Cliche to live by...

Good morning everybody.  Today is starting out pretty good, my body and mind feel a little more settled than usual. 

Right now I feel a particular affinity for the credo "Food is medicine".  Or is it "Food AS medicine"?  In either case, I'm taking baby steps in that direction.  And it feels pretty good.  Is it a simple matter of my (finally!) choosing to take some kind of control?  I dunno.  Was I ever really out of control in the first place?  Maybe not.  But I was getting there, that's a fact.

But really; Food is Medicine.  I'm attempting to baby-step away from my raging sugar addiction;  This morning I made a breakfast smoothie, and it's aaaaalmost too sweet: vanilla almond milk, banana, blueberries, 1 tsp psyllium husk, 3 Tbsp hemp powder (9 g plant protein), vanilla bean (not extract) and 2 fresh dates.  All natural, very sweet and very filling. 

Spent about an hour and half at my favorite health food store yesterday, spent waaaayyyy too much money (not hard to do) and will be taking this afternoon to prep for my work-week meals.  Meals that include tofu, tempeh, rice noodles, lentils and all things foo-foo.  I'm feeling optimistic, can you tell?

More later, with pix of all things foo-foo. 

Grabbed this pic from the archives, but it represents
 exactly how I plan to eat this following week.  Wish me luck!!

Way out'ta whack.

Hi folks.  I'm back.  And I have a statement to make.  It seems I'm officially ~ahem~ middle aged.  How so?  Hot flashes.  Crazy, mind numbingly frustrating hot flashes.  Hot flashes and night sweats.  Hot flashes, night sweats and stupid mood swings, oh my.  How many years of this will I have to endure?  ~sigh~  Actually, the question should be how many years of this will my friends and family have to endure?  Eh... I was right the first time.  It's all about me, after all.  Uh HUH!  Is too!!!

I went on a fantastic hike last week.  We were out for 7 days, covered 70 miles.  I spent that week hiking 10 miles a day with 30'ish pounds on my back, eating high-carb, high-sugar, high-salt trail food.  Up at dawn, in my tent at sunset... sometimes sooner.  My theory is this very fun but very nutritionally imbalanced week gave my system a strong kick into the world of menopause.  Peri-menopause.  Whatever.  Psh.

Upon our return from the trail, I indulged in a plate or three of Chinese takeout.  And every evening has seen ice cream.  And my days include very sweet, high-octane tea, and cocoa w/ hazelnut creamer, bread and butter, toast and butter, crackers and butter... 

I really need to get a grip.  I've been saying that all week/month/year, but I believe I turned a subtle corner today and am making my way back to relative healthy choices.  I know; just words.  The proof is in the ... damn it ... pudding.  I like pudding.

I started a rough food journal today, more so to try to correlate certain foods with my hot flashes.  I'll keep you posted.  But really, it seems like it's not simply a matter of weight anymore.  My shape is changing, beyond what the extra poundage accounts for.  I'm losing my waist.  I'm becoming less of a pear and more of an apple.  Well, not an apple, more like a linebacker.

My plan, starting tomorrow, is to resume my quest towards whole foods, vegetarianism, and ultimately veganism.  Wish me luck.

Now where's that ice cream?

Trail lunch: crackers, cheese, Nutella and a Clif bar.

Trail breakfast: instant flavored oatmeal, cocoa.

Oh, and a very special thank you to my friend at work who turned me on to cups of double cocoa with shots of hazelnut creamer.   You are an evil genius.  Damn you.  ;-)

 

 



Happy muscles...

...maybe "happy" isn't the right word, they're actually complaining a little bit.  Whyyyyyyy?  Because they were forced into action last night.  Using weights and everything!  How heavy, you ask?  Embarrassingly light, says I.  They say after a certain age one loses muscle mass at a rate of 10% per year.  I think that's a conservative estimate.  I know it is.  It has to be. I'd hate to think I'm some kind of freakish exception to that rule.  In any case, my muscles complain and my mood soars.  Now we'll see if I can continue this trend for more than one day in a row. 

Food/meals planned for the day (in no particular order)...

