Sweden: Honoluleå, but we can't fake the weather...

Honoluleå. The artic city turning tropical this summer.

Two month ago ago I was concerned about not exercising. Today I wake up every morning with a burning sensation in my legs and behind. It comes from a lot of biking and walking.
I am getting stronger, faster, fitter!
Slowly but sure some thoughts about continuing with my arms, shoulders, back and stomach has arisen.
Natasha, my blog sister in Petrozavodsk suggested rubber bands. My son, the PT at SATS Haninge, Sweden introduced me to this a long time ago. I guess I am ready now. I will get some.

After a few wonderful summer days. Luleå is back on zero. Well not zero degrees but 15 with no sun in sight and rain to await.
It's a pity. A summer play ground for all ages is established in the harbour of Luleå.
You can rent a kayak, play volley ball or table tennis. Sit under the faked palm trees on the temporary beach. In the 80s we called Luleå Honoluleå...
I prefer the summerhouse in Kvarnträsket. I still haven't made my first swim for the summer.

Paradise sea

The Ninja Diet #21: It takes three weeks to change a habit...Or...?

"Check her out: this Swede eats the strongest food at the buffét"

21 days on the Ninja Diet, created by my son Elisha, PT at SATS Haninge, Stockholm.
There are many myths about how long time it take to change a habit. One common is 21 days.
In fact there are no answer. It's individual.
For me it's good to have a meal plan to stay on track. I don't have to make so many choices.
Some days have been hard. A lot of craving. Even though I have been eating too much it's nothing compared to the overeating earlier. I feel very terminated and strong. I am going to make this no matter how long it takes. I have gained so much energy eating good, well balanced food for three weeks. Cooking has been pure pleasure. My middle son also has lost 5 kilos. Elishas meal plan works!

Sunday was a nice day celebrating Vesak, "Buddha day" in company with more than 100 Thai people in Luleå. The food was fantastic! A festival of tastes. Not optimal food plan for me, but...

Rexflecting over the 21 past days I am happy with the outcome: more meditation, energy giving food,
a life changing goal is reached, I waited years for this to happen, started biking, have been keeping my inspiration by reading about health and good food.

Even though the change may take longer than three weeks I will now adjust my goals.
Tomorrow you can read more about it here at the Butterfly Battle blog!

1. Meal plan, well Thai food is healthy, but the amount!!!
2. Meditation, yes and listening and part taking of the monks recitation is very  relaxing
3. Inspirational reading: the newspaper Dagens Nyheter always give me new ideas. This time about bees non verbal communication abut finding new nests.
4. Exercise: bike ride, 10 km
5. Life changing: well this project is the most life changing in a long time. Food has been a big part of my life, still is but know the right stuff!

At the Vesak celebration in Luleå; Sweden

The Ninja Diet #11: Bye bye bus! Hello bike riding...

Yesterday was the last day for my bus card. I will not by a new one. I will bike ride.
As I can't find the motivation for exercise. My son Elisha is in Stockholm as well as his PT- colleague Prince Daniel of Sweden (the last one no longer available for clients I guess...). Elisha is making people fit and strong at SATS Haninge. His mother is riding the bus avoiding any daily exercise...
I will force my self. First bike ride of the year will take place in a few hours. It's cold in Luleå, +7C and grey weather. I am on my way to the next city 40 km from my home. I won't bike the whole way!
I start the first 5 kilometer on my bike and the rest on a bus. I don't look forward to it. But I have to.

Yesterday with the expiring bus card, I took the last trip with my lovely neighbour Ulrika, the photographer of the picture above. We have had great conversation during this winter on the bus stop and on the bus. We have known of the existence of each other as we both have lived for many years in Svartöstaden, Luleå, but actually got to know each other at the bus. I hope we can have a picnic in the summer by the river of Luleå.

The Ninja day wasn't the best in history!
1. Meal plan: Well... I had to admit...I had a few sandwiches at night. Too much stress during the day. Back on track today again!
2. Inspirational reading: No time
3. Meditation: No time
4. Exercise: No time
5. Life changing: working hard on my karma!

Me and Ulrika on the bus number 7!

The Ninja Diet #8: Thank you for the love bombing

It's said it's easier to reach a goal if you tell your friends about it, no matter what you are aiming for.
Last days my friends have been love bombing me with compliments for the weight loss. Many of them at  Facebook commenting my new look, others at work, in the street, at the bus. Every "good job", go girl", keep on"," I'm following your blog" is giving me more power to keep up the fighting spirit in the Butterfly Battle.
I am touched over how fantastic people are to me. Some are close friends, others I never would have expected so generous take time to support me! I am surprised and very grateful for everything.
I am sending a lot a love to all of you! And in case I don't know you personal yet, please feel free to write you comments about the Butterfly Battle Blog here. Of course it is for everyone!

