday reporting improvement and getting back to the subject of low-carb, weight-loss and health!

Atkins announces return of peanut butter products

2009-03-04T08:59:00.005-06:00

(Reprint from my Examiner column)

The recent peanut butter scare had manufacturers pulling products off the shelves faster than you can say salmonella, and with good reason. While many companies, like Atkins Nutritionals, believe the products they recalled were more than likely safe, no one wants to be the company that wasn’t careful. For that reason many low-carbers had to say good-bye to their favorite snack bars for a while. But rejoice oh deprived ones! Atkins has just announced the return of all things peanut butter-ish.

Atkins Snack Bars Now Available at Atkins.com and in Stores Nationwide

DENVER, CO. (March 2, 2009) - Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. ("Atkins"), with its market-leading, weight-management products, announced that your favorite Atkins(tm) bars are back! Atkins has moved quickly to replace those bars voluntarily recalled in the nationwide recall. New bars are now available for purchase at atkins.com and will be in retail stores across the country by mid-March.

"We've worked quickly to replace your favorite Atkins bars so you can resume enjoying our delicious products," said Jennifer McGhee, VP of Marketing for Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. "We are confident that our ingredients and snack bars are inspected and certified to be safe, wholesome and nutritious."

The following reformulated Atkins bars are now available for purchase:
• Advantage® Chocolate Peanut Butter
• Advantage® Peanut Fudge Granola
• Advantage® Peanut Butter Granola
• Day Break(tm) Cranberry Almond
• Day Break(tm) Peanut Butter Fudge Crisp
• Endulge(tm) Peanut Caramel Cluster

Visit Atkins.com for more information.

I'm sick

2009-02-24T11:34:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone. My kids were sick most of last week, and that kept me pretty busy. This week it's my turn I guess. I'll try to post again soon. I need to heal first. Have a great week.

Support is a key element in success

2009-02-17T09:05:00.004-06:00

I know I touched on this subject a bit yesterday, but thought I'd talk about it a little more today. I put this together for my examiner column. You can read it here or there, please just remember to go to my column either way so I get credit. :)

Support is a key element in success
(reprint from my Examiner.com column)

Recently I read an eye-opening article by Dr. Mike Eades, co-author of the popular low-carb plan Protein Power. In this blog post he discusses the difficulties we sometimes have in doing what we know is best for us, diet or otherwise. It all has to do with two areas in our brains called nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and insula. These two areas are activated by different stimuli. NAcc is activated by things that excited you – a new gadget, your favorite foods, etc. The insula is activated by less exciting things – like how much that new ipod costs or knowing you’ll gain 5 lbs over night from eating that donut. It’s kind of the shoulder angel and shoulder devil if you will. The shoulder devil says, “Wouldn’t those cookies taste so good right now? You really deserve to enjoy yourself!” Your NAcc gets excited and makes you seriously consider eating the cookie. But then your shoulder angel, the insula, steps in. “Don’t eat that! You’ve done so well and you know it will make you bloated and feel awful later!” This is the battle you go through on a daily basis, whether it’s food, buying decisions or even ways to spend your time.

Dr. Eades suggests that when surrounded by a high-carb, low-fat society, our insula gets bombarded with all the negative messages about low-carb living that are constantly thrown our way. This nice little area of our brain goes from working for us, in most cases keeping us cautious, to working against us. Now our insula is telling us we should be careful and many people think what we are doing is dangerous. Then the NAcc pushes its way through and convinces you to go ahead and eat that potato because it may not be that bad for you, despite the fact that you’ll regret it later.

Getting daily support and affirmations for your chosen lifestyle is vital to keeping yourself on track. Checking in with like-minded people on forums, through emails, or even just reading blogs and websites, will keep you encouraged. So keep your insula happy by confirming daily in your head what you already know in your heart. Tell that NAcc to take a hike when temptation comes a calling by seeking out your favorite sources of inspiration.

Need some new inspiration? Feel free to check out my favorite blogs and website links listed on the right of this page.

More Photos from the Gary Taubes Talk in November

2009-02-16T17:11:00.006-06:00

I never did get around to sharing the rest of the photos I took from the talk Gary Taubes gave in November. So here are few more for you. Enjoy. Or ignore. Your choice. :)

Gary Taubes and I

Gary and Gil Wilshire

Gary and Regina Wilshire

Dana Carpender and I

Gil is interviewed by a student while my husband John & David Nelson look on. Regina and Bill Allen talk in the background.

Bill Allen, Regina Wilshire and I

Gary talks to a group of students

Dana discusses something with Gary

Interesting tid-bits and the word LIKE

2009-02-16T10:02:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Valentine's Weekend!

Today I thought I'd share some bits and pieces that caught my attention in the news. And then I have a story to tell you about that four letter word so many people use... like.

Let's look at the headlines first:

Britney's cousin Alli Sims assaulted with alcohol by film producer - So what does this have to do with low-carb? I asked myself that too when I saw the headline in my inbox. Turns out the drink he threw on her was a new Australian low-carb beer! Wow... I know you are all in awe of such news. Obviously many media outlets felt this was newsworthy though. I've seen this headline in several places. *SIGH* So glad the important stuff is getting covered.

Low-carb diet burns more excess liver fat than low-cal diet - Does this surprise anyone? Didn't think so. They keep posting these headlines like it's some miraculous new discovery. Low-carbers have known these things for years... but nobody has bothered to listen to us.

Controlling Type 2 Diabetes With Low-Carb Diets - Again, nothing new. But I'm glad to see that the media is finally starting to print the truth, instead of sensationalizing the myths.

After 24 weeks, their glycemic control was determined by a blood test that measured hemoglobin A1C, a standard test used to determine blood sugar control in patients with diabetes. Of those who completed the study, the volunteers in the low-carbohydrate diet group had greater improvements in hemoglobin A1C. Diabetes medications were reduced or eliminated in 95 percent of the low-carbohydrate volunteers, compared to 62 percent in the low-glycemic group. The low-carbohydrate diet also resulted in a greater reduction in weight.

This is just awesome and I hope more doctors open their eyes and see the facts that continue to stare them in the face. Which would you rather have - medication or a diet change. I'd vote for a diet change any day. And patients should have that choice.

Low-carb battles in your brain - More fantastic illumination from our beloved Dr. Mike. He helps explain why we sometimes struggle with sticking to our diets. It's a fascinating read that you don't want to miss!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

(Photo Source: http://www.intriguing.com/mp/pictures.php)

The word like. It's not a big word. It's not a fancy word. It is a four letter word, but then there are many of those, and this one isn't censorable. So why is this word so prevalent in some people's vocabulary? I'm going to tell you a story about something my hubby and I witnessed Saturday night. But instead of telling you this story the way I would normally tell it, I'll do it as if the subject of my story was telling it.

So, like, we went to our favorite, like, restaurant for Valentine's Day. Cause like, ya know, we like, wanted to celebrate. The place was like, packed and we like, had to wait for over, like, an hour or more to be, like, seated. We were tired of, like, being crammed in like sardines, so we like, headed to the bar to get something to like, drink. While standing at the bar, there was like, these two collage girls sharing a drink and like, talking about stuff. As some young people do, they like, were talking really, like, loud. So like, everyone in the bar area could like, hear their every word. And when you add, like, alcohol to like, a loud collage student, it like, really gets loud. And like, kind of like, obnoxious.

So she like, talks about all kinds of things, and, like, uses the word like so often that I start counting because ya know, it's like, funny! We stood there for probably like, 30 minutes or so and I like, counted part of that time, and like, I swear I heard the word like probably at least like, 100 times. It got so annoying that we like, left the bar and stood outside near, like, the tables. And like, about 15 minutes later, she like, left the bar area and went, like, outside. Then she like, came back in and like, ran right into me, cause she was ya know, like, drunk. Then she like, kept going without even saying, like, excuse me or even like, I'm sorry.
If I were like, a betting person, I'd like, lay money that she went to her dorm room and puked, if she like, made it there at all.

So like, hubby and I are talking about it later, and I, like, say Hey.. wouldn't it be, like, cra-hazy if some people, like, wrote like they, like, talked.

So now you like, know where I got the like, inspiration for this part of the like, post. Cause some like, drunk college student, like, has no idea how to properly like, use the English language.

If you made it through that entire story without wanting to hang yourself, I congratulate you on your strong constitution. Honestly, I fear most of you were like the people on the movie Airplane, who would rather die than listen to the entire stories. I know I couldn't get out of the bar fast enough. It went from amusing to nauseating after a matter of minutes.

