Sunday, January 31, 2010

Day 5/42


Today was much better. Not that this makes up for yesterday, but I did a KILLER bike ride today and also ate relatively well. The group decided to do a ride we had done two weeks prior, except that we were going to start further away to give ourselves a better warm-up and a longer ride time. The plan was to climb one of the local mountains.

What we didn't count on was that last week's heavy rainfall brought SNOW at the top! As we climbed closer, I could see some of it along the side of the road. "How cute!" I thought. That's novel..

It wasn't so cute when the patches of snow slowly starting creeping onto the road, and soon grew in size as we rode higher in elevation. It got to the point where the entire road was blanketed in snow! We thought we were close to the top, so we decided to walk the bikes through.

I still think this was the best plan, but that was some walk! We were walking unsteadily with bike cleats for almost 2 miles and of course, all uphill. 45 minutes and some cursing later, we finally made it to the main road, which had been cleared of snow by plows. After dusting off the snow that had accumulated on our brake pads and wiping the dirt from our cleats, we cruised downhill. After that workout, there was no way I wanted to ruin the day with poor eating choices.

B - (pre-ride): 1 banana, (during ride): diluted OJ, powerbar, dates

L - about 4 oz spinach, and 1/2 bag of mixed vegetables (corn, black beans, peppers, onions, broccoli)

D - large salad: romaine, collards, bell pepper, carrots, zesty tomato dressing
- cauliflower curry

E - bike: 3:15, walking in the snow 0:45

Day 4/42

I've been out and about most of the weekend and am only now finding time to post. Since this is supposed to be an honest food log, I must honestly admit I wasn't perfect this weekend. Some friends and I went and had coffee yesterday and one of them brought me some homemade cookies as a "thank you" for something I did for her.

Can you guess what happened? My first instinct was just to throw them away because I don't trust myself with a temptation like that. But I didn't. And about 4 hours later, I consumed them ALL. Yikes!!

I then had a "let's throw in the towel because I've already blown it" moment but backed away from it and came to my senses. Hurray for that! So no all-out binge... although there was still some unnecessary food at dinner.

B - 1/2 cup oats, 1 banana

L - zucchini noodles, 8 oz cooked spinach, tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups lima beans

S - soy tea latte, then later, 5 cookies

D - broccoli, about 4 small new potatoes (too much starch), 2 pieces dark chocolate with nuts

E - run: 1:00

Friday, January 29, 2010

Day 3/42

So glad I got to swim this morning!  Honestly, I don't know how people don't exercise.  We were meant to move!

I had more dribble written for today but I left my draft at work (oops, did I say I was doing non-work activity at work??) and since I'm in a rush I am not going to be able to re-create it. Just wanted to get down the bare food log:

B - green smoothie: lg apple, 1 kiwi, cauliflower stems/spinach (7 oz total), 1 T flax

L - huge salad: romaine, cabbage, 1 roma tomato, 1/4 cucumber, 1/2 cup garbanzos, 1/2 red pepper, baby carrots, nut-based ETL dressing

S - 4 clementines (was supposed to eat with lunch but too busy working through lunch)

D - zucchini noodles (raw), broccoli (2 small crowns) and tomato sauce

E - swim: 1:00, weights: 1:00

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Day 2/42

Woke up late this morning so I didn't get my morning workout in! DRAT. I swore I was going to do it later, but then I ended up having to work late and didn't end up going to the gym. I suppose I could have gone after work but by that time I was really hungry and just wanted to go home and eat dinner. I know I should have a "no excuses" mentality (I usually do!) so now I'm just feeling guilty about it.

B - 4 clementines

L - salad: romaine, cabbage, roma, 1/4 lg cucumber, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 cup garbanzos, baby carrots, 1/2 sm avocado, nut-based ETL dressing + 2 clementines

D - 2 whole wheat tortillas, roasted broccoli and black beans + grapes

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Day 1/42

Uneventful. I wasn't too hungry most of the day because I think I overate Monday and Tuesday. I didn't need to eat at 4 pm either but I was having fig newton vending machine fantasies so I compromised by digging up some clementines from my car. Who would have thought lazy grocery shopping (by that I mean where I leave things that don't need refrigeration in my car to be brought inside later) would save me?

