I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I do love the occasional latte.  Of course, we all know that Lattes have tons of sugar; therefore, they are high in carbs.  Well I found my own little solution to that.  The other day, at Costco, I bought a box of individual vanilla protein drinks that only have 4 grams of carbs.  So I empty 1 eleven once drink into a glass measuring cup.  I heat it for 4 1/2 minutes, stirring every minute (very important step).  Then I pour it over three vanilla chai tea packets, in a small teapot.  I let it steep for 10 minutes, and then squeeze the bags over the pot.  I add one to two splenda packets (still pretty sweet without them) and I stir.  Once you pour it into a teacup you can add a small amount of whip cream if you want, but it's unnecessary.  Whip cream is pretty low in carbs, though.  And there you have it.  It's yummy.  I know it's not truly a latte, given that no coffee is involved, but it's a great alternative.

When I think about why I finally decided to change my health and my weight, I realize that my mirror had a lot to do with it. I can actually get ready in the mornings without looking at any part of me, other than my hair, but when I sit on the toilet in my half bathroom downstairs, I have nothing better to do than to look at my face in the mirror in front of me. For some time I had been looking in that mirror and thinking, "Who are you? I don't know you." 

Have you ever watched one of those horror movies where a real person gets stuck in a mirror, while their reflection is let loose in the real world? The person in the mirror can see everything their reflection does, and they start screaming, "That's not me! Don't listen to her, she's not me!" That's how I felt every time I looked in the mirror. I'm looking at my reflection and inside I'm screaming, "That's not me. I don't know who she is, but that's not me!" That person has 2 chins, she's too fat to have dimples, her cheek bones are
non-existent. That person doesn't even smile.

Now, as I look in the mirror, I am starting to see the real me there. When you lose weight your face is one of the first places you can see a difference. I've lost 32 lbs. and the real me is starting to take over that false reflection. I'm beginning to see cheekbones and dimples again. My chin is starting to work against gravity,
instead of with it. Smiling has become a little easier. I refuse to ever lose myself that way again. No evil reflection is going to take over my life. I'm coming back, and I'm staying!

I was going to post about my birthday that was yesterday.  Now, all I'm going to mention about my birthday is that I did have a piece of cake.  It was my birthday after all.  Right now all I can think about is how bad my back hurts today.  Days like today make it difficult for me to see a hopeful future when it comes to my physical well-being.  I have noticed that I've been able to increase my exercise levels from just a few weeks ago, but I don't feel my back getting any better.  As a matter of fact, it almost feels worst some days.  Today I just want to curl up on my couch and cry.  It's mostly the right side.  Over a year and a half ago I had an MRI of my back.  It showed that not only do I have arthritis in my back, but I also have a bulging disc.  I'm thinking that that has gotten worst in the last year and a half.  I should have decided to change my health years ago.  Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20.  I'm going to have to see a chiropractor soon.  For now, I'm going to take some anti-inflammatories and lay on a heat pad, .