Wish To See...

Never forget to read the label! I just learned this lesson over again this morning with my brand new container of Emerald Dry Roasted Almonds. Just because every other nut company clarifies clearly whether their nuts are salted or not right in the name of the product doesn't mean Emerald will. Not only were there Dry Roasted Almonds salted, they included no less that 15 additional ingredients including Sugar and Corn Syrup Solids! The Bastards. I popped a handful in my mouth before I realized these were no plain, unsalted Dry Roasted Almonds. Deceptively played Emerald Nut company. I will never make the mistake of purchasing your nuts again. And I eat a LOT of nuts.

I heard a terrific podcast this week produced by Howstuffworks.com titled Stuff You Should Know, discussing the evil of high-fuctose corn syrup. You do know it is an evil, addictive, fat-producing product right? You don't have to take my word for it, listen to the easy to understand, seemingly well-researched, and entertaining podcast. I will post a link to it here once I figure out how!

You know how it feels when multiple sources you trust all bring up a particular topic and you feel like the Universe or God or just the Media is pushing you to seek out new knowledge? You have never had that feeling? No? Well that is how I felt about David Kessler's book "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" . This book is about the science behind why some people can't seem to stay away from the ultra processed foods served up by chain restaurants and other food producers. I am looking forward to understanding this topic better.

Goodness, this post has been preachy so far, so let's change the tone. Last night I had my first instance of what I would consider emotional eating since I started the Plan. I was truely hungry, but I was also really frustrated from a longer than normal work day and a miserable and long Metro trip which resulted in my missing my evening appointment. I came home and got a hug and threw some dinner together. I hadn't planned anything so I had (don't read this part Mrs. WAS) two 97% fat free hot dogs, one cheese stick and one peach. I have to call this a win. Under normal circumstances this meal would have been half a pint of full fat ice cream or much worse. So I am going to close this entry with that proud moment and leave it at that.

Incase you haven't noticed, comments are still wonky. I am working on it I swear!

I made a big mistake this past weekend. Mistakes have consequences. While celebrating Mrs. WAS's wedding I was handed a glass of sparkling white wine with which to toast the lucky couple. That wine was sweet and super delicious. I drank the whole glass. Big error! "Buy it was just a single glass of wine!" you say "How can that be a big deal?" I will tell you. Just that relatively small but consontrated amount of sugar set off my sugar cravings. Crazy right? And can I tell you how not worth it that glass of wine was? Totally not worth it! For the past few days I have felt more hungry and cranky. Last night I was really restless and Oh! so much regret. I am happy to report that I my choices single the troubling wine situation have been sound and aligned with my food plan. So that is a sunny thing.

I am happy to report that all trouble and pain have endured have lead to some very positive results for me, including weightloss. According to my rather testy digital home scale I am down 12 pounds since I first gave up processed food in the spring with about 9 of those pounds being lost since I started The Plan! And that makes me happy!

I am on the hunt for a complete Glycimic Index of foods book and also some low carb recipe books as my current diet is getting really dull. The New American Plate is on my list to pick up, but I need some other ideas as well. Any recommendations?

Confession time: I didn't exercise this weekend. At all. I hang my head in appropriate shame. I really didn't even think about the fact that I Should be going for walks, until Sunday afternoon, when I blew it off.

I know exercise is like the necessary third leg of the three legged stool of weight loss. Eating well, and planning ahead aren't enough. I recognize the truth of it, but I still hate it. My inner 3 year old is whining "But I don't WANT TO!" I guess I need to put on my Big Girl Pants. And make plans to walk everyday with out fail. I owe it to myself, and to the committment I made to Ms. WAS.

Ms. WAS, we didn't discuss what happened if we fail to follow through on our committment. Is public exposure and shame my punishment?

On the bright side, I stuck religiously to my eating plan. Even in the face of cheesecake.

