Just a quick update. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep this week, thanks to the little guy teething and general crankiness, so there hasn't been much spare time for blogging.
Anyhow, can I just pat myself on the back for a sec? I am kicking this elimination diet's ass! My only tiny little cheat was a spoonful of sugar in my coffee one day... and DH went out the next evening and brought home a box of Stevia for me so I could avoid it in the future. He's the best!
So, seriously, I'm now 3 days wheat, dairy, egg, and almost sugar free. And I feel pretty good. Cravings are practically nil. I'm not going to say I wasn't tempted by the leftover Valentine's truffles that showed up at work, but I persevered. One of the most annoying things (and I'm not even going to say it's hard) is that tomatoes are on the no-no list. I would never have thought I'd be bummed about no tomatoes over anything else. We are eating some really delicious things though. Here's yesterday's rundown:
7am: mashed banana with ground flaxseed
10am: homemade granola bar
1pm: 1/2 cup basmati rice with peas, carrots, and green beans. A few rice crackers with hummus.
4pm: apple
6:30pm: Quinoa and Lentil Salad. This was some seriously good eats. I'm glad I doubled the recipe!
What's even more amazing? The scale is inching down, and my calories have been up in the 1600 range! I guess it just goes to show that quality of food really does matter.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I can't resist...
(A) Age: 34
(B) Bed Size: Queen. We've only had it for two years. Before this we squeezed ourselves into a full-size. Misery!
(C) Chore You Hate: pretty much everything.
(D) Dogs? none. I have three cats.
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: A good stretch before I roll out of bed. And about 5 minutes of Facebook. I know, it's dumb.
(F) Favorite Color: Green
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver
(H) Height: 5'4". I lost a half inch since I've lost weight! WTF?
(I) Instruments You Play: I used to play piano.
(J) Job Title: cardiovascular and electroneurodiagnostic technologist. I hate when I have to put that on forms.
(K) Kids: Two. Tater Tot is 2 1/2. Little guy is 14 months.
(L) Live: for warms sunny days.
(M) Mom's Name: Angie
(N) Nicknames: Mimi, Mia, ReeRee, Mo
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? only if completely necessary. You can't get any rest in those places.
(P) Pet Peeve: people who act superior and treat others poorly
(Q) Quote from a Movie: "It can't be done. No one's ever taken anyone out of here. Not in the whole history of... the whole history!" (can anyone tell me what movie that is from? Steph, that one is for you!)
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: Sister, 31
(T) Time You Wake Up? 5:15 am
(U) Underwear: hipsters mostly
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: okra. I mostly like my veggies.
(W) What Makes You Run Late: farting around with my makeup and hair
(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: lots of my kidneys
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Better Than Sex Cake. Yum!
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Giraffes
(B) Bed Size: Queen. We've only had it for two years. Before this we squeezed ourselves into a full-size. Misery!
(C) Chore You Hate: pretty much everything.
(D) Dogs? none. I have three cats.
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: A good stretch before I roll out of bed. And about 5 minutes of Facebook. I know, it's dumb.
(F) Favorite Color: Green
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver
(H) Height: 5'4". I lost a half inch since I've lost weight! WTF?
(I) Instruments You Play: I used to play piano.
(J) Job Title: cardiovascular and electroneurodiagnostic technologist. I hate when I have to put that on forms.
(K) Kids: Two. Tater Tot is 2 1/2. Little guy is 14 months.
(L) Live: for warms sunny days.
(M) Mom's Name: Angie
(N) Nicknames: Mimi, Mia, ReeRee, Mo
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? only if completely necessary. You can't get any rest in those places.
(P) Pet Peeve: people who act superior and treat others poorly
(Q) Quote from a Movie: "It can't be done. No one's ever taken anyone out of here. Not in the whole history of... the whole history!" (can anyone tell me what movie that is from? Steph, that one is for you!)
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: Sister, 31
(T) Time You Wake Up? 5:15 am
(U) Underwear: hipsters mostly
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: okra. I mostly like my veggies.
