Changes for 2016

Changes for 2016

Well, 2016 began in the emergency room for me- I had a bad reaction to one of my meds and looked like Harry Potter with a stinging hex.  My face (and much of my body) was covered with hives. Not fun – not fun at all.  I decided then that 2016 was going to be my healthy year!

 It took me another 17 days to get off the medications for the drug reaction and really decide to DO IT!  So on the Sunday the 17^th I asked a friend who is an expert in good health for advice and BAM began making healthier choices on Monday.  I admit I am not being incredibly rigorous – if I ingest between 1500 and 1800 calories a day I am pleased.  My friend has me eating more protein (100 grams a day right now) and more fruits and veggies.  It has been an eye-opening week for me:  Before these changes I had barely 1 serving of veggies/fruits a day and my carbs were off the charts. I don’t think I had much in the way of protein either. I am feeling more energetic these days.  No more after lunch drowsiness or IBS.

I have made other changes as well. If it goes in my mouth I write it down, pure and simple. I send my daily food log to my friend who makes suggestions and gives me encouragement. I also am cooking in a healthier manner- no more pasta heavy lunches or dinners. I cook strictly by serving amounts – for example – usually we eat 6 servings of instant potatoes for dinner- but since there are only three of us, I cooked only three servings. We are having more fruits and vegetables and we are all noticing improvements in our over all feeling of well-being.  We actually have eaten a 4 pound bag of navel oranges since last Friday as well as 2 pounds of bananas.  We have been eating more salads and using veggies as a snack.  I am pleased as our overall eating choices have improved and gotten healthier.             

I am amazed that the cost of eating healthier hasn’t been that much different.  I have substituted buying vegetables and fruits instead of high fat, high calorie snacks. The healthier food fills me up so I am not hungry all the time.  I am making the conscious decision to NOT eat junk food or sweets (my personal favorites) and choose a piece of fruit or some veggies.  Our family’s milk consumption has dropped, yet I still get 2 to 3 dairy servings each day. I am very pleased that changing our eating habits haven’t raised our grocery costs.

I am very grateful my husband and daughter have been willing to go along with my choices.  We all have been grousing about our health and wanting to get healthier.  It seems when the "Mom" does it, the rest of the family goes along. Since I am not buying junk food, they are making wiser choices when they snack.  I call my daughter my "diet buddy" - we remind each other to write it down.  My husband has been very supportive as well.  He is also a Type II Diabetic and is on insulin, when that is added to his high blood pressure he says he wants to be healthier.  We have long been a low-salt, low-fat family but this is helping us to cut the sugar (carbs) in our diet. I admit I couldn't do it without their support!

One unforeseen side effect was that initially I had low blood sugar incidents.  I have Type II Diabetes currently being “controlled” by non-insulin medications.  My doctor has wanted to put me on insulin for the past couple of years but I have balked.  So he has put me on medications to take when I eat.  These are supposed to help my body deal with excessive sugars that I eat.  Since I began these changes, I have had a few incidences of low blood sugar -- something that never happened to me before. So I have proactively chosen to take myself off these medications. I have been keeping my blood sugar levels steady in a very acceptable range since last Saturday without using additional medications. SCORE!!! This has long been a goal of me and my doctor.

I have also added exercise to my daily routines.  I am still suffering some lower back pain from when I was assaulted, but good posture helps with that.  Getting on my exercise bike while watching season 4 of Once Upon a Time, gives me an incentive to workout.  I am doing a warm up and cool down stretch before and after.  I also am doing some light weights- just arm exercises for now, and some simple leg work as well.  I feel the workouts in some muscle soreness but it’s a good “hurt” .

My friend’s husband says that “accountability = success” so that is why I am writing this – holding myself accountable so I have success.  I have lost a lot of weight before- using diet medications.  It didn’t last, so this time I am doing a whole lifestyle change so it will last. 

The Shannara Chronicles- a Review

The Shannara Chronicles

            The Shannara Chronicles aired on MTv on Tuesday night as a 2 hour movie.  They made the next two episodes available today to watch as well.  Overall it is a visually stunning show.  The production values are very high.  

Here is my take on the aspects of the show:

The casting is very good.  I wasn’t sure about John Rhys-Davis as King Eventine, (too old and short) but he has the voice and magnetism to carry it off.  I was very impressed with the casting of Manu Bennett as Allanon – he isn’t as large or as old but he has PRESENCE on the screen and made a very convincing Allanon.  Austin Butler is very good as Wil Ohmsford- much less whiney than the book’s version of Wil is.  Poppy Drayton is well cast as Amberle.  She is feisty and yet vulnerable.  Ivana Baquero isn’t nearly as gorgeous or seductive as Ereteria is described in the book.  But she is an adequate actress. The rest of the casting is pretty well done.

The sets are gorgeous, but they have conflated the time line terribly.  The setting is post-apocalyptic; the “Great Wars” were only 30 years OR 300 years in the past.  They were not consistent with that at all.  The post apocalyptic look would be more appropriate for the books of the Genesis of Shannara  series– set 2 to 3 thousand years earlier. (Also after watching Life without People – I understand that most of our structures and “stuff” will last less than 200 years.)  I liked the look of Arborlon (Elven capital city) and the Ellcrys is majestic.  The countryside is okay….but as I said too post-apocalyptic for the story timeline.

The special effects are amazing.  Yep a couple of the scenes were a bit too gooey for me- but then I don’t like ewwie-gooey stuff!  I loved the special effects of the Elfstones and the leaves falling from the Ellcrys. The demons are convincing and the changeling was excellent.  They make Arborlon look like an “alien” city – it is not “human”.  The costuming is good, the elves clothing doesn’t look like basic materials - has an exotic look.

They have taken a lot of liberties with the storyline.  They had the author involved with the rewrites so I am not as “outraged” as I would be had they willy-nilly taken over his work.  They combined the character of the Dagda Mor (a demon) with the former Druid, Brona (also known as the Warlock Lord in the Sword of Shannara)- thus also shortening the timeline.  It got a bit confusing if you listened to Allanon explain that the Dagda Mor had been trapped by the Ellcrys for thousands of year, but they fought Brona 30 years ago. Yep a nitpicker I know.  They have added new characters- from Eventine’s sister- Pyria- Allanon’s old flame (uh no!) to Bandon – a seer.  They are not too irritating and help the storyline along.  Also as part of the shortened time-line Wil is not Shea’s grandson but his son.  Flick and Shea had a falling out and the magic drove Shea crazy- very different from the books – because Shea was a larger percentage of elf the use of the elfstones did not affect him at all- but does affect Wil.  They did steal the “Magic always comes with a Price” from Once Upon a Time- that is no where in any of the books.  They have changed some of the mythology – the Ellcrys leaves are not trapped demons, the trolls do not wear old gas masks, and the Ellcrys chooses the chosen – it’s not a race.

Overall, it is an interesting and fun fantasy series I feel.  There is enough “familiar” to me that I found myself really enjoying it!  Because it has been changed from the books, I find myself interested in what other changes they have made.  MTv has done a wonderful job translating it to the small screen.  I don’t feel they have added “angst” to the storyline at all.  I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

Rac80