Thanks!

Thank you to all who have posted comments and to all of you who have checked by to read our blog. We don't post as often as some do, but we will attempt to write more often!

Kelley had a birthday on June 16th and we wanted to make a special dessert to celebrate the occassion. And it needed to be low carb (of course). Kelley wanted a Black Forest Birthday Cake. Here's a picture:

Here's how I did it:

I adapted the recipe on the back of the Hershey Dark Chocolate Cocoa can. I replaced the sugar with a low carb sugar blend and the flour with Lite White Flour blend from Big Skies Farm(www.bigskiesfarm.com). I used sugar free cherry pie filling on the top and frosted the cake with whipped cream to which I added about a tablespoon of sugar free vanilla pudding mix. It helps to stabilize the whipped cream and to sweeten it.

Low Carb Sugar Blend:

This recipe was developed by Scott123 at Low Carb Friends and will replace 1 cup sugar

5 Tablespoons Splenda

3 Tablespoons granulated erythritol

2 Tablespoons Whey Low

2/3 cup polydextrose

I have used this with great success in my recipes. I am not sure of the exact carb count but it is much lower than sugar!:) Splenda alone will not sweeten chocolate.Whey Low is available at www.wheylow.com and both erythritol and polydextrose can be obtained from www.honeyvillegrain.com.

Also my new favorite cookbook is "Carb Wars: Sugar is the New Fat" by Judy Barnes Baker. It has great recipes!

The Cancer /Sugar Connection

I was reading a publication called "Better Nutrition" that I received at the health food store and I came across a very interesting article. It was entitled "A to Z Cancer Prevention"written by Vera Tweed. It was a very worthwhile read.

One part in particular caught my eye. This information comes from Lise Alschuler, ND, director of naturopathic medicine at the Cancer Treatment center in Zion, IL.

Does sugar cause cancer?? Sugar doesn't directly feed the cancer cells but causes high levels of blood sugar. High levels of blood sugar or glucose eventually result in insulin resistance. This condition not only promotes inflammation but also aids in the development of cancer. Here is what I found shocking:

"Cancer cells are studded with insulin receptors. As a result, cancerous cells accept insulin more readily than healthy ones and the insulin stimulates division of cancer cells."

It is time to get the sugar and refined carbs out of our diets. This will make you think twice about eating sugar laden treats. And what about our children? I want to see better eating habits in my children and grandchildren. How about you?

About Kelley

Kelley is the "Daughter" part of our blog.



I will let her tell her story in her own words!

"Even though I was thin and very active as a teen, I had developed poor eating habits like skipping breakfast and eating very little for lunch and dinner. The occasional snacks I allowed myself were French fries from the local McDonalds where I worked.
While eating this way kept me thin, I couldn’t keep it up. I was hungry. It was at this time, I met my future husband. We enjoyed many things together and easting out was one of them! Burger King, McDonalds and Taco Bell were favorite places. The extra pounds started coming on. I quickly went from a size 5/6 to a 10/12. I was depressed about my weight; however, I wasn’t ready to commit to changing it.

I gained about 80 lbs during my first pregnancy that stayed with me into my second pregnancy where I gained 20 more pounds. I tipped the scales at 220 lbs. which at 5’2” was way too much for my small frame. I had a lot of physical problems related to my weight. My knees and feet hurt all the time and I also had trouble breathing. I was only 28 and I was scared I would die from a heart attack because of my weight. I did not want to leave my 2 little boys without a mom. I had to do something.

I tried dieting but failed. I just didn’t know the right foods to eat. My mom sent me every diet book ever printed and encouraged me to try different approaches to losing the weight. I would try for a while, but failure was my constant companion. I was always hungry on a low calorie diet. I was making poor food choices and eating loads of sugar laden carbs that drove my hunger instead of satisfying it.

In 2005, my mom suggested low carb to me, but I thought she was crazy. How could I live without sugar? After all it is what I based my life on! I would start out each morning with cookies, Debbie cakes, whatever was in the house and from there I would move on to Snickers bars, ice cream, etc. What wasn’t made with sugar was highly processed. I was so tired I couldn’t get off the couch.
I reluctantly decided to give low carb a try. I had tried everything else. I really felt that I was destined to be fat my whole life.
I began to eat lean meat, cheese, good fats, fresh vegetables and some fruits. I left the sugar behind! It was hard. I was mad that I couldn’t eat what everyone else was eating. It just wasn’t fair. I changed my attitude and quit hating the “skinny” people .As time went by and the weight started to melt off, eating low carb became easier and easier until it became a way of life for me. I began to make better and better food choices. In the beginning I would go to McDonalds and order a burger without the bun. Now I do without when faced with the fast food choice and wait till I get home to make something healthier. It has become automatic for me to choose healthy food!
I also joined Curves and began to exercise regularly.

Sometimes the weight loss was slower than I would like but I didn’t let that discourage me. I have been lowcarbing now for more than a year and I have lost over 80 lbs and gone from size 20 to a 6.
Gone are the headaches I had daily. My feet and knees no longer hurt and gone are my breathing problems. I have so much more energy now! I have more fun shopping for new clothes than I ever had lying on the couch eating Twinkies! I am happier and healthier now than I have been in years. I have found my true self again. The real me was buried under all those pounds of fat for years. I also now work at Curves inspiring and encouraging others to be fit! "

About Us

Kay (I am the "Mother" part of this duo!)

I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I became overweight when I entered puberty and have dieted since then. I was made fun of- a lot. I used to hide from kids at lunch just so I wouldn't be teased. You just aren't acccepted if you are fat.

I started a roller coaster way of life from that point on--on a diet, lose weight, off the diet , gain weight--REPEAT!! My favorite diet was Weight Watchers. When my weight was up, I would go to Weight Watchers and carefully follow the plan and lose weight! Then I would quit and gain weight.

When we were stationed in Germany in 1972, I had really ballooned up.

That was when Dr. Atkins came out with his first book . I was in the Stars and Stripes Book Store on Post, when the sales clerk asked me if I wanted a diet. (ME, a diet?) I bought it and started immediately. I lost over 70 pounds quickly. This was sooo easy! I had no idea that I was so addicted to sugar. BUT, my success didn't last long. The Army doctors convinced me that the diet was unhealthy. So I returned back to the Gain/Lose Cycle.

This is my After picture.


More later on my journey.

Beginnings

Welcome to Mother/Daughter Meltdown!

The purpose of this blog is to help you and encourage you to reach your goal by sharing our weight loss journey with you.

We want to share with you our struggles and our victories; what has worked for us and what hasn't. And did I mention, some really good recipes, too.

Losing weight is hard and support is so much a part of success. We hope you enjoy this blog. Check back often!