In the Spirit of Christmas

I found these words years ago when reading The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. Since then, he has become one of my favorite authors, and this particular writing has always stuck with me. It rises to mind again this holiday season, as I watch a friend of mine struggle financially, emotionally, and spiritually. I pray for her daily and have decided it's time to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and reach out with more than prayer.

In a time when people are worried about their own financial and job security, I have the audacity to reach out and ask for help for this person. It's someone you likely know, though I'd rather not disclose who this person is here; I'll be happy to tell you - just send me a private message if you're interested in helping. I am asking for anything you can offer; my hope is to collect money for Walmart gift cards, that this beautiful lady, this single mom of teenage twins, might be able to provide a Christmas for her boys, and might feel the love and compassion that God promises each of His children.

Again, if you are interested in participating, please send me a private message, either via FB or to my personal email: dyclement05@gmail.com.
I will be collecting through Dec. 15th and will give her the gift Dec. 18th.
Thanks again for your willingness to give of yourself. May you have a Merry Christmas and may God bless you through the year!

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On Giving
Kahlil Gibran

You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?

There are those who give little of the much which they have--and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;
And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.
And is there aught you would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'.

You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights, is worthy of all else from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.
And what desert greater shall there be, than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed?
See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.

And you receivers... and you are all receivers... assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;
For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the freehearted earth for mother, and God for father.

Training: The Next Level

I had such good intentions for the holiday weekend. I planned to ride at least two days out of the four days of this long weekend, and had hoped to get in at least one long ride; 25 miles or more.

Alas, it was not to be, mostly because I opted to be lazy instead. After the 24 hour marathon of getting ready for the holiday, Friday found me lounging around 'til nearly noon. After I finally dragged myself out of bed, we headed out to take advantage of the Black Friday specials and pick up a few gifts. While out, we bought our Christmas tree, which of course meant I had to spend the rest of the day decorating it. I did actually break long enough to get in a 10 mile ride, though it really should have been at least a 15 mile ride, especially considering all I ate on Thursday.

Yesterday was filled with more sleeping in, cleaning, decorating and running errands, so needless to say, I didn't ride.

Today it's raining, so I'm using that as my excuse. Pitiful, I know.

I think I need to find another event to train for, as that seems to keep me motivated to ride on a regular basis. 

Can you say, "Century ride?!"

I've got to get with the program. I really don't want to lose the momentum with either the weight loss or the cycling.

The holidays sure know how to throw a monkey-wrench in my plans! (Yes, I know, it's just another weak excuse.)

Merry Christmas, y'all!

How to Handle the Holidays

Did you know the average caloric consumption for a Thanksgiving Day meal is 3500 calories? If you eat breakfast and lunch as well, you're looking at roughly 4000 to 4500 calories. In one day!


As a food addict in recovery, this holiday, one that focuses heavily on eating starchy, carb heavy foods, is probably one of the hardest to deal with.

Yet I'm not worried. I've been cooking up a storm so I know how high the caloric and carb counts are in my dishes. And I certainly don't plan on eating Atkins bars all day while my husband and friends eat the really yummy stuff. No, this year, for Thanksgiving, I have a plan.

It's a basic plan. I intend to taste everything I've prepared for this feast. The difference is, I will quite literally "taste" everything. This means I will partake in very small portions. After all, the first bite is usually the best. It's not like any of the food will taste better the more of it I eat, right? So, I will take tiny portions of everything, eat only until I am satisfied, not full, and I will drink lots of water before, during and after the meal. If possible, I will even go for a bike ride or a brisk walk/run. Anything to burn some calories.

For me, the most important thing to remember, the thing that will help me handle the holidays, is to keep reminding myself that nothing I put in my mouth will taste as good as being fit and healthy... nothing.

Will someone please remind me of that after I take the first bite of one of these lovelies?

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and your families!

Thanksgiving Prep

This marks the first year I am cooking nearly the entire Thanksgiving Day feast, including the bird.
I've never cooked a turkey before, and encountered serious challenges earlier this year when trying to roast a chicken, so in preparation for this important occasion, I've done quite a bit of research on the best way to go about cooking the perfect turkey.

While there are many ways to make a tasty turkey, I've opted for soaking my turkey in a salt brine which, if done correctly, should produce the most succulent gobbler.

