The Macedonian Festival 2012

Hello!  I missed you!  I've been busy as heck and these video blogs are a lil time consuming!

Last friday night I went to the Macedonian Festival on Waggoner Road in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.  What a blast!  I even danced.

Janet's daughter did my hair and make-up.  She made me look great!  Here I am with Janet.

I miraculously avoided the sweets but couldn't resist the meats!  

Randy's Ballooniacs Late Night Birthday Binge - 214 extra calories. OY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY, RANDY!  OMG!  My dear friend had a little birthday party last night.  Randy has a business called BALLOONIACS and he makes these huge balloon sculptures and installs them!  He's really quite extraordinary when it comes to balloon designs.  But you would think that when he's off the job he would put the balloons to rest!  Oh noooooo!  Not our Randy!  So while everyone was drinking and having a great time, Randy was twisting balloons.  I was sipping on water and eyeballing the pistachios.

Now, I had already had my one snack of the day by then, but at midnight those pistachios were looking pretty good.  So I had 10.  Very carefully I counted them out and placed them on my napkin.

Then the sugar-free 15 calorie popsicles appeared, and I ate one of those, too.  Plus a bite of someone else's other flavor.  20 calories tops.

I did manage to avoid the birthday cake.  And the brownies.  And my favorite salt and pepper potato chips. OH  MY   GAWWWDDDDDDD!!   I love those things.  But I didn't even lick the salt and pepper off of one single chip, and I didn't sniff any of the other gorgeous crappy alluring foods that are the.....ENEMY!

What I did do was eat those two extra snacks at the party (popsicle and pistachios).  Then I passed out for about 20 minutes.

When I got home after 1:00am, instead of going straight to bed, I raided the fridge.  I don't know why I did that, but the first thing I did when I got in the apartment was I opened the fridge and starting hunting for something to eat.  I didn't know what I was looking for (and thank G-d I had removed ALL carby contriband from the house!) so there was really nothing to eat.  Except....I have pistachios and almonds and Medifast crackers and sugar-free popsicles!!

Before I knew it, I was pulling out the pistachios and ate two handfuls.  Then, as if that wasn't enough, I ate four hard boiled egg whites.  And I had another package of crackers with my delicious fake butter smeared on them!  And then, as if that wasn't enough, I ate a bag of Medifast cereal in bed.  By the time I was finished, I congratulated myself on not eating anything OFF the Medifast program, and then quickly reprimanded myself for eating all that stuff so late at night, and of course, eating it while being so out of control.

My rational mind took over this morning!!  Since it was already past midnight and we were on to a new day, I counted ONE handful of pistachios toward today's snack, and I counted the cereal as my first meal.  I counted the fake butter as my two fats (plus one extra). I counted the egg whites toward the protein I can eat today.  I still can have 10 more egg whites today!  WHOO HOO!!  Too bad for me because I wanted chicken salad for lunch...oh well...

All in all, Randy's Birthday Bash Binge cost me an extra:
1 fat           (80 calories)
4 snacks     (69 pistachios calories, 15 popsicle calories, and 50 Medifast cracker calories_
----------
equals an extra 214 calories

DAMMIT.  214 is 214.  And that's not getting me any closer to my targeted number of 1-6-0!

But at least it's less calories than even ONE piece of birthday cake, right?!

The Mommy Report. Babysitting coming up! Stress??!!!

Good morning!  So this weekend I have a stay-over babysitting gig with a 12 year old girl.

The potential problem is the stress factor of being out of my own environment and rhythym.  With that said, the cabinets at their homes are FILLED with the most awesome junk foods ever!  That house is chocked full of cookies, chips, soda, etc.

The challenge is to STAY AWAY from that crap while the kids get into it.  I'll just have to put on my horse blinders and keep chanting:  ENEMY!  ENEMY!!! everytime I see sugar.  Arrrghhhh!!!  I've been dealing with baked goods, candies, and cakes my whole life.  My mom loves to bake, and she's damned good at it, and she bakes ALL THE TIME!

I'm off to see my mom at her work for lunch.  We have MolarTron business to discuss, and thank G-d she works for my brother, Steve, so we can talk "MolarTron Bid'ness" on the job!!

