So I am realizing in my "food adventure" that I have certain triggers that cause me to feel like I just have to keep eating and eating. Some of it is feeling bored, procrastinating, feeling sad, or entitled to chocolate. I also have noticed that certain higher carb foods make me want to eat more. Even eating larabars, apples or bananas drive me to more high carb foods. The days that I eat mainly meat and veggies during the day, the less I crave sugary foods. Another trigger is any kind of artificial sweetener. I used to be good about staying away from them, but I've recently been drinking a lot of diet drinks, and splenda sweeteners. I have definitely not been eating as well. It's already showing up on me.
So next plan: no more sweeteners, and higher carb things should be saved for later in the day.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
"you are not my friend"
"I have to be careful to avoid becoming emotionally involved with my consumers." This is what I told my husband today. I have to remember that they are my consumers, not my friends. My job is to coach them, to encourage them do things on their own. My job is to provide them with resources, but not necessarily make the phone call for them. I want them to like me and trust me, but my job is not simply to win their approval. My goal in this job is to help each person that I work with become a more self-sufficient person. I'm not to become their best friend. In fact, I'm not to be anything more than a professional helper.
And yet, sometimes when I distance myself, I find it's hard to feel compassion for the person. Sometimes I feel like I just don't care whether this person is really doing a good job. When I start caring, I start going to far in the opposite direction and want to do everything for them. It's all part of the learning process, and applying what I learned in school to these practical situations. I will say that the application is definitely harder than just talking about it in class.
One more thing. I realize that we are in hard times, and there are people who milk the system, and that some places have a mentality of "take care of our own first." But really. Columbia doesn't have a lot of resources, so much of the burden falls on family and churches. I know churches have to be careful, but sometimes it seems like they don't want to do anything at all. Sometime it's "well, we have this program/aid/assistance, but it's for members only." I realize that members usually tithe to a church, but I don't see why a church would exclusively help a member of the church and not a member of the community. I heard "We have a financial assistance program, but we don't like to advertise it since it is a small fund saved for only our members." I really don't know what to think about this.
I am an advocate of people getting their own jobs and taking care of themselves. Irresponsibility should not be rewarded. On the other hand, a few bad decisions should not mean barely surviving for the rest of someone's life.
This is just in my neighborhood. What am I really doing to help my neighbor?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
"I have a job now"
First: I am really enjoying my job. I know that I'm still just getting started, but it's perfect for me right now. I also like that my house is close enough to go home for lunch. I've gone grocery shopping on my lunch break :)
Second: I love being married to Alex. He's so wonderful and supportive, and innovative. We have so many fun ideas that we want to try together. So many "little adventures" like trying new foods, thinking of places to visit, ways to fix up the house if we decide to, and on and on. We played SuperMario on the Wii together...good times.
Third: I have been able to start hanging out with people around Columbia more often, and it's been great. These people are caring I enjoy spending time with them. Steven and Callie have been able to come over the past couple of Sundays too.
That's all for now. I made yummy "primal pancakes" this morning. There's one left. I think I will go eat it.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What has happened since...
So I wrote a really long blog about food, and got some great feedback (thanks Josh and Kelli!). I didn't actually start to implement many of these thoughts until a few days later. Here's the story of what happened:
Sunday morning I made baked oatmeal. I don't think this particular recipe had any flour in it, but it was still major carbs in the morning. Not a terrible problem, but still. Anyways, Alex had never had it before, and thought it was great! Then he had two + bowls of it and decided that he felt sick and really wanted to go back on the Primal/low carb plan. Since I had already put some thoughts about needing more veggies, we agreed to do something different. He still wants to do 75 carbs or less/per day for now, so that's what I'm meal planning for. I have pretty much replaced grains with veggies. We do still eat beans sometimes, but just in moderation. Also, we decided that dairy was a no-go, since it makes us not feel so great. It's not a "never have", but it is a "avoid almost always".
Tuesday I had more training and a terrible headache. We also had cut out sugar for the week (kind of a detox) so my body was kind of freaking out without the usual sugar-overload. By the end of the week, I felt WAY better and actually wanted to keep eating this way.
Satuday I made a noodle casserole to bring to a friend's house. I ate some of it. Also some sugary lemonade&tea and other "ish" foods for dinner. Not bad, but the next day I started feeling sick again.
So far this week we've been on track. I still add some dairy to things (like when I attempted chili) but for the most part I stick to our plan. "Plants, animals, and things you can gather (like nuts and seeds)" are the food for this plan. It definitely is taking some adjustment, but I really do love the way I feel.
