Substitutions? Please!

Today marks the beginning of the third week on our Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living journey for 2019.

Am I dying of starvation?

Nope.

Am I feeling better?

You betcha!

Am I craving a burger and fries?

W-e-l-l, okay…yeah. I have to admit that I am – once in a great while, anyway. (But, trust me - not like the one pictured here. That's just plain obnoxious!)

But we’ve had so many salads over the past couple weeks with baked or grilled chicken and steamed veggies, that I swear I was dreaming about cheeseburgers the other night!

Instead of giving in to a burger with lots of gooey melted cheese and topped with a big, fluffy bun and served with a side of French fries smothered in ketchup, we had an organic burger topped with grilled onions and bell peppers. And with it we had some sweet potato fries cooked in our new air fryer.

No ketchup. No bun. No gooey melted cheese. But what we had satisfied my craving.

And, by the way, I’m not normally a big fan of the sweet potato – but these fries were delicious. And they were much better for us, too.

So while I can’t say I’m never going to have a cheeseburger and french fries again, I DO know there are some healthy alternatives out there that can take away the cravings.

Vince is currently working on a chicken, brown rice and vegetables dish for us as our meal today. And I have to tell you, it smells delicious!

I used to scoff at dietary substitutions. You know – substituting shredded zucchini for angel hair pasta. Or replacing chips and dip with raw veggies and hummus. Or replacing chocolate with…well, let’s not go crazy. There really isn’t much I would be satisfied with in place of chocolate.

Instead, I was the person who would say I’d rather not eat anything than try to meet a pasta craving with zucchini spirals.

Over the last year, however, I’ve come to realize that there are certain substitutions that aren’t so tough to make. And there is a kind of satisfaction in eating crunchy vegetables with hummus. I certainly don’t feel guilty after eating it as I would if I were snacking on, say, a bag of Cape Cod Kettle Chips.

And replacing our white basmati rice with organic brown rice has been surprisingly palatable. I used to turn up my nose at the thought of eating brown rice. Apparently, I’d never eaten it before and it just sounded dry and, well, not appetizing. But I don’t even notice the difference.

Live and learn, eh?!

And, even though we’re not currently eating it because we’re not sure it’s compliant with our 30 Day Program, there is a Boar’s Head chocolate hummus out there that tastes ah-mazing!  (And around the holidays they have a chocolate mint hummus that is even more ah-mazing!) Dipping fresh strawberries in this hummus satisfies even my sweet tooth!

So we’re going to keep on keeping on.  And, thanks to Arbonne, I’m already fitting into a size smaller pair of jeans. (Actually, funny story. I put them on yesterday and, instead of them fitting looser, I noticed they just fit me. So I was a little concerned that I wasn’t losing any weight. But then I realized that I have two different sizes of the same jeans – and these were the smaller size. So…yay me!)

Oh, and by the way, our meal was delicious. Brown rice and all.

So thanks for reading. Back with more later!

Oops! Perhaps We Should Have Refused the Bubbly

Well, it’s the second week after we’ve started our 30 Days to Healthy Living program.  Can I say we’ve been 100% compliant to our regimen?

Um…sadly…no. I cannot.

We went to a champagne reception over the weekend where, believe it or not, champagne was served.  (Duh.)

At first, we managed to stick to plain ol’ H2O, but as the evening drew to a close and we sat around the table chatting and laughing with the hosts and other friends, more bottles of champagne managed to find their way to our table.

So, c’mon. We couldn’t have been rude about it and refuse the bubbly now, could we?! Besides, there wasn’t any readily available water.

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it, anyway.

But the beauty of making a healthy lifestyle change is that we can forgive ourselves and move on. And the next day for lunch we had healthy soups and salads. 

And plain ol' H2O.

Today we are back on track. No champagne. No sweets. No junk.

And we’re feelin’ good!

Back with more later.

And So it Begins – Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living Program

Vince and I started our Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living program on Monday.  Woohoo!

We aren’t novices at this gig any longer, so it’s not as big a deal.  But the reasons we’re doing it again make it a big deal. We want to feel better, drop some more weight and Vince would like to improve even more his diabetic condition.  

So wish us luck, would you?

I had intended to write a blog a day – at least five per week – documenting our progress and following our journey.

Obviously, that didn’t happen on Day 1. Nor did it happen on Day 2.

Why not?

Well, I suspect it was because of the way I was awakened Monday morning. Vince got up all cheery-like as he usually does. I, on the other hand, do not ever wake up all cheery-like.  

He then proceeded to rip the covers off of me and poke me in the shoulder multiple times. When I grouchily said, “WHAT?!” and attempted to pull the covers back over myself, he cheerily stated, “Come on. We’re going to the gym!”