And now, for a new weekly segment I like to call, "The Mommy Report!"  starring:

MY MOM

Tonight when I went to work at Ohio Dental Family Center on Main Street (my other brother, Jerry, is a dentist and I work at his office one night a week), I learned that both my mom and step-mom had been in recently.  My mom brought pastries from Panera, and my step-mom brought in a box of chocolates!  OMG!!  It's been a plethera of sweets on parade my whole life.  NO WONDER I LOVE SUGAR! 

Here's Velma, one of the receptionists at Ohio Dental:

WELCOME TO MY WORLD, VELMA!  AND BRACE YOURSELF FOR THE HOLIDAYS! 

Wednesday: First Watch Day

I'm enjoying lunch at First Watch today with Aunt Betty.  I'm having a turkey burger patty on a bed of field greens.  YUM---MEEEE!!!

So far, no complications with food issues today!  HOOOORAY!!!  I feel pretty good.  Lots of energy.  Not hungry.  Not tired and lethargic.  No headaches.  All is well.

Tuesday was a good day!

Not much going on today.  I'm home working and doing laundry.  No stress.

Dinner was fantastic!  Salmon baked with lemon pepper and a tsp. of lemon, sauteed scallions, celery, tomatoes, cabbage, and spinach in the wok with a shpritz of canola oil spray.  Remember the red peppers!

My only food problems today were those dang 15 calorie sugar-free popsicles!!  I had about 3.  No, I for sure had 3.  A grape, an orange, and a cherry to top off the night.  As a TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE snack, one would have been the magic number!

On a personal note, Tuesday night was great.  I spoke on the phone for 2.5 hours with my 18 years younger ex...let's call him Mr. T...the one who lives in California...the one who told me two years ago that I was getting too fat to have sex with!  Yeah, that one!  Well, after a few attempts to break apart, we never really did break the connection.  Not even moving back to Columbus has kept us apart.  We've been talking all along, seeing each other every time I go back to Cali for work, and texting a lot.  We've settled into a nice friendship, actually.  Well....as much of a friendship as you can have when two people are still romantically involved.  Now that I'm in Ohio, he's starting to appreciate and value me more, and that feels soooo good.  I still love him.  I was super pissed off at him but I never stopped loving him.  A few months ago he dared me to lose weight and get healthy.  I promised him I would do it and he said, "I'll believe it when I see it."

I wasn't ready then.  I'm ready now.  I have Mr. T's picture in my head when I'm on the treadmill.  I have my niece Samantha's fierce breast stroke picture in my head, too.

AND, I have that skinny picture of ME in my head, too.  The skinny me is inside here, waiting to experience life as a skinny person!  I was 27 when I was finally fit, for the first time since I was five!  It lasted for about a year, and then I started packing on the pounds slowly but surely.

Everything has got to be better!  And I guarantee you, the next time Mr. T sees me, he's gonna be in shock!!!!

Gotta pay the piper

Good morning!  It's 10:00am and I've already been to the bathroom twice.  That meat is laying in my stomach like a bowling ball, and this morning I am miserable.  I had a little coffee and a power bar about an hour ago because my stomach has gotta be stretched out, and I didn't want to get to the point where I would be STARVING!  (yeah!  riiiiight!)

Today I am going to do some housework, laundry, swim, and burn off some of those calories.  And I am going to stick to my program to a TEE no matter what.  The food buffet party is over, and any BBQ invites I get today I will have to decline.  In fact, the next time I go to a party with the inevitable buffet, I am going to ask a friend to make me a plate and I am going to STEER CLEAR, ya hear?!  I have to have a better plan for these situations.  Living in Ohio, there are always so many invites!  It's so much fun!  But all the parties have tons of food buffets with the best food ever, and spiked punches and spirits, and DESSERTS galore.

I didn't have so many of these party food challenges when I lived in California.

BUCKEYE NATION people sure know how to cook up the BEST meats and potatoes!!!  Holy SNAP!

Off to the gym I go!  Uh Oh!  Drew at the JCC front desk reminded me not to overdo it!

