Recipe: Apple Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin

I love the internets.  This morning I woke up and thought, I have a tenderloin, Dijon mustard and homemade applesauce.  That sounds like the beginnings of a good recipe.

Sure enough, I found this.  Only I wanted to use the crock pot since we had to leave at 1 PM for Evensong and wouldn't be back until after 6.  So I made some modifications and by the time we got home it smelled SO good in our house.

Jason declared it my best tenderloin ever.

Apple Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin

2 1/2 to 3 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 C. Dijon mustard
3 T. maple syrup
1 T. fresh rosemary
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 C. applesauce*

Brown tenderloin on all sides in skillet (or IN your slow cooker, if you have a Ninja like I do) and place in crock pot.  Combine mustard, maple syrup, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then brush on all sides of tenderloin.  Pour applesauce around the tenderloin.

Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove tenderloin from crock pot and let set for 10 minutes before slicing.  Use sauce in crock pot as gravy.  It's yummy!


* I used homemade applesauce that I canned a couple of years ago.  It has cinnamon and cloves in it, so if you use plain applesauce, add about 1 t. cinnamon and 1/4 t. cloves to the applesauce.

A New Day

I swam this morning!

And now I feel like going to sleep.  I was determined that today would be the day I also refocus on my clean eating, but I think I may need to have a Diet Coke in a little bit here, or else my head is going to hit the desk.  A day of clean eating + a Diet Coke = not TOO terrible, right?

Today the sleepiness is non-shingles-related, at least.  It is a legitimate sleepiness brought on by meeting my swimming buddy at 6 AM after not going to sleep until probably midnight-ish.  I'm not sure of the time exactly.  I tried to go to sleep earlier, but then Jason came upstairs and we spent awhile ruminating on the changes to our church congregation.

(Mormons are weird in that our congregations are organized by geography and yesterday our regional leadership let us know they had decided to split up our congregation among a couple of others, and then add some people from another congregation to ours, simply by changing which town lines make up which boundaries.  Anyway, I'm trying to be positive, but if I'm honest, I'm a bit irritated at the results.  So is Jason.  Thus, we were up late talking about the impact.)

But the real point is, I swam 2100 yards this morning and I'm tired and maybe even a little sore, but it's a start.  Again.

This Is Not Going as Planned

It's the first day of Spring!  Which, you know, great, except for I feel like time is flying by and I'm not where I wanted to be at this point at all.  I'm feeling frustrated, but also pretty philosophical about it, because, what can you do?  I can't spend my days angry and shaking my fist at the sky because I've been sick and haven't lost the 10-15 pounds I was hoping to have lost by this point in the year, and I haven't yet been able to train for my St. John swim.  It is what it is.

I talked to the other 2 members of my relay team on Sunday night and we're pretty confident that, if pressed, we could all swim our part of the swim right now.  It wouldn't be pretty, and we wouldn't post a stellar time, but we could do it.  So, really, I have 2 months still to get my pace up to something respectable.  I can do that.

Just as soon as I get over the shingles...

Friday through Monday I felt pretty good.  I had a fair amount of energy and I needed it because I was really busy.  Sunday I didn't take any Alleve at all, which was great.  Then I woke up Tuesday morning feeling like I was hit by a truck.  I dragged myself downstairs to the loveseat, where I sat for the rest of the day, working from home.

I have a lot more energy today and I'm back at work today.  I am itching to get back into the pool, and my fingers are crossed that next week is the week I start back in earnest.  However, I don't think I'm going to be ready to join Masters again in 11 days.

The good news is, I've been experimenting with additions for my grain-free cookies and came up with a couple stellar ones.  First, Heath bar toffee bits.  Second, half semi-sweet chocolate chips/half cinnamon chips.  You're welcome.

Improved Grain-Free Cookies

I've gone on and on about how good these Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies are, but I have to tell you, I made them even better!

First off, I started using butter instead of coconut oil.  I love coconut oil, but it definitely gives the cookies a distinctive coconut flavor.  If you want chocolate coconut cookies, then by all means, use the coconut oil.  People eating strict Paleo don't eat dairy, so I understand making these cookies dairy-free as well as grain-free.  However, I've never had a problem with dairy, and we love butter in our home.  So butter instead of coconut oil.

Then, I decreased the amount of honey and eventually took out the honey altogether.  The first batch I made were very sweet and very honey-tasting.  So the next batch I made, I halved the honey in the recipe.  Honestly, the chocolate chips add a lot of sweetness to the cookies and you don't need as much sweetener.  But the cookies still tasted a lot like honey.  Not a bad thing, per se, but not exactly what I was looking for.

So a couple of days ago I sweetened the cookies with a bit of maple syrup.  Yum!  The cookies don't taste like maple at all, and I think this is the closest I'm going to get to mimicking real chocolate chip cookies.  Jason agreed, best cookies yet!

Here's my recipe.  I went ahead and doubled the proportions from the original recipe because, frankly, 18 cookies is better than 9.

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: around 18 cookies

2 1/2 cups ground almond flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of maple syrup
4 teaspoons of water
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (also try butterscotch chips because butterscotch!)

1. Mix all ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Place on cookie sheet and put in the oven at 325 degrees.
3. Cooking time can vary from 10-15 minutes.  They are done when they start to brown a little on top.

Nicknames

For some reason that even he doesn't remember, Jason calls me "P".  I think the last time Jason actually called me "Kelly" was maybe our second or third week of dating. "Kellito" was popular for awhile, but now it's "P", which morphs into "Peasworth" at times.

Nicknames are big in his family.  His brother Taylor was "Taylora" then "Lora" then "Lora Bora" and now just "Lobo" or, as Jason likes to call him, "Lobo Grande".  Our cat Tiny has about 75 different nicknames, bestowed by both Jason and his brother Brandon.  Tinykins, Tiny Whiny, Chutsworth, Pooper, Pooper Charlie, Agent Bauer (following a viewing of a particular episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia").  Brandon even taught his 3-year old daughter to call the cat "Pooper Charlie", which I'm pretty sure is what she thinks the cat's actual name is.

(Story: when they visited us last July, we went to a local park to watch the sun set.  As we were leaving, I said, "OK, Anya, time to go home."  She exclaimed, "Yeah, have to go home and see Pooper Charlie!")

Anyway, ever since my diagnosis on Friday, Jason has taken to calling me "Shingley P", which makes me feel beautiful and like a delicate flower, as you can imagine.  Thanks so much, Jason.

Don't Look At Me, I'm Hideous!

Even though logically I understand that shingles is just a flare up of the long-dormant chicken pox virus, it doesn't change that I've always thought the name "shingles" sounded like something disgusting.  Like there should be a sign on our front door crying out "Pestilence!" while I cower inside.

But actually I just have a little rash and my back hurts and the rash hurts and suddenly this afternoon I got really, really tired.

I also got some anti-viral medication that will hopefully keep the rash from spreading any further around my torso.

Based on what people are saying on Facebook about shingles, either I have a really mild case, or it just hasn't really hit me yet.  Because, yeah, it hurts, but it's not the worst thing ever.  Frankly my crazy awful case of chicken pox when I was 7, when I could only hobble a few steps across my bedroom on the sides of my feet because the bottoms of my feet were covered in pox and I was so insanely itchy and my parents put as much calamine lotion on me as they could to stop the itching and I was a calamine monster and it still didn't really ease the itching that much AND it was Christmas! -  THAT was worse than what I've experienced so far.

It's good to know that people nowadays get vaccinated for chicken pox so they won't really catch anything from me.  And they'd only catch it if they actually touched my rash, which, ew, and please get out of my personal space.

Knock on wood that this is the worst and I'll be through to the other side soon.  Man, am I tired...

I Was Doing Well For A Minute There

Last Saturday my swimming buddy and I swam!  Granted, most of that was social kick (the equivalent of going for a long chatty walk, only with kickboards and fins), but we were there, we were in the water, and we swam some laps.

And I don't know about her, but wow, am I out of shape.

Then we did it again on Monday!  I got to the pool at 6:30 AM and swam and it was still hard, but it was good too.  Actually, we commented to each other on Monday how we had each felt so *good* on Saturday following our swim.  Something about being back in the water.  It really is my happy place, even if it is a dank, indoor YMCA pool.

The PLAN was to elliptical Tuesday, strength train Wednesday, swim this morning, strength train tomorrow, and swim with my buddy again on Saturday morning.

Tuesday, I was lazy.  That's all I got.

Wednesday, I was tired.  We got home from choir rehearsal around 10:30, which meant I was in bed asleep around 11:30, and after a full day of busy work followed by choir rehearsal, I wanted to sleep instead of get up at 5:45.  I don't even remember my alarm going off, if I'm honest.

This morning we woke up to slushy, slippery snow and an unplowed street.  And 40 mile per hour winds.  No.

Then I come in today and turns out tomorrow morning I have an 8 AM conference call.  Surprise!  That means the 6:30-7:30 strength training class won't work out.  However, swimming buddy and I might be going on a walk tomorrow after work, depending on how the storm heading our way tonight shakes out.

And we're definitely swimming Saturday!

So I won't be meeting my goals this week, which are to swim 3 days a week and strength train 1 day a week.  But at least I'm finally back in the pool.

