Whatsoever Things Are Good

[LoriJenny]

The peanuts were unsalted, and unroasted I believe...they were not in the original packaging so I can't look and see, and that was the end of them, so I probably will not buy more. I do like a walnut or two on my oatmeal, but I really just keep that to a pretty tiny amount.

It would be amazing to me if I did not notice desserts much in only one month. I keep reminding myself that this is an addiction that I've had since I was a child...so I've really been fighting this battle a long time, it's about time for this new approach. I was actually quite thin until after my 3rd child...I used to eat alot of junk, but I would run alot and wear it off. Things changed when I reached my mid 30's or so.

Okay...off I go to see what Jeff is going to say about Carbohydrates tonight. I'm excited about sleeping well tonight.

[SactoBob]

It would be amazing to me if I did not notice desserts much in only one month. I keep reminding myself that this is an addiction that I've had since I was a child...so I've really been fighting this battle a long time, it's about time for this new approach.

I am betting on you with this one because of my own experience. It is really amazing at how quickly your attitudes and tastes can change. Where I worked, there were always goodies on a common table. Some really screamed my name, like jelly donuts. I would struggle in debates with myself, and I always lost.

It got to the point where I would just go early and eat one, hoping that they might be gone by the time I wanted another. Weight Watchers was a joke for me. I usually ran out of points before dinner because of all those delicious "1 point" treats, that I now recognize as refined calorie bombs that provided no satiation.

If you give Dr. John a month of really hard effort, you are going to realize that those foods have no hold over you and do not even appeal to you. The thought of eating those foods seems as foreign as eating a book. It seems incredible, but if it happened for me it can happen for anybody.

That is why I am pretty strict about SAD deviations, especially in transition. The research has shown that if you tease yourself with even small and occasional amounts of these foods, you never get over the desire for them. And once you start considering that you MIGHT eat some of those foods sometime, and start debating whether that time is now, you are in real trouble. Then you just start cascading down that hill and it is a long and hard way back up.

After 30-45 days of total abstinence, you don't have a desire for these foods. I think that this is discussed in some of the materials you have.

[LoriJenny]

Saturday morning means Farmer's Market and CSA box pick up. Today there were alot of pomegranates in the CSA box, and I really have not known how to go about eating them...but they gave us these instructions:

Pomegranate Instructions:
1. Cut the top and bottom off of the fruit, and score the outer peel from top to bottom every few inches.
2. Submerge the whole piece of fruit in a bowl of cold water and pull it apart into sections.
3. While still holding the sections under water separate the seeds from the membrane with your fingertips. (membrane pieces will float to the top)
4. Scoop off the pieces of white membrane, and drain the water.

I got this from the Abundant Harvest Newsletter, Volume 5, Week 9

It worked just great for me and I'm sitting here with a lovely bowl of "shiny red jewels"

[f1jim]

One of my secret pleasures is to sit with a big clear glass in front of me and a bag to put the discards in. I systematically open up the pomegranate putting the seeds in the glass. I continue till the seeds are all in the glass and start downing them directly. It only takes a few minutes to finish off the seeds but what a glorious few minutes!
f1jim

[veggielou]

Make sure you are wearing old clothes as pomegranate stain is one of the hardest to remove.

[LoriJenny]

Jim, I agree...pomegranates are amazing!

I made my dinner tonight, it was brown rice, black beans, corn, onions, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes and a little bit of avacado. It was beautiful and delicious. My son made his burger and we sat down together to watch the Ducks game. Without thinking about it much I said "wow, I just love this food." Really it was so good, I could not think of anything I would have rather been eating. The day was not perfect...I did feel very tempted, and I gave into it and had a small candy bar from our Halloween bucket. But then I thought about it, and I really think I know why that happened and so, I'm really going to challenge myself to do well tomorrow as I will face the same exact situation...but hoping that as I recognize it now, i will be able to get through it sticking to my goals.

B: Oatmeal, 2 walnuts, pear, jujubee
L: Spaghetti squash, McDougall's Spaghetti Sauce (this is wonderful), turnips
S: Whole wheat pita, no fat hummus , small chocolate bar
D: Brown Basmatti Rice, black beans, tomato, avacado, cilantro, onion, and corn...oh yum!!!
Ex: Walked 3 miles with the Bear, cleaned most of the house, shopped, washed the car...busy day!

[SactoBob]

Lori,
I think that your writing everything down is paying off, because I think you have identified the correct challenge. It seems that junk food is finding many ways to pop into your diet in small amounts, and if you look back over the last week, you will see that as a theme.

You are limiting this to small amounts, true. But small amounts of junk food have very large shadows over your health. I think that is why, e.g., alcoholics are often able to "cut back" for periods of time, but always stray back to big time drinking.

