third time's a charm......

Well, I'm on a roll.......new blog posts three days in a row!  Thanks, Amber :-) I was organizing the pictures on my computer and found some of food that I took a few months ago.
This first pic is a a mixture of red and green cabbage that I sauteed in some olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and ground black pepper. It was very tasty, but the only mistake I made was using my cast iron skillet. It darkened the cabbage too much.

This next picture is a medley of brussel sprouts, acorn squash and butternut squash. I drizzled some olive oil and seasoned with roasted garlic and sea salt blend. I roasted in the oven. It was also tasty, especially the squash; however, my favorite way to cook the brussel sprouts is in sauteed in some butter. YUMMO!

feeling the love!!!!!

I am feeling the love! Thanks to Amber for mentioning me and my blog in her latest blog post at Me and Jorge :-) Her blog is excellent! Everything you wanted to know about the BFC and more! I credit much of my initial success on the BFC to Amber and her blog. It was also the inspiration for starting my own blog and now she's inspiring (shaming!) me to keep it more current!  So, here it is....my second blog in a row!

Not much to report about BFC for me.....we currently have guests and my oldest son was confirmed tonight. I am also going to Chicago for the weekend. Busy, busy, busy....only able to skate by on automatic mode and not give too much thought to new and different BFC ideas.

But since Amber mentioned that I "twitter", let's talk about social media. Do you remember your first experience with the internet??  We got "connected" around 1996. My oldest son was a baby. I can remember spending hours sitting at the computer while he nursed and slept in my arms scouring the World Wide Web. I visited parenting sites and was active on a General Hospital bulletin board. (Yes, there was a time in my life when I had the time to watch soap operas, LOL!) For a couple of (fruitful) years, I also got "paid" to surf the internet through reward programs. Eventually, my kids got older and mobile and I just didn't have the time to sit at the computer anymore; however, email quickly became my preferred method of communication....even with my husband ;-).

Facebook came along and at first I did resist, but eventually gave in and created my FB profile. I quickly connected with many, many people from my high school and hometown - some I thought I'd never hear from again - and soon I was very FB-proficient. Shortly after that, I also got my first iPhone and boy, was I in heaven!  My friend and I texted all the time, any random thought that just popped into our heads. I was able to check my FB no matter where I was and I discovered podcasts! Then, my husband bought me a laptop and that completely changed the way I "surfed". Actually, it changed the way I watch TV....as now I am usually checking email, blogs, my calendar, FB, etc while I watch TV. I keep it close by when watching movies so I can look up actors and info about what I am watching. Next came this blog after I started the BFC and most recently I have started using Twitter. It's a bit different than FB, but same general concept. The main difference is that it is easier to connect with others that have the same interests and so I tend to not really know (in real life) any of the people I am following on Twitter.

So, what social media do you use? I use texting to communicate with my kids while they are out of the house, with my husband during the day so I don't bother him with phone calls during work and with my friends so I can share all the random, inane thoughts that pop into my head without spending time on a phone call. I use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends and family that don't live close by (which is actually all of our family!). I've got my blogs to keep up with my BFC support group. And now I've got Twitter to get my pop-culture fix. I follow some celebrities as well as other people who share the same interests as me.

What in the world did we do without phones and computers when I was growing up? While I feel like I am very connected and "plugged in", I also know that I am not utilizing all this technology that is at my fingertips to the best of it's capability. I do know that all my social media outlets have contributed to the success of my weight loss with the BFC!

.......we meet again!!!!

Hello friends and readers! My sincerest apologies for being absent for sooooooooo long!  I suffered a kidney stone attack in January, the same week the Belly Fat Cure Fast Track class started. And because we've had such a long, cccccccoooold winter (brrr!), I feel that I have been in HIBERNATION mode.......curling up in sweats and blankets and making the most of my Netflix subscription!!

Spring is almost here now and I am ready to get back to business. The bad news is that I haven't lost any weight since my last post in January. The GOOD news is that because of the healthy habits I adopted on the BFC, I have been able to maintain my weight!!! I am still at a total weight loss of 33 pounds since August, 2010. 

Now, I haven't been "strict" BFC, but I still use stevia in place of sugar or sweetener in my tea and coffee. I make high fiber, high protein food choices over sugary, processed foods. I try to eat my largest meal in the morning and my smallest meal in the evening. I am aware of any hidden sugars in my foods. However, I can't say that I haven't enjoyed a bowl or two of ice cream as well as delighted in our Girl Scout cookie delivery (only 4 boxes this year)! It's reassuring to know that even with these small treats, I didn't revert back to my previous bad, bad, bad eating habits.

Even though enjoying a treat now and then didn't cause me to add any weight back on, I am ready to start LOSING again!!  We've got family here visiting this week and I'm traveling to Chicago this weekend to visit an old college friend, so my plan is to dust off the Fast Track materials and get on that fast track next Monday. For now, I will continue the maintenance I've been doing for the last two months while making sure my frig and pantry are stocked for success. The weather has also started to break and I am looking forward to some nice, long walks outside.

I am looking forward to hearing from you all again!  NAMASTE :-)