I need a break :) And so I'm taking one.
The fat girl will be back to castigate carbs and wag the fat, never fear. But first, to clean the bathroom and tackle some over-procrastinated projects before the house falls in on itself.
Oh yeah...I'll be walking. But I'll be umbilically-detached from my computer for a few days, or however long it takes to make some headway!
:)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
I Eat What I Want...
...and I try to listen to my body when it tells me what I need.
I've replaced a lot of "on hand" things with more deliberate choices...but things I like.
Breakfasts now are 1/2 c - 1 c homemade granola with some Caspian Sea Yogurt over all. It's very very filling and keeps me going a long while.
I also have soup handy more often. This weekend's eat-on soup pot was beef (ground beef) with barley and vegetables (a chopped-tomato base). It's been my meal for nearly every meal...warm, filling, wholesome and for some reason with all this rain, I've wanted it.
If we're ever without airconditioning, I might forgo hot soups for three seasons entire, but since Jack has asthma we keep the temps in the mid-70s, despite the sweltering outdoor heatwave. I get plenty of "heat acclimation" on my work nights when there is no ventilation and I'm sitting 8 hours at a time (and walking!)with the indoor temps at 86 F degrees. No one else wants the post...but I really don't mind. Hey, it's my free spa and track, ha! (and I get paid, who can complain??) I beat the heat there with ice...two big quarts of ice and cool water and unsweet tea. I think as fast as I get fluids in, they sweat right out of me.
Anyway, the title of this post is I Eat What I Want. The officer I replace each night at my post is on Jenny Craig and eats pre-fab foods. I've been that route and admire anyone who finds it works for them. But he feels tortured by certain foods that he can't eat, and the list is pretty long.
Let's see if I can keep this Non-Diet working for me. I just can't see not eating what my body wants...maybe not cheesecake and french fries, but if it craves fat, a glass of clean organic whole milk always hits the spot, and if I want salty, one or two green olives or a pinch or two of salted pumpkin seeds sets that craving to rights pretty quickly. Calories and fat grams just can't be the only measures of comparison...I sincerely doubt that the SAME number of calories and fat grams in processed or Drive-Thru foods pack the same nutritional satisfaction level for my body as would the home-made or more natural equivalent, even if the count is the same...the nutrition and quality are not. And are those not what trigger my body to tell me what it wants?
Interestingly, it's been more about fats and sweet lately. I've been eating enough protein, and the carb cravings have abated during my soupy weekend...or maybe because I'm eating the low-sugar granola I make in the mornings. I've been craving very little, but when it happens, it's about fat, such as craving chocolate, avocadoes, or olives. And the sweet gets satisfied with a couple bites of watermelon or some contraband Vernor's ginger ale (about once or twice a week). Even then, it's not about eating...it's about a certain taste or something my body is searching to decipher nutritionally. Mostly, I'm having NO cravings most of the time.
Hooray for the fermented food (CSY) and the whole grain serving (breakfast granola) and all the water I am drinking.
I'll be adding in more fermented foods as I find out how to make them :) Stay tuned...
I've replaced a lot of "on hand" things with more deliberate choices...but things I like.
Breakfasts now are 1/2 c - 1 c homemade granola with some Caspian Sea Yogurt over all. It's very very filling and keeps me going a long while.
I also have soup handy more often. This weekend's eat-on soup pot was beef (ground beef) with barley and vegetables (a chopped-tomato base). It's been my meal for nearly every meal...warm, filling, wholesome and for some reason with all this rain, I've wanted it.
If we're ever without airconditioning, I might forgo hot soups for three seasons entire, but since Jack has asthma we keep the temps in the mid-70s, despite the sweltering outdoor heatwave. I get plenty of "heat acclimation" on my work nights when there is no ventilation and I'm sitting 8 hours at a time (and walking!)with the indoor temps at 86 F degrees. No one else wants the post...but I really don't mind. Hey, it's my free spa and track, ha! (and I get paid, who can complain??) I beat the heat there with ice...two big quarts of ice and cool water and unsweet tea. I think as fast as I get fluids in, they sweat right out of me.
