Wednesday, February 28, 2007

SICK!!!

You know I don't know who started spreading this bug, but when I find him/her, I am going to do some major butt kicking!

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling really crappy, but went into work as usual. As the day progressed, it got worse and worse. Stinging cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, and I didn't check, but quite sure a fever off and on.

Finally I was able to leave the office around 7 pm and head home, but my work was not done. Still had puppy chores, had to run to the pharmacy and pick up a "knock me out" cough syrup and was still waiting for a work call to come in as we had a crew up in CT until the late hours.

I didn't really eat much either. First off, I had no appetite and secondly nothing I ate was sticking in my stomach! So my calories were a low 550 when I got home. When I ran to the pharmacy I picked up a carton of orange juice and just about drank the whole thing before going to bed. Minus the 3 servings I gave my roommate, because he TOO has this darn bug!

So ended up yesterday around 1100-1200, but 60% of that was just juice. Still NOT hungry this morning, still SICK, but still at work! I swear I am leaving today at noon!

So what do we do when we are sick? Not having enough calories just makes me feel more weak, but I'll be damned if I am the least bit hungry or want my stomach churning all day. Just drinking water is enough to get my stomach rocking and rolling today!

I know the best answer is sleep and hopefully I will be able to leave early today with little trouble.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

CANNED SALMON!!!

Okay so like a week or so or maybe even a month ago there was some blog discussion about how great canned salmon can be. So of course I went out and bought like 8 cans and haven't even touched them. After I started eating sardine pitas for lunch, I thought maybe salmon would be also a good pita sandwich. But, honestly, I wanted something more.....

So, I have done some research and here is what I have come up with;

Salmon Frittata

.25 cups chopped green peppers
.25 cups chopped onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
14.75 ounces canned salmon
1 cup egg whites
1 whole egg
1/4 cup FF ricotta
LOTS OF HOT SAUCE
1/3 cup shredded FF cheddar cheese

Okay so you know how to do this. Mix all ingredients aside from the cheddar cheese and put into a sprayed casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until firm and remember to added the shredded on top just a few minutes before being done.

4 servings;

251 calories
34 grams protein
9 grams carbs
7 grams lipids
27% vitamins (mostly b's)
23% minerals (selenium through the roof)


Salmon Chili

14.75 ounces of salmon
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 small hot pepper diced
1 cup frozen corn
15 ounces washed and drained canned black beans
15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
14 ounces chicken broth
spices dried - cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper

Now I like to saute my peppers, garlic and onions a bit first, add the dry seasoning so they toast up a bit, then broth, corn, beans, salmon, tomatoes and just stew. Delicious!

6 servings

190 calories
19 grams protein
15 grams carbs
5 grams lipids
23 % vit
25% minerals

So just some ideas...I have not actually made them, but I will soon and I will post pics of food and smiley full faces!

Monday, February 26, 2007

MORALITY AND FOOD


And now an excerpt from April's earlier post:

"I've written extensively about how I find it most counterproductive to think of food in moral terms. Foods either make us healthier or they don't. They either fit into our lifestyle or they don't. They either taste good to us or they don't. There's only one way to find out: do the research and/or give it a try. I am not doing CR to prove that I am a good or moral person, and if I were, I think that would be downright silly because my ability to eat this or that proves nothing about my character. I wish that all this talk of food as morality would just go away. It sets people up for ridiculous guilt, which in turn sets them up for more binging, followed by more fasting or purging, followed by my eventual entry on that topic.
Ditto on the "idea of junk food." CR is not about how we feel about food. Most of us find that we feel better about food post-CR than pre, but whether we like "junk" or not, we can still do CR and improve our health, hopefully even lengthen our lives. Lower calories, more nutrition, that's all. "



Now, I know that April would prefer that we just go on and drop this subject, but I wanted to make a bit of a personal confession. I find confessions help me to confront my fears, gain inspiring feed back from others, and just get over it.

Now my personal moral issue and guilt behind food does not necessary revolve around the other subjects I read people blogging about; environmental, animal rights, etc.. I am not at that point YET, but as I have posted before, my dream is to one day become a cool hippie Brooklyn hipster, thrift store clothes, incense and all.

My issues revolve around my eating habits, weight and general appearance. I used to think when I was much heavier that people would watch me eat and think or say, "Gosh, doesn't that pig know that she's not going to do any better in life by eating that Big Mac?"

