My carrot killing escapades

[carrotkilla]

Ok, so I decided to try this journalling thing to see if it works out.

I am a 29 year old student. I am also the mom of a 6 yo girl and am married to a soldier.

Most of my life I was considered abnormally skinny. People used to joke that I was anorexic. The truth is that I had bad parents who thought that eating on a regular basis was a luxury. So I was skinny until I moved out of my parents house to my grandmother's. She fed me all the time, whatever I wanted. i promptly gained 30 lbs. So for the past ten years my weight has fluctuated greatly. I am a great weight and then fat, great weight, then fat.... you get the picture.

This last time I gained all the weight back due to taking anti-psychotics. I was having severe problems with depression. The first month I gained 30 lbs alone. This by the way did nothing to help my depression. Long story short I got off birth control pills and my depression went away. I no longer take any medications for depression. My weight has been stable since I got off, but not in a good way .

I have been a vegetarian on and off for the last 9 years. It really hasn't changed my weight in either direction. I went off the first time because I was pregnant and I couldn't deal with the meat cravings. It was incredibly weird since I have never been a super meat eater. Hopefully that won't happen again (the meat eating not the pregnancy thing).

I always thought that I was a volume eater. I remember eating massive quantities of food just because I didn't know when I would get any again. I did this even as an adult with regular sources of food. Since starting this WOE I have notice my urge to gorge myself isn't there. Apparently I only do it for pizza and cake. Even looking back to the months before starting I only gorge myself on things dripping with cheese and sugar. I have in fact had a hard time making sure I eat enough!

This sounds weird but I am sometimes to lazy to eat. LOL I have been trying to get myself to eat even when feeling lazy. I apparently lived off snacks, pizza, and cake before. I never even realized it.

I do have some health issues. I have IBS. I have had two colonoscopies. The last one was so terrible and painful I have not gone back to a gastroenterologist since. I am still having issues with it. I have actually had more issues recently. I always thought my IBS was stress related but I am not actually feeling stressed (which is surprising since my husband is in Afghanistan).

I have had a few other issues but nothing seems to stay with me when I lose weight. I really hope I can stick with this WOE forever!

So there is some of my life story in a nutshell. Hopefully it will give you some perspective as you read, if anyone reads lol.

[carrotkilla]

So today was another disaster for dinner. It was so bad I tossed it. I used this recipe http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/04/21/pineapple-fried-rice/. Maybe I just can't cook with tumeric?? My daughter saw the face I made after I tasted it and didn't even want to try it. The worst part is that it smelled awesome and looked awesome. My dinner of plain rice was super disappointing. I am thinking of microwaving a potato. I probably should since I have only had two meals today.

I really think I need to up my vegetable intake. The only veggies I had today were carrots. I have been pretty tired lately. I hope it isn't because I am not eating enough. Who would have thought that me getting enough to eat would feel like such a challenge? Some days I struggle to get near the 1000 calorie mark (unless I cheat, then it is super easy ). Maybe I am doing something wrong???

I really need to find new foods to eat. My daughter loves picking out recipes to try but we haven't really found one that we will both eat that isn't pancakes. I got to keep trying though. I love baked potatoes but my daughter doesn't consider them a meal. Hopefully some of the other meals we have planned for the week work out.

[Caroveggie]

Here are some ideas:

~ a can of chickpeas is really easy, fast, yummy, and made for us lazy girls. Just drain and water rinse them (which you can do in the can or with a mesh strainer or colander). I season mine with a little garlic salt or chopped onion.

~ you can try baked yam or sweet potato. Very delicious and your child might like it. Prick with fork or knife and cook an hour or so 450 or 475. Easy preparation and yummy.

~ another fast meal I like is can of vegetarian chili (Eden makes it without oil).

~ I think you'll find Dr. McDougall's book Digestive Tune-Up very useful and helpful.

~ Dr. Novick's SNAP meals (sticky in his forum) have lots of veggies and are made really fast.

~ For curry I use Madras curry powder in a tin can. I'm very loyal to that brand because I've had the same problem as you when making curries. I find it's easier to find a curry mix I like and keep using that than to try concocting something. Now it's just a matter of more or less curry.

Hope those ideas help.

[carrotkilla]

Thanks for the hints Caroveggie! I do eat sweet potatoes. My dd thinks they are the plague though so no luck there. I am planning on getting Digestive Tune up soon. I just need to get time off during the day to go look for it.

Today was a fairly good day. I ate three meals!! Yay me. I really do need to start exercising. I have some clothes I just need to get out and do it. It doesn't help that my semester is winding down and I feel like I have projects due daily (working on one right now!). Excuses, excuses.

This weekend is really going to be hard for me. I am actually dreading it. I have to go to my family's house for the weekend. The person I am staying with doesn't own a microwave!! Lol I am thinking of bring my rice cooker to make sure I can eat easily. She usually has veggies so I should be okay there. Saturday is my brother's bday so it will be a total meatfest. This is the guy who considers chicken to be a vegetable. Needless to say I will bring food to eat there too. The cake is going to be soooo hard to avoid. I <3 cake. My weigh in days are monday so all cheating occurring over the weekend is evident pretty quickly. Will avoid.

