The Walk to Emmaus 10/27/08

I had a great weekend. I was a time of renewal, got a fresh perspective, made a lot of new friends, and ate a lot of food. I was surrounded by high carb foods the whole weekend but didn't succumb. They fed us three meals a day (sometimes 4) with dessert and constantly had high carb sugary treats available between meals. The only treats I had were 2 diet sodas, a sugar free lemon bar and 3 pieces of sugar free candy. However I did eat much more protein than what I've been consuming recently. The meals were self serve cafeteria style and it seems my eyes are still bigger than my stomach. I haven't stepped on the scales since I got home, kinda afraid of what I might see.

It was soooo good to get home and see my lovely wife (after four days with 60 men) and it was wonderful to sleep in my own bed. This morning I was very tired and wished I could stay home, but I'm back to work and my normal food routines. Hopefully I can quickly take off any excess weight I put on this weekend. (I wish it came off as quickly as it goes on!)

Preaching at Bethel Friends Church 10/20/08

One of our board members invited me to preach at his church in Hugoton, KS yesterday. For some reason my stomach didn't feel too good in the morning, so I just had a protein drink for breakfast, but that made me feel even worse. Fortunately when it came time for the sermon I felt better and everything went well. After church his wife invited us to their house for dinner and I mentioned that I eat low carb. She explained that she had cooked a high carb meal and should have asked me first if I had dietary restrictions. (I never know what to expect when people invite us to eat after church!)

So we went to dinner at their house and they served chicken tetrazzini (which didn't have very much chicken in it), salad, rolls, tapioca pudding and sugar cookies for dessert. If I would have eaten that meal I would have been in a carb coma afterwards!! Once again she apologized and I prepared myself to just eat salad. I asked if she had any protein and she did have some deli ham, grated cheese and some pecans. So I managed to make a decent salad with ranch dressing.

I was grateful but not satiated and started to get a headache on the 90 minute trip home. We finally got home and I couldn't wait to eat something substantial. Before leaving for church I had baked a whole chicken, so I warmed up some of that and ate a chicken breast and the wings and about a cup of cooked cabbage. At the end of the day I had remained within my protein limit of 105 grams and had a total of 25 grams of carbs. In the future I think I'll keep some jerky or nuts with me, so that no matter the situation I'll be prepared to give my body what it needs!

Trip to Branson, MO 10/14/08

After a week of intermittent fasting we treated ourselves to a nice weekend in Branson, MO. Trees are just beginning to turn into their fall colors. The rolling hills and lakes were just beautiful. What a feast for the eyes and a welcome change from the plains of Kansas. A'Lisa obviously needed the break more than I did, it took her a while to de-stress. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, about 80 degrees each day. I thought it would be cold but we actually laid out by the pool, soaking up some rays.

We prepared some meals at our resort and only ate out a few times. Overall I stuck to low carb foods, but I did eat some things that I normally wouldn't eat like frozen yogurt and sugar free cookies for dessert. We also celebrated the weekend with some Shiraz and Cabernet Savignon. That's the first time I've had any wine since going low carb three months ago.

Yesterday I fasted until I came home from work because I felt so bloated from the weekend. Today I feel like my body is getting back to normal. It's amazing how a few extra carbs can make a huge difference in the way you feel!

Heartland Beauty 9/15/08

Woke up to 45 degree temperatures in the Heartland of America this morning. The full moon gave way to bright sunshine and it's going to be a beautiful day. I had a busy weekend with the doctor's visit on Friday, taught a jewelry class on Saturday, then played with the Coffeehouse All-Stars. We served steak dinners at the coffeehouse Saturday night. What a nice to treat to eat grilled ribeye steak. Good stuff.

Yesterday after church we went to Liberal, KS. We took the plunge and went to a Chinese buffet. I ate hot and sour soup, shrimp, crab legs, steak wrapped in bacon, chicken wings, chicken satay and some green beans. I managed to get out of there without going over my carb quota. I must admit those carbs filled items looked good but I didn't succumb to the temptation. Today I get back to my regular routine.

Preaching in Ness City 8/11/08

I had a great weekend. Probably ate a few more than 20 carbs each day (too much cheese) but I'm back on track today. My wife keeps saying I'm shrinking but I don't have my scales yet to know whether I have lost any weight. When I got dressed for church yesterday I could tighten my belt three more notches. Obviously I'm losing inches. I feel much better these days and I don't have those bags under my eyes any longer!

We have had kind of a lo carb breakthrough in my household! I was invited to preach in Ness City, KS yesterday. It's about a two hour drive each way, so we had plenty of time to talk. While driving to church my wife said she is going to stop eating bread and sugar! This is a major turnaround! However, she is still reluctant to embrace my food plan. (Yet when we ordered food at the restaurant yesterday she told the waitress, "We're doing Atkins.") I'm just happy that we're making progress. That's an answer to prayer. She still labors under the assumption that fat makes you fat, even though she can see the evidence to the contrary in me. This is a time of growth (not physically) and learning for both of us!