Tom and Cathy arrive today at 2 p.m.

We haven't seen Tom and Cathy in about two years, and we're really looking forward to having them stay for a week with us.  They are Cove people like us, so the upcoming week will be filled with many days at the Cove, relaxing, swimming, catching up, and soaking up some Florida sun.

Yesterday I had another great day with food.  I also lifted the weights and took a 20 minute walk.  My calories for the day were 1252, subtract the 125 burned in exercise, and I get a net caloric intake for the day of 1127.  I'm starting to get excited for stepping on the scale tomorrow morning!  It's been a great week.  I will report it first thing tomorrow.

It's amazing how having a great week of eating right and exercising regularly makes you feel so good.  LOL!  Well, that's not really a surprise to anyone is it?  The problem is that I also feel good when I stuff myself silly...at least while it's happening.  Then I feel terrible and beat myself up about it later.  This feels better.  I hope I can remember that the next time I start to feel out of control.

I am seriously considering getting a new car (well, used car) pretty soon, like Wednesday.  I have been wanting to buy a hybrid for a very long time, and now may be the time.  I have debated among a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Prius V hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Ford C-Max Hybrid.  There are plenty of others out there, but I never considered them.

I polled people I know with various types of cars.  I also just couldn't bring myself to buy non-American.  Eventually, I realized I couldn't leave the Ford family.  Just been there way too long.  So...that narrowed it down to the Fusion or the C-Max.  I got great letters back from Ron with his C-Max and Eliot with his Fusion.  Both love their cars and gave them highest marks.  Then it came down to finding the right car for sale. I also don't want a white, black, or silver car.  I have had all of those, and recently there have been too many black ones in our family.  Currently, Mark's Focus is silver, and although we have had the same color of car before (two black Focuses), I just don't feel like doing it now.  I'm really craving a new color! That eliminated a lot of possible cars.  I also want it to be no more than two years old and have no more than 25, 000 miles on it and not cost an arm and a leg.  But, the biggest thing is that it MUST hold our four suitcases in the trunk!

Finally, the right car popped up.  Carmax in Orlando has a red Ford C-Max SEL with 25,000 miles on it for 20,998.  I now have an appointment for Wednesday afternoon to go see it.  I called the same salesman who worked with Mark a year and a half ago when he bought his 2011 Focus.  The man is the son-in-law of the man who owns All Cars in Kissimmee where we have been having our cars services for the last five years down here.  We enjoyed the car buying experience at Carmax, so I'm hoping it goes as smoothly for me.  I plan to take the suitcases with me and test the trunk. I'll also do a serious test drive because I've never driven a hybrid.  In fact, I've never even ridden in one.  At least I don't remember doing so.  I'm looking forward to that test drive on Wednesday.

One more interesting thing...the Ford Focus is assembled in Mexico.  The C-Max is assembled in the USA.  I know I'm making the right decision!

One final thing is the very sad situation in Baltimore.  I have been watching what's going on with the protests and riots in the city over the death of Freddie Gray. How sad!  It's sad that he died in police custody. It just seems like one more incidence of police making bad decisions.  But the mostly peaceful protests over the last few days descended into riots around the Camden Yard stadium last night.  Ridiculous. It does not promote your cause to loot stores, smash windows, and turn over cars.  Fans in the stadium were not allowed to leave after the game ended.  It ended late, too, because the O's beat the Red Sox in the tenth inning.  Who knows what will happen today? The sister of the man killed was on TV calling for peace and an end to the violence.  Six police officers have been suspended because of it, pending a full investigation.  The black female Mayor of Baltimore and the  white male police chief have both admitted the police did not follow procedures.  What more can you ask of city officials at this early stage?  It seems like they are doing all they can.  Rioting and acting like hoodlums does not promote anyone's agenda, in my opinion.  And I am SO GLAD that Lowell is married and lives in Columbia now!  Wow!  For about three years he lived in a condo right next to City Hall where all the protesting started.  Crazy.  That would have made me very afraid.

from Reby's Weight Loss and Breast Cancer Journey http://ift.tt/1bHMgEB
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It's Friday.

My choir, which includes Mark, did a great job last night at the Israel Independence Day Celebration.  We got there around 6:30, had a small falafel for dinner, hung around with the other choir members, listened to some other groups, and then sang our three songs.  The crowd was large and noisy, but by the time we went on, a lot of people had left.  That worked to our advantage because it was easier for those who were there to hear us.  We got a lot of applause and compliments.  I'm proud of them and happy we did it.

I didn't go over my calories yesterday because the small falafel and the sorbet that one of the choir member's bought me as a treat did not push me over.  I was pretty happy about that.  I only had a banana at bedtime, making my total calories only 1362 yesterday.  I also had the exercise, so it was a great day.  After subtracting the exercise calories (376), my net calories were only 987.

