Just accept it ~ NO!

Some things are inevitable.  We age, we have limitations, we lose loved ones, our bodies change, hair color and even hair goes away (sometimes it decides to grow in inappropriate places 😂), skin changes, we slow down.

Yes, things change, but we do not have to accept that the changes can't be worked on.  We can help our aging by watching diet, getting an annual checkup, taking our supplements, and exercising our bodies and brains.

Mindset is a great determiner of how we handle life and situations we encounter.  We all know a "Debbie Downer" that no matter what, they can only see the negative.  Conversely, we all know a "Pollyanna" who sees the world through rose-colored glasses and only acknowledges the butterflies and unicorns they come across.  Find a happy medium, understand what is inevitable, what can be changed, and what is just not worth your time and energy to address.

Our time on this side of heaven is finite, we are to give our best and work to help others.  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; it is easier to address our calling when we feel our best.  Granted some have health issues that cannot be addressed easily but let me relate to you this story.  Charlotte Elliot was a bedridden invalid when she wrote the great invitational hymn "Just as I am".  Catherine Hankey wrote "I Love to Tell the Story" & "Tell me the Old, Old Story" while confined to a bed recovering from a serious illness.  Fanny Crosby, blinded at 6 weeks by disease and ill applied mustard poultices, went on to write over 8,000 hymns and 1,000 poems.

So, why am I relating these tales?  Simply, you can achieve greatness, you can make a difference, you can achieve your weight, health, and mobility goals; but you need to be determined and work for it.  We can be our own worst enemy by ourselves that "Well that's just how it is".  NO, God did not create us for mediocrity, despair, and a laisse faire attitude; we were all created for greatness, and greatness starts when you take control of your health and work to be the best you can be!

Spiralize!

 Recently my eldest son gifted his mother and I a vegetable spiralizer.  GREAT item!!

This is a great item for those wanting to reduce carbs in their diet yet have a "pasta" meal.  Any firm vegetable can be turned into a great noodle like creation.  Zucchini, beets, rutabaga, celery root, turnips, parsnips, the options are numerous!

A few of my favorite creations are below.  I hope you experiment with the idea and create your own dishes as we work on our weight and health goals together.

Let me start with my wife makes the best red sauce and Her's is the only sauce I use.  Patty's sauce is simply Roma tomatoes run through the food mill, reduced by half by boiling, a bit of canning salt and sugar added, then cold packed.  Simple yet elegant and perfectly matched to adding additional spices and flavors to compliment your creation.

ZUCCHINI WITH RED SAUCE

4 cups spiralized zucchini (I salt mine and press between paper towels for an hour to remove any excess moisture)

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1/2 cup hot peppers/garlic in olive oil

1/4 cup green or black olives

4 ounces grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast shredded (Shredded works best as it allows the absorption of the sauce and spices better than chopped or sliced)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese  

In a large nonstick skillet heat 2 TBS olive oil to shimmering

Add zucchini and mushrooms heating until most of the moisture is driven off and they start to brown.

Add the peppers and olives heating until the fragrance blooms and all is warmed through

Add the chicken breast and again heat through until all is hot.

Add red sauce and simmer for 15 minutes 

Plate, top with Parmesan Cheese, and enjoy a low carb really flavorful meal!

SPIRALIZED SALAD

Spiralize the following vegetables and fruit

1 large apple

3 large carrots

1 small celery root

2 turnips

1 medium red onion

2 ounces crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/8 cup sliced black olives

Toss all together and top with an oil free balsamic dressing (my recipe is listed separately below)

Let the salad sit covered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

DORRIN'S oil free BALSAMIC DRESSING

1/3 cup water

2/3 cut white Balsamic vinegar

1 pkt dry Italian dressing mix (Aldi store brand is my favorite)

Place all ingredients in a cruet, shake until blended and refrigerate. (you will need to shake before each use)

SPIRALIZED ONION DINNER

Spiralize the following vegetables

3 medium onions

2 large carrots

1 rutabaga

4 ounces grilled, boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 cloves garlic minced

3 tbs hot peppers in oil

Teriyaki sauce to taste

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tbs olive oil until shimmering 

Add spiralized vegetable and cook until tender and onions start to caramelize (about 5 minutes)

Add garlic, peppers, and chicken

Simmer on low for 10 minutes to allow flavors to come together

Plate, top with teriyaki sauce, enjoy

I hope you experiment with these recipe ideas, modify to your liking, and enjoy creating dishes that are both healthy and flavorful!

