After the Illness and getting back on the trail again

From the picture it doesn't look too steep. 

I haven’t blogged in a few weeks because after catching the Nero Virus, I came down with Pneumonia. Just three weeks after I recovered from the flu and was starting to exercise again, I went to Disneyland, and one day into the trip, I was sick. Not just sick, but very sick. 

What I didn’t do, is go to the doctor. I kept thinking I could overcome the ‘cold.’ I couldn’t recover on my own and ended up in emergency hacking up a lung and every major organ in it's neighborhood.

It’s been two weeks since my trip to the ER unable to breath. I left with a small grocery bag filled with instructions on how to take my numerous drugs. Fast forward, I rested, slept, and followed my doctor’s instructions to the letter. Here I am recovered, done with my drugs, but once more starting over again with my diet and exercise. I’m completely starting over again for the third time. If not for these very powerful illnesses my physical conditioning would be much further along. I did lose weight during the pneumonia because I wasn’t hungry. Not a good way to lose and I knew as soon as I recovered I’d be starving and that weight would come right back on. I am trying to be careful, since recovering, but it’s been a struggle.

This week I’ve started to exercise again. I did a dance video, rode my bike and hiked. I was surprised how easily I did all of them, especially, the hiking. This morning I went for a hike on my favorite trails near my son’s house. It’s a 1½ hr loop, most of which is up hill. When I hit my first nemesis hill I dug in and went for it. Then the second came along and the third, until I reached the top ridge and was on my way down. I did it.

I always feel like I really accomplished something when I go up those trails. I’m outdoors with the view of the hills ahead of me. I see deer, wild boar, wild turkey and just about everything else up there. I never feel alone, because of the popularity of the trials. There is the bird watching group where the average age is 80. There is the mommy running group, the dog walkers, the lone trail cyclist and my favorite a lady who lost 100lbs by first walking the trails, then built up to running. She told me her story once as we stood on the ridge catching our breath last spring, looking out over the deep green fields dotted with wild flowers. Her husband had been terminally ill, and of course she was his caretaker. She retired from a job she loved to be with him. Many of her friends disappeared during that time, and her life became her husband. She gained an enormous amount of weight, from depression and drinking. When her husband died, she continued on that path, until one day she saw who she had become in the mirror. She went for a walk. It was a simple as that, she went for a walk, and could barely make for ten minutes. That night she had her last bottle of wine and went for a walk in the morning. She did that until she built up, and started to see the weight disappear. Then she looked to the trails near her home and attempted to take the steep hills. She laughed, saying she thought she was going to die trying. The weight continued to disappear and she continued to walk, and hike. Then came the attempt at running. Now, not only does she run in marathons, she trains on those steep trails. She is very fit, down 100lbs on her weight, and no longer self-medicates with wine and she is 70yrs young.

This is the easier section to the big hill!

I saw her today and only waved because she was in the middle of her run. She looks fantastic. I so much want to be her when I grow up.

Tomorrow I’ll run the stairs with my sister-in-law at a local mall. When we’re done, I think I might go and take those trails again, just because. I appreciate my health more than ever after two very serious illnesses that nearly landed me in the hospital. I can’t imagine ‘not’ moving, not riding my bike, not taking those trails and cursing every step of the way until I’m on the downside, thinking I made it and all the good it did me.   

My sanity, cycling

I try to ride my bike at least three times a week. I feel it has enhanced my health, clears my mind and during times of stress helps with stress related health issues. Since I can't ride and shot my own picture the shadow would have to do.

Riding is soothing and I get to meet many of the locals. The wild turkey can be a hazard as they are all over the place crossing the road. The vultures really are part of the Halloween feel of the season.

The house is the founders original home. It's probably haunted. It's in the middle of restoration, can't wait til it's finished really want to see the inside of it.
The field is Jalapeno peppers. When the corn is gone, the peppers are ripening. The scent fills the air, workers are covered because of the heat that comes from just touching them as they pick them.
The quiet ride home. Than to writing and try to finish my book!

