Jenn

Sometimes I feel like my body is changing but my mind is not. I am so pleased with where I am with food. We are having the best relationship. Food is not my happy pill. It is my energy and it is my health. I enjoy treats and good food like any other, but it is not my addiction or turn-to-pal when life bites. My ducks are a little out of line in that I am worrying about personal stuff. I want to feel complete and do good things in this world. People say I do, but I want to fulfill my personal passions and be who I am supposed to be. Anyways, yes I am having success with my physical goals, but the struggles are there for me, like I am sure for all. I know I have to change somethings. I know I have to just do it. I KNOW… I just need to relax! Today Oscar and I are going to Bellydance and do some form of cardio. Food is good and similar to what I have been doing. No denying myself. I have what I want. Last night I cooked David salmon and I had my meal like his just without the fish. I did not feel like I was lacking at all. I know though if I want I am just going to have a reasonable amount. Though I have been having nightmarish thoughts about medium rare steaks! Grief. *half joking*

I am glad I got to catch up with my buddies here. I wish everyone a happy and healthy weekend filled with adventure and a few moments of serenity if you can find them. I personally am going to work at being at peace with myself.

I weigh in Sunday. *shivers of excitement* lol

So last night I was feeling a little like I was lacking in the electrolyte department which has happened before. So I ate some steamed veggies after work with a good sprinkle of sea salt and olive oil. I also made myself a sparkling mineral water with lemon and lime. I woke up this AM feeling great ! I made sure to have a whole banana though. This happens to me when I do the low processed thing. Plus I have been working out and it is warm here. All is well now. I am happy because today I actually get to cook instead of just throwing things together quickly.

So I have a confession. Yesterday was a bit stressful and when I was told in a nasty way that I should add color to my waredrobe, I felt awful. Some will understand why this is harder for me then it should be. I felt crushed. What I did, was I did not eat, I went to the scale that was around and got my validation. Wow!!! That is a guess. I have no idea, just a first thought. I do not care and do not feel bad about the scale, but it was a real eye opener. I new I was doing well because I felt good and the clothes are more loose, but I just did it anyway. Dealing and moving on……

I checked out the flowers and herbs this AM and they are wonderful. I love just sitting out there drinking my tea and taking it all in. Oscar loves it too. We stay out until he gets into too much trouble like chewing on plants.

Food: carrot juice, cherries, sprouted whole grain bread (from the grocery store), almond butter, banana, unsweetened soy milk, pumpkin seeds, grapefruit, homemade Veg. soup (leftover tofu, beans, rice and veg./tomato based), large salad with Dijon dressing (good one Kathy!), flaxseeds, Blueberry Lemon Amaranth/Spelt muffin, plain yogurt, raspberries, veggie stirfry, spicy multigrain spaghetti, Sesame sauce (Compliments), hemp seeds, dessert ??? - dark chocolate -yum

Activity: Hard Body Yoga AND I SHOPPED….hehe  For clothes. 

Have a fabulous day everyone.

P.S.: Tomorrow I check out my buddies and how you are all doing. I figured out the subscription thing. Do not click on the “x” which I did- it erases the subscription. This seems so obvious now. Oops !

I am just trying to get everything balanced, but I am realizing it is not as important to record every single thing as it is to make every meal/snack/workout/or walk “count” - or in other words, make it enjoyable and healthy. And if it is a treat, enjoy and have it occasionally. (HA! I have not had too much stress lately though. I can do it! I can handle anything, I tell myself ) I love just looking and knowing what a portion is too. WW taught me this. I thought I knew what a portion was but nothing was changing. Then I learned and started to see results. I am grateful to be relaxed with food again. I received an email from a buddy about how she got sick when she returned to meat. I do not know what will happen with me, but time will certainly tell. All I know is I am living in the moment and not worrying like I have in the past.

I came to a realization also about how much better this diet is for my body systems. Close your eyes and skip down if you like but this is so important for me to share. I am not a “regular” girl. I struggle with getting enough fiber in my diet. It looks like I am getting plenty and I drink a lot of water, but still I may “go” like 1-2 times a week. The body needs to be “cleansed” more then that. What I read many years ago and ignored was that some people have trouble digesting meat. It does take longer to digest meat then it does for grains, fruits and veggies. This is just fact. But many do not have trouble with their bowels. Moi, PROBLEMS ! I am sure it was an accumulation of things for sure though (too much bread and cow’s milk for me!). Though for me when I think about it, it is the meat. I consume the other foods only occasionally but with no problems. Anyways things are moving perfectly since this new diet. I am so happy!

So today I ate/and will eat: plain fat free yogurt, soymilk, Organic Muesli Flakes with Five Grains, sparkling mineral water w/ juice of real lemon and lime, banana, cranberries, black bean and vegetable soup, coconut curry tofu, brown rice, peas, sprouts, veggies, sesame seeds, pecans, Multigrain Corn Thins (like rice cakes) w/ salsa, dark chocolate (Lindt-70%), protein powder, large Sweet Basil leaves w/ Classico Tomato Basil sauce, Chlorella, steamed veggies w/ olive oil, lemon, fresh lemon thyme and rosemary, mandarin orange. I will write more if I have more…..

I purchased a good mulitvitamin too, so now I am set. I have tons of old vegetarian cook books so when I have time to create I can. I do however kind of like the simple foods.

Activity: elliptical, pilates and walking

I wish everyone a happy and healthy day.

Well I made David hide the scale and that is a good thing. I had the thought to get on it so good riddance to the thing! YAH! The pants that I received as a Christmas present over 2 years ago now fit pretty comfortably. When I am at goal they will be amazing I think. They are the prettiest lounge pants ever and they are not stretchy, black, brown or grey….hehe They are satin and cream with a funky subtle pattern. And for me, pretty clothes is a new concept. I desire to be the Former Ms Frump.