I can remember from early, early childhood always being a bit heavier than my sister. She was two years older than me, but we wore the same size clothes. Chrystal was always the popular, more social sister too and I always related that directly to her being thinner and prettier than I am. This I know I did not completely manifest in my own mind, at least not the actually being heavier part. I remember being told by older, much thinner cousins at an early age that I needed to start watching my diet and overall food intake. Being counseled on nutrition at early age, but all that information going totally over my head. For Pete's sake, I was like 7. I couldn't control what my mother bought at the store, is what I thought at the moment, but looking back on it, I could certain control what was being shoved into my mouth.

So, I have always been aware that nutrition and proper exercise were lacking in my life and have always had a tremendous amount of guilt and self hate about it all.

Until.....

Now!

Even when I started loosing weight 4 years ago, I still was very self conscious and constantly felt guilty about what I ate on a regular basis.

With the help of CRON (or the beginning stages, learning of it) I am learning to not associate my food intake with my emotions or morals. The learning process that I am going through is helping me to grow spiritually and emotionally as well nutritionally. (if that makes sense)

AGAIN: LOWER CALORIES, MORE NUTRITION, THAT'S ALL!

Thanks, April for that post. It brought up a lot of thoughts for me all day and has left me with an overall feeling of inner strength and excitement about further honing my CRON lifestyle.

Now in other news;

I want to be a marathon runner. Just kidding. No marathons for me today, however I would like to start attempting to learn how to run properly. April asked me earlier if Pabst and I could be running partners and my first thought was "HELL NO!". The poor kid can't get out from right underneath my feet to save his life. But, tonight I took him for a run, walk after work. We would walk a block, run a block, walk a block, run a block, etc...

He actually did quite well and now he's passed out like a baby and NOT chewing on my work shoes. So, two birds, one stone.

Night all!
THE OC AND THE D

Two part post here, but both pretty well related.

This weekend was full of obsessions. Some healthy some, some not so healthy.

Let's start with the OCD side of things. I had been thinking all week last week that I would scrub my apartment from top to bottom this weekend and I did, (here's the OCD part) TWICE!

I started on Saturday morning by moving all the furniture in my bedroom to the middle of the floor and scrubbing the floor, base board, and base board heater. Then I dusted and scrubbed everything else, including sanitizing my mattress. The finished up by vacuuming and mopping the hard wood floors. I was able to do all this by 9:30 am and then headed out with Pabst to my office. I stayed there until about 1 pm, did my dog food and grocery shopping and headed on home.

When I got home, I cooked, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom and eventually crashed around 7 pm with Pabst in arms, book in hand, and a nice green tea.

Well when attempting to fall asleep on Saturday night, I got the notion that I had just not cleaned properly. That tomorrow would be another day of scrubbing. Again, I woke up early, but this time headed straight into work and spent the morning there. I headed home around 1 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon again scrubbing the base boards and this time doing the entire apartment over on my hands and knees, no mop! I also cleaned and organized my desk, reorganized my kitchen cabinets (border line "Sleeping with the Enemy") and proceeded to start to organize my closet.

What in the hell is wrong with me? I think this whole not drinking thing is leaving me with too much spare time and no friends that are interested in doing something outside of a bar.

Obsession Part 2: I found on www.myspace.com/fox that you can watch the Fox network TV shows. Well yesterday after cleaning fit number 2 I discovered the OC (Orange County). Talk about stupid dramatic TV, but after one episode I was hooked. Would Ryan ever give Taylor a shot at true love? Would Kirsten find out about Julies hooker business? I watched 8, count them 8 back to back episodes and finally after being totally OC overloaded at midnight, went to bed!

So, I guess we just trade in one addiction for another!

Friday, February 23, 2007




LAMB'S LETTUCE 101



(AKA) MACHE


Anti-stress, anti-fatigue and chock full of vitamins, Lamb's Lettuce doesn't lack spirit!


A cure for the effects of winter

Tired, run down, listless… it's no coincidence that our energy is low in winter. Winter is a difficult season for the body. It's more vulnerable, and our immune defences tend to weaken. The best remedy is vitamin C, a true guardian of our immune system. Did you know that 150 g of Lamb's Lettuce (one basket, or about 5 oz.) contains 95% of our recommended daily intake of vitamin C? Lamb's Lettuce brings along all the vitamins and minerals we need to recharge our batteries. What more could you want?


