4-5 frozen bananas blended with a small amount of water
Blend separately - 1 cup frozen or thawed strawberries with about 5 dates of your choice, little bit of water - drizzle on top! Enjoy!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Dessert for breakfast...
Who doesn't love it?
Banana ice cream with a strawberry-date sauce, pinch of coconut sugar on the top.
4-5 frozen bananas blended with a small amount of water
Blend separately - 1 cup frozen or thawed strawberries with about 5 dates of your choice, little bit of water - drizzle on top! Enjoy!
4-5 frozen bananas blended with a small amount of water
Blend separately - 1 cup frozen or thawed strawberries with about 5 dates of your choice, little bit of water - drizzle on top! Enjoy!
Getting cold out there...
Well I guess it's officially time to put the shorts away.. I had to go out in pants and two long sleeved shirts for a run yesterday morning. It made me want to write about motivation and the colder weather. Because I know how much more difficult it is to get out there and run or do whatever movement your body might like to do. Not all of us can afford to or are interested in joining a gym in the colder months, and so I'm going to throw out some ideas for keeping a good exercise regimen during these times.
I'm going to attempt to run as often as I can in the cold weather, though I can certainly expect it at times to slow down a bit. So when that happens, I'm going to have a nice playlist of my favorite videos on YouTube queued up for me.
As it is now, on days where it rains, I don't prefer to run in the rain so I do some videos to get my exercise in. I really enjoy doing 15 minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) - like this one - if I can't run, I try to do this video 2-3 times a week. I don't go insane with the HIIT though, I don't personally want to do it every day and I think a couple times a week is fine. I'm also looking into getting a trampoline to do some rebounding, but I think I'll wait to get a job first before I make that purchase ;-).
Another great set of videos that I do three times a week are the 8 minute exercises, as I mentioned in the last post. There are several sets of them, I do all except the legs, which I'm not a big fan of, I feel like I get enough of a workout with the 8 minute buns and all the running I do. I really wanted to incorporate more strength training, as I think it is really important to have a well-balanced exercise regimen. I was focusing on cardio for a long time and just running, and essentially no strength training or stretching, and I don't think that was working for me.
On the days where I don't do the 8 minute exercises, I like to do a 30 minute vinyasa yoga video after my run/cardio session. Ever since taking a few really amazing yoga classes at the Woodstock Fruit Festival, I really wanted to find a way to regularly incorporate that into my exercise routine. I wanted to find the most cost-effective way to get a well-balanced exercise regimen, so I went in search of a good video, and I really really like this one a lot! You can certainly find longer, higher intensity sessions for sure, but this is the perfect amount of time and work out that I need, so I really like it.
Finally, also on non-8 minute exercises days, I like to add in 100 squats to my running and yoga routines. 100 squats can be intense, but they are a really great work out, depending on the speed and depth of your squats. For tips on good form and for motivation, I recommend checking out http://www.100squatsaday.com.
Well, so far that is my regimen, 5 days a week of running, yoga, squats, and strength training - and some HIIT here and there. I've been doing this for the past ~three weeks and I really feel a difference already. All I really need to devote is about an hour a day for these exercises, depending on how long I go running, but an hour is the average. That's really not that bad, even though my schedule is wide open at the moment, I think I could probably make this work with a busier schedule. I also prefer to start in the morning with my workouts, because if I wait until later in the day, I almost never want to do them! So we'll see how it goes and if I can still make it work when and if my schedule changes. I'm all about trying to keep it realistic and I totally get how impossible it can feel to fit exercise into our busy lives - for nearly 6 months I was working/commuting for 11 hours a day, so I definitely know how it is!!
I'm going to attempt to run as often as I can in the cold weather, though I can certainly expect it at times to slow down a bit. So when that happens, I'm going to have a nice playlist of my favorite videos on YouTube queued up for me.
As it is now, on days where it rains, I don't prefer to run in the rain so I do some videos to get my exercise in. I really enjoy doing 15 minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) - like this one - if I can't run, I try to do this video 2-3 times a week. I don't go insane with the HIIT though, I don't personally want to do it every day and I think a couple times a week is fine. I'm also looking into getting a trampoline to do some rebounding, but I think I'll wait to get a job first before I make that purchase ;-).
Another great set of videos that I do three times a week are the 8 minute exercises, as I mentioned in the last post. There are several sets of them, I do all except the legs, which I'm not a big fan of, I feel like I get enough of a workout with the 8 minute buns and all the running I do. I really wanted to incorporate more strength training, as I think it is really important to have a well-balanced exercise regimen. I was focusing on cardio for a long time and just running, and essentially no strength training or stretching, and I don't think that was working for me.
On the days where I don't do the 8 minute exercises, I like to do a 30 minute vinyasa yoga video after my run/cardio session. Ever since taking a few really amazing yoga classes at the Woodstock Fruit Festival, I really wanted to find a way to regularly incorporate that into my exercise routine. I wanted to find the most cost-effective way to get a well-balanced exercise regimen, so I went in search of a good video, and I really really like this one a lot! You can certainly find longer, higher intensity sessions for sure, but this is the perfect amount of time and work out that I need, so I really like it.
Finally, also on non-8 minute exercises days, I like to add in 100 squats to my running and yoga routines. 100 squats can be intense, but they are a really great work out, depending on the speed and depth of your squats. For tips on good form and for motivation, I recommend checking out http://www.100squatsaday.com.
Well, so far that is my regimen, 5 days a week of running, yoga, squats, and strength training - and some HIIT here and there. I've been doing this for the past ~three weeks and I really feel a difference already. All I really need to devote is about an hour a day for these exercises, depending on how long I go running, but an hour is the average. That's really not that bad, even though my schedule is wide open at the moment, I think I could probably make this work with a busier schedule. I also prefer to start in the morning with my workouts, because if I wait until later in the day, I almost never want to do them! So we'll see how it goes and if I can still make it work when and if my schedule changes. I'm all about trying to keep it realistic and I totally get how impossible it can feel to fit exercise into our busy lives - for nearly 6 months I was working/commuting for 11 hours a day, so I definitely know how it is!!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
I'm way behind....
...But that's okay. Where to even start? I guess I have had some trouble making this blog a regular part of my daily activities. I'm hoping that I can kind of dust it off a little and get back into it. I guess I could focus this entry on getting caught up in the last six + months.. I had a pretty good stint working at a juice bar for awhile - I met some really friendly people that I still think about and miss, even though I left over two months ago already. I still from time to time think about my favorite regular customers, and miss my daily interactions with them. But ultimately it was my time to move on, I wasn't handling my stress levels well and I was angry a lot of the time, and so, so tired. But really I won't focus too much on the negative things, I just look back on it and am glad that I had the experience of working there.
I feel that I've been very consistent all year with my diet and even though I gave in to vegan junk food at work many times, I still remembered the fruit, I always remembered the fruit.