I reviewed countless of turkey brine recipes and finally settled on one that consists of brown sugar, maple syrup and soy sauce, as well as a few other seasonings. After assembling the first batch of brine, I realized I didn't have enough brine to cover the 20 pound beast we're going to roast on Thursday, so I headed back to the kitchen and made another batch.

As I prepared the brining bag and made room in the fridge for the turkey and brine, it occurred to me that Thanksgiving is probably not the best time to start experimenting with new techniques.

Too late now, I'm in way too deep.
At least the brine smells yummy!

The first batch of brine; turns out this won't be enough.

A second batch of brine to ensure we have enough to cover the entire bird.

I'm using Reynolds Oven Roasting bags (turkey size!) for brining. I've double bagged in case of leakage.

The BIRD. 20 pounds of succulent yumminess. Unless, of course, my "experiment" goes horribly wrong.

Feel free to say a little prayer for me and the gobbler. It's okay.

I won't mind.

Tune in tomorrow for the cooking of the sides!

Stress + Speculation = Distractions!

Last week we learned that our company would, for the third time in 12 months, be downsizing. While this is normal for our country these days, you must understand that presently, our company has about 41 employees. To downsize yet again means reducing our workforce to roughly half what we have now.

I can't decide what's worse, knowing we're downsizing, that the senior leadership team asked for volunteers to separate from the company, or the uncertainty of what happens next.

I do know that this week, so far, has been filled with a lot of stress and some serious speculating. This effectively results in a whole lot of distractions. There is so much work to do, yet I would bet maybe half of it is getting done.

Is it better to know what's coming, or is not knowing the right thing?

Life is an uncertainty; maybe our real job is to just try and make the most of each day we are given, starting with the present one. After all, no matter how much we worry, stress, or speculate, we can't change tomorrow before tomorrow even gets here, right?

~Matthew 6:34

And the Turkey Rolled

It was all over Facebook and Twitter yesterday, my completion of Denton's 27th Annual Turkey Roll.
Yep - I did it. I completed a 47 mile bike ride, and I did it in 4 hours and 18 minutes.
Now, while that is certainly not fast by racing standards, it is fast by my standards. Especially considering that I started training for the event about a month prior, and have only been cycling for about 2 months.

That I finished at all exceeds my expectations.

Some things I learned as a result of this event:
1. I LOVE cycling
2. I don't like chip seal
3. I still have a lot of training to do before I'll be ready for a century ride
4. I can reach my exercise and weight loss goals if I stay committed and keep working at it
5. The support of friends and family is everything

I biked this event with good friends, one of who happened to be my boss. She is an experienced cyclist and completed the event in what I suspect was half the time it took me and my other friend, both newbies. Nonetheless, when we crossed the finish line, she was still there, waiting patiently to cheer us in. I can not begin to describe how much that moved me.

I am glad this first event is over and grateful for the lessons I learned and the experience I obtained, and I'm ready to start training for the next event, what I hope will be a century ride, which, for those who don't speak cycle-ese, is a 100 mile ride.

Crazy, right? Yeah, I think so too.

Here's to good health!

Fiber and Water

Some things that have helped me succeed in losing weight have definitely been eating less, being mindful of what I eat, and exercising, mostly in the way of riding my bike.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the importance of drinking lots of water in the battle against the bulge. It's what helps flush the fat out of your body. Not to mention, water is good for you. I won't get into the science of it all. After all, I'm not a scientist. Or a doctor. :)

What I have found, however, is that water alone is not always enough to help flush my body. I suspect it's because I'm consuming more protein, though I do try to balance that with low carb veggies that are high in fiber. Still, it felt as if I wasn't getting enough fiber, and things weren't moving quite the way they should.

Since I don't want to eat more food, even if it is high in fiber, I have to find another way to ingest more fiber. I'd heard of Benefiber, but was a little leery about adding it to my water, fearful that it would make the water taste funny. Then I found these little, individual serving, citrus flavored Benefiber packs, you know the type - you pour the little pack into a 16 ounce bottle of water and voila, you've got yummy tasting water chock full of fiber! Tastes a little like Tang. :) And it turns out they've got an assortment of flavors!

I must reiterate that drinking straight up water is critical, but having one of these Benefiber packs a day has really helped get things back on track! Be forewarned: if you're counting carbs, each one of these packs contains 2 Net Carbs, so just be mindful of that and include it in your daily carb counts.

