Well I am a Nonna(thats italian for grandmother)

I am much more than a Nonna but its an easy screen name for me to remember.

this is my first time ever starting an online journal.

But I gotta have a safe place to vent without family members peering in.

A place only for me.

I want to loose the rest of the weight its been 3 years of playing around with it.

I think of how great I did when I started all of this in 01.........I got up to riding my bike 15 miles a day out........went to the gym daily .......had the attitude nothing wud stop me.

fast forward to birth of first grandchild.

Yes me at the young age of 43 with a grand.

well she is now 4 years old I love her more than words cud ever say.

I took care of her for the first two years of her life as her mom my dil worked.

that cut into my bike riding and gym time.

But I was doing what I wanted to do.......so what if I went to that house daily and slaved cleaning up a storm .

Fast forward to present.

I now have another grand....a boy he will be 2 in March.

I am the mother of one son age 28 and one daughter age 24.

Both married.

my dh decided he wud start his own business in 2002.

so this now is part of my life as its our bread and butter.

I am the secretary, phone answerer......errand runner
bookeeper.....peace keeper......crap just everything .

oh let me go back in time a bit when my little grand boy was born
his heart rate wud speed up to a horrid rate ,,,,,,took em
so long to find out what the cause was and right now I dont remember
the doctor's term for it.......
anyhow we did finally find a pediatric cardiologist (had to drive miles and miles
away to see him)
but he put him on meds and this child is now doing great.

our son that is 28 works in the business
he is also a member of the business.

we have sunk our life's savings into it too.

we live in a small town in the south........
what state ???
well just think about hurricane Katrina!

anyhow the stress is high and I take no time for me.

not good I keep on trying to focus but my italian blood gets
all worked up all the time.

I am 1/2% italiano...........and food has always been a great part
of my upbrining.....seems like my mom and her family thought that
if you werent eating all the time you were sick.
Shoot even if you were sick that was a reason to eat.

Both my parents have gone onto heaven now they both died
at young ages , ,,,,,,,both of there deaths are a whole nother
story in this novel of mine.

My dh and I have the same type of personality //////the one
that gets worked up real quick.

my family tells me that every once in awhile they have to
scrap me off of the ceiling.

I have lost a total of 140 pounds........
I started out weighing 340 pounds.
I have the pictures to show but dont know how to post them.

But life just happens ya know and since I am so co dependent
and think that I am responsible for the happiness of everyone
that is near me .
I have used food as my valium //////// strange isnt it
but it works
No matter how wired up I am about whatever
If I eat that sugary stuff
I pass out with no staying awake thinking about things.

I bought myself a brand new bike
I love her......yes her.
I recently found out that the color of my bike is carolina blue.
http://www.raleighusa.com/items.asp?...06&childid=471

right now I am searching for hat and gloves to match my bike.

I know silly but hey ya gotta look good even in the cold.

Why do we eat when things are bad/sad/good/ ect ect ect.

I wonder if for me its a pattern that I learned while growing up?

My dh has never in his life had a weight problem.
(has a cabinet full of little debbie snack cakes, lots of candy bars and all sort of sugar loaded foods)but he is not prone to obesity.
my genes are linked to it.
ya know he is one of the men that say honey I love you no matter how you look.
I wonder if it wud have made me happier for him to tell
me you need to loose weight.

at one point in my weight loss he even said to me
you are too skinny now...............in my brains then and now
too skinny is something I could never be.

I watch shows with those anerexic (sp) girls on all the time
sometimes I think
I want that problem.

I know that they say you must be happy inside no matter what .
I know that they also say money does not make you happy either.

Its the holiday season and I have changed things alot at my home
prior to my lowcaring days
I wud have begun Novemeber by baking and making everything sweet known
to man.
I had those big ole tin things full of sweets as this is the way I was raised
you feed people goodies.

I love the movie the Godfather............I know its violent but so much
of it looks like my childhood growing up.

I want to be able to post my feelings on my journal instead of wanting to grab something sweet and stuff my face.

We will see if this helps me to be accountable.