The Writer’s Guide to Cauliflower, the super veggie

I try to eat cauliflower at least once a week. Over the years it was, I have to admit, an acquired taste. It’s the paler cousin the broccoli, which I love. The reason I kept with this veggie, is it is a very high quality product that is excellent for the liver. It’s a detoxifying veggie, that has a lot more power then it appearance give us. Eating a combination of broccoli and/or cauliflower once or twice a week can boast liver production and help with preventing cancer. Here is two of my favorite recipes for cauliflower that changes it without stripping its vitamin punch.  
 

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of Cauliflower/ steamed until tender

1 pad of butter

Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Cut Cauliflower flowerets from stem and steam in a vegetable steamer until tender. Drain off all liquid and place flowerets in a blender. Add butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt, pepper or garlic as needed. This is a great substitute for mash potatoes especially if you’re on a low carb diet, or a diabetic. The cauliflower taste light, smooth and is only about 100 calories per cup of mashed cauliflower. That’s a lot for such a small amount of calories. It is very filling, and goes great with gravy, just like mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower, almonds and raisin

I love this tasty easy dish.

Steam cauliflower until ‘almost’ tender.

¼ cup of raisins

¼ cup of slice almonds

1 bunch of green onions (shallots)

1tbsp of olive oil

Cut cauliflower from stem and steam to ‘almost’ tender. While the cauliflower is steaming, sauté, onions, raisins and almonds together in 1tbsp of olive oil until tender and onions are clear. Add the cauliflower and toss in the oil, onions, raisins and almonds until cauliflower is showing some golden brown. The raisins add an sweetness to the cauliflower, the almonds crunch, and the onions flavor. Salt and pepper to taste. Per average serving 50 calories. 

The Diet, Stress and Little Insanity for flavor

Stress is probably one of the biggest diet killers along with that bottle of honey Jack in the cupboard. If anything can throw you off track from bothering to weigh food, watching every fucking calorie that goes done the gullet, and gives the biggest excuse to miss the Zumba class because of emotional exhaustion, it’s STRESS. Yes, stress will take a perfectly good diet and exercise day, and just trash it right into the gutter. It does for me, because I’m a stress eater.

When I’m under stress, nothing that even resembles food, wither I like it or not, will go in my mouth. I’m like a teething two year old. It all goes to one place, in the pie hole, including a piece of pie. And I don’t eat sweets.

Right before I went on vacation with my friends to beautiful Mendocino, I was slammed with over the top family drama. My dad is 90 something years old, (there is a whole story behind why we don’t have an exact age) and seems to think his new job in his golden years is to make his kids crazy. He should get a raise because he does a damn good job of it. It just might be pay back for our teen years. I’m beginning to really believe it.

The problem is more dad’s live in girlfriend, than him. On his own he’s pretty good. His girlfriend, who has been with him for only two years, is a mean nasty thing. Twice we’ve called Adult Protective Services on her. The first time she called her son to come and get her, because of this bodacious insult. The son refused, doesn’t want mom under his roof making him miserable. What my dad saw in her, I don’t know. She’s vicious enough to end up as the villain in a book. Yep, never piss off an author, ya might end up in an Indie book, which stays up on Amazon for fucking ever and ever, one more ever to grind in the point. Actually the whole shebang goes in the will, along with the image of being a really repulsively ugly bad guy, with the very well worded imagery.

What this whole situation has done, is completely throw me off my diet. While in Mendocino, I actually did pretty well, because my friends all eat healthy. It was the wine that was the killer, but it was so beautiful, having a glass of wine on the front porch with ocean view, can ya blame me. We hiked every morning and spent hours exploring the area, so I burned off every calorie that passed my lips. I even managed to lose a couple of pounds while I was there. In between stress and walking, I'm sure that did it. I would never prescribe this as a diet. Stress will kill ya, or your 90 something year old dad.

I had to make a run to dad’s when I got home and confront the girlfriend and her bad behavior and lies. It was ugly and once more, my diet went further south, due to the stress, and because I was eating out. I didn’t want to eat there, I was afraid she’d poison me. APS was there, again, and things were straightened out, again. We're getting to know the social worker well, maybe we'll invite her to Thanksgiving. Oh the girlfriend would love that, maybe so much she'll leave for the day. We just have to get one of the girlfriend's six kids to take her. Damn, maybe I can pay them to take their mother. Buy She Cried Wolf, so I can bribe this woman's kids into taking her away. Please. It's only $1.99. This whole situation has slowed my writing progress way down, to a near stop.

