This Is A True Story...
(You'll hear these words a lot in Texas, even when the story is a tall tale. Just as the last words you'll often hear come out of a Texan's mouth are, "Hey ya'll watch this!")
I come from a long line of fluffy chix who cooked a blue streak. Each one was a natural born cook and each generation of chix that came after were better cooks than their mamas and grand mamas. So here I am; Texan, Irish, over-40, post-menopausal and very fluffy. And I love to eat like nobody’s business – all 314 pounds at my heaviest!
(You'll hear these words a lot in Texas, even when the story is a tall tale. Just as the last words you'll often hear come out of a Texan's mouth are, "Hey ya'll watch this!")
I come from a long line of fluffy chix who cooked a blue streak. Each one was a natural born cook and each generation of chix that came after were better cooks than their mamas and grand mamas. So here I am; Texan, Irish, over-40, post-menopausal and very fluffy. And I love to eat like nobody’s business – all 314 pounds at my heaviest!
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All fluff aside, I'm thrilled with my new svelt(ish) self! |
I can hear you now. You're probably thinking I sat on the couch eating bon bons, moon pies, and endless bags of Lay's Potato Chips, drinking RC Cola and watching Oprah and Dr. Phil Medicine Woman. And it would be a good guess too, but the weight gain was boringly a result of small bad choices made repetitively, coupled with a few metabollic issues, medicines like prednisone for asthma, lack of exercise, surgical menopause, and growing old.
I work at home and spend hours with my booty glued in front of the computer screen designing "gorgeous" advertising and marketing materials wink, wink, and writing copy for people all over the U.S. Sitting in a cool, dark room, my better half, Denny, spuriously calls the Mole Hole, well let's just say I grew. Just like a mushroom. Plump. Dense. Round. And delicious. Did I mention I'm deliciously round?
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| The Boys - watching NASCAR last weekend. |
My Confession...
I'm a nutrition nerd. I really am. I read everything I can get my fluffy little wings on. I spend hours reading the latest articles and studies that come out on PubMed and various medical journals and scroll around some serious blogs written by genius doctors and PhD's. I'm also a member of an incredibly informative food and health board named Low Carb Friends, and I will share the links to these places with you.It's taken 11 years to arrive at this way better method of eating. I did it in baby steps - slow learner here. As I made certain dietary changes, I'd notice feeling better: less pain, more energy, maybe a pound or two of weight loss. At some point, I just decided to make it a permanent way of life instead of a diet. I felt so much better than when I ate the typical SAD (Standard American Diet - you know high carb, high fat, high product crap).
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll ever be a saint. I love food too much. I still back slide now and again into those old sucky habits of a lifetime, but I ascribe to the 90/10 philosophy. If I do the best I can 90% of the time, I am not gonna sweat the other 10%. It's gotta be better than eating poorly 100% of the time, right?
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll ever be a saint. I love food too much. I still back slide now and again into those old sucky habits of a lifetime, but I ascribe to the 90/10 philosophy. If I do the best I can 90% of the time, I am not gonna sweat the other 10%. It's gotta be better than eating poorly 100% of the time, right?
It's Never Too Late!
So...lucky for me all those fluffy chix in my family taught me a thing or two about cooking. Keep in mind even the roosters in the family could and can cook absurdly well! But I also learned a lot from Jacques and Julia along with meal after meal of experimentation and trying out recipes on unsuspecting subjects (friends and family).
Did I tell you I moonlighted, too? A lot. I tried for years to make a living cooking and spent a lot of time working for caterers and restaurants. Heck, I even did my own catering gigs once in a while. So I guess you could say I'm also something of a self-taught cook with an unfulfilled desire to own a restaurant. Silly Susie T.
But above all, thank God I’ve finally figured out what it takes to eat healthy and lose a few pounds – 70 pounds as of today – and I’m lookin’ to lose another hundred now that I’m on a roll. I can’t afford to get bored or lose focus. A little thing called my life depends on it. I need healthy food that tastes great and doesn’t make me feel like I’m on a diet! Don't you?
Who EVER Said A Diet Has To Be Dull?
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| Turkey meatloaf, mashed cauli with gravy and green beans with garlic. |
I mean, come on! You can only white knuckle diet for so long before caving to those base desires. Don't you want to figure out how to cook meals that will help you heal some of the damage done from years of eating poorly, without having to go through diet hell? Don't you want to be able to pick a plan and stick to it for life? Well eating this way, it's entirely possible.
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| Hey ya'll watch this! |
Go from fluffy to fit - one meal at a time and sometimes, one bite at a time. Let's reinterpret all the family classics and more! No deprivation. No long suffering diet blues. No cranky kitchen wench. Ok, I'm lyin'. I will still be a cranky kitchen wench sometimes...that's how I roll. But I can guarantee there will be a whole lot of slap-yer-mama deliciousness that'll make your mouth forget all about how good every bite is for your bottom, er - I mean your waist - line.
So, hey ya'll watch this!
So, hey ya'll watch this!
