Recently, I read an article about foods that burn fat.  I’ve read different articles about these natural foods before and believe there is some truth to this.  The lists consist of common foods and herbs with one exception, seaweed.  Looking at one list, I have two out of ten on a daily basis such as the green tea and essential fatty acids.  Then there are two or three more that I have several times a week such as the berries, apples, and garlic.    I do take Kelp two or three times a week which is brown seaweed.  As for the spices, I tend to have those more in fall and winter.  So for me, how many of these natural foods on the list I eat varies from week to week and also season to season.

Do you ever notice that when the weather gets really hot then you’re not as hungry as you are during cold weather?  Seems like I notice that my appetite is not the same during really hot weather, and I guess it’s like having natural appetite suppressants.  Large meals are not as appealing and lighter meals tend to be more agreeable when the temperature gets high.

With our son being home from college for the summer, I have been having more desserts than when it’s just my husband and me at home.  For example, I made brownies a few days ago, made banana pudding a few days before that, and chocolate pie a week before that.   I don’t need any lipofuze reviews, but I do need to watch and not overdo it.  I went for a walk today and need to do that several times a week. That should help to burn off extra calories from occasional desserts.

Well, I weighed this morning, and I’ve gained a couple of pounds.  I’m not going to be looking for the most effective diet pills but I do plan to cut back a little on snacking and make sure I always buy Yogurt Blends instead of real ice cream.  There’s a lot less fat and calories in the yogurt versus the ice cream, and it tastes great.  And I try to drink water and tea sweetened with Stevia, plus I want to walk more for exercise.  So that’s my plan!

Now that our son’s been home from college, I find I’m eating more sweets.  I tend to fix sweets occasionally and make little treats here and there.  I don’t think I need alli, but I need to watch it and make sure I don’t eat too much.  I always allow myself treats and sweets in moderation anyway, but I need to make sure I don’t overdo it!

Although it’s not officially summer, summertime is here. This is the time of year when many people are thinking about dieting and all the different diets out there such as the hcg diet.   I don’t actually diet anymore, I just eat healthy the majority of the time.  I try to eliminate unhealthy fats and use olive oil as much as possible.  Fiber is a must, and there are great breads, granola bars, and cereals these days with a good amount of fiber.  Popcorn is great too.  Add in lean meat and lots of fresh veggies and in-season fruits for a nice healthy “diet.”

I weighed last week and was happy to see that I have lost all of the weight I put on during the Christmas holidays.  I won’t need any thermogenic fat burners, but I will continue to try to eat healthy and still allow myself treats now and then.  White flour products are rarely eaten, and mostly whole grain products are in my diet as well as low-fat meats, extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of fruits and veggies.  That’s a healthy diet!

Let me start by saying that I love good homemade cookies!  The past few weeks, I have been substitute teaching just about every day.   One thing I like about where I’m subbing now is that the cafeteria ladies make homemade cookies for the teachers several days a week.  That is one thing that’s really hard for me to pass up…a delicious homemade cookie!  I haven’t gained weight that I know of so far, so I won’t need to check out www.fatburnerreview.org.  But I may need to start exercising more if I eat one (notice I just eat one) cookie three days a week or so!

I’ve also really enjoyed subbing the past couple of months because I’ve been primarily working with special ed students.  When I first began teaching many years ago, I taught for six years in special ed  before I taught first grade for eleven years and a first/second bridge class for two years.  I would love to get back into teaching special ed.  And it’s not just so I can have a homemade cookie every day.  (smile)

Note:  These are not cookies from school.  These were from Central Market where we bought 1/2 dozen Ginger Snaps.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lemon (riper lemons are juicier) for each large glass of lemonade
• Stevia – we use KAL brand Stevia (natural sugar-free herb which is considered by many to be the best choice for sugar replacement)
  
• Water
• Ice
• Mint leaves, fresh off the plant (I used leaves from a Peppermint Plant)
  

DIRECTIONS:

Juice the lemons.  First, roll the lemons on the kitchen counter, mashing them as you roll.  This helps make juicing easier.   Cut the lemons in half and take out all the seeds you can.  Here are a few suggestions on how to juice a lemon:

• The old fashioned way:  squeeze, squeeze, squeeze each lemon half
• Use an inexpensive juicer as pictured below.  (I bought mine in a resale shop years ago, and it’s probably considered an antique now.)

• Use a Le Creuset Citrus Juicer (Christi, I listed this one for you)
• Use a more expensive juicer (they range anywhere up to $549.00 – I don’t recommend this)

After you juice the lemons, add sweetener to taste (Stevia is what we use).  Pour over ice with mint leaves.

NOTE:  The Peppermint Plant is the very beginning of our garden this year.  I’m excited to finally start one because we had a huge garden during all of my childhood.  Our garden this year will start small.  I will be posting the progress with it under “Gardening.”

When I leave for work in the morning, I take my lunch with me.  I’ve usually eaten a good breakfast of homemade instant oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and a little brown sugar plus a whey-protein chocolate-flavored drink for good quality protein.  And tea! (good for losing weight, besides it’s my favorite drink)  That gets me through until lunch.

This week, lunch has consisted of an organic apple, a South Beach Protein Bar, and peanuts for some healthy fat.  And tea!    I don’t need diet pills with that kind of breakfast and lunch.  Then I have a snack when I first get home, which might even include a little dark chocolate, and then later have a healthy supper of my choice.  I’m not on a “diet” but am just very slowly losing some of the weight I gained during the Christmas holidays.  My pants aren’t tight in the waist anymore, and that’s a wonderful feeling!