July 10, 2010

Okay, not my best day, but believe it or not I did show some restraint. It is HOT out, by the way.

Breakfast: none, plus decaf coffee

Snack: salmon/pasta/veggies salad

Lunch: salmon/pasta/veggies salad, cherries, one cup macaroni & cheese

Snack: one slice Pagliacci cheese pizza (oops)

Dinner: more of that pasta salad...glad it's gone!

After dinner: one glass wine, one piece rice cracker with PB, cherries

July 9, 2010

Not on the detox, but trying to eat well.

Breakfast: banana and decaf coffee

Snack: none

Lunch: pasta/veggie/salmon with lemon vinaigrette; cherries; apple

Snack: 6 tortilla chips with salsa, popsicle

Dinner: salad with steak; one slice bread and butter

Days 20 and 21

Well.

Last night Ryan and I decided to go on a date, since Tessa did an impromptu sleepover with Zoe at Katie's, and we wanted to celebrate Ryan's raise. We went to Jak's - Ryan's favorite.

I was terrible, but I was also really, really good. What I mean is, I broke the detox...but even though I did so moderately, I also did so in a reasonable way.

Dinner:
- one glass of wine
- one slice of bread with butter
- salad with balsalmic vinaigrette
- side of veggies
- one cup of mac and cheese
- half cup decaf
- one Bakery Nouveau chocolate croissant

So, I hit every category: gluten, dairy, sugar, caffiene, and alcohol. But the thing is, I did so with moderation. I ate only a part of the mac and cheese, and the majority of my dinner was salad and veggies. I kept to one glass of wine. In "old days" I would have had several slices of bread, and I would have had the steak dinner with the potatoes and all the rest, and Ryan and I might have shared a bottle of wine.

It was amazingly good to be restrained...and to feel full, and satisfied, and decadent. I should have split the croissant with Ryan, because it would have been enough, too.

So I am learning! I am shocked that I can learn!

This morning I did not feel sick, as I'd feared. I felt just fine - no ill effects at all. In discussion with my nutritionist/naturopathic doctor, she says that this means I have no intolerances - I hit every category with no ill effects.

So, what to do next?

I am going to try to reinsert the contraband, but do so in a very moderate way. I still plan to eat a ton of salads, but now I will add blue cheese crumbles or a little goat cheese. I will still snack on nuts and fruit. I will try to keep sugar to a minimum, and try oatmeal with no maple syrup, but cinnamon and fruit instead. I will continue eating beans and lentils. I will keep my meat portions small, and lots of vegetarian stuff. No processed food.

I mean really, the Costco brownies aren't worth it. They're just not. A home made brownie? Totally worth it. But the Costco ones? No. I think that the trick is to choose.

Cheese and crackers as a rare treat. Hummus with veggies with frequency.

This is my plan. And if I stop losing weight, I will go back to the detox mode, although I think I'll allow gluten just to save money (gluten free costs mega bucks), because it's the same calories.

So we'll move to the next phase early.

Today:
Not a wise eating plan, but it worked out. The Fourth of July, and we had planned a BBQ.

Breakfast: green tea

Snack: oops, none

Lunch: oops, none

Snack: oops, none (how did I get that late?!!!)

Dinner: a little crazy - not too bad
- hamburger (not cheeseburger) on a whole wheat bun with tomato and lettuce
- green salad
- fruit salad
- potato carrot salad dressed in a vinaigrette
- cherries and strawberries
- a few chips and salsa (maybe only 6)
- one glass of wine
- two glasses of watered down juice
- one ounce dark chocolate

The bun was a treat, the wine was a treat, the juice was a treat. But I really did fill up on "plants" and there wasn't a bunch of junk in it - just a wee bit. Strangely, I am quite full, and when I add up points to this day, it is actually very on plan for Weight Watchers points, which is shocking to me, but true. (Sometimes I count up the daily points when I write everything down, just to get a reality check, even though I'm not doing Weight Watchers.)