Motivation!

 I have heard before that a sure way to motivate you to lose weight and get in shape is to eat naked in front of a mirror...

Although there is validity in this argument, I would not suggest it when going to the Olive Garden.

So, what is your motivation (if you have any) and what do you want to accomplish with your body and health?

For me my motivation had multiple prongs.  I was not happy with my appearance, I did not like the clothes I had to wear, I hurt all over all the time, I was incredibly moody, I did not like all the medications I was taking, and I was just miserable with life and knew something had to change and I had to be catalyst for change.

In reality (and I have stated this before) the kick in the seat for me to get started was my Neurosurgeon refusing to operate until I lost weight.  What I did not realize was how my size and physical restrictions were affecting my wife.  My beloved had watched me get bigger and bigger, and become less active, she had resigned herself to me just having a heart attack and leaving her at a relatively young age.

The point is you need to look at your life.  We have all been put on this planet and started on this journey for a reason, you need to find your reason.  If you don't know your reason for being here, explore options.  What do you like to do, what makes you happy, what influences can you have on your fellow man for the better.  

Not everyone is here to complete grandiose projects, or influence thousands of people, some of us are here to complete the mundane or ordinary tasks and projects that make life better for some.  We may be here to influence only a few people.  But remember those few people can each influence a few people and those a few more, it becomes an exponential number and can reach millions, because of your good deed.

Don't cut yourself short based on others' opinions.  You need to know your worth and that you are worthy of completing the project, you count as a human!

To boil this down, we need to search ourselves and find what is causing us to make unhealthy choices, we need to correct those thoughts, we need to work diligently in improving our eating, our exercise habits, and our thought processes.  We need to think of ourselves in a positive light working towards goals.  

The past is gone don't keep revisiting it, you don't live there any longer.  Let the past hurts and disappointments go.  Live for now and the future, ahead is as bright and fulfilling as you want to make it.

Might I suggest creating a list of what you want to accomplish whether weight goal, physical activity goals, social goals, economic goals, anything you can think of.  Tackle one goal at a time, do your best to accomplish that goal.  If you are finding the goal more overwhelming than you first anticipated, seek help.  If the help is not working in a predetermined time, move that goal to the back of the list so you can address it again and move onto the next goal.

Working on yourself is a worthy cause, you will find you are capable of so much more than you thought as first, and you may discover more about yourself, who your true friends are, and what you can accomplish.  When you start to find your reason for being, your eating will improve, your mental health will improve, you will become more productive.  Go for it, you can do it!

What do you Mean "Learn to Like Yourself"

 My childhood, even my early adult life, never included the phrase "I like myself"; that is a pity, as we all need to appreciate us for who we are and work on making ourselves better every day.  It's difficult, but we should not depend on others to determine our worth, that comes from inside.

Years ago, a friend went to pre-marriage counseling.  At this session the clergy asked the couple why they were getting married, my friend piped up with "Well I like him"; THAT was a great answer!  Love can be affected by mood, whims, outside influences, even scents.  But to like someone means you find a common ground with that person and want to be friends.  True love grows from friendship, lust grows from physical urges.  We need to learn the difference.

When a person decides they like themselves, that means they are at peace with who they are.  If you do not however like yourself, you need to do some introspective searching and discover the reason for this.

I suggest a list of positives and negative statements you feel about yourself and why you feel each statement is in its category.  If you have negatives about yourself, work on how you can amend your behavior or correct the flaw you perceive.  Talk with your true friends and discuss your feelings, you may find you are being unduly harsh in yourself or may not be looking at the situation with full vision.  We can be very hard on ourselves, but remember if you do not like yourself, you will find fault in all situations and people and be very unhappy.  We have this one life, we have a great opportunity to influence people and lives around us, do so in a positive way making the world a better place now and for when we are gone.