Summer pretty much went by in a flash - the weeks turned quickly into months.. And before I knew it, it was time to go to the Woodstock Fruit Fest in August!! I'll do another post more in detail about that, but I was very excited to go and finally be a part of it, it really was pretty amazing.
What am I doing now? Well, I'm trying to break into the dog-walking industry - at the moment that is what appeals to me, and am focusing still on a mostly raw diet. Since I haven't been working, I have been really trying to hone in on my fitness and step it up a lot. I have to say that aspect is doing really well. Other aspects of my life are lacking a bit - mainly because I don't have a regular routine of getting up, going to work, making money. I don't know why I feel that just because I am not working at a job making money that it means the rest of my life has to slow down. I can still lead a productive life, but why do I have so much trouble with that? I always have, in my past gaps of being in between jobs, had a really hard time focusing on what's really important in my life and how I want to develop as a person. So I feel like maybe this blog will help a little with keeping me focused and talking about what I really want to accomplish. I think if I can't find a job within a week, I am going to focus on a volunteer project, and that way I can still establish a routine of some sort. I am also going to post some more pictures of the food I'm eating and where I'm getting the recipes. In case anyone that reads this is interested.
I feel like I'm getting a little off topic. I mean this blog is meant to really be about raw food and its impact on me. So I want to take a little time now to focus on that, and to stop worrying about all the other inadequate areas of my life, which somehow, one day, I will maybe figure out. For now, I'm here, in the flesh, eating fruit and vegetables, and honestly I feel really good. I think that the stressors in my life would be affecting me in a completely different way if I were eating my former diet of mostly processed foods, high in salt and fat, etc. So I'm going to recap these past eight months (wow) since I last wrote and note some of the benefits.
1) Slimmer/fitter - My weight is down to about 130 pounds and I don't know if I will lose more or gain more, but I feel pretty good at this weight. I definitely have fluctuated around 130-135 for awhile and it all depends on how much I'm eating vs. expending for sure. If I stick to the program - which I mostly do - and keep the fat low and the carbs high, I wake up every morning with a flat stomach and feel pretty amazing.
2) More incentive to exercise - More than ever, especially with the more open schedule - I am really excited about the exercise program that I developed for myself. It really focuses on training for PR 5k's, which I've already reached another one - 27:54 - the other week. I'm excited, because I always struggled in the low 30's for years and now I'm finally starting to feel like I'm making progress. So four days a week I run a 5k, and the fifth day I try to run a little bit longer, like 4-6 miles. That's a challenge, so I typically take it really slow if I feel like I want to go beyond 3 miles, today I did a slow 5 miles and that felt good. I also wanted to incorporate strength training because I felt like I didn't focus enough on that at all - so three days a week (I might up it to four) I do the 8 minute exercises - 8 minute abs, buns, arms, and stretch. I really like those exercises a lot and I feel like I get a good work out every time. I've also started incorporating 30 minute vinyasa yoga sessions on the days where I'm not doing the 8 minutes. And twice a week I do 100 squats. Of course if I were working full time I would find it hard to adhere to this regimen, so we'll see how it goes when and if I finally find work again.
3) (Generally) happier - I feel like, on a good day, I have everything in the world to look forward to. And I really think that I can attribute this attitude to eating a clean diet free of additives and processed, refined garbage. I don't know, maybe it's just silly talk, saying that, but I really do feel a difference in my attitude, so how could I not say that it's because of my diet?
4) Digestion is pretty awesome most of the time - unless I eat a high fat meal or a gourmet raw meal, that can slow things down, but otherwise that feels pretty good.
A lot of people talk about changes in hair, skin, and nails, but I'm not sure I've really noticed those changes, I think possibly my hair grows faster, but it's really hard to tell, so I'm not going to really go there. I'm going for the more obvious changes.
Well I guess I'll end it on this note - I'm coming up on my one year mark as mostly raw - when I think of it in terms of my diet, it feels like a fast year, otherwise, time has really felt weird for the most part! I only left Vermont 13 months ago which feels very, very weird, it feels like 13 years ago!!
Here's a few pics from the year, mostly summer -
I feel that I've been very consistent all year with my diet and even though I gave in to vegan junk food at work many times, I still remembered the fruit, I always remembered the fruit.
Summer pretty much went by in a flash - the weeks turned quickly into months.. And before I knew it, it was time to go to the Woodstock Fruit Fest in August!! I'll do another post more in detail about that, but I was very excited to go and finally be a part of it, it really was pretty amazing.
What am I doing now? Well, I'm trying to break into the dog-walking industry - at the moment that is what appeals to me, and am focusing still on a mostly raw diet. Since I haven't been working, I have been really trying to hone in on my fitness and step it up a lot. I have to say that aspect is doing really well. Other aspects of my life are lacking a bit - mainly because I don't have a regular routine of getting up, going to work, making money. I don't know why I feel that just because I am not working at a job making money that it means the rest of my life has to slow down. I can still lead a productive life, but why do I have so much trouble with that? I always have, in my past gaps of being in between jobs, had a really hard time focusing on what's really important in my life and how I want to develop as a person. So I feel like maybe this blog will help a little with keeping me focused and talking about what I really want to accomplish. I think if I can't find a job within a week, I am going to focus on a volunteer project, and that way I can still establish a routine of some sort. I am also going to post some more pictures of the food I'm eating and where I'm getting the recipes. In case anyone that reads this is interested.
I feel like I'm getting a little off topic. I mean this blog is meant to really be about raw food and its impact on me. So I want to take a little time now to focus on that, and to stop worrying about all the other inadequate areas of my life, which somehow, one day, I will maybe figure out. For now, I'm here, in the flesh, eating fruit and vegetables, and honestly I feel really good. I think that the stressors in my life would be affecting me in a completely different way if I were eating my former diet of mostly processed foods, high in salt and fat, etc. So I'm going to recap these past eight months (wow) since I last wrote and note some of the benefits.
1) Slimmer/fitter - My weight is down to about 130 pounds and I don't know if I will lose more or gain more, but I feel pretty good at this weight. I definitely have fluctuated around 130-135 for awhile and it all depends on how much I'm eating vs. expending for sure. If I stick to the program - which I mostly do - and keep the fat low and the carbs high, I wake up every morning with a flat stomach and feel pretty amazing.
2) More incentive to exercise - More than ever, especially with the more open schedule - I am really excited about the exercise program that I developed for myself. It really focuses on training for PR 5k's, which I've already reached another one - 27:54 - the other week. I'm excited, because I always struggled in the low 30's for years and now I'm finally starting to feel like I'm making progress. So four days a week I run a 5k, and the fifth day I try to run a little bit longer, like 4-6 miles. That's a challenge, so I typically take it really slow if I feel like I want to go beyond 3 miles, today I did a slow 5 miles and that felt good. I also wanted to incorporate strength training because I felt like I didn't focus enough on that at all - so three days a week (I might up it to four) I do the 8 minute exercises - 8 minute abs, buns, arms, and stretch. I really like those exercises a lot and I feel like I get a good work out every time. I've also started incorporating 30 minute vinyasa yoga sessions on the days where I'm not doing the 8 minutes. And twice a week I do 100 squats. Of course if I were working full time I would find it hard to adhere to this regimen, so we'll see how it goes when and if I finally find work again.