From a Biblical perspective, I do think that this honors what God's plan is-eating foods in a mostly original form without a lot of processing.
What is working now is that I've learned A LOT more about portions, and about eating more veggies and a normal amount of meat. I still put the Splenda sweetened creamer in my coffee-even the book specific to this way of eating suggests aiming for 100% but reality will probably be 80%. I can definitely do 80%.
So that's an update on our food life. I keep meaning to take pictures of our food so that I can post it on my food blog, but keep forgetting.
Sunday morning I made baked oatmeal. I don't think this particular recipe had any flour in it, but it was still major carbs in the morning. Not a terrible problem, but still. Anyways, Alex had never had it before, and thought it was great! Then he had two + bowls of it and decided that he felt sick and really wanted to go back on the Primal/low carb plan. Since I had already put some thoughts about needing more veggies, we agreed to do something different. He still wants to do 75 carbs or less/per day for now, so that's what I'm meal planning for. I have pretty much replaced grains with veggies. We do still eat beans sometimes, but just in moderation. Also, we decided that dairy was a no-go, since it makes us not feel so great. It's not a "never have", but it is a "avoid almost always".
Tuesday I had more training and a terrible headache. We also had cut out sugar for the week (kind of a detox) so my body was kind of freaking out without the usual sugar-overload. By the end of the week, I felt WAY better and actually wanted to keep eating this way.
Satuday I made a noodle casserole to bring to a friend's house. I ate some of it. Also some sugary lemonade&tea and other "ish" foods for dinner. Not bad, but the next day I started feeling sick again.
So far this week we've been on track. I still add some dairy to things (like when I attempted chili) but for the most part I stick to our plan. "Plants, animals, and things you can gather (like nuts and seeds)" are the food for this plan. It definitely is taking some adjustment, but I really do love the way I feel.
From a Biblical perspective, I do think that this honors what God's plan is-eating foods in a mostly original form without a lot of processing.
What is working now is that I've learned A LOT more about portions, and about eating more veggies and a normal amount of meat. I still put the Splenda sweetened creamer in my coffee-even the book specific to this way of eating suggests aiming for 100% but reality will probably be 80%. I can definitely do 80%.
So that's an update on our food life. I keep meaning to take pictures of our food so that I can post it on my food blog, but keep forgetting.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Food thoughts/a reflection on this year.
This is me on my day off. I'm taking some time to reflect on our food plans, since this is a primary role in my new married life. I love it. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, but I look forward to times when I can peruse recipe sites, other blogs, recipe books, and people's success stories with various eating habits.
Confession: my biggest weakness is bread, or bread like foods-pancakes, waffles, bagels, pizza, noodles, and then the sweeter versions like cakes and cookies. I can very easily eat a large amount of any of these options without a second thought. Well, maybe a second thought, but definitely not a third thought.
Alex and I attempted to "go primal" or low carb a while back, and I got very frustrated because I wanted my chocolate chip cookies and ice cream (which isn't a bread but is equally enticing). We did this before we got married, right after Valentines day last year. He suggested the idea because I was afraid that I wouldn't fit into my wedding dressing, and he lovingly wanted to help. He lost 20 lbs, and I maybe lost five, but I didn't stick to the plan as well as I should have. Plus, stress with school and wedding was not conducive to my plan because I still ate when I wasn't hugry-low carb only works when you eat until you are full. Also, I really enjoy eating legumes (black beans, chili, certain nuts) and the paleo diet was not a fan as far as I could tell. Sometime I don't feel like eating meat.
When I started tracking my food on sparkpeople, I became increasingly successful. It ultimately didn't matter what I ate, as long as I stayed within the parameters of the sparkpeople website. I still feel that this is an effective way to lose weight or at least maintain. The process of admitting everything that I consumed helped me to limit myself. They encourage consuming fruits and veggies, but ultimately the numbers don't reflect a big difference between an apple and a pancake. Actually, I have problems getting enough protein, and sometimes a whole wheat pancake has enough protein to help me reach my goal.
The biggest problem with this plan is that I would eat a large portion of my calories in pancakes, bagels, breads, and other indulgences. Once I decided I had "reached my limit for the day" I had no room for the friendly fruits and veggies that I should have been eating in the first place. This is my present predicament.
