Cleaning up my act!

Wow, how time flies! It's been almost a year since my last post! This past year has brought me some interesting revelations & a new grand baby as well! Ellery Anne arrived at the end of April, weighing in at a whopping 9#1oz! She's a healthy bundle of pure joy! Unfortunately she lives over 600 miles away & my other grandchildren moved over 1200 miles away, so needless to say, I've been the traveling Grandma this year! 
The year also brought me to a realization of what we actually put into our bodies! I was intrigued by all these Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Mediterranean & Clean Eating diets, so I started doing some research to find what would work best for me. What I found was that all this refined sugar & processed food, (even shredded cheese & orange juice have chemicals & additives that really don't do us one bit of good) have no business being in our diets in the first place! So why are we eating them?! Did you know that some shredded cheese has powdered cellulose? Want a little wood pulp for lunch? I made a decision to try to be healthier by making healthier choices in the food I eat, so a couple months ago, I started buying fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken and all the non or minimally processed things I could find. I'm still learning, but talk about feeling better! The word "constipation" is no longer in my vocabulary, for one thing! LOL Oh I know, TMI, sorry! LOL My first week I dropped 3.5 lbs without even counting calories or watching portions! I think I'm on to something! Think about it. The human body was never designed to handle things like titanium dioxide for example! Best known for being in sunscreen, vitamins & makeup. I recently found it listed in the ingredients on a candy package!!! In Fact, according to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety, titanium dioxide may be a human carcinogen! Do you really want to give that to your kids or grandkids?
If you do nothing else this week, look in your cupboards & read the labels on your processed foods. If you don't know what they are or you can't pronounce them, do you really think you should be eating them? Better yet, look them up online. If that doesn't scare you clean, nothing will! 
By the way, frozen fruit with a little water in my blender, makes one heck of a Slurpee!!! 

Hugs! Grandma B

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/027000_titanium_dioxide_vitamins.html#ixzz3D8uJPu5k
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/07/10/329767647/from-mcdonalds-to-organic-valley-youre-probably-eating-wood-pulp

Long Time No See!

Sorry I was absent for so long! I have been on a dead run for the past week! I went to northern lower Michigan to stay with my cousins kids for a weekend, while he was on a business trip & then I came to southern lower Michigan to stay with my grandsons, Chris & Chi, for a week while their Mom took a much deserved vacation to sunny Florida! My daughter is a pretty amazing Mom, having adopted two special needs children and doing it all as a single Mom. I'm happy to give her an occasional break!
The downside to all this craziness is my diet! Talk about living on the edge! Yikes! I haven't weighed in forever or counted calories! I am trying to keep it under control by eating light meals & trying to avoid snacking as much as possible! If I get the munchies I grab a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. I have to remind myself daily that a snack and a meal are not the same thing! Seriously, the old me would have eaten 5-6 full meals a day! The one thing I haven't lacked this past week is exercise! There's something about little boys that keeps you hopping!
On Monday I'll be heading home and hopefully be better about posting! In the meantime, drink your water, move your body & smile! 
Hugs! Grandma B

Hello Friends!

   I'm new to the world of blogging, so I hope you'll bear with me! I have just finished a week long stint, filling in as a substitute page administrator for a weight loss support group. I found that having that responsibility forced me to take a hard look at what I was doing so I made the decision to do a blog. I hope that this blog not only serves to keep me accountable but that it serves as inspiration for even just one other person. If I can do that, then I'll be thrilled! 

   I want to be healthier so that I can enjoy my children and grandchildren for as long as possible. So I started a healthy journey! I am counting calories, but simply because it helps me to see when and what I am eating. In the past 4 weeks, I have lost 10 lbs. by simply writing down everything I eat and by making healthier choices.   

  Exercise is the next tier. I know I have to exercise, however, I have osteoarthritis in my feet, knees, hands and back. Yes, I'm a mess! I can only walk a short distance without pain on a good day! If I try to push through the pain, I literally lock up! I have a physical scheduled for Oct. and I'm hoping to get some advice or treatment that will help. Trust me, I am not walking out of the Dr's office without a plan!

  So who are Chris, Chi & Ellery Anne, you ask? Well, those are the names of my two grandsons & my future granddaughter, if it's a girl, that is! We may have to change that name to the Chris, Chi & Alexander Scott Plan, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! lol

I'm always looking for healthy new recipes, so if you have one that you love, please share it! 

Hugs! Grandma B