3) (Generally) happier - I feel like, on a good day, I have everything in the world to look forward to. And I really think that I can attribute this attitude to eating a clean diet free of additives and processed, refined garbage. I don't know, maybe it's just silly talk, saying that, but I really do feel a difference in my attitude, so how could I not say that it's because of my diet?
4) Digestion is pretty awesome most of the time - unless I eat a high fat meal or a gourmet raw meal, that can slow things down, but otherwise that feels pretty good.
A lot of people talk about changes in hair, skin, and nails, but I'm not sure I've really noticed those changes, I think possibly my hair grows faster, but it's really hard to tell, so I'm not going to really go there. I'm going for the more obvious changes.
Well I guess I'll end it on this note - I'm coming up on my one year mark as mostly raw - when I think of it in terms of my diet, it feels like a fast year, otherwise, time has really felt weird for the most part! I only left Vermont 13 months ago which feels very, very weird, it feels like 13 years ago!!
Here's a few pics from the year, mostly summer -
Thursday, February 21, 2013
It's been a long time...
Still here. Still mostly fruity..I've had some ups and downs with emotions and maybe hormones (not sure)... I was so fed up at one point that I deleted this blog but then got it back up and running again.... I'll probably post from time to time...All in all I still feel really good. Better than any other time in my life. I still have a lot of emotional issues to work through. I am right around when my period is supposed to come, and I am noticing that I am not too angry or emotional, as I usually am. In fact I am feeling pretty content right now. That's a pretty good sign I think :-)
I've made the decision though that I don't want to be 100% raw (maybe I will do it during the summer time).. I've been happy having low fat cooked vegan meals a few nights a week, and I haven't noticed any adverse effects. If anything, the extra cooked carbs at night help give me more energy for the next morning as far as work outs go. I also feel as though being absolutely raw is really restricting me in certain ways. I have days where I am 100% raw and that feels good, and days where I do not want to be 100% raw, and that feels okay too... I am finding out what works best for me, and I feel that this may work best for me. The key to me to feeling great is the elimination of processed foods and oil and salt. Perhaps a tiny pinch of salt here and there will be okay. But for now I am feeling my best with no oil or salt.
I have been feeling pretty good, still lingering around 150 pounds and I don't seem to be dropping any more weight right at the moment. But I think it's because I'm eating a lot of calories and not exercising as much as I'd like to be. I have been running a lot more in the past week though - I knocked out a 5 mile run today and it felt really great. I am still having two large fruit meals a day and either a salad or cooked meal at night. Tonight I'm planning on some simple black bean, brown rice, sweet potato and tomato burritos with a small salad. I'm looking forward to that. :-) That reminds me I should start cooking those black beans!!!
Here's a shot of where I was running today - I ran down by the water and for a minute it didn't feel like I was in Brooklyn at all - there wasn't a soul around me except the seagulls. Felt pretty serene actually I must say.. I think on nice days I'll stick to that route.
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I've made the decision though that I don't want to be 100% raw (maybe I will do it during the summer time).. I've been happy having low fat cooked vegan meals a few nights a week, and I haven't noticed any adverse effects. If anything, the extra cooked carbs at night help give me more energy for the next morning as far as work outs go. I also feel as though being absolutely raw is really restricting me in certain ways. I have days where I am 100% raw and that feels good, and days where I do not want to be 100% raw, and that feels okay too... I am finding out what works best for me, and I feel that this may work best for me. The key to me to feeling great is the elimination of processed foods and oil and salt. Perhaps a tiny pinch of salt here and there will be okay. But for now I am feeling my best with no oil or salt.
I have been feeling pretty good, still lingering around 150 pounds and I don't seem to be dropping any more weight right at the moment. But I think it's because I'm eating a lot of calories and not exercising as much as I'd like to be. I have been running a lot more in the past week though - I knocked out a 5 mile run today and it felt really great. I am still having two large fruit meals a day and either a salad or cooked meal at night. Tonight I'm planning on some simple black bean, brown rice, sweet potato and tomato burritos with a small salad. I'm looking forward to that. :-) That reminds me I should start cooking those black beans!!!
Here's a shot of where I was running today - I ran down by the water and for a minute it didn't feel like I was in Brooklyn at all - there wasn't a soul around me except the seagulls. Felt pretty serene actually I must say.. I think on nice days I'll stick to that route.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wed
Breakfast:
3 C OJ (I'm low on oranges, trying to figure out a wholesale situation here.)
Followed by 25 min run
Late Breakfast/Lunch: Banana ice cream (augh i'm obsessed!!!) There were probably at least 15 bananas in there - it's hard to count, with 2 tbsp carob, coconut sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla powder. SOOO EFFING GOOD!! I could probably eat that all day long.
Pre-dinner: 20 mixed dates - deglet noor, khadrawy, zahidi. Not loving the deglets very much, The khadrawy are my favorite next to medjools but I'm out of medjools. If I order any more I will stick with the khadrawy I think. Medjool is done for the season :-(
Din-din:
Remainder of the corn chowder - probably a cup or so left - with some romaine wraps - various veggies, some avocado, carrot, red bell pepper, cuke. Pretty yummy.
That brought my calories to 2766 for the day give or take.
I probably didn't drink enough water today.. maybe 2 L.
My sleep last night was broken up, (of course).
It's 10pm and I am planning on reading a book and hopefully falling asleep very soon. I really want to try to get on a better schedule. It's important for me. I also want to go into the city tomorrow to get some things I can't find at the stores here. I don't particularly love going to the city but it's gotta be done. Hopefully I can stock up for awhile and then I never need to go out. Still job searching and debating on whether I should apply to Wholefoods or not. I feel like I'd rather try to find a smaller business to work for, I tend to feel more respected in those environments; at the same time I probalby shouldn't be too picky at this point. It's been far too long since I last worked. Oy.
3 C OJ (I'm low on oranges, trying to figure out a wholesale situation here.)
Followed by 25 min run
Late Breakfast/Lunch: Banana ice cream (augh i'm obsessed!!!) There were probably at least 15 bananas in there - it's hard to count, with 2 tbsp carob, coconut sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla powder. SOOO EFFING GOOD!! I could probably eat that all day long.
Pre-dinner: 20 mixed dates - deglet noor, khadrawy, zahidi. Not loving the deglets very much, The khadrawy are my favorite next to medjools but I'm out of medjools. If I order any more I will stick with the khadrawy I think. Medjool is done for the season :-(
Din-din:
Remainder of the corn chowder - probably a cup or so left - with some romaine wraps - various veggies, some avocado, carrot, red bell pepper, cuke. Pretty yummy.
That brought my calories to 2766 for the day give or take.
I probably didn't drink enough water today.. maybe 2 L.
My sleep last night was broken up, (of course).