Recently Alex showed me an email linked to a MDA (Mark's Daily Apple) success story. Today I again have reviewed a number of stories and articles on this website. One of the suggestions was to reflect and write about what worked and what didn't. Thus, this blog. Next, he suggested writing out three goals and what I will do today, this week, and this quarter to accomplish this goal. Goals may come in another blog, but for now I will end with these thoughts on the topic:
1. One major focus is avoiding processed foods.
For the most part, we don't eat pre-packaged meals, but we do enjoy veggies that are canned and frozen. This is the reality, and I'm OK with this part of the plan. They are more affordable, and much easier to prepare.
2. One suggested goal is to "completely eliminate grains from diet"
I have an eerie feeling that if I eliminate grains, I will actually replace them with the fruits and veggies I am supposed to be eating. Eerie, because I know that would most likely be a struggle. Also, I still have plenty of bread and noodles. Not a ton, but enough that I think "I don't want to waste it!"
This is a silly thought. Most of our grains are either in the freezer, or in uncooked noodle/rice/flour/cornmeal form, which means they will keep for sometime. If I want to make them for company or to bring to a friend's house, I can still use them in the future. However, I don't have to eat them right away.
3. Although the results of the primal diet are clearly effective, I do not agree with their over-arching believe about the origins of human life.
This may be silly, but I like to be "all or nothing" when following a plan. I like to participate in blogs, conversations, and be able to promote an idea as a whole. This may not be realistic, but it's how I feel. The thought behind "grok" and the primal way of eating is basic evolution, and that grains did not come into the picture for thousands of years. The "hunting and gathering" principle is key, and even exercise should be practical.
But I don't believe in evolution. I believe that God created us in His image. I believe that His creation was "good" and late corrupted by sin. I believe in the story of Cain and Abel where Cain harvested crops-so it seems grains have been around for an equal amount of time.
This really may be a silly, minor, insignificant detail, but I still feel uneasy about following the plan to perfection.
I do, however, think that
1. Many processed foods are not how God originally intended.
2. Cutting any number of grains out of our diet would increase our consumption of fruits and veggies.
3. Protein is important, but I'm not about to cut out the legumes in order to cut down carbs.
Seems like I've come up with some type of "goals" after all.
Confession: my biggest weakness is bread, or bread like foods-pancakes, waffles, bagels, pizza, noodles, and then the sweeter versions like cakes and cookies. I can very easily eat a large amount of any of these options without a second thought. Well, maybe a second thought, but definitely not a third thought.
Alex and I attempted to "go primal" or low carb a while back, and I got very frustrated because I wanted my chocolate chip cookies and ice cream (which isn't a bread but is equally enticing). We did this before we got married, right after Valentines day last year. He suggested the idea because I was afraid that I wouldn't fit into my wedding dressing, and he lovingly wanted to help. He lost 20 lbs, and I maybe lost five, but I didn't stick to the plan as well as I should have. Plus, stress with school and wedding was not conducive to my plan because I still ate when I wasn't hugry-low carb only works when you eat until you are full. Also, I really enjoy eating legumes (black beans, chili, certain nuts) and the paleo diet was not a fan as far as I could tell. Sometime I don't feel like eating meat.
When I started tracking my food on sparkpeople, I became increasingly successful. It ultimately didn't matter what I ate, as long as I stayed within the parameters of the sparkpeople website. I still feel that this is an effective way to lose weight or at least maintain. The process of admitting everything that I consumed helped me to limit myself. They encourage consuming fruits and veggies, but ultimately the numbers don't reflect a big difference between an apple and a pancake. Actually, I have problems getting enough protein, and sometimes a whole wheat pancake has enough protein to help me reach my goal.
The biggest problem with this plan is that I would eat a large portion of my calories in pancakes, bagels, breads, and other indulgences. Once I decided I had "reached my limit for the day" I had no room for the friendly fruits and veggies that I should have been eating in the first place. This is my present predicament.
Recently Alex showed me an email linked to a MDA (Mark's Daily Apple) success story. Today I again have reviewed a number of stories and articles on this website. One of the suggestions was to reflect and write about what worked and what didn't. Thus, this blog. Next, he suggested writing out three goals and what I will do today, this week, and this quarter to accomplish this goal. Goals may come in another blog, but for now I will end with these thoughts on the topic:
1. One major focus is avoiding processed foods.
For the most part, we don't eat pre-packaged meals, but we do enjoy veggies that are canned and frozen. This is the reality, and I'm OK with this part of the plan. They are more affordable, and much easier to prepare.
2. One suggested goal is to "completely eliminate grains from diet"
I have an eerie feeling that if I eliminate grains, I will actually replace them with the fruits and veggies I am supposed to be eating. Eerie, because I know that would most likely be a struggle. Also, I still have plenty of bread and noodles. Not a ton, but enough that I think "I don't want to waste it!"
