Onions and G-BOMBS in October

AustinRuadhain

I thought I would swing out and create an October thread!

Mihani

Hi Austin, great thread title and picture for October! Thanks for starting it up.

I have a few more days of crazy at work then I hope things will settle down a little. My goal is to stay 6 week plan strict through the rest of the year, with a few more relaxed days for holidays and some social events coming up. I have managed to hit the treadmill twice this week.

whats_her_name

I started back on the treadmill yesterday. Need to get my food back on track. Way too many starchy carbs lately. I'm going to spend Monday (Canadian Thanksgiving) prepping for next week. I can't stop snacking right now, so I'm going to make a lot of date balls and trail mixes to help with my overeating danger times...

I'm doing paper crafting classes again this fall and I've been making class samples. Check out my Halloween Treats! They were a lot of fun to decorate. I already have 12 people signed up.

AustinRuadhain

@Mihani : That sounds like a great plan.
@whats_her_name - I love your crafts! Have fun prepping some healthier options for next week!

I have a lot of weight to lose. I am using Fuhrman's Eat to Live to guide food choices while eating carefully enough to lose weight. I am also doing long walks, yoga at home and usually 3 gym workouts a week. I just got a copy of the Eat to Live Quick and Easy Cookbook, and am looking forward to trying some of these recipes!

Mihani

Karrie those Halloween treats are so cute! Way to go on the treadmill... are you chasing zombies again?

Austin, that is awesome on the exercise. That's something I always struggle with. I have the quick & easy cookbook and have tried a few recipes that were pretty good. I actually love the cabbage and kale casserole in that cookbook. I have made it quite a few times and just eat the leftovers cold. I do add a good amount of black pepper to the sauce and extra garlic. I often find Dr. F's recipes to be a bit bland so I almost always play with the spices.

I got my toss and chop salad tongs today and tried them out since I got home early. I bet I used twice the amount of greens and veggies as my normal salad, but it condenses down so much when chopped I feel like it will help me get in that volume of raw I'm supposed to be eating. I need some practice with the tongs, but it was fun!

Lots of work to do tonight so I better get at it!

bisky

Hi!

Mihani chopped salads are the best. Think I will have one for lunch.

Karrie, I love your Halloween crafts. Wish I was closer to take your class. Do you have everything cut out and ready to assemble for class?
Here are few cards I made before I went on my trip.



I got back last night. Managed to lose 2 lbs with all the walking I did despite wine and carbs for stress eating.

Not completely back to ETL...schedule will be crazy. Home for 20 days, back to Hilton Head, Home for another 2 weeks. Then to Italy and then when I get back we might turn around and drive with 3 dogs back to Hilton Head and I will stay a month there. Brooks was asked to help out at West Point for first 2 weeks of Dec and then we had planned to go to Hilton Head for almost 2 weeks end of Dec. Instead, we might as well go for a month so I can help my sister. My niece just bought a little house and she is retiring there in June so we are just trying to take turns caring for my BIL until my niece moves there. Anyway I will stay in her house as she won't start with major renovations until summer.

Mihani

Wow Donna, whirlwind few months coming up. Your sister must be so grateful you are able to help out. How is your BIL doing? Love your cards too! So many crafty, creative gals in this group. Except for me, I can ruin a craft just by looking at it LOL.

I need to prep salad veggies this weekend. I've been so busy lately I have been eating mostly lettuce salads, although I got motivated to add more veggies to dinner salads the past two nights so I could play with the toss and chop. Had chopped salad the past two nights. I was so busy on Thursday that I never ate until dinner and just had salad so I was more hungry yesterday. After my dinner salad I had 3 slices of sprouted grain toast with avocado. I don't feel guilty about it or anything, but I should have reined that in to 1 slice and some fruit. I have been trying to follow my hunger, and I'm finding myself eating lunch later and later, and rarely eat breakfast anymore, but every 3 to 5 days I have a higher appetite day and I just go with it.

mizmichele

Hi everyone. I'm new here. Fellow Canadian. I've been following Fuhrman for the past several months. I've been eating WFPB for several years and heard about GBOMBS so looked into him further. I have his cookbook and am following his 10 in 20 plans. Some days I'm better than others. Found after I injured my ankle 7 months ago that I developed some bad habits and am trying to get back on track pre injury. Back to the gym and back tracking. It keeps honest and motivated. I know many people say if you eat this way you don't need to track but I find if left to my own devices I slip. I'm looking forward to this group.

Mihani

Hi Michele, welcome! I think we're probably split about 50/50 for people who log foods and those who don't. I tend to get a bit OCD and it's not good for me to count calories, but I usually stopped when I got off track anyway. What kind of workouts do you like to do? I really struggle with consistent exercise.

Mihani

I actually got to the grocery yesterday on my way home from the office but never got around to prepping veggies or making the casserole. Will get that done tonight, and maybe make a batch of E2 hummus. I recently discovered that Fresh Thyme store brand frozen green beans are delicious steamed in the bag. I am so fussy about frozen veggies, they are usually too mushy and tasteless. Working from home today so I can catch up laundry and do some cooking, and fritter away time on the internet of course.