Next time you are talking with a younger person, see if they use the word like too much. And if you are a younger person, forgive us old fogies who are driven crazy by this kind of thing. ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T06:50:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! Life has kept me super busy this week! I'm so glad this is Friday. The weekend couldn't get here fast enough!

I just wanted to send out some Valentine's Day love and wishes to all my fantastic friends out there. You all have been such a blessing in my life and I have so much fun getting to know you through your comments, emails, etc.

I hope your Valentine's Day is full of love and laughter. And remember, you don't need candy to make the celebration special - you are sweet just as you are! :-)

Fat Head The Movie - My new favorite DVD!

2009-02-09T17:25:00.005-06:00

(Photo from www.fathead-movie.com)

Comedian/filmaker Tom Naughton serves up super size facts and fun in his documentary titled Fat Head. This hilarious rebuttal to Morgan Spurlocks film Super Size Me is now available on DVD and includes interviews with doctors, nutritionists and political scientists - including some of our favorite people, such as Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Al Sears, and Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price foundation.

Regardless of your opinion of Spurlock's film, Fat Head is a must-see. Naughton shares facts about junk science while proving nearly everything we've been told about health and nutrition is wrong.

This film is all about misleading science, educating us about the truth, and personal accountability. With it's monty-python-like cartoons and Tom's great sense of humor, it's so much fun to watch that even my kids enjoyed it. They were learning and didn't even realize it. Just ask my 12 and 10 year old what sugar does to your body and how you store fat. They will give you details! Do they still like fast food? Yes. Will they think about how their food choices effect their health from now on? Yes. I dare say, after watching Fat Head, you will too. And unlike Spurlock, Tom will share his food diary.

This is now my new favorite movie. (Sorry Wall-E, you just got bumped.) I've watched it twice and just loaned it to a friend.

Want a sneak peak? Enjoy.

Fun with Photos

2009-02-07T21:25:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone, completely non-low-carb post ahead:

I just wanted to share some fun I'm having with photoshop right now. My kids have always wondered what it would be like to be a twin, so tonight I let them see it, through the magic of photography and photoshop. Hope you enjoy....

A pillow fight... with yourself?

DS dueling - Who won?

Salmonella Info anyone?

2009-02-06T09:06:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Melting Mama for sharing this handy-dandy and somewhat disturbing widget.

Wow... just wow!

2009-02-06T08:40:00.002-06:00

I just read the most awesome post by Dr. Mike Eades. He talks about meditating in the garden of self-loathing and how we follow through with commitments to others, but not ourselves. It is a very inspirational read and I suggest you check it out - especially if you are struggling to stick to your plan.

Go read it here.

Love bacon?

2009-02-04T20:04:00.005-06:00

I think we all need one of these:

Wake n' Bacon

It should be mandatory. Like smoke detectors.

I'm just sayin.....

Splendid Low-Carbing on sale until Feb. 14th!

2009-02-03T11:29:00.004-06:00

Hey gang! I forgot to mention something very important yesterday! *EEK!!!*

My good friend Jennifer Eloff felt so bad that she couldn't give away more copies of her great cookbook Splended Low-Carbing, that she's made a special deal just for readers of this blog!

All 5 of her LC books normally sell for $77.70, but on this LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER they will sell for only $57.77!

Splendid Low-Carbing, which is a national best-seller, normally sells for $23.95 but on this LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER it will sell for only $17.77!

This is a great deal on some fabulous cookbooks, so don't miss out. These special prices will only last until the end of Valentine's day. (Wouldn't this make an awesome valentines gift!)

Just follow this link to get this VIP pricing. (All my readers are VIPs. You know that, right? *smile*)

Let's laugh at HFCS, shall we?

2009-02-03T11:12:00.003-06:00

I'm sure you all remember those ridiculous ads about HFCS and how it's healthy in moderation. Today I thought I'd share some rebuttals to those well written *snort* and concise *choke, gasp, wheeze* advertisements coming to us from the Corn Refiners Association.

High fructose corn syrup ads evoke sarcasm and concern
(Reprint from my Examiner column)

You have to love the creativity of people, especially when they feel strongly about a cause. You probably all know by know how I feel about high fructose corn syrup. People start pushing the whole 'it's fine in moderation" baloney and I have to use duct tape to keep my head from exploding. It's not healthy and it's difficult, if not impossible, to moderate thanks to it being an ingredient in a large percentage of today's processed foods. I'm far from being the only one that believes this. Just take a gander at the links I've provided below and you'll see exactly what I mean. Not all of these are scientifically correct, but they sure have fun making their points. Consumers are tired of corporations treating us like we are a bunch of uneducated lemmings.

I think the following video is my favorite. I want to adopt this kid.

More silly anti-HFCS viewing fun:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Ad 2

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Get the facts!

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: The REAL Truth

They Don't Want You To Know About High Fructose Corn Syrup

And on the serious side, a video with one of our favortie anti-sugar guru's - Connie Bennett:

A Sour View of Corn Refiners' Sweetener Ads

Atkins voluntarily recalls peanut products

2009-02-03T08:51:00.004-06:00

Reprint from my Examiner column

While Atkins Nutritionals believes all of it's peanut containing products to be safe, they have decided to pull some of the products in their line just to be safe. Below is the press release and contact information, should you need it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATKINS(tm) NUTRITIONALS PARTICIPATES IN VOLUNTARY PEANUT RECALL

DENVER, CO. (January 31, 2009) - On January 20, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. (Atkins) announced that none of its products were affected by the widely publicized recall of peanut butter and peanut paste processed at the Blakely, Georgia facility of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), and linked to an outbreak of Salmonella related complaints and illnesses. On January 28, 2009, PCA unexpectedly expanded its voluntary recall to include all peanuts and peanut products processed at its Georgia facility. Although Atkins products contain no peanut butter or peanut paste sourced from PCA, four Atkins products do contain granulated peanuts, or peanut pieces, sourced from PCA's Georgia facility. As a result of PCA's expanded recall, Atkins has determined to voluntarily recall these four Atkins products out of an abundance of caution because they contain granulated peanuts recalled by PCA. While Atkins has determined to voluntarily participate in this recall, purely as a precautionary measure, out of concern for our consumers and retail customers, we are confident all our products are safe. Atkins requires extensive laboratory testing of all ingredients used in every Atkins product, and our finished products are also rigorously tested. As a result of Atkins' food safety protocols, and the extensive laboratory testing on all Atkins products, no Salmonella contamination has been found in any of the Atkins products subject to this recall, but the Company is taking this step to assure our consumers that food safety is our highest priority.

Only the following products are subject to this voluntary recall:

Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter

Advantage Peanut Fudge Granola

Day Break Peanut Butter Fudge Crisp

Endulge Peanut Caramel Cluster

For Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter bars, only products manufactured after April 2008 are subject to the recall and detailed information pertaining to affected lot numbers is available at www.atkins.com.

No other Atkins products are affected by this recall. Atkins apologizes to consumers and retail customers for the inconvenience resulting from this recall. If consumers find that they have any of these products in their possession, they are asked not to consume the products. Consumers seeking a replacement or refund for recalled products should call Atkins Consumer Hotline number, 1-8.... Atkins intends to update this notice as the situation develops.

People infected with Salmonella can have some or all of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious disease, including headache, joint pain, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

NOTE: If you are one of our Great Start Giveaway winners and will be getting the Atkins gift pack, we have removed all bars that were included in the recall and are replacing with them with other options. The folks at Atkins even mentioned tossing in some extra goodies for you. :)

2nd Annual Great Start Giveaway Winners!

2009-02-02T17:06:00.013-06:00

Hey Everyone! It's finally that time - time to announce the winners of our 2nd annual Great Start Giveaway! Wow has this month gone by fast. It seems like it was just a few days ago when all this fun started. But now here we are at the end and I know you are dying to see if you won, so I'll do my best to make this short and sweet. :)

First I want to thank all of you who read here daily. It's an honor for me to connect with so many people in such a simple way. And if some of my babblings are helpful, then I really get excited! I also want to say that I wish I had prizes to give all of you. I seriously would if I could work it out. I wanted to last year as well, and I joked about how I'd be bankrupt if I tried. Well last year was nuthin' folks. This year we literally had HUNDREDS of entries. I could barely keep up. And let me tell ya, your guesses were fabulous! Even if you didn't get them all, I could see some real creative wheels turning through your entries. Some of you flat out made me laugh with your intentional off-the-wall guesses. (You know who you are!)