Self Time, Take Some or Risk Becoming a Bitter, Unhappy Person

 We all need time alone.  As an introvert, I especially need to take the time to be with my thoughts and recollect on my life, plans, and goals.  Take this time and you will look at life with a fresh perspective.

Set aside quiet time each day to process what has happened throughout the day. We need time to think about everything we’ve seen, heard, and experienced. This allows our brains to maintain balance between the cognitive and the emotional aspects of our brain. You might do this while journaling, taking a walk, or simply sitting in quiet and letting your mind think, process, zone out, and wander.

 

My goal is 4 miles of walking a day.  I compete 2 miles in the morning, 2 miles in the evening.  I do this alone, up in my barn, listening to music.  I find I can process the day ahead in the morning, and then reflect on the day's occurrences in the evening, planning what is next. 

 

Each day, it’s important to quiet our mind, body, and spirit. Some ways to do this include listening to music, reading a book, watching your favorite show, being artistic in some way, working a jigsaw puzzle, gardening, or other hobbies. The list could go on. The important thing, in this stage, is to be by yourself and spend time doing an activity you enjoy — something that fills your cup and/or puts you in a flow state.

 

I wake up between 3 and 5 am every day.  This early rise allows me time to ready my thoughts for the day, complete my daily devotionals, get the coffee ready for my beloved and I, complete my grooming, get dressed, and just ready myself for the day.  As I am drinking my first cup of coffee, I am holding my little dog as he sleeps wrapped in a banket on my lap.  Think about what the day will entail, list what you are grateful for, and list what you can improve or how you can help others.  Giving back is a very important part of a person's well-being. 

 

Just spend time being.  This is when we really begin to fill up that energy tank. This stage is about not taking in a lot, so there should be no reading, TV, electronic devices, or taking in new information. Meditation and mindfulness practices or being in nature can be good in this stage. In general, this is time to just be. You want to become peaceful and still, so you can go within easily.

It’s not always easy to get the alone time we as introverts need, especially if we work long hours or are the parent of young children. But any little bit will help. Even if you can only spend a few minutes on each step, it will boost your energy levels. When our energy levels are high, it has a positive impact on all areas of our lives.

Craving alone time is okay!   Take the time you need to restore yourself. A drained, depleted introvert cannot live fully, and you deserve to live your best life.

This time for me is the 30 minutes or so before my beloved awakes, I am on my second cup of coffee, I am watching the sun come up over the barn and listening to my little dog snore peacefully on my lap.  This is my favorite time of the day!

Air Fryer, The Way to GO!

 The keys to my wight loss are reduce carbs, reduce fat, increase protein.  The air fryer is my favorite appliance for cooking now! (Amazingly beating out my crock pot)

What I don't understand is some people's reluctance to use this appliance.  I hear "I'm afraid of it" or "What should I cook"  First, fear of an appliance is ridiculous, and second every one of these things comes with a book and the internet is full of options, pick one and start!

I began my journey making French fries and Tater tots (I don't eat either one of these now) and they were crispy and delicious!  400degrees for 10 minutes shaking halfway through and voila, FANTASTIC EATS!!

My wife loves hotdogs in the air fryer, again 400degrees for 3 minutes.

Any meat is great in the air fryer.  I like a nice chicken breast sprinkled with Italian dressing seasoning.  In the air fryer at 350degrees for 20-30 minutes.  GREAT TASTING!!

I like boiled eggs, again the air fryer is perfect!  6 eggs, 250 degrees, 20 minutes.  PERFECT and so easy to peel!

I have done batter dipped vegetables, butter & garlic mushrooms, bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers, even my morning toast (with Keto friendly bread of course)

So to cut to the chase.  GET AN AIR FRYER, TRY A RECIPE, KEEP COOKING UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT.  You are going to find how much healthier your food is (less fat and oh so crispy) How much easier it is to make a meal (think set it and forget it) and how flavorful and fast you can create delicious dishes.