Natural anti-fatigue properties

Specialists say that in winter we tend to suffer from a lack of B group vitamins, particularly vitamin B9, which has anti-enemic properties and combats fatigue - even more so than vitamin C which is the defender of our immune system. Found on the market from October until March, Lamb's Lettuce is one of the rare green winter vegetables. Beneath its chlorophyll, these little leaves contain large amounts of an orange pigment called beta-carotene, a natural anti-oxidant that combats cell aging. It's even better when combined with vitamin C, as is the case with Lamb's Lettuce. Together these two vitamins help us stay in top form throughout the winter.

Okay so I didn't write that, nor did I take the pics, but check it out. I just stumbled across it and personally I do not know a lot about it, other than it has aroused my craving for salad lately!

If anyone has any additional info you would like to share..by all means, comment!

FRIDAY...THANK GOD!

Hey, but I work all weekend, so Friday is like any other. Really I am on call with my job like 7 days a week and I am here on weekends, but not necessarily all day and it's quite a bit more relaxed.

So here's the plan for today's munchies;

Breakfast: Egg White Salad

Snacks: A Large Orange, Dannon Light and Fit, 2 Pickles, and of course my handy dandy almonds

Lunch: 3 cups mache (lambs lettuce)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup FF ricotta
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
404 Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken: This recipe I got a from a friend that is a die hard Atkins follower (I keep trying to convert her, but she wont listen). Basically you take like 2 lbs of chicken strips (frozen) and throw into a crock pot or stove top stew pot and cover with 5 cups of any salsa. I added 1/4 cup baby corn and you just stew it until the meet just falls apart. It's pretty tasty and that is a huge serving (404 grams) that packs a good amount of protein and too shabby on calories. After all, it is just chicken.

Here is how my numbers check out thus far for the day.


General (66%)
Energy 1047.3

65% Protein 86.1 g
69% Fat 37.0 g
74% Carbs 95.6 g
74% Fiber 18.0 g
72% Water 1148.1 g

Vitamins (89%)
Vitamin A 14607.2 IU 626%
Folate 162.3 mcg 41%
B1 (Thiamine) 0.9 mg 86%
B2 (Riboflavin) 1.5 mg 140%
B3 (Niacin) 25.7 mg 184%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid) 4.1 mg 82%
B6 (Pyridoxine) 2.4 mg 182%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) 1.3 mcg 55%
Vitamin C 176.6 mg 235%
Vitamin D 200.0 IU 100%
Vitamin E 18.3 mg 122%
Vitamin K 158.5 mcg 176%

Minerals (91%)
Calcium 1390.6 mg 139%
Copper 1.6 mg 174%
Iron 11.0 mg 61%
Magnesium 324.9 mg 105%
Manganese 2.3 mg 130%
Phosphorus 991.2 mg 142%
Potassium 3355.2 mg 71%
Selenium 80.3 mcg 146%
Sodium 5310.9 mg 354%
Zinc 6.4 mg 80%

Lipids (67%)
Saturated 4.9 g 24%
Omega-3 0.5 g 45%
Omega-6 10.8 g 98%
Cholesterol 309.3 g 103%

Sodium and Cholesterol are a bit high which really bothers me and that will be something I will have to work on next week, but for now I am happy with my results and planning for the day. Yesterday was not too shabby either, but by the end of the day I was at 1700. My goal is to stay under 1600. It's a progression and is going to take me a bit of time and adjusting before I can maintain at or below 1600. No pressure!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

29 MINUTES!!

Okay so this morning was Pabst's first walk to work. The walk is just about 1 1/4 mile. Not too far and usually takes me about 14 minutes, that includes stopping for coffee at the bodega. Well this morning, with no coffee break, the walk took 29 minutes!! His legs are still short, so a slower pace was necessary. This extra bit of exercise is great for him. He needs the release. He is passed out and a lot easier to handle at the office and I am sure at home as well. Loosing 1/2 hour sleep to get up in time to walk to work with him; priceless!

I stopped by the pet store on the way home last night to pick up a few supplies for the pup. I spotted some treats that are "new" to the dog market and picked up the one that had the promise to freshen breath. (Christina can probably relate to the puppy breath syndrome). When I got home, pabst ate and had a bath and I cleaned and went about my normal routine. Finally, I gave him one of these breath freshening chicken jerky strips. We were playing and I realized that these things actually work! Never has any other product worked for him. So, I read the label.

