Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mish Mosh

What a whirlwind day!  Seems like summer is all about flying by the seat of my pants, which I am not always the best at!  Example:  I forgot to take my iron supplement this morning, and I haven't taken my "Red Lightning" stuff yet either.  Not good.  I still have time to take the second iron and the powder...as long as I stay up a couple more hours.

Which brings me to my next big challenge - water.  I can't drink anything 30 min before or 2 hours after I eat.  I am supposed to drink 64 - 88 oz of water every day.  I just don't find the time to do it!  I guess I need to chug?  Not a fun thought for someone who isn't a fan in the 1st place.

Today's food was a mish mosh as my title intimated.  I think this is basically how the rest of this week is going to go until I figure things out better and get a menu plan in place.  I had friends over today, and they were so considerate!  When we get together, it's usually a potluck type affair.  One friend brought rice pasta with homemade pesto that was SO yummy!  (Thanks Sonja!) and another brought a veggie frittata (thanks Linda!) that were all gluten free, dairy free, and all that other fun stuff.  I thought that was so nice and everything was so good!

I also made another trip to Whole Foods today.  Now that I have talked to some others out there in similar situations, and have forgone the "prepackaged" menu for the week I wanted to check out some options.  $40+ later here is what I decided on...rice/almond bread, rice pasta, Rice Dreams carob almond ice cream, agave nectar, almond milk, dairy free butter substitute, terra chips, almond butter, french dressing that is ok for me, hummus (my new addiction), Italian tuna that my friend recommended, and rice crackers.  So of course I want to try everything to see if I like it, lol, adding to my mish mosh meals today :)

Another challenge is dealing with cooking for a picky toddler.  Today I made him grilled cheese (with mozzarella cheese no less!) and he didn't eat it cause "he doesn't like white cheese".  Now there is a perfectly good off limit sandwich that is tempting me, so then I had to make him "peanut butter bread"...think about how many times you subconsciously lick your fingers or take a nibble!  All things I really like that I can't have.  It is going to be tough, but I will be ok.

Well without further ado...here is the mish mosh menu...hope I can remember it all!

Breakfast:
Peach
Watermelon
Banana

Lunch:
Pesto rice pasta
Veggie fritatta
Hummus and carrots

Dinner:
Terra chips
Rice pasta with sauce (homemade gravy - think there was too much meat in it)
Slice of rice/almond bread with almond butter

Snack
Rice Dreams (ice cream) - thats whats planned at least - if I don't like it its out the window.

I need more protein, but I can't have grains and meat together - too much rice pasta today!  Hoping things will start gelling tomorrow.  Have to start working on next week's menu too.  Night :)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Progress Not Perfection

Day two was much smoother than day 1, but there are definitely kinks I need to work out.  Making 3 different dinners was definitely not fun.  I also need to figure out how to get all the water in when I am not supposed to drink 30 min before or 2 hours after a meal.  Seems nearly impossible to me.

My next mission is to try to find something I can use in my coffee other than rice milk, because that just didn't cut it this morning...blech...too watery!  I need something creamy....

I want to say how grateful I am for the help I am getting from other wf, df etc friends for all the tips and tricks.  Especially Krista...I text her for salad dressing help and she texts me right back and next thing I know I am having an amazing garlic dill dressing on my salad for lunch!  I so appreciate it!

I emailed my doc today with a bunch of questions about things like sweetener, protein with my fruit in the morning, can I have goat cheese (conflicting info in handouts), and stuff like that.  I'll let you know how I make out.

One thing I notice is that I feel like I am just snacking and not having a "meal".  I know that will change when I am more comfortable and I find more recipes, but it is kind of scattered right now...

It's late and I'm getting tired, so let me post my menu for the day and regroup :)

Breakfast:
Slice of watermelon
Peach
Banana

Lunch:
Really yummy salad:
Romaine, spinach, red pepper, cucumber, carrot, homemade garlic dill dressing, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, chopped chicken

Dinner:
Salmon (lemon and dill - leftover from yesterday), garlic dill dressing, walnuts, pecans and almonds

Snack:
Hummus cucumber and tomato

The Best Laid Plans

I got on the scale yesterday.  I need a starting point right?  It's been a while, and when you see the number, you'll know why.  I debated on whether or not to post the number because I was embarrassed.  I decided on full disclosure, because it's likely if you're reading this you know what I look like anyway, and the only way to celebrate where I'm going is to acknowledge where I've been.  So I am starting this journey weighing 276 pounds, the heaviest I have ever been.