So, back to square one trying to get a single day of no junk food. Then see if you can go back to back. Right now, let's focus on that single day. Carry an apple or some other piece of fruit with you. If it takes an ounce of unprocessed nuts - carry that around. Just get determined that you will eat a piece of cardboard before you will eat any junk today. Make it your top priority today.

I say that because I know that you are cooking a lot of great food and are doing a lot of work with the books and DVDs. But that junk will kill you. Cutting back just doesn't work - it has to go, and go entirely. Otherwise, you don't lose the craving for junk, and you will be struggling 24/7 for the rest of your life. Your brain will provide you with many reasons why you should be able to indulge yourself with some junk food now and then, but that is just addiction talking. Your brain will provide you with plenty of rationalizations and excuses - it was just a small candy bar, it was offered by my son so I was just being a good mother, I forgot my lunch, it was a low fat pretzel, etc. etc. In the rational part of yourself, you know that this stuff is junk and will derail all of your plans if you don't get on top of it. The excuses need to go.

So I would recommend that your top priority right now would be getting the upper hand on the junk food. Everything else is looking really good, and you are very close to getting over the hump.

[LoriJenny]

Yep, you are right Bob...today will be a great day. Actually it will be a fun day, my family is getting together to see a movie and have a meal out. I got to choose the restuarant because of my birthday, so I've been on the phone this morning calling a few places to see who can accomodate my needs...and I found a great place to go I think I will be able to get a really nice salad and baked potato. Then everyone is coming to my house to carve pumpkins...for that event I will have hot spiced cider, no sugar added, and popcorn...that way I can make my own with no butter or salt. My mom was going to bring a birthday cake, but I told her no thanks, that was a first for me, so I'm happy about that.

B: Potato Pear Jujubee
L: Black bean salad Green beans and Pomegranate (plan)
D: Salad and Baked Potato (plan)
S: Cider and plain popcorn (plan)

Most of this is just the plan for my day...I think it's great to have a plan though cause it keeps me from thinking "hm...what do I feel like having right now." Lower weight this morning 166.6...happy about that too

[SactoBob]

Have a happy birthday, Lori. And with the scale moving in the right direction, and your increasing awareness of what you need to do, you have every reason to celebrate with your family. I think that this next year is going to be a great one for you.

[LoriJenny]

Thanks Bob...In honor of my 49th year I have decided to be a 49er's fan, just for fun! I think it will be the best year ever.

I had to get up before the crack of dawn to be at UCLA at 9 for my dermotology appointment. I have been battling skin cancer for about 5 years now. I have had 2 MOHS surgeries, one near my eye, and one on my nose. The amazing doctor at Ucla is a wonderful surgeon, and these scars are hardly visible. I have also had an ongoing battle on my lip...it is invasive squamis cell cancer...I've had 3 rounds of external chemotherapy on it, and laser therapy, and many cryotherapies on it...there is so much pain involved with the lip...biopsies are just awful. So, I do not look forward to these appointments, except I try to make it fun for me by walking the beach or having lunch out. I have never gone to one of these appointments and not had to have anything frozen or biopsied. Well, today I went in...and the Dr. looked and looked and looked...he said he could not find even any precancer...it is all gone. I told him I have switched to a vegan diet (I've suspected that he is a vegan because he is so healthy looking and I saw him at a vegan restaurant once), and I asked him if he thought that might have anything to do with it. His face lit up, and he said "OH YEAH" he said "that is the best thing you can do." So...I came away from the appointment feeling all the more motivated and happy. I took a little trip to Whole Foods Market down there in Santa Monica, since we don't have one here. I had a great time perusing the shelves and analyzing food labels...using alot that I learned from Jeff Novick. I came away with some red lentils, and some McDougall's soups that you just add water to (perfect to keep in my office for when I forget my lunch), and some thai sauce to put on my vegetables. I also got some baby squash...they are so cute! A good day...I love this new lifestyle, I loved walking away from my dr. appointment with a good report and no pain. I don't even have to go back for 6 months

B: Oatmeal, Pear, Jujubee
L: A good portion of blackbean salad with a little bit of avacado and a pomegranate
D: (plan) Basmatti Rice Steamed baby squash and green beans with my new thai sauce
Ex: Walked about 2 miles in Santa Monica, might walk another 2 here with Bear.

[veggielou]

Fantastic!!!!!!!

[kirstykay]

Congratulations on the good report from the doctor!!! That is the BEST news! And it makes all of this worth it! You're doing great, keep up the good work.

[blondie]

That is wonderful news!
I had a solar keratosis frozen from the side of my nose several years ago and apparently they didn't get it all because it was coming back as a little rough raised area. It has totally gone away since I began this WOE.

[to_our_health]

What wonderful news! I'm so happy for you, and for the added motivation!

[f1jim]

Great news on the medical front Lori. I am sure that must be a relief. Keep the faith and let's see if the healthy diet can help keep the cancer away.
Fingers crossed!
f1jim