I'm going to try to kickstart my body. I'm in the worst shape of my life as a result of being down and kind of depressed with the whole IF thing as well as all the other stuff that has gone on over the last couple of years. And always lurking in the back of my mind is the possibility that its my bad habits that I have not been able to overcome that are causing the problem(s). So..... time to come clean.... inside and out.
1) I eat a lot of crap. I eat a lot of healthy stuff too - but I top it up with a good, hearty, daily dose of CRAP. Fast food. Processed food. Sugary or salty or greasy food.
2) I eat WAY too much. My portions are probably really enough for 2 or 3 people.
3) I drink too much. This is a tougher one to admit, but I do. I have at least one glass of red wine every day. Sometimes more. I just love my wine.
Those are the main factors that have led to me being about 40 (yes FORTY) pounds overwieght. I don't look it. I hide my weight well. I look maybe 20 pounds over....but thats really just scratching the surface. I'm quite certain that these factors have also led to my hormonal imbalances which are impacting my ovulation and ability to conceive. I'm sure that my kidneys, spleen and liver are all bogged down and sluggish because of all the toxins that I put into myself daily! I'm sure that my body's abiltiy to communicate with it's various bits and pieces is impeded and interrupted and its struggling to perform its basic functions. I'm certain that all the extra fat that I'm carrying around is full of toxins and hormones that are affecting me. I know my blood is in a state of acidity which is BAD BAD BAD so I need to get alkalized, too.
So....while Dr. Cutie looks into the bloodwork and ultrasounds....I'm detoxing hard core.
No alcohol. Organic. Vegan. No sugar (except for naturally occurring - so no refined or added sugar). No caffiene. No heavily refined flours - lots of cooked whole grains (buckwheat, kamut, millet, teff, quinoa). This is in essence the 'superhero' diet as outlined in the book 'the kind diet'.
I love this food anyway....I don't know why I have the habit of self-sabotaging, but I do. I'll be doing this indefinitely, until I've lost the weight and my cycles start to regulate. I'm convinced that this is the main source of the issue. If, after this, medical intervention is still required then so be it....but at least I'll have created a super healthy bodily environment to work with.
So today I started off with a broth of carrot and daikon with umeboshi plum and some nori. I also had a smoothie with blueberries, watermelon and vega protien. Lunch which I am just starting to get hungry for will be some kamut with dulce flakes and a 'cheesy' sauce made of nutritional yeast (very yummy), navy beans and collard greens tossed with raisins, pumpkin seeds and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The food is delicious - its just different...and you have to get used to the flavour of REAL food which is far less salty than the processed food we live on. It will take a while to get over the salt addiction. Tonight we are having leftovers from the weekend. A dish Hubby really liked. Its a spelt pasta with tomato sauce and lentil 'meat'balls. Really good.
Last night I took my measurements, took photos, and weighed in. YIKES! I like having a starting point, though, so that I can monitor progress. I think that this dramatic calorie reduction plus my 3x weekly workouts will really have the weight come off quickly... I just hope my body really CLEANSES while its at it.
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Crying Over Spilled Milk
I'm off dairy for 3 weeks for a food sensitivity test. I went to a naturopath who has recommended this because of some of my typical ailments, or symptoms that I just basically live with. Always feeling slightly congested - in particular this past winter, which I felt like I got through in a fog, sluggish muscles during aerobic activity, and general sluggishness.
Now, I'm not much of a milk drinker anyway, so you'd think it wouldn't be that much of an issue....but I'm amazed at how many things milk, in some form, is in.
I have to read labels and watch for words like whey, caseinate, lactalbumin, casein hydrolysate. I was eating this stuff? I can't even pronounce most of it. Its lurking in cereals, crackers, breads, crusts & pastries. Well there is a whole segment of processed foods off my 'OK to eat' list. I'm thinking thats a good thing anyway.
Then there is the obvious stuff. Cheese. Ice Cream. Cream sauces. Cheese. Butter. Cheese.
I'm on day 3 of this. Gosh I miss cheese. But otherwise, its forced me to be very aware of what I'm eating. Its forced me back to food in its natural, real form, which is very cool. I always felt that I ate relatively healthy, but going to organic and this test have made me realize just how much junk I was really eating! I made an absolutely superb quinoa pilaf yesterday with roasted sweet potatoes, chick peas, broccoli, peas, and raw sunflower seeds - all organic, of course. It will definitely become part of our regular menu.
Today I am making a slow cooker creamy kale soup, with the creaminess provided by pureed potatoes. It sounds yummy too. And snacks have been cut up veggies with hummus, or a beautiful sweet organic apple. I can still eat my homemade samosas - I checked the recipe and there is nothing off limits there. And I've started incorporating navy or kidney beans, homemade sprouts, nuts and homemade croutons into my salads - topped off of course with my super yummy homemade vinagrette which is dairy free as well. I even ate out yesterday morning at the market (not the one I'd previously written about. This is one in a neighboring city, which does have a couple of organic vendors) from an organic food vendor who made a killer organic dairy free breakfast bagel.