So, per tradition (aka the way I did it last year), I'll announce the Honorable Mentions first.

Honorable Mentions are the folks who guessed the most correct. Unlike last year, (where we had no one guess them all, but a few came close) we had several guess every last one of them. So, in no certain order, here are the honorees...

Honorable Mentions

Mandy F. from OR
T.J. F. from GA
Jamie H. from SC
Erica G. from AR
Jennifer A. from MI
Misty C. from OH
Denise B. from MO
April M. from IL
Kyle R. from TX

Congrats to these folks for guessing the correct answers for all 7 photos! I'm impressed! If you didn't guess them all, don't feel bad. If I hadn't been the one that took the photos, I guarantee I wouldn't have known what most of them were. They really are hard to figure out sometimes!

Ok, next we'll announce the answers to the mystery photos. He ya go:

Photo 1

Rubber Bands

Photo 2

Bendy Straw

Photo 3

Key

Photo 4

Digital Timer/Clock/Numbers/Calculator (Any of those are acceptable.)

Photo 5

Toilet Paper Roll/Paper Towel Roll (Both are acceptable.)

Photo 6

SOS Pad/Brillo Pad/Steel Wool

Photo 7

Flyswatter

I really appreciate everyone who gave these an effort. You all did very well!

Ok, now on to the big news. The winners! I do need to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people and companies who donated prizes to this years giveaway. Without them, I'd be handing out stick figure drawings... and while I'm sure you'd all love to have one, I'll bet you like these prizes much better. :) Each of the following winners will be receiving an email from me this week in regards to their prizes.

PureVia Winners:

1. Timothy A.from WI
2. Kyle R. from TX
3. Cindy B. from OR
4. Beth P. from KS
5. Carol A. from MA
6. Maria D. from AL
7. Vickilynn H. from NC
8. Justin W. from TX
9. T.J. F. from GA
10. Shari H. from OK
11. Cate N. from CA
12. Jamie V. from CO
13. Ruth A. from MI
14. Jennifer F. from CA
15. April A. from MI
16. Karolyn S. from CA
17. Dawn H. from TX
18. Dana A. from FL
19. Saira H. from MO
20. Burton B. from UT
21. Dawn V. from MD
22. Jan C. from NY
23. Greg M. from TX
24. Jamie H. from SC

Sugarettes Book Winners:

1. Sandi M. from Canada
2. Melissa P from TX

Cereal Killer Book Winners:
1. Dawna B. from CA
2. Jodi A. from LA
3. Faye D. from CO
4. Deborah E. from IN

Autographed Copy of Carb Wars:
1. Lisa B. from KY

Splendid Low-Carbing Winner:
1. Katina M. from NC

Atkins Gift Pack Winners:
1. Kathy S. from WI
2. Beth A. from NC
3. Trina S. from GA

Dana Carpender's Every Calorie Counts Winner:
1. Shirley S. in OH

Dana Carpender's 500 Low-Carb Recipes Winner:
1. Lynn S. from AK

Dana Carpender's Glycemic Load Diet Cookbook Winner:
1. Sally F. from FL

ChocoPerfection Assortment Pack Winners:
1. Shannon F. from MA
2. Angie E. from TX
3. AnnMarie M. from CA

EatSmart Scale Set Winner:
1. Mindy F. from OR

Congrats to all of you! I'm so excited for each of you!!

Again I want to thank you for reading my blog! I hope my old friends will continue to visit me for years to come. I hope the new readers will continue to come back so I may call them my friends as well. :)

Be on the lookout for more fun, information and giveaways in the future! I can't wait to see what this year has in store for us all. Here's to all of us and our healthy low-carb lifestyles!

Atkins bars could be yours!

2009-02-01T09:28:00.004-06:00

Well, we are down to the final day of the giveaway AND the final prize. Hopefully you have sent in your entry and are ready for the big announcement tomorrow. :)

Today I want to tell you about a nice gift pack put together by the generous folks at Atkins Nutritionals. Three readers will each win a gift pack of Atkins bars containing the following:

Atkins Endulge Peanut Butter Cups

Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Atkins Endulge Caramel Nut Chew Bars

Atkins Advantage Peanut Fudge Granola Bar

Atkins Advantage Marshmallow Mudslide Bar

Atkins Advantage Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

Atkins Advantage S'mores Bar

I've tried all of these flavors and liked every one. How can you go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate?? :) While not something you should eat everyday, you can use Atkins bars and shakes for quick snacks or on-the-go meals when you have no other healthy options. I use them when I need to and they have been a lifesaver at times when I was starving and it would be a good while before I had access to low-carb food. I know some people are really against the low-carb "frankenfoods". But let me tell ya, they are certainly better than giving in to the ice cream and cake at Timmy's birthday party. And if used wisely, can be a tool to help you with your weight loss goals.

Never tried Atkins products? Here's your chance! As I said before, three lucky winners will get a gift pack with each of the aforementioned bars. So today is your last chance to send in an entry and win one of the many great prizes we have this year. Don't wait too long or you just might miss out!

Giveaway Friendly Reminder!

2009-01-31T18:28:00.002-06:00

Hey gang! Tomorrow is the last day we are accepting entries into the Great Start Giveaway.

I need to remind everyone that along with your guesses I need you mailing information or I will be unable to send you a prize should your name be drawn.

Also we've had some entries from outside the United States. I've looked over the possibilities and at this time am sad to report that I can currently only send prizes to the US and Canada. I'm so sorry my dear friends who live elsewhere, but the costs of shipping is just not doable right now. :(

Dana Carpender Cookbooks - Win one!

2009-01-31T11:30:00.008-06:00

Everyone loves good food. I think we are all foodies at heart. With low-carb cooking you can seriously enjoy your food without guilt or worry. Does it get any better than that??? (OK, yeah.. winning the lottery might top it, but I'm talking things that actually can apply to us all.)

If you like good food, easy recipes and great health - look no further than cookbooks from my friend Dana Carpender. You will find everything you need to keep your meal plans interesting and enjoyable. Over the years Dana has given us a great collection of cookbooks to cover just about every cooking style and preference. From smoothies to barbecue to slow cookers, she has helped us with it all!

Dana has generously donated three of her cookbooks to our Great Start Giveaway and I want to tell you about them now.

First, the mother of all lc cookbooks... 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love.

When I first started low-carbing back in 2001, I knew very little about cooking anything other than low-fat meals. I had a lot to learn! I quickly picked up the basics and spent lots of time searching the Internet for recipes. In 2002 a good friend of mine bought a copy of Dana's 500 Low-Carb Recipes for me as a gift. It is one of the most used cookbooks I own! I enjoy this particular cookbook so much that I bought several and gave them out to family and friends.

The first several pages of this cookbook are dedicated to helping low-carbers understand the use of various ingredients, as well as how the carb counts are calculated in each recipe. Dana also give us helpful tips for enjoying and succeeding in our low-carb lifestyles. And then there are the recipes!

Just a few of my favorites from 500 Low-Carb recipes include:

* Heroin Wings (The name suits.. they are addicting!)
* Taco Omelet
* Country Scramble
* Turnips Au Gratin
* Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
* Shrimp Scampi
* Skillet Stroganoff
* Mexican Meatballs
* Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Kathy's Peanut Butter Protein Bars
* Cocoa

Not to mention all the sauces, dressings and even condiments she teaches us how to prepare in this amazing cookbook!

If you are looking for great low-carb recipes that will satisfy the whole family, then look no further! This is the cookbook for you. No low-carb library should be without it!

Next we have her cookbook titled Dana Carpender's Every Calorie Counts Cookbook: 500 Great-Tasting, Sugar-Free, Low-Calorie Recipes that the Whole Family Will Love.

Dana caught a little heat over this title, but I can assure you this cookbook is every bit pure low-carb cooking. So how did she cut calories in this cookbook? By cutting the carbs of course! :)

From Dana's Website:

Are you counting carbs? Are you counting calories? Or are you just plain trying to eat healthy? This is the cookbook for you!

...we all need to eat food that's both healthy and delicious, that keeps us full, and makes us feel and look fabulous. And since we're all seriously busy, it sure would help if it wasn't a pain to cook!