My goal is to be very healthy: to eat in a healthy way, allowing for occassional treats. My goal is to feel great. My goal is to live a long life. I'd also like to drop 20 pounds.

My last weigh in, I was 157.5. I am on my way....down from 164.5, so 7 pounds. I can do this.

Day 19

Breakfast: banana

Snack: nuts and raisins

Lunch: rice cakes with peanut butter

Snack: lots of cherries

Dinner: chicken, broccoli, and rice

Dessert: one ounce of dark chocolate

Day 18

Oops, I didn't record my food choices! However, I am pleased to write that I did not stray one iota from plan. I went out with Michele to a happy hour, and 'Chele had a mai tai....and I split the hummus plate with her, asking for extra veggies to dip (they gave me cucumber, which was great), and scraping off the feta cheese and giving it to 'Chele. That took dedication!

Second piece of dedication: Ryan got a raise today (yahoooo!) and suggested we go out to Jak's to celebrate with red meat and wine. I told him, regretfully, that he was welcome to go, but that I really needed to stay on plan. He thanked me a few minutes later for keeping him on track, so I didn't feel like such an ogre.

Exercise is an issue. Gotta figure that out with Tessa home for the summer.

Breakfast: two eggs, half avocado, and salsa; green tea

Snack: nuts and dried fruit

Lunch: banana and chicken drumstick, couple of bites of leftover roasted potatoes

Snack: green tea and cherries

Dinner: quinoa pasta with home made spaghetti sauce (incl. small, small amount of grass fed beef, olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, zuchinni, mushrooms, and tomatoes)

Day 15

Still have a cold. Still feeling fatigued...but still committed!

Breakfast: green tea

Lunch: green salad with lots of veggies and chicken

Snack: trail mix, apple

Dinner: salmon

Exercise: three hours of weeding. My body aches!

Day 14

Breakfast: green tea, banana

Snack: none

Lunch: hummus & carrots, apple

Snack: bruschetta topping with rice crackers, nuts, raisins, apricots, chips & salsa

Dinner: chicken curry and rice with veggies

Dessert: chocolate

Exercise: walked a few miles with Tessa and Shep

Down to 160.0. Had to believe I had gotten this high - ugh - but I'm down 4.5.

Day 13

Breakfast: eggs, strawberries, green tea

Snack: banana

Lunch: hummus, carrots, snap peas, rice crackers, strawberries

Snack: apple and trail mix (nuts, raisins, apricots, chocolate chips)

Dinner: "Taco salad" hold the cheese and sour cream at a resturant. Really just a pile of lettuce and tomatoes with bean chili on top, held in a tortilla bowl. I didn't eat the bowl. ONE of Tessa's french fries.

After dinner: mint tea

Exercise: hiked for two hours

Day 12

Breakfast: green tea and rice crackers

Snack: oops, none

Lunch: banana, almonds

Snack: bruschetta (tomato) topping with rice crackers

Dinner: cod in ginger soy, brown rice, broccoli, green salad

Dessert: raspberries, one ounce chocolate

Stepped on the scale. Down a total of 4 pounds - which seems like nothing, since I lost a pound a day the first three days and then only 1 pound in a week and a half. But I am persevering, and I am committed to making this work!

Craving coffee again. Really craving it, maybe because I'm low energy because of this stupid cold, which I still have, and is still b ringing me down.