It's 10pm and I am planning on reading a book and hopefully falling asleep very soon. I really want to try to get on a better schedule. It's important for me. I also want to go into the city tomorrow to get some things I can't find at the stores here. I don't particularly love going to the city but it's gotta be done. Hopefully I can stock up for awhile and then I never need to go out. Still job searching and debating on whether I should apply to Wholefoods or not. I feel like I'd rather try to find a smaller business to work for, I tend to feel more respected in those environments; at the same time I probalby shouldn't be too picky at this point. It's been far too long since I last worked. Oy.
Mon/Tues:
Monday's meals:
I got some raw coconut sugar, vanilla powder, and carob in the mail and have been really enjoying them so far. Someone mentioned before a workout, they add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar into some water to keep them going, because I'm really not used to running on an empty stomach, as many people do first thing int he morning. I am still kind of in the habit of doing mid-late afternoon workouts, and I want a little more structure, with some early morning workouts. Of course it's almost midnight (when will I learn.... to go to bed earlier?), and I'm still awake writing this, oh well.
Anyway, my point being -
I started my morning yesterday with 2 tbsp coconut water in my water bottle. I had some morning errands to run (did not exercise yesterday) and wasn't quite ready for a gigantic fruit meal yet. The coconut sugar water tasted very pleasant and kept me going for quite a while.
Breakfast: Banana ice cream with carob - oh myyyy this is my absolute new favorite thing to have, I crave it, which is never a bad thing, craving fruit. I probably had about 9 frozen bananas, with some khadrawy dates for the extra caramel gooeyness, some delicious carob powder, and a bit of vanilla powder. oh yummmmm
My 1 concern and I will continue to look into it on forums, research, etc. Some schools of thought claim frozen fruits are not optimal becuase the temperature messes with b12 absorption and other normal bacteria in the intestine?? Anyway, I'm going to need to look into that. Many people consume banana ice cream frequently and seem fine. I would hate to have to give that up becuase it's like the best part of my day, but we'll see. - anyway that breakfast was about 1000 kcal right there.
Lunch/Late lunch/dinner/these meals sometimes take me forever to finish them so i'm not sure how to label them?:
15 bananas, 2C blueberries, 1tbs coco sugar - another 1600 calories about
Dinner: zucchini pasta and sauce yum! I did add some overts to that, with some avocado and some tahini, I'm trying to slow down on the overts but it's hard at night. At leats im' not going for cheese or something though... I also have been using a different recipe for sauce that doesn't include garlic or onions. It feels a lot better. It's more of a sweet tomato sauce, as it calls for OJ and dates (though I think i used dates anyway in the last one). The sweetness of it hides the fact that there's no added salt, and that definitely helps with flavor.
Brought my total caloric intake to : 3449. That's quite a bit. But it felt good.
Water at least 3-4L, I never had a problem with water intake even before I started this lifestyle.
Exercise, none - i probably should have gotten out but alas I did not.
For sleep I think it was the usual - 7-8 hours broken up.
Feelings: Felt great yesterday, the extra calories really make a difference at night, I have no feelings of hunger at all and I felt satisfied and no cravings.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Started my day with cantaloupe and honey dew. I had half a cantaloupe int he fridge left over from whenever, and that was eh.. I decided to blend the two giant honey dew I had been keeping for awhile. Oh man, blended honey dew is so amazing!! Although melons annoy me with the fact that they take up al ot of waste space/compost space what have you, man when they are tasty and perfect, they are so amazing... I basicaly felt like i was drinking nectar for breakfast. so delicious. i think that was almot 1000 calories maybe a bit under.
Lunch/whatever? : Ice cream - again. Ugh. The carob really makes it extra special. I'm thinking about it right now and almost wanting a late night snack, though I'm pretty sufficiently carbed up and I think I can manage till tomorrow. Also I'd hate to cause all that racket with my super loud blender at midnight lol.
This time i kept it to just bananas and carob,i also added some blueberries..and that combo was just amazing. mmmmmmmmm!!!!
That kept me going for quite awhile and then dinner time was kind of late- I made a corn chowder which was actuallyr eally nice! It's a megan elizabeth recipe, and so far I love her recipes - I also got the tomato sauce recipe from her too. Super easy and simple
I found some corn at the store - probably GMO corn , meh.. I really want to grow my own this summer. we'll see.
So this was 2 C corn, 2 C tomato, 1 C mango, 1 C celery, 2 medjools, 1/8Cish lemon juice, and her recipe called for 1/4 avocado but I ended up just using a 1tbsp of tahini. and yumm! It was sweet and savory. I used that also to dip a few romaine leaves. I think the calories from that were about i don't know maybe 400 ish?
My total calories for the day came to 2439, significantly less than yesterday, but i still feel good and satiated at this time.
For exercise, I did a slow 2 mile run
Sleep was pretty broken up, maybe 7 ish hours? i'm tired tonight.
I feel nice right now, full and satisified and doing okay. I just need to motivate myself to find a decent employment situation... something's gotta give one of these days.
Peace
I got some raw coconut sugar, vanilla powder, and carob in the mail and have been really enjoying them so far. Someone mentioned before a workout, they add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar into some water to keep them going, because I'm really not used to running on an empty stomach, as many people do first thing int he morning. I am still kind of in the habit of doing mid-late afternoon workouts, and I want a little more structure, with some early morning workouts. Of course it's almost midnight (when will I learn.... to go to bed earlier?), and I'm still awake writing this, oh well.
Anyway, my point being -
I started my morning yesterday with 2 tbsp coconut water in my water bottle. I had some morning errands to run (did not exercise yesterday) and wasn't quite ready for a gigantic fruit meal yet. The coconut sugar water tasted very pleasant and kept me going for quite a while.
Breakfast: Banana ice cream with carob - oh myyyy this is my absolute new favorite thing to have, I crave it, which is never a bad thing, craving fruit. I probably had about 9 frozen bananas, with some khadrawy dates for the extra caramel gooeyness, some delicious carob powder, and a bit of vanilla powder. oh yummmmm
My 1 concern and I will continue to look into it on forums, research, etc. Some schools of thought claim frozen fruits are not optimal becuase the temperature messes with b12 absorption and other normal bacteria in the intestine?? Anyway, I'm going to need to look into that. Many people consume banana ice cream frequently and seem fine. I would hate to have to give that up becuase it's like the best part of my day, but we'll see. - anyway that breakfast was about 1000 kcal right there.
Lunch/Late lunch/dinner/these meals sometimes take me forever to finish them so i'm not sure how to label them?:
15 bananas, 2C blueberries, 1tbs coco sugar - another 1600 calories about
Dinner: zucchini pasta and sauce yum! I did add some overts to that, with some avocado and some tahini, I'm trying to slow down on the overts but it's hard at night. At leats im' not going for cheese or something though... I also have been using a different recipe for sauce that doesn't include garlic or onions. It feels a lot better. It's more of a sweet tomato sauce, as it calls for OJ and dates (though I think i used dates anyway in the last one). The sweetness of it hides the fact that there's no added salt, and that definitely helps with flavor.
