Lulu201's Healthy Living Journal--Just trying my best to walk the walk! Come on by!

[DoeWDW]

Friday's here!!

I hope you enjoyed your "dessert" last evening! If it's helping you, then I say "Go Spud!!"

Ride the DZone wave, knowing that in a few short weeks you'll be in "the Happiest Place on Earth" and nowhere near the DZone! I just know you'll have a magical time! Will you be taking your pink hat? It's probably one of the few places you can wear it and not feel conspicuous.

Enjoy your day, dear Erin!!

 

[lulu201]

Good morning! I can't believe it, but it's a little cloudy this morning. Guess even the needs to sleep in some days!

Here's the ole plan for today:

1. Devotions
2. Vitamins
3. Water--have had about 20 oz. so far
4. Exercise--walked Mickey on the 1.25 loop, walked 1.95 on the treadie, and then rode a couple of laps on my bike just to cool off.
5. Here's the meal plan for today: breakfast was shredded wheat, 1/2 a peach, 1/4 of a banana, coffee, and 1 cup of milk (shared between the cereal and the coffee. Lunch will be a tuna sandwich and some carrot sticks.
A mid-afternoon snack will be an apple and a cheesestick. Dinner will be 1 breadstick, salad (as much as I want ), and a serving of the whole wheat linguine w/the 5 cheese marinara sauce at Olive Garden. My bed-time snack (I guess that's better than calling it my dessert ) will be some whole wheat reduced fat triscuits.
6. Scale--180

Now I know that this potato dessert thing is totally bizarre sounding, but I figure it's worth a try, and so far, I have to say I'm loving this way of eating. My cravings are minimal (though I know they'll be tested the rest of this week as I continue down the DZone path!), the exercise feels good, and the scale seems to moving in the right direction. I don't feel like I'm on a diet at all; this is just how I need to eat and how I need to live. These are the foods I want to eat,too. . .I feel healthy and steady with less peaks and valleys of energy when I don't eat sugar. Not to say that I don't get tired. . .by the end of the day yesterday, around 7:30, I was pooped and was in bed by 9:00! I think, though, that that's reasonable--I was up at 6 and was happily busy the whole day. I felt an urge to medicate myself with coffee as my energy slipped, but I resisted. This might sound strange, but I think it's important for me to feel my fatigue. . .last year I just kept pushing through it, priming myself daily with more and more caffeine stimulation. I need to recognize when I get tired and then rest! (Wow, what a concept! )

My friend and I had a nice chat over coffee. Wanna hear something that'll make you smile? She's in her mid-50's with two sons, one about 18 and one about 22. She lost her husband, a sweet gentle man, to leukemia about 2 years ago. The last time I saw her (in Jan.) she told she was ready to have a man in her life again, and she was asking friends and family to pray for her to find someone special. Well, yesterday I saw her for the 1st time since then, and she was wearing a beautiful three diamond engagement ring! She's planning a June wedding to an English widower who has a 14 yr. old daughter, and she just glows with excitement and love! Isn't that a nice story?

All right, I've got some cleaning to do before I get to work.

I'm looking Upward and moving onward,
Erin

 

[DoeWDW]

How wonderful for your friend!! May she be blessed with much happiness throughout the rest of her life.

I have to admit that the idea of eating a baked potato for "dessert" or a bedtime snack sounds funny when I first think about it. However, there have been MANY ideas that I found funny at first and then warmed up to when I learned of the logic behind them. Seriously, if a non-sugar carb snack is helping you then I think you should stick with it, even if it makes others giggle. You know what works for you. By the time I'm finished reading all these books, I may be eating baked potato bedtime snacks too.

Love ya, no matter WHAT you're eating

 

[lulu201]

Hey, if I eat a potato every night can I change from "Lulu201" to "Mrs. Potato Head????" Ah, yeah, sometimes I crack myself up!

 

[Cruise04]

I'm noticing your downward trend on your scale line!!!!! GOOD JOB!

I think your new plan is working for you and I'm glad to hear it. It's all in what works for each person - keep on going!!!! You've got a good groove working for ya.

Keep on
Chris

 

[lulu201]

Hey, Chris! Thanks for stopping by!

It's an absolutely beautiful morning. I'm going to finish up here and then head out with Mickey for a quick walk before I head to work. This afternoon I think our plan is to head to a nearby park and do some paddleboating! I'm also thinking about heading over to Kohl's to see what kind of good stuff they have on sale.

