Life, Food Plans & Exercise

 

The past couple of days I’ve had trouble writing down what I eat. On the bright side, I haven’t been overly hungry and I don’t remember eating anything very bad for me. Mostly just cleaning up the healthy leftovers in the fridge. I’ve been careful to eat plenty of vegetables which is tiresome and makes me feel like a cow chewing her cud, crunching my way into jaw fatigue. It’s not that bad though. Actually, I feel pretty good.

The past couple of days our Aspie (aspeger’s syndrome) son, Tom, has needed a lot of extra attention. So that has been my priority. I’ve tried to eat as sanely as I can while I attend to his needs. He is so completely normal most of the time. Last week he had some pizza though, the regular kind with gluten and cheese. He took his digestive meds for 2 days, but, in hind sight, should have taken then for 3 or 4. So we had a couple of days of regression on his part, but he’s almost back to normal now. Just another reminder that it’s an ongoing process, and we have to keep on doing the best we can with what we’ve got.

I did weigh myself and I haven’t lost any additional weight yet. I probably won’t see evidence of my new food plan until closer to the end of the month, after my PMS and Cycle week have passed. I can say that I’m not having cravings this week so far, or at least, not half as bad as they were last month. So that’s progress.

When I started my weight loss journey, a year ago, I didn’t exercise. I just tried to eat better. After I got the food into a more manageable place I started wanting to exercise. I know, weird.

I started out finding a small local indoor swimming pool. One that I didn’t know existed, but has apparently been there for years. My BFF and I checked it out and it turns out that since my husband is retired, we qualified for the Senior Discount. Therefore it only costs $25 a month for the senior couple plan. I’m 45, not a senior, but my husband is in his mid 50’s, and retired, so we qualified. The pool is open from 7am-3pm and then again from 8-9pm. It’s so cheap to join because it’s closed after school when most people would be using it. The local public school swim teams practice there, during that time. While it is open though, I can swim as often as I like, for as long as I like. Right now, I’m trying to swim 3 mornings a week for 45 minutes to an hour at a time. I LOVE to swim. It’s my very favorite exercise in the whole wide world. I am a mermaid and I frolic in the lagoon. I swim a few laps, to warm up, but mostly I frolic. Sometimes Fred comes with me, sometimes not. Sometimes I meet one or two girlfriends there. Sometimes not. Mostly I do it just because it feels so blessedly good. Plus, I am a beautiful mermaid. And mermaids like to swim.

So, swimming 3 times a week.

Also, walking 2 times a week.

I walk  with a good friend who is also trying to lose weight. We walk from 8am to 9am two mornings a week. She’s trying to get me to join a gym, which only costs $10 a month, but I don’t know if I want to do that. Gym’s do not feel especially safe to me. Swimming pools do, but mixed gender gyms–not so much. I’m still praying about it.

The exercise was a lot harder to start than it is to keep going. The inertia of doing nothing takes some gumption to get past, but then I just slip into the new inertia of moving, and ride the wake.

All the exercise is really good for my cramps and also makes me happy. I get the endorphin high from it that feels really good and makes me want to keep doing it.

The swimming I would do on my own, whether I have a friend there or not, simply because I like it so much. The walking I wouldn’t. Having a friend to walk with makes it much, much easier to wake up on a cold morning, get dressed and get out there to walk in the open air. I’m not sure I would make myself walk if I didn’t have a walking partner. It’s just too easy to stay at home, in a warm bed, snuggled up with Fred and the dog. Much too tempting.

When I have an obligation to someone else though, that gives me the extra push to get my rear in gear.

My walking partner is another Christian woman, who is also a member of CR (Celebrate Recovery–the Christian weight loss group I’m attending) and we talk about our challenges, our food plans, our families and all that good stuff that you get with good Christian Fellowship. Having someone with the same goals–Serve God, Serve our Families, Take Care of our Health Problems–is such an enormous blessing and makes it easier to keep myself on track. So, Yay for that.

Finally, I’ve already shared my current food plan but I’m going to do so again, because it helps me to write it down. Remember, this is the food plan that works best for me. It’s custom designed to include foods that make me feel good. It may or may not work for you.

1. Budget Friendly!
2. 1400-1500 Calories Per Day
3. Adapted from the DASH diet
4. Uses Dietary Exchanges to Track Food
5. Gluten Free
6. Dairy Free
7. Mammal Free
8. Red Meat Free
9. Egg Yolk Free
10. Low Sodium–Under 2300mg per day, Aiming for under 1500
11. Low Cholesterol–Under 150mg per day (usually under 100mg)
12. High Fiber–Between 30mg and 45mg a day
13. High in Fruits & Vegetables
14. Emphasis on Whole Grains & Dried Legumes
15. Low in  Sugar
16. Approximate Nutrient Break Down: 55% Carbohydrate, 25% Fat, 20% Protein
    1. 40 to 60 grams of Fat
    2. 50 to 70 grams of Protein
    3. Approximately 200 grams of Carbohydrate

The Food Plan Proper

• 6 Protein Exchanges
• 6 Bread/Starch/Carbohydrate Exchanges
• 6 Vegetable Exchanges (or more)
• 6 Fat Exchanges
• 4 Fruit Exchanges
• 1 Other Carbohydrate Exchanges (alcohol & sweets)

I find it easier to count food exchanges than calories. I’m updating my Exchange Plan diet booklet and hope to have it completed by the end of the month. This will help explain what it is I’m eating and how I’m making my food choices.

Also, I’m considering making a new section specifically for diet-friendly recipes. There’s a special section for Hard-Times recipes, and I’m thinking a special section for Light recipes, to make them easier to find from all of the other stuff. I’m still thinking about it. Some Light recipes cost a little more to prepare than Hard Times recipes because they use so many fruits and vegetables and lean meats, which to be honest, cost more than when you’re trying to eat as cheaply as possible. When times are really hard, portion control is automatic because you simply cannot afford as much food. So you have to eat less. When finances are limited, but you’re not in dire straits, there is more money for food, and it’s one of the few comforts you can afford, so it’s easier to overeat. For me, this is when portion control becomes paramount.

What is a good name for a Light Recipe section. It has to be short, so it will fit up at the top menu, and descriptive. Now taking suggestions. . .