Motivation - I Don't Haz It

I'm stuck in my busy work/no motivation to exercise cycle again.

The last couple of weeks, I've been feeling better physically, but work has been busy.  I've been coming in early (slightly before 8) and getting home at 8, 8:30, 9.  If I'm not home late because of work, I'm home even later because of other obligations (choir, Young Women's, etc.)  I don't really feel like going to bed at 10 when I don't get home until 8:30 and still need to eat dinner, and want to hang out with Jason and watch a little TV to decompress.

So I get to bed at 11:30 or 12, and then when the alarm goes off at 5:45, there's no way I'm getting up and going to the gym.

Repeat cycle.

I'm feeling more and more frustrated as the positive healthy steps I made in January feel further and further away.  The good news is, I have a deadline: 3 months until the St. John swim.  And my swimming buddy and I just made a plan that starting Saturday, we're swimming 3 times a week.

I'm really hopeful that getting back in the pool and having to get up early at least 3 days a week or else my friend will be at the Y all by herself will motivate me to shift my sleeping patterns a little, and motivate me to get out of bed early those other days and make it to strength training.

However, I'm not quite sure how to make work ease up.  Dear clients, stop calling for 2 weeks so we can catch up!

The Latest Craft Project: Maple Syrup

On my other blog.

A Walking Advertisement for the Flu Shot

Yes, in fact, it's taken me this long to fully get over the flu.  I kept thinking I was fine, while I was sitting at my desk doing nothing.  Then I would speedwalk with my boss to his car to head to a meeting, or walk up a couple of flights of stairs carrying laundry, and I would be completely out of breath and have a coughing fit (or in the case of the boss, suppress a coughing fit as best I could) and have to sit down and rest for a few minutes.

I'm finally, FINALLY starting to feel normal again and up to working out.  I even went for a lunch walk yesterday because I was so sick and tired of stting at my desk, feeling my bum spread ever further.

I took a good first step today and signed up for the swim in St. John!  My swimming compadres and I discussed it Monday night and rather than swim side-by-side, we're going to do the relay.  The swim can be broken up into 3 chunks (1, 1.25 and 1.25 miles), which is perfect.  I'm planning to swim one of the 1.25 mile chunks.  Maybe I'll even anchor, like the good ole swim team free relay days.

But, man, am I out of shape!  This is going to take some serious training over the next 3 months.  I'm excited to get to it finally!

Recipe: Coconut-Crusted Swai

Swai is my new white fish of choice.  I think it tastes MUCH better than tilapia (which I always think tastes a bit like dirt), and it's a little firmer than tilapia.  Also, it's cheap, when it's actually at the store.  I always stock up because it seems like everyone else who shops at my grocery store has discovered swai too and the shelves are empty fairly often.

I thawed some swai for dinner tonight and came up with this recipe on my way home from work.  It's my new favorite.  Here's the recipe, though some of the measurements are estimates since I eyeballed it, so use your own judgment.

Coconut-Crusted Swai
3 swai filets (or your favorite thin white fish, 4-5 oz each)
2-3 T. coconut oil
1/3 C. coconut flour (or regular flour if you're not worried about gluten)
1 egg
1/4 C. whole milk
2/3 C. shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 T. seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus, which goes great with the coconut.  Regular salt and pepper would work too.)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

Put flour in medium-sized bowl.  Whisk together egg and milk in a second bowl.  Mix coconut and seasoning together on a plate.

After oil is heated, dredge swai filets in flour, then egg and milk, then coconut and seasoning, and place in hot oil.  Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned.  remove from pan to a plate with a paper towel on it (to absorb excess oil).  Enjoy!

Stupid Cough

You know what's not conducive to exercising?  Heavy breathing and coughing attacks.

I am much, much better.  Today for the first time my head isn't very clogged and I think my hearing is back to normal.  Sound has been coming through a phlegmy filter for the last week and a half or so.  I still have an occasional cough. It gets worse when I do crazy things like get up from my desk and walk around.  I still have to sit down and rest after I climb two flights of stairs.  My lungs are still recovering, apparently.

So, the upshot is, I have not been to the gym.  I didn't swim on Saturday because, really, all I wanted to do was sleep in, take my Mucinex, and be still.  I got in 3 1/2 days of work last week and by Friday night I was beat.

Last night I got home late from a work meeting and although I was physically exhausted, I felt really antsy.  I'm getting frustrated with not being able to work out, or even go for a decent fast-paced walk, and I'm hoping that's a sign that I'm getting better.

My swimming buddy and I have a plan to swim THIS Saturday.  Hopefully my lungs are up to the task.

Day 31 - Wrap-Up

I figure since it's the end of the month I should do some sort of wrap up post as to how my New Years Resolutions are going so far even though the flu has knocked a lot of my nicely-laid plans all out of whack.

Aaaanyway...

Let's take a look at what my plans were and see where I am:

Diet:

GOAL 1) Starting January 1, I am doing Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet for 2 weeks.

 

Yep.  I wasn't perfect, but I was pretty darn good and I felt the benefits immensely.

GOAL 2) After that, I'll probably add in some fruits and sweet potatoes, and stick to a more Paleo/Primal food plan.

I didn't really add in many carbs, except for if I actively had, say, 4 bites of the Capital Grille's flourless chocolate cake.  I pretty much ate protein, fats and non-starchy vegetables otherwise (except during The Flu.)

GOAL 3) I'll see how I feel, but I plan to be strict for 30 days and then possibly give myself a splurge day. 

 

Well, I wasn't exactly strict for 30 days, so no splurge day this month.  I had a dessert here, a piece of candy there, and then ate carbs pretty exclusively while I was sick because that was all that sounded moderately appetizing.  No wheat, though, which is good.

Exercise:

GOAL 1) Two strength training classes per week, most likely Monday and Friday mornings.

GOAL 2) At least two 30-60 minute cardio workouts per week.

GOAL 3) Separate from #2, I'll walk home from work when I can.

 

Overall I did not excel with the exercising this month.  At all.  I focused on getting my food in line and getting through the carb withdrawal for the first couple of weeks.  I ellipticaled once, I went to one strength training class, and I went for a few long walks. 

Still, I lost a little more than 5 pounds this month and at least 10 inches (I haven't officially measured since January 21, but I quickly took my waist, hip and chest measurements the other day just to get an idea and they're all down).

February starts tomorrow and it's time to get serious about exercise.  I plan to continue focusing on low-carb, whole foods, because I'm through the carb withdrawal and I feel good, and I'll implement my exercise plan for real.

Less than 4 months until my swim!

Day 30 - Feeling Human Again

I probably shouldn't even be counting days anymore, since the idea of eating low-carb went out the window with the descent of the flu upon our home.  Actually, I didn't eat much while I was in the thick of it because, frankly, I didn't feel like eating.  No intestinal distress (thankfully) just a general disinterest and even aversion to most food.

I would think I wanted something, eat a few bites and then put the rest in the fridge.  I ate oatmeal for breakfast, snagged a few of Jason's mint M&M's, and then we got take out for dinner (which never got fully eaten).  So I lost a couple of pounds this week.  Not eating - that's one way to lose weight.

My swimming buddy and I planned to get back in the pool this coming Saturday.  Yay...?

I'm not sure how much I'll feel like swimming by then.  My cough is better, but not gone, and I am WEAK.  It's only Wednesday, though.  Maybe by Saturday I'll be raring to go.  If not, at least I can get IN the pool.  Do some kicking or something.  It's been months since I've swum laps and today it's warm enough outside that getting in the pool doesn't sound too painful. 

Day 26 - Flu For Reals (+ More Cookies)

Yesterday was a lost day for me.  I didn't go to work and I couldn't even get on my computer I felt like such crud.  My temperature got up to 101 (which is kind of like 103 for me since my normal temperature is about 2 degrees below 98.6).

Paleo flew out the window since I was craving bland, brown foods, when I actually felt like eating, which wasn't that often.  I slept most of the day.  Jason stayed home again too since he still wasn't feeling so hot, and was at my beck and call, which was nice.  He made me oatmeal with maple and brown sugar for breakfast, and fetched whatever else I needed for the rest of the day.

I'm feeling much better today.  I had a light fever when I woke up, but I think it's gone now.  I still have a wracking cough and I'm very weak.  I made us breakfast this morning and had to keep sitting down to recover from walking across the room.  All I want to do today is hang out in bed, but Jason is getting antsy, so he's downstairs installing our new mail slot, even though he's still coughing too.

I did manage to make us some more Paleo chocolate chip cookies this morning.  

We ate the first batch already (the recipe only makes 10 or so).  And, yes, I said "we".  Jason likes them too!  No flour, eggs or butter and they taste pretty fab.  They're even good dunked in milk!

I'm mad at the flu for ruining our Restaurant Week plans.  We planned to go to two restaurants, including our favorite Italian place on Federal Hill with friends on Friday.  However, I commented to Jason that at least we were sick on the coldest days of the year and not on some bright sunny lovely summer days.  It's not like we could go kayaking or to the beach today, anyway.  Might as well camp out in bed playing Lego Star Wars.