I know I'm not supposed to be working out for three weeks, but I can't stand myself so I have to go and get out of the house!!!  I won't do that much, lol.  I just need to get out of the house.  Thank you, Janet and Lindsey, for going to the JCC with me!

Happy Labor Day weekend! OYY! Another party!!

Happy Day Before Labor Day!

DERAILED!!!!  My friend stepped in and "Buffet-Blocked" me!  

I'm enjoying yet ANOTHER party with my lean and green meal...and a few more ounces of grilled protein because the smell of the grill is lulling me into a trance...and then I had a few more ounces....and some outrageous brisket (when Janet was outside and not looking!  LOL) !!!!!!!!!!!!   And then I was the stuffed pig!

I think I ate about 14 ounces of protein throughout the day, I was definitely NOT hungry at all, and then I left the party in a brisket coma.  With the assortment of cakes, cookies, pies, and brownies, AND pasta and and and and...it could have been a LOT worse.  But still, I didn't even eat THAT much meat last night at Smith and Wollensky's!!!  My stomach was so bloated, and hard as a rock, and sore.  Owwwiee.  Why do I hurt myself like that?  (OK, that frickin' brisket was SO outstanding, it was ALMOST worth it!  When the guy who made it saw me take a massive hunk of a piece, he said, "Wow!  That's a big piece!"  DUH!!  OMG.  I could have stopped there but nooo...).

Here's a new snack I made up on the spot!  Celery sticks, cilantro, and Jalapeno Tobasco sauce!  YUMM!!  And only like, 10 calories!!!  I'll be eating like a rabbit on actual Labor Day to counteract the additional protein calories I wolfed down this weekend.

Two days in a row of massive beef intake is more than enough, even for a bonafide carnivore like me!  At least I went swimming again later in the night, and burned off about 150 of those extra calories.  Still, my stomach is like a watermelon right now!  

Dinner at Smith & Wollensky

To celebrate having my niece Lindsey back from Israel for a while, the family went out to dinner at Smith & Wollensky.  At first I declined the offer to go, but then I figured I have to keep on living and learn how to deal with restuarant situations, and I needed the practice.  So, I ate my 4th Medifast meal and drank a huge glass of water before I left the house, knowing that dinner wouldn't be served for about 2 hours or more. 

 I took some Medifast cereal with me to munch on while everyone was eating appetizers!  It's really hard to sit there and not eat while people at the table are eating!!  

Everyone in my family tried a bite of cereal so they could "experience what I'm experiencing!"  Awww!!!  Everyone is being soooooooooooooo supportive.   

Then I had one shrimp with a little cocktail sauce, salad with balsamic, shared a steak with my mom, had some steamed broccoli and asparagus (thus going over my alloted veggie/carb intake a bit), and for dessert, I had a snack package of apple cinnamon soy crisps while everyone else ate apple pie a la mode!  All in all, it was a great night and I stayed the course!!   Plus I got to be with everyone and join in the celebration. Those crisps are a perfect ending with a cup of hot tea.  Very satisfying! 

I WASN'T EVEN SWAYED BY ALL THAT DELICIOUS BREAD THAT WAS STARING ME DOWN ALL NIGHT!!  

I figured that with 3 hours of swimming earlier in the day, I could have one extra shrimp and veggies.  In the old days, I would have had a ton of bread, a full appetizer, a loaded salad, my OWN steak, potatoes, veggies, AND dessert!  And a little red wine!  PLUS bites of what everyone else was having!!!  LOOOOL   I'm very proud of myself! 

SWIM-WEAR BEFORE PICTURES! OY!

 I had to go to the pool.  It was soooo hot!  I planned to swim for about an hour but ended up staying for 3 hours in the water, just treading water and floating and swimming without alot of effort.  On Take Shape For Life we are encouraged to wait 3 weeks before exercising, but since I have been swimming for years I just cut back a little.  Here are my SWIM-WEAR BEFORE PICS!  OY!  I told you I turned into an apple!

