Plant-based and starch centered...

[strivn2bhealthy]

B oatmeal/raisins/banana
L garbanzo beans/rice/spinach & lettuce/salsa/peach
D restaurant salad=greens/mandarin orange slices/cranberries/walnuts/avocado/champagne vinaigrette

Went to a park. Walked around downtown Golden a little more. We ate a pizza restaurant where I got my salad. I really enjoyed even knowing full-well that it wasn't 100% pure. It was a very hearty salad with mostly greens. The fruits were sprinkled in and the walnuts and avocado were sprinkled on. Normally, I might have fussed over the lack of those goodies. But, now, it was ideal for the only spurge I allowed myself. The girls were excited to eat out like that... it was a win-win in my book.

The down-side to the whirlwind nature of this trip is that the sodium was accumulating and I couldn't drink a good amount to flush it. If I were just at home, this would play out differently. But, then again, I wouldn't have been eating canned beans, jarred salsa, and the restaurant salad.

[strivn2bhealthy]

B oatmeal/raisins/banana
L subway veggie sandwich/peach
D beans/lettuce/tomato/pear

Ate breakfast and checked out of the hotel by 7:40am. Drove the Lariat Loop and stopped at Lookout. Walked around some. Daughter took a lot of photos. Finished the Loop and went to downtown Golden to buy a couple of souvenirs. Met my daughter's friend for lunch (Subway, yet again. ) Dropped my daughter's friend at home as we headed back to Missouri at about 12;20 CO time (1:20 home time.) Only made 2 stops in 10hrs of driving. Gas, dinner and potty for one. Gas and potty for second.

Dinner didn't go as expected. Ate refried beans (sans cheese) and a plain side salad. It actually wasn't bad... but, I know it was full of sodium and likely some added beef fat. Honestly, I just didn't have choices. I do have a much better idea of what will work and keep especially well for traveling in the future. I had some food I brought, but absolutely would have meant a lot more potty breaks and we couldn't afford that.

Wasn't aware that the speed limit was now 75 all through Kansas and into Colorado. That allowed me to push the time envelope a little more than I needed to. Overall, trip was a great success. Learned good lessons for future planning. Traveling with husband would have changed a lot as well. Actually, it would have made eating easier for me b/c I could have eaten while driving which would have made my eating choices different.

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B black-eye peas/mango
L potato/corn/broccoli/salsa/spinach/lettuce/grapes
D lettuce & spinach sandwich/pear

So, today it was time to pay the piper... Up 6 pounds. SODIUM!! Argh! I am so sodium-sensitive! I have already started flushing it out today. I will give it 3 days before I declare what the real damage is, if any. Oh, and SITTING too much. Had hoped to walk more, but the point of this trip was my daughter and I let her lead. She would have walked more if we had had more time.

I believe so strongly in this woe that the only souvenir I bought myself was a hoodie that is 1-2 sizes too small. My daughter picked it out for me. It would be fantastic to wear it by Christmas, but we'll see.

Now, to address my fear... I can't stand not weighing/measuring (w/m). There is a part of myself that is whispering that I'm really up 6 pounds because I didn't w/m. I don't know if I can trust my hunger bc I've never been able to trust it in the past. That is why I'm giving myself the 3 days before passing judgment on myself. I feel like every day that I don't w/m is another wasted day where I won't lose any weight. If we do this trip again in the spring (daughter is planning on this and has decided to pay for the whole thing for a couple days longer), I want to be thinner and healthier and walk more and farther and just feel better and happier! Husband and I have talked about joining Planet Fitness. It's still in the works if we can figure it out financially for the both of us. That may help him work more on this eating, too. For me, at least, I can't work out if I'm eating crap... it just makes me feel crappier so I am compelled to eat healthier. For him, I don't know. Scooted away from the w/m point. In all honesty, I have to ask myself, "Is it possible to eat too little on this woe and stay healthy?" "Will eating much less make things happen quicker?" I tend to slingshot... in fear of eating too much, I will eat very little and let myself be hungrier than the "experts" say I should. Why is balance so difficult? I'm running out of years. I would like to see success rather than die trying...

[strivn2bhealthy]

Weight 290

Up 1 lb from last week's weigh-in. Completely okay with that after being up 6 lbs post traveling. To have lost 5 lbs from the weekend in just one day proved out my thoughts about sodium and sitting. I said I would give myself 3 days before declaring any weight gain.

What I ate:
B butter beans/spinach/lettuce/salsa/plum
L salad/nectarine
S pineapple
D potatoes/pinto beans/red pepper/onion/garlic

Salsa is too sweet for breakfast. Next time I make pintos, try cooking them in the crock pot.

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B beans/spinach/lettuce/salsa/nectarine
L rice/beans/salsa/apple
S salad
D veggie sandwich/pineapple

288 this morning! I needed this! I lost all of the 6 lbs of water weight from the road trip plus another pound after just 2 days back home. I can lose weight without weighing and measuring every bite of food that enters my body. Blood pressure is still fluctuating. Pulse is consistently down, though, with every reading take. Pulse started at around 90 and is consistently in the 60s, now.