Day 24 - Flu-ish & Cookies

Jason got sick starting Monday afternoon and then was REALLY sick yesterday (Wednesday).  Jason doesn't get sick, and when he does, it's usually over and done within 24 hours or so.  I stayed home from my Young Women's activity last night so that I could get him plenty of tea and Gatorade and bland foods.  I felt a little guilty for having left him alone all day while I went to work, but I had no idea he was so sick.

Today he is much better. His temperature is down and he's all around more perky.  Though he's still coughing and he gets tired easily.

However, this morning I woke up with a cough and a scratchy throat.  I texted my boss and told him it was his call whether I came in or not and he told me to stay home and not spread our plague.  Then he chided me about not getting a flu shot when we were on the phone an hour later.  I guess Jason and I were too cocky with all of our "we don't get flu shots and we never get the flu" big talk.

My fingers are crossed that my immune system is in peak form thanks to my healthy lifestyle over the past few weeks and instead of descending into full-fledged flu, this will be the worst I feel.  It's possible, right.

The other fun thing is today is the 3rd in a series of the COLDEST DAYS OF THE YEAR and we have no heat.  The furnace stopped out of the blue this morning and Jason realized that the gauge on our oil tank was stuck and instead of 3/8 of a tank of oil we actually have 0/8 of a tank of oil.  The oil delivery comes tomorrow and we're hoping our pipes don't freeze tonight.  We've opened up the faucets and everything.

We're holed up in our bedroom with blankets and the cat and a space heater and are a comfortable 63 degrees.  Meanwhile, the thermometer in the family room just hit 39.

In the meantime, I'm prepping for possibly feeling worse tomorrow and I just loaded up the dishwasher, since I think between us and all of our cups of tea we've used pretty much every mug in the house.  I put some Paleo chocolate chip cookies in the oven to cook while I was cleaning.  I just ate one and they're pretty darn tasty.  Not exactly the same as the real thing of course, but still yummy.  This recipe will be going in my regular treat rotation and I'll try butterscotch chips in the future.

Day 22 - Kitchens

This is a little off topic from the usual low-carb/pro-swimming posts that I usually write here, but I'm actually looking for input.

On Saturday, Jason went to Home Depot where they were advertising a free consultation for kitchen cabinet refacing.  When we bought this house, we immediately had 2 renovation projects in mind:  1) redo the half bath off the kitchen, and 2) reface the kitchen cabinets.

Our house was built in the 1930s and the cabinets themselves are sturdy, high-quality wood, custom-fit for the contours of our wee kitchen.  Some previous owner even put in nice granite countertops at one point, which are lovely.  However, the cabinet doors and drawers are terrible.  The faces are painted white, which I'm not a big fan of, though I know it can be done much better than what we have, and they look dingy and cheap.

I'll just put out there right now that my dream kitchen has dark cherry cabinets with stainless steel appliances.  However, we won't be in this house for more than a few more years and we're not completely gutting anything in a house that we will be in for less than 10 years.

So the guy shows up yesterday morning from the Home Depot and runs us through the process.  We pick out the cabinets - a nice maple - and he gives us the estimate.  Which is about 1.75 times more than I was expecting, of course.  We can spread the payments out over a couple of years, and really, it wouldn't be too painful.  But is it worth it?

After the guy left, Jason stood in the kitchen squinting at the cabinets, mulling over whether we could measure and order the cabinets and do it ourselves.  And, yes, we probably could.  But not in 2 or 3 days, which is the Home Depot's promise.  (And I'm guessing not without at least one of us wanting to file for divorce)

The other option, which might wind up being the way to do it without it costing a fortune or our sanity, is to measure and order the cabinets and drawers direct from the manufacturer, then find someone to install them for us.

I like to cook and I'm in the kitchen a lot.  When we were looking at homes last year, I looked askance at places that had a kitchen with an electric stovetop.  Living in New England, where gas hook-ups are plentiful, I can be a snob like that.  Honestly, a good kitchen would draw me into a prospective place like nothing else.

However, last night, I was prepping some vegetables for roasting, and looked around the kitchen. thinking, this is actually a pretty small room.  I really don't think I want to pay the Home Depot price for what is essentially a small room with not that many cabinets. 

Here's my question for everyone: how much is a nice kitchen worth?

Recipe: Spiced Chickpeas

We got a package of coupons from our local grocery store that included recipes for the couponed items.  Surprisingly, I actually wanted to make a couple of them.  I made this one for spiced chickpeas tonight.  Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Yum!

Spiced Chickpeas

1 can (15.5 oz) / 1 2/3 C. chickpeas

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1/2 t. paprika

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 t. cumin

3/4 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Drain, rinse and pat dry chickpeas.  Combine olive oil and spices in bowl.  Add chickpeas and stir until coated with spiced olive oil.  Bake on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, stirring chickpeas every 10 minutes to cook evenly.  Remove from oven and enjoy!

Day 21 - Weigh-In

I didn't get around to weighing and measuring on Saturday and Sunday, and finally did it this morning when I got up.  I shouldn't call it a weigh-in, but a measure-in, since measurements tell me more truth about toning up and losing fat.  Yeah, I have a bunch of weight to lose, and I'm confident (hopeful) that the weight will come off steadily as I am diligent about my food and exercise.  In the past, when I've started an exercise program, I've either not lost any weight, or I've even gained a couple of pounds.  BUT, my measurements kept going down.

All of this is to say, I haven't really lost any weight.  .2 pounds, which could mean I inhaled when I stood on the scale.  However, in the past 9 days I've lost 5.25 inches!

That number is kind of staggering to me.  A little more than 5 inches in 9 days.

That includes a whole inch off my waist, a quarter of an inch off my hips and an inch off my chest/torso.  I usually lose on my upper body first, which these numbers show generally in quarter inches here and there off of my upper and lower arms.  The weirdest outlier is 1.25 inches off of my left thigh.  Random.

So after 21 days of trying to be more healthy, I've lost 3.4 pounds (meh) and 9.75 inches (yay!).

Day 18 - The Gym. FINALLY!

That's right, I dragged my bum out of bed this morning, in the cold and dark, and I went to the gym!  I am so proud of myself, you would think I ran a marathon or something.  It was just the one-hour strength training class, and it totally beat me up.

My goal is to someday be able to do all of the leg exercises without stopping.   Ab exercises are NO problem.  I credit years of swimming for having a strong core.  Arm exercises are pretty much no problem, except for I can't do that many real push-ups.  But I'm working on that.  The leg exercises are another story.  Squats are fine, but when we get into the leg lifts and leg circles and all of those keep-your-leg-in-the-air-and-move-it-around-for-5-minutes-straight exercises, my muscles fail pretty quickly. 

It's ok, I'll get there.

I'm starting to feel the soreness already and I'm not relishing the pain I'll be in for the next couple of days, but it's a good pain.  It means I'm doing something.  It means I'm getting rid of the squishiness.

I had fun seeing some of my friends from Masters swimming who take the class.  I told one of them about the St. John swim and she said SHE loves St. John too, and now I think she and another lady might be thinking about showing up for the swim themselves.  It's gonna be a party in St. John!

As a side note, I measured my waist this morning even though it's not weigh and measure day yet, and I'm pretty sure it's gone down 1 inch.  In 6 days.  That's insane.

Day 17 - So Sweet. So, So Sweet

This week is Restaurant Week in Providence and I have a friend who I always go out to lunch with during Restaurant Week.  Lunch is a starter, entree and dessert for $14.95.  Not too shabby considering that we went to The Capital Grille today, which I never go to during the rest of the year because it is way too expensive.  Like, $50 for a petite filet expensive.

I was looking forward to it because I love their flourless chocolate cake and I figured I would have a little as my dessert.  I had a nice salad to start, salmon and asparagus for my entree, and then the cake.

I think I had 4 little bites and I was DONE.  I had the rest boxed up and I'm bringing it home to Jason.  Not only was it so sweet and rich that I couldn't finish it, but as I walked back to the office afterward, I could feel my brain buzzing.*

*This is the medical term.

Only 16 full days without sweets and I am already super-sensitive to sugar. 

You know what else?  I didn't even WANT the bread in the bread basket.  My thought process went something like this:  Bread! -> wheat -> migraine and cloudy afternoon head -> NO THANK YOU.

I can't guarantee that will always be my thought process, but it seems like some of these lessons I've learned are finally sinking in.

Day 16 - Good Intentions

Despite my promises to myself and emphatic statements on this blog, I still haven't made it to the gym this week.  My food is going well.  I had some rice today because I had a lunch at a Korean restaurant, but not too much.  I won't have any more big carbs for the rest of the day.

The gym thing has been tricky.  I seem to have settled into this sleep pattern of falling asleep at around 11:30 or 12 (no matter what time I literally go to bed), and then waking up at around 7 or 7:30.  I need to figure out a way to back the cycle up an hour, so that I'm up and out of bed by 6.

I was determined to do it this morning until I woke up to a few inches of snow and slush covering my car and the street.  I'm fine with cleaning off my car if I need to get to work and it's a normal time of day, but cleaning the car off in the dark, while it was still snowing, to go to the gym by 6:30 wasn't happening.  Yeah, lame, I know.

I still have Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.  Here's to getting to the gym!  Finally!

Day 14 - What Is It That I'm Doing?

