Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle

My last Healthier Lifestyle post was September 13, 2018 and looking back it seems as though my body was telling me something is not right. A few short weeks after this, during a routine Pap Test, my gynecologist discovered a mass near/on my uterus. This resulted in a flurry of tests and ultrasounds, ending up with a visit to a specialist. I had, at that time, an ovarian cyst that was 11cm x 14cm x 9cm. For my American friends that translates into 4.5 inches x 5.5 inches x 3.5 inches. Just think of a really big grapefruit.

Surgery was successful although I was in surgery longer than anticipated because they found some hardened masses behind the uterus. All tests have come back and there was no cancer in anything. Praise the Lord! My recovery was swift and I didn't have to take any painkillers. I must confess, I have an extremely high pain tolerance and I also knew God had me in the palm of His hands. I trust Him for everything.

So, this healthy eating is still on the go. I've lost close to twenty pounds since I started. My pants were falling off me and I had to break down and buy some clothes. Part of this lifestyle is making as much as I can in my own kitchen and my latest craze is home made bread.

I baked the loaf shown above this morning. The recipe is super easy and I'm using my Kitchen Aid mixer/dough hook to do the kneading. Believe it or not, that was hard for me to do because I've always made my bread by hand. Once I took the plunge I slapped my own wrist for waiting so long.

Here is the recipe with some brief instructions. As always, check your flour to water ratio as the dough is kneaded. Everybody has different temperatures/humidity and other factors in their kitchen that change how the dough comes together.

1.5 cups	warm water (almost hot to the touch) 110F
2 tsp	active dry yeast
2 Tbsp	sugar
4 cups	flour
2 Tbsp	softened butter
2 Tbsp	dried milk powder
1 tsp	salt

Blend (Level 1 on your mixer) all of the above.  You really want to watch how this dough comes together.  If the sides of the bowl start coming clean, you know you have the right amount of flour.  If it's sticky or wet, or sticking to the bottom center, you have to add a bit more flour

Stop the mixer.

The dough should be slightly sticky but you don't want it to stick to your fingers

Set mixer to Level 2 and set your timer for five minutes.

Take dough out of bowl and shape into a ball.

Coat the bowl with olive oil. Place the dough ball inside, making sure the dough ball is covered lightly with some of the olive oil.

Cover. Let rise for one hour in a warm protected place (I put mine in the microwave).

Dough should double in size. Gently punch down to release any air bubbles.

DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH!!!

Roll it out of bowl.  Shape and fit into bread pan and let rise for about a half hour (2" above bread pan)  While the dough rises in the bread pan, preheat oven to 350F

Bake 25 - 35 minutes (depending on your oven - I baked mine for 30 minutes)

For a soft top - spread butter on the crust while fresh (hot) from the oven.

Enjoy!

Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle

A week has gone by since DH and I embarked on this journey. Neither of us have ever monitored what we eat and there's a bit of a learning curve in this adventure. Not that we eat 'unhealthy', only that we've never consciously thought about WHAT we are consuming.

Having said that, the week was interesting. I'm not sure I like the fact that I'm obsessed with food. I'm sure as we settle into this 'thing' I won't spend almost every waking moment worrying about how I can reduce fat/salt/bad cholesterol - it will all become second nature - but right now I'm poring over articles and blog posts trying to learn something new.

We're kind of a funny pair. DH has to adjust to no snacking and I have to add snacks. He has to reduce his consumption and I have to increase mine. We definitely are two sides of the same coin, and I know this will all work out.

As of yesterday, I've lot 6.2 pounds. My first goal is ten and the final goal is thirty. I've heard/read the first few weeks you shed weight quite quickly with a plateau of sorts to follow, but ten is my first goal and this makes me happy. I truly don't care if the rest comes off more slowly as long as it doesn't come back on.... DH says he has lost some pounds, but he mumbled his number so I think he's a bit discouraged.

Don't worry, honey. I'm going to hide the ketchup and see if that makes a difference next week....

I'm going to post something I borrowed from the Herbal One (TM) website about mindful eating. For the full article, click the embedded link to their site.

PUT THE WEIGH SCALE AWAY

This doesn't mean to totally avoid weighing yourself. But the weight scale can be one of your worst enemies. Regardless of how you try to lose weight, you will have good days and bad days.

When you hop on the scale and the numbers don't deliver the news you're looking for, it can be devastating. So  much so that you fail to see your real progress. The progress that you make everyday, regardless of what the scale tells you.

Remember, you're on a journey toward a more mindful eating, better health and weight loss. The scale only measures one, and it's not really the best way to do even that.

By putting away the weigh scale deep in a closet, instead of leaving it temptingly on the bathroom floor, you'll need to be more mindful in using it, and better prepared for whatever news it brings.

Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle - Day One

Take a breath, I'm not going to post every day in this journey, but I am going to TRY and post weekly, letting you know how I'm doing, starting with today.

Hubby and I have embarked on a journey to have a healthier lifestyle. Food is not my enemy - I don't live to eat, but this doesn't mean I eat the right foods either. So, for me, I need to boost my  metabolism and make myself eat three meals a day. I am one who only eats when hungry and I'm not a big snacker. This leads to my body storing up food for the 'next' time I eat. My challenge is to eat even when I don't feel hungry, such as now. It's lunch time and I have to make something for DH and I.

Hubby's challenge is to become more active and cut down on the snacking/sweets. Poor man. I think that will be his biggest hurdle. He has a HUGE sweet tooth.

If you're looking to start a healthier life style, one of the places you can begin is to create your space in the kitchen and get in the mind set to plan ahead your meals. Why plan ahead? So you know what to buy when you grocery shop and not get sidetracked while shopping.

Three Steps to Better Shopping

Plan Your Meals

If you visit the grocery store once a week, starting planning your meals a week in advance. If you find it too difficult to do a whole week’s meal planning, break it into more manageable chunks, like planning only your dinners. I always think of that question, 'How do you eat an elephant?' One bite at at time. Don't let this step overwhelm you. Do what's necessary and next week, add a bit more to your meal planning.

Make Sure Your Pantry has Everything You Need

Before you finish your list, check your cupboards or pantry. As you start to memorize recipes, or customize them to your tastes, it’s not always easy to remember all the ingredients you’ll need for a every dish.Also, the more cooking you do on your own, the sooner you’ll run short of some of the basics, like condiments and oils. A well-stocked pantry will help you avoid the disappointment of not having all the ingredients you need for a certain recipe – and avoid the unexpected trip to the grocery store to get them.

Get More Herbs & Spices

One of the biggest complaints when people start cooking and eating healthier food is that it tastes bland. That’s because there is less fat, salt and sugar in it. Herbs and spices offer some very tasty options for getting more flavour into your dishes without adding extra calories. Also, you can use essential oils in place of dried herbs. I personally use Oil of Oregano and Oil of Basil in my spaghetti sauce. You can check out my essential oil page by clicking this image found on the right side bar. This is only two of many oils you can add to your diet/drinks.

https://www.myyl.com/suebarr

This challenge hubby and I embark on is a lifestyle change. Are we going to make mistakes. Yup. Will we cheat once and while. You betcha, but overall, we are deciding to give our bodies a better chance of keeping us around for a little longer. Weight loss will occur, but the funny thing, that's not our biggest motivator. We both want to decrease the amount of fat coating our inner organs and have more energy.