205.5

The number is going lower - the weight is slowly coming off - it's noticeable - especially with my clothes - they feel looser.

So, I've been doing the most difficult days on Monday and Thursday - the reason being that those are the days I weigh myself... Monday's because that's when my friend does it and Thursday because that is the day I've always done it (since the beginning of this year at least).

There was one thing I did differently today. It was delicious. In place of the 200g fish I could eat - I had a warm bowl of vegetarian pea soup with salsa. I had leftover salsa and it tasted awesome with the pea soup - just delicious! Then I had this whole wheat rye cracker. I'm eating those now in place of the beschuit to help keep me more regular. Well, that bowl of soup was maybe only 1 1/2 to 2 cups at the most and it was so filling. So I may make that a regular thing - eat some kind of lentil or bean soup on "Day 5" to replace the fish - which I'm not all that fond of eating - and because I like variety - it's the spice of life!

The other thing I want to try next week is eating alternative salads - just because I'm already bored with the plain half head of lettuce, tomato, egg, and croutons - and dressing of my choice. I saw this really yummy recipe for a sort of "cole slaw" - but it used beet and parnip - shredded in a pineapple dressing - and that combination really intrigues me - so I may do that next week on a bed of lettuce instead.

I haven't been perfect this week - I did eat like 3 peppermints yesterday but luckily that isn't enough to kill this diet. Although, my "cheating" did scare me. I thought for sure that I would step on the scale and weigh the same. But when I saw 205.5 - I was like - amazed - and happy.

So, now, only one more day - till the weekend - then I can eat normal again - then I can eat that slice of pumpkin pie Vanessa gave me... and bake some Christmas truffles (and proof some, too).

Although I ate lots of sweets over the Sinterklaas weekend - I still managed to lose one pound - about half kilo. Yippee.

Never the same cake twice...

is the name of my newest blog venture. This is where I will display cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes and anything related to that from now on. A link is found by clicking on the high lighted "blog" just 1 line up or by clicking on the link in My Blog List.

The idea of this blog is to illicit orders for cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes or whatever. It's also a place where I can share some ideas for others. You don't have to order a cake through me - you can just get some ideas there.

I'm really looking forward to the holidays. I have big plans. We have a ward Christmas dinner coming up - I plan to make a cake shaped like a Christmas tree - and I'm thinking cherry chocolate cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting - yum! And then for actual Christmas day I want to do a cake similar - with dark chocolate, almonds and cherries but with more of a chocolate glaze and topped with a pile of cake ball truffels. Then my birthday is a few days after that and I have planned a pizza party and a yummy white chocolate "mocha" cake and ice cream.

I have to be very careful how I do the holiday baking because I can only really do it in the weekend when I have my "normal" days with this ZHD. It will be a challenge.

208

The diet I'm doing - is going great. Today I was rewarded with the pain of hard work when I stepped on my scale and saw the number hit 208! Yes - two hundred and eight pounds is a lot - but it's lower than I've been in a long time. And I'm not satisfied with staying here so I'm gonna keep losing more. I'm sticking with this diet for as long as I can.

The beautiful thing about this diet is - I can work with it and it works for me. Today I didn't even eat everything I was allowed to because I was too full! Yep that's right I'm still full from my healthy dinner that I don't have room for my two oranges and yogurt. But not too worry, I will make up for that on Saturday when we celebrate Sinterklaas :)

Tonights dinner was so delicious. I made home made salsa to replace eating only a tomato - I served my salsa over my veggie patty on a bed of lettuce and I had a beschuit with it. Then I drank lots of water. That's it - and I'm still full :)

Here is how I made my delicious salsa (I'm recording it here so I can come back to it if I want - that's how good it was). Finely chop one small tomato, finely chop about 1/3 cup peeled cucumber, finely chop 1 small red onion, add to that a handful of pineapple tidbits, 1 loosely packed Tablespoon of fresh cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper and blend together in food processor. I also mixed in some tomato juice - about 1/3 cup. It was really yummy and best thing is - I get to eat the rest of it tomorrow! (Next time I may add 1 clove garlic - b/c i like garlic - it's yummy)

Forever Strong.

Recently I saw the rugby movie - Forever Strong - about the Highland Rugby team and coach Gelwix. It was a feel good movie similar to Remember the Titans. I really enjoyed the movie. On the DVD are some extra's - one of which is Life Lessons from Coach Gelwix. He talks about several things - Don't play with snakes, Attitude and Effort are Everything, Choose Wisely, No Regrets and Focus on the final score.

I could immediately apply all of the life lessons to my life - but I can apply three of these life lessons to my weight loss goals. First, don't play with snakes. Okay for me this would mean don't look at cook books with chocolate cake recipes, cookie recipes, etc while dieting - because it's just too tempting and will not help! Okay that's pretty obvious right? But here it is December and I'm thinking about which cookies, what fudge recipe, etc I'm going to make for neighbors and friends for delivery on Christmas eve - so it's only natural that I'd want to look at my cook books... but it's playing with fire - it's playing with snakes - and it's just not smart - I could save that activity for the weekend when I'm allowed a little freedom to eat "normal".

Another way I would be playing with snakes: shopping while hungry - and just don't go down the candy aisle - just avoid that aisle all together - don't even look - while I'm at it - don't walk past the candy store Jamin - oh how I love that place... or the chocolate store in the centrum (which has the best chocolates - which I will allow myself to eat on Valentine's day).

Okay, second and third life lessons - they go hand in hand - No regrets and Focus on the final score. So coach Gelwix talks about two kinds of pain. There is the kind of pain from hard work - the kind of pain I experience every Monday through Friday when I have to exercise mind over body and drink water in place of eating cookies - but this kind of pain - doesn't last and it has it's rewards. When every Thursday I step on my scale and see the number drop by a few pounds or when my pants are getting looser - that's good pain!