A friend of mine emailed me on Facebook after I posted links to my blogs on there and asked me for some more specifics about what exactly I'm doing.  I wound up writing her a long email, and I thought I would put it on my blog in case anyone else is wondering where to start.

First, let me offer this caveat.  I think low-carb is a good way to eat, for reasons that I think are explained below.  However, what works for me may not work for you.  My tweaked version of low-carb may not work for other low-carbers.  I know that I can tolerate dairy.  Also, I can tolerate corn and rice much better than wheat, so I'm ok with indulging in sushi or corn tortilla chips very occasionally.  These are all things I've discovered over the past few years. It's interesting to figure out what works for your body.

That said, first I'll give some background about why I'm doing low-carb.   I came to low-carb several years ago when after steadily losing weight for a few years by working out (swimming and strength training) and eating the typical low-fat, whole grain diet, I hit a major plateau and could not lose any more weight. I had cut out sugar and white flour and I had lost 40 pounds, so I knew how to lose weight via the standard dietary advice.  I definitely still had weight to lose, but I was stalled. So I started doing some research into other ways of eating and decided to try low-carb.

Initially I tried the South Beach Diet, which is a more low-fat version of low-carb. I even bought the book, which was helpful for having meal ideas and recipes. For the first 2 weeks (Phase 1), you cut out all sugars and grains and fruit and basically eat meat, some low-fat dairy, and vegetables. Pretty quickly, I broke through my plateau and started losing weight again.

So I kept doing research because I figured there must be something to this. My first major resource after South Beach was the Livin' la Vida Low Carb podcast. Jimmy Moore gets great guests, like all of the doctors and researchers who are doing low-carb research (which aren't that many.  But if they're researching it, Jimmy Moore has them on his show.)

A real turning point for me was watching the documentary Fat Head after Tom Naughton, the creator, was on the LLLVLC podcast. It's kind of the idiot's guide to biochemistry and explains why fat doesn't make us fat, carbs make us fat. The production value is on the lower end because Tom Naughton basically funded it himself, but the information is good and it's entertaining.

The science made sense to me, but what do I know, I'm a lawyer.  So I sat Jason, the scientist, down and made him watch it with me.   He confirmed that the science is right on, and ever since has been hugely supportive of my low-carb efforts, and even tries to cut down himself sometimes, though he's not really dedicated. Doesn't matter, since I'm the one that cooks.  Most of our joint meals at home consist of protein and vegetables.

Eventually, the Paleo and Primal movements started getting more coverage on the low-carb blogs and podcasts. The theory is that our bodies did the bulk of their evolving when we were hunter/gatherers (during the Paleolithic era). Agriculture is a fairly recent invention, evolutionarily speaking, and our bodies are not evolved to cope with the glut of grains and high amounts of sugar that we throw at them.  Especially not over the last 30 years or so where grains have become ubiquitous and processed foods are so plentiful.

Paleo is really focused on whole foods, and the low-carb movement seems to be heading that way. On Atkins and South Beach you can have artificial sweeteners and processed foods, so long as they're low-carb. Paleo is all about unprocessed, whole foods, which I like.

So what am I doing now?  For the past 14 days, I've been doing my best to do Phase 1 of South Beach, which is no grains, no sugar, no fruit.   I'm not so worried about the fat because all of my research has really taught me not to be so scared of natural fats.   I suppose technically today is my last day of Phase 1, but I haven't been hurting from it, so it hasn't really occurred to me that OMG, tomorrow I can eat an apple!  Meh.  Maybe I'll eat an apple tomorrow, maybe not.

After these 2 weeks, I'm moving into more of a Paleo/Primal mode. All that really means for me is I can have a sweet potato now and again. Since I am trying to lose weight, I keep my carbs low, even carbs that are ok (like sweet potatoes).  I like data and I like to keep track of what I'm doing, so I track all of my food on SparkPeople.  I shoot for less than 100g of carbs per day.  It looks like over the past 14 days I've averaged 70g of carbs per day.  If I factor in my average fiber intake of 18g per day, that brings meto an average net carb intake of 52g per day.  Considering the average American takes in 300-400g of carbs per day, I think you can call my eating low-carb.

I can't tell you how much better I feel when the junk is out of my system.   As I've discussed on here before, I've discovered wheat is a migraine trigger for me. I build up a tolerance to it when I eat wheat regularly, but I do get migraines at least once a week. I haven't had a migraine since December 31st.

Now for some good resources:

Fat Head - Everyone should watch this movie.  Seriously. It is enlightening and entertaining. I'm pretty sure it's on Netflix streaming still, or possibly Hulu.

Mark's Daily Apple - Mark Sission teaches a "Primal" plan, which as far as I can tell is Paleo, but with more flexibility regarding dairy and legumes. I've never had a problem with dairy, so I'm happier when I can have a glass of milk now and again. This site has great information, great recipes, and a success story every Friday which I personally find really motivational.  I can spend hours on this site.

Robb Wolf -  He is a major Paleo guru and has a site, a podcast  and books.  Although I haven't delved into his info as much as other people, he's got some interesting stuff.

Kalyn's Kitchen -   Kalyn is on South Beach so it doesn't fit exactly with my own plan, but she has some awesome, creative recipes, especially vegetable recipes.

Livin La Vida Low Carb - Discussed above

Everyday Paleo - Another good Paleo resource for recipes and information.  Sarah Fragoso has a couple of podcasts and has put out some Paleo recipe books.
 
The point of all of this is to feel better and to be healthy.  Try not to beat yourself up if you're not perfect.  Mark Sisson and other Paleo people talk a lot about the 80/20 rule. If you're on plan 80% of the time, you can cut yourself some slack on the other 20%.  I'm a big believer in that because striving for perfection and beating yourself up if you slip at all is the fast road to obsession and disordered thinking about food.

Day 13 - Corn

Weird subject line, right?  Basically, I had some corn yesterday.  I also had maybe 8 or 9 ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper.

Jason and I went to the Boston Celtic Music Festival yesterday, which is always a fun time.  There are so many talented musicians in Boston!  They celebrated their 10th anniversary this year, and we figured we've been to 6 or 7 of them (not positive what year we started going...)  During the intermission for the closing concert last night, we had a fascinating conversation about Gaelic linguistics with an expert.  You don't get that every day.

In between the daytime sessions and the evening concert, we headed over to a Mexican restaurant with some friends for dinner.  I was starving and didn't even pause before diving into the chips and salsa.  Hours before, I had made Jason and I a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs with turkey and feta, and I ate a Lara Bar mid-afternoon, but that was all I had eaten. I ordered fish tacos, which came with a side salad, mango salsa and half a grilled avocado, instead of the usual rice and beans.  Yum!

I also made sure to get corn tortillas instead of the usual flour.  I've been tweaking my own low-carb plan for so long, that I've had the opportunity to observe what makes me feel the worst.  Sugar and wheat are no good.  Corn and rice are tolerable, if I'm going to have a splurge.

As for the Diet Dr. Pepper...  Yeah, that wasn't ideal.  But the evening concert ran really late and I drove the hour home.  Then I had to finish a talk I gave in church this morning.  Since I haven't had caffeine in almost 2 weeks, those few ounces of soda were enough to keep me conscious until 2 AM.  At which point, I crashed.

And honestly, I'm fine with yesterday.  I'm a big believer in the 80/20 rule.  The goal is to be 80% on plan, and to leave yourself 20% in wiggle room.  While I'm trying to lose weight, I'd rather be closer to 90/10, honestly, but the point is, a little digression isn't going to destroy my efforts.

Today I'm back on plan and doing well.  Even with the chips and tortillas last night, my carbs came in for the day right around 100g, with my net carbs at about 80g.  I didn't have a carb hangover this morning, and I think part of that is because I really didn't eat THAT many carbs, and I was careful to eat only carbs that I know I can tolerate.

Day 12 - Weigh-In

I decided to wait until today for my first weigh-in, since it's a Saturday and I wanted to get on a weekly schedule and Saturday mornings are more leisurely and conducive to weight-ins and other non-essential things.

The verdict?  I've lost 3.2 pounds and 4.5 inches.

I was kind of hoping for something a little more dramatic in the weight department, but that's why I also measure myself, because I know inches are much more important than pounds.  If I just went by the scale I would never be happy with my progress.

4.5 inches.  I'll take it!

I think that's pretty good considering I've worked out, well, once in the last 11 days.  I went on some long walks, but actual sweaty exertion that left me sore only happened once.  I was giving my body a chance to adjust to the new food plan before I threw a bunch of exercise at it.

Most of the inches lost were on the top half of my body, which is how it always goes.  I gain there last and lose there first, so when I'm first losing weight, my pants may still feel essentially the same, but my shirts start getting baggy.  It would be nice to lose evenly, but that's not how it works.

Overall, I'm pleased with my progress.  Come Monday, the exercise plan starts for real!

Day 9 - Binging (In A Good Way)

No, no, not THAT kind of binging.  I am still on top of my food. 

I'm talking about podcasts.  When I'm eating junk and not working out, I tend to avoid my low-carb/Paleo podcasts, because I believe what they're saying, but I don't really want to hear it when I'm eating a mini Butterfinger.  So I have a lot of old episodes stored up in itunes.