B - green smoothie: 7 oz cauliflower stems and spinach, 1 kiwi, 1 lg apple, 1 T flax

L - salad: romaine/cabbage, baby carrots, 1/2 orange pepper, 1 tomato, 1/2 small avocado, 1/4 large cucumber, 1/4 cup garbanzos, nut-based ETL-dressing

S - 3 clementines

D - cauliflower curry, and a lot of roasted broccoli with tomato sauce

E - bike: 0:50, run: 0:20

6 Weeks


I started thinking about today's date and I realized that time is ticking away and I really need to get my nutrition down pat. I do NOT want a repeat of last year where every long race I did, I had nutrition problems. I need to nail down my optimal eating plan well ahead of time and figure out my race day nutrition.

I have never been able to successfully finish a 6-week period of ETL. I end up not doing it "perfectly" and then give up. I've been thinking about trying again but am (1) afraid of failure and (2) there is always some excuse why NOT to do something. I'm going away next week, it is X's birthday celebration this weekend, the holidays, etc. I'm tired of excuses. I am not perfect and won't ever be. Now is as good a time to start as any. On a WEDNESDAY no less! Not Monday, not the 1st of the month - right now.

As Emily has said, "100% perfection is totally different from 100% committment."

So I'm committing to 42 days. Will it be perfect? I don't know but I will stay 100% committed. I will log everything honestly for 42 days. I'm not always able to get to a computer (I'll be gone for a few days traveling next week, for example) but it IS possible to travel and eat ETL.

It's just 42 days!

Friday, January 22, 2010

I bit the bullet


After weeks of using my food processor to make chunky green "puddings", I caved. I was at Costco with the intention of just "looking" at the Vitamix. I didn't know if I'd find what I was looking for. I couldn't find one in the appliance section. And even if they had one, I wasn't sure if it would be the $650 package they sold on their website which included a lot of extras I didn't need.

But after picking up the groceries I needed, I stumbled upon a Vitamix demo! They were selling the unit alone (no extras) which is exactly what I wanted. Plus, they were running a "special" so the price was $400. Is the Universe trying to tell me something? I immediately told the woman I wanted one.

"Have you seen my demo?" she asked.

"Nope," I said.

"Well, stay, and at least watch the demo! It'll give you some tips on how to use it."

I did, and she showed me how to make:

  • a green smoothie: Certainly I've had my share of making green smoothies while trying to incorporate ETL. But what caught me by surprise was that she added WHOLE chunks of fruit. I watched her drop a piece of cantaloupe (seeds included, but no rind), a quarter of an apple (stem and seeds included), seeded grapes, an orange (she barely peeled the outside rind and most of the white pith and seeds, if there were any, were included), and half a banana (no peel). I didn't know all those seeds were edible! It made me feel better about the grapes since I often am too lazy to spit out the seeds.
  • "ice cream": I've done this before also in my old blender, but this version was smoother. It was mostly frozen fruit but she added protein powder to it. Yuck!
  • tortilla soup: Spinning the blades fast enough will boil water! That was pretty cool. The soup was too salty but I was impressed at how easily the blender handled the hot liquid. I've had hot soup explode on the walls using my previous blender.

While I'm certainly excited about trying out my Vitamix, I am feeling a bit guilty about spending so much money. I don't mind making the investment when I know the machine will be worth it and I'll get tons of use out of it but that has yet to be proven. I hope the dream machine lives up to the hype...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Awareness


I've been listening to old Jillian Michaels podcasts and even though I mostly completely ignore the nutrition information, she has some great tips on getting your mind in a better place. One thing I really like about her is that she's not just about fitness. She incorporates the mind aspect of it, which is the biggest thing I struggle with.