Here you go! Five hundred recipes, from family suppers to party fare. Plenty of protein, a harvest of fruits and vegetables, the good fats you need for vibrant health. Great whole grain flavor without the high blood sugar impact. And every recipe has the carbs, calories, fiber, fat and protein counts worked out - plus a vitamin and mineral breakdown! You'll know you're getting what you need.

Try:
Chile Verde Cheese Burgers * Crab Fritters with Lemon Aioli * Skillet Buttermilk Cornbread * Grilled Asparagus with Wasabi Mayonnaise * Apple and Wild Rice Salad * Blinky's Texas Red * Tequila-Lime Chicken Skillet * Sizzling Moroccan Shrimp * Ginger-Melon Frappe * Plum Sorbet * Chocolate Velvet * Better-Than-Whole-Grain Pancakes

If those recipes don't tempt you, your dead. Wait.. even a dead person might rise from the grave for some Tequila-Lime Chicken Skillet. I would!

Last but not least, we have Dana's newest masterpiece, co-written with Dr. Rob Thompson, The Glycemic-Load Diet Cookbook: 150 Recipes to Help You Lose Weight and Reverse Insulin Resistance

While specifically written to help those following Dr. Thompsons low-carb plan, naturally this will work for any low-carber. I personally follow Atkins, but found Dr. Thompson's suggestions in this book helpful and accurate. I found myself liking Rob Thompson more and more with every word I read. I believe this is a fantastic and simple plan should anyone want to try it. Dana agrees and delivers once again with amazing recipes that are easy, delicious and healthy.

The back cover entices you with recipes such as:

Spinach Mushroom Frittata
Apple Walnut Pancakes
Oriental Chicken Salad
Oyster Bisque
Ham and Pineapple Slaw
Sesame Short Ribs
Lemon Mustard Pork Chops
Indian Lamb Skillet
Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake

I could probably live off of those 10 recipes for the rest of my life and be happy. Thanks to the genius of people like Dana, we have a huge variety of ways to keep our low-carb lifestyle from becoming ho-hum. If it were up to my creativity, we'd probably all be eating bunless hamburgers and salads for the rest of our lives. (I'm simple minded and lazy.. what can I say?)

Three of you wonderful, gorgeous, fantastic, amazing, adorable readers are going to win a copy of one of these books. Are you excited yet? Do I need to tell you once again how wonderful you are? :)

Make sure you have entered by midnight tomorrow night, Jan. 1st, for your chance to win these must-have cookbooks, or any of the other amazing prizes we have up for grabs!

Win an autographed copy of Carb Wars!

2009-01-31T10:40:00.004-06:00

In Carb Wars: Sugar is the New Fat, Judy Barnes Baker certainly gives us a glimpse of what true luxurious eating can be like with the low-carb lifestyle. While flipping through my copy I found so many recipes I wanted to try that I couldn't decide where to start!

And this book isn't all recipes. Judy took the time to share some eye opening history about today's dietary recommendations, as well as information for getting started on a low-carb plan and explanations about specialty items commonly used in low-carb cooking.

There is a great assortment of tantalizing recipes in this book. I haven't made them all yet, but I'm doing my best! So far, not one recipe has been a disappointment. And I expect each new dish I try to continue to please.

In this years giveaway you could win an autographed copy of Carb Wars! So be sure to get your entries in asap. There are only 2 days left! We will be drawing the winners on Feb. 2nd, do don't miss out!

ChocoPerfection - eat your winnings!

2009-01-29T10:17:00.004-06:00

One of the great prizes we are giving away this year is a variety pack of ChocoPerfection bars! Three luck winners will get the opportunity to enjoy all three flavors available; Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Dark Chocolate. If you've never tried this amazing sugar-free low-carb treat, you've been missing out! Seriously, it's chocolate. Do I really need to say anymore??

ChocoPerfection is aptly named! It is the perfect chocolate bar for low-carbers or anyone who is watching their sugar intake. The best part, besides the rich decadent taste, is the lack of maltitol, which has recently been proven to be high on the glycemic index. Sweetened with oligofructose and erithrytol (a non-gastric-distress sugar alcohol), ChocoPerfection has a luxurious creamy texture that it's competitors have yet to prefect. And oligofructose has benefits! According to a flyer I got about Chocoperfection, oligofructose has scientists proclaiming it as "part of a new breed of 'functional foods' that have a variety of properties to improve your health, including curing the body of infections and supporting weight loss." Want to hear more? They also tell us that oligofructose is derived from the chicory plant and is classified as a "prebiotic fiber" which means it will "take root in your digestive tract and support the growth of beneficial probiotic microflora."

You can purchase these directly from Low Carb Specialties, or from retailers such as CarbSmart, Netrition, and the dark raspberry bar from Amazon.com.

Thanks to Mary Jo Kringas, creator of ChocoPerfection, three of my lucky readers will have a chance to win an assortment of these fantastic bars in our drawing on Feb. 2nd! If you haven't already entered the giveaway for a chance at one of these delicious prizes, do so today! Time is running out! We must have all entries by Midnight on Feb. 1st.

Win Splendid Low-Carbing by Jennifer Eloff!

2009-01-27T15:48:00.003-06:00

Another fabulous prize in our giveaway this month is Jennifer Eloff's national best selling cookbook Splendid low-carbing: A complete guide for low-carb living. Just looking at the photos on the back of the cover start my mouth watering.

This book contains 191 pages of recipes that will knock your socks off, so hang on to your other apparel. You'd look strange sitting there in your birthday suit reading a cookbook. :)

Seriously though, how can you go wrong with recipes like these:

Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Avocado Walnut Salad
Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf
Buttermilk-Parmesan Dressing
Cinnamon-Swirl Egg Bread
Apple Walnut Torte

I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll do something better. I'll share a recipe from this amazing cookbook so you can see for yourself.

BACON CHEESE SPREAD
Your friends will beg you for this recipe!

8 oz light cream cheese, softened (250 g)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (125 mL)
11/2 cups Cheddar cheese (375 mL)
2 tbsp chopped chives, OR (25 mL)
green onions
1 tsp dried parsley (5 mL)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (1 mL)
8 crisply cooked bacon slices

In food processor with sharp blade or in blender, process cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese mixture, Cheddar cheese, chives or green onions, parsley and garlic powder until well combined. Spread evenly in 9-inch (23 cm) glass pie dish.

Place bacon on bacon rack and cover with two paper towels. Microwave on high power 7 to 8 minutes. Cut into small pieces with pair of kitchen scissors. Garnish top of cheese spread with bacon pieces. Bake in 350°F (180C) oven 15 minutes and serve with low-carb crackers or slices of English cucumber.

Yield: 12 servings
1 serving
176.4 calories
7.5 g protein
15.7 g fat
1.1 g carbs

This is just a tiny taste of what awaits you in this fantastic book. If you are interested in ordering it, you can find it on Amazon.com or on her website.

Of course, you may just win a copy on Feb. 2nd when we draw the winners for our Great Start Giveaway. Have you entered? Well what are you waiting for - Krispy Kreme to announce a healthy menu? Ain't gonna happen, so enter while you still have time!

Just a quickie...

2009-01-27T14:15:00.002-06:00

Don't say it! I'm not that kinda girl!

Anyhoo.. just wanted to let you know that there are still a few days left for voting in the Wellsphere People's Health Blogger Awards. I probably don't have a snowball's chance in hades, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention anyhow.

If you'd like to vote for me, here's an easy button to help:

for
Amy D.

http://lovinglowcarblife.blogspot.com/

There are some great bloggers in this contest, so I feel honored to just be among them in this voting.

I thank you, my blog thanks you, and the bacon on my plate thanks you!

Win Sugerettes by Scott Olsen!

2009-01-27T12:43:00.004-06:00

Only a few days left in the giveaway and yet so many prizes to tell you about! (As I type with a burnt index finger...)

I've had the opportunity to read some fantastic books in the past few months, despite what little time I seem to have. One of those books was Sugarettes by Scott Olsen. This was another one of those books I just couldn't put down.

Sugarettes - sugar plays the unassuming Villian
Reprint from Examiner.com

Sugar, the bane of our existence. Once considered a luxury, it can now be found in every food imaginable. Its many forms can be located in the ingredients list of edibles ranging from the expected, like ice cream, to the unexpected, like tomato sauce. (Why again do we need sugar in tomato sauce?) I call it a bane because it’s difficult to imagine life without it, and yet we’d be better off if we never touched the stuff. You may think this is just my personal opinion, but there are many people, not to mention studies, that agree. It’s a poison of sorts, but unlike arsenic, it kills us slowly. Sadly, too many of us don’t understand that and continue our addiction to a substance that is just as dangerous as any other drug available.