This is a silly thought. Most of our grains are either in the freezer, or in uncooked noodle/rice/flour/cornmeal form, which means they will keep for sometime. If I want to make them for company or to bring to a friend's house, I can still use them in the future. However, I don't have to eat them right away.
3. Although the results of the primal diet are clearly effective, I do not agree with their over-arching believe about the origins of human life.
This may be silly, but I like to be "all or nothing" when following a plan. I like to participate in blogs, conversations, and be able to promote an idea as a whole. This may not be realistic, but it's how I feel. The thought behind "grok" and the primal way of eating is basic evolution, and that grains did not come into the picture for thousands of years. The "hunting and gathering" principle is key, and even exercise should be practical.
But I don't believe in evolution. I believe that God created us in His image. I believe that His creation was "good" and late corrupted by sin. I believe in the story of Cain and Abel where Cain harvested crops-so it seems grains have been around for an equal amount of time.
This really may be a silly, minor, insignificant detail, but I still feel uneasy about following the plan to perfection.
I do, however, think that
1. Many processed foods are not how God originally intended.
2. Cutting any number of grains out of our diet would increase our consumption of fruits and veggies.
3. Protein is important, but I'm not about to cut out the legumes in order to cut down carbs.
Seems like I've come up with some type of "goals" after all.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Savoring time
This is my last week before I start working full time. This is my last week (well, really only a half of a week now) to chill at the house, take my time getting ready, watch TV and let the clothes pile up because I still have time to fold them.
The past two nights Alex and I have gone to karate and then had people over. I loved it-great learning, workout, and time together with friends. I've loved it. I won't get to go to karate next week because I'll be in Nashville training.
I'm trying to think of what I would like to get done before a lot of my time is dedicated to work. Folding laundry is always an admirable plan, but a never ending ambition I'm afraid. Honestly I think I have kept up with most of our necessities. I'll probably realize what I should have done once I start working. I think learning to adjust will be my biggest challenge. I'm excited about the training though.
I'm eating my lunch early. I found mini bagels at the day-old bread store, and bananas and peanut butter. yum :)
The past two nights Alex and I have gone to karate and then had people over. I loved it-great learning, workout, and time together with friends. I've loved it. I won't get to go to karate next week because I'll be in Nashville training.
I'm trying to think of what I would like to get done before a lot of my time is dedicated to work. Folding laundry is always an admirable plan, but a never ending ambition I'm afraid. Honestly I think I have kept up with most of our necessities. I'll probably realize what I should have done once I start working. I think learning to adjust will be my biggest challenge. I'm excited about the training though.
I'm eating my lunch early. I found mini bagels at the day-old bread store, and bananas and peanut butter. yum :)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Getting back on track
I have found that if I start my day by reading my Bible and making myself a list of things to do, I am much more productive than if I start my day in from of the computer watching ANTM reruns and having a bit of "second breakfast." The latter is what happened yesterday. When I used to work at Hobby Lobby, I had a much better attitude when I took enough time to reflect on God's word before heading into work.
I have been watching TV while exercising on my elliptical. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I realized that I have the Bible on my iPod, and could listen to it while exercising. I think this may be a better way to spend my time. We'll see-it's easy to go for a long time on the elliptical if I'm distracted by TV drama.
Loving the weather these past few days. Not freezing when I walk outside has been nice. However, I think it ends tonight.
Tasks for today: cleaning the house and studying for the driver's knowledge test for my new job that starts next Monday! So after this post I'm going to clean like crazy and then study so that I can get it all done before Alex comes home after work.
When I get my "F" endorsement, I will have completed everything I need to start my job. Then I can just enjoy the rest of the week before starting full time!
I have already decided next week will mostly consist of crock pot meals. Easy and ready when I get home!
I have been watching TV while exercising on my elliptical. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I realized that I have the Bible on my iPod, and could listen to it while exercising. I think this may be a better way to spend my time. We'll see-it's easy to go for a long time on the elliptical if I'm distracted by TV drama.
Loving the weather these past few days. Not freezing when I walk outside has been nice. However, I think it ends tonight.
Tasks for today: cleaning the house and studying for the driver's knowledge test for my new job that starts next Monday! So after this post I'm going to clean like crazy and then study so that I can get it all done before Alex comes home after work.
When I get my "F" endorsement, I will have completed everything I need to start my job. Then I can just enjoy the rest of the week before starting full time!
I have already decided next week will mostly consist of crock pot meals. Easy and ready when I get home!
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