Anyway, the title of this post is I Eat What I Want. The officer I replace each night at my post is on Jenny Craig and eats pre-fab foods. I've been that route and admire anyone who finds it works for them. But he feels tortured by certain foods that he can't eat, and the list is pretty long.
Let's see if I can keep this Non-Diet working for me. I just can't see not eating what my body wants...maybe not cheesecake and french fries, but if it craves fat, a glass of clean organic whole milk always hits the spot, and if I want salty, one or two green olives or a pinch or two of salted pumpkin seeds sets that craving to rights pretty quickly. Calories and fat grams just can't be the only measures of comparison...I sincerely doubt that the SAME number of calories and fat grams in processed or Drive-Thru foods pack the same nutritional satisfaction level for my body as would the home-made or more natural equivalent, even if the count is the same...the nutrition and quality are not. And are those not what trigger my body to tell me what it wants?
Interestingly, it's been more about fats and sweet lately. I've been eating enough protein, and the carb cravings have abated during my soupy weekend...or maybe because I'm eating the low-sugar granola I make in the mornings. I've been craving very little, but when it happens, it's about fat, such as craving chocolate, avocadoes, or olives. And the sweet gets satisfied with a couple bites of watermelon or some contraband Vernor's ginger ale (about once or twice a week). Even then, it's not about eating...it's about a certain taste or something my body is searching to decipher nutritionally. Mostly, I'm having NO cravings most of the time.
Hooray for the fermented food (CSY) and the whole grain serving (breakfast granola) and all the water I am drinking.
I'll be adding in more fermented foods as I find out how to make them :) Stay tuned...
Lost Another Pound, Yay!
Well, gradually it's going down. No speed records, though. But I drank chocolate milk three days in a row, so I'm not asking any questions...just glad the numbers are still going down and not up!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Update
Jack's back has been bad the past few days...not from anything but stress. I think now he's finally rounding the corner, but while it lasted, it slowed him down a lot and gave him a lot of pain.
My body hates working nights and switching back to days on my days off. It can't be helped, so I'm just going to have to "forgive" myself for feeling so lethargic and hung-over on the off days...I just don't have energy rebounds, and my sleep cycle has no idea what's going on. It just has to be that way right now...Jack's needing more job hours and we need me to stay steady with the job I have.
I have a lot of projects I want to attempt, but I'm not even keeping up with the housework (never my favorite, ha) well enough.
We have made a more deliberate effort to continue with the health progress, though. Here are some of the things that are going right:
1. I'm walking 4 days a week, and on the work days(I count them in the walking days) I'm getting 2 1/2 hours minimum of total walking time in per shift...in extreme heat. Not a bad start back walking...
2. We got more Caspian Sea Yogurt. It was so beneficial to us that I had to reorder and get us started back on it. We're now having it for breakfast every morning.
3. I made homemade muesli to go with the CSYogurt. Oats are the bulk of it, with almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seed hearts), honey, and sweetened cranberry "raisins." It's really filling, too, and keeps us going a long time.
4. We tried our first Kombucha. We had to find it at the health food store, in the refrigerated section. To me, it tasted like a light hard cider, and to Jack it tasted like apple wine, except slightly effervescent. We both liked it. I didn't love it as much as I do a good cup of tea, but it would be refreshing on a hot day, and is good for us like a medicine. We can't get it started till our lives are less upside-down, but when we are ready, we'll try doing the continual method of kombucha-making.
5. I have organized our pantry. Now I can see what we have, and it'll help me to make better use of ingredients before shopping for weekly needs.
No more weight lost yet. With the stress around here just now, I'm ok as long as I'm not digressing backwards.
My body hates working nights and switching back to days on my days off. It can't be helped, so I'm just going to have to "forgive" myself for feeling so lethargic and hung-over on the off days...I just don't have energy rebounds, and my sleep cycle has no idea what's going on. It just has to be that way right now...Jack's needing more job hours and we need me to stay steady with the job I have.
