Time to get healthy

I don't plan on writing too often in one day so as not to bore you too much. I work a 12 hour shift tomorrow and doubt I'll be writing. As I said earlier, I have made a commitment to myself to become healthier with this new year. I went to the doctor today and got a complete physical, EKG, labs and mammogram. The appointment went well and we decided in order to be at a healthy weight I need to lose about 60 pounds. My goal is to lose this in the next year. This is a healthy weight loss of about 1 pound a week. In order for me to meet this goal and, most importantly, keep it off, I feel this is a good goal. I need to change some bad habits that I have developed over the past 46 years and it won't happen overnight.

After the appointment, I went to the store and purchased lots of vegetables and some fruit. Healthy lean meats and just a few low-cal frozen meals also went into the cart. I don't plan on eating many prepared frozen meals but need something I can grab on my way to work just in case. I would rather be prepared than caught off guard.

One of my favorite low calorie snacks is celery and salsa. I get the same crunch as tortilla chips without the fat and calories and I get a couple vegetable servings in this way. I cut up the celery and put into zipper bags and put some salsa into small containers ready to be eaten on the fly. I also washed and chopped up my Romaine lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, onions, and mushrooms. This way I can make a salad on the run by grabbing a big handful of lettuce and some toppings. These fixings are also great to add to egg white omelets as a quick meal.

After cleaning up the mess...for some unknown reason when I cook things go flying...I decided to take the ends of the celery and onion and place them in a little damp potting mix. I have read that they will sprout and you can use them as cuttings. It is worth a try anyway. If it doesn't work they'll end up in the compost pile later rather than sooner. While I was out shopping I also picked up some mung and adzuki beans at a bulk food store and have them soaking for sprouts. This should add some fresh taste to my salads. This spring I also plan on planting a couple of the seeds to grow my own.

Well if I am going to get in a little exercise, I'd better get off the computer. Hope to see you again soon in My Little Corner of the World. Kim