It's in Essence Keto I Suppose

 I have lost 160# in 14 months.  Many have asked "My Secret".  No secret, I'll tell everyone that wants to hear, it is basically a Keto diet, but I prefer to lower the fat as well.

So the theory in keto is to get your body into and to stay in ketosis. (Burning fat for energy) However if you eat an inordinately high amount of fat, you will gain weight, not lose it.  I simplify this to a high protein diet with a small amount of fats and very ow carbs.  To be effective you need 1gram of protein per 1 pound of lean body mass.  My current weight of 225# is not my lean body mass, by calculation my lean body mass is 201#.  Based on this calculator Lean Body Mass Calculator I need to consume 200grams of protein a day.  I typically have three 4 ounce lean chicken breasts a day, that is about 75 grams and 575 calories.  I drink a high protein, low fat supplement that adds another 30 grams of protein.  Finish daily intake with some cheese and boiled eggs, that adds another 40 grams of protein.  I finish a typical day with 145 grams of protein and 950 calories, and 40 grams of fat.  It does take work and planning to keep on a regimen such as this, but I see the results and am happy with them.

This brings me to another point, all of the advice in the world will not help you in a weight loss, healthier you pattern unless you find your tipping point.  Only you can decide when the time is right and how you can go about starting this lifelong modification with your relationship to food.  

My tipping point was severe pain that could not be addressed without dropping the weight, a great dislike for my appearance, and a concern I would not be there to for my wife, children, and grandchildren.  

I urge you, find your tipping point and act.  Never in my life did I think I would feel this good at nearly 60 years old and actually enjoy and look forward to the future, But I am!  Search yourself, you will be glad you did.  God Bless all of you in your adventure!

The "Ber" Months ~ Soups On!

 When we hit the "Ber" months (September, October, November, December) I start craving a nice warm bowl of soup.  Tuesday of each week I have set aside as meatless days.  Here are three of my favorite meatless soup recipes.

Pinto Beans

Having a West Virginian father, pinto beans with onions and corn bread were a staple in our house.  At home these were made with lard and/or bacon grease, I have modified that recipe for my tastes.

1/2# Pinto beans, sort for stones, rinse, cover with water, let soak over night

Drain and rinse pinto beans, cover with water

Add 2 beef bouillon cubes (ham bouillon is great if you can find them)

Add 1 Tbs ground black pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours

Add salt to taste (do not salt before cooking as this will make for a tough bean instead of the creamy beans that are so tasty)

Top with diced red onion

Easy Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

I usually use the vegetables we have harvested and freeze, but a bag of frozen mixed vegetables is quick and easy if you don't preserve food in the freezer 

1 package Cole slaw mix

1# package frozen mixed vegetable

1 large onion diced

2 packages dry onion soup mix

1-quart canned tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. (Do not use diced tomatoes as they have an additive that keeps them together and makes the tomatoes tough)

Add 3Tbs olive oil to your stew pot, heat and add in the diced onion

Cook onion until caramelized

Add tomatoes, Cole Slaw Mix, and mixed vegetables

(I add 3 Tbs ground black pepper at this stage, but you don't have to)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 90 minutes (stir to keep from sticking)

You may want to add some vegetable stock if it is too thick during the cooking phase

Add salt to taste

Meatless Chili

1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilis

1 can Chili kidney beans

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 red bell pepper diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper diced

1 large onion diced

1 jar chunky salsa (I use the medium)

In a stew pot add 3 Tbs olive oil, heat, add peppers and onion.  Cook until tender/crisp

Add remaining ingredients and heat through (about 30 minutes)

You can add chili powder or cardamon if you like, but I prefer not to.

Add salt to taste.

Serve with a large dollop of light sour cream.  Enjoy!