Brought my total caloric intake to : 3449. That's quite a bit. But it felt good.
Water at least 3-4L, I never had a problem with water intake even before I started this lifestyle.
Exercise, none - i probably should have gotten out but alas I did not.
For sleep I think it was the usual - 7-8 hours broken up.
Feelings: Felt great yesterday, the extra calories really make a difference at night, I have no feelings of hunger at all and I felt satisfied and no cravings.
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Started my day with cantaloupe and honey dew. I had half a cantaloupe int he fridge left over from whenever, and that was eh.. I decided to blend the two giant honey dew I had been keeping for awhile. Oh man, blended honey dew is so amazing!! Although melons annoy me with the fact that they take up al ot of waste space/compost space what have you, man when they are tasty and perfect, they are so amazing... I basicaly felt like i was drinking nectar for breakfast. so delicious. i think that was almot 1000 calories maybe a bit under.
Lunch/whatever? : Ice cream - again. Ugh. The carob really makes it extra special. I'm thinking about it right now and almost wanting a late night snack, though I'm pretty sufficiently carbed up and I think I can manage till tomorrow. Also I'd hate to cause all that racket with my super loud blender at midnight lol.
This time i kept it to just bananas and carob,i also added some blueberries..and that combo was just amazing. mmmmmmmmm!!!!
That kept me going for quite awhile and then dinner time was kind of late- I made a corn chowder which was actuallyr eally nice! It's a megan elizabeth recipe, and so far I love her recipes - I also got the tomato sauce recipe from her too. Super easy and simple
I found some corn at the store - probably GMO corn , meh.. I really want to grow my own this summer. we'll see.
So this was 2 C corn, 2 C tomato, 1 C mango, 1 C celery, 2 medjools, 1/8Cish lemon juice, and her recipe called for 1/4 avocado but I ended up just using a 1tbsp of tahini. and yumm! It was sweet and savory. I used that also to dip a few romaine leaves. I think the calories from that were about i don't know maybe 400 ish?
My total calories for the day came to 2439, significantly less than yesterday, but i still feel good and satiated at this time.
For exercise, I did a slow 2 mile run
Sleep was pretty broken up, maybe 7 ish hours? i'm tired tonight.
I feel nice right now, full and satisified and doing okay. I just need to motivate myself to find a decent employment situation... something's gotta give one of these days.
Peace
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Weekend
Well I said I would post all my raw food entries from here on out, so I want to stay true to that and continue to be accountable. I have had a successful weekend being fully raw, so here we go:
Saturday, 1/12:
Breakfast: 2 L OJ
Lunch/Dinner: Banana ice cream - 10 frozen bananas (roughly), 15 khadrawy dates
1 head Romaine lettuce immersed in:
Carrot "soup" - more like juice - 2 cups carrot juice, 2 cups apple juice, juice of 4 celery stalks, 2 lemons, blended with 2 tbsp raw tahini. Topped with: 1 red bell pepper, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 cucumber, green onion. Didn't finish it all.
I did not do any exercise today and I drank at least 3 L of water.
My total calories came to 2941
I probably got 9 hours of sleep but broken up due to cats being bad.
I felt pretty good last night except was having some pains on the left side of my head all day that were bothering me. They appear to have subsided at this point.
Sunday 1/13:
Pre-run: 2 medjool dates and 1 L of water
Post run: 11 banana, 10 medjool date, 2 cups frozen blueberries smoothie - drank that for awhile
Lunch/dinner: 5 mangoes - disappointing mangoes for the most part, they were bland and not very sweet - ugh. 4 bananas
More dinner: Another head of romaine lettuce immersed in the leftover carrot juice from last night. Added half an heirloom tomato and 1/4 avocado to the top.
Rounding my calories to ---3492 - yowza!
Water : at least 3 L, i don't really count but i drink lots of water. My pee is clear so that's good.
Exercise: 33 minute run, followed by 20 minute walk.
Sleep: I think i got around 9 hours but again, broken up (bad cats).
I feel okay today, except my tummy is kind of grumbly and I feel gassy tonight. I've been reading about food combining and consuming fats with certain sweet fruits. Pretty much right after my banana mango meal i had that salad. Maybe the combining there is not the best.. I probably should have waited a bit longer to go for the salad.
Also, I'm basically fully carbed up I would say, however the cravings are still there. I have been having major pizza cravings for quite some time now. and even though I've had more than enough to eat today, i could still eat an entire cheese pie right now. Ah well. I have to keep pressing on, and remember why I am doing this, and the results so far - over the course of this time I have lost 15 pounds and the weight continues to come off. I breathe deeply more now than I've ever been able to. I am in a good frame of mind right now, content and calm. I know I would not feel this way after consuming an entire cheese pizza.
Another thought that comes to mind, I have no health insurance or any kind of benefits right now, and while that feels scary to me sometimes, I am relying on this lifestyle and diet to eventually take the place of any kind of health insurance, and to save me a lot of hassle of illnesses or any kind of disease processes in the future. Obviously I can't predict the future and anything could happen, but if by taking on this lifestyle i am increasing my chances of longevity and healthful living, then I shoudl really give it my all. I'm not saying some catastrophe couldn't happen like a major trauma and I would still need to rely on the health care system, or who knows, I could still get sick anyway some day, but I have the opportunity now to take control of my life and my diet and my health and I'm feeling hopeful today. I still have the cooked food blues but not as bad as I did a couple of days ago... So end of rant there.
Saturday, 1/12:
Breakfast: 2 L OJ
Lunch/Dinner: Banana ice cream - 10 frozen bananas (roughly), 15 khadrawy dates
1 head Romaine lettuce immersed in:
Carrot "soup" - more like juice - 2 cups carrot juice, 2 cups apple juice, juice of 4 celery stalks, 2 lemons, blended with 2 tbsp raw tahini. Topped with: 1 red bell pepper, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 cucumber, green onion. Didn't finish it all.
I did not do any exercise today and I drank at least 3 L of water.
My total calories came to 2941
I probably got 9 hours of sleep but broken up due to cats being bad.
I felt pretty good last night except was having some pains on the left side of my head all day that were bothering me. They appear to have subsided at this point.
Sunday 1/13:
Pre-run: 2 medjool dates and 1 L of water
Post run: 11 banana, 10 medjool date, 2 cups frozen blueberries smoothie - drank that for awhile
Lunch/dinner: 5 mangoes - disappointing mangoes for the most part, they were bland and not very sweet - ugh. 4 bananas
More dinner: Another head of romaine lettuce immersed in the leftover carrot juice from last night. Added half an heirloom tomato and 1/4 avocado to the top.
Rounding my calories to ---3492 - yowza!
Water : at least 3 L, i don't really count but i drink lots of water. My pee is clear so that's good.
Exercise: 33 minute run, followed by 20 minute walk.
