August 20, 2007
filling things up
Take me, for example, and ETL. I did it for six weeks religiously, I lost weight, I felt profoundly better, and my medical labs improved.
Five months later, while I'm eating a lot more veggies and fruit than I ever used to, I am not vegan. I'm not even vegetarian. My lack of self-control is troubling.
But right now, my little unspeakable crisis has taken over my life, so the thought of spending hours in the kitchen preparing vegan food just isn't going to happen right now, much as I might like it.
So last night, I made a decision. Rather than taking food away, which seems to be a big issue, I'm going to add food. If there are fruits and vegetables, then I'll eat them first... and afterwards, I can have whatever I like. It doesn't matter if the veggies were cooked in butter, etc, etc. I'm just going to try to be eating more of them.
I tried it last night going out to dinner with some friends. I said that I was going to be ordering some things for myself, but I'd probably share them if they came in a large enough serving. I ordered a salad, green beans and corn (this is a tapas joint we went to). It was great. I finished the corn (because, what's not to love?) but not the salad or green beans, and I was full.
That's the plan for the time being, at least. To try to not be obsessed by what I'm eating, but to make sure I'm getting some healthy things in at each meal.
....
So, my beloved and I were heading out yesterday morning when I noticed a whole lot of willow tree in my neighbors' back yard. In fact, a big branch had partially broken off one of our willow trees, and was now entirely filling their back yard. Yikes! Their backyard is 50x50, pretty standard for our part of town, and it blows me away that that branch is practically 50x50. That's crazy!
permalink August 20, 2007 | Comments (3)
May 26, 2007
the problem with weekend mornings
The problem with weekend mornings is a problem of entitlement. I wake up, and I'm like, where can we go for breakfast? Oh, we could go here with the luscious eggs or here with the luscious potatoes or here with the cheese grits. This place has a great egg sandwich. Would it be a problem to order it with bacon. Mmmm bacon...
Last night, I dreamt about ordering pancakes.
This is my slippery slope. There are only a couple vegan options for breakfast, and they aren't open early, and they tend to be all about carbs.
For whatever reason, mostly because this is the way it's always been with sweetie and I, weekend morning means going out and having breakfast. And breakfast out means definitely not ETL.
Unfortunately, I know what I want and that seems much more important than what I need. Even as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about my breakfast options which are all about starch and eggs and/or cheese.
Worse yet, today sweetie and I are going on a brewery crawl in the Columbia Gorge. It's going to be great: we have a designated driver, and we're going to hit at least three (and maybe five) brewpubs. At the first place, there'll be pizza, which I was thinking I'd probably allow myself a piece. I mean, I'm already going to be having beer.
See the slope? It's pretty steep.
Anyways, I should quit bitching and get some breakfast. Here at home. Of good stuff.
permalink May 26, 2007 | Comments (3)
May 25, 2007
Kids need ponies!
I fell off the face of the earth again, didn't I?
Sorry. I'm settling back into a routine of trying to behave myself. I'm back on the ETL track, and not calling it all off if I slip (as I have been doing for about the last month). I've been on since Monday, and I've lost 4 pounds. I'm one pound from where I ended the 6 week detox.
I've been riding the bike almost every day the last couple weeks. It helps that we've had nice weather, but I participated in a GPS biking study, so that forced me to behave like a cyclist, even if I wasn't feeling like it. So, I've had two solid weeks of bike commuting.
To my surprise, my average speeds have risen. Going to work, I average about 9 miles an hour! Coming back home, it's more like 7 or 8 mph. This is much better than I ever would have guessed.
I've been using the bike lane on Naito just about everyday. It's great. No one seems to know about it yet, so there's no real bike traffic, and it avoids the problems of using the waterfront park path, which everyone and their cow uses, and tourists, walkers and runners forget that they're supposed to be sharing the path. The last couple times I've ridden it, I've had to come to a complete stop because there will be five walkers walking abreast, talking or wearing headphones, who haven't responded to my bell or my calling, bicycle behind you.
