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Jump into July
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Hi all! I had a good sleep and my back feels good today so I'm feeling a bit more optimistic. Took the boy to the vet early this morning, now doing laundry and have big plans to get things done today. Laundry, cleaning, set up my salads and make salad dressing, cut up the watermelon I bought yesterday. Just need to be careful not to aggravate my back.
I'm planning to go to the office tomorrow to do some catching up. I made my boss promise not to come in and bug me!
Plan for today...
B - big bowl of oats with blueberries, walnuts, chia seeds, chopped spinach (done)
L - Big ol' salad, watermelon
D - baked tofu, cooked veggies, brown rice, more watermelon
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So sorry to learn about your back!
It is sweltering here again, so I'm getting up at 5:30 a.m. to water the garden, get the chores done, walk the dog, and then do a "mega walk"...which is walking as far as I can within 30 minutes.
Our son will be starting college on August 24, but only doing two on-line classes while continuing to work at his bakery job.
Pre-McD, I would be struggling with the endless flow of pastry (and tonight, homemade pizza), but for reasons I don't fully understand it just doesn't tempt me the way this stuff did pre-McD.
Maybe it is having hard and fast rules which does it...0 -
Hi Shred... it is hot here too. I go outside for a bit and then it feels freezing in the house with the A/C on, but it's always warmer upstairs and I can't sleep when I'm too warm. I think getting enough starches helps with cravings. I know if I eat oats, potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc. I tend to want less junky stuff. I just have to watch my portions because I always want to overdo the starches.
I worked for a bit this morning then took a really long nap which wasn't good because I have a lot of work to do, but I will get at more of it this evening. Right now I'm making my cooked veggies for the week and still need to make salad dressing.
B - oats with blueberries, walnuts, chia seeds
L - big ol' salad, watermelon
D - I'll have some of the cooked veggies and more watermelon
I'm not eating enough beans lately. Going to add a cup of chickpeas to my salads this week.
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Mihani: How do you cook your veggies? Right now, I'm putting everything in the airfryer, but I think I need more variety.
Sunday night is Treat Ourselves night in our house, when we pick up a meal to eat a home. Tonight it was naan, rice, samosa, vegetable biryani, an eggplant dish. I made myself a baked potato, slice it up, put it in my air fryer, had a half cup of briyani, same with the eggplant and I was full!
I hope none of this is taken as bragging, I'm just astounded by how starch is the secret to satiety. I used to be able to devour platter fulls of Indian food...and still have room for ice cream on the way home.
Now, I think I do need to be more portion mindful. I'm excited by this freedom and like a kid whose parents are out of the house, I'm going a little crazy ...but with potatoes.1 -
Shred, I hired a friend a while ago to prep my salads for me. She cleans and preps lettuce and a variety of veggies each week. It's usually more than I can use up in my salads so I use some in my cooked veggies. I start with onion and garlic adding a little water or veggie broth as needed to prevent sticking. Then add veggies one at a time cooking each for a few minutes putting a lid on if it needs to steam a bit more. I add a splash or two of coconut aminos with each additional veggie. I pick up a couple bunches of greens each week and add those to wilt in at the end. I keep cooking time short as I like them still a bit firm. Sometimes I add spices but most of the time just fresh ground pepper.
It leaves a wonderful broth at the end which I've been freezing to use in soups.
This week my cooked veggies are onion, carrot celery, cauliflower, red cabbage, summer squash, arugula and kale. It makes a huge pot that will last all week and I've been freezing portions each week because I usually can't eat it all. They are great alone or can be used to top potatoes or rice, mixed with beans and broth for soup, or added to salads.
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Mihani: Thank you! I need to do more than I am to sustain this and this will certainly help.
Now, this may be a weird question: But, did anyone else feel more emotionally vulnerable when you changed your eating? I've always thought that food could be self-medication for depression, anger, anxiety, and now that I'm not medicating myself with caffeine, refined foods I feel weirdly vulnerable.
Of course, the global pandemic might have something to do with that, too!1 -
Shred, not sure I remember. I was vegetarian for many years and went full vegan (giving up dairy) in 2012. I seem to recall it being freeing honestly. I never felt "right" eating meat and once I learned more about the dairy industry I couldn't feel right eating those products either. I felt great initially, and I will never go back to meat or dairy, but I do tend to go through periods of junky vegan foods when I'm feeling down so I totally get that.