Day 11

Breakfast: green tea

Snack: almonds

Lunch: chicken noodle soup, tomato with basil and olive oil

Snack: banana

Dinner: veggie burrito, minus the tortilla, from Tacoria Guyamos (included spinach, potato, rice, beans, zuchinni, tomato, carrots...) plus chips, salsa, and guacamole

Day Ten

Breakfast: green tea

Lunch: apples, tomato, chicken drumstick, almonds

Snack: cherries, leftover fritatta

Dinner: chips and salsa, salmon, avocado, corn on the cob, cherries

Dessert: strawberries and one ounce chocolate

Day Nine

Breakfast: nothing

Brunch: fruit, fritatta, green tea

Snack: almonds, fruit, chips and salsa (not too many chips - maybe 6)

Dinner: two drumsticks, green salad, rice salad, fruit

Day Eight

Still sick. Not just a little bit sick, but all the way - stuffy head so it's hard to think, bad headache (which two ibuprofen seemed to help, thankfully). I did a hot shower, Nettie Pot, hot tea....and it's still here. Well, so be it. I will settle in to the couch. I have a fuzzy blanket, more hot tea, a box of tissues, and the remote control.

Breakfast: Brown rice with apples, raisins, pecans, and cinnamon; green tea

Snack: mint tea, grapes

Lunch: two eggs, half avocado, half tomato, salsa

Snack: banana

Dinner: three (!) bowls home made chicken noodle soup (quinoa noodles)


I am lying on the couch, feeling terrible, watching TV, and wondering how I"ll ever get my chores done.

But I'm also thinking about this diet plan, and how much healthier it is. I don't kid myself - I know I"m in the honeymoon stage, and that it will get harder after a while. Right now the bloom is on the rose.

It's amazing to me that I am able to stay on plan when I feel so sick, but I'm very dedicated to it.

I am actually considering stay on this plan forever, with modifications. It is the "right" way to eat, and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. It has to be better for my body, for the planet.

I really, really want to lose 20 pounds, or more. But to know that I'm doing the right thing - that feels good.

I'm not committing to a world without croissants, but I have to figure out how to marry the real world with this plan. All or nothing is often easier than the gray zone. Can I have an occassional glass of wine, or a croissant, or dessert....and not resume old habits? How many treats like that are the right amount? One a day? One a week? How do I self monitor? And will I continue to eat this healthy when I allow dairy back? How many crumbles of feta are healthy, and how do I know how to measure that?

And eating in resturants - how does that work?

Right now I'm not obsessing on the questions, just pondering them. I need to stay on the plan for five more weeks before there are any changes.

Oh, yeah, I have committed to the full six weeks. I was only going to do three, but six seems reasonable now that I'm in it.

Giving it my all. Now, I wonder how I would feel if I wasn't sick?!

Day Seven

Breakfast: gluten/dairy free pancakes with strawberry banana sauce, green tea

Lunch: mango, avocado, tomato with basil and olive oil, green rice, sugar snap peas

Snack: few bites of poached salmon, mint tea

Dinner: maybe 3 ounces grilled steak, mushrooms, potato, corn on the cob

Dessert: raspberries and one ounce chocolate

Exercise: None

Feeling: Darned head cold. Otherwise, fine.

Day Six: Reflecting

I was very, very reluctant to sign up for this plan.

I'm not big on infomercials, and this plan sounds like an infomercial. I read the book, and thought that it wasn't exactly exciting reading, and that the plan sounded like a ton of deprivation.

But Ryan wanted to do it, and I wanted to support him. And still I debated.

But when the agreed upon day came, I signed up. Reluctantly, but still, I committed.

And now, nearly a week later? I'm realizing just how much I needed this. I was not getting anywhere close to the amount of fruits and vegetables I thought I was, and writing it down proves that - now I'm getting a reasonable amount, and only now am I consistantly hitting the recommended five servings per day. (I'm getting more than that - hurrah!)

I have gained back almost all of the weight I lost in 2006. I'm starting to believe that I can drop it all again, and then sustain that.

It's like Michael Pollan says: Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not too much.

This plan forces me to do just that, because I can't eat baked goods and cheese (or, my favorite, baked goods containing cheese).

It's a wake up call.

Waking up now...

Day Six

Feeling sick - scratchy throat, tired, foggy. I don't think this has anything to do with diet! Tessa had it yesterday and had to stay home from school.