That's frustrating. I know when I walk, once my endorphins kick in, it's as though I'm drunk... which is why I stay stuck to the right handside of the path as if I were velcroed.
A couple of days back, I killed our new blender making a smoothie. It was sad, very sad. So sweetie went out and bought a new blender... which started making the warm, electrical smell the first time I used it. Is it just me? I used about twice as much liquid as I usually do, and it still seemed reluctant.
I hope all you Americans have a good long weekend! Stay strong and play safe!
permalink May 25, 2007 | Comments (4)
May 9, 2007
back on the horse
So, I'm back on the horse. Is the horse going the right way? Who knows.
I had a cheerful entry to write today where I rode into work and it was chilly and sunny, where I ate my fruit and felt great, where I sat in the sun to eat my lunch, and I had these moments where I felt like my salad and my soup were just so incredibly delicious.
But this afternoon has been stressful. I've managed to bring the server down several times, which is just one of those things you don't want to do. It would happen, and I'd feel the adrenaline, my throat closing, my blood pressure rising.
Take me back to my Happy Land!
Things have been really good, though, this afternoon excepted. We made the Houston trip without incident, and yes, I gave in to Tex-Mex. I still ate a pile of fruit and salad, and I gained 5 pounds. All in all, I can't be upset.
So now I'm back to eating good, plant-based mostly. I want to get back to feeling good.
permalink May 9, 2007 | Comments (2)
April 17, 2007
momentarily calm
As was clear from yesterday's entry, I had a full-fledged freakout yesterday. Today, the waters (at least those waters) are calm.
I don't need to label myself anything. I can get a salad almost anywhere. I just need to pick and choose my battles. Show some self-control on the meat and dairy and starch. I've shown before that I can.
It occured to me this am that all of this is not about labeling myself. This is my brain's sneaky way of saying "hey, the house is on fire, and you better do something quick, so maybe you should question your dedication to veganism". I can't really talk about what's going on at home right now, but suffice to say, I am stressed to the point of having no short-term memory, and thinking about it is so, well, distressing that I sort of shut down.
So I guess that it makes sense that I would just decide that yesterday was the day to make black and white decisions, state my allegiances, etc., rather than recognizing that I live in a grey world, and very little is really black or white.
Though, I've been reading about veganism and the whole argument against using wool. I'll be honest, I really thought it was silly. I understand when you make most types of silk, you kill the worms. But you don't kill sheep, right? Errrrr... Anyways, I think that I was wrong, and sooner or later, I'll see the errors of my ways.
This is when I wish I had this strong moral core that would say, of course I won't buy yarn for knitting again! Of course I won't thrift for wool and cashmere sweaters! But wool, damn, wool is just the greatest fiber: warm, stretchy, responsive. Of course, it probably does work best for the sheep.
I'm looking forward to some lentil soup and some salad tonight.
permalink April 17, 2007 | Comments (3)
April 16, 2007
better
I have done my taxes and had a big salad and a big bowl of lentil soup, and all is right in my world. My body is happy, my mind is relaxed.
Is it just this simple?
permalink April 16, 2007 | Comments (0)
self-image...
I am so on the fence right now.
I want to be vegan. I want to. I felt better, I was losing weight, etc. But I'm finding that I need to make some permanent lifestyle changes to make that work, and permanence takes time and work.
Initially, I had thought, one non-vegan meal a week. That will work. And it should work.
The problem is, we go out to eat. I want to go out to eat. And generally, there just aren't such great options when you're eating out. For instance, last night: a fakin' bacon sandwich. It was good, but let's not kid ourselves: it's junk.
I love eating out. A whole lot of my self-definition is wrapped up in writing about Portland eateries. And it's clear to me that I don't really want to eat junk.
If I could eat out like I eat at home, I'd be all set. How's about some vegan bean soup and a nice big salad? That would be great. But I'm lucky to just get half of that.