Dr. Scott Olson ND understands the sugar problem we have in our society and wrote a fantastic book on the subject. Sugarettes, Sugar Addiction and Your Health is a tidy little book with wonderful nuggets of information that will keep you interested and educated. The cover and title are clever and give you a real sense of what you’ll find inside. There are illustrations about cells, sugar, and insulin response which are a great aid for those who need to visualize the process. (That'd be me!) Not only does Scott explain how sugar destroys our health, but he includes some history behind the human diet, and gives us some ideas of ways to rid ourselves of this white poison for good.

If you have a sugar addict in your family, or are one yourself, I highly recommend this book. It would make a fantastic gift for anyone in your life that is concerned about staying healthy. You can learn more about the book and Dr. Olson by visiting his website. He’s also currently holding a 30 day sugar free challenge and invites anyone interested to join in.

This a great book and if you enter our Great Start Giveaway you will have the opportunity to win one of two copies we are giving away! Be sure to get your entry in by Feb. 1st or you'll miss out an all the great prizes we have to give out.

PureVia among prizes you can win next week!

2009-01-26T06:34:00.007-06:00

This years Great Start Giveaway has some really fantastic prizes. Today I want to tell you about PureVia from Whole Earth Sweetener Company, which has generously donated 24 boxes to this giveaway! That's right! We will be giving 24 lucky winners a box of PureVia to try for themselves!

Below is a recent review I did of PureVia from my Examiner column.

PureVia Enters the Sweetener Race
Reprint from Examiner.com

Stevia is the hot ticket item in the sweetener world these days. With lots of research to back up its safety, it’s become the go-to substance for sweetening a variety of foods and beverages. Several companies are noticing this trend and trying to give their customers a more natural alternative to sugar. In recent months Cargill has released its stevia based sweetener Truvia. Another new product, NUVA from DWS Inc., has emerged as a real contender in the race to be the perfect sweetener. Now we can officially add PureVia to the list of better sweetener alternatives.

The long awaited PureVia, by Whole Earth Sweetener Company, has arrived. It has the same texture as real sugar and, like the others, a great taste. As of this writing their website does not yet tell us where PureVia can be bought or its approximate price. The sample box I received from the company contains 40 single serving sticks which are said to sweeten up to the equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar. As with most sweeteners, if you use it in a cold beverage, you should mix it thoroughly before you drink. I made the mistake of not mixing it too well and almost choked on a throat full of PureVia lurking at the bottom of my tea glass. (Can you envision my death certificate? “She died from inhaling an artificial sweetener!”) Mix well. Enough said.

My glass of tea and a layer of sweetener at the bottom...

* Calories: 0
* Fat: 0
* Sodium: 0
* Total Carbs: 2 g
* Sugars: <1g
* Erythritol: 1 g
* Protein: 0g

Ingredients: Erythritol, Isomaltulose, Reb A (Stevia extract), Contains 1% or less of Cellulose Powder and each Natural Flavor.

Keep in mind that sweeteners are a personal choice, so there isn’t a one-size-makes-everyone-happy.

After writing this article I received a nice note from the folks at PureVia informing me that the approximate MSRP is $3.99 per box and should be available nationwide by March 2009.

Someone left a comment on my column wondering about the calorie/carb count issue. If there is 2 carbs there should be 8 calories, right? Not exactly. Here's why. Sugar alcohols, even the minor ones like erythritol, do not have the same caloric values that most carbs do. They are actually 0.2 calories per gram. We have 1 carb of erythritol and less than one gram of isomaltulose, which is similar to sucrose. This does have a normal caloric value of 4 cals per gram, but again there is less than one gram per serving. My assumption is that combination of isomaltulose and erythritol equal less than a calorie per serving. Anyone who is familiar with labeling practices knows that if it's less than 1, on any nutrient, they can legally say it's 0. So hopefully that clears up some confusion on the matter.

Now lets talk about winning, because I know that's mostly what you are interested in. Like I mentioned before, we have 24 boxes to giveaway. But you can't win if you don't enter! So be sure to get entered asap - time is running out. This is the final week of the giveaway and you don't want to miss out on any of the great prizes we have available!

You could win these great Eat Smart products!

2009-01-22T08:16:00.007-06:00

We have a lot of great prizes to hand out in our 2nd annual Great Start Giveaway. If you asked me to pick my favorite, it would be hard for me to say. They are all fantastic items. But I can honestly say that I really get excited when I start talking about Eat Smart products. They have the most amazing nutrition scale I've ever seen. They have also recently added two new kitchen scales and a bathroom scale to their offerings. I recently acquired both the kitchen scales and let me tell ya, they are just cool.

Speaking of cool... Eat Smart has donated a fantastic weight-loss package for our giveaway! One lucky winner will receive Eat Smart's top-of-the-line Nutrition Scale AND their new bathroom scale. This is a total value of $110! That's pretty sweet!

I recently reviewed the Nutrition Scale on my examiner column and will share that with you here...

Eat Smart Nutrition Scale - Smartest scale on the block
Reprint from my Examiner.com column

I’ve owned kitchen scales before. It’s simple right? You place the food on the plate and discover the magic portion size that will keep you at a healthy weight. Then you estimate your calories, carbs, fat, etc. Unfortunately, I’ve never been a fan of estimating. It’s not exact. I like exact. I know it’s correct. What happens if you “estimate” several items wrong? Then we can be way off on our counts. Have you ever tried estimating a checkbook? Not generally a good idea. Something may bounce. The same can happen with our “carb balance” or whatever specific nutrient you are trying to watch carefully. Obviously this is why we use kitchen scales in the first place – so we can balance our intake of foods to fit our needs. But sometimes weighing the food is different from acquiring that specific amount of nutritional information. Wouldn’t it be great if the scale could do that for you? Now it can! I’ve owned the Eat Smart Nutrition Scale for almost a year now and I love it. Not only do I know how much food I have on my plate, but I now have the exact nutrient counts as well. No more guessing – and that means better results!

I can’t explain it nearly as well as the company does itself, so I’ll direct you to their demonstration video to explain how it works:

Eat Smart Nutrition Scale Demo

Granted this scale is a bit pricey at $75, but I know I’ve personally spent a lot more than that on diet gimmicks that never worked. Readers of this column can save 10% on the Eat Smart Nutrition Scale by using this link, which will automatically apply the coupon to your purchase when you check out. This would make a great gift for you or a loved one who cares about their health.

Again, you will love this scale. (If you want one now and can't wait for the drawing on Feb.2nd, you can use the link in the above article or click the banner ad in the left hand column and receive a 10% discount.)

As I mentioned earlier, in addition to this great scale, you will also win their fabulous new bathroom scale.

The product description reads:

The EatSmart Bathroom Scale is the ideal way to track your weight loss quickly and easily. Simply step on the scale and in seconds you'll have an accurate readout on the EatSmart's oversized 3.5" LCD display, allowing for easy viewing even in the most low light areas of the bathroom or home.

The EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale is also both accurate and easy to use, engineered to the highest precision standards. The slim, tempered glass design fits perfectly in any surroundings and large non-slip platform allows weights to 330 lbs. The four high-gauge EatSmart precision sensors ensure that you will get an accurate measurement every time.

I don't yet have this scale, but I plan on purchasing one soon. Just look at these reviews!

W.B. in AZ says, "I have been nothing but thrilled with this purchase so far. The large screen allows for me to easily read the scale every time (even after I get out of the shower and the bathroom is fogged up). With my old analog I was always hunching over to figure out what major weights the dial was between. It also is very accurate (I weighed myself multiple times the first few times to test this) and has none of the huge weight fluctuations reported in the reviews of some of Amazon's other scales. Best of all the price was very reasonable versus scales with similar features I have seen elsewhere. "

J.R. from DC says, "Operating is easy. You tap the glass to wake the scale up and step on....no wasted time setting up users (which my last scale had) or programming weight loss goals. The scale reads out to the nearest .2 pounds, which is a nice feature when you are trying to gain confidence and hit short term weight loss goals (every little bit counts to me). More importantly its CONSISTANT, which means I get the same reading every time I step on and off the scale. Nothing was more infuriating than weighing myself, stepping off, re-weighing myself and seeing a completely different number (by as much as 5 lbs!). EatSmart seems to have solved this problem quite nicely."