Sleep: I think i got around 9 hours but again, broken up (bad cats).
I feel okay today, except my tummy is kind of grumbly and I feel gassy tonight. I've been reading about food combining and consuming fats with certain sweet fruits. Pretty much right after my banana mango meal i had that salad. Maybe the combining there is not the best.. I probably should have waited a bit longer to go for the salad.
Also, I'm basically fully carbed up I would say, however the cravings are still there. I have been having major pizza cravings for quite some time now. and even though I've had more than enough to eat today, i could still eat an entire cheese pie right now. Ah well. I have to keep pressing on, and remember why I am doing this, and the results so far - over the course of this time I have lost 15 pounds and the weight continues to come off. I breathe deeply more now than I've ever been able to. I am in a good frame of mind right now, content and calm. I know I would not feel this way after consuming an entire cheese pizza.
Another thought that comes to mind, I have no health insurance or any kind of benefits right now, and while that feels scary to me sometimes, I am relying on this lifestyle and diet to eventually take the place of any kind of health insurance, and to save me a lot of hassle of illnesses or any kind of disease processes in the future. Obviously I can't predict the future and anything could happen, but if by taking on this lifestyle i am increasing my chances of longevity and healthful living, then I shoudl really give it my all. I'm not saying some catastrophe couldn't happen like a major trauma and I would still need to rely on the health care system, or who knows, I could still get sick anyway some day, but I have the opportunity now to take control of my life and my diet and my health and I'm feeling hopeful today. I still have the cooked food blues but not as bad as I did a couple of days ago... So end of rant there.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Cooked food blues
I got the cooked food cravings blues.... right about now. Having a really difficult time with suppressing the cravings lately. Every night for the past few nights I've given into some form of cooked food. I don't know what it is, but my inspiration is lacking lately.
I know part of the problem was that I went into the city today and didn't prepare very well beforehand, I had slept quite late today because I've been so tired and my sleep patterns have been off, so I didn't wake up until about 10:30, I didn't end up heading out the door until about noon for a 4.4 mile run. Hadn't had any food at that point yet, just water - then made a gigantic 10 + banana and maybe 5 date (I lost count at some point) smoothie that I took along with me, and had a bag of dates, but it still didn't do it for me. I had a stressful trek there, as I am almost always stressed in Manhattan - I dont' know what my problem is, I just hate being there unless I have something specific I'm going to do. And I felt like I had to chug my smoothie on the subway, which just didn't feel right to me. And I didn't quite finish it as we got into MOMA for free admission fridays- the line was going pretty fast. The crowds really got to me. All in all it was a stressful day. Maybe that's what made me crack. The subway ride on the way back was during rush hour so I stood for a portion of the time and couldn't really get into my bag of dates, nor did I really feel like having dates. It was cold and rainy... I had a headache.. wow I'm just full of complaints this evening!
When we got off the bus all I could think about was some kind of chinese food dish, like vegetable chow mein, or vegetable dumplings. Or something like that. I didn't want anything to do with the rest of my over-ripe bananas or any of the 10 pounds of dates in the fridge. Ugh...
I'm not sure what else to conclude but that I have been under-carbed and super tired lately. Tomorrow is another day and I will start using cronometer again, as I haven't used that in several days and I bet that is making a big difference in my lack of accountability. I will also post more structured food journals every single day from here on out.. Do I sound like a broken record? haha kind of. Well I think I need these reminders and this structure to be successful.
I know part of the problem was that I went into the city today and didn't prepare very well beforehand, I had slept quite late today because I've been so tired and my sleep patterns have been off, so I didn't wake up until about 10:30, I didn't end up heading out the door until about noon for a 4.4 mile run. Hadn't had any food at that point yet, just water - then made a gigantic 10 + banana and maybe 5 date (I lost count at some point) smoothie that I took along with me, and had a bag of dates, but it still didn't do it for me. I had a stressful trek there, as I am almost always stressed in Manhattan - I dont' know what my problem is, I just hate being there unless I have something specific I'm going to do. And I felt like I had to chug my smoothie on the subway, which just didn't feel right to me. And I didn't quite finish it as we got into MOMA for free admission fridays- the line was going pretty fast. The crowds really got to me. All in all it was a stressful day. Maybe that's what made me crack. The subway ride on the way back was during rush hour so I stood for a portion of the time and couldn't really get into my bag of dates, nor did I really feel like having dates. It was cold and rainy... I had a headache.. wow I'm just full of complaints this evening!
When we got off the bus all I could think about was some kind of chinese food dish, like vegetable chow mein, or vegetable dumplings. Or something like that. I didn't want anything to do with the rest of my over-ripe bananas or any of the 10 pounds of dates in the fridge. Ugh...
I'm not sure what else to conclude but that I have been under-carbed and super tired lately. Tomorrow is another day and I will start using cronometer again, as I haven't used that in several days and I bet that is making a big difference in my lack of accountability. I will also post more structured food journals every single day from here on out.. Do I sound like a broken record? haha kind of. Well I think I need these reminders and this structure to be successful.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Some yummy (or not so yummy treats)
Well I just wanted to post a couple of pictures of some of the dishes I've made over the course of a couple of weeks, some came out yummy, some didn't, but still look yummy, so I'm posting them lol..
This is the raw fettucini alfredo I was very eager to make... Unfortunately it did not come out as great as I hoped it would, it looks absolutely delicious. The sauce is missing something very important and I haven't quite figured it out yet, and I haven't tried again. So maybe some day I will give it a try again.
This was delicious marinara that I made a week or two ago in Barryville. The issue I had with it, however, was that it called for onions and garlic. Now I'm not sure if that was what caused some stomach upset for me or not, but I suspect it might have. I had put a small shallot in there and a couple cloves of garlic, and it unfortunately did not sit well with me. However, the taste was really awesome. I will probably tweak it to not include those items and see where I end up.
This is the raw fettucini alfredo I was very eager to make... Unfortunately it did not come out as great as I hoped it would, it looks absolutely delicious. The sauce is missing something very important and I haven't quite figured it out yet, and I haven't tried again. So maybe some day I will give it a try again.
This was delicious marinara that I made a week or two ago in Barryville. The issue I had with it, however, was that it called for onions and garlic. Now I'm not sure if that was what caused some stomach upset for me or not, but I suspect it might have. I had put a small shallot in there and a couple cloves of garlic, and it unfortunately did not sit well with me. However, the taste was really awesome. I will probably tweak it to not include those items and see where I end up.
Oh yummmm... Banana/date ice cream, or "cookie dough" ice cream, with the dates acting as cookie dough. Khadrawy dates, which I've used all up unfortunately, are probably the best to use with this, they defintely have this dough-y caramel like feel to them that tastes so amazing.. But really it's just frozen bananas blended with a little vanilla and a few dates, and some dates sprinkles on top. It was so amazing.. I've been making it every day now.
This was just a fruit run with John and I from probably a week and a half ago. A trip to Sam's club. lol.