I am thinking about choices and priorities made in life and how you sometimes cast pearls before swine. Nothing is actually a waste if you believe in Karma. What comes around goes around.
But when the energy is put in something good for yourself and others it makes everything brighter.
There are many people asking about how Natasha and I are losing weight and about what food we are eating. It's not a secret everything is written here. Just look back in the blog!

Exercise has been my weak spot so far. I just can't find motivation to start. My son and the PT at SATS Haninge, Elisha, is 1000 km away from Luleå; Sweden. How lucky I am having friends ready to give me a push in the right direction.
Yesterday Carola had booked a walk in the hood. She cancelled it, but as I had my mind set on it I did it anyway. The evening was fabulous with sun and glittering water. I even meditated outside to the songs of happy spring birds.

This morning one of my oldest friends Rose-Marie asked my to join her and her baby son for a walk.
Rose-Marie made up with her over weight and won the battle. She's now slim and fast. Walking about 10 km daily. She is a good company as a long time friend and she also knows how hard it is to exercise with a lot of extra kilos to drag around. We had serious talks and I walked for one hour! Fantastic! She was kind to take the picture of me above and also this selfie:

The Ninja result of yesterday:
1. Meal plan: no problem
2. Inspirational reading: about fat; good and bad
3. Meditation: wonderful outdoor session in the sun
4. Exercise: YES-finally, a walk
5. Life changing: small adjustments leading to a great change

Very inspiring of your mood, sister. It's my greeting from sunny Petrozavodsk just now.

The Ninja Diet #7: Here I am!

One week following The Ninja Diet composed by my oldest son Elisha, Personal Trainer at SATS Haninge in Stockholm, Sweden. He is coaching me on a distance. Luleå is 1000 kilometers north of our capital.

I feel good! The kilos are melting off my body. Five kilo so far in the Butterfly Battle: Sweden vs Russia!
My blood sugar stays in control. My old clothes are fitting again. Happy to wear the pants I've got in New York many years ago.
My self esteem is rising.
I am planning my meals and my daily activities. I get a lot done. The weight loss is my primary goal right now. And nothing can stop me!

Food plan: YES!!!
Inspirational reading: YES!
Meditation: YES!
Exercise: Not yet...
Life Changing: YES!

The Ninja Diet: Smoked Rainbow trout with baked veggies and swedish "Kalix roe"

Another way of serving the smoked rainbow trout:

200 g smoked rainbow trout (I prefer it cold)

potato, carrot, red onion, parsnip, garlic or what ever you have at home or prefer:
in small cloves, some BBQ spray, olive oil, honey (mixed in a little hot water)
salt, pepper, paprika powder, I love it STRONG! Bake in the oven until soft, 25 minutes at 250 C..

1 large tablespoon fat free quark and a spoon of roe from Kalix , Sweden, (you can use Russian caviar as well)
Dill, red pepper corn, salt on the top!

If you want to know more about the meal plan, please red the posts from the 27th of April!
Elisha, PT at SATS Haninge has composed a daily 1800 kilo calorie diet.

The Ninja Diet #3: With a little help from some friends...

Yesterday our blog had almost 800 page visits. My facebook was over flooded by comments from friends supporting me in this "over weight fight".  How wonderful to know you are all with me!
This time I will reach my goal!

This is the fourth day of the meal plan written by my son Elisha, Personal Trainer at SATS Haninge, Sweden.
It's easy. Not much thinking about what and when to eat. Breakfast and lunch is the same every day.
Dinner 200 g fish or 200 g chicken. As I love cooking and to create meals I try to do something tasty out of this.
As I have been over eating for so many years I am happy over the restricted amount: 1800 kilo calories a day.
I am not hungry as you can see on the pictures in my earlier posts it's quite an amount of food.
It's the protein making me full. And the lack of a lot of carbs.
The Russian Samurai an blog co writer Natasha in Pertozavodsk, Russia, is going to try out Elishas meal plan. She has felt a lot of hunger earlier. I am excited to hear if this will change after some more chicken and fish. If mixed with a lot of veggies it makes a lot of food. She already eats eggs and cottage cheese. Great!

I have heard the next Barents Press meeting will be held the 17-20  March. I look forward to meet Natasha again when we both have lost a lot of extra kilos. But hard work are in front of us! The summer is soon here and I look forward to fresh vegetables and fruits/berries.