Do you realize this little guy eats better than me? Probably better than all of us here. He is eating "Wellness" as his normal food (dry of course). This stuff is great. The first 5 ingredients are dehydrated chicken, celery, corn, etc...No artifical nothing! These breath treats are made from cage free, organic, something or another chickens and have no added chemicals, salt, byproducts, etc.. The ingredent list is like 7 things, most of which are natural herbs and the chicken itself.

Amazing....

Meanwhile, I am still stuck on egg whites for breakfast. I wish there were another alternative for something just as high in protein, low in calories and low in fat. I racked my brain all night trying to come up with something different. I may try high protein smoothy over the weekend and see how that works!

Lunch same old sardine sandwich, little bowl of soup and a grapefruit. Snacks; almonds and yogurt. I guess I have developed a "quotation" diet. I like the routine. Then I can have a bit of variety at dinner.

Tonight; Tilapia!!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

JELLY BEAN UPDATE:

Those little bastard ass jelly beans won, but the didnt totally beat me down. I ate the equivalent to about 350 calories. I was just sort of picking out the flavors I preferred and didnt really measure, so I had to measure what was left to get those numbers.

All in all, still not a bad day yesterday. I topped out at 1835 calories. I do not have the nutritional crunch because it's on my laptop and I didnt bring it to work. I guess I could have waited to post, but wanted to go ahead (first because I am bored at work) to answer the comments from my last post.

Cat Lady and Deb are right by saying that sugar cravings are normal when quitting drinking. I feel like I am not trying too push myself to far with too many restrictions too fast, but at the same time I do not want to adopt the "aw fuck it" attitude and use my not drinking as a crutch. I am really not being hard on myself about my caloric intake, just observing, being aware and making changes here and there that will fulfill my cravings and provide me with decent nutrition and a calorie level that will maintain, maybe loose, but certainly NOT gain any weight.

The old me would be downing cokes, mountain dews, eating pizza, ice cream and just saying "aw fuck it" (thanks to chris for the saying). The new me wants not only to heal myself spiritually and emotionally, but also physically through maintaining a decent diet and exercise routine.

When things calm down a bit, I will start really diving into CR!

By the way; sardine sandwich is a hit! I actually love them too now. My boss was starving earlier and asked if I had something for him to snack on. I offered up half the sandwich, thinking he would say "HELL NO!", but he ate and LOVED it too!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

CABINET NAZI'S

What in the world possessed me to purchase Starburst Jelly Beans? Was it the smell of spring and Easter just around the corner? Hell NO! They call it a sugar craving!

So, like, I was doing really awesome today at work. You wanna know why? Because I ate all the chocolate the day before and after digestion, it's hard for it to continue to call my name. Today I went to work loaded with a great CR plan and followed it to a T. Went to my 7 o clock meeting. Had some coffee. Came home, cleaned the dog kennel and all my room mates dishes (again?) and proceeded to make a great little dinner; egg whites, some chicken breast, and the black bean and corn mixture.

Finally around 10 pm I was able to nestle down for some rest and watch a bit of tube. Well the freak Starburst Jelly Beans started calling my name like the devil in the kitchen cabinet. And of course, I checked the label, measured some out and went about my business. Apparently 1/4 cup was not enough for these cabinet trolls, because they kept right on calling back for more and then a bit more again!

I give up! I have cleaned out my cabinet of all junk. No more Oreo's, jelly beans, Raisinettes, but I had to keep the Peanut Butter as it doesn't belong to me, but my dog.

So, I am cleaned out. That's it. Donated, trashed, just freakin gone! If they don't live in your cabinets, they can't talk to you.

THE END
HOW IT WORKS

Many of us exclaimed, "What and order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us (except MR..hehehe) has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not CR saints. The point is, we are willing to grow along with CR. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim CR progress rather than CR perfection.

Monday, February 19, 2007

MANY THANKS!

Thanks so much for the support from EVERYONE! Next to the pics of the new pup, I dont think I have ever received so many comments (because you know, that's what blogging is all about; comments)

No, really I appreciate the support and you have no idea how relieving it is to have this information out there. Aside from you all; I finally called up all my drinking buddies today and confessed to them as well. Your support gave me strength and I appreciate it! I have had a thousand phone calls a day from the "crew" begging for a night out on the town, so this should help.