Me and Chris on Coney Island :-)
Thursday morning in Brooklyn...
Well, here I am in Brooklyn. It's been sunny mostly every day since I've been here and I can't complain about that - not to mention the "heat wave" we've been having down here, the weather really isn't that bad.. It's made for some nice runs in the park, that's for sure. I realized a little beyond the park there is a "nature preserve" as it were, (do those really exist down here?) by the water, which has some nice trails for running as well- these trails are also softer dirt trails, which might be a lot nicer on my legs and feet. I think I will give them a try today.
Well I'm happy to report my morning weight was at 152, down another 3 pounds. I have had a few slip-ups since I got down here - some toast, part of a bagel, some hummus, some brown rice with a little tamari. It's not the end of the world, as I've been saying. It's hard to control the cravings with all this deliciously smelling food constantly surrounding me, but I am determined to keep pressing on..
I'd say on average my days have consisted of mostly bananas, either in smoothie form or ice cream form - (the ice cream is absolutely delicious. I'm going to do another post after this with pictures over the last couple of weeks of things I've made, and maybe comment a bit on each about how they tasted/worked for me.)
I am also pushing the green smoothies lately, because greens have not really been my forte lately.. And I know I can get more greens in with smoothies. I have also been avoiding overt fats most of the time, except for maybe 2-3 days a week. Last night I did indulge in some raw tahini on my romaine "taco" - which consisted of red pepper, cuke, date, and some left over brown rice, it was absolutely delicious...
I haven't been plugging my calories into cronometer lately like I should, but I think i've been getting around 2500 most days. Except for the day before yesterday, which I'm sure I got way less than that because I binged on all those things.
Cantaloupes in a smoothie also taste really great. - I put 4 in the blender and just blended them up, and it was a very pleasant taste.
I continue to have some concerns with how I'm going to find affordable produce in the area, but I have two places that I wuold like to visit probably starting tomorrow. I am pretty stocked up on bananas for now, so I may wait a day or two before I buy a box. I was told about New Generation Produce in Green Point, which is about a 30 minute drive from here (always depending on time of day and traffic), and then there is the Brooklyn Terminal Market, which is supposedly only a short drive from here as well. So I will certainly check out those places and see what I can find for wholesale deals. Wholesale is absolutely going to be the way to go for me down here if I'm going to try to do this right.
I haven't done a lot of research on composting opportunities in the city, but that is another issue that I am running into, is all the food waste so far. It really adds up sooo fast. I know that it will just end up biodegrading and I'm not too worried about it, but if I can contribute to a composting facility (if those even exist), or a farm or somewhere, that woudl be great. I may have to look into Long Island or somewhere otuside of the city. The waste department doesn't look like it has a lot of options for composting. Anyway, it's a work in progress.
I still feel good, and energetic, tired a lot, probably due to sleep deprivation and a small amount of stress. My digestion continues to be a bit wishy washy, but i think in general it is improving somewhat. Every time I have a binge it probably like.. reboots the entire process and goes back to square 1, but I don't really know if that's the case or not hah.
If I were writing this on like 9 hours of sleep, I'm sure I would feel way more solid than I do now. So I will focus on the fruit, more greens, and more sleep. I guess that's all for now!
Well I'm happy to report my morning weight was at 152, down another 3 pounds. I have had a few slip-ups since I got down here - some toast, part of a bagel, some hummus, some brown rice with a little tamari. It's not the end of the world, as I've been saying. It's hard to control the cravings with all this deliciously smelling food constantly surrounding me, but I am determined to keep pressing on..
I'd say on average my days have consisted of mostly bananas, either in smoothie form or ice cream form - (the ice cream is absolutely delicious. I'm going to do another post after this with pictures over the last couple of weeks of things I've made, and maybe comment a bit on each about how they tasted/worked for me.)
I am also pushing the green smoothies lately, because greens have not really been my forte lately.. And I know I can get more greens in with smoothies. I have also been avoiding overt fats most of the time, except for maybe 2-3 days a week. Last night I did indulge in some raw tahini on my romaine "taco" - which consisted of red pepper, cuke, date, and some left over brown rice, it was absolutely delicious...
I haven't been plugging my calories into cronometer lately like I should, but I think i've been getting around 2500 most days. Except for the day before yesterday, which I'm sure I got way less than that because I binged on all those things.
Cantaloupes in a smoothie also taste really great. - I put 4 in the blender and just blended them up, and it was a very pleasant taste.
I continue to have some concerns with how I'm going to find affordable produce in the area, but I have two places that I wuold like to visit probably starting tomorrow. I am pretty stocked up on bananas for now, so I may wait a day or two before I buy a box. I was told about New Generation Produce in Green Point, which is about a 30 minute drive from here (always depending on time of day and traffic), and then there is the Brooklyn Terminal Market, which is supposedly only a short drive from here as well. So I will certainly check out those places and see what I can find for wholesale deals. Wholesale is absolutely going to be the way to go for me down here if I'm going to try to do this right.
I haven't done a lot of research on composting opportunities in the city, but that is another issue that I am running into, is all the food waste so far. It really adds up sooo fast. I know that it will just end up biodegrading and I'm not too worried about it, but if I can contribute to a composting facility (if those even exist), or a farm or somewhere, that woudl be great. I may have to look into Long Island or somewhere otuside of the city. The waste department doesn't look like it has a lot of options for composting. Anyway, it's a work in progress.
I still feel good, and energetic, tired a lot, probably due to sleep deprivation and a small amount of stress. My digestion continues to be a bit wishy washy, but i think in general it is improving somewhat. Every time I have a binge it probably like.. reboots the entire process and goes back to square 1, but I don't really know if that's the case or not hah.
If I were writing this on like 9 hours of sleep, I'm sure I would feel way more solid than I do now. So I will focus on the fruit, more greens, and more sleep. I guess that's all for now!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
It almost could have been a month...
Well today would have marked one month since I embarked upon this journey. However, I've strayed several times over the course of this month, so I guess I can't really count it as one month. Ah well. Maybe once I get settled in my own place and perhaps there aren't as many temptations, I can really give it a go. I had some rice tonight and more crackers, and two rice cakes. Really hard to suppress that salt craving, SO hard. There are SO many salty snacks in this house, it's so hard to resist!!! I just have to get more creative with my salads I guess. Because the dressings I make are so bland and they are so hard to eat.
Anyway, this will be a short post but I wanted to acknowledge the one-month mark, even though it really hasn't been one month straight. I did make it 13 days straight without a binge, let's see if I can make it two full weeks from here on out!
Here we go! :-)
Anyway, this will be a short post but I wanted to acknowledge the one-month mark, even though it really hasn't been one month straight. I did make it 13 days straight without a binge, let's see if I can make it two full weeks from here on out!
Here we go! :-)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Rampant cravings..
