Every once in awhile I meet up with “Miss Smarty Pants” or MSP  One thing is assured is that this interaction is never pleasant.  MSP  has a knack of making you feel pretty bad about yourself but at the time it appears that she is being so nice and helpful and supportive.  The ultimate example of MSP is the character “Marie Barone” from the sitcom “Everyone Loves Raymond.”  Marie  is so helpful and nice but afterward you need a dustpan to pick up your ego and self esteem.

Just the other day at the barn I ran into Miss Smarty Pants  who is usually a very nice person.  But MSP  has been on the “Kate Middleton or  Dukan Diet.”    MSP has lost quite a bit of weight and she does look nice but perhaps just a bit too thin.  (maybe a little jealousy here?)  As a woman ages you have to lose weight very slowly otherwise you may look as though you have been ill.  Also, most people initially lose fat and muscle so while you are thin you may not have much muscle mass.    I recall when I first lost most of my weight some folks would take my family aside and ask if I was OK.  After the initial weight loss your body does fill out a bit and you regain that healthy glow along with muscle mass.  In other words you will put on a little bit of weight once you move to maintenance.

Anyway, I told MSP that she looked good and she gave me that old “up and down” “check out my shape look.”  I felt a bit insecure and went fishing for a complement (my big mistake.)  Instead of positive reinforcement what I got was some friendly advice that over time my hips would slim down and if I want I could have her old size 10 or 12 slacks because now she is a size 6.  Whoa!  What happened here?  It started as my compliment to her and suddenly I am being told that my hips would slim down over time and I can have her “fat pants!”  How did this happen?  I put my tail between my legs and drove home to lick my wounds.  I felt terrible, really terrible.  So as soon as I saw my daughter I asked the million dollar question “Am I fat?”

My daughter was fantastic and reminded me that I am a very toned and physically fit person.  She reminded me that I look good and that my body conformation is very different than MSP.   She told me “YOU ARE NOT FAT.”   I also did an Internet search wanting to find out if this diet also has some impact on a person’s good judgement and found the attached article on the “Kate Diet” which refers to Nicole Kidman as “dumpy” (“Kate made even the trim Nicole Kidman look less than sublime”) and that “Reese Witherspoon looks heavy in comparison to the Duchess.”   YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME!  These comparisons are ridiculous and it appears that Missy Smarty Pants has swallowed this stuff hook line and sinker.  And when did a princess go from “Fairest of them all” to “Skinniest of them all?”  This is so wrong.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2013700/Kate-Middleton-A-waist-Nicole-Kidman-look-dumpy.html#ixzz1URAZjqvq

Missy Smarty Pants was proud of her accomplishment as well she should be but she became a bit too self righteous as though she holds the key to skinny.  But being skinny and flabby is not for me.   I would rather be fit, toned and healthy and at the end of the day I always look to my doctor and family for good feedback. 

Missy Smarty Pants please keep your opinions to yourself and bear in mind that in a fight I can take you down.  

So stay fit, healthy and trim my friends, but leave the skinny stuff to the celebrities, and if Miss Smarty Pants approaches you please run the other way, it is not worth the encounter.  Please do not become a Missy Smarty Pants since at any time anyone can morph into her.  A little humility goes a long way.

Happy, healthy trails to you all!

Irma Taking a Siesta During the Dog Day of Summer - Photo Kelly Winner

 I love the pictures of Irma above, the Jack Russell Terrier at the barn.  In fact I give Irma credit because she has the right attitude.  In the morning when it is cool she is one bundle of energy, but as the day warms up, Irma slows down.  She picks up her activity level again at the end of the day once the sunsets.  We can learn allot from watching our four legged friends.   So, I am taking my cue from Irma.  In this heat I have scaled back my exercise plan to primarily walking with some yoga and Pilate’s thrown in a couple of times a week. 

