Iced tea and other discoveries

Growing up, the only iced tea I was familiar with was that powered brown sugary mix that you add to water. The first time I travelled with my man down to Massachusetts, we stopped at a diner and the waitress asked "Would you like sweetened or unsweetened iced tea, hun?" She explained that they make tea in a big batch, let it cool and stick it in the refrigerator. I had forgotten about that until this week when I was tired of guzzling water, lemon water, seltzer with lime in the heat and humidity. I made some iced tea using some Lemon Zinger and it was so refreshing... sure beats a Diet Coke! No, not adding any sugar either :) Raided the cupboard for some other teas, and I found ginger green tea then adding some squirts from a lemon seems to taste the best to me.

Today was the first day here in a while that hasn't been humid... probably won't last. I'm doing my brisk walks in the morning because by the time I get home after work, the temperature is usually up to 28C (82F) with a 35C (95F) or more humidex reading. Tried to exercise outside after work but the heat, plus humidity, plus long day at work, plus lack of sleep equals a half-assed workout! I'm sticking to mornings even though it's not my favourite part of the day.

I'm still having trouble with my sleep patterns: Still averaging about 5 to 6 hours a night. A friend recommended spraying my sheets with lavender. It worked well. Not perfect, I felt relaxed all week, so here's that recipe:

Add 1 tsp. lavender essential oil to an empty spray bottle containing 1/4 cup unflavoured vodka and 3 1/2 cups distilled water. Shake before spraying.

Have been trying a new veggie this week... fennel! I used some in a regular stir-fry and in this Green bean, mushroom and fennel salad. A nice change from my regular routine!

Smog-a-licious

It's another day of smog here in my city and it makes it harder to exercise outside. Sort of like breathing in thick air. This morning, my legs were like lead pipes and I felt like a slow poke turtle plodding along my 30 minute not-so-brisk walk. I was still a sweaty mess by the time I got back to my place. If the air is still bad tomorrow, I'll just workout indoors. My elliptical and the Rebounder are ready and waiting for me :)

Canada Day on Monday was filled with BBQ'd goodness! Chicken, burgers and the crowd favourite: Salmon on a cedar plank. We've been eating delicious left-overs for the past two days. I'm trying to keep portions in control. With the wealth of tasty and fresh veggies and fruit out there, I'm feeling mostly satisfied with my meals these days.

Cravings are still coming and going especially at the grocery store. I keep seeing my trigger foods (Doritos, Cheezy-Poofs and Corn Twists) on sale on entering the store and on the ends of a few aisles. I have to deal with this head-on. I could go to another store, but that is admitting food has conquered me. That the food engineers have me hooked forever.  It has not defeated me and will not.

The following is from the NYTimes article: 'The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food':

June in review

I'm chained like a monkey to my computer all day at work; it's a super sedentary job.  Thinking over this last month, I could have done much better on the exercise front. I know to feel good and lose this weight,  I have to move as much as possible. Looking back on my exercise logs, it's averaged out to 3 out of 7 days per week. In my book, that's a fail.

I have to be exercising 5 or 6 out of 7 days. By exercise, I mean strength training with cardio for a total of at least an hour of sweatiness per day. Yoga and Pilates is an additional feel-good activity I do sometimes at home in the evenings, but it's for stretching and relaxation.

I am losing weight, but it's coming off too slowly. I know what I have to do.

As for food, I'm doing well. Sticking with eating protein, tons of veggies, some fruit and trying to avoid most processed food. However, I'm still fighting cravings and temptations. Invites to barbecues are frequent and I can easily brush off the potato salads and such, but the tortilla chips or fries and alcohol is problematic. On two occasions I've had to physically remove myself... once from the food area outside and hang out inside my friend's living room and the other time I actually left the party early. I knew if I stayed, I'd make the wrong choices. What can I say, I'm still working on willpower, or lack thereof.

Jeanette has a great post today called Protein, fat and carbs and portion sizes  Check it out :)

Not much new

Just doing things as per usual. Losing a bit of weight each week. I'm sticking with eating as nature intended, very little processed food, and once a week I seem to lose my appetite and eat a lot less than usual. Will have to work on drinking more water... I tend to forget at work when it's busy. Right now it's about 1.5 litres of water a day, a cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea in the evenings. 

 

Still getting my brisk walks in and doing some workouts on the Rebounder and elliptical in the basement on rainy mornings when I'm running late and don't want to deal with wet clothes and soaked sneakers. Will probably be riding my bike more now in the evenings as the water has receded from the bike paths that are beside the river in my neck of the woods. I envy those who can ride their bikes to work. I theory I could, but the rush-hour traffic is just too dangerous in some sections on the route I'd have to take.

 

Reading  and commenting on blogs once in a while. I try not to spend too much time online (because I can so easily get sucked in for hours at a time) but find the ones on my list really help keep me motivated and on track. 

Battling against my inner Fat Girl

Being overweight for twenty plus years will warp anyone's thinking. Some days I'm fighting bad habits and old negative voices in my head when I'm faced with stress or issues that come up. I'm usually able to deal, but once in a while it's hard.

