http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/ Atkins Diet and Low Carb Diet Support, research and free low carb diet recipes. Resources for low carbohydrate diet plans such as the atkins diet and the south beach diet. en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:59:10 GMT vBulletin 60 http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/images/misc/rss.jpg http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/feeding-our-families-well-436/ Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:11:00 GMT I think most of us probably came to a low carb lifestyle, and LCE, because we wanted to lose weight. I've come across a few fortunate souls that discovered LCE at the beginning of our weight journy, but I suspect that most of us have tried and failed at many diets before discovering this way of life. As I read posts and talk to people in the non-virtual world, I keep hearing about how hard it is to low carb when spouses and children are constantly consuming carbs, junk food, and sugar, sugar, sugar. I don't want to sound self righteous, because I have to struggle daily with the carb and sugar issue myself.

I would say that almost everyone who has adopted a low carb way of eating feels better mentally and physically, whether or not they have lost weight.

So, why do we continue to feed our families junk that we wouldn't eat ourselves?
Free will, for one thing! As Kat said in her recent blog, you can talk yourself blue in the face and people won't change until they feel a need. Been there and done that myself. I will be fighting that sugar battle for the rest of my life, I suspect.
BTW== I don't mean to be sexist, Men are wonderful cooks, and the men in my family were the main cooks... if I seem to be talking to women it is because most research I see shows that women, working or not, are still mostly responsible for cooking, shopping, menu planning, and food choices.

Husbands, wives, siblings, parents--- all have their own battles to fight, and we can do best for them by modeling good choices and showing how much healthier and happier we are. However, the person who does the shopping and cooking makes a huge difference in what is eaten in the household.

Years ago, before I restarted low carbing I realized that if I asked my husband if he wanted vegetables or just meat and pasta, or meat and potatoes, he would choose meat. If I just cooked the veggies and put it on his plate he ate them without complaint.

We usually shop together, but if I don't put any junk food in the cart, he seldome does either.

My son was astonished when he went to school and saw what people put in their kids lunchboxes or what was served in the cafeteria. He had never been around junk food and was used to eating his vegetables. He was a total rice and pasta junkie though, because when my husband stayed home with him that is what they liked for breakfast and lunch! But, Daddy was really conscentious about also adding fruits or veggies, even if canned or in those little baby food packets.

My son and dh are both naturally thin, they have to struggle to keep calories on, not off (at least till age 45 lol). but they have gradually started eating low carb with me. My son still loves spaghetti, but he doesn't complain if I serve his favorite sauces over veggies sometimes. The thing is, if I give him a choice, he is like his dad-- he will prefer the high carbs. It might be a bit sneaky, but I just don't offer choices most nights of the week and they eat it and feel better.

If you live with a junk food junkie, try not buying it for them. Provide alternatives: cheese, fruits, veggies, cooked chicken or steak bits, my son loves multi grain fiber crackers ( about 7 carbs- WASA brand) with feta and tomatoes for his after school snack.
Any teenagers or men I know would eat healthy stuff rather than actually drive to the store themselves and buy junk food! ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/feeding-our-families-well-436/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/enjoy-your-life-now-not-when-yourre-thinner-richer-424/ Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:33:56 GMT Here it is January, and most of us are looking to renew our commitment to low carb eating, losing weight, etc. Even if we didn't crash and burn over the holidays. For years I hated January because of the New Year's Resolutions, weight loss plans, quick diet news, fitness promises, and the endless sales of stuff to organize, lose weight, clean up, etc. etc. It seemed false to only worry about it in the beginning of the year, and I had so little success anyway-- why make a resolution to lose weight and end up gaining? That's what usually happened.

If you've read any of my posts or blog, you know that LIVING LIFE FULLY, RIGHT NOW, not matter what weight I am, or what else is going on, is a frequent topic. How many fun things did I miss because of waiting to "get it right" before I could let myself live?
Just a few: no shorts till my legs were thinner, no kid till I had enough money, no Country dancing till I looked better in tight jeans, no swimsuits ever, no short sleeve shirts in 110 degrees because my arms were fat, no decent clothes till I could look better in them..... the list is different for everyone, but it is usually there.

How many times do we also put our families off till we have "more time"? Songs like
"Cat's cradle" and that new country western song about getting your priorities straight tell it all, though they usually are aimed at workaholic men. Guess what? Women do it too. I am still amazed that my DH stuck with me during the childless years when I so often put my work before him. I didn't mean to, I SAID i thought he was more important, but FEAR of failure at work and lack of organizational skills due to ADHD meant I stuggled constantly just to keep my head above water. The principal used to buzz my room at 11:00 pm and make me go home to my husband. I tried to tell her she needed to do the same.

I have been better since my son was born. It was a real wake up call.

This week something happened to remind me again, just in case I started putting him off. It is so easy to say "Sure, honey, I'll go with you to ride your bike, just let Mommy fold the clothes, put another load in, cook the dinner, clean your bathroom, grade these papers, etc. etc. etc. " How many times have I done this and then dropped down into my bed, half dead, and realized that we never made it to the bike ride?

On Monday night my teaching assistant and her little girl were on the way home after school, when a teenaged girl ran a redlight and "t-boned" their car. The girl was texting, and speeding, and ran right out into the middle of the highway, with lots of traffic. Miraculously, only 3 cars were hit.

My assistant's little girl, had to be airlifted to a major city, 45 minutes away to the trauma center. She wasn't expected to make it. My friend was taken to another hospital, with no way to find out what was going on.