I love mexican taquerias, and let's face facts, everything has meat and/or cheese in it. So do I just go to Mexican places for splurge meals?
I didn't realize this was all on my mind until I dominated a lunch with an acquaintance with talk about trying to balance it all out.
In some ways, in hind sight, the 6 weeks was easy because I knew what I was supposed to do. It was for a set amount of time. Cut and dried. Now, I've just got guidelines.
Anyways, I want to make some decisions.
....
So, a couple steps forward, a couple steps back.
This weekend, I ordered chilaquiles without cheese or sour cream. Now, it's quite possible that the sauce had some dairy in it, but this felt like a good compromise. Sweetie and I got a good walk in. And then, on Saturday night, we went to Dots and I had a cheeseburger. Typical. The next morning, chilaquiles with cheese and sour cream. And then the fakin' bacon sandwich.
Today, I had an orange and a bunch of pineapple, as well as my usual smoothie. Then for lunch, I went to a vegan-raw restaurant. I should have gotten a salad, I should have, but I ended up with a bowl of rice, beans, and chard. I tried their raw coconut milk soup, a ricepaper roll, and some cashew hummus & pepitas pate. It was a good meal, but, I am missing that salad.
Tonight will hopefully be better. We've got a black bean stew in the crockpot, and I'm looking forward to a salad with watercress in it! Am I a geek or what?
permalink April 16, 2007 | Comments (2)
April 13, 2007
la lucha continua
Thanks for all the kind words. I'm on day 3 of good behavior, and I'm starting to feel human again. I'm feeling good about my broccoli, cabbage and spinach smoothies, my pile of borrowed vegan cookbooks, and the weekend stretching out before me. I'm hoping to do a fair amount of cooking and gardening and seeing friends. I'm going to walk 6 miles (freudian slip: I at first typed 56 miles. Honestly, it doesn't seem that bad) in the morning, and I don't know what all else. I'm just excited to have a couple of days off. Hope your weekends are brilliant as well!
permalink April 13, 2007 | Comments (0)
April 10, 2007
my science experiment
So here's what a low-fat, low-salt, low-sugar unrefined vegan diet did for me over 6 weeks:
Weight: I lost 29 pounds
Waist measurement: lost 3 inches
Blood sugar (fasting): I went from 117 to 97. The prediabetic range is 100-126.
Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number): dropped 18 points, from 90-72
Systolic blood pressure (the top number): dropped 10 points, from 120-110
Cholesterol:
Total cholesterol dropped 61 pts, from 219 to 158. The desired range is below 200; borderline is 200-240.
Trigylcerides (non-cholesterol fat) dropped 44 pts, from 106 to 62. Normal is <150.
HDL (good cholesterol) dropped 18 pts, from 67 to 49 pts. Desirable is >60.
LDL (bad cholesterol) dropped 34 pts, from 131 to 97 pts. Desirable is <100, borderline is 130-159.
permalink April 10, 2007 | Comments (7)
April 9, 2007
Oh!
And I still don't know about the bloodwork yet. This is driving me nuts!!
permalink April 9, 2007
Getting back on the good foot
So, I have now had my weekend of extended food debauchery: I've had pizza, I've had beer, I've had BBQ brisket, steakfrites with bechamel sauce, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, banh mi and huaraches.
Needless to say, I feel like crap. Really, really, feel like crap. And I'm ready to start ETL all over again.
Sort of. I have this problem now: I have a fridge full of leftovers of these meals, and they taunt me. They taunt me! I can't bear throwing out perfectly good food, and so there they sit, everytime I open the fridge to get lettuce to make a salad. Clearly, I can't bring this stuff home: I need to figure out how to shut up the voice in my head that is all, "VJ, you paid good money for this, and you only ate a third or half of it. Aren't you going to take it home?"
And it's that sort of issue that makes me wonder if I do need to make a break with meat and dairy fulltime. And french bread from the bakery.
