Traditional Tuesdays

Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss..........blah, blah, blah. You know that oatmeal commercial where people walk around with a scale attached to their ankles while the song, "You Were Always On My Mind" plays. Yeah, that's me. I have been working on weight loss since I was 14. THAT IS 22 YEARS OF THINKING ABOUT MY WEIGHT EVERY DAY!!!!! And what do I have to show for it? I am 100 pounds overweight. Yep, that 1-0-0 over my goal weight, exactly. And my goal weight is very reasonable, I don't want to be a supermodel.

I think I found the best way to eat for our family with Nourishing Traditions but because I can't manage my portions I'm not losing weight on it. Oh yeah, and the ice cream and chocolate I eat too much of almost daily don't help either. I'm feeling pretty discouraged. I used to be able to follow a diet for a few weeks before I bailed on it (my record was 3 months on Atkins). Then I could do it for a couple of weeks before binging and now? I literally can eat right for 1 day. I ate perfect portions, tons of veges and low sugar on Monday but on Tuesday I finished on a quart of ice cream that was about 1/2 full. Sigh.

So, I know why I'm fat and I know how I need to eat differently to change it and exercise is not a problem (I LOVE TO EXERCISE). However, I think my biology is working against me. After research on the Internet and talking with some friends I think my hormones are out of whack and possibly my thyroid (I have had 8 out of the 10 main symptoms for years now). I have come to the conclusion that I may need some medical help to lose weight at this point. Which is hard to admit I'm so independent and stubborn. However, I've heard it said that say insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result so I've got to do something different this time. A friend of mine knows a really good doctor who specializes in helping women "balance out" so I'm going to call and make an appointment as soon as I finish this post.

Here's my favorite new recipe of the week from Nourishing Traditions:

Basic Muffins
This is a great plain muffin mix that you can add whatever you like to it! See a note on soaking at the bottom.

3 c. of whole wheat flour
2 c. of buttermilk, kefir or yogurt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 t. sea salt
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
3 T. melted butter

Soak flour in buttermilk, kefir or yogurt in a warm place for 12-24 hours. Muffins will rise better after 24 hours. When ready to bake, blend remaining ingredients. Add whatever you like, raisins and cinnamon, berries, chocolate chips, mashed banana and nuts, etc, etc. Pour into well buttered muffin tins, filling about 3 quarters full. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes clean.

Note on soaking flour: You may be freaked out about leaving buttermilk or kefir unrefrigerated for a day but I've done it a couple of times now and the result of doing it is AWESOME and nobody has gotten sick. Cultured milk products do not go "bad" at room temperature in one day. You may wonder, why do this? Why soak the flour first? Soaking the flour for 12-24 hours in buttermilk or kefir or yogurt activates the enzyme phytase which breaks down the bran in grains (according to Nourishing Traditions bran is not good for your gut). Soaking increases the vitamin content and makes the nutrients in the grains more available. It also softens the whole meal flour so that the final product often tastes the same as if you used white flour. When you soak your flour first it rises easily with baking soda and doesn't need baking powder.