The short version is that the little girl survived the flight and the brain surgery, but is still in a medically induced coma. All they can do is keep her alive and comfortable, and hope she wakes naturally when she is ready. I was rushing my so to get home that day so I could do chores, I actually fussed at him about going back twice to give his friend Venice (the inujured girl) another hug goodbye. I am so glad he did, it might have been his last chance.

If you read this, please pray for Venice and Rosy and their family. Please don't text, talk, drink, or read the paper and drive, and please, please, please wear your shorts, dance, laugh, be IN the pictures, take the night class, go to the fair, give the hug, ride the ride, look silly, color your hair, or whatever else you wanted to do but didn't, and tell them all how much you love them as you spend time with your friends and family. ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/enjoy-your-life-now-not-when-yourre-thinner-richer-424/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/slow-food-fast-food-low-carb-living-412/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:42:49 GMT As a child we always ate SLOW food. We lived on the farm, and my parents didn't have enough money to eat out much. Before we moved back to the farm to live with my great grandfather, we were living on college student pay-- 15 cents bought a lunch sized sack of McDonalds french fries so that was what we ate. By the time we moved back I suspect they were sick of junk food and happy to eat what we could grow.

The vegetables and fruits were amazing, and we raised our own beef and eggs and sometimes a chicken. We ate pheasant, quail, and deer when my parents were able to go hunting.

In those days, the supermarkets in our area stocked only the basics-- local produce in season only, and exotic fruits were oranges and sometimes pink grapefruit from South Texas, or bananas.
Ethnic foods just didn't appear and the only diet foods available were saccharine tablets or liquid saccharine drops.

If you were German, the Mennonite or Hutterite families in the area made sourkraut or pickles to sell at their church bazzars, and the big sausage feasts they threw were popular with everyone! The few Hispanic families in the area made their own tortillas or did without. Pasta was macaroni only. Egg noodles were homeade and spaghetti came in a can! The town my grandmother lived in had a Chinese restaurant-- and occasionally a diner might be owned by a Greek, or Italian, but the menu was strictly blue plate special.

Fast forward to the fast food era: I do live in a University town these days, and the food here is slightly more varied. There are about 500 Mexican restaurants, 3 Italian, 2 Greek, A couple of Tai, 40 Chinese, and a BAZILLIAN burger joints aka McDonalds, Burger King, etc. That and generic sports bar places.
Our "regular" grocery stores are stocked with exotic fruits and veggies from all around the world, in and out of season. Ethnic foods, health foods, and diet foods abound. Threre are at least 6 health food stores and a coop, and of course Walmart. I try to shop local stores, even if I know its a chain, just because I dislike Walmart so much. And then there is the INTERNET! Some people I know hate shopping so much they buy most of their groceries from Amazon. I started looking for low carb products and discovered an entire world of low carb stuff-- noodles, pastries, mixes, drinks, and more. I am torn between two conflicting desires: I really believe in the EAT LOCAL, EAT SLOW Food movement. I shop at the farmers market and buy local brands whenever possible. I want to buy some of those neat things I see on the internet, then I think of all the Gas and energy (high carbon footprint for sure) it takes to bring Milk here from some dairy coop in Wisconsin when I live within smelling distance of a New Mexico dairy!

I worry about buying produce from Sams club or the grocery store shipped in from overseas, while we have our own farmers here in the valley, who need to make a living too. I try to buy local even when it costs more, but sometimes that just doesn't work.

While working on the business plan for our own (hopefully soon) goat dairy and cheese making business I discovered that the demand for goat milk, cheese, and meat is high but the supply chain isn't established. Especially in New Mexico where towns can be anywhere from 50 too 200 miles apart-- everything has to be shipped long distances.

Most of the goat producers I found sell their products frozen or otherwise preserved on the internet. So, If we do go back into farming, we are going to have to ship or deliver our products long distances ourselves, or sell by internet too. Hmm. I will have to decide if the ability to offer wholesome, organic products with the need to use MORE gas/oil etc. to ship them.

For now, I usually just stick with what I can get locally. I can't afford the more unusual products (like the low carb noodles) in local stores and I definitely can't afford the expensive shipping to buy on internet. It reminds me of when my grandmother and I joined Weight Watchers in the early 70s. In our town, most of the foods on the program were not available. We mostly ate canned tuna that year, and lettuce with oil and vinegar, supplemented with local tomatoes. I am still iffy about tuna, lol. I think I almost turned into one.

Until we move back to the farm, I will continue to grow as many vegetables as I can in the back yard, and buy the rest at the farmers market or the small, locally owned grocery store. There was a huge local election fuss this fall --- one of the candidates proposed that back yard chickens be re=legalized in our area. The chicken poop was really flying over that one. Some areas even have covenants restricting gardens or natural landscaping, even in BACK yards!

It makes me laugh, because until the 80's we had a small homestead in our back yard right in town, even including ducks, chickens and a burro.

Why has simple living become so complicated?
Oh well, off to fix a low carb, local, slow dinner that does NOT include canned tuna.
:) ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/slow-food-fast-food-low-carb-living-412/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/dreams-dreams-dreams-407/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:27:08 GMT I am fighting the depression demon that has ridden my back all of my life. It is really odd, because I am what most people consider an "upbeat" person. I sing going down the halls in school (and get shushed sometimes, lol); I smile, I laugh a lot and act silly, I am usually cheerful and I hope, encouraging to others. It takes a lot to make me mad-- I am willing to compromise, bend with the wind, work with others on their non-negotiables...Practically the "jolly fat girl" without the painful self deprecating jokes.

I can be brutally honest with myself, but i am usually willing to cut everybody else some slack. Just not me.