Here's what I listen to (in between Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, This American Life, The Moth, and Stuff Mom Never Told You):

Livin' La Vida Low Carb
PaleoTalk (though they seem to be on some type of hiatus now.  However, Sarah Fragoso is doing another podcast called...)
Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness
Fat-Burning Man
Latest in Paleo
Cut the Fat
Healthy Mind, Fit Body

I was supposed to go to strength training this morning, but we saw The Hobbit* last night and I didn't get to sleep until 11:30.  I decided to sleep another hour instead of getting up at 5:45 AM.  Then I remembered that I have a work meeting in Boston Friday morning so I can't go then either.  I think it's time to bust out my little hand weights and do some squat presses, push-ups and crunches.


* Verdict: I liked it a lot better than I thought I would, probably because I had heard/read so many mediocre and negative reviews. There were one or two parts toward the beginning where I thought, "Aaand this is the part I will be fast forwarding through in the future", but after that it was very engaging.  It's no Lord of the Rings, but I'm excited for the next movie.

Day 8 - Visibly Better

I made it to the gym this morning!  It had been so long that the woman who works at the front desk asked me where I have been.  I told her, "I've been in laziness."  She asked what brought me back and I told her New Years Resolutions, needing to take care of myself, and planning to do an open-water swim at the end of May that I need to get in shape for.

I did a half hour on the elliptical and felt great afterward, if sweatier than I've been in awhile.  I expected the gym to be packed, but it wasn't.  Could the resolutioners be dropping off already?

This morning one of my co-workers asked me how the carb reduction thing was going and I told him it's going great.  He said that even without knowing that I'm working on being healthier, he can really see in my face that I have more energy and I'm feeling better.  I kind of thought my complexion was looking brighter, and he basically confirmed that.

These are the posts I need to come back and read when I'm contemplating falling off the wagon again.  I need to remember that this isn't a diet, and it's not a temporary thing.  Being healthy is a way of life and I need to stick to it!

Day 7 - Banana Bread

(The good thing about starting this whole thing on January 1 is it's really easy to keep track of what day I'm on)

Friday afternoon I felt kind of blah and was really craving sugar.  I went to the store near my office mid-afternoon and got some beef jerky and nuts, which at least satisfied me enough to get through the afternoon without caving. I'm always reticent to eat beef jerky at work because the odor is so strong.  I got some anyway and then plead ignorance when my co-worker asked, "Do you smell smoke...?"

Saturday I thought about making paleo blueberry muffins that my friend Donna posted on Facebook, but decided to try Paleo banana bread instead since I recently rediscovered a recipe I've been sitting on for several months.  Yeah, I had some fruit this weekend, but it was Paleo so I'm not too bothered about it.  The recipe is here.

It didn't really turn out so much bread as bread pudding.  I discovered too late that I didn't have any coconut flour, so I used almond meal instead.  Despite the lack of structural integrity, it tasted SO good!  Especially when I mixed a tad bit more almond butter into the bread and warmed it all up.  I also rediscovered my abiding love for almond butter this weekend.

I had planned to go to strength training this morning, but I got to bed too late.  I need to be better about going to bed early enough that I can actually get out of bed at 5:50 AM.  I have a meeting tonight, which means I can't go to the gym after work.  So I brought my sneakers and I'm going on a lunch walk.  That won't count as one of my workouts for the week, but at least I'm getting up and moving.

Oh here's another observation: getting the cloudy feeling out of my head means I actually want to be more active.  Friday at work I was crawling out of my skin sitting at my desk all day and really wished I had some comfy shoes so I could go for a quick walk.  Saturday we were at home all day, but I got a lot of things organized in the kitchen and prepped some food for the week.  I also cleaned out a couple of email accounts and emailed a bunch of people about places to stay in St. John in May.  Yesterday afternoon after church Jason and I watched a movie and even though I had been drowsy during the movie, I bounced up and was raring to go to start taking down our Christmas decorations.  I've missed this feeling of wanting to DO things rather than just sit and watch TV and be completely unengaged.

Day 4 - Observed

Observed so far:

• You know those really annoying people who are all, "I forgot to eat!  Tee hee!"  Yeah, well, yesterday, I was one of those people.  I was working along and before I knew it, it was 1 PM and I needed to eat lunch.  Usually I have some sort of mid-afternoon snack, but yesterday at around 4:30, my stomach started to growl and I realized I never had a snack.  I finished out my work day and wound up eating dinner around 7.  Physically I was hungry, so I enjoyed my food, but my brain wasn't like "We have to eat RIGHT NOW or we will die!" like it often is, so I was able to wait and get my work done and not focus on what I was going to eat next.
  
  What this tells me is that in only 3 days I've managed to fix my brain a little bit, and adjust my mental obsession with food.  All by cutting out sugar and grains.  Amazing!

• My mood has improved about 5,000%.  Jason has asked me a couple of times why I'm in such a good mood.  I don't really think I'm in a good mood particularly, but that's how I'm coming across now.  I'd much rather have a reputation as the happy wife than the sourpuss wife.  Jason, sorry for being such a pill lately.  I can't guarantee I won't ever be in a bad mood, but it would probably be in your best interest to keep encouraging me to stay away from the crap food.

Day 3 - Carb Flu

Well, it's either carb flu or the real flu.  The point is, today I feel crummy.

I always forget how Day 3 hits me.  This time I was actually thinking I was getting off light with the carb withdrawal.  Day 1 and Day 2: piece of cake!

Then last night at around 9:30, my head started hurting and I started feeling a little cloudy-headed.  Also, I felt like I could just fall asleep right that moment.  I stayed up for another hour or so and then I was OUT until 7:30 this morning.  That's a very long sleep for me.

The left side of my head hurts, which is weird for me since my migraines are always on the right side.  I guess the left side of the head is the carb withdrawal side.  I'm doing my best to focus because I have a client coming in for a meeting in 26 minutes and I need to be on the ball.  Wish me luck!

It's not so bad, though.  I knew what to expect so I know I'll feel better if not by Day 4, then definitely by Day 5.  It's good to have a little pain to remind me how addicted to junk my body is, and how I don't want to be that way anymore.

Day 2

I thought about going to strength training this morning, but I'm going to let the carb detox finish beforehand.  My plan is to go to Friday morning's class.

This morning I got up and dutifully scrambled eggs to bring for breakfast, and packed some black-eyed peas and a small salad for lunch.  Then I left it all on the chair next to the front door.

Drat!

So instead for breakfast I had the innards of a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich from Starbucks and I'm just about to run out and buy a salad for lunch.  This is after I was so pleased with myself for shopping yesterday so I wouldn't have to pay exorbitant amounts for what is basically just a pile of lettuce.

Oh well, at least I've managed to stay on plan.  And tomorrow is another day!

For the Millionth Time, Day 1

Yesterday was a good reminder for me of why I need to change the way I'm doing things.  I had a migraine. A completely debilitating thing that started Sunday evening and didn't completely go away until late last night. The nausea-inducing pain subsided a little earlier in the evening so I at least got to have a nice dinner in and watch a movie with Jason, but overall it was a wasted day.  Then I felt ill all night because I had popped too many pain pills and my stomach did not appreciate it.

I was supposed to go to work for a half day yesterday and then trot over to the grocery store to stock up on veggies and chicken so that I could plan my healthy meals over the next few weeks.  Then I was supposed to be a scintillating companion last night as Jason and I rang in the new year together.

Sigh.

I woke up this morning and weighed and measured myself.  Holy cow, that was depressing!  My weight is extremely out of control and I've gained back almost all the weight I worked so hard to lose several years ago.

But at least I know where I'm starting from for real, so when I do make improvements, I'll know exactly how much progress I'm making.

I scrambled some eggs for breakfast and put the black-eyed peas on to cook.  I just checked the grocery store websites and they're all open so I'll be heading out soon.  While I feel bad for the employees who have to work today, I'm glad I get a grocery store trip do-over, since I was out of commission yesterday.

Happy New Year everyone!

Resolutions

I've been thinking a lot about my New Years resolutions.  I want to be healthier, but I also have a goal with a defined date to shoot for, which is always more useful for me than just vague notions of "being healthy". I have a swim coming up!

American Airlines oversold our flight for Christmas in Chicago and asked for volunteers to give up their seats.  In exchange they offered a $500 travel voucher, seats on a flight the next morning, meal vouchers and a night at a hotel with cab fare if we weren't local.  As Jason proclaimed as he dashed over to the gate counter, "That's our next trip to St. John!"

Indeed.

So we now have $1,000 in travel vouchers on American, one of the airlines with direct Boston to St. Thomas flights.  And here's where my goals come into play.

See, several months ago I discovered that there's an open-water swim in St. John on Memorial Day weekend to raise money for the National Park.  I thought to myself, "Wouldn't that be cool to do?"  Then I started talking with my swimming buddy about it.  One of the things Jason and I bonded with her and her husband over was our mutual love of St. John.  Turns out they had traveled there a couple of months after Jason and I went in 2011.  Also, both she and her husband swam in high school.

You can see where this is going, right?