(W) What Makes You Run Late: farting around with my makeup and hair
(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: lots of my kidneys
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Better Than Sex Cake. Yum!
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Giraffes
Monday, February 21, 2011
Elimination Diet - Day 1
Today went pretty well, I'm happy to say. Here's what I ended up eating:
7am - homemade granola bar
10am - homemeade granola bar
12pm - 1 cup kale slaw, 1 rice cake with cashew butter
4pm - 8 sesame rice crackers with hummus
6pm - 3oz lamburger, 4 asparagus spears, 1/2 cup basmati rice
8pm - nondairy mochi ice cream treat
Water: 60oz
What I learned today:
7am - homemade granola bar
10am - homemeade granola bar
12pm - 1 cup kale slaw, 1 rice cake with cashew butter
4pm - 8 sesame rice crackers with hummus
6pm - 3oz lamburger, 4 asparagus spears, 1/2 cup basmati rice
8pm - nondairy mochi ice cream treat
Water: 60oz
What I learned today:
- This doesn't have to be all crazy new and different foods. I can still have an apple or a banana and be on plan.
- New foods are fun though. The lamburgers rocked. We even replaced the breadcrumbs with crumbled rice cake.
- My band doesn't like rice cakes with cashew butter. I felt on the verge of being stuck for a good hour after lunch.
- Trader Joe's non-dairy mochi ice cream is delicious! The "ice cream" is coconut-milk based and was perfectly yummy.
- Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snack... not so yummy. Barf-inducing, in fact. Even my coworker, who eats stuff like this all the time, said they were disgusting.
- I love kale, but I prefer it cooked. Probably will not be repeating the kale slaw. If we do, there will be more dressing involved.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Here goes nothin'!
Well, folks, tomorrow is day 1 of the elimination diet. DH and I have planned meals for the week, including snacks. DH did a big shop at Whole Foods, and I made a smaller trip to Trader Joe's. Honestly, it does not look like it's going to feel too hard. I mean, it's lots of new and different foods, but lots of the same of fruits and veggies too. Here's my plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast: special granola bar DH made for me with arrowroot, apricots, apples, walnuts, and flax. I haven't tried them yet, but he said they came out pretty good.
Lunch: Jalapeno-Lime Kale Slaw. I tasted it today... yum! Also, rice cakes with cashew butter.
Snacks: pear, roasted seaweed snacks from TJ's.
Dinner: lamburgers. Yes, you read it right: Lamburgers. Also basmati rice and asparagus.
Sounds pretty good, right? If my sweet tooth starts gnawing at me, I also found non-dairy mochi ice cream (coconut milk based) at TJ's. I doubt I'll actually be able to eat all that, anyway, but I figure I'd plan on being a little hungry.
Some other things... I got some bloodwork done last week. Forgive me if I've mentioned this already, but I'm too lazy to go reread my last few posts. Anywhoo, my cholesterol is improved from last year: from 212 down to 184. Yay! My B12 is fine, thyroid still pending, and my Vitamin D? Completely in the shitter! Turns out this may be the reason my hips and my wrists have been aching like mo-fo's for the past month or so. A normal Vit D value should be above 50; mine is 8. So, I'm on 50,000 IU once a week for now and rechecking in three months.
For the past few days, I've also been consuming 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. This is supposed to help with the constipation. So far, so good, if ya know what I mean.
I can't go out on a poo comment, so here's a little something else. This morning, I had to drive my mom and grandma to the airport... they are off to sunnier shores for six weeks. Lucky. Anywhooziwhatsit, I got stuck on a dried apple ring right before I left. Of course. So, I grabbed a big plastic cup for the cabinet, just in case I had to slime or barf on the road. I went to extreme lengths not to let DH see it, because A) he would've been grossed out beyond belief and B) he would never allow that cup back in the house, even if I didn't use it. And just in case you thought you were in for a car-barfing story a'la Joey, you can forget it... cuz I got unstuck. Thank you Jesus.
And good night.
Breakfast: special granola bar DH made for me with arrowroot, apricots, apples, walnuts, and flax. I haven't tried them yet, but he said they came out pretty good.
