Breakfast; an Early, Smelly Winter; and a Kitchen Safe

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I am sorry for not getting a post out last week. I have noticed for many, many years that October and April are traditionally our busiest months of the year. Even though last Wednesday was technically November, it seemed like the busyness of the previous month had accumulated and I was drowning.

I have managed to try one recipe out of the Official Bright Line Eating Cookbook. This one has gotten a lot of attention on social media. It’s called Banana Rice Bake. It’s intended as a breakfast meal, and consists of banana, rice, and egg. It had a custard-like consistency and tasted delicious. I also had it right out of the oven, so it was nice and warm. Even though this was a delicious meal, I probably won’t have it very often. Most days, I eat a simple breakfast that I can have ready in a few minutes. This breakfast required me to mash a banana and mix several ingredients together before baking it in the oven. It’s about 30 minutes total by the time you count prep work, baking, and then clean up. Still, this would be nice to have on occasion as something different if you have some bananas or rice that needs to be eaten.

Banana Rice Bake

I went through the cookbook a few days ago and marked recipes that I would like to try, so I will be slowly trying new recipes.

It seems like winter has come early again this year, and it has already been a struggle to keep running. Two weeks ago, still in October, we ran in the snow! What was mother nature thinking? Last week it was warmer, but the winds were blowing fiercely. As we ran along a sidewalk that backed up to a neighborhood with lots of barking dogs, I could smell what I thought was something the barking dogs had left behind. I didn’t learn until the next day that the cold front had passed through so quickly that it brought barnyard odors from hundreds of miles away!

💩💩💩 ALERT! https://t.co/HNOvNL8S5J

— Fox 4 Weather KC (@fox4wx) November 7, 2019

It really was that bad!

I’ve had three planned runs in the last month that have been canceled due to weather. This has caused me to look into fitness club memberships in the area. I am finding that I am not good at exercising at home. When I’m at home, there’s always something else to do.

The last few weeks have been a struggle. I have been hungry for some reason and wanting to snack. (I’m still on daylight savings time!) I had a jar of cashews that it was too simple for me to put my hand into and have a few for a snack. I also have a hard time resisting the NMF that is brought to me almost on a daily basis. I have a hard time of putting it in my mouth before I even realize what I’ve done.

So, I bought a kitchen safe! If you haven’t heard of this product, it’s a box with a locking lid on top. It does not have a combination or key. It has a dial, and you select how long you want it locked up. Turn the dial, tap, and you have five seconds to change your mind. Once it locks the only way to open the safe is to break it!

My jar of cashews now lives in the safe. If I feel the urge to dip into them, I can instead quickly lock them up. Any NMF that is brought to me, goes in the safe. This gives me time to come up with a plan of what to do with it once the safe opens. If I think I need to delay longer, I can extend the time on the safe. I have put it to good use, and I am happy that I purchased it. I see it having lots of uses in the future.

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

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Becoming the Best Me

I had this photo pop up on Facebook this week from three years ago. It was a “memory” that it wanted me to share on my page. I didn’t share it, and I usually don’t because I get tired of seeing everyone else’s “memories” from years ago.

This photo that I took three years ago was a great reminder. My daughter and I ran a 5K race that took place on a farm that had a pumpkin patch. Their pumpkins were sold by the pound, so they had a wheelbarrow with 100 pounds of pumpkins in it to give you an idea of what 100 pounds of pumpkins looked like.

After just losing 100 pounds, I had to have a photo with it. It was a great example, a reminder of how far I’d come, and a reminder of where I’d been.

This is what me with 100 less pounds looks like!

What no one tells you is that losing weight is as much mental as it is physical. The obvious things come to mind such as changing your habits and dealing with the cravings and your saboteur. But no one tells you about your mental image of yourself.

No one tells you that if your body changes quickly, it may take a while for your brain to catch up. If you lose weight rapidly, your mind still has the image of the heavier you. This is why you might put on clothing that is way too big without realizing that you are now a smaller size.

I think anyone that is trying to lose weight also has an image in their mind of what they will look like at their goal weight. As I got closer to my goal weight, I realized that my body wasn’t going to look anything like I had hoped. Yes, it was smaller, but it was also becoming wrinkly and flabby. It was to be expected, but it was still disheartening.

Three years ago, this put the brakes on my weight loss journey. I still had 50 pounds to go to my goal weight, and the thought of what was to come was not something my brain was ready to handle. So, I let it simmer. And simmer. And simmer. Until the pot was dry.