Then there is the other side- the me that has to fight like hell just to get up, to brush my hair, to brush my teeth, to take my meds (high blood pressure, even the antidepressant), to eat, to run in and smile at my son and be the happy mommy I want him to have... Every time I read something about the odds of children of depressed parents being depressed I shudder, feeling pretty sure it's environment, not genetics entirely, that causes the traits to pass on.

If I am fighting hard enough, he and my husband don't even know there's anything wrong. I thank God for that miracle of deception daily. That can't be right, I need them and I need to be truthfull with them, but I don't want them to live in a world always hung with funeral draperies and mourning weeds. Sometimes I just have to lie.
My mothers excruciating migraines affected everyone in the household... my own started by age 10. I am so ashamed that sometimes I used to resent her for her pain, for the need to be absolutely silent in the house, for the fact that the sound of my breathing could almost make her ill.
How many days have my husband and son had to give up something they wanted to do because I was too sick, too tired, too sore to be climbed on or touched. Too fragile to roughhouse. Or too big to fit in the ride, or in the tunnel of the cave we were exploring, or that my knees wouldn't hold up to the climb they wanted to make...

Why is it that sometimes we wake up and all of our dreams seem to be dead, blackened husks of what we had hoped for?

I am a Christian, and I know that these transient problems and stresses are just that-- gone in just a blink of eternity. I know that I am accepted by the Lord and loved despite my many flaws. I know that Jesus, the perfect lamb, was the sacrifice for MY salvation. Sadly though some days I offer him the ultimate insult by feeling that I sure wasn't worth it, for him or anyone else.

Such strange twists of hormones, seratonin levels, nutrition, and metabolisim to hound me down the dark roads of depression, fibro, migraines, chronic nerve pain, and chronic fatigue. I have to keep fighting and learning though.

That's why I am low carbing-- to end my self destructive carb addictions and to improve my health: I have done that already! To get more energy to keep up with Rocket Fueled son-- That's better too. To keep learning about what my particular body and brain chemistry need and don't need to keep it working correctly.

That is why I am here, because sometimes, logging onto this site helps me make it one more day. Reading about others dreams, frustrations, and sucesses. Hearing cheering words from a friend, even though she lives 1500 miles away and we've never met in person. Knowing that somewhere else there is someone who didn't think they could live any more as a fat person... whatever the stories are, they help.
Thank you!! ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/dreams-dreams-dreams-407/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/way-making-dreams-come-true-393/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:26:50 GMT Well, I am back! Missed you all.
First of all I had the worst flu I have had in YEARS. I don't think it was swine flu, or whatever they are calling it right now, lol. But it was almost as bad. Back in the 70's I had the Swine flu and it was AWWWFUL! One morning I was 16 years old, strong and healthy, if nuts, and jumping off my roof to practice "tuck and rolls" for the skydive I was planning to make later in the evening when it started to cool off. I was wearing a coverall and heavy boots, which is always kind of hot here in New Mexico in July-- I think it was about 106 outside. I remember thinking I hadn't ever felt that hot before, and that this would be my last jump before a big glass of iced tea and collapse under the swamp cooler. The next thing I knew, I was seeing purple and red swirls on the ceiling and my best friend was trying to get me undressed and into bed. I figured I had missed the "tuck part" and broken my neck or knocked my brains out, lol... but no,
I had 106 degree temp complete with 100 % aches agonizing pain and top of head blasting headache, chills, fever, heat, halucinations, etc. etc.

I wished I had just gone ahead and jumped out of that plane without the parachute! It lasted about a week, and boy was I mad to have lost one whole week of my VERY IMPORTANT SUMMER and another one being weak as a new kitten while I recovered. How much skydiving, water ski jumping, dirt bike and horseback riding, and flirting with cute boys you miss in one week! I couldn't even get out to the corrals, much race hotrod around town or go country dancing, lol

Well this time, whatever it was felt about as bad, but my temp was only 102. I figured my really close to 50 abused body just couldn't take the heat. I am sorry to relate that I ate several chocolate chip cookies which didnt even taste good, because they were the easiest food to get to and get into my mouth. I didn't enjoy them, but at least i didnt gain any weight.

I must say my low carb resolve went completely out the window while I was sick. If someone had offered to put bread, white rice or a french fry directly into my mouth I probably would have eaten it without a second thought, but no one did. I stayed home alone after sending my son (also sick, but not bad enough to keep out of trouble) to grandmas.

Anyway, I'm baaaaaaack. and it feels great to be eating low carb and not feeling bad. While I was gone we have really taken lots of steps toward making our dreams come true. We have decided to look for farm or ranch property we CAN afford, (as opposed to the 2.5 mil lavendar farm we wanted) and to move to subsistence farming as soon as possible. We are in the research stage, but I am pretty sure you are talking to a future goat roper. LOL.

My stepmom and I are lunatic crocheters/weavers/knitters (well, she knits, I am not bright enough to do that. Ha Ha, she has been trying to teach me to cast on for about a year now. I can do wonders with a crochet hook with or without pattern, but i can't even keep the loops on the needles in knitting!). So we are also researching raising angora goats for mohair/meat or various types of goats for fibre (Cashmere) which we would sell to coop and keep some for ourselves, and our hand spun hand dyed yarns and or garments. Then we started looking into the goat dairy business, and farmstead cheesemaking.

My DH has just about killed himself working in the computer business, and it is still slow. I think he is looking forward to working outside again and getting immediate satisfaction from knowing a job is well done, and done with the hands.