My entire reason for going vegetarian and later vegan was because of animals though. I came to the health aspects of it later. I was a very fat vegetarian basically living on cheese and bread and pasta. I lost a LOT of weight when I went full on vegan. I figure because most of my fat intake was cheese. Then when I gave up oil I lost more. Now I fluctuate, depending on how much I adhere to the no oil thing. Right now I am up in weight because I gravitated to the junky vegan snacks and fake cheeses, etc. Pandemic poundage.
I love https://hellonutritarian.com/eat-to-live-food-prep-guide/ I bought her food prep plan and use a lot of the recipes, but have never done the full plan to be perfectly honest. It's just way too much cooking and food for me to use up in a week. Still, there are a lot of good ideas that I do use.
I quit smoking a couple years ago and that has not helped my weight at all. I also quit drinking beer all the time, which did help my weight, so it evened out. LOL
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Shred - From me, a yes to feeling more vulnerable. It came up for me when I gave up sugar. It got better eventually. And yes, I ca only guess the global pandemic at the same time would increase the effect!
I am delighted to hear McD is working so well for you! And I do think having hard and fast rules makes things easier. I have had people tell me I should indulge occasionally, and I say no thank yo because I don't want the effort of having those decisions to remake.1 -
Happy Tuesday!
Mihani - Your story is so interesting. I came at veganism from the other direction. I had health issues I felt like I could not ignore, and took on Dr. Fuhrmann's Eat to Live diet to see if that worked. (It really has!) Now that I have been vegan a while (1 1/2 years?), I find myself realizing I that not eating meat and dairy feels good to me for emotional/spiritual reasons as well.
And hearing you talk about your journey remind me of having been a vegetarian for a while in my 20s. My diet included regular doses of Burger King french fries (I worked next door to a BK), and so I gained weight as a vegetarian, which was... annoying, especially as I was getting a lot of exercise (didn't own a car and had a long bicycle commute).
I hope your watermelon was tasty! I picked one up and will be cutting that up today or tomorrow!
Shred - I am so happy McDougall is working so well for you! Giving up refined foods has made a big difference for my health.
Magic - I hope you and Lulu are doing well today!
Austin-land Updates:
- Projects. So far behind. I have been more off and on about getting updates posted the last couple of weeks because I am trying to get a project past an important point. Hanging in there but feeling so behind.
- As a way to make life easier, I am going to declutter my desktop today. Just create some space.
- I am so excited! After focusing for a while on "closing the kitchen at 7 PM," my husband has taken on doing a potato-only diet for a bit to reset his palate. I steamed a bunch for him, and he has a bunch of containers of simple, tasty potatoes (Yukon golds) ready when he wants them. He is interested in losing weight and decreasing elimination. Exciting!
- And my teenager quietly quit eating dairy several weeks ago, and has now noticed that his skin has cleared up in a big way.
- My food plan for the day -- all the usual veggies and beans. So far, so good!1 -
Good afternoon Plant People!
My story: My husband is a vegetarian and also keeps kosher, so when we started dating it was simply easier to give up animal flesh and shellfish. However, I didn't fill in the gaps made by relinquishing those with healthier foods...I was a french fry vegetarian (my husband was a spaghetti alfredo vegetarian.)
My weight never got over 155 (I'm 5 ft 8) except for pregnancy, but I kept myself going throughout the day on a steady stream of sugar, cigarettes and caffeine. I gave up cigarettes and cut way back on caffeine for pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and thereafter. .. but I did find myself grazing incessantly on "baby food" goldfish crackers, halves of Starbucks chocolate chip cookies.
Fast forward to menopause, and maintaining 140 became like pushing a beachball under water in a pool. My weight gradually crept up to 155 and I just couldn't seem to lose it without starvation.
I was intrigued by Eat to Live, but I couldn't sustain it, so I plucked an ancient copy of the MWL book off the library shelves...just around the time our state went under lockdown. I just made a promise to myself that I would eat this way until the world returned to normal. Since we're now at home so much, I find shopping, prepping and eating this way has benefited me physically (finally my weight is down to 146..and going further) and giving me a healthy way to focus my mental energy.1 -
I love reading your stories, Austin and Shred! Seems like it doesn't matter how we come to this way of eating, it's getting there!
Austin, hope you are able to make some progress on your projects. I agree about the emotional/spiritual side of veganism. Even as a child if I thought about what I was eating as a living being I would just start to cry and couldn't eat it anymore. Drove my parents crazy. LOL
Also, I had a lot of skin issues before I gave up dairy. I didn't even realize how much it helped my complexion until my brother mentioned how great my face looked. So glad it helped your son. And yay for your husband giving this a try too!