Okay so now the results of today's cravings:

Breakfast, Lunch and almond snacks went all as planned. But somewhere around 3 pm, I started craving (and in no particular order) egg salad, mustard, and toasted rye bread. So, I just had them all. Then I found a chocolate candy bar in my desk and proceeded to eat that. On the way to my meeting tonight, I stopped at CT Muffin and grabbed a mocha (1/2 sugar and skim milk of course). So here's what it all comes out to;

Calories 2005
Protein 88 grams
Carbs 238 grams (holy shit!)
Lipids 86 grams (holy shit, again!)
84% Vitamins
90% Minerals

So micro/macro nutrients don't look all too bad, but it's obvious from the amount of carbs I ingested why I had such horrible sugar cravings.

So lessons learned. Here is my plan for tomorrow. Now, it probably sounds like ALOT of food (well it does to me), but I am arming and surrounding myself with great nutrient, low cal foods just in case these weird cravings start consuming me.

Breakfast:

1 cup egg white omelet with onions, diced organic chicken sausage and 1 teaspoon flax

Snacks:

1/4 cup Almonds
Grapefruit
2 Calcium Chews

Lunch (this one is for Al):

1 cup organic tomato soup
1 sardine pita sandwich with green peppers, humus, onion, deli mustard, arugula

Snack:

100 grams baby carrots
1/4 cup almonds
1 cup Dannon Light and Fit


Okay here is the breakdown;

Calories 1340
Protein 83 grams
Carbs 101 grams
Lipids 74 grams (still pretty high, but all the right fats and I believe it will help to curb cravings)

79% vitamins
86% mineral
Okay so that is a ton of food, but still leaves me 260 calories to F*&$ up with or for dinner. My meetings usually get me home around 8-8:30 pm, so dinner is not usually in the picture. If anything, maybe another omelet, but this time with some veggies!

Good news is; even though there are still Oreo's in the house, I have no craving for them tonight! Which I am stoked about. In other news, I have started a morning yoga routine and at night my plan is to get back into an ab routine that I used to do. About 15 minutes, but I will probably have to work up to that. Aside from the extra effort in exercise at home, my meetings are also providing me with an extra work out. You see, my pup goes with me to work. We walk there, he in my shoulder bag (he's putting on weight now, so it's like a ton of bricks!). When I finish with work, I have to dash home, feed him and head right back and walk further than my office to get to a meeting, then of course there is the walk home as well. So, although I am consuming more calories, I know that some of that has to do with the extra exercise wearing at my body. My body is just requiring more and that is okay, so long as it is not cheese dip and Oreo's.

Okay, I would say this post is long enough.

THANKS AGAIN!!
RECOVERY

So not much posting lately. However, yesterday I did quite a bit of CR blog reading and thinking. There seemed to be a lot of confessions and sorrows of gak binges. I too had been thinking of making my great confession. After all being honest about what and who we are is the best way to make the sacrifice of change to better our lives.

I really enjoyed what Chris (cronology..link to the right) had to say about never giving up and realizing that each attempt, whether failed or not, brings us one step closer to our goals. There is a lot of wisdom to be learned from his post yesterday. In fact that "keep coming back" mantra is used in many 12 step programs. Basically, no matter what if you "keep coming back", eventually it will stick!

Well my confession is not just of eating gak and being lazy with my CR. I have a bit deeper confession to make. If I am not honest about this with you, I risk the chance of not being honest with myself, which could be detrimental to my recovery.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

My name is Carolyn and I am an alcoholic/addict.

I have battled with this for sometime. Thinking if I changed other aspects of my life; diet, exercise, geographical location, careers, etc...I could manage better and would not have to be in "recovery" to live a "normal" life. Well, I have attempted just about anything to continue to drink and use and this is no longer working. So, again, I have entered into the rooms of recovery and today have 8 days completely clean.

Now, what does this have to do with you or CR? Well quite a bit actually! The lack of alcohol and other substances in my body lead to horrible sugar cravings, lack of sleep, and several other physical side effects. I figure for me to be honest about the eight oreo's I ate last night, I had to begin by telling you why. I want to be able to honestly complete my COM for the day and post like everyone else, without the guilt and fear of someone not understanding where I am coming from and why. I have not been posting because I fear that I can not be honest.

This step of eradicating these harmful substances from my body will only encourage (in the long run) a healthier way of life and I am stoked about that! But...we live one day at a time.

So, just for today;

Breakfast:

1 cup Smart Start Cereal
1 cup Fiber One
1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk

Snack:

Almonds

Lunch: (thanks to every one's black bean suggestions!)