For the past couple weeks, I've been completely obsessed with gardening, as in, I want to plant a vegetable garden. I've also been obsessed with the easiest way to build a raised bed garden. I mean, how cool would it be to just go out to the backyard to get the salad greens rather than going to the overpriced health food store down the street.
It just seems like there isn't enough time. I just want more time. I want to be able to do PFit, and garden. Do I ask too much?
permalink April 9, 2007 | Comments (0)
April 4, 2007
breaking the vegan pattern
Well, my 6 week detox is over. I had the blood work done this morning, and I'll give you all the results once I get them in the mail.
Like an idiot this morning, I decided to push the envelope. I stopped at Burgerville (local hamburger chain) and got one of their toaster biscuits and hash browns. One bite of the untoasted bread on the toaster biscuit got the bread evicted. The sausage and egg were greasy and salty. The hash browns, somehow, less so.
I felt the effects immediately. I felt my stomach clutch, like I might throw up. I broke out in a cold sweat.
It took about 45 minutes for those symptoms to pass, and what did I do at lunch, I pushed it again. I got some yummy soup, and two of the nofish sandwiches, along with a salad. For a solid hour, all I could think about was the food moving through my system, and how crappy my system feels.
As it is, I'm going out for pizza tonight. Going out for lunch on Friday, and for dinner. Part of me hopes that I will continue to feel crappy, so that I will get right back on the good foot.
permalink April 4, 2007 | Comments (6)
March 28, 2007
day 37
It's another good day. Right now it's sunny outside, which is just so lovely.
This morning, I gave in to the couch and overslept, so I was in a big panic getting ready to work. I ate my salad, check. Showered, check. Made a smoothie.
In the last couple days, I've really been experimenting with the smoothie. Yesterday, I made one with spinach, broccoli slaw, lemon, pomegranate juice and strawberries -- nice and not too sweet. Today's was broccoli slaw, lime, pomegranate juice and strawberries. It was thick and really tasty.
So I finally propel myself out the door. Put the smoothie in my bicycle cupholder, put my purse in the pannier, hitch up my skirt and hit the road. Everything was great until I got down by the river, crossing the light rail tracks.
As I'm crossing the tracks, everything slowed down. In slow motion, I saw the plastic cup that held the smoothie rise in the air, and then somersault, throwing all the contents onto my front wheel. Mmmm, smoothieeee!
I was in such a good mood that I couldn't even be upset. I know I should have a lid on it, I know the cupholder is just not reliable, I knew these things going in. So once I got in the park, I stopped and filled the cup with water, and rinsed off the bike. My evening will be spent getting all those little strawberry and flax seeds off of the bike.
There have been other changes, other than weight loss and an extreme change in the way I eat. I notice that my skin is changing color! I was really pale, like grey-blue pale, but now my face looks almost rosey. I notice that I don't seem to be bruising as easily as I did; I used to bruise if you'd look at me. I haven't gotten a bruise in weeks.
My face continues to change. Definition is coming out: cheekbones, temples, and suddenly, my chin is no longer part of a larger double chin. Not that the double chin is gone, it's not, but the chin is a free standing entity.
No one at work has said anything, but I'm not terribly surprised about that. I see it, that's plenty.
I can't wait to see how my blood work has improved!!
permalink March 28, 2007 | Comments (1)
March 19, 2007
Day 28
I think I've turned the corner!
This morning, I walked to work in the mist. It was lovely, and it made me ask myself why I don't do this every day. Probably the fact that it takes 50 minutes. But the walk was energizing, and I felt light like a feather.
I'm having a skinny day today. My facial structure continues to reveal itself: now I can see the indention at my temples, in addition to cheekbones, and my jowls becoming distinctly unjowl-like.
I brought a can of soup but then I decided to go down to the No Fish, Go Fish stand and get some of theirs. Good idea. They had two vegan soups today: a split-pea with roasted cumin that was incredible, and Mexican bean, which was in itself pretty damn good. Then I stopped at the scary salad bar place and picked up some salad, doused it in some balsalmic vinegar, and headed back to the office.