Ok, here's the healthy living plan for today:

1. devotions
Daily Thoughts:
A Time to Think:
Without faith, we are as stained-glass windows in the dark. --Anonymous
To Act:
Remember that hope clings, and faith lets go.
To Pray:
Keep me aware today, Father, that I am walking in Your light.
2. vitamins--I'll take them soon
3. Water--I'll start soon
4. Exercise--I'll walk Mickey around the neighborhood and then see what the day brings. I'll either ride my bike for 30 min. or get on the treadie.
5. Food--breakfast was shredded wheat, strawberries, and some walnuts with milk. Had my coffee, too. Lunch will be a sandwich of some sort. Dinner will be chicken and broccoli alfredo over spaghetti. Late night snack will be something complex carby.
6. Scale--181.

Yesterday I added a s.f. chocolate cake and about 1/2 cup of milk to my day--I was starting to crave some chocolate. So far, though, at day #23 (?) in the DZONE, I've got to say I haven't had an overwhelming need to munch. As I start to get tired I've got to be careful not to medicate myself with caffeine or sugar, but rather I'm going to try to accept it as part of the rhythm of my life while maintaining the exercise routine I've got going.

Off to begin the day, looking Upward and moving forward,
Erin

 

[lulu201]

September 11, 2005

It's amazing, isn't it, that it's been 4 years since the WTC and all of the terror of that day? Thinking about it fills me with such sorrow.

We all go on, though, and try to make the most of each day. I guess that's why I come to the WISH every morning--to focus on living the day to its healthiest.

Today's plan:

1. Devotions--haven't done this yet, but I'll go to church.
2. Vitamins--haven't taken them yet, but I will
3. Water--haven't had any yet, but I will
4. Exercise--haven't. . ., well, I guess you know the rest
5. Food--breakfast was 2 eggs, a cheesestick, and a slice of rye toast w/coffee w/about a 1/4 cup of milk.
6. Scale--up to 183

That darn scale really annoys me. I feel thinner this morning, but the scale doesn't agree. Darn thing anyway! I'm gonna give it a kick and forget about it.

I'm reading a new book: "Your Last Diet" by Kathleen Desmaisons, the woman who wrote "A Sugar Addicts Guide to Recovery" and "Potatoes, not Prozac." I realized that I'm not getting enough protein in my meals. Here I thought shredded wheat with MILK was giving me enough. . .uh, it's not. According to the formula in the book, I should have approx. 30g of protein per meal (along with my complex carbs). Hence the eggs and cheese for breakfast this morning. Hopefully that'll help with the spike and plunge of blood sugar levels that I have, and the almost constant fatigue I have as TOM approaches.

Last night I thought, "what if, instead of beating myself up for being tired and trying to work my way out of PMS fatigue, I just sleep more?" Maybe I just need to give myself permission to nap and rest as much as I need to, one week per month?

I'm seriously trying to follow the steps to recovery from sugar addiction. I wouldn't say I'm on a weight loss program, but I AM trying to make slow and steady changes to my way of eating (as you know from the Potato Experiment of September 2005 ), and hope to eventually get to weight loss. I'm trying to balance my blood sugar, seroton, and beta-endorphin levels in my overall quest for wellness. I'm finding it's a rather slow process, but slow is what I need.

My plan-related goals for this week:

1. Eat 30g of protein at each meal w/a high complex carb snack before bed.
2. Maintain a meticulous food journal w/details about how I feel physically and emotionally throughout the day; that way I can see patterns of behavior.

Already the food journal has proven useful--I looked back to where I was a month ago, and there are no entries! I went on a 3 day carb-sugar binge before TOM and didn't write anything at all. At least this month I didn't go MIA!

OK, gotta get ready for church. More later.
Erin

Edit: Today is turning into a wonderfully slow and relaxing day. After church and produce shopping, I walked Mickey, and then went outside with my book for awhile. I dozed in the sunshine, watched the clouds, oh--and read a little bit . So relaxing.

DD told me today that one of her friend's was told by her mom that she's not going to have a "Sweet 16." No, she's being given a trip to Spain instead. Hmm, guess that doesn't raise the bar too high for the rest of us parents.

OK, headed to the grocery store for some chocolate chips (DD's making muffins). This'll probably be it 'til tomorrow--

E.