Uh. No. No, we are not.

I only get up first thing in the morning and go to the gym once I’ve been back into the gym routine for a while. I have to ease into the whole getting up first thing in the morning and donning workout clothes and actually working out.  And just jumping into it all willy-nilly like Vince wanted to do? Not happening.

And, really, I think the only reason someone should rip the covers off of me and poke me in the shoulder first thing in the morning is if, I don’t know, there's a fire in the house or something. Then – even though I’d still probably grouchily say, “WHAT?!” at the disturbance – I’d eventually be grateful that my life was being saved.

Maybe.

Anyway, I have to admit. I was pretty grouchy the rest of the day.

So no gym happened. And no blogging occurred. But we did eat clean and healthy for our first day on our 30 Day journey.

The avoid list sounds long – and it is – but we’re used to it by now.  It includes: No dairy, soy, sugar, refined carbs, alcohol, coffee and gluten.

Lots of people read the “no coffee” thing and say, “I’m out!” And we were the same way last year – especially Vince. He was the guy who had two shots of espresso first thing in the morning – and then supplemented that caffeine kick with several cups of coffee throughout the morning. But, really? It’s something you get used to real quick.

So even though we weren’t being quite as strict with our diet since we finished the first “30 Days” program last February, we didn’t reintroduce things like coffee. And we limited the amount of the other things on the “no-no” list.

So instead of coffee every morning, we drink our Arbonne fizz sticks, which are oh-so-tasty and good for us. Oh, and by the way, it’s not that coffee is bad for us, but the 30 Days to Healthy Living program is designed to get the body in an alkaline state. And coffee? Well, coffee is definitely acidic.

So we had our cup of detox tea and our morning protein shake with its vegan, plant-based pea protein. We add berries, kale and some Arbonne fiber boost and greens balance and – voila! – we are set for the morning.

Our one meal of the day has been a big healthy salad with lots of greens, some organic grilled chicken and a tasty vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar.

And then our last meal is another shake.

Vince usually supplements his food intake with a few snacks – like maybe a handful of whole almonds or a green apple with almond butter. And, today, he had a sweet potato with a little coconut oil along with his salad for his meal.

But it’s pretty simple.

Best of all – we’re not hungry. Nor do we really miss all the junk – the sugar, simple carbs, etc.

Could we live this way every day? Well, sure, I suppose so. We feel better. And it’s better for us. And certainly we can do it for 30 days.

But every so often a person wants a glass of wine. Or a slice of bread to go with that pasta. Or a piece of chocolate cake. And that’s what the 80/20 program is all about.

But more on that later.

In the meantime, this blog has to make up for the past two days. So it’s a little longer. I’m going to try to keep the rest of them fairly short and sweet. (This, coming from me – the person who can’t be succinct to save her life.)  But I’m gonna try.

And I’m also gonna try getting to the gym. I need to talk Vince into a more civilized time – like, say, at least after our detox tea and shake.  Noon might be even better, but I imagine we'll have to negotiate that.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Feel free to give us some encouragement. Or tell us about your weight loss and healthy living journey.

I’ll be back with more later!

Vince’s Story: Living with Type II Diabetes

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that Vince and I started on the Arbonne “30 Days to Healthy Living” program back in February and we’ve both lost over 30 pounds.

Are we finished? I mean, do we look all svelte and beach-body ready? Wellll, not so much. We’re looking much better, but as I’ve said – we’re still a work in progress.

And we’re also realistic. We are quickly approaching the Medicare/AARP years and – trust me – we’re never going to grease up our abs and enter a bodybuilding competition. 

Notice I didn’t say “grease up our six-packs”? We don’t have no stinkin’ six-packs. Heck, we’re still working on eliminating our kegs!

But I digress.

Anyway, for Vince – losing weight was a secondary purpose in starting the program.

His first priority was managing his diabetic condition.

Vince was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic in 2006, which was before I met him. After he was first diagnosed, he was on a mission to reverse that diagnosis. He lost weight. He ate the proper foods. And he exercised.

But he was still taking Metformin every day, which is a medication to control diabetes.

I didn’t have any experience with diabetes, and I now realize I was not very helpful to Vince since I craved pasta and crusty French bread and chocolatey sweet treats – all those things a diabetic should steer clear of and avoid.

And, so, after years of not paying attention to our diets, Vince’s A1C tests, which measure a person’s blood glucose over a 3-month period, were pretty high. I’ll explain more about the A1C test in a bit. But the bottom line was that Vince’s doctor was threatening to put him on insulin if he didn’t make some drastic changes to his diet and lifestyle.

While I should mention that anyone starting on any diet program should get his or her doctor’s approval, Vince just jumped in head first.

