bunsofaluminum's journal

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bunsofaluminum's journal

Postby bunsofaluminum » Sun Sep 06, 2009 3:25 pm

Here I am. I've gained back 35 lbs of the 75 I lost in 2005/2006. This puts me at about 85 lbs to lose, but at least I'm not starting at 275 as I was in August of 05, nor above 300lbs as I was in 95, when I did Mcdougall before.

What is it, that made me still overeat, even though I was stepping on my scale every morning and seeing the weight creep up? Why did I lose my mental energy about this? most of all, because I do love "the rush" of a good cardio workout WHY did I stop moving my body? I have not exercised regularly in about a year :(

well, there are reasons, rather depressing ones that I don't necessarily want to go into here. Suffice it to say, I was rejoicing (and so, I had to feast, right?) and then I was grieving (and therefore, eating to comfort myself) and the scale kept crawling back up. grrrrr.

I know for a fact, because i wasn't in the game mentally, I was able to stand on that scale and "tsk tsk" myself for continuing to gain, yet step off the scale and go straight to a fatty, over protein, rapidly consumed (and hardly tasted) breakfast. Or, a bowl of cereal with milk, snarfed down and hardly tasted...and lunch, the same. Dinner, too...not being "psyched up" for it, meant I wasn't doing anything real about the weight coming back up.

so, getting my mind ready has been my first step...no, getting frustrated enough with myself for regaining half the weight I lost, was my first step. From there, to a serendipitous find on some diet website: The Gabriel Method. It is all about changing oneself within, before doing anything with diet or exercise. Seriously, the only assignment to begin with is to "imagine yourself thin" for 10 minutes every morning before getting up and every night after going to bed. And...adding ground flaxseed to a meal every day. he also recommends a protein powder. I've done some of that but it has sucralose in it...blch...I don't like anything artificial in my food, so that was out...

After a month or so of thinking myself thin, I began to crave something: big green salads! And that's been the only thing I've changed up to now: eating at least one great big tossed salad every day. It is a genuine craving. I strongly desire to eat a plateful of leafy greens and various chopped veggies, every day. And that's pretty much where I've been for the entire summer. Eating whatever meat I wanted, adding cheese, and whatever dressings I've wanted...on top of those big green salads.

Then for a couple of weeks, I ate by the Fit For Life method, which for me meant eating only fruit in the mornings...and finding myself so HUNGRY by noon, I would overeat for noontime. and, lost zero pounds in two weeks of "proper food combining" (the author prefers vegan eating, but doesn't insist as long as you don't eat meat and starch at the same meal, and he considers fat to be "neutral" so there is mayo and butter and olive oil on Fit For Life...)

and finally, thinking back to my highest energy days on McDougall 15 years ago, I googled McDougall Plan and found the website and have been clicking around for about a week. Gave myself permission to eat some oatmeal and fruit for brekkie on Friday...yum, and satisfied clear until noon...

and now I'm really excited to get a move on, starting tomorrow...well, tonight I plan on walking for 30 min. Tomorrow I will start with core exercises, and eating the 12 day menus as posted on the website (and following some of Lesha's recipes on her blog! slurp!)

yeah, I'm pretty excited. Revved up and ready to GO!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Welcome back!

Postby Tina » Sun Sep 06, 2009 5:01 pm

I'm so glad you found your way back to McDougall! Good luck! :)
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein
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Day One:September 7

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:56 am

Yesterday evening, I went for a long walk: about 80 minutes. I went all over the cemetary nearby...level roads with no traffic, lots of shade, and some interesting old headstones to look at. The dragonflies were out in force everywhere, which was very cool. Even before I got to the cemetary, as I crossed the soccer field in the school yard, they were all over the place.

I love dragonflies anyway. My favorites are the little golden ones that come to my front yard in July. These last night, though. They were the big turquoise ones and there were a HOST of them. Dozens and dozens, doing their maneuvers all over the evening sky. The sun was in the west, so they were highlighted. At a distance, they were like specks of light over the grass. They were in the school yard, and the cemetary. Very cool. It was a joyful thing, walking out among them. A cure for depression, every time!

By the time I got home, my feet were aching. *note to self: New Shoes!* and this morning when I got out of bed, they hurt at first.

This morning, then. I did day one of the core workout at Vibrant Vegan. wow! First thought (while I was working out): I am so out of shape! Seriously, the first exercise is a warmup, just a knee-lift kind of thing, and I couldn't do it for even one minute! LOL sorta sad. And before I was done, I was sweating pretty hard.

but I finished the workout, and now I've been relaxing for a bit. Had brekkie, read the paper, read my Bible and wrote in my journal. And I feel SO GOOD. My body feels stronger after one workout. I can feel it in my abs. I remembered to stretch...that's almost as important as the exercise itself. In fact, I'll be trying to stretch a few times a day, especially if i've been sitting for awhile.

Menus for today:

Brekkie: 7-grain hot cereal w/a banana, ground flaxseed, and honey on top. Coffee. water

Lunch: Savory Samwich recipe from 12 day McDougall plan. Water.

