Today's episode of Cutting Against the Grain is on the popular prescription weight loss drug Ozempic...it has become popular because lots of celebrities use it and endorse it. As much as people are looking for a "magic pill" for weight loss this one (like so many others) has some pretty scary side effects.
Trust me I UNDERSTAND wanting something that makes losing weight easy...I have been in that place of hopefulness so many times and just wanted someone to give me a medication or simple steps on how to lose weight. Unfortunately, there are A LOT of people and companies who will try to sell you something they promise is THE ANSWER you are looking for. And when you realize it's not it can be even more heartbreaking.
But let me give you some hope. It can be very freeing to realize there is no actual magic pill or simple 3 step process to losing weight forever that you just haven't found yet. You don't have to keep looking for something you're missing. You already have all the knowledge and tools you need to get started. Focus on yourself. What is causing you to get off track? What are the situations you are in that cause you to spiral? Are you feeling inadequate and using food as comfort? Take some time to reflect and be honest with yourself rather than expecting someone to share something that you have been missing. Once I stopped waiting for someone to hand me (or sell me) the solution, I felt like I could actually start working with what I had and stop waiting to magically be fixed.
You can do this!
I don't typically love cooking with cast iron, despite the excellent results they can bring. It's messy and smells up the house. Add to that, the one we have is super old and not very good. We were recently gifted a really good one from Lancaster Cast Iron so today I decided to give it a try. We have a side burner on our Weber so I could do it outside. I sous vide a steak, then seared it in tallow on the new pan. Man it was incredible. What a difference it made from our old one. Super easy clean up too. Below is the pan, of course I forgot to take a picture of the steak haha.
Do you love using cast iron? What are some favorites you make in them?
Yesterday we surprised the kids and brought home a puppy!! They have been begging for one for years and we felt like the time was right to bring one home.
Meet Angus 🐕 He's a Golden Retriever/King Charles Cavalier Spaniel mix. He's 11 weeks old and currently weighs about 8 pounds, he should be around 35 pounds fully grown. I know it will be an adjustment for a while as he gets potty trained etc but we are so excited. 😂 Wish us luck! 🤪
Cheese is good! I ate a block of chipotle oven baked cheese with lunch yesterday and it was divine. I love it, but know that it halts any progress I'm making, and will even trigger eating in excess to where I'll gain weight. It's sad but I have accepted it. If I eat it in small quantities with a meal, it's ok, but I really have to work to keep it in check.
What's your favorite cheese? How do you incorporate it? Do you see negative results when eating it?
Happy Halloween! Hope you are having some fun today. Passing out treats to anyone? The first picture is the costumes my kids have for this year. (Penelope's was just to help at Jiu-Jitsu).
Here are some my favorite costumes my kids have had over the years. Share below any costumes you have had from this year or previous years.
Happy Friday!! We are supposed to have a VERY rainy weekend here in Arizona, which is very rare for us. It might even mean that trick or treating is cancelled. 🎉😂 I always trade the kids for their candy anyway so fine by me if we don't even have to go out. Plus Penelope said she's too old for trick or treating and said she'll just skip it and take the money. 🤪😂
Other than that and church we have no plans this weekend, which I am excited about after a busy week. I might go get a day pass at a new gym that has a fancy steam room/sauna and cold plunge.
What are your plans for this weekend?
Happy Friday Evening Family!!
(Oh No! she's back!!) Sing some praises with me; the 2026 harvest is out of the field!! Farmer Hubby finished the corn today, the end in the rain. He ended up leaving a few rows in the field due to wet spots and steep new terraces; but the rest is out, including where the creek flooded and left logs/limbs. He got those picked up today.
You have no idea how grateful and relieved we are. This harvest kicked our behinds. We are getting older and the push and stress were something else. But now we're done. He'll clean up the combine and grain cart and truck and store them away for winter over the next few days/week. Then we'll concentrate on getting the cattle home and then winterizing what needs to be winterized.
Anywho... just wanted to report in that I'll be more "here."
Accountablility
Fresh air/sunshine/exercise/sleep
Not much/none (rain)/walking while doing errands/terrible with leg cramps for several hours.
Food
M1: Coffee and a chicken meat stick
M2: Carnivore...