My weight slowly crept up. Over the course of about 18 months, I gained about 40 pounds. About 11 months ago, I decided that I had had enough. There was no way I was going back to where I was when this all started. My mind had finally caught up with my body. The added weight was making everything so much harder, and I was now okay with how my body was probably going to look once I reached my goal weight.

Me + 100 pounds

So, here I am, back to where I was three years ago, and I’m ok with that. For the first time in a long time, I’m ok with where I am and where I’m going. Bright Line Eating has been great for quieting my mind. For the first time, I can see clearly where I’m going, and I’m ok with that. It’s not originally what I had envisioned, but it’s the best I can be!

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which [comes] through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philipians 1:9-11

The Official BLE Cookbook is Here!

My doorbell rang at 9:00 am yesterday morning. I wasn’t expecting anyone and couldn’t imagine who it could be. I answered the door to find Susan Pierce Thompson on my doorstep!

Well, her likeness, anyway.

In one of her videos I heard SPT describe her cookbook as beautiful. And it is. Inside and out!

I was able to find bits of time yesterday and I read the whole thing! It’s one of those books that you don’t want to put down once you start reading it.

It starts out by saying that this is not your ordinary cookbook. It definitely is not. The first 70 pages of the book are a run down of Bright Line Eating and how it works.

I found Chapter 3 interesting. Here, SPT talks about the science behind keeping your food simple and calls out more than once the cauliflower pizza.

Our data shows that the people eating Bright Line food designed to mimic their old food don’t get Happy, Thin, and Free. They report the slowest weight loss, the greatest frequency of cravings, and the most breaks in their Bright Lines of any group.

Wow! You don’t have to tell me twice. Simple it is for me!

As far as recipes, the book starts off with breakfast recipes, then goes to plates of food that could be adapted for lunch or dinner. Then there are cold bowls (think salads) intended mostly for lunch but easily adaptable and warm bowls intended for dinner–there are lots of soups and chilies here–but still easily adaptable.

I already know what I’m having for New Year’s! Thank you Cathy Johnson for this recipe!

There’s a chapter on dressings and sauces, and then a chapter with several pages on tips and tricks from Bright Lifers. I found a few that I may give a try. After that there are weekly meal plans–by season and for an entire year! The book is also interspersed with testimonies and before and after photos of Bright Lifers that have met their goal weight. All of the photos in this book are amazing.

This is a beautiful book. I think it would make a great coffee table book if you are looking for something to put on your coffee table as a conversation starter. I also think it would make a great gift for the right person. Maybe a fellow Bright Line eater that you know, or someone that is on the fence about Bright Line Eating. I would not give it away as just another cookbook because it says “weight loss made simple” on the cover and, quite frankly, is not just another cookbook.

If you’ve been on the fence about buying this cookbook, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. This book is a great value for the money. You could buy this book one day and be on to Bright Line Eating the next. It tells you how the program works, gives you recipes, and then gives you meal plans for a year! I don’t know where you can get anything like this for the price! SPT has definitely outdone herself.

A Bit of a Rant

As I mentioned in my last post, the last few days of my vacation did not go as planned.  I ended up eating off plan and not eating well–including NMF.

I don’t know why, but it only takes one second to go off plan.  But once you do, it is a long struggle to get your act back together and to stay on plan.  I know Susan Pierce Thompson refers to it as “rezooming.”  However, rezooming is a process.

Right now I am very upset with myself, so this might sound a bit like a rant.  I had a great BLE day.  I got up this morning and the morning and breakfast went as planned.  I knew lunch was going to be away from home today, so it was packed and ready to go the night before.  The afternoon and lunch went as planned.

I stopped by the grocery store on the way home as planned.  I was pleased to find that brussel sprouts and asparagus were on sale and was looking forward to roasting them tomorrow.

I was hoping to run when I got home, but it was cold and rainy.  I really wanted to do something since I hadn’t been able to run much in the last week, so I did some exercises at home.  Afterwards I had my BLE dinner.  It was delicious, but for some reason it didn’t seem like it filled me up like it usually does.

Late in the evening my husband announced that he was going to a nearby fast-food restaurant and asked if I wanted anything.  I politely said, “No.”  My daughter, however, put in her order.

It wasn’t long before my husband returned with a ton of NMF.  He had gotten everything to go.  Including NMF that he had bought for me.

Here is why I am frustrated:  When presented with this type of situation, I have a problem not taking and not eating the NMF.  It’s like I feel obligated or that I am being rude if I don’t.  I cannot imagine where this feeling comes from.  The only thing I can think of is that I remember visiting my grandparents’ house as a child.  My grandmother always had lots of NMF ready for us when we arrived.  She was constantly asking us if we wanted something.  It was like she was trying to be hospitable and a good host.  And as a good guest, we were to eat the fruits of her labor.