I have a lot of projects I want to attempt, but I'm not even keeping up with the housework (never my favorite, ha) well enough.
We have made a more deliberate effort to continue with the health progress, though. Here are some of the things that are going right:
1. I'm walking 4 days a week, and on the work days(I count them in the walking days) I'm getting 2 1/2 hours minimum of total walking time in per shift...in extreme heat. Not a bad start back walking...
2. We got more Caspian Sea Yogurt. It was so beneficial to us that I had to reorder and get us started back on it. We're now having it for breakfast every morning.
3. I made homemade muesli to go with the CSYogurt. Oats are the bulk of it, with almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seed hearts), honey, and sweetened cranberry "raisins." It's really filling, too, and keeps us going a long time.
4. We tried our first Kombucha. We had to find it at the health food store, in the refrigerated section. To me, it tasted like a light hard cider, and to Jack it tasted like apple wine, except slightly effervescent. We both liked it. I didn't love it as much as I do a good cup of tea, but it would be refreshing on a hot day, and is good for us like a medicine. We can't get it started till our lives are less upside-down, but when we are ready, we'll try doing the continual method of kombucha-making.
5. I have organized our pantry. Now I can see what we have, and it'll help me to make better use of ingredients before shopping for weekly needs.
No more weight lost yet. With the stress around here just now, I'm ok as long as I'm not digressing backwards.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Why Do I Crave Carbs?
I'm wondering if discontinuing the real milk (due to price and driving distance for pick-up) has caused my body to want some more fat in my diet? Other than olive oil and some occasional butter or an avocado, we're not eaters of much fat.
I've literally been dreaming of carbs, and I'm wondering if there's an emotional element to this, meaning that I associate it with comforting, homey feelings, or if it's physical and my body's still needing the real milk. Hmmm.
I lose weight faster without it, but my cravings have returned...and I had few cravings at all when drinking the real milk. I'll have to keep an eye on this and see if it figures into the picture.
I was craving homemade macaroni and cheese, which is pretty much a non-item on our table ...ever. I've cut out pasta from our diets without much pain, and I notice that when I eat it (since I have only the processed sort left in the pantry, and there it sits) I feel terrible. So I don't eat it. Jack doesn't care for pasta, though he'll eat rice any day as long as it's a side dish and not the main course. He's the ricey guy and I'm the bread gal. I'm trying to reduce that and make sure it's whole grain bread, but still, I don't think I'm going to lose weight very fast keeping it too handy.
The good thing is that my physical activity is way up, and my strength is coming back. I'm sleeping better, too, which is great! I haven't been very good keeping the stats going on the sidebar, but this blog is at least holding me somewhat accountable and I'm glad to say I'm still on the road.
The sideline has been carbs and some emotional eating triggers. The on track part has been that we're buying only what we need from the supermarket and including nearly all unprocessed foods. The only exception to this seems to be meats...I'm buying a couple of packages of pre-breaded fish cutlets and chicken for those days when supper needs to be fast and uncomplicated. I'm sure with better planning I could come up with a better option, but right now I haven't.
The two things I've allowed myself that my body craved in the past few days were an avocado and fresh cherries. Oh yes, and some green olives.
Rachel's still on board the healthy eating, herself, and has been trying to supplement her usual routine by incorporating some fresh aloe plant, peeled and swallowed down with some sips of liquid. She's wanting to improve her complexion by using aloe as well as drinking water/juice with a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in it.
Jack's on me to start drinking the Apple Cider Vinegar, too. I'm still introducing the Gymnema Sylvestre by taking herbal capsules along with my regular meds in the hopes it'll begin boosting the sugar-burning. What I have noticed is that my sugars don't have the spikes they used to have. I'm only two weeks into using it, and don't want to add anything new for another couple weeks. I'd like to see over the long term if I can back away a bit on the dosage amounts of some of the other meds while still using the natural stuff. I believe in doing a little at a time...I'm too old to be doing the guinea pig bit anymore, at least in a crash way.