Shred, giving up smoking is huge! I was a heavy smoker for many years and I will admit that I have lapsed a few times, but I feel so awful when I smoke now. Just not worth it. Huge congrats on your success with WFPB so far. I think the coolest thing is that you can pretty much eat as much as you want as long it's WFPB. Portion sizes do become a factor when you get lower in weight and have those pesky last pounds to lose, but I have a big appetite so I am happy with those HUGE salads, lots of beans, etc.
It has been a crazy couple days at work and I am worn out. It's only Tuesday! I can't be worn out yet. So I'm going to treadmill and get to bed early.
B - oats with blueberries, chia/flax mix, walnuts
L - BIG salad, some Lundberg thins
D - cooked veggies with some beans mixed in
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Good evening, Plant People!
What do you do for exercise? I'm working on 10k steps per day, and up to 18 minutes of free weights, Pilates and yoga (I started at 5 with the shut down and have added a minute per week.)
I just started measuring my food in measuring cups. I can knock back 6 potatoes no problem as well as a couple of lbs of grapes, so I need to find a balance that keeps me full but helps me get to my goal weight.0 -
Good evening,
Mihani - I could write a small book about me and the food journey, but yes, I have been vegetarian before, years ago. Never vegan, and that, for me, has made a huge difference. My favorite thing is the change in my skin. Two years ago, my rosacea was so bad that I could not go outside much, and I love the outdoors. Now, I am getting back to where I was in my 20s -- pinkish cheeks but not splotchy, and only occasional patchiness issues. And a big wow to all my blood work getting better!
Shred, for some reason, I keep laughing about this: "I was a french fry vegetarian (my husband was a spaghetti alfredo vegetarian." You are hilarious!
Your description of potatoes and grapes suggests actually a reasonable amount of food. Potatoes, if you don;t load them up with toppings, are pretty low in calories. I will also tell you that I have been tracking on MFP for a couple of years and weighing in weekly, and that I, at least, can eat more calories eating WFPB. SO watch and see how things go. We are different people, obvs, but it was interesting to see that I needed to up my calorie goal for the day to keep my weight where I wanted it. (I am trying to build muscle, and if I eat the number of calories MFP suggests, I am hungry and I lose weight slowly (and hangrily!).
To answer your question about exercise: I aim for steps (7500), and I try to get in 45 minutes a day of walking and/or something like platform stepping. I do arms or abs a couple of times a week. I also do at least a little martial arts form practice every day. For yoga, I go through periods of doing it, and currently am busy and not doing it. It's a good thing. Just.. time!
Hugs to you, too, Magic! I'll bet the house stuff is keeping you super busy!1 -
Yup...busy in the house. Trying to get finished before vacation, which begins Monday August 3rd at 2pm
Today’s menu
Coffee
Oatmeal
Cherries
Burger
Rice and broccoli and tofu
Watermelon
HAGDE!
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Magic, glad you are making progress! Has the appraisal been scheduled yet for your refi? Hope your knees are holding up.
Shred, I am very lackadaisical about exercise. I go through stages being consistent, but it doesn't come easy to me. I know I need to make it a priority. I mostly treadmill with some bingeable streaming TV, sometimes do weights or a workout video, and am pretty consistent about yoga because it helps my back and joints so much.
I think you're doing fine, but if you want to feel full add more cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. I love broccoli and cauliflower lightly sauteed in a bit of water or veggie broth with some coconut aminos, and I include radishes in my salads every day. If you haven't read How Not to Die by Dr. Greger then I highly recommend it. It's so interesting and he has a silly sense of humor and writes in plain language that is easy to absorb.
Austin, you are such an inspiration to everyone here. So glad that you found this group and continue to hang around! It is very cool you can eat more calories of highly nutritious food and still lose weight. It's probably my favorite thing about WFPB.
Still having a stressful week. I was actually having hot flashes from stress today and I quit having hot flashes a couple years ago. Waaah!
Amazon delivered my new purse today so that will be my project after I get a little work done. Cleaning out my old purse and moving everything into the new one.
Menu today was same as yesterday.
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There's nothing like a new purse! I actually ordered some new shoes from Zappos. I used to get my cardio in at the gym, but now it is lots of walking, and it time for an upgrade.
I just started consistently doing 15 minutes of free weights/pilates/yoga daily. I do it while listening to the national and international news, and that is my total "news diet" for the day. I found myself constantly immersed in the news, as well as discussing it, and I realized how much time I was investing in what I could not change, let along influence. So, now I'm informed but not overwhelmed.