But now I feel like I am living in a very unhealthy situation.  I am living with addicts that don’t even want to admit that sugar and flour addiction is a real thing, let alone to the fact that they are addicted.  All they’re worried about is that the food that goes into their mouth tastes good; and, in their mind, it doesn’t taste good unless it’s loaded with sugar.

And that has created another problem.  Since I’m no longer cooking with sugar and flour, they’re not very excited about what I’m making.  I’m having a very difficult time trying to figure out how to incorporate BLE into our family meals.  Breakfast and lunch aren’t any big deal, the difficulty comes with dinner.  I’m eating a big salad every night, but I don’t dare serve that to the rest of the family.  Most nights I’m making my big salad for me and cooking something else for everyone else.

I’ve asked for suggestions in a couple of Facebook groups that I’m in but haven’t really gotten any help.  Some days I want to give up.  Some days I want to tell everyone else in the house to grow up.

So, where am I going with all this? I’m not sure. I don’t want to be a complainer, but I don’t have a real solution at this time. A few days have passed, so I’m not quite as frustrated as I was when I started this post. I’m not finding any real help from anyone else which makes me feel quite alone, but surely there are other people out there in a similar situation.

That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Traveling with Bright Line Eating

Last week was my first time to travel with Bright Line Eating. I’ll tell you right off that it was far from perfect. But, it was a good learning experience–otherwise known as research.

First, I did a lot of planning. We were staying at a resort where we would have a full-size kitchen and could prepare our own food. We’ve stayed there before, so I knew what to expect as far as where we would be staying.

I listed my meals and the quantity of each ingredient I would need on the left side of my paper. I then multiplied each ingredient by the number of days I would need that meal and wrote that on the right side of my paper. This way I knew how much I needed of each ingredient. I also did something similar for the rest of the family. I calculated their meals and how much I would need of each ingredient.

A couple of days before we left, I placed an order at a Wal Mart near where we would be staying to be picked up once we arrived. Placing and picking up the order was seamless. I was easily able to order everything I needed. When my order was ready, I was notified of only one substitution. They did not have the brand of taco seasoning I ordered, so it was switched to another brand. It wasn’t a big deal.

Samson was incredible.

The first three days went exactly as planned, so it was easy to stick to my eating plan. We got up and had breakfast. We didn’t have anywhere we had to be until 1:00, so there was swimming and fishing to do before eating lunch and then going to our events. Each of those days we had time to go back to our resort and have dinner. It was working and it was easy. I was a happy Camper so to speak.

The last two days of our trip did not go as I had envisioned. We had tickets to an amusement park. In the past we’ve stayed there until closing, which is usually around 6:00. It might mean eating dinner a little later than usual, but I could handle that. However, this weekend they were having some special events and stayed open until 9:00 pm both nights.

I had also purchased discounted meal tickets so that we could eat lunch there at their buffet. I thought with a buffet that I would be easily able to eat a BLE lunch. I was not able to do that. The only fruit offered on the buffet came in the form of cobblers and pies. All of the meat on the buffet was breaded and fried.

The last two days of our trip was a flop. We got back to our resort so late that we did not feel like eating a meal. We were also still full from eating a very late lunch at a buffet with very heavy food. I got up the next morning still feeling the effects.

The view on a morning walk.

Overall, it was a nice trip. The weather was perfect every day except for the last day we were there. Everything went well except for the last two days of our meals. The lesson learned here is that I’m going to have to find a way to take my meals with me. It was nice not to have to take food in and pull the wagon around, but it’s something I’m going to have to do in the future.

What are your BLE travel tips?

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:31

A Heavy Heart

This week I have a heavy heart. Why, you might ask? I know people are grieving.

We had a father in church Sunday talk about his son’s birthday being just around the corner. You would think that this would be an exciting, happy occasion, but this son passed away before entering this world. He would be five years old if he had lived.

The pain never goes away. It softens over time, but it’s always there. There’s always hope. Hope of seeing that child again. Hope of one day your family being together as one unit.

My last class reunion was four years ago. At that time, everyone in my class was still living as far as I know. Since then, several have passed. One classmate that recently passed had a sibling that passed about a year ago. Both children are gone. Their parents are still living, but all of their children are gone.

It seems so wrong, so unfair–something that a parent should never have to go through. Burying one child is bad enough, but all of your children?