Going back to the real milk thing, one thing about it is that once you're used to it, it spoils your taste for the store-bought pasteurized sort. It's like comparing homemade roasted or grilled vegetables to the limp, lifeless tin can sort...especially things like spinach, onions, carrots, potatoes. Now I can't even enjoy the storebought milk as much, which makes me wonder if there isn't something my body is trying to tell me. Maybe I should just stay away from it altogether?
If I were able to access grassfed meats and only organic veg (which i cannot afford at present), I wonder if my body would register "taste" in the same way, once we'd adjusted to the purer product?
Ah, well...we'll do with what we have and get going with the growing it ourselves bit, one thing at a time :)
That's all for now...
I've literally been dreaming of carbs, and I'm wondering if there's an emotional element to this, meaning that I associate it with comforting, homey feelings, or if it's physical and my body's still needing the real milk. Hmmm.
I lose weight faster without it, but my cravings have returned...and I had few cravings at all when drinking the real milk. I'll have to keep an eye on this and see if it figures into the picture.
I was craving homemade macaroni and cheese, which is pretty much a non-item on our table ...ever. I've cut out pasta from our diets without much pain, and I notice that when I eat it (since I have only the processed sort left in the pantry, and there it sits) I feel terrible. So I don't eat it. Jack doesn't care for pasta, though he'll eat rice any day as long as it's a side dish and not the main course. He's the ricey guy and I'm the bread gal. I'm trying to reduce that and make sure it's whole grain bread, but still, I don't think I'm going to lose weight very fast keeping it too handy.
The good thing is that my physical activity is way up, and my strength is coming back. I'm sleeping better, too, which is great! I haven't been very good keeping the stats going on the sidebar, but this blog is at least holding me somewhat accountable and I'm glad to say I'm still on the road.
The sideline has been carbs and some emotional eating triggers. The on track part has been that we're buying only what we need from the supermarket and including nearly all unprocessed foods. The only exception to this seems to be meats...I'm buying a couple of packages of pre-breaded fish cutlets and chicken for those days when supper needs to be fast and uncomplicated. I'm sure with better planning I could come up with a better option, but right now I haven't.
The two things I've allowed myself that my body craved in the past few days were an avocado and fresh cherries. Oh yes, and some green olives.
Rachel's still on board the healthy eating, herself, and has been trying to supplement her usual routine by incorporating some fresh aloe plant, peeled and swallowed down with some sips of liquid. She's wanting to improve her complexion by using aloe as well as drinking water/juice with a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in it.
Jack's on me to start drinking the Apple Cider Vinegar, too. I'm still introducing the Gymnema Sylvestre by taking herbal capsules along with my regular meds in the hopes it'll begin boosting the sugar-burning. What I have noticed is that my sugars don't have the spikes they used to have. I'm only two weeks into using it, and don't want to add anything new for another couple weeks. I'd like to see over the long term if I can back away a bit on the dosage amounts of some of the other meds while still using the natural stuff. I believe in doing a little at a time...I'm too old to be doing the guinea pig bit anymore, at least in a crash way.
Going back to the real milk thing, one thing about it is that once you're used to it, it spoils your taste for the store-bought pasteurized sort. It's like comparing homemade roasted or grilled vegetables to the limp, lifeless tin can sort...especially things like spinach, onions, carrots, potatoes. Now I can't even enjoy the storebought milk as much, which makes me wonder if there isn't something my body is trying to tell me. Maybe I should just stay away from it altogether?
If I were able to access grassfed meats and only organic veg (which i cannot afford at present), I wonder if my body would register "taste" in the same way, once we'd adjusted to the purer product?
Ah, well...we'll do with what we have and get going with the growing it ourselves bit, one thing at a time :)
That's all for now...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Saving Real Food
With the new development of Jack's mom's terminal illness, it highlights for us the importance of caring for our bodies now, while we still can. These years are the ones that contribute to our later health.