Here's to good health!

New Found Love

Ask any of my friends. They'll tell you I hate working out. Yes, HATE it.
Even the great endorphin high wasn't enough to convert me into a fan of exercise.

Then, I met a bike. Now, this bike and I actually had a history. It was brief, and the bike had been relegated to collecting dust in our garage. But about two months ago, I pulled it out, tuned it up and next thing I knew, I'd ridden 10 miles. It was then and there that my love affair began.

To date, I have invested in a new bike, one designed for long distance, fitness rides. I've completed a 20.25 mile ride. I've signed up for and am training for a 47 mile bike rally.

And I have a goal.
100 miles by next July.

Did I mention I LOVE riding my bike?!

Here's to being fit and healthy! :)

(and here's a photo of my new bike! Isn't it a beaut?!)

It's a Compulsion. But That's Not Really an Excuse

Okay. I have a question. What do you do if someone makes food for you, but you've already eaten and aren't hungry?

I found myself in this very predicament last night. I was satisfied from a snacking binge I'd had earlier in the evening (pork rinds, NO CARBS) but had a knife skills class at a nearby gourmet grocery store. The class involved prepping our dinner, and then, eating that dinner.

When the food was ready, the instructor prepared a plate for me and handed it to me. I was torn. I knew I wasn't hungry, yet I didn't want to appear rude by refusing it. So I ate it. Now, to give myself some credit, I only ate the bits that were protein or low carb; I left behind the starchy rice and skipped on dessert. But the fact of the matter is that I ate, even when I knew I wasn't hungry.

I know it's a compulsion, one that can be triggered by oh, so many things. Last night it was a need to please others. Today, so I could have lunch with a friend, even though I really wasn't hungry. I've got to get better about just refusing the food, or extracting myself from situations that might result in these exact setups.

Compulsions, by definition, are difficult to control. But that 's exactly what I have to do in cases like this. I have to remind myself that it's okay to say no to food. After all, if I don't start saying no, the weight won't come off.

Remember, "nothing tastes as good as thin!"

Bon apetit.

Small Victories, Small Rewards

As of this weekend, exactly one month after I started my weight loss program and new life[style], I have officially lost 17.6 pounds. I am, to say the least, ecstatic!

Since I get to celebrate this small victory over Halloween weekend, I allowed myself a small reward. Now, please know that as part of my new lifestyle (I wonder when this lifestyle will no longer be new?) I would not even consider rewarding myself with food. I mean, come on, that's what got me in trouble in the first place!

But yesterday, my husband informed me he wanted to spend Sunday watching football and that he felt like having spaghetti for dinner. Apparently, he likes spaghetti when the weather turns cooler, and fall is definitely in full swing, spaghetti we would have.

Now, you must know, spaghetti, no matter how I prepare it, is chock full of carbs. I mean CHOCK FULL. It's pasta, for pete's sake. And then there's the sauce, which normally has tons of sugar added (you'd never have guessed that, would you?).

But, just because I'm on carb-strike, doesn't mean my husband should be denied. And I refuse to cook two different meals. I figured I'd allow myself a break and just eat a controlled portion of the spaghetti. Of course, I also set out to make it as low in carbs as possible. So, off to the grocery store I went!

I found some fabulous thin spaghetti that had the absolutely lowest carb count of all the pastas on the shelves (34g of net carbs). Then I rounded up some marinara sauce that had no sugar added and was gluten free. about 6g of net carbs. I just don't think you can do much better than this when it comes to carbs and spaghetti.

I cooked up our spaghetti and had a medium sized serving (after all, I hadn't eaten much else today!) and it was delicious! I made sure to eat just enough to feel satisfied, without stuffing my face (which is SO easy to do with spaghetti).

After that, I treated myself to a cup of coffee along with a yummy Halloween cupcake. The cupcake was no doubt way off my carb chart, but again, I deserved a treat. And I only had one, even though there was a second one to be had. It's all about self control and making sure I remember these are small and infrequent rewards, and that over-indulging will tip the scales in the wrong direction.

I feel good about today's choices. No guilt. It's a great feeling. I won't make eating like this a habit, not again. I realize I am loving the weight loss way too much to slip back into old, bad habits.

Biggest takeaway? I'm way stronger than I ever gave myself credit for.

Happy belated Halloween to all! Let the holidays begin!