Sunday, December 25, 2016

How I lost 13 pounds in 1 month


I want to share this one with you again.  I have been successful in keeping my weight down, but I never did get to my true desired weight and I must always remember to drink my water, to eat my vegetables and, for me, give up alcohol as best I can!

It happens to us all.  We see a picture, or catch our reflection in a mirror.  We don't feel comfortable in anything we wear. We don't feel attractive. Sometimes, people even say things like, "I'm just worried about your health."  Whatever the occurrence, we reach that point where we are truly determined to make a change. 

For me it was seeing myself in a video.  I just could not believe that I really looked like that. But then again, yes I could.  For all the reasons I just named above.  I was ready.  I had to lose weight.

July 9, 2015 was Day 1. I didn't want to put it off another day.  It was my son Casey's birthday.  We had dinner plans at Nakatos.  I passed on the noodles, the rice and the alcohol. 
July 10, I left on an 8 day trip to Washington state.  But I was determined. 

This was my plan;
96 oz. of water every day.  I bought several 1-Liter size water bottles. 
This size bottle is easy to carry, sturdy enough to refill, and I only need to drink 3 per day.  One in the morning, one early afternoon, and one late afternoon into evening.  Drinking water is a KEY component to not feeling hungry.

Each meal I strived for Protein, Veggie or Fruit, and Fat 
Lots of Veggies, Fish, Chicken, Fruit, Nuts and Healthy Fats.

I also ATE LESS quantity. I don't need as much as I think I do.  A serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards. 

This is what I told myself;
DO NOT eat the foods that give you no nutritional value.
No Alcohol - This was, and still is, very hard for me.
NO Soda -  This was not hard for me.  I only drink soda with my alcohol.
NO Starches, bread or pasta - For me these are addicting.  For weight loss, cut them out of the plan.
NO Sugar or Flour - Our body does not need these. 
NO Fried.
No processed food.  NO MSG.  NO corn syrup.
NO Empty Calories - No sweets, No desserts.  You know what it tastes like, you don't need to taste it.  If you must eat something on the list above, only take 3 bites.  After 3 bites the "pleasing sensation" diminishes.  Another good rule of thumb, is to eat half of the portion.  Put the rest away before you start to eat.
Eat 4 to 5 little meals per day.  For me, I decided to stay between 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day.   So I tried to choose foods that were about 250 calories per meal.  If I went over a little it's ok.
Try to walk every day.  This is not that difficult for me.  I KNOW that I feel better when I have spent time outside. 

So what did I eat?
It's worth repeating...
Each meal I strive for Protein, Veggie or Fruit, and Fat 
Lots of Veggies, Fish, Chicken, Fruit, Nuts and Healthy Fats.  I don't deprive myself.  I will add a little sauce of some kind. 



Read the labels.  I choose less sugar, and full fat.  The fats will also help satisfy hunger and cravings.
1 cup Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup granola. In our World Flavors Section at Republic Road, I like Viki's Granola.  The ingredients are ALL natural.
Eggs - I like an omelet with a little sautéd spinach, onion, and 1 TBL shredded cheese. 
Avocado - SO healthy
Salads loaded with cucumber, tomato, carrots, celery, avocado, onion.
My favorite Dressing - Balsamic vinegar alone or with a little added oil.
Yumbutter Superfood - Almond Butter - Also in World Flavors. Enjoy with banana, sliced apple, celery, or any veggie really.
P-3 by Oscar Mayer has been a quick go-to lunch at work with an apple.  It has ham or turkey, cheese and almonds.
Cottage Cheese - I like to add a tablespoon of our Harter House Homemade Vegetable Dip and have some cut up veggies on the side.
Lemon water - add different flavors to your water.  Lemon, lime, also orange or cranberry juice.
Real Chicken Stock - with some added veggies.  After Thanksgiving, I boiled the turkey bones and made a ton of broth. I drank at least one cup everyday for probably two weeks.  If was actually filling.
Every day I take a Multi Vitamin and a Probiotic.

Of course, this is a short list, but I wanted to keep it simple. 

Susan, Cathy, Shelly on vacation
 in November.  I feel normal again.
The first month it really was easy because I was SO motivated.
August 5, I weighed 13 pounds less. 
September 2, I was 19 pounds less.
Sunday, Sept. 13, I wrote in my journal, "Sitting outside at Gayle's house, I comfortably crossed my legs.  As soon as I did it, I realized!"
September 30, 24 pounds less
October 22, 26 pounds less.  It's getting harder.  I'm testing the waters.  Sometimes I forget to drink all my water.  I still can't give up my alcohol completely.  I am feeling SO GOOD that I am not trying as hard.  But, I'm not there yet!
November 19, still 26 pounds less.  I just returned from an eleven day tropical vacation.  I maintained!
December 16, down 32 total pounds, even through these Holiday parties.  Down 5 inches total around my waist.     

