Week eleven

Tank is doing great. Hope to get its blog up this week.

I finally took a good long walk with our daughter and dogs. We adopted a little one in August and his belly is a bit chunky. He needs the walk as much as I do. The only complaint I have is that part of our neighborhood is unsafe to walk due to an aggressive dog. I need to find out its home and complain. It attacks and there's no way I can protect our dogs from it. I'm afraid it'll attack me since it has attacked our children when biking and chases vehicles. Calling for someone to pick it up doesn't work because they don't arrive in time to see it and no one seems to know where it belongs. Anyway, we took a walk, hope that's a start toward our exercising as well as eating better.

The Garden

I pulled the spent bean plants and am preparing to plant again. Growing season is almost done, here. Still waiting for the tomatoes to ripen so I can taste fresh tomatoes. We tried a couple of varieties I've never had before, so I'm looking forward to seeing them ripen and tasting them.

Okay, my promised happiness:

Saturday I stepped on the scales and they showed a two pound drop. I wasn't sure if I should believe it, so I waited and three days later it was still true.

Weigh-in--Beginning weight 188 pounds. Week eleven--164 pounds. Weight loss week ten to week eleven--three pounds. A total loss of twenty-four pounds in eleven weeks. That's a little over two pounds a week loss for the last eleven weeks. Yes! It is recommended one loses two to three pounds a week and I'm right there. My weight loss is doing well and as I remarked earlier, it feels great to be pulling up my pants.

Benefits Moment:

Papayas--Colorful and buttery-smooth papayas are renowned for their digestive benefits. They are also rich sources of antioxidants, folate, potassium, fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin K. These nutrients promote cardiovascular health and help protect against colon cancer.

Papayas with reddish-orange skin are ready to eat; those with yellow patches will take a few days to ripen. Avoid any overly soft or bruised papayas. Eat them fully ripened for the most antioxidant power!
(copied from the Nutribullet pocket nutritionist) 

I read that eating papaya seeds has benefits too, so I've been adding them to my drink when I add papaya. Check out this article, "The Surprising Health Benefits of Papaya Seeds," and  make sure you check out, "Papaya Enzyme Side Effects and Warnings."

Happy healthy eating, finally exercising, losing weight and becoming healthier.