Our family has experienced this before. We have had a time where it seemed like all we did was attend funerals. It seems like we have entered that pattern again of late. It makes a heart heavy. This too, will pass.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Celebrating 300 Days of Bright Line Eating

Saturday marked 300 days of Bright Line Eating! It sure doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. It seems more like 30 days. I think that goes to show for the ease of the program. It’s not torturous, I’m almost never hungry, and it’s easy to follow.

The last 100 days have encompassed the summer, which is one of the times that I find most difficult to stay on track. There are always plenty of outings to go to that usually include snacks and treats. It hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve done well this summer.

Fabienne’s fall artwork.

I’ve found a simple lunch that is easy to pack and take along with me just about anywhere. Whether it’s a lunch or dinner outing, I take this with me just for simplicity. If I take it along for a dinner outing, then I swap my dinner and lunch. It’s been referred to by others as my “healthy food.” I have some friends that probably think that I eat the same thing every day for every meal. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So, how did I celebrate the 300 day milestone? First I went for a 4-mile run with a friend. The last leg of our run was in a neighborhood that was having a neighborhood garage sale, so we stopped and looked at a few garage sales. I couldn’t buy anything because I didn’t want to carry it two miles back to our start/end point. But, I did have a PR running up the hill next to the cemetery!

After that we visited the farmers’ market. I took my BLE breakfast muffins with me and ate them as we strolled around the market. There were not as many vendors as usual, but I was able to find the cutest gourd; a squash; and some tomatoes and cucumbers to go along with my onions I had at home. They made a nice salad which have been my lunch vegetable so far this week.

My cute, little gourd that I found at the farmers’ market. This is his “best” side.

I was fortunate enough to spend a quiet evening at home and to hit the hay a bit early. All in all, day number 300 went well. I look forward to the next 300 days of Bright Line Eating!

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

I’m Still a Winner

I mentioned in an earlier post, that the Couch to 5K program that I looked forward to helping coach this summer was canceled due to a lack of participants. Our coach who leads the program offered to go ahead and meet with the rest of us that were going to help with the program during the summer.

After a discussion, we all decided we wanted to be better at what we already do. So, he helped us come up with a training schedule. Monday nights we did hills or speed on a rotating schedule. Wednesday nights was distance. Thursday nights was a slow run. Saturday mornings we met again.

We were fortunate enough to have great weather this summer. None of our runs were canceled due to the weather. We had a few where a storm was chasing us, but we always made it back before getting dumped on. We had lots of warm days, but only a few were extremely hot. Overall, it’s been a nice summer.

All of us signed up for the 5K that was to be the culmination of our efforts. After working all summer, this would be the big finale. It was a date to mark on the calendar with our goal or goals in mind.

Race day came and we were all ready and excited even though it was all familiar to us. We had been meeting on Saturday mornings, so getting up to go to a race on a Saturday morning did not seem out of the norm. Also, this was a race we were familiar with. It had been the finale for the Couch to 5K program the last few years, so we were all familiar with the route. For some, this race had been their first 5K.

Cool, crisp, fall weather would’ve been nice but that is not what we had. It was the coolest day of the week, and 65 degrees at race time but humid. It was a clear, sunny day so the race promised to be a warm one.

The gun went off and the runners leapt ahead. We gave it our best and our all. I checked my Garmin occasionally for my pace. What a surprise! I was always under what I expected and what I had hoped for.

The last part of the race is on a long straight away. I could see the finish line from a half a mile away. It seemed so far. It seemed like I would never get close–that I was never going to cross the finish line. Finally, I got close enough that I could see the clock. I looked at it and said, “What?” out loud. I had never seen numbers like that before! We all did well, and we knew it.

Later that afternoon, I was able to check Strava and see what it had to say about my run. I love Strava because it keeps track of everything for you and lets you know when your pace is improving. Strava gave me five achievements that morning–four PRs and one second best. Garmin clocked the race as 3.09 miles, so it did not count it as a 5K. If it had, it would had also recorded my fastest 5K that morning.

I am still the slowest and worst runner on the planet. I still have the biggest margin of improvement. However, that margin is just a little bit smaller now. It would not have happened without the work I did all summer. I also owe part of my success to the weight I’ve lost with Bright Line Eating and how it has made me feel better than ever. I didn’t receive a first place medal or even place in my age group, but I’m still a winner.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

I Corinthians 9:24

Boy Goes Blind and Deaf Due to His Diet

Under the umbrella that “you are what you eat” comes a report from the UK that a teenage boy has lost his sight and hearing due to his diet.

The unidentified patient told doctors he had only eaten fries from the fish and chip shop, Pringles potato chips, white bread, slices of processed ham and sausage since elementary school,

My first thought is, what a boring diet. There are so many delicious foods out there, why would you choose to only eat these?

