Getting Healthy is Fun! (sarcasm...)

*Must have.....craving....gonna die.....ahhhhh!!!!*

In case your wondering, that's what's going through my mind right about now.

Let's rewind first.

Hi! My name is Ashley!

Ok, too far....

ahem

Last Monday, I started a supertyduper strict diet. I mean, it's crazy.

Here is what I cannot have:

bread (or anything with yeast)

anything vinegary (no pickles! whaaa!!!)

dairy (which is hard since i put cheese on everything!)

sugar (including gum)

So yes, ummm...it is quite hard.

This is what I feel like.

Mmmm.....gotta love those greens.

Why am I doing this to myself you may ask?

Cause I have tummy problems, and I am sick of it.

And so far it is working! Haven't had a tummy ache since!

So after 9 days, I gradually introduce one thing at a time back into my diet.

If it gives me a stomach ache, it's OUT OF HERE!!!

****************************

Not only am I not eating....I am working out everyday too!

And boy am I feeling it. It is hurting my arms just typing this!

I'm such a wimp... My friends showed me this awesome website produced by this really cool (and toned)

chick who has really quick and tough workouts.

Her link is here.

Usually her instructions are on the site, and the video is on youtube.

Warning! Her outfits are quite immodest. Just thought I would let ya know.

Thanks Emily! Thanks to you I'm sore! Gosh...some friend you are... ;p

Just kidding, if I lose weight, I owe it to you!

Are you tearing up yet? tee hee

Biscuit Recipe....mmmm

Here is a yummy recipe that we fixed not too long ago. It contains no sugar or yeast or dairy....so my mom can eat it, and it's a healthier choice.

Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup of oats, coarsely grounded

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 cup of canola oil

1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

6 oz of soy milk

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk liquid ingredients together in another bowl. Add liquid to dry and stir until mixed. Batter should be stiff. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15min or until golden on top.

Thats it. Pretty easy. Now, just as a warning, it will taste really bland at first. But the more you eat them...the more they grow on you. They make a great snack or dessert. You can crumble a biscuit up in a bowl and pour some blended up strawberries on top...or add the buiscuit in a fruit salad to make it a bit more filling. Whatever you like. Enjoy! Tell me what you think of it after you try it, if you want.

Agave Nectar Issues

Ok so just yesterday I posted about different subs for sugary products, and Agave Nectar was one of them. Well, a friend pointed out to me some possible health issues with Agave Nectar. So I looked it up online and found a site that explains it pretty well. It's http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-7/agave-nectar.php So read it...and use your judgement. My family decided that we won't be using it as much. My mom, cause of health problems, can't have honey. But because I am just doing this diet for weight loss, I can. So honey might be better, even thought it raises your sugar level. But one point the article made was that no sugar is really good for you. Whether it's honey, agave, stevia, etc. The less sweetness, the better... and your taste buds will adjust. I promise. Mine has already started! Health is a difficult concept isn't it? It's so hard to be healthy in todays world because of prices, pesticides, fructose corn syrup in everything.... on and on and on. We must not give up! Chin up, chest out and.....Onward!!!! lol

Subs...

Ok so first off, for this diet, you can't use sugar in anything right? Right. So you need to find substitues....and Splenda doesn't count. Splenda is bad for you too...but I won't go there. So for this diet, here are three must haves for sweeteners. 1. First off, to substitute sugar, you need Stevia. It is a sugar like substance that comes from the stevia plant. It doesn't raise your blood sugar and is actually sweeter than sugar. Doesn't taste good by itself though...don't try it. 2. Next, you need a substitute for honey. What!! NO HONEY! Yes..no honey. Honey raises your blood sugar too. So, a sub for that is Agave nectar. It also comes from a plant...and does not raise your blood sugar. You can use this instead of sugar too. 3. And of course you can't have chocolate cause...duh...it has sugar in it. So, what my mommy found was this thing called MaraNatha All Natural Dark Chocolate Almond Spread. At first I thought it tasted nasty, but once you realize it's the closest thing to chocolate you're gonna get...you start loving it. It's great on pretzels or banannas or strawberries.

Well, that should get you started. Each thing can be found at your local Walmart....so give each one a try! Warning! It will take some getting used to!

New Diet

So, my mom has been on a very strict diet for about two years now. She cannot have any sugar, yeast, or vinegar because of a health problem. Somehow it effects her joints and gives her much pain. Because she can't have anything with sugar....or yeast (which means no bread!) she has lost a ton of weight. She weighs about 30 pounds less that me! So, what I'm getting at is that I need to lose at least 10lbs by the first week in July. GASP!!! So i am now officially on mom's diet. It's sooooo hard! I'm pretty much always like "Mom, can I eat this?" and she's usually like "um..no." If anyone is enterested in knowing more about this diet...and you want recepies or somthing. Let me know. To tell you the truth...I'm not even sure if anyone is reading this blog..... so, leave comments if you are!!! ta ta for now