Good morning! It’s been a pretty good week for me, aside from an unexplainable yet substantial increase in back pain.
Monday, I did treadmill and upper body weights.
Tuesday morning, I took the dog for a walk.
Wednesday was the second day without the kids, and I didn’t exercise.
Thursday was back on the treadmill, and physical therapy exercises.
Friday I spent an hour doing a full body workout on the weights and physical therapy exercises. During which time I could tell my abs have taken another leap in strength. That was exciting. I wish I could see them.
Today, I hope to get some aerobic exercise in.
I ate pretty well this week. My main downfall was the extravagant meal we ate Tuesday night at my favorite Thai restaurant. Plus dessert. Other than that, I’ve done pretty well. AND, I’m down 2 pounds from last Saturday, which puts me at 225.5. I’m not dancing in the streets or anything, because I’ve been fluctuating like crazy, but still, I’m happy.
I told you I’d tell you about the juicing books Nate and I bought Tuesday night. We came home with two. The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies is a well laid out, beautiful book that I’m very excited about using. I’ve enjoyed learning about different fruits and vegetables and their particular health properties. Did you know celery is a natural diuretic? I had no idea. I love celery anyway, so now when I’m retaining water, I can eat a bunch. There is a lot of great information in this book, but I’ll have to read it a few times before I can remember it all.
We bought the second book, Ultimate Juicing, because it had wheatgrass recipes, but also, it has the most ridiculous juice names and bylines. We were both sitting on the floor in the aisle of B&N, he was looking at juice books, and I was trying to read Ultimate Juicing to him, but I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t get the words out, so I’d just hold up the book and point, while doubled over in laughter, eyes watering and mascara running. So that one came home, too.
Let’s see. In other news, I made soymilk this week. It went pretty well, except for the fact that I turned on the burner to cook it, left to check something on the internet, and forgot about the stove. Nate yelled from the kitchen a few minutes later, and I ran in to find a huge, boiled over mess. Fortunately, the only thing that burned was the soymilk that left the pan and hit the heating element. The milk still in the pan was fine. I picked up a fabulous tip from this recipe, telling me to put a chunk of either orange rind or ginger in the milk while cooking, to diffuse the “beany” flavor. I had some ginger on hand, so I tried it and was amazed. There was the tiniest hint of ginger flavor in the milk, and the strong bean flavor was gone. So cool. I’m going to need to continue fussing with the recipe to get it right. My first batch was certainly usable, but it was a little watery. If anyone out there happens to have successfully made soymilk, I’d love some suggestions.
Ok, enough about me. How was your week?
July 23rd, 2005 at 2:40 am
My husband has expressed some interest in juicing, so I added those two books to my Amazon wish list. Thanks for the info!
My week went pretty well. I tried South Beach. It cemented my belief that low-carb diets are NOT for me, but it also helped me see that I could live with a lot less sugar in my diet. I also found a way to exercise without aggravating my back. Instead of feeling hopeless, I am looking forward to what the next few weeks will bring.
July 23rd, 2005 at 3:28 am
I’ve been making soymilk for a few years. I actually use a soymilk making machine, but I do know that you can do it all via pot & cheesecloth.
I think the most important part is the selection of the beans. The soybeans that I bought in the local whole foods store were just eh and made just eh soymilk. After researching it as much as possible, I decided to order a soybean call the Laura bean. A lot of people complain about the cost of shipping, but if you calculate out how much soymilk it ends up being less than a quarter per quart.
I soak my beans in filtered water overnight and then I rub on them to remove the hulls as best as possible. Then I use my machine which grinds the beans at the elevated temperature (not boilling!). The casing the beans are held in is basically the same as the cheesecloth.
After one “brew,” I use more beans and the milk from the previous batch and do it all again. Thus, I have a double thickness brew. I filter my milk with one of those mesh coffee filters. Then I add brown rice syrup, salt, and vanilla.
I use my soymilk in smooties and straight up. Right after making it, I pour a small mug for my husband and sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg on top for a great, warm evening drink.
July 24th, 2005 at 4:30 am
I love your blog, the name, the banner – it’s all fantastic!
I also applaud you for your healthy choices and your winning lifestyle – I am in desparate need of following suit….you’re becoming my inspiration!
July 24th, 2005 at 9:05 pm
I am late because I have company staying. I am down another 5 pounds, but don’t get all excited….I’m pretty sure that a good chunk of that is due to the fact that I started on water pills.I thought losing weight would be so much better for my health, but suddenly, I have developed high blood pressure for some reason. Needless to say, there is no exercise going on here. I’m having some testing done, and then see my Dr., so we’ll go from there. Meanwhile, a friend came to visit, who hasn’t seen me since I started this diet. She said how good I look in front of my husband, and he has still not said a word!! Now I can tell the difference in my shoulders….they feel considerably smaller!! That is exciting to me!!First I found my ankles, then I found my wrists, and now my shoulders!! I have been wearing sandals more often now.
July 25th, 2005 at 2:05 am
Call me lazy, but making soymilk sounds way too labor-intensive for me… This week I was still sick. It’s really annoying to still have a sore throat after 3 full weeks of hot tea and cough drops. Especially in this gorgeous weather we’ve been having. I am very proud to announce though that I am officially over the caffiene issue. It was somewhat easier to quit drinking coffee when I chalked up the grogginess to being ill. I’m glad because that was one obstacle to losing more weight – not the coffee itself, but the creamer I would add to it. This week, I’m hoping to get in some exercise…
July 26th, 2005 at 7:39 am
Congrats Jenny! It is a good feeling! I hope you will be able to find HBP meds that will not be too counter-indicated with your asthma meds. That can be tricky. I have found my allergy/asthma doctor and pharmacist to know a lot more about that than the cardiologists.
I am down another couple pounds and while I don’t think you can see it, I can feel it in clothes. I am wearing the jean shorts that were my favorites as they were most comfortable, but now I need colorful boxers to wear under them as they ride so low, I could wear them in the high-school-boy fashion. When did they start falling off of me? My BP has been dropping, too. I am now at 106/70 pulse 80. Much better than before.
Good week to all!