My eating is not all that I want it to be...but I'm getting there. My big challenge is what I call "the family gap"..when our son gets home from work (he has an internship at a bakery...so there's a challenge!) and my husband finishes his work day and begins his wordworking projects (which seem to consume the house!).
I think I just need to take some time before the Men arrive to have a nice cup of tea and some fruit...!
Re: Eating
Does everyone plan their eating the night before, eat at set times and not snack?
My actual foods are 1000% better, I'd like to improve my routine around food.
And, who would have thunk that our oven had so many interesting settings: Broil! Convection! A timer! I feel like this magical appliance has been hiding beneath our microwave...!0 -
LOL Shred, that's too funny about your oven. I mostly use my oven for baking potatoes or roasted mushrooms or baked tofu. It's really old and doesn't heat evenly so I can't really bake in it. I'm going to be replacing all my appliances soon. Can't wait! Sounds like you are doing great getting in your exercise, and making plans to keep on track diet-wise.
I don't watch any news, but I read a lot from a variety of sources to get different viewpoints. The talking heads give me a headache!
I got another watermelon and it is even better than the last one. I love summer and watermelon.
Today was same as yesterday and the day before. I tend to eat pretty much same things all week once I set up my salads and other food for the week. It works for me.
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Good morning, Plant People!
This week I've decided on three tweaks to the basic plan: Use salads as my base and sign up for an on-line program. This one is Katie's Conscious Kitchen and she's vegan/sugar/flour free. I'm pretty happy with eating a rotation of the same 10 foods, but to get The Men on board I think I need to start making more interesting foods.
I'm think salads as a base will add variety to my eating, without tremendous extra prep time (I'll still add packaged salads to the grocery run.) I also think that not only with this add variety and nutrition, it will keep me full longer.
And, the third tweak being filling in my food in the a.m. to set up my intention at the beginning of the day. I'm fine until about 3 p.m., and I suspect that I am 1) not eating enough 2) or just not eating enough variety which is why after 3 p.m. is so tough for me.0 -
Hi Shred... sounds like a great plan!
I have had a rough day and this is a quick check in. I will be back tomorrow.1 -
Mihani - Hey there! I hope you are having a restful evening, and that you have a nice, restful weekend. Enjoy that watermelon!
Shred - Your salad plan sounds great! Especially with those packaged salads. You'll have to see what works for you, but I certainly am full after my big salad meals.
In case you want another answer -- like Mihani, my menu is a lot the same day to day during a week. It varies a bit through the week based on what produce I got, as I mostly shop one day a week these days.Does everyone plan their eating the night before, eat at set times and not snack?
In addition to 3 meals, I have one snack a day, and I keep that pretty planned. It is low sugar (aiming for under 5 g sugars of any kind) and about 150 calories.
I don't pay a lot of attention to exact mealtimes, but I do pay attention to having my fasting window be 12 hours or more.
The small snack and the fasting window come from reading up on the longevity research of Dr. Walter Longo. Here's a link to a summary (he has a book, various papers, etc. if you want to dog in more).
https://valterlongo.com/daily-longevity-diet-for-adults/
Magic - I hope all is continuing well with you and your house projects!
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Austin: Thank you! I've been interested in fasting for some time, and I am a big science geek! It makes sense to me on several levels, I just have a set of ingrained habits which I need to "degrain" (I'm just making up words now...whee...I think this isolation is getting to me!)
As I see fewer years ahead of me than behind me, longevity is a big one. I don't want to go all inspirational mottos this weekend, but I read one this week which made sense to me: You never are over the hill if you never stop climbing.
I want to be physically able to climb, even if that is to my favorite reading chair...!0 -
Shred, Dr. Fuhrman's motto is "salad is the main dish" so you are definitely on the right track!
I also (mostly) follow Dr. F's recommendation of a 13 hour fasting window between dinner and breakfast.
At various times I've followed Eat to Live strictly, but often veer off into more McDougall/Engine 2 type plans. Mostly because I love my starches.
Austin, how are your projects coming?
Magic, we miss you! Hope all is going well.
Things continue to be really stressful with work. I had to go to the office this morning for a while, and have work here at home to get to, but not going to bother until tomorrow. I did some cleaning and still have to do laundry, then going to settle in with a good book this evening.
Tonight's dinner will be a bit of a treat. Boca burger on a sprouted grain bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy brown mustard. I skipped breakfast because I was running late, but had some oatmeal when I got back from the office.
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Oh, and I'm going to make "fries" using this method. https://frommybowl.com/perfect-oven-baked-fries/
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Afternoon all...quick check in. Mihani, there was no appraisal...WAIVED. Wow, is right!