And this is just the beginning of all the great things people have to say about this scale. To purchase one for yourself or as a gift, or to read the other great reviews on this fabulous scale, check it out on Amazon.com.

These are some fantastic prizes and I'm so excited to be offering them to my readers in this giveaway! As I said before, one lucky reader will win BOTH! Don't forget - you only have until Feb. 1st to enter, so get those submissions in asap! Start by clicking here and join in the fun!

Posts are coming soon

2009-01-21T12:44:00.003-06:00

Hey gang. It's been nutso here at the Dungan household this week. Lots going on with 4-H, school, photography, etc. I have some things I need to finish up today, but plan to be back tonight with more posts about the great prizes available in the Great Start Giveaway. I haven't forgotten... I swear! :)

Rest In Peace my sweet Sadie

2009-01-16T14:35:00.008-06:00

(Sadie before she was sick)

It with a heavy heart I post today. On Jan. 13th and 12:45 pm our sweet ferret Sadie crossed the rainbow bridge. It's been hard to talk about, which I why I am only now reporting this news.

Some of you may remember the day we found out she was sick. She'd stopped eating and was losing weight rapidly. She was diagnosed with Inuslinoma. We were able to get her eating again with the help of a special food and medications. After a month or so she was again the happy playing ferret we all loved.

(Sadie taking her meds one day after the diagnosis.)

A few months ago, after a job change and a big pay cut, we had to make the tough decision of finding Sadie a caregiver that could afford her medical care. We could not afford the care she needed to keep her healthy and happy. After almost 5 years of loving her, we had to give her up. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but we knew it was best for her. We found her a wonderful home with a ferret sanctuary just over an hour away from our house. She had 13 other ferrets to play with, lots of free roaming room, and a wonderful couple to care for her. They were also experienced in the area of caring for ferrets with special medical needs. After a visit to K's house, we knew she was the one to love our Sadie for her remaining days.

K has been fantastic. She sent us updates and photos in email. She invited us over to play with Sadie, or any of her other ferrets, anytime we wished. While we no longer had Sadie in our home, she was always in our hearts.

K contacted me shortly after Sadie died to tell me what had happened and to let me know she passed peacefully in K's arms. It appears Sadie's liver had given up. We knew this would happen sooner or later, but it's still very hard. We tried to give her the best life a ferret could have, and tried to put her needs ahead of our own wants. I hope we made the right choices.

My children and Sadie, December 2007.

Goodbye my sweet girl. We love you and your absence leaves a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.

Cereal Killer Contains Scary Truths

2009-01-15T17:40:00.005-06:00

Today I'm highlighting one of the great prizes we are giving away in our 2nd Annual Great Start Giveaway! Four lucky winners will receive a copy of this awesome book, so be sure you enter before the deadline of Feb. 1st!

Cereal Killer contains Scary Truths
Reprint from my Examiner.com column

I've certainly had my share of nightmares about cereal, Twinkies and Doritos chasing me and making me binge on them. (Admit it – you've have that dream too!) But you won’t find that kind of suspense and thrills in this amazing book by author Alan Watson. What you’ll read here is even more frightening.

This isn’t your grandfather’s cereal, or even your great-grandfather’s cereal. More than likely it’s because they didn’t eat cereal. They ate real food. Bacon. Eggs. Steak. In the last several decades we have been told that processed low-fat food products are better for us. So naturally we obliged. After all, who doesn’t want to be trim and healthy? After years and years of following what we assumed to be sound scientific advice, are we any healthier? No. In fact, we are one of the unhealthiest nations on the planet. Mr. Watson sees this problem. In Cereal Killer Alan gives us insight into how it all got started and helps us understand just what this so-called “healthy American diet” is really doing to our bodies.

People need to understand that reading the back of a cereal box for your nutritional advice is a bad idea. I’d laugh if I were actually kidding. Here’s a quote:

Keys to Healthy Living

Eating a balanced diet moderate in calories and getting exercise are keys to a healthy lifestyle. A cereal breakfast is a simple step you can take. (Their emphasis, not mine.) Research shows that people who frequently eat cereal have healthier body weights.

Then they explain % daily values.

DV’s tell you if a food group is high or low in a nutrient… Sugar does not have a DV.

And this means what… Eat sugar to your heart’s content?

Who’d like to take a stab at which cereal box this is on? Try Cookie Crisp. So according to the back of the Cookie Crisp cereal box, eating this sugar-filled processed junk for breakfast is perfectly fine. It will keep you at a healthy body weight and since there is no DV on sugar, you don’t have to limit it or consume a certain level. At the least, a statement like this is misleading.

Cereal Killer will change your way of thinking about our government backed nutrition and health guidelines.From the back of the book:

So! How are the children doing?

End of summer, 2008. A record number of American children are being diagnosed with asthma, obesity, diabetes, and bipolar disorder. Along with surging food and medical costs, Americans must come to grips with declining life expectancy – now 37th in the world…
In this explosive book, Alan Watson sheds new light now how corporate greed, government delusion, and slippery science are making our children sick and causing what the late Dr. Robert Atkins called “diabesity.”

Cereal Killer is a stinging indictment of the big cereal companies and drug industries who enjoy huge profits as Americans of all ages suffer from failed “low fat” federal nutrition guidelines and record levels of chronic disease.

After you read Cereal Killer, you will know:

Why obesity is epidemic.

Why diabetes is soaring.

Why cholesterol and saturated fat are not the cause of heart disease.

I could barely put this book down. It has great information and confirms what I think most of us have suspected for years. Health and obesity is big business in America and there are individuals and companies who’d like to keep it that way. We can fight back by staying informed and educated. Mr. Watson’s book is a great place to start and I highly recommend it.

You can learn more about this book and how to purchase it at Diet Heart Publishing or at Amazon.com.

Trying something different.

2009-01-15T17:31:00.003-06:00

Hey peeps!

I'm going to try something different and we'll see how it goes. I'm going to post the same articles here and on Examiner.com. You won't have to visit my Examiner column to read my articles, but I would REALLY appreciate you stopping by for each article and giving me the page view so I still get paid. :)

Ok, be looking for my first article very soon!

Don't Worry, Be Crabby!

2009-01-14T10:11:00.004-06:00

Today I'm going to post about crabs. Yes, you heard me right, crabs. What does this have to do with low-carb? Not much really, other than that fact that crab is low-carb. And crab and carb have the same letters.

So what happens when a half-insane and tired writer/photographer can't sleep and stays up until 1 am processing photos? They post redickerous stuff in their photostream on Flickr. I won't make you go there though. I'll bring them here for your ridiculing pleasure. My 12 year old almost peed his pants laughing at my photo descriptions, so if you have the same sense of humor he does, you'll probably enjoy these.

A Crabby Discussion

Today is National Photograph Your Crabs Day! ;) That's why I have so many crab shots in my photostream.
These are my kids hermit crabs named Mr. Crabbs and Monica. (I didn't name them.. and we have no idea if they are male or female, so we just threw a gender dart here.)

Monica The Crab

She tends to remind us that she is boss, cause she's got the huge claw that will pinch the crap outta ya and never let go.

Monica the SpongeBob-ish Crab

She should have been named Claw... cause that sucker is vicious!

Mr. Crabbs tries to go to Washington

But he's too slow and he can't drive very well. He's the shy one. I have to check him periodically to be sure he's alive. He must think he's a spy.

Mr. Crabbs Gets A Close Up!

Here he gives us the evil eye.. or is it eyes... Who knows? They both bug out.

Peek-A-Boo! Mr. Crabbs Sees You!

He sees you. He knows your inner thoughts. He controls your mind! You must obey the crab.. you must obey the crab...

Monica's Vacation Home

But she never goes there. She acts like a hermit!

Mr. Crabbs Vacation Home

He too never visits. I think they should sell these... with this economy they could never get a second mortgage!

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little venture into the abyss of wasted time. If you didn't - pretend you never saw this. :)

Here's your chance to recommend low-carb living to the nation!