WATER WATER AND MORE WATER

I ended up going to my Grandma's friday night Shabbos dinner after they were done, and my nieces, grandma, and my brother gave me their advice on how to feel full without using FOOD!!

It was 248 calories, because when I got home I ate 5.5 egg whites!!!  Now I'm stuffed again!!!  

GOTTA GET THE WATER DOWN EVERY DAY!!! 

WEEK 2 DAY 1: Lost control of 248 extra calories.

I ate a reaally good lunch, then I lost all control after that.  I think I subconsciously attempted to derail my success because all morning I was feeling skinnier and lighter and better.  Then I had to go and overeat and feel all stuffed again.  The sugar in those yummy soy crisps and the salt in the crackers along with the increased hot flashes/hormones were working on me big time today!  OY!!!  

When it was all said and done, I ate 1248 calories today instead of 800-1000. Still it was a LOT less than I would have binged on, but as my oldest niece told me, "NO EXCUSES!"

I ended up going to my Grandma's friday night Shabbos dinner after they were done, and my other niece and my brother gave me their advice on how to feel full without FOOD!!  Please see the next blog to see what they said!

Compulsive over-eaters! "Waiting Tips!" for 20 mins. after a meal

As a compulsive over-eater, I will tend to eat and eat and eat because while I am eating I don't get full.  But, as an educated individual, I know that it takes 20 minutes for the brain to signal the body that you are full.  I know this.  However, as a compulsive over-eater I keep eating and eating and eating until I'm beyond full....until I'm stuffed....I eat until I'm ready to lay on the couch and watch TV for an hour.

As part of the eating disorder, and instead of beating myself up over doing this behavior, I have to embrace the practice of WAITING 20 minutes after I eat a meal.  If I practice enough, it will become a habit.  I'll just keep telling myself to wait 20 minutes and see how I feel, until it becomes a part of my everyday eating life.

Here are my supportive nieces and sister-in-law who have mastered their desires to overeat.  They offer their tips of what they do to pass the 20 minutes and NOT KEEP EATING!!!

OK, so this morning I had a Medifast oatmeal, a glass of water, and coffee.  I still wanted more food.  So, while waiting that 20 minutes, I had a conversation with my cat, BB.  We discussed mice and flossing. 

DAY 7 - Restaurants, MSG, sugar salt, and fat! AND SUGAR!

Today was my first full day back at work after giving myself a few days off to adjust to the new Take Shape For Life program.  I had it all planned out to have a small salad and a ground turkey patty at First Watch for lunch today, but my one Aunt was in from out of town and my other Aunt was meeting her for lunch at a Greek restaurant.  So I decided to join them. BOY!  Was I in for a surprise. 

My sugar obsession has kicked into high gear!  I can't stop talking about sugar, thinking about sugar, and wanting a dessert!

YOU'RE GETTING SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEPYYYYY!! 

Jabba the Hutt, Self Perception vs. Reality, & Take Shape For Life goals, and Unleash the Power Within!

I've been called many fat names in my life:  Tubby.  Butterball.  Shamu.  My brother once called me Jabba the Hutt, implying specifically that I am fat, lazy, lethargic, and...well...you get the picture.  I've developed thick skin when it comes to being referred to as fat.

I've been overweight my whole life, except for a brief year when I was 27 and was dieting and working out four times a week at the JCC in San Francisco.  I had a work-out buddy then and it made all the difference.  Work out buddies are essential, at least for me, because I AM fat, lazy, lethargic, and much more like Jabba the Hutt than Shamu!  I wish I could one day get to the point where I WANT to go to the gym on my own...or I WANT to go for a walk....but sadly, what I WANT to do is sit on my tush and catch up on the TV shows I've recorded, and I WANT to sit there and stuff my face at the same time while doing it!!!!   In the past I have hired personal trainers, because when I am paying real money and have an appointment, I am much more likely to go to the gym.

The weird thing is that I don't really comprehend exactly how much weight I have on my frame.  My perception is skewed about myself.  If I see a terrible picture of myself, I just blame it on bad angles and  how the picture was shot!  That's not really ME.  I am not THAT big.  I still think I weigh a lot less, I still think I look pretty good, and I still think I'm the same as I was a few years ago.