This all started because the three of us (Me, stepmom, and DH) were all raised on farms or ranches, but ended up in town . We are looking at our son/grandson and wanting him to have the life we had. We are also really tired of traffic, iritated people, rampant growth in our area and no planning for agriculture or wildlife, etc. etc. etc.

That said, I've been putting myself through "Goat University". LOl. I always planned to be a farmer when I was growing up, but ended up with fine arts and teaching degrees instead.

When i went to college, small farms were dissappearing faster than chips and salsa on the table at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The programs they offered at the state ag college were seemingly geared toward agribusiness, large scale farming, and range management. They had a great wildlife science dept here, but I knew I didn't want to work for the federal government, and in those days that was it besides NM game and fish. (Now I sometimes wish I had gone ahead and done it, lol).

So, I am spending hours researching goats, remembering what I haven't used in a long time (canning, organic gardening, small animal husbandry). While my daddy was healthy we always "homesteaded" in town, lol. For a while, in this little sleepy college town -- the one it used to be not the gian city it is becoming-- we even had a burro in the back yard a mile from the college. Ha, he walked on a leash like a dog, and nobody ever complained.

But I have not been living that way much since I started teaching-- the demands of my job took away the time i used to spend growning and canning or drying my own food, making fresh bread and tortillas every day, etc. etc. (well, the bread part is gone forever).


All of us have been collecting books, links, websites, and classes on small farm marketing plans, livestock plans, grants and loans for small farmers, and looking for real estate. Twice now we have found the "perfect" farm only to have it sell before we got to actually visit the property. I'm also doing genealogical research for myself and my stepmom. We know and can prove that we are both of Cherokee/Choctaw/ Chickasaw descent, but there are some loan programs which require Dawes roll evidence. I probably won't find it on some of my relatives, they hid out in the hills of Arkansas rather than going on to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears-- but it is a great excuse to finish the genealogy project I started years ago with my grandmother. In my mind it is definintely tied up with both farming and family traditions and even oddly enough gaining or losing weight. I sure do miss my old folks, and all the stories and knowledge they had. Looking up geneological info and Farm/goat info has triggered some long lost memories in my brain. I thought of people, places and even Cherokee recipes that hadn't crossed my mind in YEARS in my lunatic paced urban life.

Well, thats where we are. I am still on a plateau, but feeling better and determined to keep it up. Back to induction again I guess. Felt so good last night to go out for an ice cream cone with the family and not even want an ice cream. They ate theirs and I sipped a diet coke which tasted just fine.
See ya on the farm!
S ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/way-making-dreams-come-true-393/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-next-installment-386/ Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:42:55 GMT I want to be able to get up off the floor without looking like a large marine mammal. I want to be able to bend over my vegetable garden without feeling like I am going to barf, from pressure on my stomach? We found a Lavendar farm and ranch with about 2000 acres in the mountains, I would... I want to be able to get up off the floor without looking like a large marine mammal.

I want to be able to bend over my vegetable garden without feeling like I am going to barf, from pressure on my stomach?

We found a Lavendar farm and ranch with about 2000 acres in the mountains, I would so love to buy it and farm it, raise goats and spin my yarn, We do crafts, and I would enlarge the B &B part for a retreat type atmosphere, and maybe add riding stable. There are trails in the forest land too. There is a upick garden and a business selling lavender products and blackberries. I would like to be healthy enough to do these things, even though I know I would have to commute 20 miles to the local school so I could get retirement and insurance.

I would like a place to invite local musicians for a community barn dance and music fest, a place for artists to come and work, a place for weavers to come and take classes,

I would like my dogs to run free and my son too. I grew up that way and I still miss it.

The fun part is that this is one dream that doesn't have much to do with weight, except for my empty purse, lol. Its light. The property is listed as 2.5 million dollars, and I can barely pay the bills we have now, lol. Maybe the Lord wants me to be a Lavender farmer and something amazing will happen. Anybody want a time share? I keep telling my friends,
Put in some money and I will share anytime you want to show up, lol. :)

The FAT/SKinny thing is that it would be hard for me to do some of the work with my health as it is right now, but I am trying to get stronger as I reach goal, just in case....:) Well, maybe I can just go visit it sometimes. ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-next-installment-386/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/fat-dreams-skinny-dreams-381/ Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:04:54 GMT I have always had a very rich dream life. There were a couple of years when I slept only an hour or two a day because of fibro and not dreaming was as disruptive as the exhaustion. The only thing i can complain about is how real they are, lol. You know the old saying about flying dreams? (You... I have always had a very rich dream life. There were a couple of years when I slept only an hour or two a day because of fibro and not dreaming was as disruptive as the exhaustion. The only thing i can complain about is how real they are, lol. You know the old saying about flying dreams? (You never feel the crash) That has never been true for me since everything is in living color, surroundsound smellovision etc. The pain in my dreams hurts worse too. I really hate it when the monsters finally end up eating me bit by bit, but it is balanced by the joy of hugging my Grandmother, making her laugh, spending time with my Daddy and others who have passed long ago, etc.

Just this week I realized it has been a month or two since I had any of my alltime least favorite dreams. BEING TRAPPED. Over the years of my heaviest weights, I frequently dream of being stuck like Pooh in Rabbit's house: the front end outside in the rain and the back end used as a towel rack for wet towels and raincoats. Lol, only MINE are terrifying, not funny.

In these dreams, I am caving, cave diving, or fighting a fire, or trying to get into or out of a house, store, etc. I am stuck, wedged tight in the door or hole, suffocating, having a full scale panic attack, claustrophobia, and shame and mortification because there are always witnesses. In the case of cave diving or fire fighting, i am alone, slowly suffocating and or roasting while the tide rolls in and no can find me or help me.