Since Jason and I now have unexpected travel money, I mentioned the swim to our friends again as something that might actually happen and they both enthusiastically said they want to go and have been talking about it amongst themselves ever since I told them about it.  So barring some unforeseen problem, the 3 of us are doing the swim in May!  Jason will be our cheerleader/towel holder.

(I spent last night looking at villas for 4 in St. John.  It's amazing what you can rent for a week when you have 4 people to share the expense!)  

The thing is, I have gotten even more soft and squishy and haven't been swimming regularly for a couple of months now.  In the St. John swim, the swimmers can swim 1, 2 or 3 miles.  Of course, I would like to be hardcore and do the 3-mile swim, but I'm not sure if I can.  I'm a sprinter and I'm ok with that.  But I would like to try to get ready for a 3-mile swim.  Which means I need a training plan! 

So here are my official Resolutions.

First, diet:

1) Starting January 1, I am doing Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet.  This means I'll be basically eating protein, fat and vegetables.  No fruit and definitely no grains and sugar.  And NO Diet Coke!  I've done this a few times before and it's a good way for me to go cold turkey on the carbs (and caffeine) and lose the cravings.

2) After that, I'll probably add in some fruits and sweet potatoes, and stick to a more Paleo/Primal food plan.

3) I'll see how I feel, but I plan to be strict for 30 days and then possibly give myself a splurge day.  A monthly splurge day has worked well for me in the past.  It's a crutch, I know, but it's easier for me to turn down a treat if I think, "That's ok, on my splurge day I can have something sugary."  In reality, the longer I stay away from sugar and carbs, the less I want on my splurge day anyway.

Second, exercise:

1) Two strength training classes per week, most likely Monday and Friday mornings.

2) At least two 30-60 minute cardio workouts per week.  Obviously I need to swim, but, oh my gosh, it is HARD to convince myself to put on a swimsuit in January in Rhode Island.  Swimming might need to wait a month or so.  I'll elliptical to start.  Right now I'm so out of shape again, that I'll just do a basic elliptical workout, but by the 3rd week, I plan to throw in a HIIT workout at least once a week.

3) Separate from #2, I'll walk home from work when I can.  Sometimes it's too icy on the streets in the winter for this to be feasible, but when I can, I'll shoot for 2 walks home per week.

This is the plan for now.  As I move into February and March, I'll modify as I begin to increase my swimming and work on endurance.

It all starts Tuesday!

Helping Out A Little

I wrote about our experience in Queens on my other blog.

Wheat

We had the opportunity yesterday to go to Queens and help families clean up after Hurricane Sandy.  Yes, it's been over a month since the hurricane swept through New York City, but there are still people with disaster areas for homes as Winter approaches.  There were lot of groups there helping, which was great to see, but there's a lot to do.

I'm going to write something a little later today about the actual experience, but I'm going to be navel-gazely here and talk about food and me because I need to remember this.

So this past week I've been very mindful about my eating.  I've had a cookie here or there (ONE cookie), but generally I haven't eaten wheat at all (except for the little bit in a cookie) and instead have been eating meat and fat and fruits and vegetables. I made most of my meals this week at home.

Yesterday morning I made us sandwiches to take to New York.  I also bought crackers and Mint Oreos and apples and carrots to take and share with out group.  One of my Young Women from church came with me and Jason so I had to feed her too.  We left the house at 5:30 AM and stopped at McDonald's for breakfast at around 7:30 because highway food offerings are limited.  I had a Sausage biscuit.  Sausage, good.  Biscuit, bad (but so, SO good too, even if it is McDonald's.  I have deep Southern roots and love a buttery biscuit).

Lunch came and I ate my sandwich (on whole wheat bread everyone!  No problem, right?)  I also had a couple of corn chips someone brought and a couple of Mint Oreos.

After we were done, we went to a diner for dinner, and I ate most of a hamburger (with bun), plus a couple of bites of cake (Jason got a meal that included dessert).

We drove home and 4 hours later watched a TV show and I had a couple more Mint Oreos.  Because, Mint Oreos!

I thought, I'm doing manual labor, my body can handle some wheat and other carbs.

Last night, at about 12:30 AM, I almost threw up.  I went to bed with a stomach ache, and at 12:30, woke up wide awake, trying not to lose those Oreos.

This morning I'm trying to keep my head from exploding into a full-on migraine and my stomach isn't so hot.  I'm popping Excedrin and I just ate some eggs in a bunch of butter and I feel a little better.  Aren't you supposed to eat greasy foods for hangovers?  For me, I think I'm being literal when I say I have a carb hangover.

I have a ton of stuff to do today (go to church, teach a lesson, Evensong rehearsal and service) so I just can't be sick.

Can someone please sit on my shoulder and be that little angel who reminds me how I feel when I eat grains all day long?  Geez!  You'd think I would have learned by now.

Holidays

I'm not even going to make excuses for why I haven't been posting.  Just not feeling it, I guess.  Partly because I haven't really been working out.  It's getting cold and the mornings are dark, and this is the hardest time of the year for me to pry myself out of bed and go to the gym.  I didn't even sign up for the current Masters swim session.

(Though I'm still on the coach's email list and now have a pile of new workouts in my inbox, so that's cool.)

After succumbing to the Thanksgiving bacchanalia, I pledged that starting yesterday morning I would eat better in the coming weeks.  I'm not saying I'm being perfect, but my goal is to eat healthy at work, make healthy dinners, and generally not eat 2-4 pieces of pie per day, which is kind of what was happening during and post-Thanksgiving.  Jason went to Trader Joe's last night (aka, land of amazing Christmas treats) and bought us a box of Pfeffernusse, which are so, so good.  I had one last night after dinner and that was just perfect.

(I kind of hoped he had gotten some Peppermint Joe Joe's too, but he said, "I didn't really think we needed those."  I guess we needed the Pfeffernusse, though...?)

I haven't been doing the gym thing, but I have been walking a lot lately.  I have a new walking buddy, and have discovered that dashing off 3-4 miles of walking is a piece of cake when you're gabbing the whole time.  This is the same person who was my swimming buddy, but we've both been pretty ambivalent about the idea of waking up in the cold and jumping into a pool at 6:30 in the morning.

The good news is, I know me, and I know that I'm pretty good with diving into New Years resolutions.  So while I work on my many projects at work, have extra choir practices and services for the holidays, bake and cook, and try madly to finish my holiday knitting, I know that waiting for me at the end of it all is a bright shiny New Year and resolutions to be made and conquered!

Boots

For years I have lusted after boots to wear in the winter.  Pants fit me weird (15 inch difference between my hips and my waist), so I wear skirts and dresses, even in the coldest days of winter. 

Well, when it's really cold, I wear sweatpants into work and then change.  But the point is, my legs are cold.

I was assured that Lane Bryant had boots that would fit the most substantial of calves.  I happily ordered 3 pairs (since I can just return them to the store) and tried them on this morning.

No good.  Not even the fat lady boots fit my giant calves.  Siiiiiigghhhhh.

Actually, I did get one pair zipped up, but it was a little squished and when I took a step the entire boot, and its synthetic material, made this awful squeaking sound.  The other 2 pairs weren't even close to zipping up. 

I was so excited to have boots this winter, and now I'm just sad that I'm so fat.  Bleh.

Ireland, October 19-20, 2012

Click for the travelogue of our first day in Ireland.

Sugar Is Some Crazy Stuff

It's the morning after Halloween and I started my day feeling completely spaced out and with a stomach ache.  The culprit? Too much sampling from the treat bowl.  For the first year, we actually bought enough candy for the masses of trick or treaters that descend on our neighborhood.  Which meant I sat down to watch a scary movie* with Jason with a few mini Butterfingers to keep me company.  This is in addition to the few I had eaten while handing out candy.

Then I woke up feeling awful.  This is why I don't eat candy that often.

*Paranormal Activity 3.  Not as good as 1 or 2, in my opinion, but still plenty creepy.

Speaking of candy, I made an interesting observation while we were in Ireland last week.  (Yes, we went to Ireland!  It was fantastic and I'll be writing travelogues shortly.)  Every time we made a pit stop I would grab a new English candy bar for us to try.  Jason and I each had our favorites, but I observed that I was infinitely more satiated by the good quality chocolate.  Everyone talks about how dark chocolate is more satisfying generally, which I've found to be true, but even the milk chocolate was better.  I could eat half a candy bar and think, "That's plenty for now. I'll just put the rest away for later."  Right this moment I have half a Wispa Gold still sitting in my carry-on bag. 

It's not that it's not tasty, because it is, and downing all of that American chocolate last night just reminded me how much better the non-waxy English stuff tastes.  But just a few bites of some high quality chocolate, and I'm good for awhile.  It's similar to eating empty, processed foods and being hungry a half hour later, versus eating good whole foods and being satiated for a long time.

You know what else is satiating?  Irish breakfasts.  Bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, beans, toast, fruit, puddings.  I didn't care for the beans (pinto beans in tomato-y sauce, meh) and would just have a little toast and fruit.  Usually my breakfasts consisted of bacon, mushrooms and a small slice of brown soda bread with butter.  All of that protein and fat kept me full all day long as we tramped around Ireland.  We would have breakfast at 7 or 8 AM, half a candy bar and a cookie around 1 or 2 PM, then eat a nice dinner around 7 or 8 PM.  In the meantime we hiked up hills and wandered around ruins and averaged about 20,000 steps per day.  And I was full all day long.  Fantastic!