CoffeeandHumblePie

Hi all - well, training is over and tomorrow we go live at the new clinic. In an effort to get back on track with eating well, I have rejoined WW. I’ve been giving myself permission to eat poorly and I’m not feeling well. I like the latest version of WW. It will allow me the leeway to eat WFPB while still having some protein and occasional treats. I’m loving it so far and I think it’s a more realistic plan for who I am. Thanks for the great support here. I’ll pop in to say hello now and then.

Mihani

Hi Jacquie, good luck with the new job and WW.

Carla_wfpb

Hi all, still here but so far behind on our forum! Work is busy right now. I'm learning how to use a new application and it is complex. We went to Shuswap lake, BC for the Cdn Thanksgiving and had a nice time with family. I ate vegetarian, mostly vegan, but not WFPB. We went to the Adams river to view the salmon run and went for a nice walk.

Congrats on completing your training, Jacquie. I hope the new job is a perfect fit!

Welcome to the group, Michele!

bisky

Hi

Michele, I find I do much better when I track what I eat...when I am not tracking I am on a slippery slope. I think some people here have it more under control than me. Welcome.
Is your ankle healed?

Jacquie that is awesome! I think the more we connect eating poorly to not feeling well, it will help us to make better choices. After my last triathlon...I really slipped off with sugar and alcohol. I was staying with my sister & BIL and my sister loves two glasses of wine in the evening. I don't have a problem not eating meat, poultry or much cheese...but cookies, cakes, chocolate and I am a goner. When I was eating better I had so much more energy.

Mihani - I will have to look for the Fresh Thyme green beans. I recently water sautéed frozen precooked brussel sprouts that were delicious.

My BIL improved the week I was there. I persuaded my sister to take him off the klonopin and use Melatonin instead for his nighttime agitation/sun downer's symptoms. He started sleeping much better and more awake & alert during the day. He was up all night and then sleeping the day away. We figured out a good schedule to keep him on. He has a night aid and we try to have dinner finished, teeth brushed and into pj's right before she arrives so he associates these night aids with sleep time. Then during the day we try to keep him active so he will be tired at night and not be wandering around. The first night I was there he tried to go out the front door at 2:00 a.m. It is scary because they live by the ocean and on other side is lagoons with alligators.

Carla - happy belated Thanksgiving. Did you take pictures? Any snow yet?

Temperatures here have plummeted to 78* hahahaha I went to swim outside...I thought the pool was heated because it is still warm. The lifeguard had a long insulated coat on. I guess it is all what you are adapted to.

Brooks has a 3 day conference in Galveston this weekend. I needed some alone time to recharge and plus I didn't want to leave or take the dogs. Grilled veggie salad tonight plus SF TJ chocolate (to wean off). Fruit, nuts and oatmeal in a.m....have already had a great swim and going to walk Cleo the wonder dog 3 miles. Then card time!

AustinRuadhain

I made a great blueberry chia pudding for this morning's breakfast, and thought I'd share:
2 c unsweetened cashew milk; 0.50 tsp vanilla extract; 1 c blueberries -- blend all of these, then add 1/2 c chia seeds and stir well. Refrigerate overnight. Makes 3 servings.

And on a related note, I am learning to love raw and very slightly cooked cabbage. It's a lovely vegetable, and seems underappreciated. ;-)

@mizmichele - How are you doing? Getting back in the tracking habit? It was challenging for me when I started back at it.

Mihani

Hey y'all, been another busy week here, plus I feel kind of blah. Just run down I think, not anything specific. Looking forward to the weekend and maybe only working 7 or 8 hours a day! I need to take time to make some soups this weekend too. I am craving the OSG red lentil kale soup with the cooler weather.

AustinRuadhain

@Mihani - Is this the soup you mentioned? (This sounds really good!)
https://ohsheglows.com/2012/11/07/spiced-red-lentil-tomato-and-kale-soup/

Mihani

That's the soup Austin. It is my favorite! It freezes very well too, so I make big batches at a time. I just leave out the oil.

I am going to make a caesar salad for a dinner party tonight. I'm hooked on this recipe for caesar dressing: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/creamy-cashew-caesar-salad-dressing/ and I'll try Carla's recipe for walnut parm. I'll probably just buy croutons rather than making my own, and it's hard to find store-bought with no oil, so I may be cheating a bit there. And there will be wine.

What does everyone have planned for the weekend? I think I'm going to work from home both days so I can catch up laundry and cleaning, plus I really just need to be away from the office for a couple days. I'm feeling extra burned out lately.

mizmichele

AustinRuadhain wrote: »

I made a great blueberry chia pudding for this morning's breakfast, and thought I'd share:
2 c unsweetened cashew milk; 0.50 tsp vanilla extract; 1 c blueberries -- blend all of these, then add 1/2 c chia seeds and stir well. Refrigerate overnight. Makes 3 servings.