Today we will once again head over to the Cove for the water aerobics and lap swimming.  We will also go up to The Palms for the weight lifting routine.  I am only doing seven machines right now with such little weight and so few reps that it only takes 10 minutes.  Next week I'm going to boost the weight or the reps, which varies on different machines, and try to make it take up to fifteen minute.

We are having our friends Tom and Cathy arrive on Sunday for a week.  Mark is planning to cook at home most of the time and hang out at the Cove a lot.  I am hoping this will be one time that when we have company, I don't gain weight.

I already have my calories all planned out for today in the Lose It! app. It's Shabbat tonight, so Friday dinner is always a bit higher for a meal at home because of the challah and wine.  This week it's the same meal as last Friday, coffee-rubbed steak with red-eye beans.  Oh, BOY, was that good!  My total calories today should come to 1476 with 421 burned in exercise, net 1055 calorie day.  Pretty sweet.

Here's my menus for today:
Breakfast:  3 Morningstar Sausage Links (120) and Sugar Free Greek Yogurt (80)   Total 200 cal.

Lunch:  can of low sodium tuna (140), can of low sodium green beans (70), 2 small plums (61)  Total 271 cal.

Dinner: shot of whiskey on the rocks (96), 2 ounces of moscato wine (94), 2 ounces of challah (132), 2 T Smart Balance spread (100), 1 serving of Diabetic Living Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Red-Eye Beans (294), 1 cup steamed broccoli (20), 1 1/2 cups tossed salad (15)  Total 752 cal.

Snacks: medium banana (105) and pint of Arctic Zero ice cream (148)  Total 253 cal.

That adds up to 1476, subtract 421 for exercise, and the day's final net total calories is 1055.

And look how well I ate!  Yummy food, good exercise.  Doing this every day will most definitely get me very close to my goal by August 2 when we head to Hawaii.  There are always obstacles to being this good every day, but as long as I'm close to it most days, I will get very close.  Currently, my goal is to be at 250.  If I lose two pounds per week, which is attainable, I think I will make it.  If I lose a little more than two pounds a week on some of the weeks, I would be into the 240s again and I'd be THRILLED!

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SOJC Low Stress Choir performs tonight at the Israeli Independence Day Festival in Maitland.

This is a big night tonight.  Except for performing at the Rosen Center for the Cantor's 13th Anniversary party in January, my little SOJC Low-Stress Choir has only performed inside the building and mostly only at the High Holidays.  Tonight at 7:40 p.m. they are performing three songs at the JCC up in Maitland at the big Israeli Independence Day Celebration.  There will be ten of us singing three songs.  The first two are a cappella, "Im Tirtzu" and "Lechi Lach" by Debbie Friedman, and we are finishing with a two part arrangement of "Kachol Yam Hamayim," a song composed before 1948 about the beauty of Israel.  I think they will be AWESOME!

Last night we had a fabulous dinner party with Chris and Laurel.  We spent the whole afternoon around the Cove pool with them and then came back for dinner.  I marked down all my calories, did some water aerobics and laps, and stuck to my plan. Yay for me!  I ate 1600 calories exactly.  I'm pretty pleased with myself.

Today we are eating dinner up at the festival, so who knows what we will find. I have had an excellent breakfast and lunch, did the 40 minutes of water aerobics and swam 10 minutes of laps.  There will be a good bit of walking  and standing at the festival tonight as well.  I have about 1100 calories left for tonight, and I feel confident that it is enough to account for anything we might find to buy for dinner.

I looked back at my weights that are recorded in my Lose It! program.  Back in December of 2013, I hit my lowest point since we have moved to Florida.  It was 232.5.  Wow!  Instead of staying the course and losing another 10-20 pounds and being back where I was in 2010 when we left for Hawaii, I gained FIFTY pounds.  Actually I gained a bunch, lost a bunch, and gained it again.  Ridiculous.  I had forgotten that I had gotten down that low in 2013.  I know I hit about 236 in April of 2014 after blossoming back up to the 270s, so here I am just trying to go back down again.  When will I ever learn to STAY DOWN????

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Shaunte lost 40 pounds

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Shaunte lost 40 pounds. This proud mom of 2 wants to live a long life to be around for her children, so she embraced clean eating and started working out at home. Read more about her journey…

What was your motivation?

My motivation and inspiration comes from my children. I have an 8 month old son and seven year old daughter. I want to live a long healthy life so that I can be active in their lives.

How did you change your eating habits?

Before my last pregnancy I worked out, I ran and I ate healthy. When I became pregnant for the second time that all changed. I became very lazy, stopped working out and returned to eating unhealthy foods. The cravings got the best of me. I was also afraid to do anything extra which led me to stop working out, because I was afraid of something going wrong with the pregnancy if I did too much. I had miscarried two babies before my son, so I was very cautious about any activity I did.

