Sunday, November 30, 2008

I missed my weight watchers meeting Saturday morning,

but I did get to go see my grandmother and for today that was more important.
I weighed myself when I woke up & it looks like I stayed the same weight, so that is good, especially after consuming mass quantities of food on Thanksgiving. Though I really didn't completely over do it. My worst offense I think was the eggnog. I love eggnog.
Last week I took the metabolic test my DR prescribed and soon I will find out exactly how many calories I personally need to consume to lose two pounds a week. The test involved my breathing into a tube for ten minutes with a giant clip on my nose to make sure, the technician told me, that I breathe only through my mouth. Supposedly this helps to accurately measure my metabolism.
Last week when I was at my WW meeting I asked if I could recalculate my point allowance, points are what they call calories in weight watchers. I have no idea why WW does this except that maybe it is easier to add them up. So, guess what happened? I found out that I should be eating two less points a day! So there may lie the solution to the weight loss plateau that I've been experiencing. It turns out if you weigh less you should actually eat less. Since I have lost 12 pounds, my points allowance changed. I guess I'll find out for sure if this will finally be the answer to my weight loss plateau the next time I weigh in at WW.
Meanwhile I have to tell you about this tea I finally found. It's called Orange Spice Rooibos Tea. It is completely caffeine free and has a very full bodied flavor. I absolutely love it. Please bear with me while I go off on a little tangent here.
Last summer in the form of a small miracle, I found out I had a dangerous heart arrhythmia. I was very fortunate to have discovered it. Within five days of finding it I was cured of it with amazing medical technology by a DR who has done 20,000 of these procedures. To make a very long story short, I don't know if you remember my story about having to give up caffeine last summer. Well, I never wrote that I had to give it up due to the arrythmia, I just found the whole scenario too overwhelming. I did however write about how much I didn't want too. In case you missed it, you can read about that here if you'd like. In retrospect, I think it was probably good I had the caffeine issue to focus on because the other stuff was way too frightening to think about so giving up the coffee served as a much needed distraction. I found out that decaff still has caffeine in it so for an entire month I wasn't allowed to drink any coffee at all. It nearly ruined my summer. I know... given the circumstances, this may sound pathetic , but I do love a good cup of coffee in the morning.
After I saw the heart specialist for my follow up, he told me I could go back to living the way I did before, but my cardiologist insisted I limit my coffee intake to drinking only decaffeinated. Truthfully I never thought I would be able to have any coffee ever again so this news made me very happy.
So what does this have to do with the Rooibos tea? When I was in the midst of my coffee withdrawal I was looking for a tasty substitute when I read Reluctant Farm Chicks post on Rooibos tea. You can read her post here.
I've been looking for it ever since & I finally found it at Trader Joe's and the added plus is, their brand is organic!
Reluctant Farm Chick is right, it is absolutely delicious. It is so good, my son drinks at least one if not two big mugs of it everyday. According to the info on the box, it is a "powerful antioxidant... high in minerals that may contribute to the maintenance of healthy skin, teeth, bones and metabolic processes". I love finding foods and drink that are both delicious and good for you at the same time. This is what it looks like.

thanks to you reluctant farm chick, I now have finally found a suitable caffeine substitute!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooh - yay!! So glad you found comfort in something so delicious AND healthy!! Way to go! When I went off caffeine, I lost 15 pounds within 3 months. It might not have been as much the caffeine as the stuff I drank with the caffeine. But it was definitely a step in the right direction. Try www.africanhut.com for a much less expensive option next time you're ready to order.

Anonymous said...

Lily - I am so going to try this for me and Josie!! Thank you! So happy you are figuring out the weight loss stuff - encouraging me right along!
By the way I did the Meme and tagged you for one!
Love,
Lisa

dianasfaria.com said...

RFC, thanks for the tip. & yes, every time I've given up coffee, I always lose weight too. With creme & sugar is the only way I like coffee. I love tea with just a packet of stevia or a tsp. of honey, far less calories!

& you are encouraging me as well! You look Maaahvelous!

Anonymous said...

Way to go! It is always nice to see someone take a turn for the better in life and health. Best of luck.

MmeBenaut said...

Wow Lily, the arrythmia scare must have been awful and what a way to discover Rooibos tea. I came across it myself several years ago and while I don't have it very often, when I do, I always enjoy it. I haven't tried the orange spice flavour yet though.
I can't face the day without coffee so I can imagine how difficult it must have been.
Good luck with the next weigh in.

Unknown said...

I agree. Orange spice rooibos has been a great tea. Except I am heartbroken that they have discontinued it effective December 2008. Their Ruby Red Rooibos is not quite as elegant. If you ever find a suitable alternative do let me know. Good luck!