The first of the year is here, and I'm ready to get focused again.
I CAN do this!

I must give thanks to my friends, Dr. Tracie Ojakangas, owner of Affirm Medical Weight Loss and also Maureen Hays, co-owner of Head to Toe Wellness.  Both of these ladies have given me so much support and direction.

The most important thing to remember is that we can accomplish anything that we set our mind to.  What we focus on expands.

I'm not a professional, but after so many years of focusing on food and nutrition, I think I (WE) have a lot of knowledge.  In the end it's always our choice.  And By our Choices we Reveal our Commitments.

Shelly Kauffman
Harter House Supermarket 



Monday, December 19, 2016

Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip

Forget the sour cream.

Forget the cream cheese.

Spinach dip made with mascarpone cheese
pronounced mas-car-pone)
is an absolute winner!
Lighter (texture…sorry…not in calories) and I bet you’ll love it.




Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yields 2 cups

I like to serve the spinach dip with sliced french bread, celery sticks or warmed pita bread triangles.

Ingredients:
16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Take a handful of the defrosted spinach and squeeze and discard the water from the spinach. Squeeze as much of the water out as you can, you should get about a little less than a cup of spinach water.

3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes (take your time, if you do this over high heat, the onions will burn and become bitter). Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is warm, but still bright green about 30 seconds.

4. Season and toss with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese and the grated parmesan.

5. Pour into 2 small oven-safe dishes and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with pita chips, bread or celery sticks.

Find Everything you need at Harter House and Harter House World Flavors.

Monday, December 12, 2016

The Five Best Gifts to Give Your Family




When we think of giving gifts, we usually think of things to buy for people. Yet if you think back on gifts you've been given, it might not be the material gifts you received that are foremost in your mind - it might be the kind of gifts that deeply touched your heart and soul. It might be various ways, other than material things, that people expressed their love to you.




Here are five gifts of love that we can give to our families that can make a huge difference in their lives.

THE GIFT OF CARING AND COMPASSION
A profound gift we can give to our loved ones is to listen with our heart and to understand and accept rather than to judge. Instead of focusing on getting this from others, why not focus on giving it to others? You might be surprised at how wonderful you feel in giving this gift to your family.

THE GIFT OF COURAGE
One of the best gifts we can give our loved ones is our own courage. This means being honest about what we want and don't want, what we will do and won't do, what is and what is not acceptable to us. It means having the courage to take good care of ourselves, even if others don't like it. It means not succumbing to our controlling behaviors that come from fear: anger, withdrawal, compliance, resistance, but instead being honest and above-board about ourselves.
When we have the courage to face conflict and tell the truth, we not only provide our family with a role model for courage, but we provide opportunities for our loved ones to step up to the plate in the face of our truth and learn to be courageous too.

THE GIFT OF SERVICE
One of the best gifts we can give our family is to role model doing service. Helping others fills the heart and soul in ways that nothing else can. If children do not see their parents doing service and helping others, they may never learn the great joy and fulfillment that comes from giving. One of the best gifts we can give to our family is to provide ways of doing service.

THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY
Creativity can be expressed in so many ways - cooking, crafts, building things, music, art, movement, telling stories, writing, humor, photography and video - the possibilities are endless! Creative family projects are especially wonderful in creating family closeness.

THE GIFT OF LIGHTNESS OF BEING
Lightness of being - fun, joy, laughter, playfulness - is a great gift to give to others. Lightness of being is infectious - our laughter and playfulness can help others take life less seriously and "lighten up".
Lightness of being is one of the results of all the other gifts - of caring, courage, service and creativity. When we give these gifts, we feel a wonderful lightness within, the lightness that is the result of fully giving from the heart. Our own lightness of being can bring lightness into our whole family. Children love it when their parents are playful, fun loving and joyful. Laughing together as a family is one of the most precious experiences in life.

We need to focus on giving these gifts each day, not just during a holiday season or special occasions. These gifts are far more important than any material thing we can buy for someone. In fact, we might not be so focused on material gifts if we frequently give the gift of love - of caring, compassion, courage, service, creativity, and lightness of being.



This message brought to you with love,
from your Harter House family.
From our house to your house! Tis the season of Joy!