Lunch: Jalapeno-Lime Kale Slaw. I tasted it today... yum! Also, rice cakes with cashew butter.
Snacks: pear, roasted seaweed snacks from TJ's.
Dinner: lamburgers. Yes, you read it right: Lamburgers. Also basmati rice and asparagus.
Sounds pretty good, right? If my sweet tooth starts gnawing at me, I also found non-dairy mochi ice cream (coconut milk based) at TJ's. I doubt I'll actually be able to eat all that, anyway, but I figure I'd plan on being a little hungry.
Some other things... I got some bloodwork done last week. Forgive me if I've mentioned this already, but I'm too lazy to go reread my last few posts. Anywhoo, my cholesterol is improved from last year: from 212 down to 184. Yay! My B12 is fine, thyroid still pending, and my Vitamin D? Completely in the shitter! Turns out this may be the reason my hips and my wrists have been aching like mo-fo's for the past month or so. A normal Vit D value should be above 50; mine is 8. So, I'm on 50,000 IU once a week for now and rechecking in three months.
For the past few days, I've also been consuming 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. This is supposed to help with the constipation. So far, so good, if ya know what I mean.
I can't go out on a poo comment, so here's a little something else. This morning, I had to drive my mom and grandma to the airport... they are off to sunnier shores for six weeks. Lucky. Anywhooziwhatsit, I got stuck on a dried apple ring right before I left. Of course. So, I grabbed a big plastic cup for the cabinet, just in case I had to slime or barf on the road. I went to extreme lengths not to let DH see it, because A) he would've been grossed out beyond belief and B) he would never allow that cup back in the house, even if I didn't use it. And just in case you thought you were in for a car-barfing story a'la Joey, you can forget it... cuz I got unstuck. Thank you Jesus.
And good night.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Planning
This elimination diet stuff? Not for the faint of heart. I have to admit I'm stressing out about it a little, which is silly because I know if I can stick to it, I'm going to feel a lot better overall. I am hardcore planning so I can do a good shopping trip this Sunday. DH and I are planning on cooking a few things ahead of time and freezing, or at least doing some prep work. I'm also going to stock up on snack items, just in case. My hunger has been quite controlled lately, so I don't think this will be too big of a deal, but you never know when the munchies are going to hit!
I came up with a few breakfast ideas and lunch ideas, as these will be my biggest change (I am a granola bar -aholic). Breakfast first:
I came up with a few breakfast ideas and lunch ideas, as these will be my biggest change (I am a granola bar -aholic). Breakfast first:
- Rice cereal with sliced pears and chopped cashews or almonds
- Smoothie made with almond milk and banana
- Puffed rice or millet cereal with rice milk
- bars made from millet flour, ground nuts, diced dried fruit, and egg replacer
- Lentil soup, celery sticks, rice crackers
- Beans and quinoa with avocado
- Cabbage Salad, rice cakes with cashew butter
- Sesame crackers with hummus, fruit
- Mochi with nut butter
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Elimination!
Diet, that is. It has been suggested that I do one. Hmmmm. Let me back up a bit.
Monday after work I had an appointment with a naturopath. I've been wanting to do this for awhile because of my numerous GI issues. After years of treating symptoms and nothing improving, it became obvious that conventional medicine was not helping here. And having the band just complicated some of that stuff. So, this naturopath is through the Integrative Medicine department of the hospital I work in. She was very cool, and it was interesting to sit down with someone and really have them listen to all my wonky and wacky issues. We covered everything from the dark circles under my eyes to kidney stones to constipation. The recommendations? No surprise here: increase water, increase exercise. She does want me to limit protein to 60g a day, and see how I do losing weight with that. I told her I thought I'd been more in the 70-80g range, and she was concerned about my kidneys, what with the stones and all.
And of course, there are supplements: Taurine for kidney stones, a new multivitamin (with no pineapple - cuz I'm allergic), adrenal support, probiotic (for colon and sinuses, who knew?), and 2 tbsp of ground flax seed per day. I'm also supposed to use my neti pot with probiotic added once a day for a month.