Walk The Walk, Don't Just Talk the Talk

 I have had 5, yes 5 back surgeries that include 4 interbody fusions; I am currently fused L2, L3, L4, L5, S1.   Recovery from such invasive and major surgery takes time, walking is a key component to recovery and getting my life back on track.  For the first few months after surgery there are few exercise regimes that are allowed, walking is one of the approved.  Core strength is what is needed after back surgery such as mine and I will go over these exercises when I am able to accomplish them.  Currently walking is the key to regaining stamina and health.  Although true core exercises cannot be accomplished yet, two simple things can be done to help strengthen your core.  Posture is the first, stand up straight and tall when walking, second is hold that stomach in.  The second is more of an isometric exercise, strengthening the abdominal muscles while you walk.

Walking has 10 major benefits:

1. A Calmer mind, walking helps you process the day and your thoughts, clearing your mind.

2. Back pain relief by way of increased blood flow and strengthening of the core/abdominal muscles

3. Strengthens bones & joints

4. Tones your muscles

5. Improves digestion, lowers colon cancer risks, increases bowl movements

6. Benefits the pancreas, therefore reducing the risk of pancreatic cancer

7. Increases lung volume

8. Prevention of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels

9. Improves eyesight by lowering the pressure in the eyes

10 Brain boost effect, lowers stress, reduces the chances of dementia and Alzheimer disease

Remember F.I.T. (Frequency, Intensity, Time)  

Optimal is 30 minutes per day, 6,000-10,000 steps a day

Practice good form, arms at 90degree bend at the elbow, swinging the arms gently as you walk.

It takes time to get up to optimal levels, if you can only do 5 minutes a day that is where you start.  Remember, challenge yourself daily to go a little farther in each session, you will feel great and be glad you did!

Its the Dressing!

 I love a good salad!  HOWEVER, a great, healthy, low calorie, high fiber meal can be ruined by simply adding the wrong dressing.

I make a simple Italian Style dressing with no oil and very low (approx. 5 Cal/serving) calorie dressing.  The recipe is simple:

1/3 Cup water

2/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar (I use the white)

1 Package dry Italian Dressing mix (Aldi store brand is my favorite)

Combine in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake the devil out of it, it is great!

I have created my own salads based in my likes and needs.  A favorite Breakfast salad of mine consists of 3 ounces grilled chicken breast, shredded, 1 whole Fuji apple diced, 2 radishes sliced thin (this is for my gall bladder, you can omit it), 1-ounce crumbled feta cheese, 10 or so Kalamata olives sliced.  Top this with a nice splash of the low-Cal dressing shown above, and you have a GREAT, healthy breakfast for under 300 calories.

A favorite dinner salad of mine consists of 3 ounces grilled chicken breast, a handful of baby spinach and arugula, 2 thin sliced radishes (again you can omit), some thinly sliced red onion, grilled corn (grilling it creates a great flavor), 1-ounce crumbled feta, some Kalamata Olives, and I like a few peanuts or Walnuts sprinkled on mine.  Top with a nice splash of the low-Cal dressing shown above, and you have a great evening meal for around 450 calories.

A nice summery salad I enjoy is a beet and pear salad.  Start with a handful of baby spinach and arugula, top with a couple thin sliced beets, a thin sliced pear, a small amount of thin sliced red onion, 1-ounce of crumbled gorgonzola cheese, 1/2 ounce chopped walnuts.  Top with a nice splash of the low-calorie dressing shown above and you have a great 150 Cal meal.  (Add 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast and the total will be in the 300 Cal range)

Salads are a great source of protein, ruffage, and vitamins, but the dressing can sabotage the good.  A typical dressing can add 200-300 calories, so I always use the low-Cal dressing above. 

Of Apple Cider Vinegar & Lemon Juice

 If you believe all that is posted about unfiltered apple cider vinegar with mother and lemon juice, there should be no overweight people, everyone should have a flat stomach and all sicknesses and cancers should be eradicated!

The truth is both have benefits, but they are the miraculous cure of the ages as touted.  