Before i started treating my sleep apnea, I was also struggling for every breath. Sometimes in the hospital in an old time oxygen tent, dying from pnuemonia, sometimes trapped underwater with my air running out and my fat body wedged beneath the wreckage of a ship.

Since I started losing weight, I no longer have any of these dreams. Phew~ Now if I can only find a way to get the trex from following me I'll be great~
Sweet dreams. ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/fat-dreams-skinny-dreams-381/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/carreer-changes-378/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:46:16 GMT I am sitting at my computer in my classroom at 4:31 pm on Friday of Labor Day Weekend. Something is wrong with this picture. I still have to score tests, rescore tests someone else did wrong, and clean up for open house. I am so tired I am crying, but I had to do something else for a minute or... I am sitting at my computer in my classroom at 4:31 pm on Friday of Labor Day Weekend. Something is wrong with this picture. I still have to score tests, rescore tests someone else did wrong, and clean up for open house. I am so tired I am crying, but I had to do something else for a minute or go crazy. I hurt all over too.

I tested 56 kindergarteners today in both their first and second languages. Thursday I had to give them a "fill in the bubble test" in English, Hey, they can't read, but they have complex listening tasks and reading tasks in their second language they need to do, right? I don't agree.

I have given 20 years of my life-- heart, body, soul and mind to this profession. I am not sure how in the world I didn't get divorced-- there was a long time there when DH would have to call me at 10-11 at night to remind me to come home. I always said if I was single, I would probably be skinny because i would have a cot, a cat, and a couple of can's of tuna in the house (no time to shop). Thank God I got my priorities straight when my son was born.

Every day I see myself doing things I don't think are appropriate for young children-- things like really testing them to death, forgetting all about play because someone higher up is pushing a curriculum that USED to be 1-2nd grade, etc. I see myself getting grouchy because they come to me with little oral lanuguage in any language, no idea how to behave with others, etc. etc. This is in an atmosphere of extreme pressure and negativity from administration, lawmakers, and the press.

Arrrgh. I used to love this job. Even though the stress has probably accounted for the 10 pounds a year I have gained since I started teaching.
Now I still love children and teaching, but when the next nine years are done, I'm DONE!!!!

Well, we can't live on retirement pay and since it doesn't seem like I am ever going back to being a writer or an artist, or any of the other hundred or so jobs I've had, I need something to do to provide for my family and help me survive the nest that will be empty a year or two after I retire.

Lately I have been dreaming about how to combine some of my talents and my interests to come up with something new. I got excited when I saw Jonny Bowden's website ad for a weight loss coach: I can imagine myself opening up some kind of business that combines weight loss (LOCARB) coaching, maybe exercise where nobody cares if you are fat (I don't plan to be when I hit goal, but I still remember how people stared at me last time I had a gym membership) so exercise or dance, and some kind of spa/cafe or even B&B where you could eat really good locarb food and just RELAX, REJOICE, RENEW, etc. Music and art fit in here somewhere, as well as massage therapy, and prayer. Nope, can't do all this myself, even though i still think I can. I know burning the candle at both ends is part of how I got in such lousy shape in the first place.

But how i would LOVE to go to such a place, and how I would love to be able to afford it. I wouldn't want an EXCLUSIVE anything, just a place where ordinary women (and men, I guess) of any class could go and find acceptance, peace, great motivation, and help.

Any ideas?
Maybe I just crave peace right now. Is this a totally crazy idea or do you think it might work??? ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/carreer-changes-378/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/skinny-dreams-what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-part-106-377/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:24:06 GMT Katlupe's post and a couple of days to think have me daydreaming about some more things I want to do when i get to goal, or closer. I almost said IF I GET TO GOAL, but I am NOT going to think that way EVER AGAIN!!!!

Here's todays version of the SKINNY TOP TEN LIST-- again not in order of desire or priority, just stuff I don't do now cuz I'm too fat or too out of shape, or even just THINK I am.

1. Go elk-hunting in the mountains either horse-back or afoot without thinking I am going to die from the altitude and the walking.

2. Go backpacking, if i can stand to sleep on the ground. I am hoping the weight loss will improve the fibro enough to allow me to sleep on the ground, lol.

3. Play in a softball or baseball game without fear of waddling, and or falling on my face.

4. GO COUNTRY WESTERN DANCING with the man i love to be held close to.

5. Go any kind of dancing with above. Realizing that this will take an act of God... but hey, If I can lose over 100 pounds, he can dance, right?
5. Weigh less than my husband. (right now I am only 60 pounds away from that, but my new lifestyle is causing HIM to lose weight, so I may have to wait awhile. That's ok with me!
6. Ride on the back of DH's motorcycle without looking like the hippo at the circus riding the clown's minibike.
7. Ride my own motorcycle without above appearance. (Ok, we sold the bikes to get something a car seat would fit in, but a gal can dream. ..)
8. Actually look good in leathers instead of like an overstuffed couch.
9. Watch my mom and step dad fall over in a dead faint the first time they see me.
10. Actually think about attending my 35 th reuinion in 2013-- or at least be alive for it! LOL.

I am absolutely sure there are more!!!
]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/skinny-dreams-what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-part-106-377/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-part-105-376/ Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:42:51 GMT Maybe the problem is that I don't ever plan to grow up! lol

Anyway, I am making some plans. Now this is odd for me, because I am definitely a Live in the Moment kind of girl.

