In my last few posts I have been talking a lot about coconut oil.

Yes I am in love……….

I love the creamy texture.

I love the smell.

And I love the health benefits.

I have not used it as a moisturizer yet or as hair care.  I am too scared!

Have you tried it?

I can tell you coconut oil tastes fabulous on roasted veggies and tofu.

On another note this Saturday my sis, her hubby and Bill and I will be celebrating November Birthdays. It is Bill’s and Ken’s birthday this month.

We will be having dinner at our house and the theme is ALL VEGAN.  My sister has lost 115 pounds by changing her diet from mostly animal products to mostly vegan.  We can’t wait to share our menu with you

 Can’t wait!

What do you have planned for this lovely weekend?

I hope to get in some long runs, catch up on reading blogs and have a delicious Birthday feast!

Our wishes go out to them this morning.  Let us know you are okay!

Last night while some people were battling bad storms, Bill and I were in sunny So Cal making a farmers market salad.

We started with green leaf lettuce and added in red bell peppers, red italian peppers, tomatoes, black beans, avocado and corn.

To make the salad more fun and hardier, the base was a gluten-free tortilla (kind of like a tostada!) and Bill poached an egg in mexican spices and we put that on top.

We also covered the top with sugar-free salsa.  It hit the spot

In an effort to drop a few pounds, you might notice our salads have gotten a bit smaller and have less add-on ingredients like nuts, dried fruits and fat heavy sauces.

It has not been too hard an adjustment and I am happy to say Bill and I made it through the weekend without sipping any vino.

Hope you have a great day.  The teachers arrive today and then the students fill the halls tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

And hope you are all okay…….

Lately Bill and I have been struggling with weight issues.  

• He wants to get down to his perfect “race weight” so he can have a good upcoming road racing season.
• And I would like to maintain my HCG post weight.  I am at 127 right now and would love to maintain at 125 while still enjoying a occasional glass of wine with a pasta meal.  Eventually I would not mind seeing 120 on the scale too……..

From the outside we both look like fit, healthy people but we really would like to be better.  But it takes work and it is harder now that we are in our 40′s to lose weight.  HCG was a god send to me and made losing 15 pounds a breeze but it took major dedication and I could not work out.  I also need to feel that I can maintain that weight even when I am not super strict with my diet.

So here are things that Bill and I are incorporating into our weight loss regime:

• we will not “cheat” for 2 weeks-meaning eat something that is not “clean”
• we will walk after dinner every night
• he will not eat nuts after 3pm and I will go easy on the almond butter in my morning oats
• we will not drink alcohol
• I will skip the almond milk in my coffee
• we will eat smaller salads for dinner
• I will run 3 days this week-one easy (done this morning), one speed or hills, one long run.  thanks goodness I have Sarah for motivation!
• Bill will continue doing his pre training rides keeping his heart rate low.

Any other tips you can offer us?

Do you find losing weight is harder now that you are older?

Geez….I remember when I was in my 20′s I could lose 5 pounds in a week just by cutting out carbs

So I carried home my cute little cabinet and asked Bill nicely if he would put it together while I made us dinner  :)

Have I told you that his nickname is McGiver?  He can pretty much fix, put together, and figure out anything.  Love it!

I am very pleased with the finished product.

Our guest bedroom really needed something in that corner and I needed some more cabinet space because it is limited.

Love it!

And now………The end of my 21 day experiment is fast coming to an end.  I am really excited to share with you my experience with this diet, my results, and what I have learned along the way………

Have a good night!