Status Update

Despite my boss's worries that we need to be marketing more and get out there in the community, I am swamped with work again.  I've been coming in early and leaving later than usual and I'm blowing deadlines all over the place, which is stressing me out.

I'm also not sleeping so well this week because Jason is out of town.   Despite 31 years on my own, apparently now I need a husband to sleep.  Lame.  I actually blame my imagination more than anything. I am very good at spooking myself and recalling scary movie moments while I'm lying there in the dark alone, trying to fall asleep. 

Then last night I saw the first house centipede in our home.  Not even the fairy-tale house is immune to the scourge of house centipedes!  So I spent a little time chasing it around (those things are fast!) and my pumping adrenaline kept me up way past when I was tired.

The point is, this week has been kind of a bust, exercise-wise.  I swam on Monday, but that's been it.  I plan to swim tomorrow, but I've missed all of my other swims this week because I was beat and/or needed to come into work early.  Also, it's been raining all week so it's not like I could take a long walk as a make-up.

Oh well.  I'll just have to get back in the game next week.  To misquote Scarlett O'Hara, after all, next week is another week!

Ow My Head

Yesterday I got this huge grody mole on the back of my head removed.  There was nothing wrong with it, no cancer suspicions or anything, it was just huge and grody and needed to be off of my head.

This morning I woke up with the worst migraine I've had in a long time.  I was really close to tears, actually.  I took the Tylenol that the dermatologist said I could take for any pain because it's not a blood thinner and they don't want my head wound to bleed, since the head is so vascular.

Then a couple of hours later, after trying to will the headache away with an icepack on my head and the covers pulled up to block out all light, I decided I didn't care about the blood thinning issue and I took 3 Excedrin.  A little while later, I spent 15 minutes going through all my bags and drawers, hoping to find a stray prescription migraine pill that actually works.  No luck.

Finally the Excedrin started to kind of work, so I got up and drank a Diet Coke (another migraine helper, believe it or not) and ate 2 eggs.  Managed to keep all of that down, which was a feat considering how my stomach felt.

So anyway, here I sit at home, with piles of things to do at work, and only marginally able to concentrate enough to do a little bit of that work.  My head still hurts, but not quite as badly.  I keep popping Excedrin, hoping instead of just keeping the worst pain at bay, they will eventually make the headache go away entirely.

Jason speculates that this may due to my head surgery yesterday.  It seems like a bit of an extreme reaction to getting a mole removed.  I'm going to say it's a side effect from suffering head trauma.  That sounds better.

Peppers Galore

Jason grew a lot of peppers this year.  Truth be told, I'm not a huge pepper fan, particularly of the bell pepper variety.  I have tried many, many times to like bell peppers and I just can't do it.

Nevertheless, we have a lot of peppers to get through in the next couple of weeks.  I most wanted to make Jason something with the caballero peppers that he grew and which he loves but that I do not like at all.  They're a good size for stuffing and I figured I could knock some of those out of our supply with a good dinner recipe using lots of peppers.  After asking my Facebook friends (particularly those from Tucson) for a chile relleno recipe, I realized that, wow, chile rellenos are complicated and time-consuming!

So I came up with my own spicy stuffed peppers recipe with meatballs and more peppers!  In the crock pot!

• 6-7 caballero peppers (can also use bell pepper or any other pepper that is stuffable.  The caballero peppers are kind of small (3 inches long by 2 inches wide) so if you're using big bell peppers, 1-3 should suffice for this recipe)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 C bread crumbs
• 1 sweet onion, chopped small
• 5-6 banana peppers and/or parker peppers, seeds removed and chopped small
• 2 T cumin
• 4 T chili powder
• 2 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 15 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes (can also use fresh tomatoes, but I'm saving ours for caprese salad and homemade tomato sauce)
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

Cut off the tops and bottoms of the caballero peppers and remove all seeds.  The bottoms are cut off so that the peppers can stand up in the crock pot.

Mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, about 2/3 of your chopped peppers, 1 1/2 T cumin, 2 T chili powder, 1 t salt, and eggs.  Probably easiest to mix with your hands.

Stuff the caballero peppers with beef mixture.  Roll the rest of the beef mixture into meatballs, about 2 inches in diameter.

In a separate bowl mix together diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, rest of the chopped peppers, 1/2 T cumin, 2 T chili powder and 1 t salt.  Taste and/or smell to make sure that the strongest flavors are the cumin and chili powder, not the tomatoes, otherwise you're just making slightly Mexican spaghetti sauce.  Add more cumin and chili powder as needed. 

Pour tomato mixture into the crock pot and spread evenly.  Place the stuffed peppers on end in the crock pot, then fill in the rest of the space with a layer of meatballs.  Cook on low for 8 hours.


We ate this for dinner last night and I ate leftover meatballs for lunch today.  Jason got his stuffed peppers, and I got some yummy meatballs.  Win win.

Foiled!

I've been paying really close attention to how I feel both physically and emotionally over the past couple of days based on what I eat, by delicately tweaking my diet and reflecting on the slight cues from my body.  Last night I decided to toss this whole delicate nonsense because being delicate is for losers, I guess...?

I volunteer with the teenage girls at my church and last night was our activity night.  I got home from work and fixed myself a big salad, figuring I might have something else small after the activity when we met up with some friends for bar trivia.  It turned out that trivia didn't work out, but Jason and a couple of friends went to the Texas Roadhouse for their Wednesday night steak special.

After my activity ended, I met them at the Roadhouse.  I wasn't hungry enough for a whole dinner so I got a buffalo chicken wings appetizer.  First mistake.  Turn out The Roadhouse's buffalo chicken is really buffalo sauce-coated breaded chicken.  Breaded.  Oh well.  So much for the high-protein appetizer I expected.  I ate all the celery and most of the chicken, though, because I was hungry.

Second mistake.  Downing a couple of the decadent Roadhouse rolls before I really thought about it.  I can't be sure if it was the rolls or the breading (though I'm leaning toward the rolls), but by the time I got home, I already felt bloated and Jason can attest to my irritability.

This morning I had a total carb hangover.  I felt tired and sluggish.  For the last few days I've been waking up a little bit before my alarm.  It's not that I didn't want to stay in bed on those mornings, but I felt awake and ready to get up.  This morning I just could not get out of bed.  I finally got up at 8:15 and sped through my morning routine to finally get to work by 9:15.  Lame. 

Enough With the IMs, Coach!

Our Masters coach is absolutely obsessed with IMs!  For those of you who didn't catch this during the recent Olympics, IMs are Individual Medleys - Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle.

The last few weeks, both the Tuesday morning workouts and the extra workout she sends us later in the week, have been all about the IMs.  I actually appreciate getting some variety from our new coach, because our old coach was all about freestyle.  Which, I love freestyle, but I also like the chance to practice the other strokes.

Howver, every practice recently I feel like I'm dying by the end of it.  And I don't even have high yardage to show for it!  Butterfly and especially Breaststroke slow me waaaay down, so it really impacts the distance I can swim in an hour.

Here was our workout this morning (which I'm sure will only be interesting to other swimmers, so feel free to skip.  I'm including it to emphasize the IM insanity):

200 warm up

16 100's:
1. Fly - 50 kick, 50 drill
2. Back - 50 kick, 50 drill
3. Breast - 50 kick, 50 drill
4. Free - 50 kick, 50 drill
5. Fly - 50 drill, 50 swim
6. Back - 50 drill, 50 swim
7. Breast - 50 drill, 50 swim
8. Free  - 50 drill, 50 swim
9-16 - odds 100 IM, evens 100 free

10 50s with :10 rest
Odds: 50 IM (12.5 Fly, 12.5 Back, 12.5 Breast, 12.5 Free)
Evens: 50 Free

At that point I had to get out of the pool a little early to get to a work meeting, but you get the idea.  It's been like this with the IMs for about 3 weeks now.

FYI, Butterfly is hard, everyone.  HARD.  I am in awe of the Olympics swimmers who race Butterfly.  So after a 25 or 50 of that, I am beat.  THEN I'm expected to swim Breast, which I am SO SLOW at.  I'm not really sure why.  I focus on my technique and try really hard, but I am just achingly, frustratingly slow.

Confession: when the extra weekly practice includes Breaststroke, I usually substitute Fly or Back.  I can only handle being extremely frustrated once a week.

Tomorrow morning I will hit the pool with one of my old coach's workouts and I will revel in the Freestyle!

A Day in Rhode Island

Jason and I bought too many Groupons this summer!  We got excited when all of the Groupons for the summer activities started coming out in May, and we snapped up a bunch.  Now we're struggling to use them all before they expire.

(For instance, since there was cruddy weather last weekend, I don't think we're going to get to use the stand-up paddleboarding Groupon before it expires. At least we can use the face value for a credit.)

On Saturday, we kayaked all day.  We bought Groupons from Narrow River Kayaks, thinking we would go twice for 4 hours.  Instead, we used both of them and kayaked all day.  Well, we didn't kayak ALL day, but for a long stretch.  Let's just say, today I am still feeling my lats.