Today we are welcoming the spring with bonfires (and scaring away old ghosts).
To clean out bad energies and people making you feel bad is a way to success. I am happy to see how good I am 2015 compared to 2013!

The Ninja goals of yesterday:
1. Meal plan: check
2. Inspirational reading: Schlank ohne Diäte- in German....
3. Morning meditation: short but good
4. Exercise: no...Soon...
5. Changes: took a step toward a new future. Answer in June...

The Butterfly Battle Blog: one month today!

The 29th of march Natasha and I published our first posts here at our Butterfly Battle Blog!
One week earlier we were attending a conference in Oulu, Finland: the Barents Press annual meeting.
Journalists from Norway, Finland, Russia and Sweden gather annual for brother hood over the boarders.
This year I got a new sister, Natasha from Russia. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw I had lost 27 kilos since the last meeting in Kirkenes 2014.
-Join me, I asked her! She said yes at once and suggested: Let's start a blog!
For one month we have been publishing 79 posts this included. We have had more than 9000 visitors mainly from Russia, Sweden, Finland and the US but also from all over the world. Kerry is reading our blog in Australia, Heidi in Germany, Yasser in Spain.

Soon I realised it's not possible to break this wove. Too many people are watching us now! Here at the Butterfly Battle Blog, at Facebook, in the streets of Luleå, Sweden and Petrozavodsk in Russia.
We have to continue until we meet next time in March 2016 in Sweden for next Barents Press meeting.

Natasha is a true talent entertaining with her charisma in funny videos (You haven't missed the bread fitness movie from 21st of April I hope) but she also talks about her true feelings regarding over weight.

I have learn a lot this month. I have opened up more about my thoughts about the weight loss fight.
Before there were few people I could talk about it with. It always ended up in tears. It hurts being fat.
Not only the whole body moving around all kilos but in my heart.

My sons are worried about my health. Elisha, the oldest, studied to be a Personal Trainer at SATS Sweden. He has shared his knowledge with me. He got me stay away from sugar and fat in sweets and snacks for 16 month. He has been composing a meal plan to reduce my weight. The love from my children helps me on the way.

But also the cheering, support and pep talk from my friends. It gives me power to keep on struggling.

Natashas stories here at the Butterfly Battle Blog has been inspiring. She started the Samuray way about two weeks ago with five goals to reach everyday.
I have followed her in my Ninja Diet also with daily goals.

It hurts me when Natasha says it's not possible for her and other Russians to spend so much money at healthy food. I am not rich, but I live in Sweden and that makes a different.

When I grow up,  our greatest threat was the cold war and possibility of a war with nuclear bombs.
I lived some years in Berlin in the 80ies. Happy to see the Perestrojka  coming to Russia and the Berlin wall fall.
For twenty years east and west have come along pretty good. We don't like everything about your politics. Not the last year regime.

Yesterday I heard on the news that Sweden will prepare for eventually attacks from Russia.
What's happening?
It makes me sad. I am so happy over the sister hood we have created here at the blog. I get greetings from Russians women I never had met. My friends love Natasha.
Why must we start fearing each other again?

Ninja#2: visible weight loss

 Last summer I was a Geisha. Now I am a Ninja. I'm sure I could close this beautiful kimono, belonging to my friend Maria, if trying it on today...

My favorite occupation is not to watch my over weight body in the mirror.
Luckily the imaginary picture I have of myself is slim, which has helped me keep my self esteem through out the years.
Lately I have found a lot of too small clothes hanging in my wardrobe for years, that now are fitting perfect.
Some gears are so old I don't even remember them...
As I'm not a slave under fashion I happily wear them. Yesterdays surprise was a spring swagger.

When I, despite of all, take some time checking out my body in the mirror, I notice visible changes.
My face is smaller, my shoulders looks thinner and something is happening with my belly. It doesn't look like a bread dough rising. It starts getting some shapes!

Yesterday was a great day free from work. I slept to 10.00. Usually I am up at sun set... ( 4 or 5 am)
This made my meal plan a bit complicated. I was hungry in the afternoon.
Planning is the way to success according to my son and PT at SATS Haninge, Stockholm, my first born Elisha. He is cooking in advance and have food boxes ready in the fridge.