On the other hand, there was nothing in the Arbonne program that was really radical. It sounded like it – I mean, we had to eliminate coffee/caffeine, sugar, dairy, gluten, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, soy, and a whole list of other foods. We were to go free range, cage-free, grass-fed. No corn. No white potatoes or rice.

No bread. No pasta. No pizza. Oh my!

But we did it. Our mantra was the same as everyone who starts this program: We can do anything for 30 days!

And it was amazing how much better we felt. But what was even more amazing were the results Vince was getting. His glucose readings every day began to inch down toward the normal range.

After the first thirty days was up, we allowed some of those “avoid” foods back into our diet. But we wanted to keep going with the program, so we switched to a more careful “80/20” program. So we only occasionally allowed ourselves a treat such as a glass of wine or a plate of pasta.

But you know what we discovered? We didn’t enjoy that pasta quite as much as we had previously. And trust me – I was the pasta queen. I used to have it weekly. Now I indulge maybe quarterly – if that.

And, okay, so I still enjoy wine just as much as I ever did. But I stick to one glass only every so often.

We continued to have our Arbonne shakes every morning and I prepared a healthy green salad with organic grilled chicken or maybe some wild-caught salmon (for Vince) for lunch. Dinners were either another shake or some organic veggies and a little protein cooked in healthy fats such as avocado or coconut oil.

After several months on the program, Vince had his regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment.

His doctor was thrilled. Vince’s A1C was in the normal range. Plus, his doctor could see all the daily readings on Vince’s glucose monitor that were well within the normal limits.

Again, for those unfamiliar with diabetes, there is an end-all/be-all test that diabetics live by. And that is the A1C test.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, “the A1C test is a blood test that provides information about your average levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, over the past 3 months. The A1C test can be used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. The A1C test is also the primary test used for diabetes management.”

A1C Results and what the numbers mean:

Diagnosis                            A1C Level

Normal                                 Below 5.7 Percent

Prediabetes                          5.7-6.4 Percent

Diabetes                              6.5 Percent or Above

Now, clearly, I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV (I think that line was from a commercial…), so the information above is very simplistic and abbreviated. Your doctor can explain it to you much better than I can. But what I do know is that you can’t “fake” the A1C. Since it measures over a three-month period, you can’t eat well for a couple days and hope to have a good reading.

So Vince’s medication has been cut in half. And he’s working with his physician on cutting it back even more. He would love to eliminate his medication altogether, but this is a decision he and his doctor have to work on together.

As Vince and I both say – there are MANY programs out there that can work for a person who is trying to eat healthier or lose weight – or even manage a health condition.

But what we know for sure is that Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living program has worked for us. And it has worked especially well for Vince. (Since this IS his story, after all!)

If you’re interested in learning more about the program, we’d be happy to share some information with you.

And while I never want you to think my blogs are a big ol’ advertisement for our business, you can access our website to learn more here: vincentncordova.arbonne.com.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back with more later!

Kicking My Diet Soda Addiction

I am a recovering Diet Coke (or, more recently, Diet Dr. Pepper) addict.

Is “addict” the most appropriate word? Maybe. Maybe not.

But I have been drinking diet soda ever since I was a freshman at Ohio State. I couldn’t stand coffee no matter how much I doctored it up – so Diet Coke was my way of caffeinating myself enough to pull those requisite all-nighters. And I found it very helpful to get through Astronomy class without snoozing as soon as the TA doused the lights in the planetarium.

And, okay, so “requisite” probably isn’t the correct word either. But I have always been a procrastinator. And sometimes I had to stay up all night finishing a project or studying for an exam.

Later, when I started working, I would drink several diet sodas in the morning and then finish the day drinking water. I’d read that 12 ounces of diet soda had about the same amount of caffeine that a half a cup of coffee had. So I figured if I didn’t drink more than, say, four Diet Cokes in a day, I wouldn’t be over-caffeinating myself.

I didn’t really hear too much negativity about soda back then – other than how bad soda with sugar was.  And so, because I only drank the diet soda without sugar, I thought it was okay.

Of course, once we learned more and read about the harmful effects of artificial sweeteners, I stopped drinking it immediately.

Yeah, right.

I continued drinking diet soda, although I did make a valiant effort to cut back.

Sure, there were times I tried not to drink it at all. I’d give it up ever so briefly. Or I’d cut back so I only had a couple cans a week.

And I thought this was progress.

Vince only occasionally drank diet soda – so he didn’t have the same issues I did. He even got me started drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, which eliminated at least one can of diet soda a day.

But I still didn’t really like coffee. And black coffee the way Vince drank it? No way.

No, the only way I could drink it was to add all sorts of frou-frou stuff. Like whipped cream. And vanilla  soy milk. And sugar-free hazelnut syrup.