 My best girlfriend casually told me a year ago, "You tie your shoes like a fat person now," but it went in one ear and out the other.  Another friend even took me aside and told me that my weight was getting out of control and she was concerned for my health.  I was kinda pissed off at her, but she did it in such a loving way that it was less painful to hear than when my mom or grandmother would tell me to lose some weight.  And even my boyfriend at the time told me I wasn't attractive sexually anymore, and we stopped having sex.  But still, all those messages went in one ear and out the other.  I had been hearing how fat I was my whole life, and I was immune to listening.

My Dad jolted me into reality!  He asked, "Can you still tie your shoes?"

I was like, "Yes, but I don't bend down to do it anymore!"  I lift my leg up and cross it over my other leg, and THEN I can reach my shoes to tie them.  Right now there is too much belly in the way to bend down and it is really uncomfortable.

Even a simple thing like dropping something on the floor that I have to bend down and pick up in front of others can set off a mini-panic attack.  And the airplane is another factor that needs negotiating now.  I've had to ask for a seat belt extender.  HOW EMBARASSING!  And the flight attendants whisper and secretly hand it to you all covertly and stuff.  I'm over that now.  I just flat out ask for one.  No need to whisper.  It is what it is.  And it's still embarassing.  So I talked about all this stuff with my Dad and he said:

"There's your reality!"

I have been so resistant to change.  I have been so resistant to believing that my weight was out of control,  my eating was out of control,  my finances were out of control, and my relationships with men have become non-existent.  Guys don't even look me in the eye anymore when we pass on the street.

Since February I tried counting calories.  Most of the time.  Some of the time.  I did manage to lose 10 pounds since my 50th birthday.  But it's tenuous at best.  The binging still occurred.  The guys still didn't look at me.  My clothes were not getting any looser.  It wasn't really working for me.  I was still completely out of control with my eating and sugar addiction.

When I met my coach, Danny Bobrow, we discussed his charity called SMILE TREE and we talked about how MolarTron might be of service.  So when I checked out his website I saw the words LEAD BY EXAMPLE on there, and it struck a nerve.  Lead by example.  And it got me wondering how I was going to be taken seriously as a health expert if my own health was so out of control??  This was my defining moment.      LEAD BY EXAMPLE.  These three words turned on the light switch and set me into motion.  How can I stand up in front of a room full of children and tell them how to be healthy when I am not practicing what I preach?  If health coaching is going to be my new path in life, then I damned well better LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

I am counting on the TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE journey to help me learn to LOVE the feeling of being skinny, and I will LOVE the feeling of moving my body without having to pay someone to "make" me move, and I will LOVE the feeling of being healthy.  These are my goals.

Thank G-d I am a FIREWALKER and walked across hot burning coals at Tony Robbins UNLEASH THE POWER WITHIN seminar.  I did THAT so I know I can do THIS.  I know because I see myself already on the other side, celebrating and feeling great and living longer and being happy and BEING HEALTHY (and shopping for new clothes and meeting a new man)!

In the immortal words of Spock, we should all "Live long and Prosper!"

DAY 6 It's Buck a Bone Day at City BBQ, Medifast oatmeal, & cohorts

So I'm wondering......if I can have 3 CONDIMENTS of BBQ sauce, then can I weigh out 5 oz. of brisket and get a side salad from CITY BBQ today????  It's Buck a Bone Day at City BBQ and every Tuesday for a year I have been going there for lunch.

OMG!!!   I am obsessing about City BBQ and it's only 8:25 in the morning....the other question is:  can I go to the BBQ joint and be okay without the salad dressing and the most amazing french fries on the planet?!  Those fries are better than the fries at the FAIR!  And that is some compliment, City BBQ!    French fries.  I forgot about those for a minute. Maybe on second thought I better stay away and see how I feel next Tuesday.

Great news!  I feel good this morning.  I am off all milk proteins and my sinuses and chest are clear.  I can breathe easily!  My joints ache a little less (milk really sets off stiffness and pain) and I am going to swim today.  My tummy is still bloated, but I did have a nice moment on the potty so I don't feel constipated at all. The literature states that one could feel constipated on the program, but with Ulcerative Colitis that is not a problem AT ALL!  I'll be thrilled if I have to do the doo only once a day now.  OMG!  That would be GREAT!!!!