So now I’m fighting to regain my diet footing. I rode my bike like the wind yesterday. Today, nothing, I had a migraine. Tomorrow, I plan on taking a nice long ride. My diet is slowly going back to normal. I’m eating a lot of veggies, juicing and adding more fruit, trying to get more sleep, that’s a challenge, since my dad makes me fucking crazy, (he won’t kick the girlfriend out because he feels sorry for her). I don’t, I’ll do it.

This is turning into the further adventures of Lee and her diet. Stay tuned for more disruptions. The one thing, that is helping with my stress and physical exhaustion, is Kale juice. I drink it everyday. I swear by it. Kale juice helps with detoxing the liver. The liver stores energy. The better functioning it is, the more energy there will be for the body to burn.  This nasty little veggie is one of the healthiest things you can put in your body, especially for women. Try different recipes to get use to it. I swear this dark green veggie is keeping me sane right now.

If you have a juicer it's very easy, 2 bunches of cleaned kale, with two apples. When I drink it, because it is nasty, almost as nasty as the girlfriend, but not quit, I squeeze one lemon in it. It helps to cut the bitterness.

The pictures I took while in Mendocino. It's such a spectacular area. My muse did manage to wake out of a deep slumber a couple of times.  
 

The Writer's Guide to avoid to much over indulgance at the RWA Conference

Here we are just a week away from the RWA conference. I’ve worked hard to lose the 12lbs for the conference. I have missed my goal, which I might make by Monday when I’ll be driving down to L.A.

Now the challenge of not to over eat, over drink and over indulge in more chocolate then I need in a lifetime. I plan on staying on my diet plan, or stay pretty close to it. Because I’m staying at a friends condo, I do have access to a kitchen, which means I will prepare some of my meals. Most likely it will be breakfast, since I’ll be at the conference hotel the majority of the day. I’ll be meeting with friends for dinner and drinks here and there. I’m really not going to worry too much about it since I’m there to have a good time.

Plan on gaining weight. Travel creates stress hormones that can cause the body to retain water, which translates into blotting. Air travel especially is fantastic for this little bad habit of our bodies. Being away from home, eating at odd hours can also cause those same stress hormones to explode. Add putting foods in your system you haven’t eaten in a while, along with high sugar deserts and alcohol, plan on gaining at least 5lbs, even with exercise. The good news, when you get home and back to your normal routine, it will all go away very quickly.

How to avoid too much weight gain:

• Eat a balanced breakfast. I know I sound like a commercial. Make sure part of the breakfast contains some kind of protein. Eggs, with toast and fruit, will keep carvings down, and the hunger at bay. Protein is the most important part of this because it balances your glycemic index.
• Avoid too much caffeine. I know I’m talking to a bunch of writers, whose life line is coffee and chocolate. Caffeine can stimulate the appetite, which if you allow yourself to get too hungry and can cause some over eating of the wrong kind. Like chocolate. Essentially what it does is cause your sugar to drop, which translates to feelings of starvation.
• If possible carry a little healthy snack in a purse. Nuts, with trail mix or fruit. It helps with the carving by keeping the sugars in your body balanced.
• Drink tons of water. At every opportunity drink water. Carry a bottle with you in your bag. Again it helps keep the body flushed and sugars balanced.
• At the RWA luncheons, try to keep it balanced. I’ll eat usually a vegetarian lunch, so I can get extra vegetables for the day. Then eat a regular meal at dinner for the protein. I try not to eat all the pasta on the plate, especially if its covered in white sauce. If there is a choice between white and red, go with the red. The same with wine, red is healthier. 
• If you can resist the rich deserts the hotel offers at the luncheons and dinners, pass them off to someone else, or just send the waiter away with it. 
• Alcohol. Think this, for every drink, drink as much water. It will keep the body flushed and sober. Don’t drink to excess, hangovers are another diet killer, and the water retention will really show.
• The chocolate. Dark chocolate has the least amount of sugar and is actually good for you. Try to stay with that if possible. Nibble small pieces if you can't resist and slowly. 

