Toddy Coffee

I've decided that I am going to enter the world of stretch pants and just make my life a whole lot easier. I know, I know...don't judge me. I wish I could find black stretchy pants just like my pj bottoms. They are so cute and I look good in them. Do they look like pj bottoms? I don't think so. They are thick enough to pass as a pant. Instead of putting a lot of time into shopping for a look-alike pair, I may just wear what I have. If I can pull it off - I'm doing it!

I can now understand why the overweight crowd seems to fancy this attire. My thought in the past was, when I would see someone clearly overweight with "stretchies" on, why on earth are you wearing something that accentuates the your burgeoning booty and thighs...as I try to look away.

Well, now I know. It was just a few months ago I had lost 10 or so pounds, but much to my chagrin, I've gained it right back. (And maybe a few pounds more, ugh!) I put on a pair of pants that I've had for a few years. They've always been a casual favorite; roomy and so cute. Yesterday, I found that they were quite snug at the waist which gave me a muffin top. I hate that. I won't do it. I was just going to be working around the house so I kept them on but when I would bend over the snap at the waistband would pop open. That has never happened with these pants before. As many times as I would bend over, pop...pop...pop...pop. Oh how discouraging. I just eventually tucked it down into the pants but it was the confirmation that, yes, it's once again time to diet.

I believe my love of coffee is one of the main culprits in my gain. Even though I drink my coffee with a sugar free creamer, it's adding too many calories to my daily intake. I have on an average 3-8 oz. cups of coffee every morning. To that I add the sugar free creamer and a Splenda. I estimate that I use about a half cup of creamer per morning which I found to be about 10 Tablespoons. At 15 calories per tablespoon, that's 150 calories a day.

If I remove the creamer and just have a Toddy every morning, then I'll be getting the milk (calcium)in my diet, that's really so important, and cutting the creamer calories. (The creamer has no nutritional value) I usually have a Toddy every evening. I think I'll move that to mornings and then just have a diet soda in the evening. (I do love those sweet treats - and that's what they are to me. I look forward to them.)

If you are a coffee lover, and you don't know what a Toddy coffee maker is, you are really missing out! It's a cold brew coffee maker that is very similar to making sun-tea, only it's coffee. I bought my Toddy maker through Amazon.com for about thirty dollars. It comes with a carafe, a plastic holding container, a filter and cork. You follow the directions adding water and good Arabica coffee, coarsely ground, alternately, and let it steep for 12 hours. (It calls for 16 oz. of coffee. Funny thing is, you can't buy coffee in 16 oz. packages. It's usually sold in 12 -14 oz. increments, which I find works just as well. If you think it's not strong enough, you can add less water. Try it first. Anyway, a pound of coffee to 9 cups of water is what's recommended. I usually do it at night before I go to bed and in the morning pull the plug, setting the holding container on the carafe and within a few minutes, this wonderful concentrated coffee is ready to drink. The fabulous and amazing thing about the Toddy brew is that it lasts in your frig. up to 4 weeks without it's wonderful flavor being diminished. You can drink it hot or cold. I usually use a 8-12 oz. glass, add about an inch of Toddy and fill it up with skim milk and a Splenda. It's wonderful! I'll bet that since I've purchased my Toddy maker about two years ago, I don't think it's ever been in rest mode. There is always Toddy coffee in my frig. I've turned a lot of people on to it. Some months ago I had friends visiting from Michigan and they tried Toddy for the first time. When they went home, they sent word back that Toddy was taking over Detroit. One couple even took a jar of it along with them on their cruise.

So cheers to all my Toddy loving compadres and may we all find the happy medium between fit and feeling good, while yet still drinking and eating all the wonderful things that we enjoy; the battle of indulgence and moderation.