Grilled Chicken with
black beans and corn
fresh salsa
a tsp of FF sour cream

Snack:

2 Calcium Chews

Dinner:

Undecided, but probably something with chicken and veggies.


So my current CR state is to pay attention to what I am eating, but not to freak out about macro/micro nutrients and calorie totals. I making the basic changes, like not drinking high calorie drinks, eating lean meats, cutting out refined carbs, ect. I will enter all the info into the COM, but not really stress about it all. I know I will continue to stay healthy and loose a bit of weight, if I just pay attention!

Thanks for reading!

Friday, February 16, 2007

I LOVE ALMONDS!!!

Best snack in the world! I swear!

Okay so nutritionally they have a lot of great pluses and minuses, but it's a great alternative to say....Oreo's.

Last night I had a sugar craving to die for and I stole some of room mates oreo's, ran to my room and gobbled them down.

Guilty, not really! Just prepared to fight off the cravings today a bit better. I have armed myself with ALMONDS!

They are a great tasting snack and usually the extra fat and protein really helps me to not eat a bunch a junk when I am not even hungry.

Also on the menu today;

veggie soup for lunch
snack of yogurt
calcium chews
dinner?

Well it's Friday and I have a coffee date with a friend and then a meeting, so I dunno...

But I was thinking last night as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling that maybe some black bean soup would be good. Or just black beans with salsa and some yogurt. Any ideas?

I think it is Haesal that eats sardine sandwiches.....was thinking of trying that for next week. Anyone have an opinion or tried it themselves?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

FINISHED POUTING?

Okay I think I am over the pouting stage for today and feeling a bit more on track and positive about things as a whole. Thanks so much for all your kind words of support and understanding.

I have to say though I had quite the blow out with snacks yesterday. I decided that it was my party and I could cry if I want to. On my way to a meeting last night, I stopped by CT Muffin with the intention to grab a cup of coffee. Instead I decided I deserved a white chocolate mocha; full fat, full calories, full sugar...the works.

Funny how our bodies change. Even though I spent the previous 3 or 4 days not eating all that healthy, I still was low on the calorie/sugar side. Early on into my meeting I got the strangest head ache. I even started seeing stars. It wasn't just that I order a "regular", full strength mocha, but I also ordered the largest size possible and drank it in about 3 minutes! I know it wasnt the caffeine, because I drink coffee like a feen all day. It had to be the sugar. I actually thought for a second I was going to pass out. I had to read this huge thing in front of the group at the meeting and could feel myself shaking.

Needless to say; no sugar for me today! I think I have learned my sugar lesson.

Today I didnt have a great breakfast, but not all too bad either;

Turkey and Egg White on Toast
Diet Mt. Dew
16 oz Black Coffee

Lunch I had:

Quorn (yes I finally tried it) Stir fried with cauliflower and asparagus


Now I am eating my usual 1/4 cup of almonds and having a diet coke.

You know Quorn is super filling. I could not finish what I had fixed. Had it been the same amount of Chicken, I probably would have gobbled it down, no problem. And you know, it taste pretty good! I actually think tons better than tofu or maybe I am just not a good tofu chef!

Even though I know how important it can be, I am taking it easy with the COM. My plan is to get back into the habit of using it tomorrow. I know that I do not want to give up on my nutritional goals, but there are some other issues in life weighing on me that I do not want to compromise by obsessing or focusing on my nutrition too much.

So I think what I will do is concentrate on eating well in the same old routine CR kind of way and I will enter my data into the COM, but not necessarily have a calorie goal. Does that make sense?

You know I have surfed around on every one's blog today and you guys all seem to have great recipes. It's interesting to see how people fit different things into their diet. Robin; loved your post about going to Whole Foods and how happy your home was fully nutritionally stocked. The permanent changes and satisfaction you have found through CRON are something to admire and look forward to. Beautiful writing as well!

Okay gang! HAPPY SAPPY DAY TO ALL!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

LONG TIME, NO BLOG!

So it's been a while since I have posted and I feel at a loss for words. I haven't been at home making up cool little recipes to share. I haven't been entering my daily intake into the COM, so I have no averages or numbers to share either.

So what does a CR girl gone wild talk about?

Well, there's not much to say other than I have fallen off the CR wagon (and many others) over the course of the last few days. The last day I entered into my COM was Saturday.