What did your workout routines look like?

I tried to get back into running but I mostly worked out from home. I did workout DVDs and created my own nutritional program. I also eat a clean, balanced diet.

What was your starting weight? 195 pounds

What is your current weight? 155 pounds

What is your height? 5’4″

How long did your transformation take?

8 months and still going. I would like to reach 140 pounds.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?

Stay motivated and consistent. Results won’t happen overnight but if you stick with it you won’t regret it. Also, don’t be afraid to try new things. I never liked running but I trained and ran my first 5k. That is something I never thought I would do or even enjoy.

You can follow me on instagram @shauntelewisbeauty
www.shauntelewis.com

Tags: African-american, before and after, before and after photos, black weight loss success, black woman, clean eating, eat clean, how I lost weight, how to lose weight, lose 40 pounds, lose pounds, mom, tranformation, weight loss, weight loss advice, weight loss blog, weight loss journey, workout at home, workout dvds

Category: Before and After Photos

5 Weight Loss Tips for Diabetics

If you are diabetic, or have been told that you are pre-diabetic then you need to make some changes to your lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off. The most powerful tools a diabetic has to keeping their health is to manage their weight and eating healthy. The first few months are awkward as you will have to pay more attention to what you eat than usual, but once you get into the swing of things, it is easy to do. Here are 5 weight loss tips for diabetics that can work, and will help everyone else too.

Tip #1 – Know the Glycemic Index of your food

If they gave every person a class called “Diabetes 101” the first lesson in it would be what the glycemic index of food really is. Just about everyone who has heard of diabetes knows that they should avoid foods with added sugars, but a lot of foods transform into sugars when the body metabolizes them. The glycemic index lets you know which foods you wouldn’t think would cause a problem you should avoid. While you want to eat carbohydrates and starches, some foods (like potatoes) will have more than others that will create too much glucose in your body, while some starches (like apples) will have much less. One thing you should know about the glycemic index is that the lists rarely include foods with a zero rating. This is why you won’t find the protein foods like chicken and tofu listed. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them, just that they are not on the list.

Tip #2 – Don’t skip breakfast

Don’t listen to whatever diet guru of the day is saying, every nutritionist and medical doctor will tell you that your mother was right and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reason for this is your body has managed to run through its food stores during the night and by not eating first thing, you aren’t providing it with energy to begin the day. The logic does not follow that not eating breakfast will help you lose weight; in fact the reverse will happen. Your body will change into starvation mode because it will have been too long without a fresh supply of food and it will hoard nutrients as fat instead. By eating breakfast you are reassuring your metabolic system that everything is alright, as you change the rest of your diet, this will then allow it to process food better and it will result in weight loss.

Tip #3 – Cook your food so you know what’s in it

The only way to know what is in your food is to cook it yourself. Sadly, the FDA does not require all ingredients to be listed on prepared food products that would be important for a diabetic to know about. Even worse, you really have no idea what is cooked into the “home cooked” restaurant meal you love. Many restaurants add different starches and just plain sugar to all of their dishes to enhance their flavor. This doesn’t mean that dining out is off the menu, but that is should be something you do as a special treat. You will lose more weight when you cook your food yourself because you will be in control.

Tip #4 – Eat healthy carbs in moderation

Carbohydrates are not the enemy; in fact they are a very important source of energy for your body. They are also the key element to producing the specific type of glucose that your brain needs to function clearly. Not all carbohydrates are created equal thought. You want to choose carbohydrates that score low on the glycemic index and eat them in moderation. They should be a part of your daily diet, but never a daily meal.

Tip # 5 – Don’t fall for fad diet products

Lastly, don’t even read or buy or try whatever is the latest fad diet that promises to fix everything for you in just 3 weeks. Many of these diet products are jam packed with added sugars and other ingredients that could send your blood sugar levels out of control. If you want to try a small experiment – go to your store and read the nutrition label on the meal replacement shake mixes, many of them have over 68 grams of sugar per serving, which is the equivalent to about 5 candy bars. Don’t believe the latest fad diet just because it features raw fruits and vegetables, often these are well intentioned but as a diabetic you still have to factor in fruit sugars in terms of your sugar intake. The juicing craze, for example, may not be the best thing for a diabetic. When you juice fruits you remove the fiber from the fruit skin which help slow the affect of the sugars in your body. Smoothies would be a better choice, but you still have to now what you’re doing in terms of sugar intake.

Tags: blood sugar, breakfast, carbs, cook your food, diabetes, diabetics, diabetics and weight loss, fad diets, for diabetics, Glycemic Index, metabolize, starches, sugar, tips, weight loss, weight loss tips, with diabetes

Category: Weight Loss Advice, Wellness and Health