My boss recommended this spot to us a few years ago and ever since we've tried to go back at least once a summer.  When you put in, you can either kayak up the river, past the lovely rich peoples' homes and boats, or head down the river to where it flows into the ocean, beach your kayak and play at the beach for awhile.  Since we had tons of time, we headed up the river first.

The thing you should know is that the tide was going out the whole time we paddled upriver.  If we paused for too long, we started going backwards.  We paddled further than we had in the past, and Jason figured we paddled upriver, against the tide and a strongish breeze, for about 2 1/2 miles.  In case you were wondering, that means Jason and I are awesome.

Then we turned around and went to the beach for a couple of hours.  All told, Jason thinks we paddled for 6 1/2 miles.

After we returned the kayaks, we drove to the beach at  Quonochontaug.  We checked out Quonochontaug last Fall, when Jason's brother was visiting, mainly because in the X-Files, it's the place where Mulder's family has a summer home.  And, yes, we are big nerds.

(Dear X-Files writers,  After living in New England for awhile now, I have to question your sense of geography.  Supposedly Mulder grew up on Martha's Vineyard (an ISLAND) and his family summered on the mainland in Rhode Island.  This makes no sense.  What also makes no sense is how Mulder was able to get from DC to Martha's Vineyard (an ISLAND) is just a few hours, no problem, with no thought of things like ferry schedules and such.)

We went for the nerd cachet, but discovered that Quonochontaug is this absolutely beautiful private community.  We also discovered on Saturday that in September, we could just wander around the restricted community beach.

This is a little-known fact about Rhode Island: the beaches are amazingly beautiful, the water is still warm in September, and after Labor Day, no one is around to make you pay for parking, or to keep you off of restricted beaches.

We rounded out the evening with dinner at Aunt Carrie's (which I keep wanting to call Sister Carrie's)  It is apparently a Rhode Island institution, and Jason took his parents there the last time they visited while I was working like a chump.  So good.  SO good!  Scallops of perfection!

Such a perfect Rhode Island day.  Sometimes this state drives me insane, with its corrupt politics and cronyism and bankruptcy, but it really is a lovely place.

New Challenge: In Progress

One of my swim friends on Spark People created a new challenge to run from September 10 to October 10. She said to look at the principles that guide Diana Nyad from this article and focus on one or more of the principles for a month.

Here's what I'm doing:

First, #4 Nyad is a learning machine and #8 Nyad is coachable. I already try to internalize what my coach tells me to do to get better, but I'm going to really focus on that this month. Maybe I'll improve enough to not hate breaststroke!

Second, #2 Nyad embraces obstacles to growth. This past week has reminded me how fantastic I feel when I swim consistently. For the next month, I'll schedule in 3 swims and 1 strength training class per week.

Finally, #10 Nyad is a big thinker. I want to work on my sprint times. In the next month, I'm going to try to get down to either under 1:30 for a 100 free or under :40 for a 50 free, or both. I'm not sure if I can get there in a month, but I'm going to try!

So far this week is good.  Not only did I listen to and incoporate my coach's breaststroke advice  at Masters (and maybe got a little faster), but I swam Monday and Tuesday and I went to strength training class yesterday.  I'm feeling energized all day long (well, until around 9 PM because early morning workouts make me an old lady).  I haven't started the sprint work yet, but I'll get there.

More Than Just Calories

I've written a lot about my frustration with the failure of the calories in/calories out equation in my life.  I think at this point I've gained back almost all the weight I lost 8 years ago, a big chunk of that over the past 2 years, but I haven't really changed that much in my life.  I have periods of eating healthy, and periods of not eating so healthy.  I have periods of working out regularly, and then working out irregularly.  After years of tracking my calories, I have a pretty good idea of my average calories per day, and yet I don't lose weight, despite all of the various equations telling me that I should be dropping weight, no problem.

Today I read Tom Naughton's latest post and was struck again by the ridiculousness of our standard nutritional guidelines and the expectation that every person should fit into a tidy little height/weight box.  Basically, Tom writes about his 2 dogs, who have been raised together, eating the same food, yet one is 18 pounds heavier, and much more muscular than the other.  In reality, it's not just calories in/calories out.  Weight and body shape is created by a complicated cocktail of calories, exercise, genetics and hormones.  The things we eat do impact how we look and what we weigh, but not in the simplistic manner that we've been taught.

Personally, I feel best when I exercise regularly and when I eat a lower carb diet, particularly excluding wheat.  I'm trying to make peace with the fact that despite all that I do, while I feel good, have low blood pressure and a low resting heart rate, I will most likely never be thin. 

(By the way, if you haven't seen Tom's movie Fat Head, I cannot recommend it enough.  Jason the Scientist confirms that the science is right on.)

Challenge Complete!

I finished my Olympics Challenge this morning!  16,025 yards in 16 days. 

This has actually been an awesome swimming week for me.  A friend of mine who swam in high school decided to join the Y and we met up 4 times this week to swim.  I've known since college that having a workout buddy is really key for me.  If I know someone is waiting for me, there is no way I'm going to stand her up.

We swam Monday morning, and then the last 3 mornings.  I completed the challenge with 0 days and 25 yards (ie, 1 lap) to spare!  Nothing like cutting it close.

My friend and I are already planning to swim next Monday, I have Masters swimming on Tuesday, and then she's going to join me for strength training class on Wednesday.  I'm sucking her into the world of swimming at the Y, and at the same time getting myself into a great routine.

I've also been doing really well with eating all week and I can feel it.  The good, clean eating plus 4 swims means I have a major endorphin buzz right now. 

I wish I could bottle this feeeling somehow, so that I could remind myself how awesome it feels to BE HEALTHY.  Why is it so hard to remember that?

&*$&#*!&@#

Forgot to set my alarm last night.  No swim this morning, which means I'm behind in my Olympics challenge.  Guess I'll be doing some crazy amounts of swimming next week.

Coming Out of a Carb Coma

Yesterday morning we had a staff meeting at work.  Meaning the 4 people who work in my office sat in our teeny conference room talking about projects.  Our assistant insisted on getting breakfast for us, and boy did she ever.  She turned up with a HUGE box of pastries.  HUGE.  When I commented on the hugeness, she said, "Well, but they're so cheap!"

Never mind that we're only 4 people and there's no way in the world we would ever eat all of that.  I think 4 people = 4 pastries.  Right?  There were probably 12 pastries in that box.

Not only was the box huge, but the pastries themselves were huge.  I carved the corners off of a few of them and nibbled on them for breakfast.  I swam yesterday morning so I was starving.  I ate a big salad for lunch, but the damage was done.  The rest of the day consisted of insulin spikes and crashes.  When I crashed, I would wander into the conference room and grab another pastry corner to get through another hour or so of my afternoon.

Then we went out for dinner with friends.  Mexican food.  It was so good!  Usually corn tortilla chips don't bug me too much, but after yesterday's carb-stravaganza, it was just adding insult to injury.

This morning I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  No swimming, only sleep, is what my body cried.  So I slept until almost 8 AM.

I'm all puffy too.  The jacket I wore just last week, noting that it was fitting a little looser, is today completely constricting my upper arms.

In addition, I had a bout of angry sleep talking last night.  Sometimes I have whole conversations with Jason in the middle of the night, while he's sitting up in bed, typing away on his computer, that I don't remember the next day.  Sometimes they're benign and sometimes I'm just so irritated with him I could scream.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of these ramblings. 

Last night was an angry night and I woke up in the middle of it and snapped at him, "How much longer are you going to be on your computer?!"

To be fair, it was 1:12 AM.  I don't think my question was completely unreasonable.  However, my delivery could have been a little nicer.  I wonder, though, if those angry nights have anything to do with what I've eaten the day before.  That's something to make note of in the future.

So here I am, disappointed because I didn't get in my swim this morning, feeling bloated and yucky, with a slightly resentful husband.  Pastries are no good for me!

We have suggested to our assistant that next time she might also want to get some fruit for our staff meeting breakfast.  I'd like to put in a plug for bacon too, but I think that might be asking too much.

Michelle Obama is Sort of a Low-Carber

I just read this article about Michelle Obama's diet and fitness tips.  While she does mention eating veggie pizza on whole wheat crust (per the Daily Plate guidelines she's pushing), I thought Tip #5 was very interesting:

5. She Eats Five Meals a Day, When She’s ‘Doing What I’m Supposed to Do’

“I try to eat—when I’m being good—five meals, a breakfast, which can be like stir-fried vegetables, tofu, or oatmeal,” she said while promoting her book, American Grown: The Story of The White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America. “And then I’ll have a snack, something like this [pointing to a tray of sliced apples and honey from the White House beehive] or a vegetable tray or sometimes a protein shake ... then lunch. This last year I’ve tried to change it so my lunch is my biggest meal ... like today, I had fish and vegetables, stir-fried vegetables. And if I’m going to have a carb, like a brown rice or a potato or something, I’ll have it at lunch.”

 

It sounds like the majority of her meals are protein, fruits and vegetables, with a carb (meaning brown rice or potato) possibly thrown in at lunch, with some oatmeal or honey here or there.  If only she could push that more in her official recommendations without the USDA and their grain subsidies jumping down her throat.