Yesterday's pity party was more like an un-Happy hour. Just talking about my bad mood made me realize my low spirits weren't doing me any favors. So I had a quick chat with myself and snapped out of it. Which tips me off to the difference between a food-fueled mood swing and true saddness. True sadness is something you can't switch off with a quick attitude adjustment. A bad mood you can talk yourself out of. Sometimes.

During  my un-Happy hour I lamented how I Hated this rainy, muggy weather because it made walking so Miserable! Misery! But then I remembered, there is an air conditioned gym right in my building. It has air conditioned teadmills. I don't have to chose misery. After work I walked for 25 minutes, a high for the week, exceeding my 15 minute required time. I wasn't wearing workout gear. Infact I was wearing Tevas and a dress. I might have looked silly, but I honored my committment and that made me feel pretty great.

Also during my low spirits I wallowed a bit in my lack of productivity this week. "Oh, I haven't gotten anything done!" and "I am disappointed in myself!" were some of my pitiful cries. Thankfully on my way home I received a message from SA, reminding me that I was doing a great job at something very hard, and perhaps I could cut myself a little slack on the other stuff. Best idea I heard all day! Forgiveness can be powerful. Especially when you are forgiving yourself.

The evening ended on an upnote with hummus, carrots and a warm Josie Cat on my lap.

Today I am continuing to feel better. So much better in fact I think I will make a:

List of Things To Be Happy About!

• On my walk Monday night I saw my first fireflies (lightening bugs if you prefer) of the season. 
• A few days in, I am actually LESS hungry than I was this time last week. And when I do get hungry it is easier to satisfy that hunger.
• I managed to give Josie Cat her medication twice a day all by myself through out the week.
• All this rain means no need to get out the hose to water my exploding pot of fresh mint.
• Fresh mint iced tea! Yum!
• Supportive friends a co-workers who are supporting me through this tough process.
• The cravings are lessening. Thank God!

P.S. If you have tried to leave me a comment and it has not appeared on the blog, please email me. I believe my blog is eatting comments. Thanks!

It's day four and I am feeling down. I don't know if it's my carb-free diet, the constant thunderstorms or coming home every night to an empty house...come to think of it, it's not a wonder I am a little blue. And that's not all!

Whenever Flounder travels, I plan on doing projects around the house. This time I chose two simple projects thinking I would go easy on myself. Its Thursday I haven't started either task. I think I feel a bout of self-pity coming on. Yep, yep here it is. Full scale pity party at my place.

You can probably imagine, I am a ton of fun to be around. My poor co-workers have to put up with me, but at home only the sainted Josie Cat knows what a pain I am.

Incidentally, I have stuck to my Plan. If the scale in my bathroom is to be trusted, I am even dropping pounds. I am just having a hard time being happy about it.

First let's talk about Day One. 

It was hard. Maybe harder than I expected. But good news! I ate only the foods I was supposed to have and I didn't cheat. I also did my prescribed 15 minutes of movement. Hurray!

I took yesterday off of work so that I could enjoy the aloneness of an empty house (while Flounder is away in San Fran this week), which was a pleasure. But it was an unstructured pleasure, and maybe that wasn't the best idea. I think I would have benefited from a set eatting schedule and pre-cooked food. The carb cravings were pretty intense. Each time I became hungry, I seriously wanted carbs. There was a quiet but insistant voice begging for carbs before each meal and snack. Makes me sound like an addict doesn't it? Maybe I am. I am sure it didn't help that Sunday was a delicious carb-a-thon of party food.

Even with the temptation I stuck with my resolve, knowing that in just a few days the insistant voice will be quieted. Right now having a little more peace sounds like a great thing.

Today I have started off well with a hand full of cashews and a bowl of steel cut oats. My Goodness, you have to cook those oats forever! I made them up last night, which I think is the best way to do it. The tough oat seems to benefit from a good overnight rest.

I made it though yesterday and I will do the same today. Wish me luck!