Sunrise - Taken During One of My Recent Walks

 I try to walk in the morning or in the evening.   If my schedule allows I may take a class at the gym (lately my schedule has been crazy and I go to the gym less frequently then I would like) and if I have a really hectic day and only have time in the afternoon for exercise I may head to the local indoor mall for a walk.  (If I go to the mall for a walk, I keep my credit cards at home.)   

Babar Resting Indoors During the Midday Heat - Photo Kelly Winner

During the hottest hours I try schedule my work so I can stay in the shade or indoors.  If I do have to be in the sun, I use sunscreen, wear a hat, take breaks and drink plenty of water.  

Irma Taking Her Siesta to a New Level. Note Irma on the striped chair!- Photo Kelly Winner

The really interesting thing I have found is that by keeping my daily steps to around 10,000 and being moderate about what I eat, I can maintain my weight.  Right now I am taking a time off from the heavy duty exercise and I am finding that by being more moderate I am actually feeling better.  So the bottom line is that you don’t have to “feel the burn” or having aching muscles to stay in shape. 

So, stay cool, stay in the shade but make some time to walk every and in the mid day sun take a cue from Irma and rest!

Happy, healthy trails to you all!

A couple of months ago I discovered the recipe for “Muffin in a Mug” or “Muffin in a Minute.” Also known as “MIM. ”

I had been searching the web for a diet friendly grain that both my husband and I could eat.  Of course I have been eating oatmeal and the occasional brown rice, but my husband does not eat these  (he is diabetic and these cause his blood sugar to spike) and I have been making an effort  to have food in the house that everyone can eat.  In discussion with my doctor I have found that  it is important to have high quality grain in your diet because in the long run low carb and too much protein is not good for your health.  In other words you can take low carb diets too far and compromise your health.

Enter  the “MIM.”  It is made from flax-seed which I never used before and I was skeptical about the idea of making a muffin in a microwave.  But when I looked at the nutritional rating of the muffins I decided to give it a go.

The results have been impressive.   I have been making these muffins every weekend and so far they have all come out WONDERFUL.  The recipe calls for cinnamon but I have substituted sugar free cocoa for a chocolate muffin.  These muffins remind me of a bran muffin but a bit lighter.  The really good news for me is that because of the high fiber and protein the muffins are very filling and satisfying. 

I want to start with a picture of the finished product.  This is one serving made in a square mini pyrex dish.  I eat it sliced with yogurt butter and berries.  This one serving is very filling.

The Recipe:  From The Atkins Website

Ingredients:

¼ cup flax meal
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 packet granular sugar substitute
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon butter ( Melt the butter in the microwave dish you will be using then add to dry ingredients with the egg, it makes everything easier.  Also as an alternative I sometimes use yogurt butter)

Directions:

1.    Put the dry ingredients in a coffee mug. Stir. Add the egg and the butter. Mix. Microwave 1 minute (or more).  Note: I do 1 minute and 30 seconds
2.    Take out and slice, butter and eat.

My notes:  I add a tablespoon of low fat sour cream to the batter which makes the muffin a bit more moist.  I found this hint when I was doing research but cannot find the original source.   I have substituted unsweetened cocoa for the cinnamon.  I beat the egg with a fork separately before I add it to the dry ingredients.

Some Notes on the Ingredients

Above you will see most of the items that go into the muffin.  There are two types of Flax Meal – regular and golden.  Regular is darker and more like bran while golden is lighter.  The golden is more expensive – I slightly prefer the golden but will use the regular.  There are tremendous health benefits with flax-seed meal.  I know an 85 year old couple who have been eating it for years and they are very healthy.  I am sure it is one of the things that helps. 

Here is the muffin in the pyrex dish right out of the microwave.  My husband and I were amazed at how this simple recipe worked. I have made it in different shaped dishes for fun.  A small bowl creates a “bun” that we have sliced and used for sandwiches.