Connie

just tesing to see if these work on this forum.......
being half italian I am expressive and since ya cannot see my hands
moving all over the place I use the smiley's alot.

I dont know if I am half cajun/half italian
lawd I guess that makes me a cajunitalin.

my dad too had italian in him/German /Sweedish
I am a hines 47 variety I guess.

Well Nonna. I, too, am 1/2 Italian, the other 1/2 Cherokee Indian. So, I can sympathize with the quick to blood boiling temperatures! I grew up with a family who loved to celebrate with food each day..... didn't have any weight problems until a couple of years ago. I began this WOL a year ago and have lost 60 pounds. It is a wonderful WOE, but exercise, as you know, is a must! Welcome and I hope you will post often so we can get to know you!

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196/135-135

Hi Connie...just wanted to pop in and tell you that I really appreciate your story. It's so difficult to overcome, not only the genetics, but the cultural aspect of eating!! Hope that you are experiencing some recovery from the horrible hurricane. You sure sound like a woman destined to succeed!!

Thanks gals for the welcomes and sharing with me.

We were spared the major hit from the hurricane but things here wont be back to normal I suspect for years.
Since New Orleans was hit so hard it has affected the entire state.

With our business
we own Central airl /and heating/commercial refrigeration
parts are hard to get in.
Units too.

Which in turn affects our business as we were used to getting what we needed
by the next day/sometimes even the same day.

I am so involved in my small community .
I was born in the same town & now even live in the house where I was brought home from the hospital too all these many years from my birthdate.

When my mother passed away I told dh that I did not want to sell the home we grew
up in.

I have 2 siblings.
Neither of them wanted it so I bought them out and my family and I came here and live now.

We had to add on when we first got this house and do some remodling now that both kiddo's are married house is too big. Too much to clean.
I sware somedays I need a wife.

Yup I am determined and have been blessed in more ways than most.

over 20 years ago I was diagnoised with Mulitple Sclerosis.
I did not walk or see for 2 years.

I have great faith.
God really worked one in me too.
My neurologist call's me his miracle patient.

Everytime I am in the moood that life sucks
I just remind myself of those days.

so far so good today.

I have been busy cleaning this house.

Tommorrow I will wake up to a clean organized house with my meal prepping done!

Then I go off into the world of work!

I am making the pumpkin soup
recipe for it is as follows:
PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE SOUP*

12 ounce tube Jimmy Dean Hot sausage - I used Italian sausage this time
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped (used the jar)
1- 15 ounce can pumpkin
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water

Brown sausage, drain, then add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and mushrooms and saut? until done.
Add pumpkin to this mixture and mix well.
Then stir in the broth and mix well.
Simmer 20-30 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream and water and simmer on low another 10-15 min.
Taste and add salt/pepper as needed.
Serve.

and
this
Kim's Turkey Divan

1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
8 ounces mushroom, chopped
12 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
28 ounces broccoli flowerets, cooked and drained
4 cups turkey breast, diced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces bacon, cooked, chopped and drained
2 tablespoons butter

1. Saute celery, onion and mushroom in butter until softenend.
2. Add chicken broth, heavy cream and cream cheese; simmer until mixture is smooth and thickened. Add shredded cheese, reserving 1/2 cup.
3. Add broccoli and turkey, stir to combine.
4. Pour into 9x13 pan, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon.
5. Bake at 350? for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

8 servings
Per Serving: 772 Calories; 60g Fat (69.6% calories from fat); 49g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 218mg Cholesterol; 1033mg Sodium. Exchanges: 6 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 8 1/2 Fat.

I also have made up some tuna and done some burgers and put em containers for the week.

okay of again I go
gotta keep my hands and brain busy
Connie

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face shots/before/now.

http://69.60.121.15/~lynn/CONNIE.JPG

It is a wonderful WOE, but exercise, as you know, is a must!
this is so true , it is a must and I know that to get and to keep the remainder of the weight off I have to make it a daily thing.

Thanks
Connie

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face shots/before/now.

http://69.60.121.15/~lynn/CONNIE.JPG

Connie...thanks for posting the before/after shots...WOW!! You look great!!!