2009-01-13T11:14:00.005-06:00

I, and many others, received an email yesterday from Richard Feinman, PhD asking for help with an issue that will have an impact on us all. We have the opportuinty to share our thoughts on what low-carb guidelines should be recommended if presented to the general public. Read below to get the details:

The question bears on recommendations along the lines of the USDA meeting that is coming up. It arises from a seminar that Eric Westman gave at Downstate. The group at Downstate is not particularly doctrinaire and the talk was well received but Dr. Sheldon Landesman of the School of Public Health raised a good question: "the major focus of diets based on carbohydrate restriction are fundamentally therapeutic. How could the benefits that you presented be utilized in making recommendations to the population at large?" So while 20 g a day might be very beneficial for somebody with diabetes or somebody trying to make a big impact on weight loss, even the maintenance phase of people on low carbohydrate diets may be different than what would be recommended for everybody.

Also whereas the population at large has significant amount of overweight and obesity, a large part of the population is not overweight and even those who are, may not want to lose weight at the moment. The question is quite pressing in that the USDA has convened a panel to make new recommendations for 2010. Many of us are upset that there is no representation of the panel of people who have experience with carbohydrate restriction and some who are on the panel are probably actively antagonistic to such an approach. On the other hand, Brian Wansink the chairman of the committee is aware of the problem and open to suggestions on carbohydrate restriction.

So, the question is: how can the benefits of carbohydrate restriction that you have experienced personally or in your immediate environment be translated into reasonable recommendations that the USDA could put out? In other words, if you actually had your way what kind of recommendations would you like to see the USDA make? Recommendations should be short and to the point.

If you can encourage your readers to send their suggestions to your blog and also copy to Lauri Cagnassola (nmsoci@nmsociety.org) the Metabolism Society will organize them. We will publish the results in the scientific and popular literature and also communicate some of the main points to Brian.

I think they are right to call our bluff on what we would actually do if we had access to policy.

Best Regards,

Richard Feinman, PhD
Metabolism Society

I urge you to think on this topic and submit your suggestions and recommendations. Feel free to post them here, send them to me in an e-mail and pass them on to Lauri Cagnassola. We can make a difference if we all do our part.

Food Diary for Jan. 12, 2009

2009-01-12T10:49:00.006-06:00

Hey gang! I'm going to try to start doing the whole food photo diary thing today. I don't know that I can keep up with it everyday, but I'll do my best. I'll update this post throughout the day so it's not scattered everywhere.

Breakfast:

As you can see I have two eggs scrambled with real butter and a dash of heavy cream, two slices of bacon (I cut the slices in half when I cook them to fit in the pan), my 1st 32 oz. bottle of water, and my supplements. I'm almost done with the water and will be refilling it soon. I try to drink a minimum of two of these bottles a day.

I'll be back later with lunch.

Have a great day!

Update: The rest of today didn't go too hot. I did well at lunch and with a snack, but we had errands to run and it took a while, which left us away from home past 7 p.m. and we were all starving. That's always a bad thing. And since I'm trying to control the amount of "sweet taste" I get, I didn't have any lc bars with me. What happened? I caved in and had a Subway sandwich. Not good. I'd have been better off to have had franken-bar. So we'll start again tomorrow, hopefully with better results.

Announcing the 2nd Annual Healthy Low-Carb Living Great Start Giveaway!

2009-01-06T15:55:00.012-06:00

2009 is here and it's time to start reminding ourselves about the need to better our health. Whether your resolved to lose weight, shape up, control your blood glucose or just over all improve your health, this giveaway is for you! To help you get a great start on theses goals for 2009, we are going to have a little fun while giving you a chance to win some great prizes this month!

Last year we had so much fun with our guessing game that I decided we should do it again this year. But before we get to that part, let me give you a sampling of the prizes that have been so graciously donated for this giveaway.

Copies of the book Sugarettes by Scott Olsen ND

Atkins product prize packages

An autographed copy of Carb Wars from Judy Barnes Baker

Copes of the book Cereal Killer by Alan L. Watson

Several boxes of PureVia stevia based sweetener

Splendid Low-Carbing cookbook by Jennifer Eloff

Assorted boxes of ChocoPerfection

Cookbooks from Dana Carpender

A weight-loss package from Eat Smart that includes their nutritional and bathroom scale

And there are more prizes still coming in, so be sure to check back often! During each week of this giveaway, I will highlight each prize in detail so you can learn more about each one. This giveaway will run from today, Jan. 6, 2009 through Feb. 1, 2009. All entries must be received by midnight(central time) on Feb. 1 2009. The winners will be announced on this blog on Feb. 2nd, 2009.

So, you are probably ready for me to tell you how to enter, right? It's easy! Now here's how to get your hands on one of these great prizes. Below I've posted some close-up shots of different household items. Take a good look at them and see if you can figure out what they are. I tried not to make them too hard. :) (It's just for fun and has no bearing on your contest entry.) Then send me your guesses, along with your name and address to healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com. Please put Great Start Giveaway in the subject line so your entry doesn't go to my spam box! Everyone that submits their guesstimates by Feb. 1st will be entered into the drawing, which we will have on Feb. 2nd. You'll also get the answers to what each of the items in the photos are.

Remember, you don't have to get all the answers right to have your name in the drawing for the prizes. All you have to do is send me your name, address and best guesses to be entered. And all your information is kept completely confidental and will be deleted immediately after the drawing. Only winners information will be kept until prizes are recieved.

So now that you know what to do... let's get started!

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

There you have it! Remember, send your best guesses to healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com along with your name and address by Feb. 1st. Have fun, good luck and be sure to tell others to join in on the fun as well!

Great Start Giveaway Delayed

2009-01-05T16:31:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to make a quick post to explain that the 2nd Annual Great Start Giveaway will be delayed until tomorrow. I've been down with the flu all weekend and couldn't get everything prepared. I should have it all ready to go tomorrow, so please check back then and join in the fun and prizes!

Update for Jan. 5, 2009

2009-01-05T15:48:00.004-06:00

Hey gang.

This weekend was nutso. I had lots of plans, but my body decided otherwise. I came down with the flu. I'm much better now, so it was only a 48 hour kind of thing. But wow, it wasn't fun at all. And it's still reeking havoc in my household. My daughter is almost recovered. My hubby is feeling really bad. I mean really bad. He's on day two and still dealing with body aches, etc. It hit him differently than it did the rest of us. Or else he got a different virus. My son has been fortunate enough not to have caught anything yet, so lets keep our fingers crossed that he stays healthy.

This wonderful tidbit of info, that I'm sure you were thrilled to receive, is in part here to help explain why I can't start the Great Start Giveaway today. I was too sick to get it all together this weekend. I will be getting all the info up tomorrow though. (I'll make a separate post to announce the delay.)

As for my menus, they weren't stellar with all the yukkies going around this weekend. I spent two days existing on dry toast and chicken broth. But since the contents of my stomach stayed put, despite the pain in that area, I didn't lose weight the bad way. I still managed to drop a little. Before the creeping crud attacked me, I had lost another 2 lbs or so. As of today I'm down a total of 3.4 lbs. So still making progress, and none of it is artificial progress due to being sick. :)

Ok, I need to get to work no the giveaway. Be sure to check back tomorrow as we get started.

1-2-09 Update

2009-01-02T09:27:00.004-06:00

Hey gang! I hope you all had a safe and fun New Years! I was so busy I didn't have time to post any New Years wishes, but I know you guys and gals understand.

I'm very optimistic about 2009. I can't say why, or even what I think will be great about this year, but I just have this gut feeling something wonderful is in store. We shall see....

I've mentioned in the past that I was planning to try a sweet-free challenge in conjunction with Scott Olsen's sugar-free challenge. My start date was to be yesterday. I've made some minor changes in my plans though and I want to explain.

I'm a diet soda addict. There. I admitted it. Diet soda is going to be hard for me to give up. Even the couple of weeks leading up to yesterday had me feeling a little unsettled at the thought of not having my daily fix. Some of you may remember I tried to give it up before - only to replace my sodas with eating everything in sight. It was bad. So this time I'm going to try to wean myself off. Starting yesterday, I am slowly replacing my sodas with water. My goal is that by the end of the month I will be drinking much more water than soda and can hopefully give up that last can for good. So my challenge will not be so much sweet-free as less-sweet. Make sense? Maybe by February I'll be ready to go totally sweet-free. (This may sound like a cop out, but I'm being totally honest here. I need to do this slowly...)

I started journaling my food again yesterday. I don't know if I'll get it posted here everyday, but I'll try. As some of you have expressed interest in my doing a photo food journal, I may try to start that soon as well. Anyhoo, here's yesterday:

Breakfast: 1 fried egg, 1 sausage patty, water, supplements

Lunch: (at Ryan's) 1 roasted chicken breast, 1 med sized salad with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds and ranch dressing, 1 cup green beans, 1/4 cup steamed cabbage, water

Dinner: 2 hamburger patties, 1 tbsp lc ketchup, 2 dill pickles

Snack: 1 cup popcorn (shouldn't have had this, but I did, so I'm fessin' up!)

