Journal - Thoughts and Details

[sirdle]

3/10

Came down with the flu yesterday. Feeling better today... or is it the drugs?

Non-compliant foods:
2 flour tortillas (easy on the stomach)
1 can Progresso minestrone soup (processed with milk and eggs, and high in sodium - 1,400 mg)

Already eating better today.

[sirdle]

Non-compliant foods this month...

3/2 -- 2 Hershey bars
3/3 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars
3/9 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars; 20 oz decaf coffee
3/10 -- 2 flour tortillas; canned minestrone soup
3/14 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee

... not too bad, but could be better.

Note: weight loss this month = 4.2 pounds.

[sirdle]

A mixed day. Today was a planned off-plan day. It was intended as one of two days a month when I eat out with my wife and don't worry about what I'm eating.

It was mixed because in addition to eating dinner out, I also ate 1/2 of of wife's Subway sandwich for lunch and 4 candy bars on the long drive home. Those items were not planned and and are definitely things I need to improve.

==========

Moqueca

"The most famous dish of Espirito Santo’s State is the “moqueca Capixaba”. Symbol of its regional cuisine and appreciated everywhere, the moqueca is known for its unique way of cooking and serving. The name “moqueca” designates exactly this way of preparation which is using a clay pot to cook the seafood and vegetables with no addition of water. The ingredients include the fish (or other seafood), onions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, “urucum” and “malagueta” pepper.

The moqueca is served on the same clay pot it was cooked, with the sides of white rice and “pirao” a thick broth made from the moqueca and yucca flour.The unique version of the dish that is served in our family restaurant in Oxnard, is a combination from the ancestries of both "sarcinelli" and "Reis" families." -- www.moquecarestaurant.com

I chose the 'banana' moqueca where plantains are substituted for fish. Amazing food.

==========

Non-compliant foods this month...

03/02 -- 2 candy bars
03/03 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars
03/09 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars; 20 oz decaf coffee
03/10 -- 2 flour tortillas; canned minestrone soup
03/14 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee
03/18 -- 4 candy bars, Subway sandwich, plantain moqueca

... not too bad, but could be better.

Note: weight loss this month = 4.0 pounds.

[sirdle]

A yucky day at work. Very frustrating and demotivating.

Managed a run after work... which cheered me up a bit.

==========

Non-compliant foods this month...

03/02 -- 2 candy bars
03/03 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars
03/09 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars; 20 oz decaf coffee
03/10 -- 2 flour tortillas; canned minestrone soup
03/14 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee
03/18 -- 4 candy bars, Subway sandwich, plantain moqueca
03/23 -- miso soup at Japanese restaurant
03/27 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee; 2 flour tortillas

Note: weight loss this month = 5.5 pounds.

Cheers,

[sirdle]

Non-compliant foods for March:
03/02 -- 2 chocolate bars
03/03 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars
03/09 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars; 20 oz decaf coffee
03/10 -- 2 flour tortillas; canned minestrone soup
03/14 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee
03/18 -- 4 chocolate bars, Subway sandwich, plantain moqueca
03/23 -- miso soup at Japanese restaurant
03/27 -- 20 oz caffeinated coffee; 2 flour tortillas
03/30 -- grilled salmon; 2 oatmeal cliff bars
03/31 -- 2 oatmeal cliff bars; Subway sandwich

Monthly totals:
8 oatmeal Cliff bars
6 chocolate bars
4 flour tortillas
2 veggie Subway sandwiches
2 decaffeinated coffee (40 oz)
1 caffeinated coffee (20 oz)
1 canned minestrone soup
1 plantain moqueca -- restaurant
1 miso soup -- restaurant
1 grilled salmon -- restaurant

Note: weight loss this month = 6.3 pounds.

Cheers,

[sirdle]

It's been a very good month

I've successfully followed the MWL plan, except ...

1. The flour tortillas and edamame (below) were the tail end of a kitchen 'reset'.
2. When I'm pressed for time, I eat a Trader Joe's salad which has some pumpkin seeds and some dried cranberries.
3. When I am very low on sleep I am susceptible to the lure of free food (see 2/20).

Other than that I was 100% compliant.

Non-compliant foods for February:
02/03 -- 2 flour tortillas
02/06 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/07 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/12 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/13 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/19 -- 1C edamame
02/20 -- 1 large hamburger
02/20 -- 1 large french fries
02/22 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/23 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad
02/25 -- Trader Joe's super spinach salad

Monthly totals:
3 oz pumpkin seeds
10 oz dried cranberries
1C edamame
1 hamburger
1 large fries

Exercise
24 days walking (avg 30 min)
5 days strength training (avg 45 min)
1 day dancing (120 min)
1 day rowing (45 min)

Also, I am fine tuning my food choices, so for the next few months I'll be logging what I eat on Cronometer.