Last night I was SO FULL by 10:00pm that I just went to bed.  I was supposed to have a 5th Medifast meal and I made oatmeal, but by the time I was done microwaving it I was ready to pass out.  And I was super full from dinner still, so I just put the oatmeal in the fridge and this morning I discovered something really cool to do!   The oatmeal had dried a little and was cold, but it had the consistency of sticky rice and was all chewy and fun to eat!!!  The sucralose sweetener was not as noticeable when the oatmeal was cold.  No more hot oatmeal for me!  At least now I found a way to eat it without complaining.  I was going to return it but I've changed my mind. Too bad it doesn't look better than it does!

So....today I'll make some more oatmeal (it is stickier and heavier with a little less water added into the recipe), and I am going to spread it out in a pan, chill it, sprinkle cinnamon on top, and cut it into small bite-sized squares!  Now I can take the oatmeal on the go with me and it feels like I'm eating a piece of...hmmm...a piece of....something!  Not cake, not a cookie, but something sweet...!  Plus the oatmeal is very filling and again, I am stuffed.  Hey!  This could turn out to be a good "breakfast before work" meal on the days I have to go into the office in the early mornings.  In the past I would eat a turkey sandwich or an egg sandwich with turkey sausage and it would hold me over until lunch.  I need something that will stick to my ribs a little on work days, and I think this oatmeal followed by a shake 2-3 hours later could do the trick.

Mmmm.  Ribs!  Did I mention it's Tuesday?!  My thoughts keep returning to the bad food that is soooooooooo pleasurable to eat but in the end is so dangerous.  Arrghghh!!  This is my challenge not just with food but in life.  I go for the pleasure and I forget the potential negative effects.  The only time I do not do this is when I am playing chess.  In chess, I look ahead at all the potential outcomes.  If I move this Castle here, my opponent can move here and here and here and here.  I need to have my chess game on in my brain when making moves in my life, especially when it involves food.  "If I eat this, I will feel...."  "If I eat this, it can cause...."

I had yesterday and today off from working at the office, to give myself a little time to adjust to my new way of life.  Tomorrow I head back into the office and have to interface with people again!  My main concern is feeling hungry in the middle of a procedure on a patient, but so far the hunger has been pretty minimal once I got past the first three days.  Like I said before, I did eat a few extra ounces of protein during those times and it helped tremendously.

LUNCH!!  Matzah brie!  Eggs and crackers are great!! 

All in all it was a good day.  I had about 2 extra ounces of turkey protein and before I knew it I had already finished off 6 almonds that were at eye level in the cupboard (I already had the crackers as a snack!).   I moved the almonds and put them in the fridge on the bottom shelf!!  No more mindless compulsive munching!!!!!  I see food and I eat it.  I have to get a grasp on that.  Maybe Overeaters Anonymous meetings are in my near future.  OA and exercise. 

Yep.  OA & E!

 

Day 5. Star Trek, working, eating. I'm FULL!

Breakfast was good.  Apple Cinnamon oatmeal with a condiment serving of cinammon!!  I gotta kill the sucralose with spice.  I'm not into artificial sweeteners AT ALL.  I'm a sugar girl.  Fake stuff is bitter to me at the end of each bite, but sprinkle on a condiment of 1 tsp cinnamon and I'm on my way to oatmeal tolerance!  Woke up feeling fine as a fiddle.  No headaches!  YAY!!  I do feel a bit bloated.  My energy is good and I'm ready to work at home.

Been working at my desk all day and I forgot to eat and drink water.  How could I forget to EAT?  Say WHAT??  It's 4:24 and I have only had 2.5 of the six daily meals and half a snack.  I like stretching out the snacks through the day.  I wonder if I can divide two snacks during a day and have more variety?  Like can I have 10 pistachios (instead of 20) along with half the snack cracker package?  Hmmm....gotta check on that....