I should be writing more often, I think it will help me try to stay in check and keep me accountable for each day's intake. Once I'm back in my own space and have my own desk/computer area I can dedicate more time to focusing on cronometer and my journal. I want to stress how important it is for me to feel healthy and happy, and use this as a continual reminder of why I am doing this. So I promise to be more accountable and present. Honestly I didn't make any new years resolutions, I mean in general I don't really believe in that, because a lot of times it ends up being pretty superficial.. But I felt like the end of 2012 was a pretty good start for me, and I just wanted to do my best to keep it going and keep running and feeling good..
Yesterday and today, I had some slip-ups, they're not the end of the world, as always, and I'm not going to focus on it, I'm just going to let it go and move on. Well I'll discuss it a little here, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Yesterday I had two gluten-free wraps with my salad. Ohhhh myyyy goddddd. lol. I know, it's not a big deal, but again it's not on the 811 menu.
Clearly I was under-carbed, (as I was today when I had two more of those wraps -warmed up in the microwave?!?!?!- with a dollop of dijon mustard and baby spinach... ), and I was craving that savory salty taste. Another reason to get out of this house, there are too many temptations and smells. I got through what I thought was the worst of it at Christmas, as both my mom and brother got Chinese food take out while I consumed my banana smoothies. I was eating enough calories then. The smells were still really amazing, but since I was so full from the fruit, it made me not want to indulge as much. Not to mention, they were both meat dishes, and I don't really have a problem with resisting meat, I've not had meat in over 2 years now. But anyway. Oh right, I also had several black bean tortilla chips, which definitely had plenty of added salt. I can imagine all the water I'm going to be drinking as a result. It's not like I had a big mac, i know. But I was a bit disappointed that I had to go for the chips. I also had half of a cooked sweet potato in my salad, and that I'm not as worried about.
I guess I just have to face it, my cravings have been out of control these past couple of days! I think in instances such as these, I am going to make sure I have brown rice and/or quinoa on hand and potatoes to steam up, and have as an emergency back-up, continuing to not have any added salt.
It's SOOO HARD to be without salt right now, and I'm not sure why - well I know why, I'm addicted of course! I was mostly successful these past two weeks in Barryville though, in fact I was very successful up until yesterday.
I also have plenty of fruit that's ripening and basically ready to go, plenty of bananas, PLENTY of dates that I ordered online, like a lifetime supply of dates. Why am I still going for the crap? I don't know. One thing I'm not craving right now is chocolate, which is a miracle. I'd typically go for the chocolate this time of day..
Another thing I've noticed yesterday and today during my runs was my energy levels, they were definitely down. I'm not sure what that's all about and perhaps my caloric intake was lower than it should have been, but I was definitely dragging ass after a mile both days. Another issue is my sleep, and that may be affecting my energy too. My sleep is constantly interrupted - mostly by the cats - and that is problematic becuase I usually can't get back to sleep after. Fran starts in at 5 most mornings and I can usually shut her up until 6, but after 6 she just won't stop.. Bad girl!! So I'll probably need to just lock her up in the basement most nights, but we'll figure it out...
Anyway. These blog posts are never really organized, but that's just kind of how my thoughts flow out, disorganized, so whatever..
Today I did make a really yummy banana ice cream - the recipe was called cookie dough ice cream, from 40belowfruity, with frozen bananas, a bit of vanilla extract (powder is definitely a better alternative than extract, because the extract has alcohol, and I will look for that), and some gooey khadrawy dates that acted as the "dough". Man that was pretty delicious actually I must say. It tasted just like ice cream! I took a picture earlier and will upload it at some point in a future post.
Tomorrow is another day, and all is okay. I'm looking forward to getting down to Brooklyn and getting settled into a routine. I'm remaining as positive as I can and hoping for a good experience down there. Most importantly I can't wait to see Chris who I haven't seen in over two weeks. I'm excited to see where our running takes us :-)
Yesterday and today, I had some slip-ups, they're not the end of the world, as always, and I'm not going to focus on it, I'm just going to let it go and move on. Well I'll discuss it a little here, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Yesterday I had two gluten-free wraps with my salad. Ohhhh myyyy goddddd. lol. I know, it's not a big deal, but again it's not on the 811 menu.
Clearly I was under-carbed, (as I was today when I had two more of those wraps -warmed up in the microwave?!?!?!- with a dollop of dijon mustard and baby spinach... ), and I was craving that savory salty taste. Another reason to get out of this house, there are too many temptations and smells. I got through what I thought was the worst of it at Christmas, as both my mom and brother got Chinese food take out while I consumed my banana smoothies. I was eating enough calories then. The smells were still really amazing, but since I was so full from the fruit, it made me not want to indulge as much. Not to mention, they were both meat dishes, and I don't really have a problem with resisting meat, I've not had meat in over 2 years now. But anyway. Oh right, I also had several black bean tortilla chips, which definitely had plenty of added salt. I can imagine all the water I'm going to be drinking as a result. It's not like I had a big mac, i know. But I was a bit disappointed that I had to go for the chips. I also had half of a cooked sweet potato in my salad, and that I'm not as worried about.
I guess I just have to face it, my cravings have been out of control these past couple of days! I think in instances such as these, I am going to make sure I have brown rice and/or quinoa on hand and potatoes to steam up, and have as an emergency back-up, continuing to not have any added salt.
It's SOOO HARD to be without salt right now, and I'm not sure why - well I know why, I'm addicted of course! I was mostly successful these past two weeks in Barryville though, in fact I was very successful up until yesterday.
I also have plenty of fruit that's ripening and basically ready to go, plenty of bananas, PLENTY of dates that I ordered online, like a lifetime supply of dates. Why am I still going for the crap? I don't know. One thing I'm not craving right now is chocolate, which is a miracle. I'd typically go for the chocolate this time of day..
Another thing I've noticed yesterday and today during my runs was my energy levels, they were definitely down. I'm not sure what that's all about and perhaps my caloric intake was lower than it should have been, but I was definitely dragging ass after a mile both days. Another issue is my sleep, and that may be affecting my energy too. My sleep is constantly interrupted - mostly by the cats - and that is problematic becuase I usually can't get back to sleep after. Fran starts in at 5 most mornings and I can usually shut her up until 6, but after 6 she just won't stop.. Bad girl!! So I'll probably need to just lock her up in the basement most nights, but we'll figure it out...
Anyway. These blog posts are never really organized, but that's just kind of how my thoughts flow out, disorganized, so whatever..
Today I did make a really yummy banana ice cream - the recipe was called cookie dough ice cream, from 40belowfruity, with frozen bananas, a bit of vanilla extract (powder is definitely a better alternative than extract, because the extract has alcohol, and I will look for that), and some gooey khadrawy dates that acted as the "dough". Man that was pretty delicious actually I must say. It tasted just like ice cream! I took a picture earlier and will upload it at some point in a future post.
Tomorrow is another day, and all is okay. I'm looking forward to getting down to Brooklyn and getting settled into a routine. I'm remaining as positive as I can and hoping for a good experience down there. Most importantly I can't wait to see Chris who I haven't seen in over two weeks. I'm excited to see where our running takes us :-)
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