Nutrition - 4-week averages
1770 calories
10% fat (21 g)
10% protein (56 g)

Saturated fat -- 3.5 g
Sodium -- 700 mg
Omega 6 : Omega 3 -- 2.7

all vitamins, minerals, and amino acids were significantly above the recommended, except

Calcium -- 580 mg
Zinc -- 11 mg (100%)

Note: weight loss this month = 7.3 pounds.

Cheers,

[anne57]

...

[Lyndzie]

You are on FIRE! Excellent month!!

[sirdle]

Looks good, sirdle! 2/20 is only one day out of a whole month. Congrats for keeping it from turning into a week!

Anne

Thanks Anne!

I'm discovering that, nutritionally, small blips like that don't matter at all. It's breaking newly-formed habits that is the real danger. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as possible and not worry or feel guilty about what's in the past.

You are on FIRE! Excellent month!!

Thanks Lyndzie!

At work today I successfully fought off an attack from a pod of donuts. Sadly, my shield of Mandarin oranges was badly damaged in the fighting and I was forced to eat many of them, lest their sacrifice be in vain.

Cheers,

[sirdle]

I'm struggling right now.

I live in an apartment, with new neighbors next door (the vampires) and above me (the ghouls in the attic). The vampires become active around 10:00 PM and putter about until 5:00 AM, listening to the radio, cooking, showering, having sex (I'm torn between annoyance and awe: an hour and ten minutes? Really? Doesn't that hurt?). The ghouls in the attic drop things on the floor and bang on the pipes whenever it gets too quiet.

My biggest challenge right now is that when I'm low on sleep I get hungry, discouraged, and tend to wallow in self-pity... all of which makes it much more likely I'll make very bad food choices.

Saturday night it wasn't quiet enough to sleep until 2:30. And then I was woken at 6:30. I tried to take a nap later in the day, but was woken again by obsessive vacuuming. I drove to the office in a huff... but forgot to take any food with me. I was very tempted to camp out in the kitchen and drink cup after cup of hot chocolate, but remembered a drawer full of emergency McDougall soups in my desk. So I ate a black bean and lime soup instead.

My wife told me she saw the ghouls leave... she counted 6-8 adults and 10-12 children storming out of an 800 square foot apartment. Not all of them live there, of course, but it helps explain why it is noisy all night long.

Last night I didn't get to sleep until 2:00... but was woken at 2:30, 3:00, 3:30, and 4:00. Then I dragged my mattress into the kitchen and managed to sleep for 6 hours.

Called in sick and spent most of the day sleeping.

I'm feeling very frustrated. Can't really afford to move, but it looks like I'll have to.

So I'm feeling a little grumpy.

Still on target for the month, though.

[f00die]

back in the day
someone told me or i read
that even though im not asleep,
lying down is restful
my floor used to vibrate to jimi hendrix

[sirdle]

back in the day
someone told me or i read
that even though im not asleep,
lying down is restful
my floor used to vibrate to jimi hendrix

Thanks for your kind words. They help.

Cheers,

[sirdle]

It's been another good month

I've successfully followed the MWL plan, except ...

1. I indulged in some dried fruit.
2. I've been eating excessive quantities of fresh fruit

Other than that I was 100% compliant.

Meals

_Breakfasts_
Oatmeal w/ berries + flax seeds
Buckwheat w/ raisins + flax seeds
Hash Browns w/ homemade BBQ sauce

_Lunches_
Sweet potato w/ cinnamon
Baked potato w/ homemade BBQ sauce
Baked potato w/ marinara sauce (tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, broccoli)
Lentil Stew

_Dinners_
Lentil Stew
Jambalaya
Whole wheat pasta w/ marinara sauce
Broccoli + brown rice w/ soy sauce
Shepherd's pie

_Sides_
Tossed Salad
Green beans, steamed
Corn, steamed
Spicy beans and greens (kale, chard, broccoli, onions)
Mixed veggies, steamed (carrots, peas, corn, green beans)

_Snacks_
Blueberries
Mandarin oranges
Apples
Raisins

Monthly totals of non-compliant food
1/4 C raisins (x2)
4 servings of fruit / day (x10)
6 servings of fruit / day (x5)
7 servings of fruit / day (x4)
9 servings of fruit / day (x2)

Exercise
25 days walking (avg 45 min)
3 days strength training (avg 45 min)
1 day dancing (120 min)
1 day rowing (30 min)

Also, I am still fine tuning my food choices, so via Cronometer.

Nutrition - 4-week averages
1925 calories (up from 1770 last month)
8% fat (18 g)
10% protein (58 g)

Saturated fat -- 2.5 g
Sodium -- 700 mg
Omega 6 : Omega 3 -- 2.0

all vitamins, minerals, and amino acids were significantly above the recommended, except

Calcium -- 635 mg

Calcium, Zinc, Omega 6:3 ratio, and saturated fat are all better this month than last month... at the expense of eating more calories. Clearly there is an opportunity here to reduce the amount of fruit and eat more greens!

That's my task for next month.

Note: weight loss this month = 7.1 pounds.

Cheers,