And on a related note, I am learning to love raw and very slightly cooked cabbage. It's a lovely vegetable, and seems underappreciated. ;-)

@mizmichele - How are you doing? Getting back in the tracking habit? It was challenging for me when I started back at it.

Austin.....I'm struggling getting back into tracking. Did it for so long and was second nature and now it's a struggle. But it's a new day so I will start again this morning. I fell again last week so had to skip the gym for the week I was so sore and bruised and that put my motivation in the toilet. But I'm better and going to get back at it now that I've healed. Life is good.

mizmichele

Mihani I like to do the group classes at our YMCA. I usually go to Zumba, aquafit, yoga and gentle strength. I also see a trainer at her house once a week. My husband and I like to walk too although I've slacked on that due to the foot. I'll have to get him to push me harder to go.

Mihani

I like doing yoga too Michele. I don't do anything formal, but I have a book and I just pick a few poses and do them at random. It really helps relieve stress and anxiety for me. I have a couple yoga DVD's but it is so hard to follow along while you're doing the poses and trying to see the TV. I'm committing this week to at least half hour on the treadmill every single day. Sorry to hear you had a fall.

I made the OSG glowing spiced lentil soup yesterday (not ETL with the coconut milk, but it's so good) and will make the red lentil kale today (which is ETL). I also have red and green leaf lettuce to clean and tear up, and going to throw carrots, radishes and beets through the food processor for my salads this week. I made a couple salad dressings yesterday, and will make a batch of E2 hummus later in the week when I run out of dressing.

AustinRuadhain

Wow @mizmichele , I am so sorry to hear about the fall!
Hang in there with the tracking. Maybe start by always tracking breakfast and then adding on? Sounds silly, maybe, but for me working on one new habit at a time and breaking things into chunks is being helpful.

Mihani

Sticking with my new resolve. I left the office on time, and had a talk with my boss this morning about the importance of me being out of there by 4:00 so I can have time for exercise and dinner before doing the work I generally bring home to do. Hitting the treadmill now! Then dinner, then I'll have a couple hours to work before bed.

AustinRuadhain

Great work @Mihani !

mizmichele

@AustinRuadhain great idea about logging what you can. I've been doing that the past few days and everyday I get a bit better. Although last night I wasn't sure how to log a plant based meal at a local vegan cafe so I didn't. I think when I used to log it before I would deconstruct what I thought was in it and log that. I'll keep at it and hopefully it will get easier.

@Mihani how did your conversation with your boss go? I remember burning the midnight oil at jobs for years and it affected my health and the company never really cared. It was all about what I had done for them lately. At the end of the day you have to do what you need to to take care of yourself as your bosses get paid to care about work.

Well off to the gym. Every little bit helps.

Mihani

Michele, chat with the boss went okay and he has been pretty good this week about not asking if I can do this, that and the other just as it's time for me to leave. We're just always super busy and I care about the clients, so it's hard for me to let go myself and get out of there on time. I just don't have it in me anymore to put in 70-80 hour weeks. I'm trying really hard to get caught up though, because things are piled up. I can't give up my weekends and evenings right yet because I really need the uninterrupted time for more complicated projects with nobody walking in with questions, no phone calls, etc.

mizmichele

I left a full-time job of 30 years a few years back. Was tired of the 80 hour weeks, weekends and no vacations. I took some time off for myself to get well again. I just never went back. Now I wonder how I ever managed In that environment. I didn't expect to retire. I hope you find a balance and what works for you. Life is too short.

Mihani

Michele, I'm the same way. I've been with my current boss for 20 years now. I'm still 8 to 10 years from retirement. I wouldn't leave him for another job, but I keep telling him I'm not doing this into my 60's.

Mihani

Indulged in some wine last night, and feeling sluggish this morning. Got my groceries all set for a good ETL week. I still need to chop up some veggies for the salads and steam a bunch of broccoli and asparagus. Plan for today:

B - smoothie (water, baby spinach, blueberries, green apple, turmeric and chia seeds)
L - big romaine salad with cashew caesar and roasted chickpeas, cantaloupe
D - black bean and tofu enchiladas, spring mix salad with lots of added veggies and walnut vinaigrette

AustinRuadhain

Hi @Mihani ! That sounds like a great plan! My day today:
B - blueberry / cashew milk / chia seed smoothie
L - steamed mushrooms, bowl of soup (red lentil, onion, carrot, spinach, garlic)
D - big romaine salad with cucumber/kiwi dressing

bisky

- I have been really struggling since the Triathlon last month. Today was a better day...thank god for frozen vegetables, soups and sunshine. It rained all last week and the dogs & I had cabin fever. We had a mini Tri weekend...swam 1000m AND 5 mile walk yesterday, today short walk and 11.5 mile bike ride. I shredded one of my new bathing suits yesterday in the spin dryer at the club. So bummed. Never going to use one of those again. Leave Wednesday to help my sister in S.C. for a week. Need to find my sweet potato black bean chili recipe.