1.5 c vanilla almond milk and a scoop of Vega chocolate meal replacement stuff.
1 (thick) slice whole grain bread with fake butter (about a Tablespoon)
2 small apples
1 cup fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
1 banana
Large salad minus the lettuce: apple, carrot, cuke, onion, red pepper, 1 oz aged goat cheese, 1 Tbsp Good Seasons Italian dressing.
1 cup red rose tea w/ 1 Tbsp raw sugar and splash soy creamer
2 Lara bars for when the dreaded sweet tooth hits; lemon pound cake and chocolate chip cookie dough.
Dinner: TBD...
 

Arch nemesis... or best friend..?



Pretty yummy... for pre-fab stuff.  Having chocolate in it helps enormously.  Of course.

Monthly nonsense...

This once-a-month blogging silliness must stop!!  Is nothing happening?  Noooooo.  Am I still working on my WW'esque goals?  Yeeeessssss.  Have I forgotten how to type?  Uhm ... maybe ... yes..? 
Well, without apology or excuses, I'm here now.  Without a whole hell of alot to say.

Our WW at work program has not been renewed for another round.  Not enough interest.  It's a tough sell and I don't envy the gal* who goes above-and-beyond rallying the troops every three months to (re)join up.  (* I write "gal" only to respect her privacy.  The term in no way conveys the truly heroic efforts she's been putting out over the years to keep this program available for the rest of us.  Thank you, "gal".)

So what HAS been happening this past month with my health and wellness efforts?  Can anybody say "Yoyo"?  Ugh.  I lost 8 lbs and promptly gained it right back.  My exercise efforts are of the "weekend warrior" type and although I'm not injuring myself, I'm not really doing much good for myself for the long-term either.  And I'm coming to terms with the fact that I really am a sugar junkie.  ~sigh~   There must be some kind of support group for... oh ... there is.  It's called Weight Watchers.  Damnit.

I have 3 weeks before this year's hike and I'm in need of going to my favorite outfitter (REI) to buy a pair of hiking pants... one size LARGER... which is TWO sizes larger than when I last hiked.  Grump grump grump.

It occurred to me just this morning that maybe if I put in the effort to blog just a few minutes every day, reporting on what I eat without too much fanfare, I'll be helping myself stay accountable, which can only help, right?  Actually, YOU'LL be helping me stay accountable... oh you know what I'm getting at.

I haven't weighed myself in a couple weeks but I know... it ain't perty.  I'll step on the scale before my hike, but until then I'll just report on what I shove down my gullet and how tight my clothes are.  You know... the clothes I swore on my life never, never, ever, ever, not-in-a-million-years to ever outgrow again.

Yeah, I'm beating myself up a little bit.  Being Monday doesn't help.

And on that note, my tally for the day.  ~oh, and how tight are my clothes?  Uncomfortably so.  ~snork~

• Red Rose tea w/ 1 T raw sugar and a splash of soy creamer
• 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (vanilla flavored)
• 1 banana
• 1 apple
• 2 slices whole grain bread (nope, no butter)
• 1 large salad: ~3 cups lettuce, cuke, carrot, onion, apple, corn, 2 T ginger dressing, 1 oz aged goat cheese, 1/2 cup crispy rice noodles. (And as is par for the course, after a very healthy and satisfying meal, I'm craving dessert.  Something sweet.  Crazy sweet.  Sugar.  Sugar, sugar, gimme sugar.)
• 1 Family size package of Pixie Stix.  No, of course not.  I'm just being a wise-@ss.  Do they even make those anymore??



Pixie Sticks... 'cuz kids can't afford Crack.

• 1 Lara bar.  Sweet but naturally so.  May need to follow up with a cup of sweet tea...
• 1 double cup of cocoa with hazelnut creamer.  What's "double cup"?  Two packets of instant cocoa in one cup.
• 1 veggie burger on lite toast w/ sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers, extra light cheese ("extra" as in extra light, not extra cheese), pickle and a fistful of blue corn chips.  A pretty yummy dinner, actually.
• 1 cup red rose tea, 1 T raw sugar and a splash of soy creamer.
• 1 donut.  See?  Sugar.  I'm helpless.