 

[DoeWDW]

Erin, I'm knee-deep in "Potatoes, Not Prozac" and today is the day I picked to start my food journal. I've got a small notebook that I'll keep with me, and record it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly. The things in this book are making a lot of sense to me.

Your afternoon in the sunshine sounds so relaxing! Good for you for taking some time out to enjoy the wonderful weather.

Hope your Monday is a happy day, filled with just the right combination of foods to help your body and mind feel at their best!

 

[lulu201]

September 12, 2005

Monday morning musings. . .

I went out and had a nice walk with Mickey this morning. . .the sun is shining and the air is cool; I saw a little leaf float through the air to the ground. . .Fall is on its way. I love my time outside in the park in the morning; I love the newness of the day and all of the possibilities it brings.

Here's the ole plan:

1. Devotions:
2. Vitamins
3. Water--have started
4. Exercise--walked Mickey on our 1.25 route, and did a couple of miles on the treadie.
5. Food--this morning I had cottage cheese with strawberries and almonds and a s.f. banana walnut bran muffin w/a bit of p.b. Coffee w/1/2 and 1/2.
6. Scale--183.

Yesterday was a tough day food-wise. I almost threw my sugar abstinance out the window; I went to Dairy Queen with DD and ALMOST had a chocolate peanut butter oreo blizzard. Doesn't that sound like the perfect treat for a woman in the DZone? Anyway, I opted for a s.f. dilly bar instead. . .I just knew I wasn't going in the right direction and nothing good was going to come from eating the blizzard. And you know what? The decision felt right. Oh, someday I'll have a blizzard if I want one, but it just wasn't worth it. You might be wondering how I ended up at DQ anyway--totally MY idea. I guess it's just part of the war I wage with my hormones vs. my healthy living mind. Self-sabotage.

I finished "Your Last Diet" last night and I've realized that right now, I'm in no position to diet. I need to stabilize--my blood sugars and chemical levels, my weight, everything. I'm going to concentrate on living the 7 steps for a long time. . .like a year (?), then I'll see what I want to do.

Oh, I don't think I've said what the 7 steps are:

1. Eat breakfast with protein.
2. Keep a food journal to note what you eat and how you feel.
3. Eat three meals a day with protein.
4. Take a specific set of vitamins and have a potato before bed. rotfl
5. Shift from white foods to brown foods.
6. Stop using sugars. (for now that means "overt" sugars to me. I'm still eating regular peanut butter, salad dressings, and using "s.f." products.)
7. Enhance your radiance.

I think that the last two years on WISH have helped me structure my life and have given me the healthy living mindset so that I can begin this journey. Ideally, you're not supposed to begin any step until you've completely mastered the one before, but I've already started work on all of them in a way, so I'm just committing myself to not going any farther down the road (like to a "diet") for now. When September is done, I won't be signing up for the October weight loss challenge.

This is all supposed to be a gentle, forgiving, educational process where you're "tender" with yourself as you assess the changes you need to make for your particular body. This kind of scares me--I feel like I need the rules and the black and white details to follow--but I know that finding my way with this gradually (actually allowing and trusting myself to figure this out on my own) is the answer I've been searching for. At least I hope it is.

OK, so I'm off and into the rest of the day. I have some housecleaning to do and then will head to work around noon and then will be home at 8:30.

Moving on, looking Up--
Erin

P.S. Have started a new book "Outsmarting Female Fatigue." Funny and well-written. The woman is an R. D. who has stated in the early chapters that dieting is one of the things that fatigues us the most! Can't wait to read more about that!

 

[septbride2002]

P.S. Have started a new book "Outsmarting Female Fatigue." Funny and well-written. The woman is an R. D. who has stated in the early chapters that dieting is one of the things that fatigues us the most! Can't wait to read more about that!

somehow I do not doubt that!
You are such a wonderful person Erin - how I wished we lived closer so that we could visit each other.
I like your 7 steps - I'm going to try and remember those.

~Amanda

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Erin!

I like your 7 steps too! After I get to a few more journals, I'm going to see if my library has that book. I get some wonderful book recommendations here!

I hope you are having a marvelous Monday! Take care!

 

[lulu201]

September 13, 2005

Just a quick entry:

I totally fell apart yesterday. Had that dumb blizzard I couldn't stop thinking about (oh, and it was so good!), a chocolate covered pretzel, and two bowls of shredded wheat with berries and nuts. Today I'm bloated, headachey, and tired. Why? Well, it could be from the carb binge, it could be from my serotonin hitting the floor (day #25 or 26 in the DZone), who knows? I know that the way I ate last night couldn't have helped anything.