Back to the elimination diet. She offered me the blood test (test 96 foods for $129), but it's only 60-70% accurate. I figured why not reap the benefits of eating clean for a while -- especially because I knew my husband would be on board for it. He likes trying new things, and he is on the push to lose another 30lbs anyway. So, I'm a big girl, I know I can do this. Anyway, the big picture of my symptoms looks like food sensitivity, right down to the dark circles under my eyes. My gut is telling me that dairy is the problem, so that will be the first thing I challenge.
This is no small undertaking, but if my hub does it too, then it won't be so bad. We're going to go over the information this weekend, plan meals, and shop so we can start Monday. The hardest part for me is going to be not eating any sweets. Lord knows I love my candy. But, honestly, when I look back, 2010 was a shitty year for me, health-wise. Post preeclampsia hypertension, four surgeries, kidney stones, etc, etc. It's just been one thing after another. I want to be the healthiest I can be, and I need my energy back to lose the rest of my weight.
Anyone out there ever do an elimination diet?
Monday after work I had an appointment with a naturopath. I've been wanting to do this for awhile because of my numerous GI issues. After years of treating symptoms and nothing improving, it became obvious that conventional medicine was not helping here. And having the band just complicated some of that stuff. So, this naturopath is through the Integrative Medicine department of the hospital I work in. She was very cool, and it was interesting to sit down with someone and really have them listen to all my wonky and wacky issues. We covered everything from the dark circles under my eyes to kidney stones to constipation. The recommendations? No surprise here: increase water, increase exercise. She does want me to limit protein to 60g a day, and see how I do losing weight with that. I told her I thought I'd been more in the 70-80g range, and she was concerned about my kidneys, what with the stones and all.
And of course, there are supplements: Taurine for kidney stones, a new multivitamin (with no pineapple - cuz I'm allergic), adrenal support, probiotic (for colon and sinuses, who knew?), and 2 tbsp of ground flax seed per day. I'm also supposed to use my neti pot with probiotic added once a day for a month.
Back to the elimination diet. She offered me the blood test (test 96 foods for $129), but it's only 60-70% accurate. I figured why not reap the benefits of eating clean for a while -- especially because I knew my husband would be on board for it. He likes trying new things, and he is on the push to lose another 30lbs anyway. So, I'm a big girl, I know I can do this. Anyway, the big picture of my symptoms looks like food sensitivity, right down to the dark circles under my eyes. My gut is telling me that dairy is the problem, so that will be the first thing I challenge.
This is no small undertaking, but if my hub does it too, then it won't be so bad. We're going to go over the information this weekend, plan meals, and shop so we can start Monday. The hardest part for me is going to be not eating any sweets. Lord knows I love my candy. But, honestly, when I look back, 2010 was a shitty year for me, health-wise. Post preeclampsia hypertension, four surgeries, kidney stones, etc, etc. It's just been one thing after another. I want to be the healthiest I can be, and I need my energy back to lose the rest of my weight.
Anyone out there ever do an elimination diet?
Friday, February 11, 2011
BYOC
What day of the week do you love and what day of the week do you hate?
I don't know if I feel that strongly about any particular day. I can't even say I love Fridays because sometimes (like this weekend) I have to work on Saturdays. I pretty much love any day I have off work during the week where I can still drop the kids at daycare and actually get stuff done around the house.
2. What is your middle name and is there a meaning behind it?
Mine is Therese. I'm named after St. Theresa, the Little Flower. And my first name is after the Blessed Mother. How's that for an Italian Roman Catholic?
3. Since I’m dreaming of my next tattoo, I’m going to ask this one. Do you have any tattoos? How many? If you don’t have one – what would you get if you did have one?
I don't have any. I've always wanted one, but I've never been able to decide what I want, so I figure I should wait until I figure that out. I'm not in a huge hurry.
4. On that same theme of dirty little secrets…how many piercings do you have? Any you wish you had?
I have four in one ear and two in the other, though these days I've only been using the bottom two plus the one up my my cartilage. I always though a nose piercing would be cool, but I tried one of those magnetic studs and I pretty much look like a horse's ass with it on, so forget that. When I was in college I almost got my eyebrow pierced, but I heard something about there being a nerve near there that could paralyze your face, so I didn't do that either. Plus, I probably would've been disowned.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your life in blog land and in real life.