Dinner: a baked potato and a large tossed salad. Leafy greens, cauliflower, radishes, tomatoes, cukes, mushrooms. Lemon juice, salt, and pepper over the salad, and salsa over the potato.

Activity: I want to work in my garden, as it turns out I have the morning off yay!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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thanks Tina

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:59 am

I'm excited. If eating one big green salad a day can up my energy the way it has, what fun it will be to have the energy that McDougalling will bring! woot!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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Postby Ege Bamyasi » Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:59 am

Your story and mine sound similar on a lot of levels. My only big difference is that every time I got out of doing the "right thing" -- or even an imperfect facsimile of it which still yielded good results -- I would just explode in a matter of months to a place far worse than before. It's actually a positive thing in some ways that when you've slipped, you've managed to catch yourself well before you could get as badly out of shape as the previous time.

We also seem to share an affinity for going at the exercise with serious gusto! That's a really nice thing to see from a new poster here just as I'm about to sprout a new set of wings and kick it up a notch or fourteen. :lol:

It's great to have you aboard! Thanks for stopping in my journal, too. I wish you great success in achieving your dreams with the plan! :-D
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yeah a notch...

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:15 am

or fourteen! hahaha! You are doing it, dude.

One thing I do want to make sure and do, is be more active all round. It's very cool to take a nice long, aimless, relaxing and energizing walk, and it is also WAY cool to do a core strengthening floor workout...but I want to get my exercise doing things...deep cleaning the house, digging up weeds and saplings and obnoxious fennel in the garden, playing in the lake up the canyon *just for fun* , brushing the dog, painting the bathroom...

when I did McDougall before, I was joining in on everything. If the kids got tossing snowballs, I was in. A baseball game with the homeschool group? I was out there whacking the ball and running the bases, a'limping along. THAT is what I'm looking forward to so much. That energy that will get me up and doing things. yah!

thanks for visiting. I'm enjoying this already. I know this place will be my lifeline in future

blessings, Heidi
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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Postby Letha. » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:26 am

Hi Heidi,
Your long walk sounds lovely. Sounds like you are really committed to making positive changes. I’m so glad you are sharing your journey with us. Take care. :)
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thanks letha

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:50 am

I'm planning another lovely long walk this evening, too.

:) I live in a good neighborhood for it. If I want good hard cardio, there's lots of hills. But if it's more of a stroll I'm after, there are level JUST SLIGHTLY inclined roads all over, too. Foothill trails, in the Wasatch mtns, just one minute drive to the east, if I want to hike.

yup. It's good.

thanks for stopping in

blessings, heidiW
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
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simple, humble food
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The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
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end of day one

Postby bunsofaluminum » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:32 pm

I got home late from work, and STARVING (it was an unexpected delay, so I didn't take food with me) so I had my planned baked potato and huge salad with Fresh Tomato Dressing on it yum! but a little later than I like to eat.

On the potato, I put some tahini, because I just couldn't stand to eat it dry, and the plan is to make a big batch of split pea/lentil stew tomorrow, for potato toppers. But the tahini was the only oily food I had, and it amounted to about a tablespoon. It tasted REAL good.

mmm, that salad was good, too. It was the best thing of ALL. I want to start eating salad at lunch time and dinner. Maybe I'll do a mini or something. The potato tasted good. Eating mostly raw as I was for all of August, I forgot how tasty baked potato is. I baked ten lbs of taters, so I'll have plenty for the upcoming week. Gonna make the lentil stew tomorrow. Taters, lentil stew, and big salads. I'm set for the week. If I run out of fresh tomato dressing, I'll put lemon juice over my salads.

Oooh, I made the savory sandwich, using pinto beans instead of garbanzo's...GAS! ack! it tasted okay, and I ate one full sandwich, and still hungry, I ate an open face covered with sauted mushrooms and fresh sliced tomato (from my garden) ...

and then held it in all evening at work LOL so, I have some savory samwich pinto bean spread...maybe on some ryvita crackers I have in my cupboard. hmmm.

still feeling good from the workout this morning. Missed my walk this evening, because of late at work...but I was running up and down stairs a lot during my shift, so...

hitting the hay. tomorrow's another day.

This is the plan for tomorrow

brekkie: sauted garlic and spinach over rice, whole wheat toast, coffee
lunch: big green salad, two ryvitas w/bean spread
dinner: big green salad, baked potato with lentil stew over it yum!

core workout #1 in the morning, lovely evening constitutional after dinnah. veddy good. by jove. :unibrow:

"real" activity: more garden work; mow the lawn. It's muh day off, so maybe a hike in the foothills? after mowing the lawn ha!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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workout #2

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:10 am

whew! that core challenge is something! It's cool how exercising makes it easier for me to imagine myself thin :)

now the temptation is to go step on the scale, after one day of Mcdougalling and two core workouts...yeah, I think prolly the scale hasn't budged.

gonna hang out with God today. What a blessing!