BUT, I'm forgiving of myself. It's all part of the journey--I've just got to learn what my patterns of behavior are and new ways to cope. One thing I learned about myself is that I have no tolerance whatsoever for being tired. When I'm at work and it's 7:00 and I'm dragging, I want to be picked up and I want it NOW. Give me coffee, sugar, whatever ya got--I WANT IT! That's where I started to go wrong last night and had the pretzel. I've got to learn to ride that wave. Also, I've got to stop fighting a lot of the fatigue and recognize it as something I have to listen to.

Oh shoot, I have to get going. I'm meeting another friend for breakfast this morning--I've got to do all my visiting before I head back to my full-time schedule. I'll try to stop in later.

Erin

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Erin!

I got "Your Last Diet" last night and I have to say... I love it! So much of what the author says makes sense. Thanks for sharing!

Have a great time at breakfast and have a terrific Tuesday!

 

[DISNEYFANRI]

Hi Erin - just wantd to stop by and wish you a good day!!

 

[septbride2002]

I hear ya about the tired thing. As soon as I start to feel tired I start looking for food. Maybe keeping some fruit on hand would be a good idea - natural sugar is WAY better then chocolate. Another thing I have learned about myself is that once I crave something there is very little I can do to get rid of it. So I will usually let myself have it. Perhaps if you had given into a mini blizzard yesterday you could have stopped some of the binging. I know when I deny myself what I want I look for ways to fill it, and I usually end up eating more and then just end up eating what I wanted in the first place.

Have a great day today, forget about yesterday and move on! Drink lots of water to get rid of the bloat!

~Amanda

 

[DoeWDW]

I totally agree with Amanda. Any craving that lasts longer than a day or two is big trouble. If I don't give into it a little, then when I'm tired and weak, I'll overindulge in a big way. Guess we've got to find a way to work our cravings into our way of eating in a sane and healthy way.

, sweetie. Hope your day is getting better and better.

 

[lulu201]

Awe, . Amanda and Doreen, thanks for your encouraging words.
Today I walked Mickey his 1.25er in the sunshine, but I didn't get on the treadie. I took a nap instead. I'm feeling good now, so maybe that's what I needed?

Anyway, this a.m. I forgot to take my vitamins, so I'll have to do that tonight when I get home from work. I've been drinking water, but I need more of that, too. I had a slice of whole wheat toast w/pb for my breakfast at 6. At 9:30 I had a two egg broccoli and cheese omelet and two slices of rye toast, decaf w/cream at the restaurant. At 2:30 I had a small s.f. banana bran muffin w/some pb on that. For dinner tonight it'll be Saladworks.

I've been really trying to manage Dr. Desmaison's 3 meals a day plus the carbo snack, but I think with my schedule and my blood sugar I need to eat something -sized every three hours. Still no sugar (except a medicinal blizzard now and then ), but protein/carb combinations throughout the day. I'm going to try that for the rest of the week.

OK, I'm outa here.
Thanks, everyone.
Erin

 

[Strings]

Hi Erin,

I have to pipe in here. know a bit about fatigue, and I definately eat more when I am tired. I have to plan my Mondays very carefully. All food has to be quick and available. Nothing should require more than 10 minutes of cooking. I need the meal plan written out, or I won't follow it.

You are right to forgive yourself. This is a journey and learning experience. You have figured out a few triggers. You are also learning how to avoid those triggers.

I hope today was better for you.

Take care Wish-sis,
Beth

 

[lulu201]

Hi, Beth. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Where would I be without my WISH buddies?

It's a new day--Wednesday, I think. I walked a mile with Mickey, did my devotions, read a bit, and am now ready to get on with the day. I've got lots to do today, so even though I don't teach until this afternoon, I'll be in the studio well before noon, writing lessons, checking materials, etc. My healthy living focus today will be to eat in a healthy way and to drink lots of water.

DD's got some seasonal allergy stuff going on--her throat is sore from the drip. She's just not feeling her best today, poor thing.

I'm looking forward to what this day will bring. to all of my friends trying to walk this healthy walk!

Erin

 

[septbride2002]

Your DD and I are in the same boat. Stupid sinuses!
Take care of yourself today and don't over do it! Try to find even 5 minutes to do something for yourself.

~Amanda