Then there is the pain of regret - and that never goes away. So, I remember when it gets tough No regrets and Focus on the final score. Coach Gelwix says - imagine you are playing in a basketball game and you know the final score before the game even starts - with one condition - you play your absolute best - you are allowed a few fouls along the way, penalty shots, etc but you play with all your effort. So, you know you are gonna win. Now, if at half time the score is down by 30 points do you give up? Do you throw in the towel? NO! Because you know the final score - you know you are gonna win as long as you give it your best effort. Now if at half time you are ahead by 30 points do you relax a little? NO! Because you know the final socre - you play with all your effort - you do your best. So, how does this apply to weight loss. Well, I already know the final score. I know that if I keep doing the things I'm doing that in time I will be thin, fit and healthy. So I focus on the goal - the final score - I don't give up - I don't coast a little and relax - I give it my best effort to achieve the final score - the final outcome - my goal - a slender and sexier* me :D

Now, I'm not perfect and I will make mistakes along the way, I'm allowed penalty shots, fouls, etc - but as long as I don't give up - as long as I don't quit while I'm ahead - I will make it... as long as I give it my best effort - that's why when times get tough - when the cravings start in - even around that certain time of the month - I'm gonna remember the final score!

*I say sexier me because let's face it - rolls of fat are anything but sexy.

ZHD.

This is the diet plan that i've been following the last couple weeks. I'm doing it together with a friend and that makes it so helpful - to be accountable to someone besides yourself. This is the one where you eat very strict monday through friday and on the weekend you can relax a little - eat normal - a bit of ice cream and a slice of pizza if I want to.

Each day is a bit different in the plan. I've tried doing day 5 on Monday versus on Friday to see how I feel. So far I think it is better to do it in reverse. I like to mix things up a bit. Today I ate day 4 menu and I had a good idea for it - went really well. Typically on Day 4 I would consume for breakfast: 1 orange, 1 beschuit, 1 glass tea; lunch: 1 pickle, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tomato, 1 beschuit; dinner: 1 apple, 2 tomatoes, 1 beschuit, 1 beef steak = 125g.

Here is what I do to make it interesting and achieveable for me! For breakfast I usually juice my orange or I switch it evenly with 2 mandarins. I can also have a volkoren biscuit in place of the bischuit which is basically a whole wheat cracker or something equally healthy. Then since I don't usually like to eat plain yogurt - I substitute with fat free no sugar added yogurt drink - since it's fat free instead of full fat I give myself two servings. So in between breakfast and lunch I get one serving yogurt drink. Then for lunch I have another serving yogurt drink, 1 pickle, 1 tomato or other raw vegetable such as cucumber, celery, carrot or a variety equal to about 100g and a glass of water. Don't eat that second beschuit just yet - I save it for later. In between lunch and dinner I allow myself a tall glass of tea (no sugar added, no milk or cream) artificial sweetners are okay. This is where it got interesting today - Dinner: Chinese tomato soup and teriyaki veggie burger. It was delicous and so filling.

This is how I did it. Take one apple, peel and chop. Put in small soup pan. Add 1 cup water. Boil until tender. Add almost 2 tomatoes or 100ml tomato sauce. Add desired spices - I use a whole bunch - but since it's just enough for one serving use less than a pinch - like a smidgen of cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, garam masala, ginger, and a pinky size amount of sambal or chili powder to taste. I also used 1/2 a bouillon cube and 1 tsp soy sauce. Heat through then with immersion blender mix until smooth. Pour back into pan and add thinly sliced celery, celery leaves or snipped green onion. This is delicous soup and a great way to eat this meal...

Next, in place of lunch and dinner beschuit - use one kaiser roll - grill veggie burger or if you prefer hamburger patty then drizzle with teriyaki sauce. Place on warmed bun with a little tomato, lettuce and pineapple tidbits. There you have it.

And here it is 3 hours later and I'm still full. It is possible to enjoy my meals even on this strict diet - just gotta be a little creative that's all :)

Cakes -

So, I baked a Dora Cake last week for a friend's child's birthday. it was fun. she said i should do it for a business... i thought, i'm too busy for that... but i thought about it and it is something that i am into - i once tried to put together a website for selling American-style fudge - we called it fudge-a-rama! well, i also thought a while a go about doing a store for cookies - calling it yummy cookie -- now i think i'll do the cake - i was thinking Melissa-ABC: as in American-style Birthday Cakes... do you like that name people? or do you think i should go with something like: Yummy Cakes?

Let me know, i will be setting up another blog for the cake biz - thanks.

"Never to late"

Well, it feels like forever since i've done a post... i've been busy - Mom of two - takes a lot of time! I'm back on again on the hospital diet aka ziekenhuisdieet. It's going well. I'm down seven pounds since the beginning of November and I hope to keep it going until the new year at which time I may switch over to Weight Watchers again... this time not the online version - I've got a 365 days book in which to follow - less planning and thinking about it.

It's 10pm on a friday night and i'm tired... i just really want to go to sleep...

but a small update first about my activities - i've been working hard on many projects - today I finished a birthday cake for one of Kailea's friends and I can't wait to give it to her mom tomorrow - i think she will be thrilled with the results - it was a difficult cake but it turned out pretty good: Dora and boots!

I've also put together a little something for my sister in law who is expecting a little girl - and i'll post photos of that later.

The most exciting thing to report is that my youngest is walking! not all the time but more and more -- and she's getting into my kitchen cupboards... it's fun to watch her explore but a bit annoying too - i have to get used to saying NO NO NO.

being a Mom is great though - I hope I can have more little ones :)