Getting Thinner...Not An Easy Task!

No, getting thinner is not an easy task. When I was younger I did not have even an extra ounce..... having five babies? A breeze for me. I could gain 65 pounds and before they were a month old I would have my slim figure back. I was lucky if I weighed 100 pounds. And today? Ha! Mother Nature took her revenge and I have to admit, that through the years I helped her as watching children leave home and the pace slow down, food became a comfort. I was always busy, but it was a different busy and I missed the kids so much.....

Then several years ago I got dizzy while shopping in Michaels....we had recently moved to Yuma, AZ. and did not have a doctor. I found one that would see me and when my blood pressure was taken it was over 200....Scared? You bet! The doctor said I needed to loose fifty pounds and I needed to exercise. Yuma has the best walking park I have ever found.....it is by Kofa High School and is up hill and down dale! We waited for the sun to go down and then we ( dear hubs and me and sometimes the grands )walked and walked.

We did this every day and the weight slowly came off, but the BP stayed a problem and during all this I found I had diabetes, too. My fault! My fault for not staying active and eating wrong and certainly by not getting the exercise all our bodies crave. I had a warning in my life...my Dad. The whole family was shocked when it was discovered that he was diabetic. No one else as far back as one could remember had this....

Why am I telling all this? Well....I think this dear country of ours is in a lot of trouble in a lot of ways and too much weight and unhealthy habits is certainly one of them. I have read more than one article that has stated that with the overweight children of today, when they are of an age to enter our military, a large percentage could not be accepted because of their weight. They would not be fit to perform. I found that shocking. Not just to be able to defend this country, but to live! I think it is a very sad situation and I put much of the blame on lazy and to some point, uninformed parents as to what the future will hold for these youngsters!

All of this was brought to mind while we were at Lowe's last night waiting for a storm to pass and with my recent wake up call with the EKG because I really had slacked off.....I saw a magazine that took my eye. Not because I am diabetic, but because the cover looked good enough to eat!!! :) I showed it to my hubby and he mentioned it would be a good thing if everyone ate like this... (BTW..I am not on any meds and keep my sugar where it is supposed to be by watching what I eat. I eat everything from a piece of Lemon Pie to a cheeseburger, but I do use portion control and I balance what I eat through the day and I exercise. ) So, back to the magazine...I purchased it after looking through the recipes....It is a Better Homes And Gardens publication and it was $9.99. A hefty price, but well worth it as I needed some new inspiration in the kitchen and I wanted it to be healthy inspiration....

I have not had real sugar in my kitchen for years.....there is no need for it. My personal choice after trying all on the market, is Splenda. It is wonderful for baking. Just taste my chocolate chip cookies and then ask the hubby and the grands what they think of them....they can't keep out of them. And fudge? No one can tell the difference!

And, lots and I means lots, of fresh vegetables and fruits and now is the time to really enjoy them....I know the heavenly NW cherries are winding down, but like blue berries, their dark meat is so beneficial....


Fresh from the garden...yuuuuuum!

Michigan Peaches....the tastiest of all!!!

I did not mean for this to be so long... :( but it greatly saddens me when we are walking down on the boardwalk by the water, or at the mall or anyplace, and see more morbidly obese children and grownups than I do healthy slim ones....Since I have gotten myself back on track, I feel so much better. I have much more energy and I feel happier, too. And, I can't say there is anything I miss eating!

From time to time I will put a recipe on from the above book....this post got a bit too long to do it this time!
Talk soon and cheers to living healthy for us all! It will make a better America!
Jil