Counts for Jan. 1st 2009:

Calories: 1,750
Carbs: 22 - 7 fiber = 15 net
Fat: 126 g
Protein: 131

This morning my scale showed me as 1 lb lighter. :) That's always good.

I spent the couple of weeks reworking my low-carb website. It has a little bit different look and I FINALLY finished that myths page I've been meaning to do forever. I'm really excited too, because we have some new success stories going up soon. Feel free to check it all out at
www.healthylowcarbliving.com and let me know what you think!

Ok, I have a lot to get done today. Be sure to check back on Monday Jan. 5th as we kick off our 2nd annual Great Start Giveaway! Should be lots of fun and I hope you'll join us!

Latest from Examiner.com

2008-12-29T12:46:00.002-06:00

Well, my little notifier feed thingy-ma-bob over on the right isn't quite working like I'd expected, so I'm going to give a quick update on my latest offerings at Examiner. Here's what I've been talking about lately:

PureVia enters the sweetener race

Authors of Protein Power giving away free books

FDA warns tainted weight-loss products pose great risk to health

Eat Smart Nutrition Scale - smartest scale on the block

Study says sugar as addictive as drugs

Oprah is still battling the bulge

And a four part series on the basics of Atkins:

Atkins basics 101 - induction

Atkins basics 101 - ongoing weight-loss

Atkins basics 101 - pre-maintenance

Atkins basics 101 - lifetime mantainence

Hope you enjoy!

Are you ready???

2008-12-29T08:49:00.002-06:00

The new year is just around the corner. Some people make resolutions, others just have general goals they work towards, some just let the last (or is it first?) holiday pass and don't think twice about the year ahead. Myself, I like to set general goals. I don't like resolutions, but I do like to say "I'd really like to accomplish such and such this year." Then I do my best to make it happen, but I don't promise myself. Promises are too much pressure.

So, are you ready for the new year? I hope you have some goals in mind for 2009 that will make it the best year for you yet!

If one of those goals is weight-loss or regaining your health, then keep your eyeballs plastered to this blog. In just a few short days we'll be starting our 2nd Annual Great Start Giveaway! We all had such a great time last year and I can't wait to get this years giveaway started. (We are going to do the photo guessing game again, but this time it won't be food.) Hope you'll join us for the fun and prizes!

Just some updates

2008-12-17T10:16:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone. Thought I'd play catch-up here a moment.

Weight-loss: I'm holding steady. I'm really looking forward to January when I'll start my "sweet free" challenge. I think it will help me tremendously. If any of you would like to join I'd be glad to have the company. This isn't about giving up sugar, since I've already done that, it's about giving up the taste of sweet as a whole. No artificial or natural sweet stuff. I think my biggest battle will be giving up my Diet Rite. I will admit I'm totally addicted.

Giveaway coming soon! The 2nd annual Great Start Giveaway is being planned. Don't miss this giveaway where we'll have some awesome prizes just for you! Keep watching the blog for more details soon.

I'm sad. We received the news last night that my grandfather passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. It hurts. A lot. But he's no longer suffering as he was, and that's something to be thankful for. Keep us in your prayers please. This weekend will be a hard one as we say our goodbyes, and there will be lots of traveling involved for my whole family.

Photography: If you are a fan of photography, you'll love flickr. I have an account there myself where I share a lot of my work. To keep my creativity flowing I've joined a group called Project 365. In this group we post one photo a day for a year. It can be any photo of anything, but it has to be taken on that day. Today is day 6 for me and I'm already seeing possibilities and potential shots I'd missed before. It's fun! Feel free to check out my photostream sometime.

Examiner: I'm going to try to get another article or two up today, but I can't promise anything. I have a lot to do to get ready for the funeral, so my day will mostly be filled with that.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It's so bad...

2008-12-10T12:34:00.003-06:00

Me: Economic times are so bad...

You: How bad are they?

Me: They are so bad that Wal-Mart is now selling flasks next to the checkout lanes along with the candy, toys and hand sanitizer.

Yes siree! Something for everyone in the checkout lane. Grab the kids some candy and toy, give the wife some hand sanitizer, and a flask for yourself to help you deal with all those bills you'll be looking at later today, not to mention the amount you'll owe the checker once he or she rings up your meager purchases.

The holidays are killing me..

2008-12-08T11:28:00.004-06:00

I'm so busy I don't have time to think straight, let alone eat right. Why do I love this time of year again???? ;)

I'm struggling a bit, but nothing new there. Life gets crazy and then I do, again nothing new. I'm working frantically to improve my photography skills. I really want to be ready for business within the next 6 months, so I gotta get on the ball. I'm doing little stuff here an there, but I want to be ready for the big time, ya know?

I'm also writing as much as I can for Examiner to help with those bills that refuse to go away. These will eventually stop right? Someone tell me they will stop. At least some of them??? Pretty please.

Homeschooling has been a chore this year. Why does it seem great some days and so hard on others? We are trying to get enough done that we can take a decent Christmas break, but don't know if that will happen.

My food planning has been less the great lately, so that really messes me up. I end up grabbing whatever. Have you ever tasted whatever? It's great, but has a buttload of carbs. Not what I need. So my weight is just steady. No real gains to speak of.

DH bought me a Wii fit. It's great exercise! I used to call it a WHEEEEEEE! Now it's just the wii. Why? Because I'm tired of that little game console weighing me, measuring my BMI and saying in it's cute little voice "That's obese!!" Naw, really? I could do without that part. I'm painfully aware I'm considered obese. I don't need a little white box rubbing it in my face. I catch myself yelling back "Oh yeah! Well you're square! And you are helpless without me!" Um, yeah. It's pathetic, but it makes me feel better. :)

I'm thinking of doing the photo food diary after the holidays. I know, I know, everyone is doing it. But since I love my camera more than life itself, this might be a good way for me to keep track and practice my photography skills.

Ok, off to teach my kids more stuff they think they already know.

Just a word of caution..

2008-12-04T16:46:00.003-06:00

For those who read my examiner column, today's column is a bit unusual for me. I was asked to review a fictional novel about weight-loss. It was a great story line, but not my usual kind of thing. Lots of f-bombs and sexual references. So while I gave it a truthful review on Examiner, I chose to leave my personal feelings out it. I personally don't care for books with those elements. So be forewarned, if you want to check the book out. It's not the kind of thing you'd find on the shelf at your local Christian book store. ;0)

Sugarettes - sugar plays the unassuming villian

2008-12-02T16:00:00.003-06:00

I recently read an outstanding book by Dr. Scott Olson ND called Sugarettes, Sugar Addiction and Your Health. It's one of the best books for "laymen" I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it. You can check out my examiner column if you want more information.

He's also sponsoring a 30 day sugar-free challenge which will start in January. While I'm already sugar-free, I'm thinking of joining and trying a sweet-free challenge for myself. Can I do it? I have no idea. The taste of sweet seems to have a pretty good hold on me. I'll give it a good shot though. Anyone care to join us?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T10:00:00.003-06:00

I'm late in saying it, but I wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope it was wonderful and you were reminded of all the things you are truly thankful for.

My day was nice. I did all the cooking, so I was a busy little bee from about 6 am on. Hubby's parents came over and we had a nice time. I ate a little too much, but overall didn't do too bad. :0)

Like the insane people we are, hubby and I tried to brave the stores at 4 am this morning to get some things we wanted for Christmas. It wasn't the sales that drove us there. Actually, the things we wanted weren't even on sale. We were just afraid that by the time the early crowds were done, there wouldn't be any of these items left. Turns out they were gone long before this morning and they didn't restock them, and we had to order them online anyway. (I lost sleep for nothing!!!) Can I just say I hate being in public for several days after Thanksgiving? I hate the pushy crowds, the long lines and the crazy, aggressive traffic. Nothing like saving $10 to make you nutso, huh? ;0)

Again, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I am very blessed. I have my children and husband, who love me more than I really deserves. I have my extended family who are such a joy to me. I have some fantastic friends, even if they do live far away. And I have you readers, who have become like family as well. Without you, I'd be twiddling my thumbs and counting flowers on the wall. You are all so special and I truly appreciate and am thankful for each one of you!