On another note... It is almost scary to me at how soundly I am sleeping. I went for so many years of not sleeping through the night, hours of wake time in the middle of the night, and always anxious BC of not sleeping which put so much stress on me when I laid down to sleep. I remember having slight palpitations and "woozy" feelings that were caused solely from lack of sleep. Walking in a fog. Driving in a fog. Existing and not thriving. I still struggle to say "I feel great and energetic, now." Maybe bc I am afraid to claim this and am afraid I'll wake up to find that THIS is the dream. Seriously, I am changing from the inside out. In the past, I might have made a comment like that and meant something spiritual. But, today, I really believe I am physically changing from the inside through cells getting healthier than ever before. That reminds me.

I haven't written it down before now, but the very first change I noticed was really an odd thing. For several years, I had a cell/follicle (where my neck meets my back on the left side) that was continually irritated. Over time (probably 4 yrs or so), it began to swell and fester. Eventually, it developed into a raging, infected cyst and had to be removed about 3 years ago. The scar was obvious... about an inch long and raised up about 1/4". I could feel it all the time (without touching it). Occasionally, it would itch and burn making me want to scratch at it. I was concerned that it was trying to return as the doctor and surgeon said could happen. After 7 days of this woe, I was brushing my hair and happened to brush my hand across the scar. I noticed, though, that it wasn't raised anymore. The skin was flat, smooth and maybe even ever-so-slightly indented. It was the very first physical change I noticed (aside from initial weight loss which could have just been water loss). The scar has not bothered me once in the 10+ weeks I've been eating this way. Sometimes, I reach back to touch the skin to remind myself that there are real, verifiable changes happening!

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B rice/beans/salsa/2 small nectarines
L cauliflower/banoatchoc cookies
D my mushroom chili/rice/pineapple

TMI follows, if anyone is reading.
Tom started. Last one started after 6 wks, this one after 7 wks. Before having kids, tom was somewhat inconsistent. Exactly 3 mos before getting pregnant the first time, tom regulated to the day and almost to the hour at 28 days. After having kids it stayed regulated until about 6 years ago. Cycle stayed constant, but at 21-23 days. Then, 3 years ago, cycle moved to 26-28 days. This new cycle coincides with the start of this woe. Don't know if it's a problem, but worth keeping track of. I am almost 54, so...

[astirle]

Hi there, just wanted to say congrats on your great results. 33 pounds is marvellous.
Re tom I think we are both at that perimenopausal phase where things start to weird out.
For me it is getting longer and longer between, look forward to saying bye bye to all that!
I found that the hot flashes disappeared on this diet, hope you found the same.
All the best

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B breakfast "cookies"
L mushroom chili/lettuce/spinach/rice/pineapple
S salad
D pinto beans/lettuce/spinach/salsa/nectarine

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B smashed pintos/lettuce/spinach/salsa/banana
L rice/mushroom chili/lettuce/spinach/cauliflower/nectarines
D salad/pineapple

Watched Dr. Lisle's webinar (from earlier this week, I think?). Very good. I have urged my husband to watch it. On some level, he's trying to eat better. On a lot of levels, he failing. But, unlike times past, he is still trying a little. He has the link to the webinar. We'll see.

Not weighing/measuring food is going better than expected.

This is all going well. I think I'm at a weird place with this. It feels so easy to the point of too easy. Maybe this is what life is supposed to feel like? Ordinary... Without complication... Without a focus on food...

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B smashed pintos/lettuce/spinach/salsa/grapes
L mushroom chili/rice/apple
S salad
D garbanzo beans/2 corn tortillas/lettuce/spinach

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B black-eye peas/grapes
L garbanzo beans/rice/2 corn tortillas/lettuce/spinach/salsa/pineapple
S salad
D mushroom chili/rice/garbanzo beans/lettuce/spinach/apple

New scale arrived today. The other one started randomly malfunctioning a few weeks ago. Usually, I could tell it would get back on track. But, on Sunday, every time I weighed (over the course of 10min) it would drop another 10lbs or so. Talk about feeling like I was in a dream! lol. Funny thing is, though, that I really was dropping weight quickly. According to the new scale, I am right where I thought I was this morning.

Let me talk about the scale for a minute. I've given up weighing and measuring my food since returning from vacation, last week. Right now, the only way I have to measure forward movement is with the scale. I'm morbidly obese. Wrangling the tape measure is frustrating. Plus, gravity is not my friend! After already losing over 30 lbs, my lower section shrunk and then got bigger again. I lose my weight from the top down (awkward!) and as the empty skin slides down, the lower portion stays "fuller" longer. This also means things like "clothes fitting better" won't be happening for a long while. Yes I can see my large, square shoulders again, but that's about the only noticeable change in that regard. I did attempt to take a few measurements today as I got a tension tape measure with the scale. Like I said earlier, wrangling a tape measure is frustrating.