Quite a while ago, I realized that I was either living in the past (missing my dead relatives, mourning the move from farm to city, etc.); or skipping great stuff because I wasn't skinny enough.. I notice that doesn't bother girls these days, they wear anything no matter what size they are, but when I was 16 and had perfectly usable, good looking, sturdy legs, I never went out in a bathing suit or shorts because they were "fat".

That said, I am still trying to live in the now, celebrate my victories, and be here 100%-- but I am also thinking of all the interesting things I can do if I lose weight, get to goal, or get healthier.

Todays Version of the Skinny Top Ten: Not in any particular order.
1. Run with my dog and my son and actually beat them. (probably won't, lol)
2. Play a game of tennis
3. Run to greet my DH, leap into the air and throw my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist and give him kisses while talking 100 miles an hour. I used to do this every time were apart for 15 minutes, lol. No, that's ROFL
4. Ride a horse, a mule, or a burro. The last horse I rode (at about 160) kept up a steady, rytmic Uggh, ugggh, sound at every step. I felt like an animal abuser, although he was at least 12 hands high and built more like a rhino than a horse. later I found out his 99 pound owner made him complain too, but it was disconcerting for a fat gal.
5. Take a horsemanship class at the university and pretend I'd never even seen one before, much less started riding before my grandaddy before I could walk-- this neccesitates being able to actually raise a foot (in jeans no less) higher than my own head to hit the stirrup of most horses, lol. See No. 4
6. Buy clothing in the normal size department.
7. Go to a restaurant with a group of new friends and order something besides the lettuce and water. After all, they'll think Im one of those skinny people who can eat everything.
8. Slalom water ski -- last time i tried on one ski it was harder than pulling the baby elephant at Marine World, I thought my arms were gonna get pulled out of the sockets before I finally let go and gave up. The boat was tipping backwards, lo
9. Cuddle in the same easy chair as my husband or son and actually fit.
10. Weigh LESS than my husband and boy combined. I don't even have to get to goal to do this: I have already lost more than my little boy weighs!!!!

What's on your top ten list?
Cheers! L Chai'im Auguri~! ˇ Felicitaciones! Salúd. etc. etc.:hippie: ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/what-i-want-when-i-grow-up-part-105-376/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/tough-women-373/ Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:16:03 GMT Thinking back, I did my great great aunts a disservice in last blog. One day when I was about 16, I was helping my Aunt Thel (my great grandmothers sister) stir gravy in my Grandmother's kitchen. She did it right, very slowly over low heat. I was complaining about my big bottom, big legs, and everything else. She gave me a little swat and said not to worry, that I was just fine. That got her to musing about weight, and she wondered why people went to so much trouble to come up with euphemisms for fat. "Now take me, for example, I am just plain fat. I have been ever since my babies were were born and I'm going to be fat till the day I die. I don't mind being fat, and nobody else minds me being fat either. What really irritates me is when people call me silly names like plump, chubby, or heavy. I am just plain old fat and fat is all I'm ever going to be. The one I really hate is "Fleshy"-- call me fat any day, but I don't ever want to hear you calling me fleshy. It just isn't nice".

The other disservice I did is to even mention those strong, amazing women while whining about my life. They had a couple of rules they lived by-- Respect and Love God, work hard, have the best sense of humor possible, and never, never,never complain about anything. These women (5 sisters and one no account brother) all went out into the world as frontier teachers at the tender age of 15 or 16.. They traveled far from home and lived with strangers a week at a time, built the fires, scrubbed the schoolhouse, helped at the homes wehre they boarded, taught everbody from little bitty kids to great big old boys older than themselves, and used a switch on those boys when needed. They all married farmers and worked hard all their lives, laughed hard, loved hard, bore hard trials with humor and prayer, and laughed at themselves. They were unvarnishedly truthful. All except for the skinny one, who was the baby and spoiled, they all got fat and dealt with it gracefully and with humor and beauty. No whiners among em. The next generation was just as tough. I am going to try to be more like them again, but I'm still going to lose this weight, because I don't think I'm gonna make it to be a tough old great great aunt without it.
:) Keep up the fight ladies~! ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/tough-women-373/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/funny-dream-372/ Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:24:32 GMT I had the strangest dream last night--and it seems to be related to weight loss and body image so I will recount it here.

My whole extended family ( including people who have been gone over 40 years) and I were coming back from a funeral in Eastern Oklahoma. I don't know who had died, a distant cousin or somebody, a person who had lived well and long and was ready to go home, so we were more in a celebratory Irish Wake kind of mood than tears.

We were packed into great big old Buicks, the kind that are like cruise ships, the kind the well to do farmers in my hometown favored, and we never could afford. I guess there must have been a long line of them, but dreams don't have to make sense, so it seemed like all of use were packed into the same car, gliding down the road at 95 miles an hour, past fields heavy with tall cotton. The sky was blue as blue can be, and big cotton bowl clouds threatened thunderstorms and tornadoes in the afternoon.

It was hot as all get out, and we were packed in there like fat sardines, or more likely Vienna sausages in a can-- all those fleshy thighs and big, comfortable bottoms and stomachs; arms that danced when they talked, My great grandmothers and great, great Aunties in their farmer's wife shirtwaist dresses with no waist to speak of, wearing knee high stockings and big heavy black tie old lady oxfords that no one sees anymore. They were waving funeral parlor fans just as fast as they talked.

The men's best dress Western hats were parked on the back dash to keep them from getting crushed, but not one of them removed the suitcoats of their best wool 3 piece suits, because that wasn't polite. We were all sweating like horses, their stiff white starched collars wilting in the heat and dark stains showing through the wool of their underarms. The kadies has tucked lace edged handkerchiefs and Lord knows what else down their ample bosoms to keep the sweat from running down their stomachs, and someone smelled like camphor and asafoetida in a little bag to keep off the cold, even though it was well over a hundred.