I was imagining an overweight boy with lots of medical issues like Type 2 diabetes, but . . .

He wasn’t taking any medication, had a normal BMI and height, and showed no visible signs of malnutrition.

This certainly is not the picture of malnutrition that is painted on our television screens every weekend..

Reports go on to say that he slowly began losing his eyesight but still did not change his diet. Doctors found a deficiency of vitamin B12 and gave him B12 shots, but in the end he now has optic nerve damage and is blind due to malnutrition. This is irreversible. This boy, who is now a man, has since dropped out of college and his mother has quit her job to take care of him.

Speaking of his mother . . . How do you live with this kind of guilt? The boy is described as a “fussy eater,” but how do you not feed your child a variety of foods starting at a young age? Are kids born fussy eaters, or do we make them by giving in to their preferences for food that tastes good but has no nutritional value?

Sadly enough, according to news reports, this boy still has not changed his diet. I’m curious as to what other damage has been done and what the long-term effects will be. I keep saying that I think we are killing ourselves with the food we eat, and this certainly seems to be an extreme case of that.

I am thankful for Bright Line Eating and the guidelines it has given me. If you cut flour and sugar out of your diet, that cuts out most of the junk food. If you look and try hard enough, you can still find some that is BLE compliant and try to find a way to get it into one of your meals, but it isn’t worth it. Once you stop eating the junk and start feeling really good, it’s easy to look at junk food, think about how it’s going to make you feel and say, “I don’t want that.” It’s sad that this boy has never experienced that.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:31

Sources:
Teen’s junk food diet caused him to go blind, study reveals
Teenage boy goes blind after eating diet of only Pringles, white bread and fries

Just Me, My Metronome, and My Staples

Can you believe it’s September already? I keep hearing people say that fall is just around the corner, and my mind instantly says, “Noooooooo!” But, I really do like fall. I love the cool, crisp weather and the colors of the leaves as they change. What I don’t like is the shorter days. Fall also means that winter is just around the corner! That’s one more thing I don’t like about fall. If we could have fall without having winter, I would truly be a happy Camper!

We have had a terrific summer. There have been a few hot days here and there, but we have not had any extended heat waves. We have not had any scheduled runs or races that have been canceled due to the weather. I’ve had a couple of runs in which the weather was chasing me and I was trying to beat the storm, but I still got my run in.

While loading our vehicle last week, someone slammed the back hatch down on my head. This resulted in my having to go to the emergency room and get eight staples put in my head. The ER doctor did not give me a lot of instruction as far as what activities I could or could not do, and at the time I did not think to ask about exercising. The discharge papers I received said as a general rule to take it easy for the next two days, so I did go ahead and do that and did some walking instead of running.

This summer I’ve been running with a couple of groups. One very small, with just a few friends, and another larger group that meets once a week. With all of these scheduled runs, I’ve mostly been running with a group all summer.

This past Saturday I found myself without a running partner, so I decided to run from home and run a route I hadn’t done for quite sometime. Looking back, I think it’s been nearly two years. After my ankle sprain, I think I may have gone up and over the flyover one time. It’s a hot route in the summer because there is no shade, so I usually avoid it unless it’s cool and/or cloudy outside. I had forgotten how hot it can be, so it was a much warmer run than I had expected.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy! (The last time I ran the flyover.)

Like I said, it has been a while since I’ve ran all alone in my neighborhood, so I had forgotten how nice it is to get out and enjoy the ‘hood. I had forgotten how encouraging people are along the way.

Less than a mile into my run, I met an older gentlemen that was walking. He said something along the lines of, “Way to go,” as I passed him. I went on and went up and over the flyover. It was like visiting an old friend. Somewhere along the flyover, I got a honk and a thumbs up hanging out of the driver’s window. I also met another runner on the flyover and we gave each other kudos.

On top of the world!

On my way back, I met the same gentleman again except this time he had a lady friend with him. They were holding hands and he said to me, “You’re still at it!” I said, “You’re doing better than me; you’ve picked up someone along the way!” The lady friend chuckled as we all continued on our way. (The fact that I’m the slowest runner on earth is what allows these interactions to take place–another advantage of being a back of the pack runner.)

The last mile of this run was rough. I was not as prepared for it as I should’ve been. I had some time off the week before, it was a lot hotter than I had expected, and I had a head injury. But, the encouragement of the people I met along the way kept me going and made the journey a lot more pleasant than it would’ve been otherwise.

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.

Isaiah 35:3