The podcast I listened to today talked about breaking negative patterns/habits and stopping the negative self-talk.

Guilty and guiltier.

These patterns are so ingrained in me that it's often difficult to even realize I'm doing it to myself. It can easily progress very quickly from one slip-up to horrible things I would never tell anyone. It generally starts like this:

I eat something I wasn't supposed to.

"Oops"

"I can't believe I ate that"

"What is wrong with me?"

"I failed again!"

"OMG I am an utter FAILURE and am NEVER going to be able to do this!!"

Yes, overly dramatic, but that's how my mind works sometimes. The trick (or so I've read) is stopping the behavior somewhere -- ANYWHERE -- in the cycle, acknowledging it, and starting again.

Now that I'm more aware, I'm going to try to stop the cycle.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A rough few days

I've had a rough few days. I binged on a few of them and am now beating myself up over it. I don't really want to get into it because I also know that staying positive is one of the keys to beating this. Focus on what you want! I need to constantly remind myself of the reasons WHY I am changing my eating habits. Nothing is worth the momentary pleasure I get from eating junk food. It can't be better than the awful guilt and feeling of failure I feel afterward.

Today I'm mostly back to normal. I had some snacks in between meals which isn't ideal, but this is still a step in the right direction. I also battled tons of cravings today.

I bought mustard greens this week because they were cheap and looked better than the other greens but WOW - they are pungent! I've bought them from the supermarket frozen before and never had problems eating them but I couldn't stomach these raw, or even lightly steamed. They're just so bitter! I'm not sure what I can do with the rest of them to make them more palatable....?

B - green smoothie: 7 oz bok choy, 1 large orange, 1 kiwi, strawberries, 1 T flax

S - mojo bar before exercising

L - salad: romaine/cabbage, baby carrots, 1/2 red pepper, 1 tomato, 1/2 medium avocado, 1/4 large cucumber, 3/4 cup black beans, nut-based ETL-dressing

S - 1 oz sunflower seeds

D - mustard greens and tomato sauce, 5 date rolls

E - swim: 1:15, weights: 0:45

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 13

I was hungry a lot of the day again. I'm looking forward to the point where I am not counting down the hours until the next meal. I'm not entirely sure how this is supposed to work.. On one hand, Dr. Fuhrman says we shouldn't eat until stuffed - just until satisfied. But if I don't eat enough, I don't feel like I can make it to the next meal without feeling "starved" for the next meal. We're not supposed to eat by the clock either, just eat when hungry. But I eat breakfast at 8:30 or 9 am and feel hungry by 11 am a lot of days. I usually try to wait until 12:30 or 1 pm, but then the period between 1 pm and 6 pm is torture. By 4 pm it can get ugly. I'm sure part of it is boredom but today I sincerely felt hungry!

Today was one of those uglier days. I gave in and had some snacks. Strangely enough, I swam after work this evening, and started feeling light-headed and a little woozy... almost as if I hadn't eaten in a while. Toxic hunger maybe? It didn't make sense since I should have had more than enough calories from the snacks!

On a good note, I'm happy I didn't let my "slip-up" spiral out of control. Far too many times, I've thrown in the towel and let one imperfection "ruin" a day and then proceed to continue eating whatever I wanted all day long.

Had a huge amount of food for dinner. Was looking for some kind of dessert in the house (chocolate!!) but luckily, there was none to be found. I ate a lot of frozen berries, but I figure it is better than chocolate.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy, 1.5 oranges, 1 kiwi, 1 T flax seed, a little (less than 8 oz) coffee

L - salad: cabbage/romaine, 3/4 cup black beans, 1/3 cucumber, 1 tomato, baby carrots, 1/2 orange pepper, nut-based ETL dressing

S - 2 oz RS sunflower seeds, 2 fig newtons

D - 16 oz cooked mustard greens and "cheeze" sauce; 3 raw zucchini and tomato sauce; a lot of frozen berries/cherries

E - weights: 1:00, swim: 0:45

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Feels like hunger

I keep thinking I'm hungry.