The talk, oh the talk! How I miss that, the steady flow of Irish/Cherokee wit (and yes, those Indians are FUNNY, no matter how they show em on tv)
that could blister the hide off you one minute and have you laughing so hard you almost wet your pants the next. The swish of the fans, the droning voices, the tales connecting everyone with their roots, their people, where and what they come from, Every story a genaeology, in the way the old people kept track of the important things in this world.

Suddenly we were in a traffic stop or a roadblock, probably for speeding, though everybody who didn't drive a tractor or a mule in those days seemed to cruise at least 20 miles over the speed limit-- the plains and the desert where I come from have LONG distances to cover.

I realized I was sitting in front, and that I probably had 2-3 technically illegal weapons on my person-- my great grandaddy's home forged skinning knife for one, which I would dearly hate to lose. For some reason I was wearing high packer boots, the lace up western boots you wear riding in high timber and rough brush, if you are elk hunting or logging, Not the sort of thing you want near you on a hot summer day in Oklahoma.

I was being a smart alek to the baby cop who wanted me to take them off to check for weapons (This is definitely a post 911 dream-- cause my daddys big relvover always rode on the front dash where the sherrif and anybody else who wanted to look could see it, no body would have cared a hoot about my pocket knife.) Suddenly the movie stereotyped Southern Sheriff in mirror glasses came over to straighten me out. I batted my eyelashes at him and simpered, " Sherrif, I didn't aim to sass your deputy, but I was too embarrassed to tell him that I am just too fat to unlace these boots. My darling husband and my boy have to do that for me, because I can't even reach my knees, much less the bottom of my boots. I am on a diet, and I have lost 53 pounds, but I have a hundred and 50 more to lose". Well, he eyed me up and down and made me get out of the car and put my hands on the windows, like they do on tv. "Mamm, you are sure enough a liar" he said. "I don't believe you even expected me to believe that bull". He pointed somewhere below the waist, and in absolute horror, I realized that I was looking at my own big butt, but instead of the one I was expecting, there was my 16 year old behind-- in a pair of size nine bell bottom, hip hugger blue jeans. "Oh, no!" I am in a world of hurt!" Then I woke up laughing at myself.

Wierd huh? Definitely not worth blogging about I guess. I sure do miss my old farm people and their comfortable fat. Obviously I identify more with them no matter what shape I am in.
???
Going to keep trying to get back into a 20-- to heck with the size nines. ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/funny-dream-372/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/one-small-wipe-man-371/ Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:51:56 GMT One giant leap for someone losing weight. :scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared: Yep, you got it, I am gonna blog about the unmentionable for the whole world to see. In the beginning of the summer, when I... One giant leap for someone losing weight.
:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::s cared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::sca red::scared::scared::scared:
Yep, you got it, I am gonna blog about the unmentionable for the whole world to see.

In the beginning of the summer, when I was feeling desperate and hopeless, I actually considered gastric band surgery for a while. At least long enough to look at some websites. I was horrified by almost everything I saw, but the weird things hit me hardest as usual. In the section about insurance coverage, the company selling the band suggested that you write a letter to the insurance company detailing all the pain, trauma, stress, health issues, and personal humiliation caused by your obesity. Right at the top of the list were the words: Personal Hygiene. I almost threw up!

If you don't have a lot of weight to lose, you are probably mystified by this... what, do we fat people sweat more or something? (well, usually, yes). If like me, you have over a hundred pounds to lose, or have lost over a hundred --you know we are talking TP here, not just bending over to snip our toenails and scrub our tootsies!

My grandmother (dearest woman in the world to me) was obese and had arthritis and Parkinson's. Because we were so close nothing got in the way of our talking, ever. She was able to ask me for help in the bathroom where other people might not be able to. Still my heart bled for her because she had to.

Then, one day I was 40 something, with bad arthritis in all bones, fibro, and weighing over 200 pounds. Getting that wipe done right was getting harder and I was worried. Don't even ask how you do it in a stall so narrow you can't twist around!

At 278 and as pregnant as two pregnant water buffaloes, it got even harder! Every trip to the bathroom was getting to be an exercise in terror, humiliation, frustration, and physical pain. What?, did I suddenly develop Tyrannosaurus arms like in the old b movies? Short little arms and a big tail?
How would Tyranosaur- man do it?

Fortunately I could still get the job done, sort of, in most situations. Just in case though, I went around horrified that I might have missed something and SMELL bad. Believe me in my job that is worse than usual, because my students would not hesitate to tell me if I "smelled like poopy"!

I thought to myself, "I would rather die than not be able to wipe my own butt, unless I am wheelchair bound for some reason other than obesity." mm, I felt the same way about telling an insurance company that I was getting to be too fat to wipe my own posterior. Hmm,. felt the same way about the gastric band surgery too.

