pnwgirl's journal

[CathyB]

I love those as well but I do not think I could give up everything, ya know? Had no coffee today and felt that was enough of a sacrifice

[pnwgirl]

Giving up coffee is tough. I tried many times but always gave up because I felt so awful. This time I suffered through the headache for 3 days and then I posted about it here and someone suggested I try replacing it with tea for a while. I've been enjoying green tea. It has a bit of caffeine but much less than coffee, plus I can drink it plain, whereas I really need soy milk and sugar in coffee.

I made a really easy corn chowder for lunch today - leek, fresh corn kernels and a large potato, diced. Covered with water and boiled until soft, then mashed it up a bit to make it creamy. It could have used some salt but I resisted and put some crushed red pepper on it instead. Pretty tasty. I really like the crunchiness of the fresh corn.

[afreespirit]

That corn chowder sounds good, pnwgirl!

[pnwgirl]

Hello, afreespirit. You have been so helpful to me with your suggestions and links. Thank you!

[CathyB]

That chowder sounds great! Gonna have to try that!

Day two without coffee today. I may try green tea but I have to give up another addiction first. I have so many of them in the fridge and no one else in the house drinks them so I will finish them out. It is turkey Hills Diet Green Tea with ginsing and honey. I can go through a whole gallon a day I need to figure out what to replace them with however!

[pnwgirl]

Going well with sticking to MWL. I really want to be done with being this heavy! I was moving a bag of chicken feed today and realised that it weighed 50 pounds - the amount of extra weight that I am carrying. Boy, 50 lbs is a lot!

I have found the easiest way to cook my yams and sweet potatoes is to roast them in the oven, whole and with the skin on. The skin comes away really easily once they are cooked and they stay nice and moist inside.

I have been searching for some more low sodium/fat free sauces and seasonings. I love soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce but they are so high in sodium, which I seem to be quite sensitive to. I found some sweet and sour sauce that only has 35mg sodium per tablespoon. Also stocked up on lemons, rice wine vinegar and Mrs Dash seasoning. I found some plum sauce that is really delicious but a bit higher in sodium at 140mg per tblspn. Still a lot less than soy sauce (920mg per tblspn for regular, or 575mg for "less sodium" variety!).

[CathyB]

Going well with sticking to MWL. I really want to be done with being this heavy! I was moving a bag of chicken feed today and realised that it weighed 50 pounds - the amount of extra weight that I am carrying. Boy, 50 lbs is a lot!

I have chcikens as well! One of the hardest things for me, besides coffee, is giving up those fresh eggs! How many and what kind do you have? I am small here so I only have 9. I had 10 but recently had a loss ! They are 3 years old. I have 3 RIR , 3 barred rock, 3 EEers!

[AranMC]

I have chickens too.. 21 chickens, three ducks and one drake....
We have I think half a dozen barred rock, 3 silky leghorn cross and the rest are just plain brown egg layers...
The ducks and drake are Rouens...

I still use the eggs for hubby and father in law.. and rarely I will have an egg.. at least I know where they came from, they're organic, free range (they're fenced in for their own safety) and have a lot of space and my birds die of old age... I won't kill them unless they're injured or seriously ill.

Aran

[pnwgirl]

All these people on vegan diets who keep chickens, funny! We have 15 hens, Ameraucanas, Barred Plymouths, Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons. My family eats some of the eggs and we give a lot away to friends.

[AranMC]

We sell a few eggs to people in town only about 3 or 4 dozen a week.. at one point I had 38 birds and we had loads of eggs each week. We used to give them to the food bank people for those in need of extra support.. families with kids and no jobs... It was our way of paying it forward because we sometimes have to ask for extra help because my hubby is unemployed.
But we had to stop when the environmental health found out they said the food bank couldn't accept them because we weren't a commercial company so we weren't inspected for cleanliness and such like..
And my birds are better cared for than those darned battery farms... and even better from the supposed commercial free range organic places... at least my eggs are laid the same week and not 6 months earlier...

I was so annoyed..

Aran

[pnwgirl]

I'm down a couple more pounds this week. People are starting to notice that I am losing weight which is nice. I had an interim goal of getting below 200 lbs by the end of July when I go on vacation and it looks like I should be able to manage that.

Mostly having oatmeal with a few raisins for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are usually potatoes or yams with salsa, salad or vegies, and sometimes some beans. Fruit for snacks. I cooked up a big batch of kidney beans in the slow cooker yesterday. I'm really not feeling deprived at all by eating this way.

I find I am not drinking much water as I just don't get that thirsty. I do have a few cups of green tea a day. I'm wondering if my body doesn't need so much water now that my salt intake is much lower? I guess there is quite a bit of water in the foods I am eating too. I probably should make myself drink a bit more though.

[pnwgirl]

Really feeling pretty darn good! I think I am just feeling better all over because I have been eating really well for the last 4 weeks. I was out and about today, wearing my new jeans and with my new haircut and I saw my reflection in a window and I looked, well, quite OK. I think I am standing straighter because I feel so much better. My skin looks good too. It is nice that there are rewards along the way.

I've been eating really simply - oatmeal, potatoes, kidney beans, salsa, salad and vegies, fruit. I think simpler is better for me. I need to step up the exercise now that I am feeling so good.

[AranMC]

You are doing so well, congratulations.. *hug*

Although it is best if you can drink more water it doesn't have to be simply water.. I use green tea or black tea with nothing added...

And if you are eating more cooked and raw fruit and veggies than you used to then you are taking in more fluids...

*hug*

Aran

[pnwgirl]

Thank you Aran. How are things with you this week?

[AranMC]

I sort of lost my way a little this week but luckily I didn't gain anything.. I'm back on plan today.. already I can feel the fibro pains fading away again..

*hug*

Aran