All.
The.
Time.

It's kind of annoying! I don't actually think I am, but I think I am used to feeling very full. Overeating meant always feeling satisfied and comforted.

Fuhrman says we should eat until "just satisfied" which is what I've been trying to do. This is not something I have mastered yet though. A few hours after I've eaten, I feel like it's time to eat again. I have to continually ask myself if I'm truly hungry. I think I'm restless and looking for something to do. It's an uneasy feeling.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz collards, 1 T flax, strawberries and blueberries
- small (12 oz?) soy latte

L - salad: romaine/green leaf, 1 tomato, 1/3 cucumber, 3/4 cup black beans, baby carrots, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 small avocado, nut-based ETL dressing

D - cooked cabbage and broccoli with "cheeze" sauce (a lot!), about 3/4-1 cup lima beans (didn't measure - eyeballed)

E - bike: 0:50, run: 0:30

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11

I'm so sore today! Weights really kicked my butt yesterday. I felt good doing them but apparently I am still out of shape. The pool felt good this morning at workout but maybe I got into the wrong lane. I opted for a "faster" lane since the "slower" lane had way too many people in it. Somehow I ended up trying to keep up with the leader but he was way too fast for me. I thought he was going to lap me during the 800! I had to keep reminding myself that half of these people (yes that means you, Mr. Lane Leader) are probably not triathletes which means they don't have tired legs from biking and running over the weekend like me.

Yeeeeah, that's definitely why I can't keep up.
Definitely.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy, 1 T flax, 1 kiwi, 1.5 oranges,
- small (12 oz?) soy latte

L - salad: romaine/green leaf, 1 tomato, 1/3 cucumber, 3/4 cup black beans, baby carrots, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 small avocado, nut-based ETL dressing

D - rest of the cauliflower-peas-collards curry with rest of the spinach (pretty small amount of stew with a lot of slightly steamed spinach)
- cabbage and broccoli with "cheeze" sauce
- 2 cups lima beans

E - swim: 1:10

I knew this day would come





I burned out my blender!!

I was trying to make a few smoothies for the week when I started to smell something funny. I looked over at the blender and there was SMOKE erupting! I immediately stopped the power. I looked it over and am still not quite sure what happened but somehow I burned the plastic part that seals to the bottom of the blender. The unit itself still seems functional but the blade no longer spins.

I've been using it for the past few years at least weekly making smoothies this year. I'm not too upset. I certainly got my use out of it... so now, do I buy myself the coveted Vitamix?? I also wonder if I can just order a replacement gasket?

That's not really the question since I know I want it. It's the best blender out there. Everyone I know LOVES theirs. It's just a matter of cost...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10

Finally feeling a bit better today. I was able to get my workouts in including an hour-long run. It was slow and slightly frustrating. Just last week I ran an hour at a "normal" pace and felt like I was getting back into shape and today was a different story. I was SUPER SLOW. Yes, it's most likely because I'm still recovering from my illness but still frustrating.

Went out to lunch with the Boy who wanted to get a burger. Thankfully, this place had awesome veggie burgers. I did have a few french fries and while this meal was not ETL, it wasn't horrible.

Since lunch was so late, we ended up almost skipping dinner. I was hungry and he wasn't so I heated up some frozen veggies. I was still hungry afterward but since I was going to bed soon, I didn't want to sleep on a full stomach.

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy, 1 T flax, 1.5 oranges, 1 kiwi
- 1/2 medium soy latte

L - quinoa burger, a few french fries

D - mixed cooked vegetables (from frozen): black beans, corn, peppers, broccoli, spinach - 1 plate

E - run: 1:00, weights: 1:00

Friday, January 8, 2010

Jan 7, 8

I've come down with a nasty cold and had to leave work early yesterday to go home and rest. That was the plan anyway. A good friend ended up calling me with a very serious crisis so instead I ended up spending a few hours with her consoling her. She is going through something incredibly difficult and though I know it is something she must do on her own, I still keep thinking about her situation.