It's soup weather! Yay! Well, this is the midwest, so that works for today... maybe not tomorrow. I scored a fairly good deal on no-salt-added canned tomatoes yesterday. I'm excited to get soups going. Last time I was wfpb, I tried to make my soups balanced appropriately with veggies and starches bc I was still so afraid of starches. This time around, I'll be making veggie soups to pour over my starches. I can still switch up veggies and seasonings for variety. In addition, I can use whatever starch I desire in the moment. This is where I intend to have fun with different "grains". I've tried just about all of them in the past... amaranth, teff, millet, etc.

It's still going well!

[strivn2bhealthy]

284 (-5,-38)
bp 155/92

This week's loss looks like it averaged out the last 2 weeks at 2.5lbs each week. Not complaining! I'm sure both road trip and tom were a factor. But, I need to see these victories clearly to keep from future panics when a week just doesn't go as expected.

Confidence is continuing to build about not weighing/measuring food.

Something from yesterday made me have intestinal trouble last evening. There was a bitter taste when eating my salad yesterday and I suspect whatever the source of that off-putting taste was, it was likely the culprit. Don't even want to think about that too much. As sick as I was in the evening, my weight from yesterday to today stayed the same. I'm okay with that bc if I dropped a pound or two from sickness, it would have just gone back up.

Blood pressure concerns me. After 11 weeks, I was hoping to never see a number as high as that again. Having something cause intestinal issues, though, likely means the high reading is just stress in the body. I'll continue watching it and see.

As I'm typing this, I can't get over how still and overcast it is outside. I hear the occasional crowing of our rooster and every couple of minutes or so, a car goes down the road. Even with those distractions, it seems eerily still and, otherwise, too quiet outside. Considering the cloud cover reminds me that I have got to get my Vit D supplementation going. January/February will be here soon enough and, if my levels aren't very good, I'll pay the price with depression. It has been better the last few years as my summertime gardening has kept me consistently in the sunshine so my levels don't drop nearly as much. This year, though, I haven't had as much consistent sun.

What I ate:
B 2 corn tortillas/garbanzo beans/lettuce/spinach/salsa/apple
L veggie soup beans & corn/grapes
D veggie soup beans & corn

Already can tell I will need to be mindful of my soup portions. Also need to remember to swirl some greens into my bowl. The caloric density of the soup is roughly 275, which is just right. I need to keep the portions reasonable, though. I don't know why I like soup so much, but I do!

It's still going well!

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B garbanzo beans
L veggie soup beans & corn/rice/apple
D veggie sandwich/pineapple

It is still going well!

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B veggie soup/lettuce/spinach
L veggie soup/lettuce/spinach
D black beans/rice/lettuce/spinach/salsa/2 tortillas/grapes
S larabar
S black beans/2 tortillas

Made black beans in the crock pot for the first time. They were incredibly good and very decadent tasting. I try to make Friday dinners a little something different partly because of former bad habits and partly because of husband's current bad habits. These fit to a tee!

Starting to grow restless. Weather change, in particular, does that to me. Need to be careful and cautious of eating habits. Hint, hint... 2 snacks tonight after dinner was NOT the plan. Stick to the plan. Three meals and done. If I'm hungry between, eat a little more in the meal. Feeling hungry for a few hours will not kill me. I need to get my focus away from food. Eating healthy in this house requires planning ahead. I don't, however, want to be obsessing with what comes meal as I am clearing dishes from current meal.

[strivn2bhealthy]

What I ate:
B black beans/4 tortillas/nectarine
L veggie soup/garbanzo beans/lettuce/spinach
S salad
D black beans/salsa/tortillas/banana

Today's salad snack was planned. My restlessness played out as work in clearing an area of the garden. To keep energy up, I planned on the salad. Working in the garden is where my weakness reveals itself. I am referring to physical weakness. After even 30 minutes of working outside, my stomach starts to burn. After an hour, I start feeling extremely weak and nauseous. Water helps only a little. After about 2 hours, I stagger into the house, breathless and feeling as if the blood has left the top of my body. I don't like this feeling at all. This is not me.

Despite being obese, I'm used to spending hours in the garden. I'm used to being quite strong. I like working muscles to exhaustion. Since starting this plan, though, I'm struggling. I feel weaker than ever and unable to put forth the energy needed to take care of the garden. This scares me. I am holding off going to the doctor (for anything) until after the first of the year... I'll have been plant-based nearly 6 months at that point. This is what I think she will need in order to remain supportive. I've had the same doctor for about 20 years... almost since the beginning of her practice. She is supportive of me trying to lose weight. She believes in "whatever can get you healthier (by weight loss) is worth the short-term "craziness". However, she wasn't much of a fan three years ago when I went plant-based for about 4 months. I was surprised. I did wonder if she just wasn't sure what that really looked like. She wasn't against MORE fruits, veggies, beans and grains. She just seemed taken back with no meat, dairy, or oil. I'll be curious if that has changed this time around.