What not to say...

So, today is day 25 without sugar. Here is a tip.  Say that someone tells you that they are on their 25th day without sugar. An appropriate response to that is NOT: "Ohhhh, I know a great bakery in Vero Beach!" Seriously, I can't believe how many people have said stuff like that.  WTF? Why would you say that to someone you know is going without sugar. Here are more appropriate responses:

• Ohhh, I found a mouse head in a snickers bar once. 
• That's great! Lets celebrate by doing a trip through Goodwin!
• Cool. I wonder if I can do that! 

But I digress. 

I read a really interesting article today theorizing that sugar is toxic (Click here to read it.) There are many really interesting points in there, but the one that jumped out to me was the fact that both sugar and HFCS behave the same way in the human body. It seems to me that there is a huge misconception that HFCS is bad for you in a way that sugar isn't. That isn't the point, and I think the manufacturers know that too. The problem is that because it is a cheap filler, HFCS is overused and is in almost everything you can buy in the grocery store, it is the second ingredient in everything from bread to "low fat" soups.

The funny thing is, I read that the manufacturers want to change the name from HFCS to "Corn Sugar". I actually think this is a really good idea, I think even people who generally aren't inclined to read labels will think twice when they pick up a container of "low fat" blueberry yogurt that has more sugar than blueberries.

So, if you are going to join me in being sugar free, remember to read the labels, HFCS = Sugar. In a candy bar, who cares? But in low-fat "healthy" foods, you need to make sure you are getting what you paid for! 

Event Update: Goodwin

Today's walk was an early evening walk at Goodwin. Unfortunately, I was alone on this one. For those of you who didn't or couldn't GOYB, here's what you missed (click photos to enlarge):

 I thought this might be a Wurterman's at first, but it is actually just a very young great blue heron. But he was really pretty.

 The biggest herd of deer I've seen to date out there. I couldn't get them all in one shot but there were about 8 or 9.

As I was returning to my car I saw this adult great blue. I've mentioned it before, but I just love how the light plays at this time of day. 

I want to start actively promoting this blog, trying to get more people to come out and play. This is the current business card:

This is fine if I've been talking to people about the site and I've explained what the site is about, but it is pretty meaningless if I haven't explained the whole thing. So, I am looking for something catchy to put on my card so I can hang it on bulletin boards (like, at the gym and stuff).  I'm offering a DeeMotivation.net t-shirt to anyone who can come up with something catchy that conveys the following points in a form that will work on a business card:

• You don't have to be in shape to get in shape (Specifically, I really want other obese people to know this isn't about marathon training, it's about getting outside and having fun, regardless of your fitness level)
• Almost all of the events list on the site are free
• I'm not selling anything, there is nothing to join, there are no catches

Thanks so much for any input to improve the website!

A Taste of Tuesday

So, I have decided that I really like having sandwiches for breakfast. I find I don't get the mid-morning munchies nearly as bad. Even if I have a BA omelet or something, I still get hungry earlier. So anyway, I had tuna sandwiches for about 2 weeks and got a little burnt out. This week I made some really yummy chicken salad. Here's how I made it:

Dee's Chicken Salad
===============

• Chopped cooked chicken (you can broil some, I slow-cooked a bunch of boneless/skinnless thighs)
• Mayo - I  used the Walden Farms calorie/fat free stuff. I'm not a huge fan of mayo and this doesn't really taste anything like mayo, but it's great to hold chicken or tuna salad together.
• Shredded cheese (I am a creature of habbit, I used the cabot 50% light again)
• Pecans
• Raisins

Mix together and put on something.

Note: It is REALLY hard to find bread that does not have HFCS or sugar as the second ingredient. I found some weird little round things put out by pepperidge farm called "Deli Flats" that have "sugarcane fiber" and honey in them. I can't find much nutrition information about "sugarcane fiber" other than a few web sites that say it should not be considered real fiber.  So, I have no idea if it is any better than just sugar, other than the fact that it was pretty far down the ingredient list, so at least this bread isn't loaded with it. They taste ok. Honestly, the chicken salad is good enough that it overpowers the bread anyway!

Event Update

Well, I ended up skipping McKee Botanical Gardens yesterday as I didn't have any RSVPs, and I had some other stuff I had to get done.  But we did get in a hike at Goodwin Wildlife Management Area. If you didn't GOYB, here is what you missed (Click on the picture to enlarge. The turtle is especially neat enlarged):

A red shoulder hawk. It's rare that I get a picture that actually shows why they are called red-shouldered hawks.

 We saw lots of red-winged blackbirds. They are another of my favorites, I just like the burst of color against so much blackness.

 This was our find of the day. Shown here is the divine Ms. H with a very dead turtle. The neat thing is, it was perfectly preserved. It appeared to have died of old age, there were no signs of a struggle or predators.

 It was completely stripped of soft tissue, most likely by bugs after death. The rest of it was completely intact, and, most likely due to dry hot air, it was almost mummified.

 Ibrahim showing how huge the turtle was.

Deer, dears. I love the diversity at Goodwin WMA - birds, turtles, deer, snakes. Critters galore!

We saw a LOT of REALLY big snakes this trip. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge the camera before I left, and most of the pictures of the snakes didn't come out. We also saw a huge herd of Roseate Spoonbills who are hanging out at the roost just as you come out of the parking area. I plan to charge the camera and go back for another dusk walk this week, most likely on Wednesday. If you haven't ever seen a Roseate, this is the walk to join me on, they are close to the road and easy to photograph (IF you remember to charge your camera battery, that is.)

Hope to see you out there with me soon!