Breakfast: green tea and berries and banana

Snack: brown rice, apple, and raisins

Lunch: eggs, salsa, avocado, and tomato

Snack: 12 tortilla chips and salsa, banana

Dinner: Poached salmon, broccoli, and green rice made with brown basmati and basil instead of cilantro - delicious.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/nutrition/01recipehealth.html?scp=1&sq=green%20rice&st=cse
(With brown it took a LOT longer to cook - maybe 45 or 50 minutes instead of the 10 in the last instruction.)

Dessert: garden strawberries and dark chocolate

Exercise? None. Total couch potato and feeling sorry for myself because of my throat. Tomorrow will be better.

Day Five

Still on plan!

I have come to realize what a baked-goods junkie I was. (Am.) I love the combination of butter, sugar, and white flour - ahhh, the good ol' days.

Okay, it was only four days ago, but it seems like a long time ago.

I have eaten healthy food for years and years and years. I have no problem with kale, or beans, or quinoa. I like just about every vegetable. (Not crazy about green peppers, but I'll eat them if I have to, just to be polite.) Love fruit. Enjoy different grains. Love cuisines from all over the world.

However, I'm realizing that on top of my healthy plan, I was eating an awful lot of baked stuff. Breads, croissants, and scones. Muffins, cakes, cupcakes. (Oh, how I love buttercream frosting.)

So, this diet is forcing me to look at how many of those items I was eating. Okay, message received.

And what's interesting? When I remove those items from my diet, it is amazing how many fruits and vegetables I can fit in their place. Hungry? Grab an apple or banana. Lunch? Lots of greens. Dinner? Even more greens than usual, and less meat. The usual amounts of starch, I suppose - brown rice, quinoa, and other gluten-free grains.

Today I'm coming down with what Tessa has - a nasty cold. My throat is scratchy and sore and so I'll see what happens next. Oodles of herbal tea (peppermint and chamomile are my faves) in my future.

Breakfast: brown rice with apples, raisins, and cinnamon (yum)

Snack: grapes

Lunch: hummus & carrots, mango

Snack: eggs, avocado, and salsa

Dinner: brown rice, veggies, chicken stirfry

Dessert: garden strawberries and one ounce dark chocolate

Day Four

No flour, sugar, alcohol, gluten, dairy, or processed foods. Day four!

Breakfast: green tea

Lunch: four giant carrots with home made hummus

Snack: smoothie with banana, berries, soy yogurt, fresh orange juice

Another snack: grapes

Dinner: Brazillian Kale , Brown Rice, broiled sole with parsley garlic sauce

Dessert: one ounce dark chocolate

Feeling: 3.4 pounds lighter - hurrah! Still tired, but moment of coming through the fog.

Exercise: 2.5 miles with Shep, walking

Day Three

Breakfast: mango

Snack: lentil salad

Lunch: apple, almonds, carrots and hummus

Snack: lentil salad, banana

Dinner: quinoa pasta with tomato sauce, carrots and hummus

Dessert: one ounce dark chocolate

Exercise: Walk to Alki Elem, then the field trip - perhaps 3 miles

Day Two

Breakfast: brown rice with raisins, apple, and cinnamon, green tea

Lunch: corn tortilla with eggs, avocado, and salsa

Dinner: Morrocan chicken with cashews and cauliflower - BLECH! - and quinoa

Dessert: one ounce dark chocolate

Day One

Kristina's Food Detox. Prompted by Ryan, and guided by this book:
The Ultramind Solution by Mark Hyman, M.D.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416549714/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3137290187&ref=pd_sl_4v0va13fz_b

The short version? Lifestyle changes. Plus a six week program which eliminates dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and all processed foods.

In other words, it picks on my hobbies.

I am tired of feeling so tired. I am determined to get back to FULL health.

Breakfast: green tea

Lunch: Avocado & eggs

Snack: almonds, apple

Dinner: Broccoli with ginger orange beef, brown rice

Dessert: one ounce dark chocolate

Exercise: none

Feeling: Horrible! Fatigued, sluggish...