Do I feel guilty for not being a good little CR girl?

Um...well, not really. I know that feeling guilty will only keep me away CR. This is the longest time I have spent ad lib or better yet, just plain gakky (spelling?).

My diet since Saturday has consisted of; nothing on Sunday. Monday a rice and beans lunch from a local Jamaican restaurant and a regular Mountain Dew (gasp!). This morning (Tuesday) I have had black coffee and an egg and cheese sandwich.

So, not really horrible in the sense of bags of chips and chocolates, but not great by any means and certainly NOT nutritional.

The worst part and the part I should feel most guilty about is my last shopping trip. I bought some wonderful produce and a ton of avocados that I am sure are just simply going to go to waste. I hate wasting money and good produce. Makes me feel ungrateful or just plain wasteful and irresponsible.

So obviously the next step is just getting back on track with things. Whether back on track means continuing to attempt a CR lifestyle or adapting my new found nutritional education into something less strict, but good and healthy for me personally.

The effects of CR on my life and health have all been positive and great and I am not 100% willing to let that go. However, is that strict lifestyle too much for me to handle? Would it not be better to go about this a bit slower? Take my time and ease into it?

That's all TBD and will surely keep you all posted!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

REGAINING MY BALANCE

Okay so today is Weds. Day 5 with Mr. Pabst and he is adjusting and doing fine. So is mommy. I feel like I am getting back on track with my CR and my life as a whole is coming into balance again.

It's not that I fret or obsess too much about it as a whole, but CR is working for me in obtaining my weight goals and I want to stay on top of that. Something I havent told you all;

I'M GOING TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR VACA ON EASTER!!!

I am so super stoked about going and I want to look and feel good about going to the beach!

So onward;

I have sort of come up with a new plan. Since I am having trouble in the mornings the most, I am from now on going to "skip" breakfast. I had already started doing this pre-Pabst because of just not being hungry. What I did was come to work, have my coffee and around 10:30 am, down my almonds. I think it is decent nutritionally and it really matches my natural hunger craving quite well. Then have a sensible lunch that is prepared the night previously and dinner at home. Possibly a yogurt and nut or seed snack and definitely my calcium chews mid day.

I think this is going to work well for me. I am just going to have to spend at least an hour a night planning the lunch and dinner meals well to make sure I am getting adequate nutrition.

Here is how today looks;

Morning:

2 16 oz black, no sugar coffees
1/3 cup almonds (a little larger than normal, but I waited too late and was famished)

Lunch:

One slice Turkey Meatloaf
Steamed Cabbage
Small Baked Sweet Potato (no salt)
12 oz. can diet coke

Dinner:

1 large serving of Chicken, White Bean, and Tomato Soup (428 calories)

So the totals look like this:

1086 Calories
87 g protein
102 g carbs
40 g fats

88% Vitamins
Slightly low on the B's and folate, so research to follow on how I can up that with dinner.

95% Mineral
Slight low on iron and potassium

So, looking up in the world of CR. I am feeling better about the whole thing.

EXCEPT;

Pabst is driving me crazy at work trying to knock the phone off my desk!!! Just kidding. He is just being playful and sweet!! More pics to come soon!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007



HELLO WORLD!!!


Hey there! Sorry it took me so long to get picks of Pabst up, but here ya go! You know some days I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. I had a bit of trouble figuring this whole picture thing out.


So here he is. In my little shoulder bag. He rides in here as we walk to work wrapped up in like 18,000 blankets because NY is FREEZING!!


He is really adjusting to everything quite well. I left him at home yesterday because I had meetings and a hair appointment and because it was just darn cold. I was worried all day that my neighbors would be waiting for me when I got home to kill me and the dog. I thought he would bark and howl in his kennel all day, but he did fine. He didnt poop everywhere and step in it. He just slept, chewed his toys, stayed quiet....Hell, he didnt even make a peep when I came in. He just looked at me.


I am constantly stressed about the puppy. I am so worried that something I do is going to scar him for life. This is the first animal I have ever had on the city. I was raised on a farm with tons of animals; chickens, cows, horses, dogs, cats. But the city is a scary thing. I just want to be a good mother and for my dog to be well behaved in public and around other dogs.
So, as far as CR is concerned, I have fallen down on the job a bit. I am not eating too terribly bad, but I have not been keeping track. I am not taking the time to enter all the info into the COM and I know that my nutrition is lacking. I know because I do not feel great. I am sluggish and can not seem to get enough sleep.