Here are a few of the benefits of lemon juice:

Health Benefits of Lemon Juice

1. Relieves a sore throat

2. Cancer-fighting benefits

3. Prevents kidney stones

4. Aids in digestion

5. Helps blood sugar

6. Promotes weight loss

7. Helps clear skin

Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother is also a very helpful additive to one's diet, but again not the cure of the ages as touted. Here are a few benefits of AC Vinegar with mother

1. Relieves heart burn and acid reflux

2. Its a natural tooth whitener

3. Aids in fat loss

4. Helps in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes

5. Helps in lowering blood cholesterol

6. Its an energy booster

7. Boosts the absorption of calcium

8. Its a natural anti-inflammatory.

All this taken into consideration, I drink a cocktail of ACV and lemon juice 2x a day.

My cocktail recipe:

2Tbs Lemon juice

2Tbs Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother

4-8 ounces warm water

My stance on this, it works for me, try it and see what happens for you. I am nearly 60 years old and even in my 20's I never had a flat stomach; watching my diet and taking this cocktail twice a day and I now have a flat stomach. I am very pleased indeed and plan on keeping this as a permanent fixture in my diet and fitness routine

Why this blog and what I hope to affect

 

The Clock Man’s Weight; introduction, explanation, and reasoning behind this blog.

                                                                          Dorrin age 4

 

Since I was 7 years old, I have struggled with my weight.  Don’t really know what happened (could be stress, but I am unsure) but I went from a normal size kid to a chubby kid,

                                                                         Dorrin age 7

 

to morbidly obese by the time I turned 14.  At 14 I weighed well over 300# and was really, really unhappy with myself.   

                                                                      Dorrin age 14

 

I decided I needed drop some weight and had plummeted to 168# by the time I was 16-1/2. 

                                                                       Dorrin age 16

 

I didn’t drop weight in a healthy fashion, I accomplished this weight loss by consumption of Slim-Fast, diet Mountain Dew and smoking Cherry Tiparillo Cigars (to quell my appetite).  This worked for me and combining my “diet” and “appetite suppressant” with working the night shift at a local hospital and part time as a cook at a restaurant, I managed to keep my weight down into my early 20’s. 

                                                                      Dorrin age 21

 

I was in the Air Force, married for 5 years, had three children, and the weight began to come back on.  I brushed this off thinking it was part of my body maturing.  Truthfully, it was work pressure, family pressure, and poor eating habits.  I kept gaining weight and hit my highest at 385# when I was 58.  I did not like how I looked, I did not like how I felt, everything hurt, I was irritable all the time, but I was running a successful business, the bills were paid, and life was pretty good, so I convinced myself everything was okay.  At about this same time I was having back problems (again) and needed a 4^th surgery to correct degenerative discs, stenosis, arthritis in the spine etc., etc.… 

My tipping point came when my neurosurgeon refused to operate until I lost 50-100 pounds; I thought that was beyond my abilities, but I was wrong.

                                                                       Dorrin age 58

 

I decided to go on a strict 1000 Cal per day eating regime with high protein, low fat, and low carbs.  Sticking with this routine I have dropped 150# and have 36# to go to get to my ultimate goal.  My ultimate goal is from 385# to 199#.  For me, I need to go this low so I can build back muscle through exercise and healthy eating but keep the fat on my body low.  I am currently at 235# and working hard to drop those last few pounds.

                                                                      Dorrin age 59

 

This blog will be an exercise in how to determine your tipping point, how to handle the stresses, recipes that we can all share and modify to our tastes, and realizing we are in control of our destiny, so take charge and get to the best we can be.  For me it is understanding what my triggers are, needing to stay on a strict food regime, and needing to exercise to feed my mental and physical well-being. 

 

I hope this is a starting point for many of you and a place you can find inspiration to keep going. 

The title of this blog is “The Clock Man’s Weight”, this is a play on words as it is more than my physical weight, it is also about the weight of everyday life and how we can handle it.  You are going to find inspirational ideology on this blog as well as everyday common-sense approaches to handling life.  I am a realist and know not everything works for everybody, but I will be doing my best to explain what works for me and to hopefully inspire all of you!  Let’s get started with this new chapter in our lives!