Heidi
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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Postby toadfood » Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:06 am

Welcome back to McDougalling, Heidi. It sounds like you're doing great so far! I loved reading about your walk with the dragonflies. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Image

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I have to stay with my turtle energy. Slow and steady wins the race. -- Letha
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a benefit I'd forgotten...

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:50 am

when I did McDougall before, I remember vividly and with great fondness, the energy I had. But I'd forgotten how easy clean-up is after cooking...no fat means...well, I don't have greasy residue to wipe up on the stove top. A simple two minute soak for most pans, and a swipe with a little bit of soap, and it's clean.

yeah.

:D
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
User avatar
bunsofaluminum
 
Posts: 6551
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Location: Ogden Utah

Postby Daffodil » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:07 pm

Love those dragonflies. I saw one on the California/Nevada border last saturday. It was very hot and late afternoon. Met some friends that wanted to meet halfway instead of them driving into Las Vegas. We kept to the salad bar in the buffet while they piled their plates high with meat. ick.

I also did a walk yesterday, 1 hour total. Even though it took us 1 hour and 35 minutes, we spent about 35 minutes watching the ducks and tiny turtles in the small lake at the entrance to our community. I'll post more about it in my journal. I feel a tiny bit sore but looking forward to tonights walk. Only 364 more days to go. ;)
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eating a LOT

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:08 pm

this is strange, but kinda cool. I'm eating until satisfied, and eating a LOT (yesterday's savory samwiches: I ate one whole one and still hungry, ate an open faced version)

today, it was the curried lentil stew. I made it over the early afternoon, so it filled the house and the whole neighborhood with wonderful food aromas. This was during/after an amazing big salad and ryvita crackers w/bean spread on them, so I wasn't hungry. but the stuff smelled good, so I had a nibble of the red lentil stew...a nibble, or four or five! ha!

and, I had to set my alarm and make myself sit and read, to keep myself from having dinner too early. I wasn't hungry AT ALL, but I finally let myself have dinner at 5:00, and ate a baked potato smothered with curried lentil stew recipe at the link:
http://mwlfood.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/curried-lentil-potato-soup/

thank you, Letha! yum

well, I ate that with some steamed corn and loved it...full but not stuffed. Not even overfull...just satisfied.

How is that possible, when I am eating this much food? and this is concentrated stuff: bean spread, lentils, potatoes.

A couple of nice long walks? That burns calories...still it's strange to eat this much, and not be bulgingly full.

more about my wonderful day, later
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
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wonderful wonderful day!

Postby bunsofaluminum » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:12 pm

Actually, I love having Tuesdays off, even if my days off aren't two in a row: Sunday and Tuesday.

well, a weekday without work, then. Today, after dropping the kids at school, I went up to the foothills and hiked. It was a wonderful workout! How did I let myself go a year without getting up there?

I started out at the 29th street trailhead, walked all the way to the water towers (36th street) up some rather steep stuff, across a couple of cricks, along the backside of a golf course...and discovered the trailhead to the waterfall hike...ooh! give me a couple of weeks of conditioning, and I am TOTALLY doing that hike. Now that I know where to begin :)

so, almost two miles of steady cardio. No "pain taste" but some good hard breathing, some sweating, and my heart rate up nicely. And a view of the city that was breathtaking. i don't know when it happened, because there has been no wind nor any rain, but the air was clear as crystal this morning! so beautiful! not any hotter than about 80 degrees. a perfect day for walking.

afterwards, some Bible time, some journal time...and some house cleaning. i wanted to wash the windows (we've been here a year and a half, and I haven't washed the front room window ever...) but when I realized I'd need a little ladder or something to get it done, I said "meh. Another time" and instead swept all floors (everything upstairs is either hardwood or tile) and put a pretty comforter on the guest bedroom bed. Moved things around in there a little bit. That bedroom is going to have a corner for reading, so I put an easy chair and a side table together. Now to find a lamp, and bring up the spare dresser. Thinking about window treatments in there, too.

went to the library and printed up the core challenge log sheet, and checked out two novels. I'm GOING to read more fiction. Period! And I did. Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much Is True" a real page turner.

Tried to start the lawn mower. ha! and then texted my 16 year old, who was hanging at his dad's after school..."I tried, but you'll have to mow tomorrow after school" hee hee

Made a big batch of curried lentil and potato soup, thanks to Letha and her delicious blog, went and grabbed girls before youth group (oh, 15 year old girls are SILLY) ... what else? Just enjoyed the day,

oh! I looked up U2 lyrics hahahaha...what a dork. :P But I love this Zooropa CD (okay, I didn't listen to radio in the 80's or the 90's and totally missed out on U2's hey day) and sang along to "Lemon", "Some Days Are Better than Others" and "Numb"

it was an overall relaxing, refreshing, recreative day. What a blessed life.

*we need a heart icon*
JUST DON'T EAT IT

I heart my endothelial lining
by red squirrel

simple, humble food
by f00die

The rest is an industry looking to make a buck off my poor health
by Pamela, a FB user
User avatar
bunsofaluminum
 
Posts: 6551
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:17 pm
Location: Ogden Utah

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