Eventually, I managed to give up the whipped cream. And I switched the soy milk for almond milk.

Either way, all that frou-frou added up to a lot more calories. And I was still ingesting something with artificial sweeteners in it.

Sigh.

But last February, Vince and I embarked on a “30 Days to Healthy Living” program by Arbonne. Its aim was to get our bodies in an alkaline state for 30 days so we could rid ourselves of the toxins in our bodies.

While I’ll get into the nuts and bolts of the program another time, let’s just cut to the chase and I’ll tell you that two of the things we had to eliminate were 1) coffee/caffeine and 2) artificial sweeteners.

Egad, I thought. How are we going to survive without caffeine?

Not only that, I fretted, but how am I going to survive without my diet soda?!

I thought I was destined for failure.

Nevertheless, I agreed to try this program.

And, so, for thirty days, I didn’t drink a single diet soda – nor did I drink a single cup of coffee. We were able to have a little caffeine in the Arbonne Fizz sticks, which are sooo good. They have natural caffeine and vitamins and gave us a gentle boost to caffeinate ourselves. Made it easier to eliminate the soda and the coffee.

I’m not going to lie and say it was completely easy, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I didn’t get any caffeine-withdrawal headaches, which happens sometimes. And, other than a time or two when we went out to lunch or to a movie when I would normally drink a diet soda, I didn’t miss it much.

At the end of the thirty days, we were allowed to add back in some of the things that we had eliminated. Part of the goal is to re-introduce some of those items on the “bad” list and see how your body responds to them.

The only “problem” was – I really didn’t want to re-introduce diet soda.

And so I didn’t. It was a good "problem" to have.

One of the things we were supposed to do in preparing for our 30 day program was to rid our house of all those “don’t” foods. Except that I still had three 12-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper on the shelf in my garage.

But I wasn’t tempted. And after about six months of not drinking any diet soda, I pulled those 12-packs off the shelf and, after seeing that the expiration date had passed and it wouldn’t be good to donate or give to someone who drinks it, I poured all of that soda down the sink.

And I felt a little thrill of victory!

So, see? It IS all about the little victories.

Now, if only I could feel the same way about chocolate cake.

What can I say? I’m still a work in progress.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back with more later!

And Now, Introducing...Healthy Living in Vince & Jane's Domain

So I already have a blog called “Jane’s Domain.” I started it years ago as a creative outlet to share the day-to-day goings on in my life. I called it Jane’s Domain because my maiden name was Domian, but people called me Jane Domain – either because they were being funny since it rhymed or because they couldn’t spell.

I prefer to think it was the former since I’m the Spelling Queen and tend to be a little snobby about things like spelling and grammar. But that’s neither here nor there.

Back in the olden days (when I was in high school), I thought I might someday make a living as a columnist. And I thought if that ever happened, I’d name my column “Jane’s Domain.”

Then the age of blogs arrived and I started writing. True, I wasn’t making a living at it – but it was a way to share my life.

In the past year, Vince and I have embarked on a journey of healthier living. We’ve each lost over 30 pounds and we’re working on making healthier life choices.

So it’s working. But it’s a process.

And, okay, so it’s a L-O-N-G process!

So we thought we’d start another blog – this one we’re calling “Healthy Living in Vince & Jane’s Domain.”

I know, I know. There are many, MANY “healthy lifestyle” blogs out there.  I’ll look at them – and the writers tend to already be fit. And healthy. Many of them are younger. So we’re finding that making changes – working out, losing weight, cooking healthy and avoiding foods like – oh, sugar and bread and pasta (all my weaknesses!) – is a lot harder the older we get.

Trust me. When I go to the gym, I have to use wimpier weights on the machines these days. My stamina just isn’t what it used to be.

Ah, who am I kidding? I’m a total weenie nowadays. When I go to the grocery store, I have to make multiple trips carrying my haul from the car to my kitchen. This a far cry from the old Jane. I used to be able to lug every single grocery bag in one hand in one trip. Oh, and, in my other I’d juggle my purse, phone, the mail and my drink cup. 

And I wouldn’t lose a step or drop a thing.

So we thought we’d give this new blog idea a whirl. I’ll still write Jane’s Domain, but for this one, it will be a collaborative effort. Vince will help with ideas for blog subjects.  And I’ll write about our successes. And – okay – even our little failures. Because it’s a process. And we’re all human. We make mistakes.

But what we’re learning is that it’s okay to have a cheat day. Or a cheat moment. But then we get back on track.

So – if you don’t mind – we’d like to share our journey with you. If you’d like to ask questions – or give us advice – or tell us about your successes and obstacles – we’d welcome it.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back with more later!