For example. I worked all freakin day yesterday and like April was subject to a cold office. COLD OFFICE. I work in an old warehouse in the Navy Yard area of Brooklyn. There is NO insulation and NO main heat source. I leave to walk home from work in the freezing cold and nearly die before I make it there. It's a decent walk. When I get home, I have kennel to clean, dog to feed, and have to spend at least 30 minutes on the floor playing. While I am fixing dinner, I am still playing with him; working on sitting and not jumping. Just talking to him in the baby doggy voice about my day. Finally, at 9:30 I get to eat dinner and had plans to develope Pabst's myspace page, but just couldn't keep my eyes open. So, alas, we headed for bed; he in his kennel and me in my bed.
I have to say, at least I am lucky to have a GREAT pup. He is already partially potty trained and he has no problems going into a kennel. He sleeps great through the night and is overall just a dream.
I just need to get my nutrition back on track so that I feel more energized each day and can deal with the little bit of added extra stress.
Okay blog world; thanks for letting me bitch!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!

Okay so Sunday is my day to plan for the week. Today I decided to make a few meals for the upcoming week that would bring a little variety to my life and make my daily eating a little less work, as the new pup is requiring quite a bit of my time.

I made two dished today and will share the recipes;


Tatta (this is my version of what Christina already made)

15 oz. part skim ricotta (no FF available)
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1 cup egg whites
29 grams chopped fresh spinach
30 grams chopped fresh red pepper
55 grams chopped white onion
30 grams chopped mushrooms

The recipe I will split into 4 servings (large) and here is the break down;

235 calories
23 g protein
8 g carbs
11 g fat

Same basic vitamin and mineral info as Christina's. Over all just under 30% of each category. It's in the oven now and I can't wait!


TURKEY MEATLOAF


1.3 grams white/dark mix ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
30 g Kavli Hearty Thick Crackers crushed
1 whole egg
salt and pepper

Here's the simplified breakdown;

4 servings
291 calories
29 g protein
7 g carb
15 g fat

16% vitamins
23% minerals


These are two recipes I have been dying to try, but have just been procrastinating on. I am going to gobble down that tatta for lunch just as soon as it comes out of the oven. I will probably put a couple of tablespoons of salsa on top as well.

Pabst (the new pup) is doing good. We were up and down quite a bit last night, but overall it went fairly well. He is adjusting fine. I even left him today for my trip to the grocery and he was fine.

I am headed out shortly for some Super Bowl action. I actually turned down going to the original party that I was planning for something a bit more low key with just a couple of friends and some simple home cooking and wine. Pabst will also be attending as the couple I will be with are his aunt and uncle. Have a great Sunday everyone!!

Saturday, February 03, 2007

AD LIB?

Okay so this week overall was not a great CR week. In my previous post I gave the run down of my weekly events. These events have proven to be quite a challenge for me and my CR lifestyle. I didn't do BAD, but this week was not great by any means either. I am sure my caloric intake was low, but not nearly as nutritious as it should be and I can feel it. Basically, I feel a little fuzzy brained, unfocused and exhausted. I also just feel kinda down. Not necessarily because I feel like a CR failure, but just down. Work is stressful right now, school is stressing me out, taxes, money, etc....

I do feel bad that I didnt enter all the info into the COM. I really wanted to do that, so I could have a good 30 day summary. I have to back track like 2 days, and that's not easy. You always forget something. So, do what you can and move on!

The silver lining to everything is I get my pup (Pabst) today. He is going to the vet for shots with his foster father this afternoon and after that, he is coming home to moma! I am so stoked. This whole month I have been gearing up for him. I even got rid of two peices of furniture to make room for his over sized kennel! He will be a good addition in my life and I welcome the responsibility. I look forward to spending time with him at home, on walks around the hood, etc. I am going to enroll him in the community PUPS program where he will be able to mingle with other K-9's and help raise money to clean up the parks and make them more pet friendly. Not to mention the attention from all the neighborhood women that he will help create!

So, aside from the SuperBowl bash tomorrow, I am almost clear of my stressful social obligations. Please let me just say, they are not stressful because of finger foods, but the booze. Something I need to try and elliminate a bit out of my life, CR or not.

Tonight at home I am going to be testing a couple of new recipes for this weeks consumption. Let's see; all goes well and I will post some recipes!