So, so far so good. I haven't noticed much of a change yet in how I feel. On a very subtle level, my head feels clearer, but that might just be my imagination. It'll be interesting to see how I feel after a couple of weeks of this. If it turns out that I am in fact sensitive to dairy, I think I could manage to eat this way without too much trouble.
But I'll still miss cheese. :(
~SS
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Establishing the Starting Line
I guess the best way to ensure my journey is documented thoroughly is to capture where I am today.
Diet - Mostly vegetarian, as my husband is a vegetarian. He does eat fish, so we eat a lot of fish. Salmon in particular is his favorite. Just because I don't eat a lot of animal flesh, however, does not mean I have a particularly healthy diet. I try, but I'm easily tempted because I love food. I love to cook and try new recipes and I tend to eat restaurant sized portions - so basically way too much. I do find food very comforting & soothing.
I try to incorporate lots of "healthy" food into our diets. I eat a lot of salads, fresh fruit & vegetables, lots of legumes, whole grains. There is still lots of stuff that I'm learning needs to be eliminated from the cupboards in the way of processed foods. Also soy - we eat a lot of soy and I'm finding out more and more that there are as many reasons to cut out the soy as there are to cut out meat altogether!
We are not vegan - we do eat dairy, eggs, honey.
I'm understanding more and more that what we believe, or are led to believe are healthy foods are in fact nothing of the sort. Its not just what we eat, but where it comes from and how its produced that matters. I might think that I'm eating a bowl of nutritious cereal, but the milk is full of hormones from mistreated and malnourished cows, and the grains are genetically modified and nutritionally deficient.
Anyway - back to the task at hand, my current diet. In the summertime, I have a vegetable garden and I grow much of what we eat. Tomatoes, beans, peas, beets, lettuce, radishes, kale, cabbage. I preserve what we can't eat fresh. I live in an agriculturally rich area in South Western Ontario. We have a thriving farming community and a famous farmers market, so access to fresh, wholesome food is good most of the year. We do lots of 'pick your own' at local farms & preserve it.
Nevertheless, my cupboards still have crackers, chips, cheezies (my downfall - and what are they but chemicals and corn! I'm learning...), ice cream, chocolate, wine, rum, etc. I don't generally buy organic because we don't have a lot of money and its expensive. I am addicted to MacDonald's breakfast and eat that more often than I care to mention. We eat out a lot because we are musicians and are often on the road and meals are often a part of our 'deal' with the venues. Its hard to know where the food comes from in a bar. Generally I think - not a good place.
We've both successfully eliminated smoking (my husband 5 years, me 3.5 years) and coffee (2+years).
We both have a leaning towards nutritional, ethical eating, but never really did much research & are not well educated on it. We are becoming more so (which is what has spawned this blog in the first place).
I drink a lot of green tea (again, not organic, and as I write & think about what I put in my body I'm realizing all the things that need to change!), make my own sprouts (lentil, chick pea, mung bean, radish, sunflower, etc etc...), choose whole grain where I have control over it (ie: I can't control it in a frozen pizza, and yes, we eat them. I know.), I take a multivitamin, drink a smoothie with green powder and hemp seeds for breakfast.
So basically I'm thinking the diet is about 80% bad, but the intention behind it is about 50% good if we would just eat organic produce alone.
So that's move #1 on the diet front. Nothing more comes into this house that is not organic and/or that is genetically modified. I have to learn more about the gmo thing because I'm not sure about labelling in Canada & how that works. I think making the organic/non gmo change alone will be a significant step.
On the front of exercise, currently I give myself about a 6 out of 10. I am somewhat moderately active. I actually exercise, with the point of it being formally for exercise, about once per week. I do yoga, I'm starting to run a bit (though I'm not very good at it), and I like to ride my bike - trail riding mostly. I stay pretty active with yard work and house work otherwise. My husband and I walk a lot, particularly from about May through October before winter sets in. We still walk in the winter, just less. Our shows for music can be considered physical activity too. I would like to increase my physical activity for endurance, strength & flexibility. I'd also like to fit back into my size 6 clothes that have been packed away for 4 years.
That brings me to the measurement side of things. As much as I hate it, numbers are indicators of health. I'm not going to share the numbers - lets just say they are not where I want them to be. I will say that I want to lose 35 lbs and 3 to 4 dress sizes.
I am not looking at this as a weight loss program, though. This is a complete change in my lifestyle. This is digging out all the crap and becoming who I truly am. I am an ethical person. I don't want to support massive 'food' growing operations (animal or vegetable) that deplete the planet, mistreat and underpay workers, provide nutritionally deficient and even detrimental so-called food. I've just had blinders on - not wanted to admit what I kind of already knew, if only I'd do the work to learn more. I want to live a long, vital life, sharing my gifts and loving my friends and family. The weight loss is not what I am focusing on, though I believe wholeheartedly that it will be a side effect of the changes.