Adhering to portions, this is what I ate today - Avocado, blueberries, soymilk, protein powder (pea/soy/rice), almonds, quinoa, prunes, homemade Mocha protein shake, coconut curry tofu w/ Thai basil (YUM), flaxseeds, brown rice, peas, cottage cheese, cherries, brown rice cake, almond butter, V8, spinach, kale, sprouts, a variety of veggies (all the colors of the rainbow… hehe), dark chocolate! I am picking up a better multivitamin on the way to work, one that has iron. I like eating like this. I love fish and meat when I want it, but do not want to eat it just because it seems like the thing to do everyday. I feel so great right now.

I realized something… I have stopped thinking about calories and points… omg! I am listening to my hunger and feeding it with good food just to the point of feeling satisfied… I feel so free ! At certain times I still have that slight hunger feeling, but I am making sure to drink my water first, then eat if I am still hungry. I still can not believe that I am not developing hives over not knowing my numbers. JOY!

I did 50 minutes of light weights with many reps and I walked 45 minutes.

 [I am a little sad to have lost so many blogs in the change over.  Oh I could go back and place them again, but the ones I blogged officially were updated and not exactly my Word documents, so what ever.  That is the past.  C’est la vie!  Some were not affected so I left them. ]

There was some important information I added to my previous blog. When considering a vegetarian diet it is important to get the vitamins and minerals somewhere when the normal sources are no longer being eaten. Of course !!!

If anyone is a vegetarian and doing it right, please feel free to make suggestions. Today was a hectic day, but I did the best I could. It is pretty good because I have fairly good foods to grab. But I welcome helpful suggestions.

Monday:

Breakfast: 1 t. Chlorella (2 grams of protein) and water

½ c. oatmeal (5 grams of protein)

1 c. soymilk (8 grams of protein)

5 pecan halves (.7 grams of protein)

Vitamins

Snack: Pumpkin Seed Crunch snacks (9 grams)

Apple

Lunch: Large veggie salad w/ ½ c. quinoa & ½ c. Edamame beans (12.5 grams), 1 t. olive oil and balsamic vinegar

1/6 c. protein powder- pea/rice/soy (12 grams)

½ c. chocolate mousse w/ Splenda (? grams)

Calcium

Snack: ½ c. strawberries

1/6 c. protein powder (12 grams)

1 can of V8 (3 grams)

Supper: Large whole wheat veggie pita with hummus and cheese and tons of veggies/pineapple (20.7 grams – I was shocked at how much protein, but I did a double check.), Calcium

So, I was all worried about protein. I had a great deal. My total protein for the day came to 84.9 grams !!! The World Health Organization recommends 67 grams as a minimum and the US Recommended Daily Allowance recommends 120 grams as a maximum for my ideal weight. So I feel good. I hope my math is correct. I was too busy to work on the proper combining - My Bad! But I feel good. I am up to a work out tonight after a crazy day so that is something. I have plenty of energy and may have raspberries after. Oh, I had 8 servings of veggies and fruits not counting the potential berries….hehe And also for shits and giggles, I had about 1300 calories. I am aiming for 30 minutes on the elliptical with stretching after. (I only did 20) and I had a nice yogurt and raspberry snack. A good day and I feel I will sleep well. Sweet dreams to all.

P.S.: I know I need iron rich foods. I will work on this. My multivitamin is low in iron on purpose, but I will find some iron along the way. LOL…. I am such a geek, but the first and best thing is admitting it. Anyways, I see I can get enough protein. I think I will change the focus for this week, but I will have to think more about that. I am really shocked to see how much protein one can get on a vegetarian diet. Anyways…. too tired. Must sleep. 11:15 PM is late for me.

SO I got 89.9 grams of protein yesterday.

Tuesday thoughts:

http://www.ivu.org/faq/protein.html ……Well that is just good information from the IVU. Clearly protein is not my concern. I am just going to concern myself with getting the vitamins and minerals I need to feel healthy. It is a great AM. The rain has stopped for what I am sure is just a break. I wish us all a happy and healthy week. Tea Cheers…..

So I woke just wanting to switch things up a bit. I am pretty much a Flexitarian meaning I eat and enjoy a lot of vegetarian food, but do eat small amounts of meat and fish. I had a desire to feel cleaned out this AM and I was thinking a detox, but that does not work out so well sometimes because I can have low blood pressure and even lower then low with added herbs from detoxing. So I decided to eat a more vegetarian type diet for a week. I just wanted a change. My challenge is to get in enough protein to feel healthy and still reduce. I believe I can do it with portions and exercise. So this is my challenge for myself. Each day I will report for myself how I am feeling and how much protein I had from the previous day. I love veggies, fruits, herbs, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and the convenience of my potein powder (pea, rice, soy derived protein). Plus I have also pre-planned some complete protein meals with brown rice and peas. It does not sound so appetizing, but I will spice things up to my liking depending on how I feel each day. I feel confident that I can do well. I am not sure how I will gage this success, but I am putting the scale away. If I feel healthy and am in good spirits and am liking how my clothes fit, then I think it will have been a successful week.

MY FOCUS:

Lacto-vegetarianism

Exercise - variety (light weights 3 days out of 6)

Fruits and Veggies - 8-10 servings

Water and fiber (of course)

Calcium - food and supplements

B12 - from Chlorella (I am not eating meat, organ meats, fortified cereals and I avoid yeast)

Iron - leafy greens (in combination with vitamin C rich foods), tofu, legumes, apricots and prunes

Combining incomplete proteins to make complete proteins

My focus is no longer the scale. I will be weighing in at the beginning of each month. This is scary and yet good for me, just like kale and broccoli…