I'm allergic to the proteins in milk and it's such a drag.  I don't eat food with milk proteins.  That means I am very limited on this Take Shape For Life program in regards to food choices.  Nothing like a little chocolate and some Star Trek captains to shake up the mid-day!   Once frozen, it takes FOREVER to finish because the Ready Made Dutch Chocolate shake is so filling!!!  11 g of protein!  UGH!  I'm so full.  

CRACKERS!  Who doesn't like crackers?  This is such a yummy snack right now!  I threw a little salmon on these multi-grain snacks and voila!  I feel like I'm eating a treat.  The salmon is sure curbing my appetite!  Wrap in lettuce and it's part of my lean and green meal. I'm gonna also add some chopped raw broccoli and dip it in balsamic. I think I'm supposed to split the lean and green meal into equal  halves if I want to eat one in the morning and one later...I just think I split the lean and green meal into thirds!  Um...not sure you are supposed to do that...I gotta check with my coach and get back to you on this.  

It's 6:50pm and I'm not hungry at all.  I had the veggie beef stew about two hours ago and I feel great.  Still a bit bloated.  I need to work on drinking more water.  I still get to eat the rest of the lean and green salmon meal with the other half of the snacky crackers and the rest of the veggies, plus I have to have another Medifast meal!  UGH!  I really don't feel like eating anymore right now, but I don't want to NOT eat all the food I'm supposed to eat.  WOW!  This is a switch!!!  I don't want to eat???   How cool is THAAAAT?!!!

Sugar Addiction and Opioid Receptors In Our Brains

So, I just wanted to talk about some research I am doing about the brain and addictions.  Most people don't realize that the opioid receptors in our brains react in a similar "feel-good" way whether we are using heroin, cocaine, or......(big drum roll here) sugar!  In fact, in lab studies involving rats, the ONLY time a rat would scale a difficult wall to get to the other side was when there was COCAINE or SUGAR as the reward.

The rats didn't scale the wall for food or water.

If you are struggling with trying to get off sugar, just Google this:

"Sugar addiction and Opioid Receptors"


You are gonna be amazed.  So stop beating yourself up about loving sugar and feeling unable to control your desire for it (like I did), and do a little investigating on the ADDICTIVE POWER of SUGAR.

Plus, sugar is bad for your teeth, too!  (This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood dental hygienist!).

On the other hand, these soy crisps are outrageously delicious and satisfying!!  And they have real sugar, not the fake stuff.  The question is, can I eat only ONE lil snack package and just stop there?? !  THAT is the challenge.  But boy oh boy, if you want a little sugar, these things are amazing!

It's 2:00am.My compulsive overeating tried to kick into gear.

Good Morning!  Had a rough night last night.  I wasn't too hungry most of the day, but by 2:00 am I was in the fridge wondering what I could eat.  Good thing I threw out ALL the sugar and tempting foods in advance!  One bite of this really yummy salmon I had prepared for the next day triggered a HUGE response from my brain (and mouth).  

Day 4: Navigating Sam's Club & Family Dinner Party

Navigating Sam's Club.  Food samples abound!

On the way to the family dinner.  In my family, food is always a feast, and a recipe for me to compulsively overeat.  

What's wrong with sniffing delicious treats?  There are no calories in sniffing.  Do you think it's ok to sniff chocolate if you can't eat it?  

Day 3: TSFL, Medifast, MolarTron, & Me!

Today I had a MolarTron gig in Sidney, Ohio.  MolarTron is my little baby I created to help kids feel good about dentistry!  Here's an intro:

A dental hygienist friend of mine connected me with her boss, Jeff Van Treese DDS.  They were celebrating their 25th Silver Anniversary in a Community Festival.  It was about a two-hour drive with bathroom stops, so I had some time to ponder my life.

Thank you Pastor James for talking about expiration dates.

INTRODUCING 

MOLARTRON & friends!

My dental super heroes are from Planet Molar X!

Our MolarTron mascot is a work in progress!  

MolarTron fights plaque & other crimes of the mouth!

Glad I had a thermal mug for soup!  On the go!  

DANCING IS GREAT EXERCISE!