That Sausage Pumpkin soup sounds incredible!!...where did you get it??...definitely adding both of your recipes to my files. :fork:

Popping in to say welcome

Looking forward to following your story on the road to continued success! You seem like you've accomplished a great deal already!

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Tina

Hey Connie! Thanks for stopping by my journal! I am proud of having gotten this far, found my groove, so to speak, but I can say for a fact that I never could have done it without the encouraging words spoken here!
and lurk whenever you like!
Sounds like you are a planner, too! I like to have several meals made and in the frige ready to eat.

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Heather

Hi Connie...Just wanted to say welcome to the forum. And, WOW!! you look awesome! I'm glad you decised to join us. I look forward to getting to know you better

vickie

Thank u all!!!!

Fran the recipes are from all of my lowcarbing years and collecting.

I find them , print them out & into a binder they go.

here are the counts for the soup.

sorry I ommitted that.



Per serving, based on 6 servings per recipe:

244 Calories; 19g Fat (68.7% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate;
3g Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 774mg Sodium

I have just been browsing this site all day long.

I have stayed on plan and will be getting up at 5:am to get my 5 miles
done on my bike in the am before work.

then I will come home miday and ride 5 more.

see yall later
Connie

__________________
face shots/before/now.

http://69.60.121.15/~lynn/CONNIE.JPG

Wow! You look fantastic!

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Tina

Hiya Connie - just dropping in to say hi! What part of Louisiana are you in?

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Started: 261
Currently: 182

I live way down south.
Almost in the gulf.
If you have ever heard of or passed thru Franklin, La. or Morgan City La.
thats near me.

thanks Tina I am a work in progresss and it seeems like thats what I shall be for the rest of my days.

my plans this morning were to get my butt on my bike and get out and ride .
well I wake up and what is going on
rain rain rain
its raining cats dogs hogs and frogs out there.

the cold I can stand cuz I bundle up like a mummy but not hard rain.

oh well so I will do it this afternoon if weather permits.
I have to find an alternative
excuses for weather are just too easy for me to say oh well I had good intentions
and wud have done it
ifffffffffffffffffffffff .

yes its the iffffff's that mess me up.
or I allow to mess me up.

I did my food prepping yesterday , this is a brand new week and one that I have decided I can look back on and have made progress
and if I look back on it and no progress is made there is no one to blame but me.

I wont feel sorry for myself either.
No pity party (aint) going to happen.
I am strong and must be active in getting what I desire.

What things do I know about loosing weight??????????????
well I know that my body responds to excercise like
we respond to breating
its something I need.
It relaxes me no matter how bad my day has been.
I sleep better.
I feel better
and the toning and pounds that happen are amazing.

I do think for the last year I have made up every excuse known
to man as to why I havent done my working out.
Even made up a few new ones along the way.
For awhile I made myself belive them too.
no more
NO EXCUSES.

Yes we are running a business and yes it consumes me
but there are always some free minutes during the day for me to get it done.

Yes I am too tired when I come home yada yada yada
thats an excuse
I am willing to do what it takes
to get what I want
no more of those lame excuses.

I should be thankful for my body for my working legs and all that I am blessed with.
How do I reward myself????????????????
by sitting like a slothe. Than I wonder why I am more stressed out and why I am feeling so tired??????
Pleaseeeeeeeee I am smarter than that! I am even insulting my own intelligence on that one.
I have gotten complacent and lazy, no other way to put it.
I have gotten comfortable with the way I look , like oh thats good enough for me.
Nope its not
its not what I started out to do or where I want to be.

I am getting older now and want to live until I am atleast 100
but wont unless I take care of this vessel that I have been given
to live out my life in.

When I look at ladies that are aging gracefully thats what I want to look like.

Okay well its time to get my warpaint on and get all my bling blings on
and get my butt to the office
got my tuna salad packed for work and am in the right frame of mind
to do what I need to do to get what I want.

Connie

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face shots/before/now.

http://69.60.121.15/~lynn/CONNIE.JPG