The main thing have a good time, and try to practice some of this while having that good time, and you'll come home less blotted. One thing to remember, if you can stay away from processed foods, do it. It will add to a already stressed body. Eat healthy greens and fresh fruits when available. If the hotel your staying at will bring a refrig up to your room, take advantage of it to store healthier foods. I don't eat dairy. So for me to avoid dairy at conferences at times can be a challenge, which is why I like to have a refrig where I can keep my coconut creamer, almond milk, and the breads I eat that aren't whole grain. Yes, I don't eat whole grains. I try to stay gluten free if possible.

Eating at a convention is a challenge if your trying to be good. Enjoy yourself and make that u-turn when you get home. For now do the best you can and don't stress, because stress hormones will set your glycemic index on it's head and ask your body to store fat. The best advice, remember don't spike your sugar, because you'll crash feel tried and hungry..Keep it balanced. 

Racing towards the RWA Conference

I’ll be leaving for the RWA conference a week from today. I’m excited as I make plans with friends and hope to see many others I haven’t seen in a couple of years. I’ve done pretty good on my diet. I’ve lost 11lbs. I was hoping to lose more, but like all of us, I’ve had my good days and a few bad. On the bad days, I just do my little u-turn and work to do better.

My goal was 15lbs by this date. It is only halfway to my full blown goal of 30lbs overall. To lose the final 4lbs in the coming week, I’ve beefed up my exercise and tightened up my diet. I’d love to lose a lot of weight very quietly. Since I started this process too close to the conference, (just out of pure laziness) I’ve had to live with the reality of the situation.

Like everyone, I’d love to lose a lot of weight over night. It is possible to lose weight very quickly with a lot of craziness and strict dieting. I’m against that, as much as I’d love the results. The reason being, losing a large amount of weight quickly means one thing, to stray from the diet will mean very rapid weight gain. To lose 1 or 2lbs a week is reasonable and healthy. It’s easy to maintain and do a little u-turn when those bad days or weeks occur. And they will happen, because life happens.

I watch a lot of weight loss programs, such as the new program ‘Body Make-over’. I study what they are doing to lose so much weight so quickly and safely. For one thing, those individuals such as on the Biggest Loser, are obese. They often lose a whole person in weight. Does it make losing weigh easier for them? Not really. They are doing grueling workouts daily. They burn as many calories as they take in. So if they have a diet of 1,500 calories, with those workouts they are easily burning that much or more. It equals losing 10lbs or more a week, at least in the early stages of the program. Once they start to gain muscle, the weight loss slows way down, but they continue to grow smaller.

When I said I beefed up my exercise, what I’ve done is add an extra hour to my regular workout. I’m retired and have the time, especially this week with my grandkids away on vacation. I’m also trying to mix things up. For example, this morning instead of a run and swim, I road my bike for two hours. I hit the streets and road as hard as I could around my small town taking as many hills as possible. My estimated burn was around 1,000 calories. Tomorrow, it will be a short half hour run on the treadmill, at 5.0spd, with three sprints at 6.0spd, holding it for one minute. I’ll ride my bike to the pool to swim laps for a 1hr. When I’m finished I ride for an hour around town. That is a lot, but I’m determined. I do have to be mindful of injury while I ‘beef’ things up. Which is why my run is shorter right now, and my non-impact exercises are longer. I’m no spring chicken. Fortunately, I’ve been active my entire life, which helps with my muscle memory.

There is a downfall to all this exercise, I get very hungry. I have increased my caloric intake with healthy foods, like fruits. The natural sugars in fruit help to keep my body’s sugar levels even without spiking while I burn energy and hopefully fat. I’ve had too, so I can maintain this amount of exercise.

I’m also writing a lot these days, which has me in my chair in front of the computer for hours as I push to finish my next book. This in itself makes me crazy. I want to be active. I like to be active and moving around. To help with the feelings of caginess, I take a break and have been lifting light weights in front of the television for an hour.

My diet over these weeks has been very clean. I don’t eat processed foods. I’ve cut out anything that is processed or out of a can. My hubs and I have also limited eating out. I can’t tell you the last time I ate fast food. I make everything from scratch. It is more time consuming, but all those chemicals and crap in those types of food encourages the body’s metabolism to slow, which particularly for women keeps the weight clinging to us. By taking the time to make healthy foods, is so much better. You know what is going into your body. And the food taste so much better.

By Thursday I hope to have a report on how all this is working. Then on Thursday how to survive National and the all the foods especially chocolate and alcohol.