Nutritional Information (from Atkins site)
Per Serving:  Net Carbs: 3.2 grams,  Fiber: 9.4 grams,  Protein: 12.2 grams, Fat: 17.3 grams,  Calories: 235

At some point I plan on using “egg beaters” in the recipe to see if I can reduce the fat content.  Will report back to you all once I try it.   P.S.  Because “MIM”  is made in the microwave you keep your kitchen cool and can still have freshly baked muffins.

Enjoy and please let me know if you have tried these muffins and any other variations you discover.

Happy, healthy trails to you all!

In my opinion the answer is a resounding YES! 

You probably have experienced this from time to time…that feeling of being uncomfortable with worry and a sense that something bad is going to happen.  You are stressed, on edge and sometimes have NO IDEA WHY.   It is the opposite of having peace in your life.  Anxiety is a slow simmer of stress that is always in the background, always whispering to you through your inner voice.   I had never given much thought to how much anxiety was in my life until ten years ago when I started losing weight in my “last chance diet.”  As soon as the food was limited and restricted I became really “antsy” and started to feel  anxious.  What I later realized was that I was using food as a form of self medication and when the food was restricted the anxiety came out.  Another term for this is Emotional Eating

Image above from   http://jeanniespiro.com/2011/02/15/share-what-your-stress-food-is/

This scenario may be familiar:  You start a diet with great resolve and after a week or so, you are on a dieter’s high.  “This will be forever” you say to yourself.  But then life happens – a curve ball comes at you… you get anxious and nervous and don’t know what to do, and so…without any other alternatives to calm yourself, you break down and have something to eat that is not on your diet plan and lo and behold you fall off the wagon.  This has happened to me far too many times to count.

Another scenario: “machine like eating.”  My husband used this phrase once early on in our relationship.  I remember it clearly.  We were in a Chinese Restaurant and I was eating those crisp won-tons and not realizing what I was doing.  It was hand to dish to mouth in a rhythm…much  like a machine.  In hindsight I now know that this was the result of my anxiety about being on a date with my future husband. (The fact that he still asked me out again and I was not offended by the comment speaks of true love.)

Food, in fact, did such an outstanding job soothing me that neither the folks around me or I realized I had this deep hidden anxiety….until food was taken away and I became “hell on wheels.”

So, how did I address this issue?  The first  thing that miraculously helped me was horses.  After my first lesson I began to appreciate how soothing horses can be and whenever I could I would run out to the barn. 

But I did not realize it was anxiety that caused me issues with eating until licensed therapist helped point this out.   Accepting that I had to manage anxiety was easier “said than done”  because …after all I was “Ms Tough Girl!”  I am strong, conservative  and didn’t buy into that “touchy feely stuff.”  Gradually though, I began to accept that I was more anxious than I ever realized and used food to “self medicate.”  Once I realized this  I also discovered things that help me relax besides food.    Today, I still get anxious at times, it’s part of life.  But instead of reaching for food  I have developed other “self soothing” strategies.  For instance I will head outside and walk around the block a couple of times or go to the gym.  Other things I do include:  reading THE GOOD BOOK, meditation, music, yoga, a hot bath and I make a point of changing my environment.  If I am in the house, I go outside or into another room etc.  I have also come to understand that some things I cannot change and just to “LET IT GO!”   But the important thing is not to sit and stew, that accomplishes nothing!

Recently, I had a physical with my new primary care doctor.  We had a long discussion about my weight loss and the role anxiety played in my past failed weight loss attempts.  The Doc told me the anxiety and weight relationship  is very, very common.   Think about how often people put on weight during stressful times!

So, next time you are tempted to eat when you are not hungry, stop and ask yourself that just maybe it is in response to anxiety.   If you feel nervous or anxious try some healthy alternatives and if it persists you may want to consider reaching out to a health care professional.  You may also want to read the attached two articles from the Dr. Oz and the Mayo Clinic: 

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/tips-stop-emotional-eating

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/

May you have peace in your life.  Happy Healthy Trails to You All.