I love to cook by inspiration at the moment.With the few ingredients the Ninja Diet is consisting of, I like to try different styles. Check out the earlier posts here for recipes.
It's good to have a plan when the cravings kicks in. First on my list is a large cup of tea. But I got some new tricks by reading a magazine.  You find them bellow:

1. Meal plan: check!

2. Inspirational literature about weight lost: I learned that the chances to flirt increase on a sunny day. Did you hear that Natasha?
I also found advice in "Min hälsa" (magazine "My health") on how to stop cravings by using different tastes:
 sour: lime, cranberries, vinegar, grape fruit
hot: chili, garlic, black pepper, fresh ginger
green: artichoke, tomato, broccoli and all kinds of cabbage.
I will definitely try this out next time the craving monster attacks me!

3.Meditate: I had a wonderful meditation moment in my own garden with the hiss sound from the steel factory behind my house and birds sounding like they snoring. The heat of the sun made me relaxed and my mind was cleared.

4. Exercise: no exercise...

5. Life changes: I read through the instruction of my new planner "The daily greatness journal, but was to tired to think clear. My day stops at 9.15 pm! I am best in the morning!

My dear Geisha/Ninja, I see, you suffer from this feeling of emptiness inside like me too. Keep going. I remind you to buy a rubber band and I will train you on Skype once a week to start. And then we wil see may be we add an exstra days for training.
Russian Samurai, those who suffer from hunger during 10 days, says you: May the Force be with you!

Ninja#1. Losing weight again!

The first day of the Ninja Diet was smooth.
I was never hungry. I enjoyed my dishes composed by my homemade "Ninja son" and Personal Trainer Elisha. I trust in him. Last year he challenged me to sign a contract not allowing me to eat any fast food or snacks, sweets, sodas for one year. I lost 27 kilo. I ate anything else I wanted.

The contract is renewed 2015. I have kept my weight lost another 3 kilos. But lately the scale has been standing still...
I need a new weapon. My dear sister and Butterfly Battle co writer Natasha in Petrozavodsk, Russia, is using her Samurai power to overcome overeating. She has a list of five goals everyday. It works perfect for her. She has also lost 3 kilo in this period.

What would be on my list?

1. Following the meal plan.
 Ensuring I don't over estimate the amount of food I should eat every day.
I love food and cooking. I use food to comfort my self. I eat to much even though it pretty healthy nowadays.

Elishas plan allows me to have 1800 kilo calories a day. It's a lot I don't have to start. I don't have to figure out what to eat. It's there! See my posts from yesterday.

As I immediately lost weight I can see the decrease of carbs as a main reason. Eating more protein makes me full a free from cravings.

2. Reading inspirational literature 
I have a house full of magazines and books. A lot of them is about eating right, exercising or the psychology behind over eating. By reading I keep my motivation and learn new strategies.

3. Meditate
I want to reduce stress in my life. I want to be able to manage my feelings. I want to overcome the overeating.

4. Exercise
I need to make space in my busy schedule for exercise. Very soon it's warm enough in Luleå, northern Sweden (still ice on the lakes and snow piles) to bike. One of my goals is to play tennis again. I also need to do some weight lifting.

5. Make changes in life regarding work, studies, love and living
I will more consciously create my days by using "The daily greatness journal".

The Ninja diet: healthy snacks

30 grams of nuts are allowed every day and can be eaten whenever the urge is to strong!
1 tablespoon oil
1 fruit

This combination makes a great evening snack according to PT Turner at SATS Haninge, Sweden.
He´s my son and a successful martial art athlete. I trust him!

But you can eat as much fruits and veggies as you wish!

And drink non calorie beverages.

The Ninja Diet: Dinner

 My son Elishas suggestion for dinner:

1 dl boiled rice
200 g chicken or salmon
50-100 g broccoli

I spiced it up as I always do...Fried in oil with curry, garlic, paprica powder, black pepper, white pepper, salt.

It is a lot! You will feel full. I promise!

The Ninja Diet: Lunch

Elisha, my son and PT at Sats Haninge, Sweden, suggests for lunch:


250 g quark
60 g muesli
a half avocado (no more than three/week) or a paprika, veggies are free to eat. Fruit as well.
sesame seeds
plenty of water of course during the day

The Ninja diet: Breakfast

My son Elisha, Personal Trainer at SATS Haninge, Sweden has been creating a meal plan for me and Natasha in Russia, (Petrozavodsk)
You don't need to starve. It's 1807 calories a day. Fruits and veggies are free to eat as much as you want from (only 3 avocados a week).

This is the daily breakfast:

2 slices of sourdough bread with butter and cheese
2 eggs
 half a grapefruit (to be replaced in combination with some of the medication for high blood pressure)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
tea/coffee (no milk)

Enjoy!