I've been quiet in blogland, but I'm super duper extremely beyond excited about BOOBS 2.0. I've already put it for the time off at work, and informed hubby that I WILL be going again. I also instructed him to go on the annual guys' fishing trip, so I don't have to hear about how I get to go away again. Ha!
Real life... this week's been a corker. The little guy has had a fever since Tuesday night, and my tater tot is developing a cough too. It's pretty darn cute though -- she'll cough a bit and then say in this fake hoarse little voice, "I have a frog in my throat! I hafta cough it out!"
I don't know if I feel that strongly about any particular day. I can't even say I love Fridays because sometimes (like this weekend) I have to work on Saturdays. I pretty much love any day I have off work during the week where I can still drop the kids at daycare and actually get stuff done around the house.
2. What is your middle name and is there a meaning behind it?
Mine is Therese. I'm named after St. Theresa, the Little Flower. And my first name is after the Blessed Mother. How's that for an Italian Roman Catholic?
3. Since I’m dreaming of my next tattoo, I’m going to ask this one. Do you have any tattoos? How many? If you don’t have one – what would you get if you did have one?
I don't have any. I've always wanted one, but I've never been able to decide what I want, so I figure I should wait until I figure that out. I'm not in a huge hurry.
4. On that same theme of dirty little secrets…how many piercings do you have? Any you wish you had?
I have four in one ear and two in the other, though these days I've only been using the bottom two plus the one up my my cartilage. I always though a nose piercing would be cool, but I tried one of those magnetic studs and I pretty much look like a horse's ass with it on, so forget that. When I was in college I almost got my eyebrow pierced, but I heard something about there being a nerve near there that could paralyze your face, so I didn't do that either. Plus, I probably would've been disowned.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your life in blog land and in real life.
I've been quiet in blogland, but I'm super duper extremely beyond excited about BOOBS 2.0. I've already put it for the time off at work, and informed hubby that I WILL be going again. I also instructed him to go on the annual guys' fishing trip, so I don't have to hear about how I get to go away again. Ha!
Real life... this week's been a corker. The little guy has had a fever since Tuesday night, and my tater tot is developing a cough too. It's pretty darn cute though -- she'll cough a bit and then say in this fake hoarse little voice, "I have a frog in my throat! I hafta cough it out!"
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Playing hooky
Well, not really. My little guy spiked a 103 degree fever last night, so I had to call in to stay home with him. He's in a pretty good mood, despite having a nasty red throat and lots of drainage. His fever is a little better too, thanks to ibuprofen. We're just hanging out watching movies and snuggling.
Things are going well, band-wise. I am feeling like I'm at a pretty good fill level. Not very hungry during the day, and portion sizes are small. Hell, I even got stuck on some Terra Chips yesterday. I should probably know better.
Other than that, I don't have much to report at the moment. Hope everyone else is doing well out there!
Things are going well, band-wise. I am feeling like I'm at a pretty good fill level. Not very hungry during the day, and portion sizes are small. Hell, I even got stuck on some Terra Chips yesterday. I should probably know better.
Other than that, I don't have much to report at the moment. Hope everyone else is doing well out there!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sadness
Tomorrow night I have to go to a funeral home visitation for an 8 year old. Yes, an 8 year old boy. My coworker's son died in a sledding accident earlier this week. A horrible, freak accident. We're all brokenhearted over this, and everyone is just walking around like zombies at work. It's all just so awful -- it's hard to process, ya know?
Anyway, say a few prayers or just send some love and light over to them, if you wouldn't mind. There's lots of tears being shed around here.
Anyway, say a few prayers or just send some love and light over to them, if you wouldn't mind. There's lots of tears being shed around here.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Bathroom pic!
I really don't know what possessed me to take this today. The ever so slightly emerging cheekbones perhaps? Also, I'm thinking I either carry too much crap in my coat pockets... or I just need a smaller labcoat finally!
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