I started to eat my lunch, and my gosh, I enjoyed it. It was so good. Even the salad, which didn't really have enough balsalmic, but it all tasted so good. It didn't feel like this obligation to feed myself: it was a joyful break in my day. Whoa!
I made an Indian-spiced lentil soup (from Vegan Planet) on Saturday that also bowled me away—it was not the lentil soup I've been dreaming about but it was really good, and the two of us knocked it out by Sunday evening.
permalink March 19, 2007 | Comments (2)
March 16, 2007
day 25
Yo, hello!
It's me, the one who's momentarily obsessed with veganism. I'm down another 5 lbs. I'm very happy about this, I feel great, and I want to make some permanent changes in my life.
I still think longingly about meat and cheese and eggs. Even as I have decided that I am not going to be buying grocery store eggs ever again, because even the "humane" poultry farms treat their hens badly. For whatever reason, I consciously know this -- and yet I look forward to fried chicken at the end of the six weeks (which will be April 3. I go to the doc for the bloodwork on April 4. Today is day 25.
Anyways, I want to say that I'm happy with the way that I'm eating but by and large, I'm just eating. Salads grow in okayness, and sometimes even goodness. I still haven't found a soup that makes me go yum. But thank the gods for smoothies. Now those are good, and I don't just mean vegan-can't-eat-nothing good.
But still. A new Japanese noodle shop (hmmm. That suggests that there are other Japanese noodle shops, which would in fact be incorrect) just opened and the menu looks great. They even offer a handful of vegetarian and vegan options. My food group is frothing about it. Hell, I'm frothing about it. But I can't go [until April 5, when I will be there with bells on].
So I've been looking for moral support on giving up meat and dairy. Like, some sort of magic wand. I read the Pleasure Trap in the space of two days. It wasn't a lot of help. So now I'm reading Neal Barnard's Breaking the Food Seduction and hoping the good (vegan) doc will have some tips for the likes of me other than "if you eat healthy for awhile, suddenly meat and dairy won't taste good". I mean, that is a nice thought, isn't it?
Exercise wise, I'm hanging in there. I got some bicycling in yesterday, and some walking yesterday and today. I can tell I'm getting close to the right amount of exercise because I'm sleeping really good.
permalink March 16, 2007 | Comments (3)
March 12, 2007
day 21
I just got back from 40 minutes of weightlifting at the gym. Now I'm all flushed and sweaty and my hair is all verklempt, but I feel a bit better at least.
For the last couple of weeks, my sweetie has been really pretty sick with a flu bug. He's finally getting better—finally!—and it appears I've caught, albeit, a very mild version.
Still, it's enough to wind me after climbing a flight of stairs, so aerobic exercise is not an option.
It felt very good to lift today. I really got this feeling, and have had this feeling lately, that I'm reshaping my body. It's pretty damn exciting.
No real news on the ETL front. It's day 21 of VeganDetox2007, and I'm still doing it. I made pinto beans from scratch the other day, La Malinchista’s Frijoles de la Olla, and they really were luscious. Well, are, as I'm still eating them. Though I really want to salt them. I'm holding back.
I did weigh myself at the gym, and... well, the scale hasn't budged. I've lost 21 pounds, but it appears I've stalled. I blame the outrageously luscious grits I made last week—just grits and water and a pinch of salt, but, well, something happened.
I'm starting to get myself excited about PFit this year. Yes, I'm going back. Yes, I'm quite possibly insane. But I'm really looking forward to training this year. Maybe I just needed the past year and a half off? I don't know, but I know I'm much more excited about it than I have been in a while.
permalink March 12, 2007 | Comments (3)
March 6, 2007
No wonder the cashier was peeved with me...
I just looked at my receipt from the grocery, and I figured that I bought 30 pounds of fruit! 30 pounds!!
Less interestingly, I bought less than 4 lbs of veggies. I'm supposed to be eating 2 pounds a day!
Becky, I'm going to try pinto beans in the crockpot tomorrow. I don't know why I find cooking beans so intimidating, but I do.