I think this is bringing Jack on board the focus on health and weight loss in a much more determined way, especially the necessity of raising as much of our own food as we can. We have to not only for economic reasons, but because we simply don't know what we're putting into our bodies with the supermarket as our only source of foodstuffs. Even when we try to shop responsibly, the fact that genetically-altered foods and substances are not labeled makes all food questionable and suspect to us. We have to honor the biblical commandments of what we consider food, and what is not food for humans but is food for animals. When man, in his attempt to grasp supremacy of the natural world, hacks through its built-in protections and essentially chops at the DNA of various plants and animals in order to insert unlike DNA from other species, that head of broccoli into which was added pig DNA is no longer a biblically-approved food.
I'm convinced God has His reasons for the biblical food lists, because He created us for the best life, not just existence. His wisdom is what put the natural protections in place that the most aggressive "science" has only just been able to breach genetically.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
Our being on a homestead is not just for survival, but is for the survival of the way of life we see in the Bible as God's design for man.
We have to save the real food, so that we can eat real food. The time may come soon when it's impossible to tell what foods are altered. Hopefully, if we grow our own unaltered foods, we stand a chance of there being some last bastion where the real stuff is available.
I think this is bringing Jack on board the focus on health and weight loss in a much more determined way, especially the necessity of raising as much of our own food as we can. We have to not only for economic reasons, but because we simply don't know what we're putting into our bodies with the supermarket as our only source of foodstuffs. Even when we try to shop responsibly, the fact that genetically-altered foods and substances are not labeled makes all food questionable and suspect to us. We have to honor the biblical commandments of what we consider food, and what is not food for humans but is food for animals. When man, in his attempt to grasp supremacy of the natural world, hacks through its built-in protections and essentially chops at the DNA of various plants and animals in order to insert unlike DNA from other species, that head of broccoli into which was added pig DNA is no longer a biblically-approved food.
I'm convinced God has His reasons for the biblical food lists, because He created us for the best life, not just existence. His wisdom is what put the natural protections in place that the most aggressive "science" has only just been able to breach genetically.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
Our being on a homestead is not just for survival, but is for the survival of the way of life we see in the Bible as God's design for man.
We have to save the real food, so that we can eat real food. The time may come soon when it's impossible to tell what foods are altered. Hopefully, if we grow our own unaltered foods, we stand a chance of there being some last bastion where the real stuff is available.
New Attitude
I guess there are some things I can change, and others I can't. Wasting my energy on the things I can't change is something I'd rather not do.
My husband has a great attitude, and I'm learning a lot from him. We'll do what we can, and keep our goals at the forefront. We'll be steady. We'll get informed. We'll continue to be steady. We'll focus on the good, and the bad things we have some control over, we'll try to remedy in the right way, calmly.
I'm praying for him today as he visits his mother. There are so many questions we have, and as her only son, he is entitled to see her and not be hindered by The Bad Seed (my current term for the abusive relative who is preying on her and who now is there at her home at some point every day.)
There is a lot I can do right now around the house, and I'll be working at my job the next 3 days...well, nights. Getting things in better order will help me occupy myself with something besides wondering what's in the fridge!
I thank God for His blessings, and pray that He protect Jack's mom and give Jack the ability to help protect her, and to comfort her through the last days of this terrible illness. We pray that she either be healed, or barring that, that she would have no pain.
My husband has a great attitude, and I'm learning a lot from him. We'll do what we can, and keep our goals at the forefront. We'll be steady. We'll get informed. We'll continue to be steady. We'll focus on the good, and the bad things we have some control over, we'll try to remedy in the right way, calmly.
I'm praying for him today as he visits his mother. There are so many questions we have, and as her only son, he is entitled to see her and not be hindered by The Bad Seed (my current term for the abusive relative who is preying on her and who now is there at her home at some point every day.)
There is a lot I can do right now around the house, and I'll be working at my job the next 3 days...well, nights. Getting things in better order will help me occupy myself with something besides wondering what's in the fridge!
I thank God for His blessings, and pray that He protect Jack's mom and give Jack the ability to help protect her, and to comfort her through the last days of this terrible illness. We pray that she either be healed, or barring that, that she would have no pain.
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