All paperwork was in last week...and my packet is moving along the necessary channels very nicely. He did tell me NOT to pay August house payment...and I may be lucky to not pay September's. Yowee!
Projects in the house not going as fast as I would like. I get burned out. I need that rush of motivation again to get going.
I really want to re furnish my bedroom...something Ikea, small and easy for Lulu to jump on the bed and also it would give us a lot more play room in the bedroom. I have a Queen in the guest room if I need a bigger bed.
And when I finally get my new knee, a low bed would be perfect. It's the Hemnes from Ikea that is a trundle that pulls out.
All the furniture would be white and it would wake up that room. Furniture came with the house and is too big and dark for me.
Menu today
coffee
oatmeal
burger
watermelon
turkey cutlets from Gardein
popsicle
Later, gators!1 -
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hemnes-daybed-with-3-drawers-2-mattresses-white-meistervik-firm-s59186119/
Sleeping on it as a single is fine...so I do not need to pull it out all the time...but if I wanted to, I could. There is a long dresser and tall dresser. Not sure if I want both. And a night stand.
All Hemnes. I Ikea! Simple, plain lines...easy to care for. Fresh! 1 -
Happy Saturday, all!
Shred, I am also a big science geek, so I am happy to trade articles, book titles, reading lists, podcasts, etc.
And since you mentioned working on habits, I will tell you that the best thing I have found is a book called Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. Fogg is a Stanford researcher, and his work gets cited/used by people like James Clear. If you get interested enough to read it, let me know. It makes habit change fun and easy (more practical and actionable than anything else I have read on the subject).
Magic, I just spent a happy few minutes on the Ikwa website, enjoying a look at the Hemnes line. Lovely choice!
Mihani - Your dinner sounded like a huge treat! I hope you enjoyed those oven baked fries! They look so yummy! Someday maybe I will get a silicone mat, so I can try them!0 -
I'll check it out. I like James Clear (I think part of it is the delivery...the message seems to go so well with that intense unwavering gaze and the bald head...I think I'm a little hypnotized.) I'll definitely check out Tiny Habits.
I found a great YouTuber, Andrew Kirby. I think he's 12 (no probably early 20s) and he has some interesting ideas on habits/underlying beliefs.
This week, I'm chagrined to say was not my best. Our son has learning disabilities and we are getting him ready for college. Every transition (from elementary to junior high to high school) has been challenging, and while I think our college choice is a good one, I'm mentally chewing my finger nails...and I think I ate an entire jar of peanut butter this week.
And, I didn't even enjoy it!
My weight is the same, but blerg, I feel like a bag of moldy socks!1 -
Oops, I should note that when emotion have driven my eating in the past, it would have been far more than peanut butter...that would have been just the start...0
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Magic, glad you aren't pushing too hard. Things will get done just have to keep plugging away a little at a time. Love the furniture you've selected. Beautiful and will definitely make the room looks fresh and bright. What colors will you be using for the walls and accents?
I have read some of the Tiny Habits, Austin. Should actually get the book.
Shred, sorry you're feeling stressed. Hope this week is better. Plus all the COVID craziness on top of the usual stress and pressure getting kids off to school this year... ugh!!! Can't imagine. A lot of my friends have been really stressed.
I didn't make the fries because my A/C is out and it's way too hot to turn on the oven. Guy will be here tomorrow to put in the new motor. Thank goodness I had the windows replaced when I did so at least I can get some air in the house.
Tonight I'm just having watermelon. Too hot to eat.
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My AC guy is coming tomorrow...gosh, I couldn't have him come earlier since the house was so messy...but good now. NOT great...but better and he can at least come in. I bought a plan for three years...twice a year tune up ...I missed last fall/winter...can you believe, my house has been a mess for so long. Sheesh.
But I am getting there...thanks for the support, gang. I will have to use some of my vacay time to get er done. I moved the Molly Maids to a later time so that I finally get the spare room cleaned out. Stupid to pay them and not have them do the entire house.
The room is painted nicely, Mihani...pale green...looks nice with lavender, which is my favor accent. The whole house needs to be repainted...but that is not going to happen anytime soon. But am beginning to look into having the tile/grout cleaned ...whole house is tiled...so that will be a very costly item. But that, too, might wait.
Today's Menu
coffee
oatmeal
burger
watermelon
stir fry: broccoli, zucchini, onions, red bell peppers, celery, maybe tofu over rice noodles or jasmine rice
popsicle
HAGDE!
Hope you are feeling better, Shred!
Later, my sweet peas!
PS Glad you all like my Ikea choices!0
This discussion has been closed.