I did exercise tonight... 1 of the 12 P90X DVDs.  Holy crap I can't believe how out of shape I am.  My plan tomorrow, cardio (maybe a lunchtime run) and then some core work in the evening.  Not sure what that means yet but I'm gon'na wake up this six-pack, oh yeah, baby!

Retox...

Well, my three day juice fast/fest/feast lasted 1.5 days.
 
The good things that came from it:

• A renewed awareness of my severe caffeine addiction.
• Breaking my caffeine addiction.
• Losing 3 lbs of ... junk (I assume).
• Knowing I put in a good, solid effort.

The not so good things that came from it:

• A raging caffeine withdrawal headache.
• Juicer cleanup duty.
• Fielding loved-ones' concerns ("...do you know what you're doing?")

My intention, once I knew I wouldn't make my 3 day goal, was to stick with primarily raw produce (salads) and simple soups (miso, lentel) for the remaining day and a half, but I was woefully unsuccessful today.

Lunch:

• Falafal pita, hummus w/ flatbread.

"Well..." I reasoned to myself, "...at least I've been making vegetarian choices."

And then there was dinner:

• Large salad (lettuce, onion, carrots, red peppers, green grapes)
• Ginger dressing.
• Chicken.  Lots of chicken.  With skin.  Yummy, rotisserie-crispy-almost-tastes-like-bacon skin. 

Now here I sit, trying to sate my dessert tooth with a cup of decaf Earl Gray tea sweetened with raw demerara sugar.  There's no chocolate in the house (thank goodness) but there IS ice cream.  And donuts.  Yup.  And lemon pound cake.  ~shiver with delight~  And my mint/chocolate Clif Bars.

I'm happy to report that I'm still decaffeinated, but other than that, I'm fully retoxed. 
Deliciously, belly-stretchingly retoxed.

I'm making light of this short experience but truthfully, the headache I endured was pretty nasty.  I believe it was from caffeine withdrawal, but also from artificial sweetener which I had been using exclusively in my tea for a couple months.  And I've been drinking diet soda. Not a lot, but enough.  And I don't think I use too much salt, but I haven't really been paying attention so I might be wrong about that. 

I'm making an effort, starting right now, thanks to my 1.5 day juice fast/fest/feast, to return to mindfulness.  To think about what I choose to eat, not only when I choose it but also while I'm eating it.  To think about the time I allow for myself and what I do with it.  Zombie out in front of the tube, or Ohmmm out in my Sanctuary room.  And to appreciate.  To just be... grateful.

A whole month, is it possible?

...Of COURSE it's possible, this is me we're talkin' about.
What brings me back to the keyboard? You'll never guess, not in a million years.  Really, wan'na try?
What's that?  I hit my weight goal?  I wish, but no.
I hit the lottery?  Oh boy, do I ever wish, but no.
I decided that waffles and bananas would never cross these lips again?  HA!  What universe are YOU living in?!!!!
No, what I find so incredibly interesting that I HAVE to share with you is ... THIS:



Eggs, eggs, as far as the eye can see!
 Chicken eggs.  Turkey eggs.  Quail eggs.   Pheasant eggs...

...wait... what..?  An Ostrich egg???

...Is that still only 2 WW points??!

Insane, right?  If that's not worth blogging about, I might as well retire my pen, ~er~ keyboard and pick up knitting.

A whole month, boys and girls.  I wish I had a month's worth of interesting shtuffs to share, but I don't.  So I'll just blab for a little while.  If you get bored, don't hesitate to log off, or Google "Eggs of the North East" or somethin'.

I'm plugging along with Weight Watchers, a slow and steady tortoise.  A happy tortoise: 8 lbs in 8 weeks.  Clothes are starting fit again and I'm hitting that point where I'm reminded of something our former WW leader said; "We lose weight to look good in our clothes.  We exercise to look good without them."  ~sigh~  Time to dust off my sneakers.  Again.  ~groan~

I'm being a little bit of wise-@ss about the exercise because I have been "training" for my backpack adventure, slated for September.  Eight glorious days on the Appalachian Trail.  70'ish miles.  Unplugged and experiencing the world at 2 miles per hour.  I can't wait.  Truly.  I've been strapping on my pack with about 20'ish pounds in it and I hook into the section of The Trail that cuts through the northwest corner of the state.  For a few, short hours I might as well be a thousand miles deep in the wilderness, and not just a mile or two off Rt. 7.