Well day 1 can be summed up in one phrase..."learning experience".  I did, for the most part, stay on plan...but it was a little frustrating.  If you remember, because I was so overwhelmed with planning, I decided to use the sample menu I was given.  There are two big lessons I learned.

1. WHEN STARTING AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY OF EATING, DON'T TRY TO EAT FOODS YOU KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE
On my menu for day 1 were things like figs, dates, and prunes...all of which I don't like.  I also had a vinaigrette with my salad and every since I was pregnant I can't eat sour foods like vinaigrettes, pickles and such.  Also, not every green in the world has to be in my salad...if parsley isn't a main ingredient its ok :)  I was choking down foods just to get them in, and that shouldn't be happening if i am going to do this for the rest of my life.


2. WHEN GOING TO BE OUT FOR THE DAY, ESPECIALLY AT THE BEACH, KEEP IT SIMPLE NO MATTER WHAT THE MENU SAYS.
I was so determined to "do good" my 1st day, and follow the menu perfectly.  I planned ahead, I prepped the day before, juiced my juice, made my salad, my dressing, baked my yam, got everything together and packed it all up.  Well I learned that eating a cold yam on the beach is disgusting, and the thought of eating that salad out there just didn't didn't sit well with me.  The juice...the thought is turning my stomach as I type...lets just say I left a nice pile of pink sand in  Ocean Grove :)  It would have been smarter to keep it simple and eat for the beach and not for the menu.

So overall I stayed true to the diet, but not true to the menu.  I think that is what I am going to be doing from here on in.  My salad in the evening had a salad dressing that had some sugar but that was the worst of it.  

So day 1 here was my menu:
Breakfast: 
Slice of watermelon
1/2 pint of raspberries
3 dried figs
3 prunes
1 date
15 raisins
banana


Lunch:
A very little bit of carrot/beet/cucumber juice
Bite of a yam
(lunch was pretty much a bust)


Dinner:
Baked salmon with lemon and dill
Some almonds
Salad with sesame ginger dressing (wheat free, dairy free but not sugar free)


Snack:
Hummus and cucumber

Monday, July 26, 2010

What Was I Thinking?!

I am very excited about this journey...but what the heck made me start it the week my father is on vacation?  This means lots of day trips and extra planning and prep...ugh!

We are going to the beach tomorrow so I just finished getting my breakfast and lunch together.  I will give menu details tomorrow, but I just got lots of fruit cut and counted, had my first adventure with the juicer, baked a yam and made salad with homemade dressing.  It is now almost 12:30, I am completely exhausted and I have a super messy kitchen to clean.  And did I mention I have to go buy a little cooler to bring all this stuff to the beach tomorrow?!

Night all!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Rules and Regulations

OK...tomorrow is the big day.  Time to start getting healthy.  Here is somewhat comprehensive list as to what it is I am actually trying to follow...

Suggested Lifestyle Changes
  • Eat for your blood type
  • Proper food combining
  • Avoid all wheat products
  • Avoid all dairy
  • Avoid drinking with meals
  • Avoid all soy products
  • Avoid all carbonated beverages
  • Avoid all chocolate (!)
  • Diet should consist of minimum 50% raw foods
What does "eating for your blood type" mean?  I am Type O, so for me, in general, it means:
  • Eat lean, chemical free meat (high protein/low carb)
  • Do not attempt to be a vegetarian
  • Cut out wheat and most other grains
  • Engage in vigorous aerobic exercise
Some specific things I need to avoid because of my blood type, that I am going to miss are:
  • Pork
  • Cashews
  • Peanuts/Peanut Butter
  • Corn
  • Eggplant
  • Mushrooms
  • Olives
  • Blackberries
  • Strawberries
  • Coconut
  • Oranges/Orange Juice
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Vanilla 
My body is also acidic, so I need to try to eat more alkaline foods...won't bore you with that list but there is a lot of overlap.

I think that's just about all my guidelines.  Menu is planned...time to start prepping!