Thank the Lord!! I don't have to do any of that, because after the loss of only 25 -30 pounds I realized it wasn't even close to an issue anymore! Hey, Locarb diets must cause your arms to grow longer!!! Also, arthritis pain is minimized, so twisting is just as much fun as Chubby Checker said it was. Hmm, Chubby Checker didn't get that name for nothing-- do you suppose even he had this problem or did all that twisting and shouting keep him supple? Don't even go there!~!!
Ps, I can snip my toenails with out trouble too. ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/one-small-wipe-man-371/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/not-all-victories-apparant-when-you-first-look-369/ Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:09:28 GMT I have had one of the worst 3 week periods of my recent life, because of pain and stress. There is no way to even describe how hard it was to start back to school this year. Suffice it to say there were just setbacks and impediments everywhere I looked. It seemed like the Devil had stacked the... I have had one of the worst 3 week periods of my recent life, because of pain and stress. There is no way to even describe how hard it was to start back to school this year. Suffice it to say there were just setbacks and impediments everywhere I looked. It seemed like the Devil had stacked the deck on this hand. During all this I was feeling pretty good about myself and low carb lifestyle-- hey, I managed to keep losing most of the time, turn down some amazing trigger foods (homemade ice cream and chips and salsa among em) and not binge.
Yesterday I ate stuff I would NOT describe as Low carb, but somehow it still feels like a victory.

At the end of an absolutely soul wrecking 2nd day of all day Kinder, my step mom took me out to a really nice restaurant for a kind of happy hour. We go sometimes on Fridays-- La Posta (you can look it up in Life Magazine archives, Sunset, Etc._ It is historic, and there are lovely, relaxing patios and hidden alcoves with beautiful folk art to look at, flowers, fountains, Live toucans and parrots I've known since I was a child, and great margaritas (even though I haven't drank anything for decades). We eat an early dinner or snack and my son chatters about his day and talks to the birds. Very relaxing!!!

I skipped the margarita, but I had a taste of Cathy's-- not bad, but waaaaay tooo sweet (she gets the fancy frozen kind. I actually ate a chip. (5 to be exact) and was full of chips. Wheres the victory so far? Well, most of us Natives, even the skinny naturally self limiting kind, eat about 5 lbs of chips before the waitress gets back with the iced tea. 5 chips tasted good, the chile was excellent and it was better than eating it with a spoon--texture was satisfying. BUT the important thing was 5 chips was all I wanted. I ate carbs and it was enough. Cool.

I went right back to ordering a side of chile con queso (melted cheese with green chile) over shredded lettuce and tomato instead of chips. It was great. I think I actually like it better than chips now that I tried tostadas again. Hmm, lifestyle change here?

Later my big church group came over and brought pizza. They didn't want me cooking after my hard week. I ate a big salad, but decided to eat pizza too. Usually when I "cheated" in the past, it was with guilt, despair, giving up, etc. All the emotions that go with the "Gotta get drunk" mentality. Not this time. I hadn't had time to snatch more than a couple of nuts for breakfast and a 1/2 portion of veggie/meat leftovers at lunch. I was still hungry. Same thing! Miracle of miracles, a very small slice of thin crust white pizza tasted good and I was DONE. No cravings, no guilt, Just like a normal person!!!
I made it through the night without getting up and binging, no hunger, no cravings, just me!!
That tastes like a victory.
This morning I am ready to go back on very low carbs or no carbs -- I may have worsened my fibro but so far i am actually feeling better.
I feel peaceful, warm and happy that I am really in a lifestyle, not a diet where i have to cheat or not cheat. I can make choices.
Oh, and I lost 4 pounds. Yep, I admit i had to leap out of bed at 6am sat morning to go check.
:)
Back to the new normal!!! Hooray and Thank You Lord!! ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/not-all-victories-apparant-when-you-first-look-369/ http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/storing-emotions-fat-362/ Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:07:30 GMT I always knew I covered up some emotions in fat-- emotional eating and self medicating to dull the pain works, but at such a terrible cost. I am starting to think that fat "stores" the emotion just like it stores mercury or pesticides. Yes, I know there is very little chance of empirical evidence to prove this, but my recent experiences make me wonder.

From 02-08 I was one of my grandparents' primary caretakers, helped move them from the home that was my "sanctuary" all my life, watched my Daddy half kill himself with taking care of them, watched them struggle with Parkinson's, depression, loss of independence, prostrate cancer, severe abdominal bleeding, stroke, etc. Watched my DH go through a couple of big life changes, job change, etc. Had my first baby at age 43, watched my grandparents die, went through "pronounced dead but miraculously pulled through" events with my Daddy 3-5 times, watched my life at work get increasingly frustrating and difficult, and found there was no way I would be able to stay home with my little boy-- I had to work. I finally watched my Daddy die at age 67 from obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. I lost a handful of close friends and other family members during these years too. Not surprisingly I also gained weight continuously and suffered much worse symptoms of fibromyalgia, arthritis, and depression.
I went though some pretty hard grieving for all of them till it seemed I just couldn't cry anymore. I was crawling numb through life, even with the MULTITUDE of blessings I have every day.
After I started locarbing and losing weight, I have been surprised at how many times my happiness and joy just bursts out into tears. The other night I was thinking about houw much fun it would be to do a parachute jump for my 50th bd in February, (if I could get someone to pry my hands off the door/struts anyway) because hopefully by then I will have lost 65 lbs or so and they might actually let me do it. Suddenly I thought about my daddy , who would have been the one pushing me, lol. I cried almost all night long. Big, hard, aching, sobbing like the very first night he died. My dh held me and told me to just cry it out when I was trying between gasps to apologize for going on like this a year and a half later. It was cleansing crying though, more so than I have felt all year. This has happened every few days since I started getting the fat off. Feels like my body is getting rid of a lot of accumulated poison and grief at the same time. It hurts a lot more sometimes than it did in my carbohydrate iduced coma--- but I am glad its happening. I feel like my wounds can finally heal and I can be alive for my LIVING family in ways that I couldn't be just a few weeks ago. Thank YOU LORD!!! ]]> Oonagh http://lowcarbeating.com/low-carb-diet-support/blogs/oonagh/storing-emotions-fat-362/