I am down to 182.6. I am pretty happy with my progress. I can still do better though!

[Caroveggie]

Congrats on your weight loss. I'm not sure The Digestive Tune Up book is available in stores... But you can order it through this website or probably Amazon has it.

[RAS]

Hi Carrotkilla,I love the name you chose.You are doing so well keep up the good work.Just wanted to say thank you to you and your hubby for serving our country! RAS

[carrotkilla]

Thanks RAS!

Today I exercised! Okay not enough to get excited about but I was doing soccer drills with my daughter outside. I used to play soccer back in HS and it was a lot of fun to try and teach her how to do different skills. She starts soccer on Tuesday so I just want her to feel comfortable in cleats and shin guards.

Eating wise I made Mexican Bean Pie by fatfreevegan and I liked it. My daughter was not a fan though. She hates tomatoes and any sauce with a tomato base. It is a family tradition to hate tomatoes for my husband. Ugh. I hate not being able to eat them. There is two of us though so I really don't think two separate meals is worth it.

[carrotkilla]

Today was pretty terrible. I have problems with going to sleep. I ended up sleeping through one of my classes and breakfast/lunch. I have eaten dinner but I just didn't have time for the others before class. I had nothing I could just eat on the go either. I need to fix that.

Tomorrow I go to my brother's house for the weekend. I am pretty nervous since they eat pretty much an all meat diet. I am bring potatoes, maybe success rice too. Then there is a party there too. So cake all around me. So painful. It won't be vegan either so I can't even pretend it isn't that bad.

Wish me luck on staying on plan!

[Caroveggie]

Hope you get enough rest and sleep. Good luck with the traveling. You can kill some carrots and bring some healthy stuff with you. You might be the odd one out but inside you'll keep that inner strength when you're true to yourself and stay on plan. Having an alternative around when they serve the cake will help also. Good luck!

[Orionsmasta]

Yea... cooking for a child while on this diet can be... interesting.

I've got a 9 year old who pretty much does the same thing haha...

If I figure out a good way to get kids to eat their veggies I'll let you know

[carrotkilla]

Thanks Orionsmasta that would be awesome!

I survived cake. I did okay at the party, I did have a piece of cornbread. The part I did not do so well at was the eating out :/ They kept taking me to places where there was nothing to do but cheat. My car broke down while I was there and they don't actually eat at home so yeah I had nothing. Ugh. So I ate a lot more fat this weekend then I should have. I missed my morning weigh in but I will do it tomorrow to inspect the damage. I was running so late I just didn't have a chance.

I did bring potatoes and bananas with me but obviously not enough. I had two not so low fat meals. It could have been worse :/ I know not helpful.

I just know I should get an award for not eating cake/icecream. Hopefully it shows up on my scale.

[carrotkilla]

My sleep schedule is terrible atm. Ugh. I am sleeping at completely randomish times and I feel so tired. I am pretty sure I am not always eating enough which I am sure isn't helping. I always seem to choose more sleep over eating. I know working on it.

I just had a giant meal. Brown rice stuffed portobello mushroom. My daughter devoured it all!! It was alright. A little plain for me. I ate celery sticks with hummus while I was waiting for dinner and then chocolate banana ice cream for dessert. No sweetener needed sooo good.

I am a bit worried about Passover. I am kind of afraid I will starve to death. I think I will get some more Quinoa and stock up on potatoes. I might not eat potatoes for a while afterwards lol. The thoughts of no rice, beans, or oatmeal... scary stuff.

Allergy season is already in full swing. My sinuses are out of wack and my eye is a bit swollen. I have had problems with blephritis (sp?) in the past. Hopefully it won't swell shut or anything scary. Lol the first time it happened I freaked. I went to the emergency room and they kept trying to convince me to tell them about how my husband was abusing me (it looked just like a black eye). I kept telling them I woke up with it like that so they decided it was pink eye even though the eye itself was fine it was the area around it. I was unsatisfied with their diagnosis and I went to a eye doctor. He told me what it was and gave me antibiotics for it. Apparently it can make you go blind if it is bad enough (it was bad enough).

[carrotkilla]

I am succumbing to the macaroons in my house. I need to mail them to my husband tomorrow. I already ate a container of sorbet Ugh. Having sweets and baked goods is too much. They need to go away.

[carrotkilla]

I am officially no longer obese (according to BMI)!! So awesome.

What is not awesome is that a bunch of Passover goodies got into my house and they keep ending up in my mouth. Ugh. I sent a lot of them to my husband but I feel like such a failure. I wish I could toss them but I can't. I have to keep up my daughter's spirits during Passover.

I will regain control. I am down almost 20 lbs since I started!

Breathe!!

[Riva]

Passover is one of the holidays that is so much fun and very meaningful but has its challenges, right?
You know I was raised with a tradition that allowed legumes and rice. I never knew about the ban on those until I moved to Seattle. Consider switching your tradition??!!

My biggest passover problem NOW is the matzah which I love love love. I fell into a box of it last week (premature) and now have banished it. I have to have it again for our big seder sat night and I will make everyone take it away.

Riva