My fear is slipping back into my old Fat Girl Coma. That comatose state when I was laying on the couch, sometimes for the entire weekend in pyjamas,  isolating myself from others and seeking comfort in crappy food. Sure I'd feel soothed for a time, then the next day, I'd feel lousy, and look bloated and gross.

During the recent Whole30 challenge in May, someone at work brought in treats and I automatically popped one into my mouth and started chewing. I did spit it out when no one was looking. I caught myself in time... but it's that automatic reaction that scares me.

Yesterday evening, it happened at the grocery store. I veered into the centre aisles and I bought some chocolate, not organic chocolate (not that it would be any better) but a box of dirty highly-processed chocolate and caramel-covered pecans. I put them in my cart with the other groceries, paid for them, got them home and set them on my coffee table in the living room.

Talking negatively to myself, the exact words I won't write here, I asked myself, What was I doing? Really?  

I got up, put the chocs into a gift bag and headed next door and gave it to the neighbours.  I said it was just a present for being such great neighbours. They were touched and seemed pleased.

I cannot trust myself with this kind of food in the house. I just cannot. I had to get rid of it completely. 

I had a big mug of ginger tea and a couple of dates. Felt a bit better. Thought over what I almost did and why. The why this time was loneliness. I called a friend for a long chat, did some yoga and fell asleep at a reasonable hour.  No Fat Girl Coma this time, no Fat Girl Coma ever again.  

The Joy of reintroducing certain foods after Whole30

The above title is meant as sarcasm. I felt great at the end of my month of Whole30. Eating mostly as nature intended worked wonders for my whole being. Right now, I'm pretty much following the same eating plan as I posted last month. This week I started introducing back some stuff back into my diet... sometimes with disastrous results.

Started with a bit of dairy. A bit of 2% milk in my morning coffee to start and then had some cheese with lunch. Big mistake. Bloating and other nasty stuff followed. I was allergic to milk as a kid and have been sensitive ever since. Over the years I've tried Greek yoghurt and other 'modified milk products' with no success. I'm just going to stay away from dairy as much as possible.

Tried some sugar in the form of an energy bar...meh, everything tastes too sweet now. I looked at my food diary and found that I'm eating too many dates and sunflower seed butter. Will work at reducing that amount. I have to measure out the butter from the jar from now on with an actual tablespoon because I went overboard the other day... wound up having about eight dates and eight spoonfuls of SSButter. Not good!

I guess the worst reaction I had was to bread of all things. My man bought a baguette from the bakery, I had a few slices with supper and later in the evening I was bloated in the extreme, almost two inches of bloat on the waist... so happy it was just gas... and happy that I was not at work!

One of the best decisions was to reintroduce a half-cup of steel-cut oatmeal in the morning. I mixed in a handful of raspberries and had a couple of egg whites scrambled with veggies on the side. Gave me a full feeling until four hours later at lunchtime. I'm not eating oatmeal everyday, for now two to three times a week is enough.

Starting to research more about Primal, Paleo, ect., but I'm certainly trying to keep true to the Whole9 principles.

Final thoughts on Whole30

I've had a very good experience and will continue with this style of eating. Simply, I feel good.

Like many, for years I've used food to stuff down emotions. That bad habit is hard to break but I'm finding you can over time. My mantra over this past month has been: Food is fuel for my body, nothing more.

At certain times, out of the blue, I would have strong cravings for crappy food like twinkies and fries but I was prepared for that. I knew there would be times when I'd have to make choices. Stay on plan or screw up once again? This article and flowchart about Nutritional Off-Roading helped me.

Summary of results (template borred from Enz)
Pros:

• I've got more energy throughout the day. Before, my energy levels would rise and fall like a roller coaster. I'm not half-asleep on my desk in the afternoons anymore!
• No more brain fog
• I've lost almost two inches off my waist and thighs
• Complexion is somewhat improved
• Clothes fit better and can fit into some of my size 13/14 summer clothes
• Saved money by not buying pricey processed franken-foods
• Enjoyed trying sauerkraut. No idea it was so good.
• PMS symptoms lessened greatly
• Bonus: My man said I had a glow about me...aw shucks!

Cons:

• My gut really had a hard time if it got an overload of a certain veggie, like kale, which would lead to intestinal unpleasantness.
• Still having trouble falling asleep at night, so I'll look for other solutions to that problem

So the pros outweigh the cons. Anyone surprised? I'm convinced. Will be adding back in some foods once in a while, but it will be an exception. I'm not looking to go back to old habits. I'm looking forward to implementing these new ones.

Day 30 of Whole30

So this is my last day of Whole30. I'll post separately about my results and thoughts.
 
Not so hungry this morning and I was in a big hurry to get out the door...

Breakfast
1 hard boiled Egg
1 Apple

Lunch
4 oz Bison rib-eye Steak  on a bed of Mâché (Some people know this as lamb lettuce, it's sweet, nutty but not bitter)
2 tbsps olive oil balsamic vinaigrette
1 cup Cucumber

Snack
Handful of natural almonds

Supper
Grilled Chicken breasts on wilted Spinach and Mushrooms
1 cup Cucumber