I haven't exercised in two whole days which is bumming me out because I feel so much better when I do. I am definitely going to try tomorrow though. I still feel sick today but don't have as much of a headache as I did yesterday so I think some light exercise will do me good.

B - green smoothie: 7 oz bok choy, 1 orange, 1 kiwi, strawberries, 1 T flax

L - salad: romaine, 3/4 cup black beans, 1 tomato, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 cucumber, baby carrots, 1/2 oz sunflower seeds, most of a small avocado
- 1 large apple
- 1 peppermint candy

D - 2 sweet potato/black bean burritos (whole wheat tortillas), steamed vegetables, a little vegan chocolate (I'm throwing it away)

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 6

I feel like I am coming down with something... I was supposed to lift weights today but there was a mix up at work and I wasn't able to leave at lunch as I had originally intended. By the time I left work, I was feeling tired and run-down and thought it better to come home and get to bed early... which is what I'm just about to do!

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy, cauliflower stems, 1 T flax, 1 kiwi, 1 orange, handful strawberries
- 8 oz coffee

L - salad: romaine, 1 tomato, 1/3 cucumber, 3/4 cup black beans, baby carrots, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 small avocado, 1/2 oz roasted sunflower seeds, no dressing
- large fuji apple

D - A LOT of peas, edamame, an orange

E - swim: 1:00

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Thinking about 2010

I've been thinking a lot about 2010 goals. Yes, I know we're already into the new year, but I've never been one to make resolutions specific to January 1st. I think it's important to set goals all the time. My top priority is to give up this bingeing habit. Yep, I'm calling it a habit because that's all it is... something I've conditioned myself to do when I want to procrastinate or feel bad about something. People don't do things without reason... obviously I binge because there is some positive outcome for me. If I can find a way to get that same positive effect that comes from bingeing WITHOUT doing it, I can conquer this problem.

This week's goals: (1) weigh-in, (2) no eating in front of the computer (still working on this one!), obviously (3) no bingeing!, (4) 100% vegan the entire week.

January 5

I thought we would be doing some drills this morning but it looks like we're back to speed work. Running fast was hard and I am still trying to get back in shape. It was quite mortifying when an older, more overweight friend sailed past me! Ah well... it'll come back hopefully!

B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz bok choy and cauliflower stems, 1 T flax, 1 orange, 1 kiwi, strawberries

L - salad: romaine, baby carrots, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 small avocado, 3/4 cup black beans, nut-based dressing

D - huge serving of cauliflower-peas-collards curry mixed with lots of raw spinach; blueberries

E - bike: 0:50, run: 0:40

Monday, January 4, 2010

January 4

The admin brought in a huge platter of different types of cookies today that were leftover from her New Year's party: chocolate chip cookies, pecan butter cookies, chocolate-covered cookies, yogurt pretzels... it initially looked tempting but then I reminded myself that some factory mass-produced these non-food items. I watched a coworker lament on why they had to be brought in today of all days, stating that a lot of people are starting their healthy eating plans today, the first Monday of the year. We all have choices to make -- some harder than others. Every time I make a good choice, I strengthen those good habits. This was the constant mental tape playing in my head all afternoon.


B - green smoothie: 7-8 oz collards, 1 T flax, 1 kiwi, 1 orange, handful strawberries
- 8 oz coffee

L - salad: romaine, 1 tomato, 1/2 cucumber, 3/4 cup black beans, baby carrots, 1/2 green pepper, Italian dressing
- large orange (mealy!)

D - spinach salad: 6 oz spinach, 3.25 oz strawberries, balsamic vinegar, 2 T pumpkin seeds
- cauliflower-pea-collards curry (a lot!)

E - swim: 0:45