And the countdown begins!

I'm on the road for a 56 day miracle (a miracle if I make it! lol).  Today is day 55 until Labor Day 2010...

Yesterday went pretty well.  It was very hectic but I ate fairly well.  Looking back I still wish I had incorporated more fresh fruits and veggies, but calorie wise and nutrition/vitamin wise it was a stellar day (I think I hit 6 servings, I am aiming for 10)!  I even made it to the gym AFTER evening grocery shopping.  I spent the last 5 minutes of my cooldown in partial darkness as they started to shut down the gym...it was relaxing!

At the store I picked up some new and not used for awhile ingredients. 
New:  Miso, smoked tofu, rice noodles, Quorn chik patties, light coconut milk,
Long ago used:  Fresh beets, radishes, silken tofu, tamari, seltzer water

I also have on my radar some coconut oil...but it just wasn't on the budget for this trip.  As you can see I am getting into the Asian inspiration!  I've really enjoyed dining out at Asian places because of the low to no dairy and lots of veg options...so I'd like to try my hand at creating some dishes as well.  I made homemade veg egg rolls this weekend (my first attempt without chicken) and they turned out OK.  I bake them instead of frying.

I've a fan of tofu, although in past years I have not cooked much with it...so I pulled out a tofu recipe book I had been given by my mom a few years ago and some recipes have inspired me...at some point this week I will trying some out!

Maybe the 8 weeks will fly if I keep being this inspired to try new things!  Getting back to the gym has always been my weapon...if I exercise, I refuel better, I sleep better...I feel great...I repeat....so it is also what shakes me off he wagon if I stop going.  I pray for good health (especially my back which has a herniated disc) so I can see this to the end.  Lots of child pose and cobra pose after workouts to stretch that back!

And today we start it all over again! I am reminded that I feel good because I've had several people say "you look stress free!"  Now, I am NOT stress free...who is?  But my body and mind are more connected with each other;  I feel more whole....there is less conflict within me.  I'm consciously trying to work on leaving the stress to the external world while the inner world remain in more harmony.  And it's lovely, its truly lovely :)

30 days and counting!

I reached my 30 days last week!  WHOOT!  I am now feeling like I've accomplished or proven to myself I can do this.  I talked to a coworker, the only one who is also veg, and it was so nice to her enthusiasm after 20 years of being veg.  Her hubby is a meat eater but she manages to cook for everyone and introduce some alternatives as well.  We are both trying to get healthier though and hit the gym.  I wish we went to the same one!

So, starting tomorrow I am on to the next phase of my quest for health and wellness--exercise.  I hit the gym several times this past week and it was great.  For the next 8 weeks my goal is to exercise 6 times a week.  I am also going to start really being conscious of cutting out processed food for 8 weeks and try to eat things closer to the earth and drink no soda (I will miss you Diet Coke!).  I have to admit I baked cookies and had them with a diet coke tonight...one last kiss from both :)

I think this will be an intense 8 weeks...the next few weeks I am still off from my part time job, so that will help me time wise to get me into a good groove.  After that I will be back to to 50+ hour weeks and working on getting serious about my private practice.  But time or not, tired or not, I've got to do this!  And I feel so energized by the last month that I know I can chip away at the damage my "American Dream" lifestyle has done (fast, greasy, cheap food and a sedentary existence).  I often have trouble sleeping so I am hoping both will help encourage that as well!

So for a review of my 8 week goals...going public with this one...
1.) No meat, No soda, only rare dairy, 10+servings of fruits/veggies per day
2.) Exercise 6 days a week and try out at least one class at gym (about 225 miles for the 8 weeks)
3.) Track nutrition (aim for 1600 calories)
4.) Sleep at least 7 hours/night

I want to look as good as I am feeling :)

I won't be your drug dealer

This process of changing my life by the food I put into my body is opening my heart and eyes.  My husband and I joked that I'm "becoming a hippy." 

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we had friends and family over.  We grilled and played in the sprinkler, made big bubbles, laughed.  I had a total of 5 nieces/nephews here and it was great!

I did grill meat for my omnivore folks, but was proud to translate old favorite recipes for side dishes into vegetarian options.  I have embraced the notion of control into I can't stop you from eating meat, but I can offer tons of other options that don't include it.  Everyone had a great time and was stuffed :)

What struck me was the difference in the two sides of nieces/nephews.  Let's keep in mind, neither is perfect.  But for one side, they have a mom who offers lots of choices (veggies, fruits, meat, even McDonald's) and the other side, while I am not familiar what they eat, seem to be strongly drawn to junk (for lack of a better word) and until yesterday did not even know what a fresh blueberry tasted like.  And, having come with their grandma, had brought with them candy bars, chips, soda, etc.  None of them ate hardly anything....a little meat, no veggies or fruit....just chips, candy, and soda all day.  And when theirs was gone were actively seeking more candy from us (and surprised we didn't really have much)!  They were under the care of grandma so, although mortified, I left it at that.

I don't bring this up to judge anyone but myself, honestly.  While I don't agree with what they consumed, this picture brought up emotions for me I wasn't expecting.  I too have bought junk, fast food, candy, etc for people in my life and ate it with them.  And it was my own junk addiction that made me offer it to these people so I had company consuming it. Even though I knew feeding kids I work with cupcakes was not good.  Even though I knew a Happy Meal was a horrible dinner for my niece.  I still used my money to buy it for these kids!  And as an adult that means I also used my influence in a negative way to show them how to eat.

I cannot control anyone but me.  I can't control what people eat.  That's OK.  I've made my choices for a long time.  But this weekend I have made a new pledge to myself and the people I (reportedly) love (reportedly because in the past I have freely given out foods that are harmful...how much love was that?). 

My pledge is this:  I won't be your drug dealer.  I will purchase, prepare, and offer healthy foods.  If there are sweet or salty foods we love I will try to have a healthy alternative or version (we all love french fries, but roasted potatoes are yummy too!).  I will model and support healthy choices.

If I truly love people, I want us all to be together a long time.  There is enough propaganda for the opposite.  I choose life.

As for meat, I see myself slowly pulling away from cooking it for others too.  While grilling up some burgers and chicken didn't bother me, it didn't hold the same spiritual experience for me that I LOVE about cooking.  And if people want it, that's fine...and they should do what is right for them...which to me means they should also prepare it so that they too can be connected to the food they consume. 

So my lesson this week is that I can't and don't care to change people's minds....but I also won't be your drug dealer.  I take control of me and my cooking...for me and also for those I love.  Because I do have absolute control over that.  I choose life.