So that's the 'where I'm at' summary. This week's step is going to be to change the way I shop. Any food that is purchased and brought into this house will be organic. We can't afford to clean out the cupboards completely and restock them from scratch....we have to transition. I wonder how long before the turnover is complete?
Bye for now.
~SS
Diet - Mostly vegetarian, as my husband is a vegetarian. He does eat fish, so we eat a lot of fish. Salmon in particular is his favorite. Just because I don't eat a lot of animal flesh, however, does not mean I have a particularly healthy diet. I try, but I'm easily tempted because I love food. I love to cook and try new recipes and I tend to eat restaurant sized portions - so basically way too much. I do find food very comforting & soothing.
I try to incorporate lots of "healthy" food into our diets. I eat a lot of salads, fresh fruit & vegetables, lots of legumes, whole grains. There is still lots of stuff that I'm learning needs to be eliminated from the cupboards in the way of processed foods. Also soy - we eat a lot of soy and I'm finding out more and more that there are as many reasons to cut out the soy as there are to cut out meat altogether!
We are not vegan - we do eat dairy, eggs, honey.
I'm understanding more and more that what we believe, or are led to believe are healthy foods are in fact nothing of the sort. Its not just what we eat, but where it comes from and how its produced that matters. I might think that I'm eating a bowl of nutritious cereal, but the milk is full of hormones from mistreated and malnourished cows, and the grains are genetically modified and nutritionally deficient.
Anyway - back to the task at hand, my current diet. In the summertime, I have a vegetable garden and I grow much of what we eat. Tomatoes, beans, peas, beets, lettuce, radishes, kale, cabbage. I preserve what we can't eat fresh. I live in an agriculturally rich area in South Western Ontario. We have a thriving farming community and a famous farmers market, so access to fresh, wholesome food is good most of the year. We do lots of 'pick your own' at local farms & preserve it.
Nevertheless, my cupboards still have crackers, chips, cheezies (my downfall - and what are they but chemicals and corn! I'm learning...), ice cream, chocolate, wine, rum, etc. I don't generally buy organic because we don't have a lot of money and its expensive. I am addicted to MacDonald's breakfast and eat that more often than I care to mention. We eat out a lot because we are musicians and are often on the road and meals are often a part of our 'deal' with the venues. Its hard to know where the food comes from in a bar. Generally I think - not a good place.
We've both successfully eliminated smoking (my husband 5 years, me 3.5 years) and coffee (2+years).
We both have a leaning towards nutritional, ethical eating, but never really did much research & are not well educated on it. We are becoming more so (which is what has spawned this blog in the first place).
I drink a lot of green tea (again, not organic, and as I write & think about what I put in my body I'm realizing all the things that need to change!), make my own sprouts (lentil, chick pea, mung bean, radish, sunflower, etc etc...), choose whole grain where I have control over it (ie: I can't control it in a frozen pizza, and yes, we eat them. I know.), I take a multivitamin, drink a smoothie with green powder and hemp seeds for breakfast.
So basically I'm thinking the diet is about 80% bad, but the intention behind it is about 50% good if we would just eat organic produce alone.
So that's move #1 on the diet front. Nothing more comes into this house that is not organic and/or that is genetically modified. I have to learn more about the gmo thing because I'm not sure about labelling in Canada & how that works. I think making the organic/non gmo change alone will be a significant step.
On the front of exercise, currently I give myself about a 6 out of 10. I am somewhat moderately active. I actually exercise, with the point of it being formally for exercise, about once per week. I do yoga, I'm starting to run a bit (though I'm not very good at it), and I like to ride my bike - trail riding mostly. I stay pretty active with yard work and house work otherwise. My husband and I walk a lot, particularly from about May through October before winter sets in. We still walk in the winter, just less. Our shows for music can be considered physical activity too. I would like to increase my physical activity for endurance, strength & flexibility. I'd also like to fit back into my size 6 clothes that have been packed away for 4 years.
That brings me to the measurement side of things. As much as I hate it, numbers are indicators of health. I'm not going to share the numbers - lets just say they are not where I want them to be. I will say that I want to lose 35 lbs and 3 to 4 dress sizes.
I am not looking at this as a weight loss program, though. This is a complete change in my lifestyle. This is digging out all the crap and becoming who I truly am. I am an ethical person. I don't want to support massive 'food' growing operations (animal or vegetable) that deplete the planet, mistreat and underpay workers, provide nutritionally deficient and even detrimental so-called food. I've just had blinders on - not wanted to admit what I kind of already knew, if only I'd do the work to learn more. I want to live a long, vital life, sharing my gifts and loving my friends and family. The weight loss is not what I am focusing on, though I believe wholeheartedly that it will be a side effect of the changes.
So that's the 'where I'm at' summary. This week's step is going to be to change the way I shop. Any food that is purchased and brought into this house will be organic. We can't afford to clean out the cupboards completely and restock them from scratch....we have to transition. I wonder how long before the turnover is complete?
Bye for now.
~SS
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