Today is day 1 of a 3 day juice fast.  My BFF and I are doing the one day "together" (we'll be comparing notes tomorrow). I don't know if I'm going to make it the whole three days though.  I'm struggling through a caffeine withdrawal headache, which will be gone by tomorrow morning, but still: ouch.  I'm juicing my own fruits and veggies instead of buying it off the shelves.  A lot of work, a lot of cleanup... hopefully my body will reap a lot of benefit.  I'll keep you posted. 

I have begun repopulating Joe's tank.  Last week I bought 5 zebra danios ("Sale!  5 for $5!"). I had one fall-out, leaving 4.  Well, you can do the math.  Then today I bought 3 more of those plus 5 leopard danios. I jumped on the "spots & stripes" theme the minute it dawned on me.  My next purchase will be some kind of algae-eating something or other.  I'll research my spots/stripes options in that regard.  These little guys are very, very zippy and really fun to watch.

Man, I'm hungry.  I sure would like a veggie burger...

Or maybe a real burger like the one I had on the 4th.  With lots of cheese.  And bacon.  Oh mannnnnnnnn.

So even though I've been WW'ing and losing a slow but steady pound per week, I have not been making the wisest choices nutritionally (note aforementioned bacon cheeeeeeseburger).  I'm hoping this juice fast will launch me back onto the path I always stray from every time a sexy cheeseburger comes my way.

And now just some random food pix:

A breakfast of 1 fried egg w/ leftover roasted sweet potato, asparagus
and rye toast w/ "butter".  Yummmm

Grilled chopper, steamed Brussels and an ear of corn.  Again: yum!

Hello, old friend.  :-)

I can easily (and have been) eating half a watermelon per day.
I love melon season.

More soon.  How soon?  Definitely before another freakin' month screams by, egads.

Milestone!

Well, I played a little loose with my points a couple days, but for the most part I stayed on track and was rewarded with a 1.2 lb loss for the week.  So it took four weeks to lose five pounds but here I am, five pounds lighter!  Woo Hoo!!

On a sadder note, my handsome little fish Joe is now proudfully, gracefully adorning that great aquarium in the sky.  I believe he just got old.  There's no way of knowing how old he was when I brought him home, but he sure was beautiful to the end. He just sort of slowed down and lost interest... tsk.  My Joe. I'll miss you.

On another not-sad-but-huge note, my now little family of three will be a little family of four in a couple days.  Hubby's Mom is moving in with us.  What does this mean?  LOTS of things!!  What does this mean to my WW efforts?  LOTSs of things!!!  With Mom comes donuts, white bread, pasta, pastries, pies and cookies.  Put 'em all together and what does it spell?  LOVE!!  Delicious, highly processed, mega-points love. :-)  Seriously (for just a sentence or two), it will be challenging of course.  My morning sweet tooth will have more than yogurt & fruit, or waffles & fruit to choose from.  Just the thought of it is making me crave late night bowls of Cap'n Crunch and plates of buttery cinnamon & sugar toast.  Oh yeah, baby!

My exercise is intermittent at best, although for the past couple weekends I've been hittin' the woods and puttin' a few miles under my feet.  It feels really great.  And I'm starting to put together my food plan for this year's week-long hike in September.  My intention is to keep it as simple as possible.  Boringly simple.  Food as fuel only.  But whenever I sit down at my Excel spreadsheet, I manage to add "just one more" bit of comfort'y trail food.  Hey... trail food is all about calories (for the most part), maybe the donuts, white bread, pasta, pastries, pies and cookies will be just the trick!

My food journal capturing the evening's chaotic food choices.

Veggie burger on light toast with sautéed onions & 'shrooms, sliced
pickles (underneath, can't see 'em but yum) and one oz of killer delicious jalapeno kettle chips...

Yeah... THESE chips. 

 

Trail food!!!

My Joe.  oxox