Tonight, I actually got dinner together, and lunch for tomorrow. And I've had some sit-around time, and I rode my bike today. All good.
Oh, and the trip to Houston is postponed. That's good, really, but I am a little bummed about not getting a smidge of texmex next week. I really need to make borracho beans -- I wonder if I can veganize them?
permalink March 6, 2007 | Comments (1)
day 15
I hate that this has turned into an ETL blog, but there you go. That's what I'm obsessed with.
So I just weighed myself for the first time since about 5 days before I started ETL, and I'm down 21 pounds. I'm no longer in the 250-300 range. This thrills me, but part of me is really in disbelief. Yes, clothes are a lot looser, but I haven't seen any difference in the mirror. Perhaps, when you're as big as I am, it's just not that noticeable.
I still need to work out the food thing. I'm not doing enough prep to have things ready when they need to be, like soup and a salad for work, like everything together for dinner.
I got home last night and just wanted to sit a bit, and I finally started making dinner around 7. Given that we go to bed around 9, that's way too late. Last night, I thought it would be a good time to stop with the prilosec all together, but I ended up with heartburn and today I feel just sorta crappy. I just hope it's post-heartburn crappy and not, I'm getting the flu crappy.
permalink March 6, 2007
March 2, 2007
day 11
I'm wearing a pair of jeans that are two sizes smaller than usual today to work.
I see this as a very good sign.
permalink March 2, 2007 | Comments (1)
March 1, 2007
day 10
It actually was dry, though grey, overcast and pretty damn cold, this morning, so I rode the bike. It was beautiful. A lovely, pokey ride.
And even though I was consciously going slow, the ride seemed to fly. It's like time collapses. It was sweet.
And, I actually had a bicyclist say good morning to me as he passed me.
The ETL Experience continues. I think I'm following the rules, and then I realize, oh, I'm not. Like the other day, I realized that I had bought a pile of vegan packaged food that all had added salt, and added salt is a no-no. I went through my collection of cans of beans and tomatoes, and I didn't have a single one with no salt added. Some of my soups had as much sodium in one serving as I'm supposed to eat in one day. Yikes.
So that inspired the trip to Whole Paycheck the other day, which, truth be told, was pretty disappointing. They have a couple of types of beans no-salt from their house brand, and one type of tomatoes (imported, natch).
Then last night, I cooked my dinner which I thought was going to be excellent: (salt-free) tomatoes, tofu, and (50% low-sodium) white northern beans with a little basil and red pepper flakes. Oh, I couldn't wait to eat it. And then I sat down with a bowl of it, and ugh. I ate it, because I'm trying not to be such a primadonna about these things. It's just food, vj, don't have a fit.
One of the things that I used to love when I was single was noodles with plain tomatoes, straight out of the can. But I realize now that they may well have had salt & sugar added. Oh well.
I start to freak out about this stuff, and then I think, it's not that big of a deal. I'll get there when I get there. The whole idea of making this huge abrupt change is crazy... really, you need to transition into these things if you want people to stick around. At least, people like me. I've had an entire lifetime eating salt and sugar and while the crash course idea is great, I just don't know how practical it is.
I want to make changes that are going to improve my health longterm. And I am already seeing positive changes. I've already halved my heartburn meds. I feel great.
All of this will be tested week after next in Houston. I'm planning to load up on fruit, and try to eat a couple pieces for or before each meal. In the past, Houston has been a tex-mex binge, and I will go off plan — but I'm trying not to have it be a train wreck.
Anyone have suggestions for healthy food/salad bars in Houston?
permalink March 1, 2007 | Comments (2)
February 28, 2007
day 9
I don't know what got into me, but I've finally lost my funk. Maybe it was having an excellent, massive salad at Whole Foods? I wish it were closer by; it's a hike to get there. It's just under a mile there, and a mile back, which doesn't leave a lot of time to actually eat said salad. And I'm still a slow salad eater.
That, and my big beautiful salad yesterday was $9 something. Ouch!
Otherwise, I just keep on keeping on. It's been cold and rainy the last couple days so I've been trying to make up for it by wandering around my office. Or wandering to Whole Paycheck in the pouring rain.
permalink February 28, 2007 | Comments (1)
February 26, 2007
still here
... though nothing terribly interesting is going on. I am still kinda sad and I ate erratically this weekend -- meaning, I mostly didn't eat. Which I don't think helped matters.
We went out to Sweet Tomatoes the other night, this corporate chain salad bar place. It ended up being kinda miserable for me watching my sweetie eat the salad that I loved. Of course, after we talked about it, I realized that that salad was mediocre, it's always mediocre, much like the salad and fruit that I had.
But. I found a salad dressing which is ETL legal and actually makes lettuce more edible, and so I am sharing the wealth.
Cashew Butter Dressing
4 - 8 cloves garlic, dryroasted
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cashew butterTake everything, throw it in the blender. It makes 4 servings.
I've been hanging out in the ETL forums, hoping to get really amped up. It's not really happening. But I've been finding some interesting recipes which might be options to feed myself and my guy.
And I'm riding the bike. The bright spot! And eating lots of fruit.
permalink February 26, 2007 | Comments (1)
February 23, 2007
day 4
I'm kinda weepy today. I think part of it is PMS, but there's some other stuff going on as well.
For the first time since I gave up coffee, I am feeling a bit sluggish. I think it's mostly mood inspired.
Otherwise, I've felt really good since I've been eating vegan. I don't mind salads as long as I have some salsa to put on them, and of the three vegan dinners this week, two were really good.
Last night, my sweetie made me a soup with carrot juice, beans and a can of bean soup. It ended up being way too rich for me. It's sorta startling to say that, as I am one of those people whose doesn't know when to say when. Nothing was too rich.
I ate some celery today to see if I still hate it. I think it's moved into the dislike category, rather than hate.
I'd be fine alternating the two dinner meals but I know that isn't going to fly with my sweetheart. He's totally been supportive, so I don't want to see how I can test him, you know?
By and large, I'm not having cravings. I am missing going out to eat so so much, but I'm not craving cheese, and I would have thought that I might. Though the thought of some Bearnaise sauce with frites and a nice steak does sound really good. (Maybe watching Nigella Bites this morning was a bad idea?)
...
I've tried something new the last couple of days: cycling in the clothes I plan to wear to work. Sometimes I get freaked out about getting too sweaty, and needing to shower, etc. The last couple days, I decided I would ride leisurely, and I've gotten to work in almost as little time, and I've felt okay about the whole thing. Last night I decided I would be leisurely on the way home as well, and it definitely did take longer, but I didn't feel quite as exhausted as usual post-ride-home. And a good thing too.
permalink February 23, 2007 | Comments (0)
February 21, 2007
day 2
I could have made this easier on myself, I realize. Not only am I changing the way I eat, but I'm also changing where I eat.
We have had a bad habit. We eat out all the time. I know, everyone says that. For us, the exception is cooking, and that frequently involves a bake-at-home pizza. So, maybe 2 or 3 meals a week are eaten at home.
So I'm going from that extreme, to an extreme where it would be very very difficult for me to eat out, well, ever beyond going to a salad bar place. (Though I'm hoping that one of the two[!] vegan soups that No Fish! Go Fish! will be great). Sheesh!
I'm doing okay. Gritty lettuce, however, is getting me down.
+++
So I got my bloodwork results back. It's scary.
Let me start by saying that I've always had stunning bloodwork. My cholesterol has always been really really good. Blood sugar too.
Blood Sugar - prediabetic
Metabolic Screen - normal
Thyroid - normal
Total Cholesterol - borderline
Triglycerides - normal
HDL (good cholesterol) - desireable
LDL (bad cholesterol) - borderline
So this brings right home why I need to be doing this.
permalink February 21, 2007 | Comments (2)
